Cyber security guards: The modern defences every business needs

Following a growing trend of cyber attacks, companies such as aizoOn, based at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre at Lot Fourteen, are helping businesses to defend themselves.

By Isabella Kelly, Future Adelaide Intern

Cyber security is one of the most crucial aspects of business management. Picture: iStock

Following a growing trend of cyber attacks, companies such as aizoOn, based at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre at Lot Fourteen, are helping businesses to defend themselves.

From self-driving cars to electronic notebooks, cyber is a universal part of modern life – making cyber security one of the most crucial aspects of business management.

While there have been several high-profile cyber attacks in recent years, small and medium enterprises are the most vulnerable, says Harvey Marcus, national lead of aizoOn Technology Consulting.

“The problem is the supply chains for the larger businesses – if you’re a threat actor you look for the lowest point of vulnerability to get in,” Marcus says.

With one site based in Adelaide at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre at Lot Fourteen, aizoOn works with businesses to provide risk assessment, testing and increasing their cyber security where needed.

AizoOn supports its clients by modifying their procedures to better fit with the relevant legal regulations and security policies. “We carry out the vulnerability assessments and penetration tests required to detail all risks pertaining to systems and application in an organisation,” the company says on its website.

Many hackers utilise ransomware, creating significant and expensive disruptions and forcing victims to pay a ransom for the release of their systems.

This type of attack has become increasingly common within large organisations, with the former government announcing in December more than 80,000 state government employees had their information stolen.

In this case, the attack was sourced back to an overseas criminal organisation, Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said after a review into the incident.

While this example became public knowledge, Marcus believes many companies do not admit when they have experienced a cyber attack for fears it may damage their reputation.

He feels the future of cyber security for all businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, involves having engrained cyber security teams.

“You’ll find that having a minimal staff on cyber security will become mandatory for supplying large enterprises,” Marcus says.

Marcus identified three main cyber threats faced by organisations: “cause warriors” who hack places for fun or to prove a point, industrial espionage attacks which are done for a profit, and nation-state cyber attacks.

He says combating cyber attacks will require constant vigilance as well as the collaboration of good policy, investments and technologies.

Original article published on adelaidenow.com.au