Anti-Phishing, DMARC , Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery , Critical Infrastructure Security

The Need to Think Differently About Cybersecurity in 2022

As ransomware attacks continue to pose a significant threat to enterprises and individuals, "We will keep banging the message that basic cyber hygiene makes a big difference to lots of people," says Andy Bates of the Global Cyber Alliance.

Bates discusses the free tools that consumers and businesses can use to protect themselves. "I'm still amazed as to how many people haven't configured DMARC. I'm amazed at how many organizations have never heard of Quad9 DNS, which we created with IBM and PHC [Packet Clearing House] in 2017. It protects a quarter of a billion people now, but … there are 4.8 billion people on the internet," he says.

See Also: Gartner Guide for Digital Forensics and Incident Response

He recommends that organizations start asking themselves how they could defend their systems and people differently. Criminals are clever, he says, "So just taking a moment to think, 'What would I do if I was a criminal?' is useful."

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Bates also discusses:

• The state of cybersecurity today and how defenders and defenses must adapt;
• Free tools that organizations can use to protect their systems and people;
• Priorities for the Global Cyber Alliance in 2022.

Bates is the new chief development and strategic partnerships officer at the Global Cyber Alliance, which he joined in September 2017. He previously served as its executive director for the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has more than 25 years of experience, having served as a chief engineer, business development consultant, product development director and IT director at Racal, Cable & Wireless and Level3.