Parminder Lall

BREAKING: Middlesbrough Council has allocated £25,000 to cyber security for the next 12 months - safeguarding £300 million in public funds, services, and citizen data. That’s 0.0083% of annual turnover. Or £0.11 per resident. Or roughly the cost of a mid-range firewall and a motivational poster about password hygiene. In an era of ransomware-as-a-service, AI-driven fraud, and cascading supply chain breaches, this is a bold gesture - not toward resilience, but toward plausible deniability. What does £25,000 buy you in 2025? • A phishing simulation, two awareness emails, and a laminated “Think Before You Click” sign • A procurement trail proving “something was done” • A future FOI response that reads: “Cyber security measures were in place at the time.” Obviously tongue in cheek, as hopefully they’ve allocated more budget and resources toward cyber security than this, but it got my attention anyway. :) #CyberSecurity #LocalGovernment #DigitalRisk #SymbolicSpending #Middlesbrough #PublicSectorPriorities #Procurement #Accountability #LinkedInIrony

204

82 Comments

#CyberAlert | Foundations for OT cyber security We have joined international partners to release guidance for owners and operators on foundations for operational technology cyber security and asset inventory. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/esEEhNFc

54

3 Comments

❗New Research - Cyber Security in CNI 2025❗ At last week's CNI Cyber Security Summit, we launched our annual research looking at the top cyber threats, trends and challenges facing UK CNI organisations in 2025. Now in it's fifth consecutive year, the research surveyed over 600 respondents across critical sectors. Some of our key findings were: 👉95% of organisations surveyed have experienced a data breach 👉41% of CNI organisations rank data protection as one of their biggest security challenges. 👉37% of CNI organisations have experienced costs in excess of £500,001 due to ransomware Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eC8ceFsQ #CNIResearch2025 #CyberSecurity

28

1 Comment

As a Delivery Partner for the National Cyber Security Centre's Assured Cyber Incident Response (Level 2) scheme, we are sharing the latest changes to the scheme, including: 🖊️ The Cyber Incident Response Scheme (Level 2) is now called the Cyber Incident Response Standard Level ✅ There is now a prerequisite for all companies to successfully join, and remain members of, the Cyber Incident Response scheme at the Standard Level, before applying to join at the Enhanced Level as an Assured Service Provider Find out more about the changes here https://lnkd.in/epufx9VQ

40

✅ Confidence in your cyber defences starts with assurance. NHS England's Cyber Assurance Service helps NHS organisations assess their cyber maturity by completing an IT Health check and measures alignment with the technical elements of the DSPT Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF). It assesses key areas of your IT Infrastructure providing details for improvement and development. Whether you're preparing for an audit or just want to understand your current posture, this service provides expert-led insight and practical recommendations. It’s about more than ticking boxes—it’s about building resilience. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eAdUfYtU

25

1 Comment

🆙 UK Cyber Growth Action Plan 🔒 ➡️ The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has published a new policy paper, “A UK Cyber Growth Action Plan – Final Report”. This is the result of an independent and rapid review, providing key recommendations on the measures required to strengthen and expand the UK’s cybersecurity sector. ➡️ The report underlines the importance of building wider national cyber resilience, highlighting the role of a strong UK cyber culture and mindset, clear and effective cyber leadership, and thriving technology ecosystems that can attract talent, investment, and collaboration to drive innovation and sustainable growth. ➡️ I was honoured to contribute and be a research participant in the #ActionPlan, developed by the University of Bristol in partnership with Imperial College London. ⬆️ I stressed the need for a “cyber MOT”, where organisations of every size should be able to demonstrate that they have appropriate, real-time security controls in place. This would ensure they are trusted members of the supply chain and capable of reducing up to 95% of cyber risk. ✅ Here's the report ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dyJTWCu4 ##UKCyberGrowth #CyberSecurityUK #CyberResilience #CyberLeaders #TechEcosystem #CyberInnovation #SupplyChainSecurity #CyberRiskManagement #CyberCulture #DigitalUK #CyberStrategy #CyberMOT #CyberInvestment Zhero Cybersecurity & IT Support Zaheer Rahman Natasha Wilbers Deman Marx Tomasz Jakubczyk Louise Niemand (De Bruin) Louis Oosthuizen Elizabeth Roux Andrew Elliot Ryan Leech Ryan O'Connor Kathy Meyer Lucindi Storme Mikello Terblanche Shirley Lang

37

⚠️ After reports that over 183 million breached email credentials had been uploaded to data breach information site Have I Been Pwned, Alastair MacGibbon told 10 News that this is a reminder to always turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) when given the option on a website or an app.    "This is malicious code, malware, i.e. software that does bad things, rather than good things, that we get infected with on our computers, or they poison websites," said Alastair. "They break into websites and leave this malicious code on them and it's designed to steal important things, credit card information, usernames and passwords."   "So there is a massive criminal enterprise online that tries to do this 24/7/365."

84

Official: New "Cyber Governance - Code of Practice" published today, 8 April 2025, by HM Government. To summarise the five areas detailed in the attached:  1) Cyber Risk Management: gain assurance that cyber risks are identified & owned, eg so your firm "is resilient to cyber security risks from its supply chain and business partners." 2) Cyber Strategy: gain assurance that your firm is implementing "a cyber strategy that aligns with the agreed cyber risk appetite," eg "so resources are allocated effectively to manage the agreed cyber risks." 3) Cyber & People: promote a cyber security culture, eg for each Director to "undertake training to improve your own cyber literacy." 4) Cyber Incident Recovery:  in summary, to gain assurance that your firm has an effective plan for recovery, eg "at least annual exercising of the plan involving relevant internal and external stakeholders" 5) Cyber Oversight:  in summary, to establish a cyber governance structure, eg "Require formal reporting on at least a quarterly basis, set suitable metrics to track, and agree tolerances for each." Follow Cyber Rescue Alliance for more insights every day!

46

3 Comments

Cyber Security News ® Nikki-Universal Cyber Attack – Hackers Claim 761.8 GB of Data Stolen | Source: https://lnkd.in/ggyqt_Ze Nikki-Universal Co. Ltd., a prominent chemical manufacturer, has fallen victim to a sophisticated ransomware attack. The incident, which the company confirmed on December 27, 2024, involved the encryption of electronic data on some of its servers, with the ransomware group Hunters International claiming responsibility. The attack, which took place on December 22, 2024, saw the hackers allegedly exfiltrating a staggering 761.8 GB of data, comprising 476,342 files.

41

3 Comments

Cyber firm targets growth with £250,000 support “CyberSafe aims to make cybersecurity accessible for businesses of all sizes, enabling them to rapidly detect threats and take swift action.” Cybersecurity firm Melius CyberSafe is eyeing market growth after securing £250,000 support from the North East Venture Fund. The Newcastle-based operator says the cash will aid the roll-out of a “new and more powerful version” of its online monitoring platform. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eNvuctbd Richard Brown Ian Wilson Mercia Asset Management PLC Eldon Jobe

23

2 Comments

Why should yesterday's £3 million fine issued after ransomware attack – be a wake-up call for UK SMEs? The ICO has just fined a UK software provider £3 million following a 2022 ransomware attack, citing poor security practices and avoidable failures that left customer data exposed. 👉 Read the full article here via link in the comments Why is this significant? Because this wasn’t a huge multinational. This was a software provider servicing UK businesses – many of them probably like yours and mine. Here’s what stood out: • ⚠️ The company hadn’t applied security updates three years after known vulnerabilities were published. • 🔐 Weak passwords and lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA) gave attackers a much easier route in. • 📉 The fine wasn’t for being hacked. It was for failing to take reasonable and expected steps to protect sensitive data. If you’re a small or mid sized business owner, you might assume your company isn’t a target. But attackers increasingly target SMEs because they assume – often rightly – that security might be less robust. This case is a reminder that basic cyber hygiene isn’t just good practice – it’s a regulatory and reputational necessity. If you’re not sure where to start: • Review patch management processes. • Make sure MFA is on literally everything. • Audit where sensitive data lives – and who has access. • And if you’re not confident in your current IT provider’s approach to security, challenge it. Happy to chat or point you towards practical resources if you need a starting point. Let’s keep raising the bar – before the ICO or a hacker makes the point for us. #CyberSecurity #SMEs #DataProtection #Leadership #ICO #Ransomware #BusinessResilience

27

1 Comment

📝 Lucy Group gains ISO 27001 information security certification In December 2024, Lucy Group gained ISO 27001 certification, the leading international standard for information security management, after completing two successful audit stage reviews. 🌐 The Group also earned Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, a government-backed scheme with independent verification that helps organisations protect themselves against the most common cyber threats. To support compliance, the Group has established two governance bodies. The Exec-led Information Security Steering Committee (ISSC) provides overarching strategy, governance and leadership, while the Information Security Operations Group (ISOG) focuses on the day-to-day operational management of security, including the Group’s global IT security programme. 👨🏻‍💻 Joe Perkins, Global IS Service Operations & Capability Manager at Lucy Group, said: “𝘊𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳-𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳-𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢-𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴.” 👉 For more information, please read our website article: https://lnkd.in/eqiHqKPi

115

1 Comment

Glasgow City Council announced on Wednesday being impacted by a cyber incident which it said was “disrupting a number of online services and which may have involved the theft of customer data.” The nature of the incident hasn’t been confirmed. It was uncovered by the council’s IT supplier CGI last week, “on servers managed by a third-party supplier,” according to the council’s statement. Day-to-day digital and online services have been disrupted by the council taking the affected servers offline. Its statement included an apology “for the anxiety and inconvenience this incident and the necessary response to it will undoubtedly cause.” #cybersecurity #CNI #Glasgow

17