Management School hosts business breakfast on Cybersecurity
The Management School recently hosted a Cybersecurity breakfast briefing, in partnership with the Growth Platform.
During the event, attendees heard from a panel of three expert speakers; Dr Alexei Lisitsa, Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool; Vijay Rathour, Head of Digital Forensics Group, Grant Thornton; and Michael Walker, A/D/Sgt Cyber Investigator, Force Intelligent Bureau Cyber Dependant Crime Unit, Merseyside Police.
Dr Lisitsa gave an overview of the history of cybersecurity, focusing on when it first became a significant consideration following early cyber viruses being developed in the 1970’s. He explained how subsequent attacks have become increasingly sophisticated since then and gave insight into the wider economic, political, social and ethical implications of such attacks.
Vijay Rathour then spoke about the increasingly global nature of cyberattacks and the motivations behind them, the cost to businesses, the main causes of breaches and which industry sectors are more likely to be targeted. He also focussed on future concerns around AI, sophisticated social engineering and the Internet of Things.
Mick Walker highlighted some of the precautions businesses and individuals should take to ensure they are more protected against cyberattacks and where to find help and guidance. His main message was to encourage attendees to keep passwords secure, for example, using a password manager and 2-step verification, changing passwords regularly and making them difficult for a hacker to work out.
The talks were followed by a Q&A session chaired by Steve Stuart, Chair of the Professional and Business Services Board at the Growth Platform.
Hazel Kennedy, Business Development Officer, said, “We had been asked by several members of the local business community to run a session on Cybersecurity so it was a pleasure to host this event. Thanks to our speakers and guests for making it an insightful and interesting session.”
Craig Shaw, Operations Manager at Sure Solutions, attended the event and commented, "The cybersecurity masterclass was very timely for us. The day after we were subjected to a sophisticated social engineering phishing attempt. An example of this had been covered during the event so we recognised the warning signs right away and were able to report it to the Cyber Crime unit.”
To receive alerts for upcoming Business Breakfast events, please contact the business development team.