We live in a time of environmental disasters, violent political protests, and massive cyber hacks. That means security is front and center in the minds of business leaders in the United States and around the globe.
In a recent post for IFSEC Global, Will Plummer uses his unique expertise as a military veteran and security expert to distill the unique threats facing businesses today and what effective security solutions can keep a company’s staff and assets safe. The piece offers a vivid description of the many vulnerabilities that exist today for a corporate business and why it’s crucial above all for that company to ensure it deploys the best, most advanced security practices.
In the article, Plummer, Chief Security Officer at RaySecur cites that while companies “pour tens of thousands of pounds and dollars” into protecting their networks from threats each year, in 2021, there were 1,862 “successful data breaches in the U.S., according to Nasdaq.
For a reference point that was “nearly twice as many as in 2020,” a year that was certainly marked by instability.
The focus on these ever escalating cyber threats reveals a different kind of vulnerability for businesses — Plummer points out that limited budgets and “half-hearted” protective measures directed at physical security make the threat of physical attacks much more real.
“The reality is that many threats today are coming in through the back door, so to speak,” he writes of physical security breaches. “These threats come through unprotected and sometimes virtually unnoticed verticals, like mail and package deliveries.”
He points to a report that showed 57 percent of mail threats last year “consisted of mysterious white powders or illicit drugs,” that can go easily undetected. One recent example was when Dr. Anthony Fauci received a white powder through the mail. It turned out to be “harmless,” but that threat points to an easy vulnerability that attackers could take advantage of.
Another threat he pointed to involved “insider threats.” This refers to when “disgruntled employees or former employees have taken violent steps to make their displeasure known,” Plummer writes. He adds that these are “far less common than mail threats,” but it’s still important that your business be aware of issues that might arise from employees.
A big answer to many of these problems is what he calls “phygital security.” It’s what it sounds like, a focus on bridging the threats faced by physical and digital security. An example would be when bad actors threatening your company “mail packages with digital devices that are meant to breach a company’s IT systems,” Plummer explains.
“If you have a skill gap in your company in any of these areas, you may consider outsourcing security to law enforcement and security service experts,” he adds.
Not every company is equipped to readily address these threats in-house and sometimes outside experts are needed to provide expertise to respond to this complex world in which the physical and the digital are combined.
Peter Cavicchia II 