CyberScotland Bulletin

New Funded Cyber Essentials Programme

Small charities and legal aid firms are being offered free cyber security assistance to help put in place security controls to prevent common cyber attacks.

The new Funded Cyber Essentials Programme will provide free, expert assistance to help organisations meet the five technical controls of Cyber Essentials. The support is provided by one of IASME’s network of NCSC-assured certification bodies.

The focus of the programme is to support sectors which are at relatively greater risk of cyber attack because of the sensitive information they handle and because organisations typically have a lower level of cyber maturity.

To qualify for this scheme, the organisation must either be:

• a micro or small business (1 to 49 employees) that offers legal-aid services
• a micro or small charity that processes personal data, as defined under GDPR

For more information on the programme, or to register your interest, please visit the IASME website.

NCSC Threat Report

The NCSC produces threat reports drawn from recent open-source reporting. View the latest report here.  To ensure you get the most up-to-date information from NCSC, you can sign up for their email service where they are sharing all advisories, threat reports, and urgent communications. Select ‘threat report and advisories’ to receive the most up-to-date content.

Organisations that are proactive in their approach to the management and handling of cyber security should consider joining the Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP).

Reports of data breaches

Last Pass shared information about a recent security incident. SBRC has written a blog which summarises the key points from the breach alongside clear, easy-to-follow guidance.

There has been claims of Twitter also suffering a data breach. The alleged stolen information includes email addresses used to set up accounts.

If you’re a customer of an organisation that has suffered a data breach, follow our advice to protect your personal information.

• Find out if you’re affected
• Be alert to suspicious messages
• Check your online accounts
• If any have been accessed, take action

HMRC Scam Warning

Tax scams can happen at any time but are most common around key deadlines, such as when your tax return is due.

Fraudsters target customers when they know they are more likely to be in contact with HMRC, which is why Self Assessment customers should be extra vigilant this month. Taxpayers should be on the lookout for any suspicious calls, emails or texts and letters.

HMRC has warned that scammers are posing as HMRC and are emailing people fake ‘failed direct debit’ alerts and asking for personal and financial details. Another common approach scammers use is to entice you with money through fake ‘tax rebates’ or ‘tax refunds’ messages.

Customers can report any suspicious activity to HMRC. Forward suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599 and emails to [email protected]. Read the HMRC’s scam advice to help you decide if a suspicious contact is a scam.

Holiday Booking Scams

Many people have started to plan their next holiday. However, it’s important to be aware of holiday fraud, as scammers may try to take advantage of those looking to book a trip.

Fraudsters can take advantage of people looking to save money when booking their next holiday. The criminals will create convincing looking scam websites and advertise on social media to trick you into booking accommodation that is non-existent or has been fully booked. Fraudsters may impersonate airlines, travel companies and banks to steal personal information and money.

Get Safe Online’s campaign this month helps to raise awareness about fraudsters looking to exploit those of us looking to book a holiday getaway. To help avoid this happening to you, they’ve put together some expert tips on safely searching and booking holidays and travel with confidence.

Trading Standards Scotland, Scam Share Newsletter

Other scams to be aware of are identified in the latest Trading Standards Scotland Scam Share newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter here. Check out their #ScamShare Spotlight PDFs focusing on frequently reported email, phone, text and cyber scams in Scotland.

NCSC Digital Loft: Incident management and the cyber threat from Russia

The NCSC will discuss the role of an Incident Management team and how it helps reduce the harm caused to victims of cyber incidents. They will also be discussing the potential cyber threat from Russia and what actions organisations can take, to minimise any business disruption that may be caused should Russia escalate it’s cyber capability towards the UK.

NCSC welcomes you to attend this interactive panel discussion to hear more about the role of an Incident Management team, private sector Cyber Incident Response and the cyber threat from Russia.

31^st January, 10 am – Register here