On a day-to-day basis, I.T. departments are responsible for ensuring that the sharing, storage, and accessibility of corporate data are operating at optimal levels; without internal or external forces slowing down these and other processes. But as usability increases - system vulnerabilities grow.
A vulnerability is a weakness found in an IT system that can be exploited by an attacker to deliver a successful cyber-attack. They can occur through flaws, features or user error, and attackers will look to exploit any of them, often combining one or more, to achieve their end goal of gaining access to your systems.
System vulnerabilities are the same as weaknesses found in the construction of a physical building: they become tempting targets for outsiders to pry open the door and sneak inside. That’s why regularly conducting a vulnerability assessment, to search your IT systems for known vulnerabilities, is crucial.
A vulnerability assessment is a systematic review of security weaknesses in an information system. It evaluates if the system is susceptible to any known vulnerabilities, assigns severity levels to those vulnerabilities, and recommends remediation or mitigation, if and whenever needed.
Here at the ECRC, we offer affordable Cyber Security and Resilience Services through our free core membership, including three types of vulnerability assessments:
By regularly carrying out vulnerability assessments, you are ensuring no virtual back door is left open for a hacker to sneak through.
The impact of a successful attack against your network can be catastrophic and lead to a full blow system breach, loss of data and a permanent loss of reputation. But all is not lost.
Here at the centre, there are three things that we would recommend for you to consider:
We are already working closely with hundreds of organisations across the seven counties to help them tackle the continually changing cyber threats that they face. So come and join our community as free members and let us help you protect your organisations from the ever presents threats out there in the cyber-verse.
If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress), please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.
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