Managing IT security risks
The risk in it is computer is everywhere.
Whether it's on computers, smartphones or tablets. Whether in an NGO business or directly at home, at any time you can be the victim of a computer attack or an online scam. With the coronavirus pandemic, several experts have been constantly asking questions on the issue. Cybercrime is on the rise. Faced with this, no one is really safe no matter the sector.
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If we look at Canada, the last few months have been very difficult. The health, transportation, financial institutions and public bodies have been constantly targeted by computer attacks. Whether it's the Montreal transportation company, the Jewish General Hospital, the CIUSSS on the West Centre of the Island of Montreal and many others are suffering from the throes of cybercrime. Cyberattacks that have drawn most of their strength from the current coronavirus pandemic.
"No one is safe," he says. And no one can say that it will never happen to him, that it only happens to others. Yves Paquette, the founder and president of NOVIPRO, a company specializing in technology and cloud business solutions, said.
However, with the somewhat hasty adoption of telework due to the health crisis that led to the confinement, companies unfortunately had to open access to their computer systems to their employees now remotely.
However, in the hasty reorganization at the beginning of the health crisis, several companies have not revised their cybersecurity practices.
"Computer science is when it crashes that you realize it's essential," notes Dominique Derrier, head of information security at NOVIPRO.
For the latter, the computer attack must be considered a fire in a company. This is capable of destroying everything. This requires specialists not only to stop the fire, but also to ensure that the damage will not cause further problems in the future. To finally build a new structure if need be. Cyberattack is simply a phenomenon that depletes economically but also humanly.
To deploy a strategy that can protect against the challenges of cyberattack, an organization must first identify the key points it needs to keep its operations afloat. So she has to ask herself these questions:
– What is its main source of income?
– Is its entire platform electronic?
– What are the manufacturing equipment?
– How do you manage and protect your digital data?
"We also need to protect our ability to generate value," explains NOVIPRO's head of security, Dominique Derrier, based for example on a company whose survival literally depends on e-commerce, especially during this health crisis.
"To prevent cyber-attacks, we will review the management processes of the transactional website, train the employees who run it, update the tools that support it and review the checks that need to be carried out regularly," notes Dominique Derrier.
In other words, it will be necessary to make sure that we block the road, in all means that allow cyber criminals to access what is clearly a strategic asset of the company. "It only takes a small window to get in," warns the security specialist. In such a condition, it is enough to simply e-mail, to allow cyber criminals to easily access the company's data.
The main focus when it comes to computer security today is particularly about telecommuting. Indeed, collaboration towards remote work has not been easy for all organizations. Unfortunately, several companies have had to pay the costs of this misadventure with an increase in cyber attacks.
"Technology is evolving at high speed and so are cybersecurity rules, a company must constantly assess risks. Yves Paquette replies. Dominique Derrier insists: "The challenge is to manage risks all the time. You have to adapt to the risk." Risk management, which is by definition a long-term strategy.
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