Cyber security has become increasingly relevant to the haulage sector, an issue that can no longer be overlooked. There appears to be a lack of understanding of how effective cyber security strategies apply to transport and logistics businesses.
Cyber security is the protection of computer systems from theft and damage to hardware, software or information.
Everybody seems to be talking about Cyber nowadays as more technology exposes companies and individuals to the increased risk of others accessing their information for criminal or malicious use.
The results of an attack are extremely serious – companies may go out of business and individuals may lose their entire savings. There has always been a risk and the reality of an old saying has been proven repeatedly, to the costly detriment of many.
‘If it’s too good to be true – then it probably is’
We have all received the leaflets through the post-box, promising free gifts and entries into a lottery with a guaranteed winning gift. More recently, we have received telephone calls advising that as representatives of household names, they can resolve broadband problems that we did not even know we had. Hopefully, we do not fall for these and simply throw away the leaflets or politely disconnect the call. However, why do we not do the same when we receive these same promises by email?
The terms email phishing and spam are not new but they continue to be used because they remain a successful way of tricking us into some form of interaction. Anyone with an email address is a target, with the attacker trying to convince us to interact with the sent email. Opening the email is not enough for the attacker to get what he wants, but clicking on a link, opening a document or going to a website allows the attacker to make a connection to our computer or device.
Such a connection allows malicious software, also known as Malware, to infect the computer or device. Thereafter an attacker can stop us gaining access to our computer and demand a ransom to allow us back in (Ransomware), or secretly get all our personal information, including passwords, to steal our identity or gain access to our bank accounts.
Sometimes the attacker does not even have to infect the computer; we could simply be enticed to a fake bank account page, which asks for our personal details and thereby subsequent access to our account.
Therefore, we must treat all emails with caution and remember that promises of a free gift or a large lottery win are likely to be malicious and not legitimate. If in any doubt, we must go to the webpage direct rather than clicking the link in the email.
As commercial insurance specialists, M R Ratcliffe Insurance Brokers have access to Cyber insurance policies and can introduce you to security experts who can advise you in how to prevent being the victim of an attack, whilst monitoring your company.
CREDIT: David Woodfine Director Cyber Security Associates Ltd
Email: dw@csa.limited