GCA Updates Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing cyber risk, announced today the release of an updated version of its Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business. This new edition builds on the original toolkit, released in February 2019, with an improved user experience and expanded educational resources.

The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business, sponsored by Mastercard, offers free effective tools to help protect against the most common cyber threats. The toolkit is aligned with the top recommendations made by the Center for Internet Security, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, and Australia's Cyber Security Centre.

According to the 2020 Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report the risk to small businesses is on the rise with 59% of all cyberattacks targeting small businesses and 30% of small businesses likely to experience multiple attacks. Hiscox also estimates the average cost of an attack to come in at $200,000. The GCA toolkit provides small businesses a way to address these risks with free tools and resources that they can implement themselves. For government and industry, the toolkit is a valuable resource that can be provided to help secure their supply chain and vendors.

"Helping small businesses address cybersecurity challenges requires that we meet them where they are, with resources designed to match their resources and expertise. We worked with partners and stakeholders to develop the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business more than a year ago and since that time have evolved the toolkit to be even easier to use, either all at once or a step at a time," said Philip Reitinger, GCA's President and CEO. "This revision of the toolkit is a significant step forward on this front, and we are pleased to share it to further assist small businesses reduce cyber risk." 

Since its initial launch there have been more than 105,000 visits to the toolkit. Key to the success of the toolkit has been partnerships with organizations such as Mastercard, ICTswitzerland, and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW), the latter two of which resulted in the German translation of the toolkit and makes an important contribution to the implementation of the National strategy for Switzerland's protection against cyber risks (NCS). The toolkit is available in English, French, German, and Spanish.

The updated toolkit incorporates feedback received from small businesses and focus groups. Each toolbox within the toolkit has been revamped to make it easier to identify the tools that are most relevant for a particular user. Additional content, including awareness videos donated by Wizer, Inc., is now part of the toolkit to help the user understand why a particular action will improve their cybersecurity posture. Additional support is available via the GCA Community

Forum where toolkit users can gain further tips and advice while implementing any of the tools.

As the world grapples with COVID-19 and is increasingly depending on a remote workforce, the release of this enhanced toolkit is an important resource in offering businesses practical, operational tools to improve their security and protect their business and customer data.

"Small businesses face many of the same cyber threats as larger companies, but often without the same resources or expertise to combat them," said CISA Director Christopher Krebs. "The Global Cyber Alliance's toolkit can help small businesses invest their resources wisely to better manage risks to their systems. This toolkit is a perfect example of how the public and private sector can leverage our collective resources to close the gap between the haves and the have nots in cybersecurity. The Global Cyber Alliance under Phil's leadership has been a great partner in our collective defense efforts, and we're excited for our continued collaboration."

"The global pandemic has forced business owners and entrepreneurs to transform the way they do business. Many have had to quickly transition to online models, making safety and security both a priority and a significant challenge," said Ron Green, chief security officer, Mastercard. "To help small business owners pivot to meet their customer's needs, we've partnered with the Global Cyber Alliance to provide free access to security tools that will help them create a secure environment and improve their resiliency against cyber-attacks immediately."

Wizer CEO Gabriel Friedlander said, "Why would anyone want to hack a small business!? Unfortunately, this is a common theme among many small business owners. They just don't realize that it is more likely to happen than not… and if it does it could take down their business. As a security awareness vendor, we feel we have a social responsibility to teach small businesses how to stay safe online. We designed our videos with a small business owner in mind and included practical advice. We also made them short and to the point. We are extremely happy about this partnership because it will allow us to help raise awareness to growing threats."

"Cyber security is a team sport and the Global Cyber Alliance is one of the world's premier team players, developing technical solutions like the cyber-security toolkits. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is pleased the GCA makes these kits available to support small and medium businesses, to promote fair and transparent elections, and to make the interconnected world a safer place," said Scott Jones, Head, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

Media Contact:

About the Global Cyber Alliance

The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is an international, cross-sector effort dedicated to reducing cyber risk and improving our connected world. We achieve our mission by uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect. GCA, a 501(c)(3) in the US and a nonprofit in the UK and Belgium, was founded in September 2015 by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the City of London Police, and the Center for Internet Security. Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org.

SOURCE Global Cyber Alliance

Related Links

http://www.globalcyberalliance.org