Comments by Dan Davies, CTO at Maintel, "The cyberattack on 14 different schools acts as an example of the severity of what can happen if systems are not secure, since sensitive information about pupils has now been leaked online. Other schools across the UK should take heed and ensure the correct tools are in place to reduce the risk of a cyberattack."
He adds, "Cyber criminals are continuously probing and looking for weaknesses; it only takes a single vulnerability to gain access. Therefore, modernising IT infrastructure and training staff on the basics of cyber security must be a priority if similar breaches are to be avoided."
Applying emerging technologies
Dan Davies continues, "A priority for security teams must be to reduce the time to detect, contain and mitigate breaches. This is a key strategy given those trying to gain access are now very skilled in delivering multi-layered attacks using diversion techniques. The only way to do this is by regularly scanning your environments for vulnerabilities, and applying emerging technologies like predictive analytics with techniques such as machine learning and modelling as additional layers of the already complex security stack."
He concludes, "Where the skills don't exist in-house to handle all of this, or the budget doesn't exist to deploy the best tools, people, and process, look for a strong Managed Cyber Security Service partner to work with. Unfortunately, it's no longer a matter of if you'll be attacked, but when. So, it pays to be prepared.”