As computing insecurities are increasingly exploited, a week long focus on security awareness is planned to conclude this year’s cyber security month. From 26 – 30 October the IT security community is coming together to offer five days of workshops, webinars and other educational opportunities in a bid to improve IT security awareness and spread best practice within the business community, ultimately acting as an enabler to make UK PLC a safer place to trade online.
Security Serious Week will be hosted by many of the county’s leading IT security practitioners and professionals working within major organisations as well as a range of universities, associations and government bodies. All sponsors are offering their time and expertise free of charge to companies who want to learn how to become more security serious and cyber-savvy!
The campaign has already attracted some impressive backers including: Unilever, BT, HP Security Voltage, Canon UK, The Economist, HSBC, Publicis Groupe, GlaxoSmithkline, Markit, Lloyds Bank, Willis as well as the Department of Culture, Media and Sports and many of the world’s leading IT security vendors.
The campaign has the tagline “we take security seriously – do you?” and sees penetration testers, ethical hackers, lawyers, professors and a host of other cyber-security experts coming together offering their tips and pearls of wisdom on a range of disciplines. Topics confirmed so far include: “An ethical hackers viewpoint on how to protect your organisation”, “Cloud Security – and mitigating risk”, “Building a cyber-security strategy”, “How do hackers think – lessons from the Red Team”, “How do you create anonymity on the Web”, “Winning your privacy back”, “What could a breach cost you?”, “Next generation Security – what will it look like?”, “How to avoid a phishing attack?”, “Is the Internet of Things worth getting worked up over?” Over the week the organisers plan to deliver at least 50 FREE events – organised either as webinars or onsite seminars, networking events plus some organisations have pledged to offer free software, guides and handbooks. The current schedule is available at www.securityserious.com.
Yvonne Eskenzi, Director of Eskenzi PR who is spearheading the campaign said “The frequency and severity of breaches has never been so high and things aren’t going to get any better unless we start to take the situation seriously. I believe, as a nation, we need to work together and get the experts who are security serious and savvy to teach those that aren’t, but want to learn, how they can be. I’ve brought together a number of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from many of the UK’s leading companies, plus many other security experts from the top IT security companies around the world, to pledge their time during Security Serious Week. Hopefully, by imparting their pearls of wisdom it will rub off on other people in the workplace to take security more seriously, become diligent when using corporate systems and devices, and consider the implications when handling sensitive information and customers’ personal details”.
The week will kick off with a press photocall outside the Tower of London at 12 noon on 26th October, with all the supporters of Security Serious coming together in solidarity to show the world that UK PLC is security serious! After the photocall there will be a networking event, for all participants who want to support the campaign, at the Dickens Inn at St. Katherine’s Dock – kindly sponsored by HP Security Voltage. Each supporter at the photocall will display a placard of support, with the first 40 printed free of charge, courtesy of one of the event supporters – Canon UK.
Organisers of Security Serious Week are also offering for FREE a short story book entitled “Hackers Tales” which is all about cyber-security scenarios based on fictitious stores of what can go wrong when security goes array. It’s full of helpful hints and tips to provide the reader with best security awareness practices. The book, which has been sponsored by Tripwire and PhishMe can be downloaded from www.securityserious.com
If you would like to offer support during Security Serious Week, or attend one of the many events, please visit www.securityserious.com
