Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 31 | Page 49

CIO opinion CIO OPINION “ CYBER-RISKS DO NOT JUST AFFECT IT SYSTEMS, BUT ARE ALSO A CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR, AND EVEN ENHANCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF BUSINESS OR PHYSICAL RISK. ///////////////// (ISC)2 members share their perspective on fundamental areas that will help businesses take back control of cyber-risk What every business leader should know about cyber-risk As a non-profit professional association with 125,000 certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals, (ISC)2 and its members are working to raise awareness of what occurs on the front lines of cybersecurity practice to ensure a safer and more secure cyber world. This article shares their perspective on fundamental areas that will help businesses take back control of cyber-risk and be better prepared for the unknown. www.intelligentcio.com Cyber-risk is a business risk Rapid adoption of technologies is transforming the business landscape at a relentless pace. The pressure is on to reap the benefits of connecting every system, however sophisticated or simple, from the high- profile innovations such as driverless cars, and remotely connected medical devices to the tasks that allow product fulfilment and inventory management across a vast and distributed network of retailers. It’s a transformation that reaches far beyond the systems themselves to enhance what people can achieve and their levels of independence, delivering huge productivity gains and new opportunities for organisations. Unfortunately, the transformation comes with new risks as hostile individuals and groups have also exploited the changing landscape for nefarious purposes. Such threat actors have the skill, the motivation and the time to research targets, craft and launch attacks, and are contributing to an evolving and proliferating threat landscape that has become both increasingly sophisticated and easy to access by those that would do harm. Businesses and organisations have as a result found themselves dependent on new capabilities long before they have developed a clear understanding for how they are leaving them vulnerable. For most organisations, whatever their size, cybersecurity has been a consideration. Preparations, however, INTELLIGENTCIO 49 49