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2023-04-18 00:00:00

Cybersecurity and the Public Sector

Written by Airwalk Reply Senior Consultant Brian Tyndall
There is a wealth of information and top tips available about cybersecurity, and how to keep your employees and families safe from current and emerging cyber security threats. 

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides a series of infographics which are free to use and distribute, as well as detailed guidance for a range of cyber security topics.

Three random words

The NCSC recommends using three random words to create a complex and strong password which is tougher for a cyber criminal to crack.
 
The NCSC also recommends the use of a password manager, which can be used to create strong unique passwords, and store them securely whilst only needing to remember a single master password to fill in a login form.

Multifactor Authentication

Multifactor Authentication (MFA), sometimes known as two-factor authentication (2FA), is one of the most important security measures for everyone to put in place.

When you enable MFA for your online services (like email, bank accounts, etc.), you enter a password like you normally would, but you also need to provide a second piece of information from an authenticator (like a text to your phone, an email, face recognition, or other form) to verify your identity before the service grants you access. If your password becomes compromised, bad actors won’t be able to gain access to your accounts because they can’t provide the second piece of information.

CISA and CISA Global actively promotes their Multifactor Authentication campaign through Social Media.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a form of malware that is used to attack individuals, organisations and governments by infecting a system, and making the system inaccessible by encrypting data, with the encryption key only known to the bad actor. Users are then presented with a message demanding that a ransom is paid before a specific deadline otherwise the files are destroyed or publicly released.
 
NCSC provides a comprehensive guide on how to protect against, identify, report and mitigate ransomware attacks.

The 'No More Ransom' Project

Europol provides an initiative to enable citizens around the world to obtain information on how to report ransomware and cybersecurity incidents to their country of residence or origin. No More Ransom provides a tool to upload suspected ransomware for testing through CryptoSheriff.

Phishing

Phishing is a type of social engineering which can trick an unsuspecting user into providing confidential information, after tricking them into performing an action e.g. clicking a link which appears to be from a genuine source. Phishing can take a number of forms such as emails, text messages, social media posts, phone calls, or scam websites.
 
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides a comprehensive guide on how to identify and report various types of phishing.

Information Security

Airwalk Reply maintains two of the key certifications relating to information security: both the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications.

ISO 9001

The ISO 9001 standard is 'Based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement' - ISO.org 

Airwalk Reply Partner Justin Gilroy said: "We are delighted that Airwalk Reply has been ISO 9001 accredited. It endorses our approach to not only quality management, but the integrity of our systems and processes, and our commitment to our people, our clients, and the environment". 

ISO 27001

The ISO 27001 standard is 'establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system within the content of the organisation'- ISO.org

Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials is an effective, UK Government backed scheme from the NCSC that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.
 
Cyber attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are very basic in nature, carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. They’re the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked.
 
The NCSC provides comprehensive advice on how to prevent these attacks, and provides a Cyber Essentials readiness toolkit to create an action plan for the certification requirements of Cyber Essentials through two levels of certification: Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
 
Airwalk Reply is Cyber Essentials Plus certified, and proactively comply with requirements of auditing and technical verification to ensure that handling of sensitive and personal information complies with industry regulations.

Public Sector

We are proud of the work we do to help public sector organisations get the best out of the latest digital technology, by assisting with the adoption of advanced technologies, such as public cloud, and the associated modern ways of working.
 

To learn more about our work within the public sector Click here

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