Author: Guru's

Over the past couple of years, the cost of living in the UK has increased significantly. The annual rate of inflation reached 11.1% in October 2022, which was the highest we’ve experienced for 41 years. Consequently, small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have found themselves struggling to stay above water, as the cost of sustaining their operations continuously increases.

In fact, a recent study has shown that over 1 in five UK SMEs (21%) are worried that their business will not survive the current economic uncertainty or expect they will have to make a significant business pivot in order to survive. There are approximately 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, and according to the survey this would potentially leave 1.155 million businesses in a precarious position and risk of collapse.

Remarkably, the survey also revealed that some SME senior leaders would go to great lengths to ensure the survival of the business, from engaging in cybercriminal activity and committing accounting fraud to neglecting compliance requirements.

Among the activities that SME senior leaders would consider engaging in, are committing account fraud and lying to bankers/investors to secure funding or committing tax fraud/evasion (15%). Additionally, 14% admitted that they would cut employe salaries or benefits while 11% would leverage proprietary information from partners or clients, like selling off their data. 11% also said they would neglect compliance requirements due to the additional costs they incur. A concerning 10% even admitted they would engage in cybercriminal activity such as hitting a rival company with a cyber attack. Lastly, 9% would mortgage their house to pay for costs.

The results also showed that a third of SMEs have either decreased cybersecurity spending since the economic uncertainty or admitted to never really investing in it. In fact, as many as 42% of SME senior leaders do not believe it is worth investing in cybersecurity, with over 1 in 5 (21%) believing they are not a target. A further 16% claim it is not worth it because they have cyber insurance and 10% assert it is not a priority. Only 25% realised it was worth investing in cybersecurity because they could not afford to be breached.

“As a business owner myself, I can understand the pressure many SME decision-makers are currently facing to keep their companies running and ensure their employees are taken care of, all while budgets tighten. It is during these times that emotions run high, and people might make irrational decisions that go against their own, and their company’s, best interest,” said Jamie Akhtar, CEO and co-founder of CyberSmart. “It goes without saying that we would never condone criminal behaviour. Moreover, we would strongly recommend that businesses do invest in cybersecurity and compliance.”

 “The business ecosystem has become highly intertwined, so no business is immune from cyberattacks. In fact, SMEs could prove to be an easy entry point for cybercriminals looking to hit others within their supply chain, if they have weak cybersecurity postures,” Akhtar continued. “While cyber insurance is important for risk transfer, it should not be relied on either. A comprehensive and continuous cybersecurity and compliance strategy is needed to avoid the financial, reputational and even, physical repercussions of a breach. Fortunately, there are solutions today that can help in doing so, without breaking the bank.”

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Between 2018 and 2023, 478 manufacturing companies have suffered a ransomware attack, leading to a loss of approximately $46.2 billion in downtime alone.

Serious cyber incidents affecting manufacturing companies can lead to significant disruptions to production lines. As a result, customer orders can be left unfulfilled and day-to-day operations come to a standstill.

Comparitech recently analysed how widespread these types of attacks on the manufacturing sector are to find out their true cost. Using their worldwide ransomware tracker, the Comparitech team searched for reports on the amount of downtime caused, how much data was stolen, how much the ransom demands were, and whether or not these ransom demands were met.

Some key findings include:

Between 2018 to July 2023 there were:

  • 478 confirmed ransomware attacks on manufacturing companies.
  • More than 7.5 million individual records were breached as a result of these attacks–at least.
  • Ransom demands were found to be between $5,000 and $50 million.
  • Hackers demanded an average of $11.2 million. Approximately $5.5 billion in ransom has been demanded in total.
  • Only four companies are known to have paid the ransom but many organisations will withhold this information in fear it makes them more vulnerable to these attacks. A confirmed $750,000 was paid across two of these attacks.
  • Downtime varied from several hours to 76 days.
  • Manufacturers within the transportation/automotive sector saw the highest number of attacks (92), closely followed by electronics/appliances manufacturers (80).
  • Egregor and Conti were the most dominant strains of ransomware in 2020 and 2021 (respectively) with LockBit dominating in 2022 and 2023 (so far).

Ultimately, these numbers show yet another example as to why manufacturers are so susceptible to attacks and why they must better secure themselves.

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Keeper Security has announced the launch of its groundbreaking Keeper Influencer Program. This unique initiative aims to collaborate with content creators from all social media platforms who are passionate about cybersecurity and eager to share their experiences using Keeper’s industry-leading password manager.

The Keeper Influencer Program is on the lookout for enthusiastic individuals who have personally experienced the benefits of Keeper’s password manager and are keen to spread the word to help protect consumers against the most common and pervasive cyberthreats. Through this program, influencers will have the opportunity to share their stories, insights, and honest reviews about Keeper, empowering their audiences to take control of their online security.

“We are excited to introduce the Keeper Influencer Program, a global community of cybersecurity advocates who believe in our mission to protect billions of people from cybercriminals,” said Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security. “By empowering influencers who are genuine Keeper enthusiasts, we aim to create a collective force to amplify the critical need for strong password management to protect people from data breaches and cyberthreats.”

The Keeper Influencer Program is unlike other influencer programs. Keeper’s program was created to develop and foster long-term relationships with participants who seek to help their followers improve their online security. Participants will earn money for the content they create and be eligible to receive a complimentary subscription to Keeper Unlimited, an industry-leading premium password manager, to protect their online presence for life. 

Keeper Security believes in empowering an engaged community of cybersecurity advocates who are dedicated to creating a safer online experience for individuals and organisations. To join the Keeper Influencer Program, interested content creators are invited to Apply Here. Selected participants will be notified and curated into this exciting and exclusive influencer program. Each participant will receive a unique promo code and custom landing page to share with their followers. For more information about the Keeper Influencer Program and to apply for the program, please visit: KeeperSecurity.com/Influencer-Program.

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At the IT Security Guru we’re showcasing organisations that are doing great things for employee wellbeing! This week, Mike McDaniel, President of Modern Workplace at DXC Technology, tells the Gurus about how DXC Technology are revolutionising the virtual employee workplace experience with their ‘virtual first’ approach.

The Virtual First Approach and Increased Inclusivity

But what is their ‘virtual first’ approach? McDaniel says, “Over the last couple of years, the way we work has irrevocable changed. Almost overnight, organisations were forced to establish a new remote workforce – and for many, the legacy has remained.”

The virtual first approach, implemented pre-pandemic, enables over 90% of their workforce to work remotely. Alongside this, DXC offer their employees access to immersive technologies, such as the Metaverse, to allow employees the chance to work together in a fun, engaging 3D environment, enabling collaborative equity.

According to McDaniel, collaborative equity means “increased inclusivity”.  He continues: “The virtual workplace embraces inclusivity, as a person’s location, gender, physical attributes, or personal circumstances are less important than their ideas or the quality of their work. As a result, organisations that embrace remote working can benefit from diverse new talent pools from previously underrepresented groups.”

“At DXC, we had already embraced remote working long before the onset of the pandemic,” McDaniel adds, “Building on our experience managing the workplaces of over six million users, DXC had already implemented a ‘virtual first’ approach underpinned by a number of technology platforms that enable our employees to work effectively regardless of their location.”

Comprehensive Support For Virtual First Employees

It is widely reported that working fully remotely can be isolating. McDaniel argues that we’ve entered the ‘personalised age’ of the working world. Where performance, wellbeing and productivity are equally promoted by organisations. At DXC they aim to champion this new phase of the workplace.

“As a virtual first company, we have reinvented our workplace with a singular goal: deliver a personalised and modern workplace experience that empowers employees to connect, collaborate, and work seamlessly and securely on any device, anytime and anywhere.” This is especially important as statistics show that over half of people have felt socially excluded in the past year.

“Working remotely comes with a number of challenges. Employees need comprehensive support and training in many areas – from security training designed to keep them and their organisations safe while working from outside the office, to enablement to ensure they can get the most out of modern workplace technologies. At DXC, we even offer training to our employees to enable them to work effectively with neurodivergent colleagues who have been integrated across our global workforce through our Dandelion program.”

The DXC Dandelion Program, established in 2014, embraces, supports, and expands the skills of neurodiverse people to help them secure long-term IT careers.

 The DXC Integrated Digital Workspace

DXC Technology also offer an integrated digital workspace service which offers employees at some of the world’s largest organisations a comprehensive suite of solutions that help deliver technology that excites employees and leads to greater engagement and increased productivity – all while stretching IT budgets.

“Powered by Microsoft 365 and Azure, our solution grows with customers’ unique needs as their workplace and cloud strategies evolve and their businesses transform. We work with a number of partners to deliver an integrated modern workplace solution. For example, Microsoft’s cloud-based services not only enhance the delivery of a virtual, in-person or hybrid workplace, they also enable data capture and analytics that facilitate better decision-making.”

“Modern Workplace also addresses a pain point DXC shares with many other large organisations: managing disparate platforms and myriad devices spread across the globe. We serve customers and employees in over 70 countries. By centralising services, disparate systems are integrated into one solution that offers a consolidated view of the workplace and makes it easier to manage tools and assets and deliver services and a positive experience to employees.”

A Final Word on Productivity, Wellbeing and the Modern Workspace

McDaniel notes: “By creating a personalised experience, Modern Workplace helps employees be more productive, engaged and connected wherever their work gets done. Our fundamental shift toward measuring employee satisfaction and sentiment has yielded customer satisfaction scores improving by 15%.”

Do you know an organisation that’s doing incredible things for employee wellbeing? Email us at info@itsecurityguru.org.

 

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We talk a lot in security about ‘burnout’.  But we spend a lot less time talking about how to build resilient humans to minimise the risk of burnout…

This feels like we have fallen into the same trap with western medicine.  Lots of treatment, often lots of expensive treatments.  Little focus on making people into healthy, strong, active humans (physically and mentally).

We’ll leave a discussion on how the interests of pharmaceutical companies and their shareholders and people who benefit from them for another time.  But remember their need to profit from treating illness really doesn’t align with your wellbeing and minimising your need for treatments!

Suffice to say prevention is way way better than cure.

Before we continue, let’s briefly define ‘burnout’, then we will look at some causes and signs, followed by what resilience is and how to build more resilient humans!

According to the WHO:

“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

  • feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
  • increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
  • reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

What can this look like in the workplace?  Look for signs that someone (including yourself here!) is;

  • Less engaged,
  • Less able to handle change, ambiguity or challenge,
  • Takes more sick time,
  • Appears more withdrawn
  • Is more cynical or critical
  • Less satisfied with role or successes
  • Tired / less able to sleep well
  • Eating more ‘comfort’ foods
  • Exercising less

Notice I’ve used more / less a lot as all of these things are relative and will vary from person to person.

Many things can contribute to burnout;

  • Feelings of a lack of control
  • Too much work / pressure
  • Constantly worrying about ‘what could happen – especially relevant in our field!
  • Dysfunctional / unhealthy work environment
  • Extra stress outside of work – don’t forget stress outside of work can reduce our capacity to deal with work stress

So how do we prevent burnout and be as resilient as possible?

Working on the assumption you can’t magically remove all the stress from your life and live on an idyllic island or whatever your perfect life is…

  1. Live a healthy lifestyle!

This doesn’t mean you need to obsess, but the old adage ‘Healthy body, Healthy mind’ has a huge amount of truth to it.

Eat well, prepare food yourself where possible and maintain a healthy weight

Exercise – pick up heavy things, do high intensity and longer low intensity ‘cardio’

Get outside as much as possible, even in winter.

The healthier, stronger and fitter that you are, the better you are at handling stress and whatever life throws at you.  Plus exercise is a great stress reliever!

  1. Get enough sleep

As a parent, fighters coach and full time CISO I know how hard this can be, but trying to get a decent amount of sleep – ideally 7-8 hours a night really will help manage stress and keep you healthy.

It’s easy to cut back on sleep to fit everything in, but this is hugely counter productive.  Lack of sleep will negatively affect your emotional state.  I often find that I see the worst in everything and find it harder to believe people have good intentions when I am overtired.  We all know how irritable we can get and how hard it is to think when we are not sleeping properly.

  1. Build a support network

Find a team / family / gang / group – whatever you want to call it.  People who are there for you, people you are there for.  This seems to be an area that affects men more than women;  a lot more men are reporting benign lonely and not having that close network around them.  This can prove hugely problematic as who do you talk to about your problems or even just have some non work banter?

Speaking personally I have been here, had a period of being very low and just going through the motions which led to an absolutely disastrous marriage.  I now have an extremely close group around me.  We train together, break bread together and unquestionably have each others backs.  This has genuinely made everything else in life better.

So please take my advice, dodge the terrible marriage and start working on finding your team.  It’s often easiest to start this this through some sort of shared interest, which brings us to the next point!

  1. Find a hobby

It doesn’t really matter what this is – anything you enjoy that will mean you are not thinking or worrying about work.

If it happens to be something you can share with others it helps with building your team from point 3!

  1. Make time for your family

Be there for them.  Be present.  You and they will appreciate and benefit from this.  Pick your kids up from school, tell your partner you love them, go for a walk together etc etc – doesn’t have to be complicated or costly.

  1. Be open

Talk to people – your friends, family and colleagues if you are struggling!

People can’t help or support you if the don’t know you are struggling.  Sometimes just getting things off your chest can be enough to help you start feeling better and formulating plans to improve things.

  1. Finally…

If the workplace really is unhealthy, start working on getting to your next role.  No organisation is worth your health and wellbeing.  Don’t do anything rash here, as I’m sure you need your salary, but start planning, brush up your CV, look into training etc that will help you secure your next role.  Just the act of planning and making moves will make you feel better as you will know you are working on a solution.

 

Finally (for real this time!) all of these things will help in all areas of your life.  Being healthy  and strong, getting sleep, having a support network and being present with your family will make everything better, not just work and your ability to handle work stress!

 

About Kevin Fielder:

Kevin Fielder, CISO, NatWest Boxed and Mettle by NatWest

Kevin is an innovative and dynamic security professional, with a passion for driving change by successfully engaging with all levels of the business. He is passionate about the benefits of cognitive diversity as a key ingredient of successful organisations.

He believes that security should be made a key differentiator to drive sales and customer retention, not just a cost centre.

Kevin has been a board advisor to multiple start-ups, such as The Cybermaniacs, TheClubCISO, and an advisory council member to ISC2 UK. He previously worked at FNZ Group and JustEat at a CISO. He’s currently the CISO at NatWest Boxed, a joint venture between NatWest and Vodeno, building the UK’s premier provider of banking-as-a-service, and Mettle, a small business bank account by NatWest.

Outside our industry Kevin is a strength and conditioning coach for multiple Muay Thai fighters as well as doing personal training and nutrition guidance as much as time permits.

The post CISO Speaks: Resilience and Avoiding Burnout appeared first on IT Security Guru.

A new study conducted by CyberSmart has revealed that nearly half of UK SMEs (47%) believe they are at greater risk of a cyberattack since the onset of the cost-of-living crisis. Of these respondents, 38% believe this is due to increased malicious insider threats (i.e., disgruntled employees making decisions that are not in the best interest of the company) and 35% believe it is due to negligent insider threats (i.e., overworked or distracted employees making mistakes). The study surveyed a thousand SME senior leaders across the UK.

 In light of the economic uncertainty, almost 1 in 3 employers (29%) admit that employee salaries have stayed the same: in effect, resulting in a decline of real wages to accommodate for inflation. A further 11% have even gone so far as to reduce salaries. What’s more, nearly a quarter (24%) of SMEs have hit pause on recruitment, while 16% have laid off employees for budgetary reasons.

It is no coincidence then that 1 in 4 employers (24%) are finding that their staff are overwhelmed or concerned about meeting their financial commitments, while nearly a fifth (18%) find they are feeling overworked. Moreover, 16% believe their staff are less engaged or productive due to the stress, 14% think they are more disgruntled and 11% have noticed an increased rift between senior leadership and employees.

Remarkably, employers expect their employees might engage in the following activities whilst in this unhappy state.

  • 22% believe employees will take on a second or third job during contractual hours.
  • 22% believe employees will be more likely to make mistakes such as clicking on a phishing link.
  • 20% believe employees will steal sensitive or proprietary data from the company to sell for profit or for a competitive advantage.
  • 17% believe employees will seek to harm company reputation due to resentment over salary cuts/stagnation and/or layoffs.
  • 14% believe employees will use AI such as ChatGPT to do their job for them.
  • 14% believe employees will steal money from the company or commit financial fraud. 

“Not all businesses are experiencing a negative company culture as a result of the crisis. In fact, 20% believe the cost-of-living crisis has brought the company closer together and 16% of employees are becoming more motivated to impress senior leaders. Nevertheless, in times like these, it is crucial that employers are mindful of how their staff are coping,” said Jamie Akhtar, CEO and Co-Founder of CyberSmart. “It only takes one disgruntled or overworked member of staff to make a decision that could put the entire business at risk. This research highlights the importance of conducting regular security awareness training, but also the need to show up for employees with empathy and support.”

It should be noted that SME business leaders also consider external forces to be responsible for the growing risk of cyberattacks, with 32% attributing it to higher rates of supply chain fraud and 31% expressing concern about nation-state interference from hostile countries such as Russia and China.

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The IT Security Guru, working in conjunction with market research firm Censuswide and cybersecurity PR agency Eskenzi PR, has uncovered some shocking statistics relating to scams and the cost of living crisis.

The results of the survey found that 11% of Brits were tempted to engage in ‘illegal or illicit online behaviour’ in order to help manage the fallout from the cost of living crisis. This statistic becomes even more concerning when focused on younger people, with almost a Quarter of 25-35 year old respondents (23%) willing to consider illegal or illicit online activity, reflecting Britain’s endemic problem of generational wealth inequality. 

While it is obviously concerning that so many Britons are willing to engage in this kind of activity, the reasons underpinning this decision are reflective of the bleak state of the nation in 2023, as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze many households: Of those willing to engage in this kind of behaviour, 56% suggested it was because they are desperate, and struggling to get by, and need to find alternative means of supporting their families. 

While these results show that the general public are responding to the cost of living crisis, previous results from the same survey show that cybercriminals are responding in kind: 44% of respondents have also noticed an uptick in online scams hitting their inboxes since the cost of living crisis began in late 2021/early 2022. Another worrying finding is that this uptick is proving devastatingly effective for scammers: Over one in ten (13%) of UK respondents have already been scammed since the cost of living crisis began. This rises to a Quarter (26%) of respondents in the 18-25 age range, reflecting a hyper-online lifestyle and culture which scammers can work to exploit effectively. 

Perhaps most worrying is that these scams appear to be working:. For example, a quarter (25%) of those who have noticed more scams in their inbox since the beginning of the cost of living crisis have fallen victim to a scammer, compared to just 3% of those who have not. 

“These findings paint a bleak picture of both the current mood of many UK residents responding to the cost of living crisis, and of the cybercriminal landscape in which scammers are seeking to exploit the corresponding desperation.” said Yvonne Eskenzi, Founder of Eskenzi PR. 

“The completely natural human desire to protect and support your family is a commendable one, but as experts in the online cybercrime landscape, we would advise anyone tempted to engage in illegal or illicit online behaviour to exercise extreme caution; Adding fuel to this fire simply works to ensure the cycle of misery created continues, and continues to wreak havoc on an already vulnerable general public. The best thing that people can do in response to illegal online behaviour is to remain hyper-vigilant to the kind of scams we have seen such a dramatic rise in, and follow expert guidance and advice”.

Top tips for identifying and avoiding online scams include: 

  • Checking the email address against known legitimate communications from an organisation 
  • Not clicking on unverified links 
  • Checking the message for spelling errors or typos 
  • Checking the legitimacy of a domain
  • Doing a quick search to see if any similar message has been reported online as a scam 
  • See if the message conveys a sense of urgency: If it does, it is more likely to be a scam 
  • Check if this is the first communication you’ve had from the sender; this is often suspicious

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Armis has released new research identifying the riskiest devices that pose threats to critical infrastructure industries: manufacturing, utilities and transportation. Data analysed from the Armis Asset Intelligence and Security Platform, which tracks over three billion assets, found that the operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) devices that present the highest risk to these industries are engineering workstations, SCADA servers, automation servers, historians and programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
Prioritization and vulnerability management remains an issue
Armis research found that engineering workstations are the OT device that received the most attempts of attack in the industry in the past two months, followed by SCADA servers. Fifty-six percent of engineering workstations have at least one unpatched critical severity Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and 16% are susceptible to at least one weaponised CVE, published more than 18 months ago.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are the third device type that suffered the most attack attempts in the past two months. Although critical for continuity in an event of power outage, data showed that 60% of UPS devices have at least one unpatched critical severity CVE, which, as showcased with TLStorm, could potentially lead criminals to cause physical damage to the device itself or other assets connected to it.
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are another example, with 41% having at least one unpatched critical severity CVE. These legacy devices are of high importance as if attacked could lead to the disruption of central operations, but the research highlighted they can be susceptible to high risk factors such as end of support hardware and end of support firmware.
A set of additional devices represent risk to manufacturing, transportation and utilities environments as they have at least one weaponised CVE published before January 2022: 85% of barcode readers, 32% of industrial managed switches, 28% of IP cameras and 10% of printers.
OT industries are characterised by having multiple locations, multiple lines of production and complex distribution lines with a vast amount of both managed and unmanaged devices on their networks. In that context, understanding where risk comes from and remediation is needed presents a significant challenge and can be an obstacle to vulnerability management, posing an entry point for malicious actors.
“In an ICS environment it’s pretty common to have vulnerable devices, so professionals need to see what assets are on their network and additional intelligence on what those devices are actually doing,” said Nadir Izrael CTO and Co-founder of Armis. “Contextual data will enable teams to define what risk each device poses to the OT environment so that they can prioritise remediation of critical and/or weaponised vulnerabilities to quickly reduce the attack surface.”
There is a need for collaboration between OT and IT teams
OT industries have significantly changed in the past years due to the convergence of OT and Information Technology (IT). This alignment is driving a new phase for the Industrial Era and will enable cross-domain collaboration but, in practice, unified management of both environments has yet to take place. With OT teams focused on maintaining industrial control systems, mitigating risks to OT and ensuring overall integrity within operational environments, more IT focused duties have been left aside.
Four out of the five riskiest devices notably run windows operating systems, showcasing how a basic understanding of asset risk and securing vulnerable assets is still a challenge for IT and OT teams.
Armis looked at device types and found that many are more exposed to malicious activity because they are using the SMBv.1 protocol, end of support operating systems and many open ports. SMBv.1 is a legacy, unencrypted and complicated protocol with vulnerabilities that have been targeted in the infamous Wannacry and NotPetya attacks. Security experts previously advised organisations to stop using it completely but the data shows it is still preeminent in the field.
“From an organisational perspective, having a risk-based approach to vulnerability management must go hand in hand with OT and IT departments working together to help coordinate mitigation efforts,” continued Izrael. “Cross-departmental projects will help streamline process and resource management and achieve greater compliance and data security. Overall, to navigate the challenges of the new industrial era, security professionals need an IT/OT convergence security solution that shields all assets connected to the network.”
The Armis Unified Asset Intelligence Platform discovers all connected assets, maps out the communications and relationships between them, and adds contextual intelligence to help understand their context and the risk they may introduce to the business. It is purpose-built to protect both OT and IT environments, and can ingest meaningful signals from hundreds of IT and OT platforms. Armis’ cloud-based threat detection engine uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect when a device is operating outside of its normal “known good” baseline and triggers an automated response for an easier management of the overall attack surface.

The post Armis Identifies Riskiest OT and ICS Devices across CNI appeared first on IT Security Guru.

Following a well-publicised ransomware attack in February 2023, Häfele was able to recover in record time by moving to Cato SASE Cloud. The international manufacturer and supplier of furniture fittings, architectural hardware and lighting products rebuilt its 50+ country, 180-site network in under 30 days.

“When your network is down from a cyberattack, every minute counts, and you can’t afford to bring back a partially secured network. You have one shot to do it right and fast,” said Daniel Feinler, CISO, Häfele. “The deployment speed with Cato SASE Cloud was a game changer. By working with Cato Networks, we were able to bring up the entire network with full security in less than a month. It was so fast that a competing SASE vendor didn’t believe us. Cato made it possible.”

“Agility and security are core requirements for every enterprise, and especially in times of crisis,” says Shlomo Kramer, CEO and co-founder, Cato Networks. “We were happy to support Häfele confront such a challenge, and we appreciate their trust in Cato SASE Cloud as their new global network and security infrastructure. Our teams collaborated efficiently and professionally, setting a world record in a large-scale SASE deployment project.”

Häfele Finds the Right SASE Partner

When Häfele, a German family enterprise based in Nagold, Germany, suffered a severe ransomware attack, it forced the company to shut down its computer systems and disconnect them from the internet. At the time, Häfele was in an RFP process to select a SASE vendor.

“We had finished a proof of concept with Cato and were getting ready to move to the next SASE provider when the ransomware attack occurred,” said Mike Bretz, Global Team Lead of Network, Häfele. Instead, the Häfele team turned back to Cato.

Over the next four weeks, Häfele worked with Cato and restored its IT systems. Häfele installed Cato Sockets, Cato’s Edge SD-WAN device, at 180+ sites across 50+ countries such as Argentina, Finland, Myanmar (Burma), and South Africa. A global, unified security policy was configured to help prevent another attack, and 8,000 employees regained secured access to the internet and enterprise resources, including 4,000 mobile users who now use Cato Client for ZTNA.

With Cato SASE Cloud, Häfele is now benefiting from a global, unified multilayer security stack that inspects all traffic in all directions from all edges and provides consistent and comprehensive enterprise-grade security. Häfele’s new security from Cato includes FWaaS, SWG, IPS, Next-gen Antimalware, CASB and MDR – all targeted towards preventing future breaches and maintaining an optimal security posture anytime and anywhere.

The rebuilding of the network with Cato SASE Cloud was so fast that it even surprised Häfele. “I did not think that we could shut down, rebuild and transition our IT systems in less than 30 days,” said Bretz. “Cato defied the odds and performed admirably during a challenging time and under immense pressure. Cato did exactly what they said they would do. This is how you earn customer trust.”

“The Häfele project gave us an opportunity to demonstrate the agility and strength of Cato,” said Alon Alter, Chief Business Officer, Cato. “We delivered our hardware everywhere Häfele needed without delay and leveraged our zero-touch provisioning to reconnect locations in hours not days. Häfele got back to work faster in part because of Cato, which is exactly what customers should expect from a true SASE platform and provider.”

 

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CyberSmart recently announced a record year of growth, marked by a large funding round, headcount and customer growth as well as geographical market expansion.
The company also recently completed its Series B funding round in January 2023 with £12.75 million. The company’s revenue has grown by 110% from £2 million ARR to £4.2 million ARR in the last financial year; expanded its customer base by an additional 1,000 customers across various verticals such as healthcare, retail, education, as well as construction; and recruited extensively from a team of 40 to 60 employees.
“When I co-founded CyberSmart in 2017, I went in with the mission of empowering SMEs to future-proof themselves against the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. It is humbling to see how far we have come since our days coding as part of the GCHQ Accelerator Programme, and the number of businesses we are supporting today both in the UK and beyond,” said Jamie Akhtar, CEO and co-founder of CyberSmart. “I am grateful to our growing team and all of our investors who are walking alongside us on this journey and look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the year ahead.”
Initially, CyberSmart was born out of GCHQ’s cyber accelerator programme in January 2017; now, its security offering includes guided processes to government-grade certification, round-the-clock monitoring of an organisation’s security posture, staff training, and vulnerability scanning. Customers can also secure free insurance via CyberSmart partners, Aviva and Superscript, upon certification (i.e Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus). In addition, the company completed a soft launch of its new ‘Privacy Toolbox’ product to help SMEs stay on top of GDPR compliance and data protection requirements. And, customers are able to receive all this at the cost of a cup of coffee, per user, per day.
Last year, CyberSmart won the SC Awards Europe 2022 for Best SME Security Solution, CompTIA Spotlight Awards 2022 for UK Innovative Vendor, UK IT Industry Awards 2022 for UK Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Cybersecurity Breakthrough Awards for SMB Cybersecurity Solution of the Year. What’s more, in late July last year, CyberSmart was selected by European Innovation Platform, KickStart, to take part in a 10-week scale-up acceleration programme that will play a pivotal role in introducing their technology to big corporations across the DACH region.
CyberSmart’s exceptional success has only continued to attract a wealth of talent who seek to take part in and contribute to the company’s growth journey. Vicky Cartwright joined the company as Director of Marketing, after working as Marketing Director with Kaspersky for 10 years; while Mike Aspinall was recently appointed CFO, having formerly worked with Exonar, Questionmark and Parity Group. Indeed, the company has attracted leading and returning investors from IQ Capital, Eos Venture Partners, and Winton Ventures to Oxx, British Patient Capital, Legal & General Capital, and Solano Partners.
“The threat of cybercrime continues to rise, particularly for smaller businesses without the resources or knowledge to protect themselves. However, CyberSmart continues to go from strength to strength in its mission to protect this underserved market,” said Phil Edmondson-Jones, partner at Oxx. “Since investing in CyberSmart, we’ve been delighted to see the business celebrate a year of rapid growth, begin its expansion into other markets, and refine its offer to SMEs. And we’re confident that 2023 will only deliver further growth.”

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