Warren Buffett, considered the greatest investor of all time, recently said “I don’t know much about cybersecurity, but I do think it’s the number one problem with mankind.” – www.businessinsider.com
Here are some statistics: $445 billion. That’s the total the World Economic Forum estimates will cost the global economy in 2016 thanks to cybercrime. That is more than the market caps of some of the world’s largest companies, including Exxon ($372 B), Wells Fargo ($256 B) and JPMorgan ($238 B). In 2016, more than 4.2 billion records were stolen on Planet Earth. With a population of 7.3 billion people, that is roughly 57% of the total world population’s information that has been potentially compromised. In May of this year, a malware called WannaCry infected more than 230,000 computers across 154 countries. It was a breathtaking display of how quickly and severely a virus can spread.
Tricorps has been a leader in personal and physical security and it is now time to add cybersecurity. The reason for this is the need to have an INTEGRATED approach for our clients. It is not possible to provide a full security solution without this level of integration. Cybersecurity has bled over to physical with hackers trying to get on the premises of corporations to put USB drives in computers. And physical security is being impacted by the ease of tracking people online.
It is critical that we are now seen as being able to help our clients protect themselves from all angles. If you are reading this now, it is critical that you get up to speed on the current cybersecurity market and be able to answer basic questions about how we can help clients protect themselves. Recently we have provided the following services for clients:
- Provided cybersecurity audits to find weaknesses and gaps in their networks, policies, and training
- Provided in person and eLearning training for employees
- Provided employee testing to determine the likelihood of a breach from email attacks
- Done forensics on hard drives and network assets to determine internal corruption
- Provided remediation advice to IT departments on ways to close gaps in security
The risk environment for our clients (personally and organizationally) is increasing. Organized crime has become a powerful force behind cybercrime and their financial success is funding even more sophistication with their level of attacks and schemes. On top of that, nation states have built cyber warfare teams and in some cases are targeting U.S. businesses and government entities in attempts to steal intellectual property, data, or simply disrupt our economy.
Apathy and ignorance are the threat actors’ greatest weapon. We all need to be educating ourselves about cybersecurity and the methods for defending our clients. Add cybersecurity to your newsfeeds, whether that be by reading books or newsletters, listening to a podcast, or just regularly scanning websites. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to the home office. We can provide eLeaning tools for you, and a list of online resources that can help you get up to speed.