Singaporean cyber security start-up Responsible Cyber signed itself up for a cyber security audit that would grant a third-party the information it needs to ascertain whether the organisation is indeed equipped to protect itself (and therefore its clients, and its clients’ clients) in the digital domain.
When asked why they did it, the co-founder and Managing Director Dr Magda Chelly had this to say, “We cannot in good conscience encourage other businesses to undertake rigorous cyber security audits while not subjecting our own people, processes and technology to the same scrutiny.”
“We wanted to demonstrate that adopting cyber security best practices can be done without necessarily breaking the bank or stretching resources thin, and I think we did just that,” she added.
Upon successfully passing the audit conducted by one of CSA’s appointed certification bodies, Responsible Cyber was awarded the Cyber Essentials mark, a cyber security certification introduced by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in 2022 as part of the SG Cyber Safe Programme.
Frequent news of data breaches has fuelled apprehension surrounding the security of personal data, prompting the demand for heightened cyber security measures by businesses – and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are no exception.
SMEs may not have the luxury of a dedicated IT security team, nor the ability to invest in robust cyber security measures and tools, but there is hope yet, says Project and Compliance Manager Wayne Yan who described the exercise as “fairly straightforward with ample guidance.”
“We reviewed our existing policies against the checklist that was provided, and ensured that all required security controls were implemented and reflected in our policies.”
For organisations that require additional help, CSA has also made tailored cyber security toolkits freely available for download on their official website.
As the name suggests, the Cyber Essentials mark serves to distinguish organisations that have built a minimum level of security into their operations. It provides a baseline from which organisations can start to reduce their exposure to common cyber threats and vulnerabilities, but it is far from a guarantee of protection against emerging threats.
“Safeguarding against threats is a continuous journey, requiring constant vigilance and adaptation. We are committed to the protection of the data with which we have been entrusted. We hope that this sentiment gets reflected to our clients and that more cyber security companies will take the opportunity to set the tone,” said Dr Chelly.
Every business – whether a small organisation embarking on its digital journey or a large multi-national corporation with digitalised business functions – needs to play its part.
Co-founder Mikko Laaksonen has added that they would be gearing up for the Cyber Trust mark certification next, where assessments will be even more rigorous, encompassing document review and verification, as well as an evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness.
Meanwhile, certified SMEs are also eligible to apply for the SME Cyber Security Excellence award that CSA is collaborating with Association of Trade & Commerce (ATC) on.
About Responsible Cyber Pte. Ltd is a Singapore-based cyber security and risk management start-up established in 2016 by industry veterans Magda Chelly and Mikko Laaksonen. Today, the company has a presence in the UK, France and Poland. Its corporate shareholders include Singtel Innov8 and NUS Enterprise. The company stands at the forefront of cyber security innovation with the introduction of two pioneering AI-powered products: IMMUNE X-TPRM and IMMUNE GRC.
IMMUNE X-TPRM is our answer to modern third-party risk management challenges. On the other hand, IMMUNE GRC is designed to streamline governance, risk, and compliance processes.
To learn more about Responsible Cyber, visit www.responsible-cyber.com
The Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Kooi as the new Superintendent.
With a career spanning multiple facets of education and leadership, Mr. Kooi’s diverse background has prepared him well for this role. He began his career as a commercial litigation attorney before transitioning to work as an attorney for the Florida Department of Education. Mr. Kooi subsequently held positions such as Policy Chief for Education in the Florida House of Representatives, Executive Director of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, and Executive Director of the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at the Florida Department of Education. His extensive experience also includes serving as the Education Division Director for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget in Atlanta. Mr. Kooi also served as the Managing Director of Capital Education Solutions, LLC. He held the position of Executive Director for Georgia Cyber Academy from 2017 through 2022 and most recently served as Interim Superintendent for the school.
As Superintendent, Mr. Kooi will continue to lead the dedicated staff at GCA, directing their efforts towards achieving academic excellence for every student. His deep understanding of education policy, combined with his experience in managing diverse educational organizations, will be invaluable in furthering the school’s mission to provide quality education in a virtual environment.
“I am honored and excited to serve as the Superintendent of Georgia Cyber Academy,” said Mr. Kooi. “GCA has established itself as a leader in online education in Georgia, and I am committed to working with our faculty and staff to ensure our students receive the highest level of education. Together, we will continue to foster a nurturing and engaging virtual learning environment that empowers students to reach their full potential.”
The GCA Board of Directors extends its congratulations and confidence to Mr. Kooi, knowing that under his leadership, the school will continue to deliver outstanding educational opportunities to students across Georgia.
About Georgia Cyber Academy: Georgia Cyber Academy is a leading online public charter school serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade in Georgia. With a focus on personalized education and flexible learning, GCA offers a comprehensive curriculum, dedicated teachers, and a supportive virtual community, enabling students to achieve academic success from the comfort of their homes.
Georgia Cyber Academy Maria Blencowe 404-334-4790 ext. 1104 https://www.georgiacyber.org
Lawyer Francesca Gollin, who heads the legal department, together with the following legal assistants Ana Gheorghita, Ashny Young, Olga Ruiz Pilato, and Xinyu Chen, have produced the first report that will serve as an official guide for combating the deepfake phenomenon worldwide. “The issue is more relevant than ever,” explains lawyer Francesca Gollin, who led the research team that produced the report, “the scale of the phenomenon is swelling with dizzying numbers: as of June 2019, the number of deep fake videos detected by IBM was only 3,000. In January 2020, that number had increased to 100,000. As of March 2020, there are over one million deepfake videos on the internet. According to a study by Deeptrace, in December 2018, there were 15,000 deepfake videos. At the Cyber Rights Organization, we decided to prepare protection guidelines for survivors and victims of deepfake and a toolkit for citizens who want to understand and protect themselves from deepfake.” These figures do not seem to smooth out as the years go by: indeed, the number of deepfake videos reached 558,000 in June 2019 and exceeded one million in February 2020. The trend continues upward today.
Director Annachiara Sarto comments on the release of the report: “We are proud to publish this report on the deepfake phenomenon. A text that will be able to help first of all the victims, but also journalists, and professionals on the field to better understand the phenomenon and also to raise awareness about it in our lives and in our societies.”
The deepfake in detail: a toolkit for prevention and protection
Over the past 20 years, the use of deepfakes in multimedia has increased significantly and has had a direct impact on people’s lives in a variety of ways. “Looking back, the first traces of deepfakes,” explains lawyer Francesca Gollin, “were observed in 1997, when Christoph Bregler, Michele Covell and Malcolm Slaney developed the Video Rewrite program, which aimed to edit existing footage and create new content starring a person speaking words not uttered in the original video.”
Exactly 20 years later, deepfakes gained maximum popularity when an anonymous user on Reddit, a popular Twitter-like social network, published AI software that used existing algorithms to create highly convincing fake videos that could fool anyone. It was 2017 when this unknown user contextually decided to make this algorithm available as free software for public use. As a result, many more users and companies started working on developing applications like FakeApp, which simplified the process and turned deepfake into a mass phenomenon. Today, the development and implementation of deepfakes on the Internet is dominated by machine learning and artificial intelligence. For this reason, CRO decided to take an authoritative position on the topic by analyzing every aspect of the phenomenon.
Cyber Rights Organization report: Social media, pornography and reputation
“The organization’s legal team,” explains Annachiara Sarto, “decided to focus on some aspects that are very important to our mission. Namely, the way in which deepfake has characterized the following areas over the years: social media, pornography, legality and the individual’s web reputation.”
In fact, the CRO’s report opens with a careful examination of the impact of deepfake on the landscape related to the spread of fake news on social media for propaganda purposes. As a recent Unesco study shows, very often videos of well-known people made in deepfake and gone viral on social media have contributed to suddenly catalyzing user consensus on highly polarized issues by increasing the overall level of disinformation.
“On the other hand, regarding the pornographic aspect of deepfake,” explains lawyer Francesca Gollin, “our focus was on the use of this software for the delegitimization of women’s dignity and their subsequent humiliation.” Indeed, the CRO Cyber Rights Organization report states, “Intimate Images has often been used in the context of deepfake technology to create massive amounts of video produced without the consent of the persons portrayed’ produced by misogynistic users. In this sense, the universe of digital platforms has made millions of dollars from the viewing, sharing, and streaming of deepfaked images that humiliate women.”
Finally, it is interesting to note how the use of deepfakes can also have an impact on the image damage aspect for individuals or companies. The cyber rights organization’s report cites as an example the case of a deepfake against Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes carried out by Extinction Rebellion activists, in which the fake prime minister linked COVID-19 to the climate crisis in a video. “These defamatory videos implemented against political figures, companies or ordinary citizens,” explains Andrea Baggio, EMEA CEO of ReputationUP Group and co-founder of CRO, “can have a very serious impact on people’s lives and activities, sometimes irreparably violating their dignity.”
The position statement of Cyber Rights Organization
“We always condemn deepfakes and any other form of altering reality that can violate the dignity of the individual,” concludes Director Annachiara Sarto, “with our direct Helpline, which is open to everyone, we are working to digitally protect the privacy of deepfake victims by providing legal and technical assistance at the time when survivors need it most.” Lawyer Francesca Gollin concludes: “We respond to deepfake cases promptly through investigation, research, monitoring, and case-by-case assessment. We believe that the Cyber Rights Organization’s response to deepfakes contributes to a safer and more secure online world for people.”
CRO Cyber Rights Organization Elia Cavarzan 0039 3468015315 https://cyberights.org/
WATERLOO, ONTARIO – WEBWIRE – Friday, August 12, 2022
BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and Corvus Insurance today released the BlackBerry Cyber Insurance Coverage study, showing businesses are increasingly concerned about how they will meet ransomware demands. Only 19 percent of those surveyed have ransomware coverage limits above $600,000, while over half (59 percent) hoped the government would cover damages when future attacks are linked to other nation-states.
Small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) who have become a favorite criminal target are especially feeling the heat. Of businesses with under 1,500 employees, only 14 percent have a coverage limit in excess of $600,000. A recent Forrester report estimated that a typical data breach would cost the average organization $2.4 million to investigate and recover. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 50 percent of SMB respondents hoped the government would increase financial aid in all ransomware incidents.
Not only are there more ransomware threats than ever, but the criminals are more ruthless. They will iterate threats and wait patiently in order to extract maximum damage, said Shishir Singh, Executive Vice President and CTO, Cybersecurity at BlackBerry. For uninsured and underinsured organizations, this potentially puts them in extreme jeopardy. The cyber underground is increasingly sharing learnings and partnering to make threats as efficient as possible. Its vital businesses strengthen their security posture against these threats by supplementing insurance with a prevention-first software approach that lowers their overall risk.
Many businesses reported cybersecurity coverages that are poorly tailored to their current situation. Over one-third (37 percent) of respondents arent currently covered for any ransomware payment demands, while 43 percent arent covered for auxiliary costs such as court fees or employee downtime.
At the same time, cyberinsurance has become harder to get, due to increased software requirements placed by insurance brokers. Over one-third (34 percent) of respondents have been denied coverage due to not meeting specific Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software requirements. These increased requirements however may be having a real impact on reducing ransom payouts.
Though it might sound counterintuitive, continuing to adhere to software requirements is one of the best ways to fight the ransomware industry, said Vincent Weafer, CTO at Corvus. In our portfolio alone, weve seen a 50 percent reduction in the ratio of ransom demands that end up being paid. Better software adoption is a critical element in better positioning organizations to stand up to attackers.
For additional information on the BlackBerry Cyber Insurance Coverage study, please visit the BlackBerry blog.
Research Methodology
BlackBerry commissioned TEAM LEWIS Research to run an online survey of 450 business decision makers for IT / security solutions in the United States and Canada. The fieldwork took place between July 15 and July 22, 2022.
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About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 215M vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerrys vision is clear – to secure a connected future you can trust.
About Corvus
Corvus Insurance is building a safer world through insurance products and digital tools that reduce risk, increase transparency, and improve resilience for policyholders and program partners. Our market-leading specialty insurance products are enabled by advanced data science and include Smart Cyber Insurance®, Smart Tech E+O, and Smart Cargo®. Our digital platforms and tools enable efficient quoting and binding and proactive risk mitigation. Corvus Insurance offers insurance products in the US, Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Current insurance program partners include AXIS Capital, Crum & Forster, Hudson Insurance Group, certain underwriters at Lloyds of London, R&Q Accredited, SiriusPoint, and Skyward Specialty Insurance. Corvus Insurance, Corvus London Markets, and Corvus Germany are the marketing names used to refer to Corvus Insurance Agency, LLC; Corvus Agency Limited; and Corvus Underwriting GmbH. All entities are subsidiaries of Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc. Corvus Insurance was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices across the US, in the UK, and Germany. For more information, visit corvusinsurance.com.
The 17th global edition of World Cyber Security Summit will be held under the auspices of H.E. Dr Bisher Al-Khasawneh, Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and supported by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Jordan. The summit is taking place on 15 – 16 August 2022 at The Ritz-Carlton in Amman, Jordan. World Cyber Security Summit is part of a global series and is brought to Jordan by Trescon, a global business events and consulting firm that specialises in hosting future-tech events across the world.
As the country braces for a protracted cyber insecurity, government and organisations are looking for an action plan to mitigate the risks and become resilient to cyber threats. Thus resulting in the announcements of a raft of policies to manage digital vulnerabilities in the recent years. In order for effective implementation of these policies, World Cyber Security Summit will play its part by providing a platform to conduct thorough debates, and deliberations on the proposed cyber security strategies.
The summit will host more than 300+ C level attendees, including government officials, Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, CEOs and technology leaders from enterprises and government agencies in Jordan to meet, network, and engage with global cyber security experts and technology innovators over the course of two days.
“The importance of cyber security is being increased and it is not an option for companies and organizations, and having the advanced defence in place is required for critical infrastructure and data. Sensitive data and information protection is the source of trust in organizations,” said H.E. Belal Hafnawi, Commissioner – Board Member at Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC-Jordan).
Abdulrahman Al-Nimari, VP – Cybersecurity from Saudi Arabiastated, “Remember: compliance to regulations does not mean you are secure, you must have your own risk driven cyber security program and strategy that mitigate your own unique risks.”
Haidar Fraihat, Cluster Leader – Statistics, Information Society, and Technology at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) says, “Corporations can easily fall into the false sense of security syndrome. Illusioned that their precious data is safe, they may tend to drop guard and invest less in enhancing their data security. Realizing that data and information is the strategic asset to organizations, perhaps more than financial resources, is of paramount importance to keep your competitive edge, security and even survivability. Feeling secure doesn’t mean you are really secure.”
Some of the leading industry experts speaking at the summit include:
Scott E. Augenbaum – Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent; Author; Cybercrime Prevention Trainer, Scott Augenbaum LLC
Glen Thomas – Partner – Head of Technology and Cyber Consulting, Grant Thornton, United Arab Emirates
Haidar Fraihat – Cluster Leader – Statistics, Information Society, and Technology, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Lebanon
Jacob Mathew – Head of Information Technology, Government of Abu Dhabi Entity, United Arab Emirates
Nicole Lau – Sales Director, Verimatrix, Oslo, Norway
Ricoh Danielson – CEO, 1st Responder, an Incident Response Firm, United States
Abdullah Faisal Biary – CISO, United Cooperative Assurance, Saudi Arabia
Taha Hussain – Information Security Specialist, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority – DEWA, United Arab Emirates
Hossam Elshenraki – Associate Professor, Dubai Police HQ, United Arab Emirates
Mona Alshehri – Risk and Compliance Analyst, Saudi Air Navigation Services, Saudi Arabia
Dr Ahmed Abd El Hady Mohamed – Director of Quality in General Administration for Quality and Environmental Affairs, Holding Company for Water and Waste Water (HCWW), Egypt
E. Belal Hafnawi – Commissioner – Board Member,Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC-Jordan), Jordan
Nada Khater – Head of Digital Transformation Policies and Strategies, Ministry of Digital Economy & Entrepreneurship, Jordan
Lama Arabiat – Head of AI, Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Jordan
Ashraf Ahmad – Dean – Princess Sumya University for Technology (PSUT), Open Source Intelligence in Arabic Challenges and Solutions, Jordan & many more elite speakers.
The event will focus on topics such as:
Jordan’s roadmap to the digital revolution through cyber security
Cyber Security for the Government of Jordan: Challenges, strategies, opportunities
Cyber Security: An enabler and growth partner for modern businesses
Zero Trust Model: How to boost application security?
How to protect your data in times of constant connection?
What is layered security and how does it protect your data?
Data Security: Top threats and best practices
SaaS Security: Meeting the needs of modern enterprises
“We’re happy to bring the global series of World Cyber Security Summit to Jordan, with the support of our Strategic Partner, Jordan Cyber Security Awareness Association (JOCSA). We hope this event will be a stepping stone for realising how critical cyber security at this day and age is for organisations in the region,” stated Mohammed Saleem, Founding Chairman, Trescon.
The 17th global edition of World Cyber Security Summit – Jordan is supported by Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Jordan and officially sponsored by:
Platinum Sponsor – Green Circle | Agualetica
Gold Sponsor – Alpha Hub | Mandiant
Silver Sponsor – CloudSEK
Academic Sponsor – C-PATH | Princess Sumaya University for Technology | Daience University | Jordan University of Science & Technology
Strategic Partner – Jordan Cyber Security Awareness Association (JOCSA)
Community Partners – Intaj (Information & Communications Technology Association – Jordan) | ISACA | SOFEX JORDAN | JODDB | ABJ | JIF | Crown Prince Foundation | Talal Abu-Gazaleh Global | Jordan Insurance Federation
To attend World Cyber Security Summit – Jordan, book your tickets here.
About World Cyber Security Summit
World Cyber Security Summit is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused global series of events that provides a platform for CISOs who are looking to explore new-age threats and the technologies/strategies to mitigate them.
The Jordan edition is hosting CISOs across industry sectors who will meet, network, learn and engage with some of the world’s renowned technology thought-leaders, subject matter experts, and technology innovators in a constructive, open-dialogue environment to find solutions for issues hindering their information/cyber security.
About Trescon
Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provides a wide range of business services to a diversified client base that includes enterprises, governments, and individuals. Trescon is specialized in producing highly focused B2B events that connect businesses with opportunities through conferences, roadshows, expos, demand generation, investor connect, and consulting services.
For further details about the announcement, please contact:
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