'Clear and Present Danger' - Attacks from cyberspace on the rise ...

How to protect your business from cyber attack and understanding how the new Bribery Act works

Two of the comments I hear all too frequently when I'm talking to businesses are: "my IT systems are completely secure" and "there's no point doing business in this or that country unless you're willing to pay a bribe."

Both statements are not only wrong, but in the current business climate, potentially very dangerous.

Looking first at cyber security, the current estimate of business losses in the UK through cyber crime is ?21 billion per year. One London business lost ?800 million in a single attack. Yet earlier this year, a survey by the International Law Association revealed that 9 out of 10 businesses were content their cyber defences were adequate. Clearly, there is a level of complacency that is massively misplaced.

The Head of MI5 recently described the level of both state and criminal cyber attacks as "astonishing." The situation is so serious, that GCHQ, the government's electronic intelligence gathering centre - or the "Spooks" as most of us know them - is developing a strategy for advising businesses on how to counter the massive and growing threat of cyber attacks. Iain Lobban, the agency's director says "GCHQ now sees real and credible threats to cybersecurity of an unprecedented scale, diversity, and complexity."
If you think it's just the big guys that have to worry, it isn't. Virtually every company, regardless of size, can be attacked, whether it's to steal Intellectual Property, business systems, identity, client information or simply to disrupt business through spamming.
GCHQ has drawn up a blueprint focussing on the 'Top 20 Critical Controls for Effective Cyber Defence'.

If you want to find out more, have a look at our web page on this issue: http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/howwehelp/overseasbusinessrisk/briberycorruption.html
Here you will find a wealth of clear information on how to protect your business, as well as links to other useful sources of information, such as:

? The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure for advice on protecting a variety of business system telecommunications, applications, internet protocols and operating systems.
? 'Get Safe Online' which provides guidance on how to operate safely in an online environment.
? The Business Link guide to IT information security, which includes an interactive tool which helps businesses assess and minimise their IT risks.

Turning to bribery and corruption, of course it would be pointless to deny corruption is rife in certain markets. We've all heard stories of cash in brown envelopes, expensive "presents" and agents creaming off percentages.

However, we Brits have the advantage that we're still known for relatively low corruption rates and most British exporters have not only survived, but flourished by adopting this stance.

But while it's always been good business practice to avoid becoming involved in corrupt practices at home or abroad, a new law introduced in July last year has made it not just a case of good business practice, but a case of essential business practice to avoid prosecution in the UK.

It has of course always been an offence for UK nationals and bodies incorporated in UK law to bribe anywhere in the world. However the Bribery Act now makes it an offence for any UK organisation to fail to prevent bribery for their benefit by employees or other associated persons. This means it is no longer a defence to say you don't know what your overseas agent or distributor is doing. You need to be clear about the business procedures of any overseas 'partner,' particularly in terms of hospitality, promotional expenditure and facilitation payments.

Again, more information is available on our website: http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/howwehelp/overseasbusinessrisk/briberycorruption.html . Here, you'll find guidance on the Bribery Act, as well as the Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) 'Business Acts Corruption' portal designed for SMEs. This provides tools to help you manage the risk of overseas corruption and includes the profiles of more than 60 country giving information on the occurrence and types of corruption faced.

If you'd prefer to avoid working your way through numerous websites, there's a much simpler way to getting the information you need - and that's to attend the free UKTI and PwC 'Bribery Act and Cyber Security' Seminar on 14th November. Experts in the relevant fields will provide you with the information you need to protect your business. For more details, or to book a place, please contact Jonathan Webber on 0121 450 4205.

Source: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/business/2012/10/clear-and-present-danger---att.html

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