In today’s digital world, many of us rely on the Internet for both personal and professional reasons. Whether we are using it to keep in touch with friends, to share opinions and reviews or for e-commerce, we disclose a great deal more information online than we ever have done before. This in turn, has greatly increased the risks of Cyber Assault.

 

What Constitutes a Cyber Threat?
Cyber threats can take many forms, from the theft of personal details such as passwords and financial details, to the speed at which confidential details and news can spread online. With many employees accessing the Internet during work hours to undertake personal tasks and, most importantly to post on social networks, the risk to your organisation of sensitive information or disparaging comments being posted online increases. With many of us having access to smart phones at all times of day, this threat is only compounded and the risk to your organisation’s reputation increased.

Avoiding Cyber Assault
Having a well thought out  plan in place will assist your organisation in preventing online leaks and other Cyber events from taking place. In order to protect your brand, it is important to communicate an effective Internet, Email and Social Media plan to all employees. This plan should consider all the potential threats, including the following:

• Sending of anonymous and damaging emails to employees, contractors, clients, shareholders, the media etc
• Posting of malicious or defamatory content on blogs, message boards, networking sites etc
• Creating of fake or spurious websites [e.g. http://ww.ihatetheorganisation.com]
• Posting of unauthorised photos
• Cyber stalking – using the internet to harass and intimidate individuals

When dealing with Cyber Assults, discretion is crucial. The anonymity that the Internet can afford allows users to mask their identity and as such, the culprits must remain unaware of any investigation.

Regents’ Approach
Regents can help you to put together effective policies that will assist with the prevention of Cyber Assault. If you are already victim of Cyber Threats, we are able to help you trace and identify the sources of the assault and take remedial action. Our investigations include the examination of computers, reviews of access logs, tracing of IP addresses, Internet browsing histories as well as analysis of materials such as emails and blogs.