Despite over 50% of UK businesses falling victim to a cyberattack last year, only 31% of businesses had undertaken a cyber risk assessment, and only 15% had a formal cybersecurity incident management plan.*
Cyberattacks are on the rise and becoming more sophisticated each year, particularly with the development of AI. Phishing attacks in the form of malicious emails have increased by 4,151%** since the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022. To withstand these attacks, businesses must adjust their cyber resilience standards.
Conor O’Neill, CEO and Co-Founder of leading penetration testing vendor OnSecurity, shares his expertise, advising businesses and HR teams on how they can improve their cyber resilience for 2025.
While cyber security focuses on defending your business from cyber attacks, cyber resilience encompasses all facets of cybersecurity including both defence and response. The two complement each other to form a strong foundation against cyber attacks in both preventative and reactive measures.
Cyber resilience encompasses all facets of cyber security: the ability to monitor and prevent, react and respond, and contain the attack. It offers more holistic protection against emerging threats, while also empowering organisations to approach potential network risks correctly and efficiently.
Here are a few ways in which you can improve cyber resilience in your workforce:
The Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023***, reported that only 17% of businesses train their staff in cybersecurity.
Educating employees in cybersecurity is one of the most important strategies for increasing cyber resilience across your entire company, rather than just from the source of your IT department. It is important for employees to understand their responsibility towards risk management and incident response and planning to enhance the security posture of the organisation as a whole.
Despite the increase in AI usage in cyber attacks, research reveals that human error remains the most common threat****. Key training topics for your workforce may include phishing, password hygiene and two-factor authentication, all of which help secure a fundamental defence across the organisation.
All businesses should prioritise having a cybersecurity training programme in place for their employees, keeping it refreshed and up to date as the attack landscape evolves. Comprehensive staff cybersecurity training should take place at least once a year, with smaller training being rolled out as and when relevant. Employee education is the foundation of a business’ cyber defence, particularly when it comes to cyber resilience.
One of the key elements to ensuring your cyber defence systems are up to date is the ability to self-monitor. One of the largest benefits of the recent increase in the use of AI in cyber resilience is its ability to continuously monitor and scan your network to alert you to potential threats.
The continual aspect of this monitoring is the most crucial. Particularly for large businesses with expansive data, having systems in place to give continual real-time insight into the threat landscape is essential for achieving complete visibility.
As well as continual monitoring, businesses need to regularly self-assess by testing their cyber security response and resilience through attack simulations. Through this, companies can assess various factors such as their incident response times, employee participation, and the success of phishing traps. Once they’ve measured the success of these simulated threats, they can assess their progress and decide which areas of their security set-up need improvement.
While it’s crucial to monitor, analyse and flag potential threats, the response to threats is just as important. To be truly cyber resilient, every business must have a robust incident response plan in case of a breach.
Part of that plan includes equipping employees with the tools and understanding in the event of an incident. Many businesses choose to do this by carrying out simulations and drills to test employees under the ‘pressure’ of a real-life, high-stress situation. These scenarios will mimic a real attack, (i.e. a data breach or a ransomware incident) to test employees on their reactions to a practical threat, as well as testing the company’s threat response plan as a whole.
The most crucial part of an incident response plan is communication; a clear, concise communication line is key. Employees must know who to report incidents to, as well as how to report them most clearly and efficiently to save crucial time in the event of a security incident.
Cyber resilience is about responding, not just preventing. Educating the workforce is therefore crucial in developing a comprehensive Incident Response Plan in which staff can efficiently and effectively report threats to contain them as much as possible before responding to them, minimising the risk window for potential exploitation.
In 2024, over 50% of UK businesses experienced a cyberattack, yet only 31% had conducted a cyber risk assessment and 15% had a formal cybersecurity incident management plan. With cyberattacks increasing in sophistication, especially with the development of AI, it is crucial for businesses to enhance their cyber resilience standards.
Cyber resilience goes beyond cybersecurity by encompassing both defense and response measures against cyber threats. It provides holistic protection against emerging threats and empowers organizations to address network risks efficiently. To improve cyber resilience, businesses can educate their staff on cybersecurity, self-assess their defense systems, and provide incident response training.
Educating employees on cybersecurity is essential for enhancing cyber resilience across the entire organization. Training topics may include phishing awareness, password hygiene, and two-factor authentication. Regular cybersecurity training should be conducted to keep employees informed about evolving threats.
Self-assessment is another key aspect of maintaining cyber resilience. Continuous monitoring and scanning of networks using AI technology can help businesses stay informed about potential threats. Regular self-assessment through attack simulations allows companies to evaluate their incident response times and identify areas for improvement.
Having a robust incident response plan is crucial for effective cyber resilience. Businesses should conduct drills and simulations to test employees' reactions to real-life threats and assess the company's response plan. Clear communication channels are essential in incident response to ensure efficient reporting and containment of threats.
Overall, cyber resilience is about responding to threats effectively, not just preventing them. By educating employees, conducting self-assessments, and providing incident response training, businesses can enhance their cyber resilience and better protect against cyber threats in 2025.
