Building upon the success of CyberUK 2023 in Belfast last year, the Northern Ireland Cyber Security Centre (NICSC) is bringing together local cyber security experts during the inaugural CyberNI week.
Over a period of 7 days (4th -10th March), a wide and varied range of events will be taking place across government, industry, academia, charities and the voluntary sector, with the aim of further strengthening our collaborative commitment to raising cyber security awareness locally.
With an array of confirmed partners including the National Cyber Security Centre, BT, Danske Bank, Cyber First and more, these events will provide an opportunity for informative discussions to increase understanding across all sectors. They will also serve as a timely reminder of the threats faced by all of us who are digitally connected at home or at work.
As a key advocate for cyber security, the NICSC is working hard to make Northern Ireland cyber safe, secure and resilient for everyone at home and at work. The Centre plays a prominent role in the delivery of the Government Cyber Security Strategy and the National Cyber Security Strategy.
In our digitally connected world, cyber security is more important than ever. Our smartphones, computers and access to the internet are an essential part of modern life and for many of us it is difficult to imagine how we would function without them. From online banking and shopping, to email and social media, it's more important than ever that we follow the advice on the steps we can take to help prevent cybercriminals getting access to our accounts, our data and devices.
A cyber-attack can be devastating and costly for businesses and individuals, with the potential loss of data, the disruption of services and the damage to reputation. Cybercriminals study human behaviours and look for gaps in IT security to gain access to sensitive data - such as customer email addresses, contact details or bank details. They will use this information to try and exploit businesses and their employees, through 'phishing' emails and fake 'smishing' text messages.
NICSC provides advice and guidance on how to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks. I would encourage everyone to visit our website https://www.nicybersecuritycentre.gov.uk to find out more and register for CyberNI week’s events. The website contains details of how you can report a cyber security incident should you or your organisation unfortunately become a victim of Cyber Crime.
Paul Duffy, Director of Digital, Security and Finance Shared Services at Department of Finance commented: "I’m looking forward to CyberNI Week and to working with colleagues from across all sectors to help build on the excellent work that is already underway to protect our digital future."
Source: Written by Paul Duffy
