- The CAP business club in Coleford is launching a safer business forum to help Forest of Dean firms protect themselves against cyber attacks
- Gloucestershire’s first Safer Cyber Forum was launched in May 2015
- Martin Surl was the first Police and Crime Commissioner to make Safer Cyber a policing priority. The Gloucestershire Constabulary is now one of the leading forces in the field.
- The CAP Safer Business Forum meeting is at the Main Place, Coleford on 14 March at 10 a.m.
A gap in the market usually means a business opportunity. A hole in online defences could be exploited by cyber thieves, a security specialist is warning.
Gloucestershire’s first Safer Cyber Forum was launched at the Gloucestershire Business Show in Cheltenham in May 2015.
Now, Bob Pointer, a consultant providing Professional Development specialising in Behavioural security in Coleford, is calling on other small businesses in the Forest of Dean to come together to form their own safer business forum.
Mr. Pointer said, “A lot of small and medium businesses are worried about the effects of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which come into force in May. There is also a lack of basic awareness of the threats firms face from fraud and other unethical behaviour.
“The failure to have adequate safeguards and awareness may prove costly if businesses are hacked and personal data is stolen. I am a member of the CAP business club in Coleford and we are hosting a free event in which we will highlight issues of social engineering and hacking/ phishing whilst focusing on the GDPR.
“We want to raise awareness and explore the possibility of forming an FOD security group which would allow local business to access more help and training to protect their businesses and increase productivity”.
The event is free and is being held on the 14th March at the Main Place Coleford, from 10-12 noonfollowed by networking and discussion with participants till 1pm.
Police and Commissioner Martin Surl, who was the first PCC in the UK to make cyber security a policing priority said, “With people widely accepted to be the biggest risk for any information system, we need to ensure that businesses in our county have the knowledge and tools to educate their staff, and subsequently reduce their personal risk of falling victim to cyber enabled fraud.
“The education on the risks of social engineering in its many forms and how to create a strong online digital footprint are a continuing part of the Safer Cyber priority. Initiatives such as this, that raise awareness and simplify a sometimes complex topic, are key not only to meeting the local aims but also the national cyber security strategy”.
