Europe's most popular communications, PR
and media conversation

This week's chat

Latest CommsBlog

Tags

May 14, 2013 Transcript of #CommsChat on cyber security

Last week, we were joined by now-frequent #Commschat-er Chris Woods, head of digital at Hanover. We discussed the growing threat of cyber security and its potential impact on business. Some topics covered include how hacks are handled internally, what steps are taken to protect a company’s digital assets and the reputational impact of cyber security.

Highlighted tweets:

@chrismwoods Comms pros have high-level access to company/client digital profiles. PRs should protect reputations not cause risk
@chrismwoods Look at what happened when @AP was hacked. Short-term reputational damage to AP & even to Twitter as a platform
@AllthingsIC always – employees are as important as customers. Makes sense to ensure everyone knows how to protect reputation
@PrometricCyber Although that training could come in handy when communicating how an incident happened after the fact as well.
Read the full transcript, with many helpful pointers and links from Chris, below:

  1. 14h

    Good night all on . Thanks for the tweets. Slightly negative topic so cheers for staying involved!

    Expand

  2. 14h

    Thanks for hosting . Not the easiest of topics for , but useful links in there, thank you cc

    Expand

  3. 14h

    Any industry connected to the internet can be affected by cyber attack. Esp vulnerable = national infrastructure

    Expand

  4. 14h

    a big thanks to for being our guest. and to everyone for taking part

     View conversation

  5. 14h

    Last Q for : What other industries are impacted by cyber security?

    Expand

  6. 14h

    Get well soon Andrew ‘s little person! Good example of where real life more important than Twitter!

    Expand

  7. 14h

    Although that training could come in handy when communicating how an incident happened after the fact as well.

     View conversation

  8. 14h

    as always, the transcript will be up tomorrow.

    Expand

  9. 14h

    apologies for large silence there a sick child upstaris called me away id like to say a big thanks to

    Expand

  10. 14h

    A: Main thing government can do is to help educate people & businesses of the steps they need to take.

    Expand

  11. 14h

    Cyber security is a pressing governmental issue as well. What can the authorities do to limit crisis? for (hello?)

    Expand

  12. 14h

    Another recent example of a comms fail when it comes to cyber security

    Expand

  13. 14h

    A handy best practice guide re cyber security for : via

    Expand

  14. 14h

    And here’s another great example on cyber security. We can all learn from this one:

      View summary

  15. 14h

    True. Poppy Powers/HMV Tweeter:

    Expand

  16. 14h

    well that investment is certainly important, necessary and good for business I’m sure

     View conversation

  17. 14h

    what does staff certification look like in reality?

    Expand

  18. 14h

    . it’s often the people closest to you rather than some scary milicious hacker in a basement!!

      View summary

  19. 14h

    Re: passwords, Google in Oz had ‘anyonesguess’ password:

     View summary

  20. 14h

    Best to have a plan of attack just in case. Also good to have staff certified to prevent such attacks.

     View conversation

  21. 14h

    what about the financial investment large companies like Microsoft can make in protecting the data?

     View conversation

  22. 15h

    Means that we rely on our customers & suppliers to protect against hacks, as much as firms rely on themselves

     View conversation

  23. 15h

    I’ve captured recent hacks/takeovers via Storify inc Guardian, HMV and Burger King

    Expand

  24. 15h

    Good Q . Cloud services prob spread the risk. Servers in more places than one (if they can be isolated) then = good

     View conversation

  25. 15h

    Take a look at tonight for discussion on cyber security and issues

    Expand

  26. 15h

    Hi Rachel, good to see you on i’ve missed the last few

     View conversation

  27. 15h

    . And people in the UK don’t want a state filtered internet like China. Even if that means more cyber attack risk

     View conversation

  28. 15h

    do you evaluate potential reputational impacts of poor cyber security

     View conversation

  29. 15h

    My opionion is that cyber security shouldn’t be up to the state. It’s about personal and professional responsibility

     View conversation

  30. 15h

    Hi

    Expand

  31. 15h

    . what are your thoughts on companies using cloud based solutions? Does it help with security?

    Expand

  32. 15h

    Tip for keeping employees aware of rules: use real world examples of hacks and solutions. (Via )

    Expand

  33. 15h

    A4) I’m not sure how the globalised supply chains is relevant/different stance needed -do you have examples of good/bad approach?

    Expand

  34. 15h

    RT : Each corp relationship can add complexity & thus make networks hardr to protect against cyber attack.

    Expand

  35. 15h

    Each corporate relationship can add complexity and thus make networks harder to protect against cyber attack.

     View conversation

  36. 15h

    always – employees are as important as customers. Makes sense to ensure everyone knows how to protect reputation

    Expand

  37. 15h

    on subject of international. Is the Chinese approach the right one. Presumably with Green Dam installed, no one can hack?

    Expand

  38. 15h

    Also re tip for ensuring comms team know the rules. Keep showing them examples of cyber attacks, then how 2 avoid

     View conversation

  39. 15h

    Great conversation about going on right now with . What would you say are the best security practices?

    Expand

  40. 15h

    MT : Q4) How has cyber security evolved as companies now have globalised supply chains and international stakeholders?

    Expand

  41. 15h

    . nice lead into your specialism there. Internal Comms! Not just rules. Too many rules never read.

     View conversation

  42. 15h

    Topic 4) How has cyber security evolved as companies now have globalised supply chains and international stakeholders?

    Expand

  43. 15h

    lets move to the next topic and all those with global audiences.

    Expand

  44. 15h

    Curious about the hackers comment – what’s your best advice/tip when it comes to ensuring employees know the rules?

    Expand

  45. 15h

    apologies

     View conversation

  46. 15h

    good evening, thanks for joinging in

     View conversation

  47. 15h

    RT : are there any high profile examples of victims? lets not forget hashtags

    Expand

  48. 15h

    Malicious hackers, yes. Kids in bedrooms trying to find value from public content / open data, no.

     View conversation

  49. 15h

    Evening all, sorry to be so late! Note to followers – am now in for next 30 mins. Join in the conversation using >

    Expand

  50. 15h

    RT : Best practice re cyber security inc. (4) move to two-step authentication e.g.

    Expand

  51. 15h

    Best practice re cyber security inc. (5) making sure firewalls and anti-virus software is installed and up-to-date

    Expand

  52. 15h

    Best practice re cyber security inc. (4) moving towards two-step authentication e.g.

    Expand

  53. 15h

    so what punishment would you propose?

     View conversation

  54. 15h

    Best practice re cyber security inc. (3) ensuring mobile devices have keypad locks

    Expand

  55. 15h

    Best practice re cyber security inc. (2) knowing how to handle a Twitter-based hack e.g.

     View summary

  56. 15h

    . A hacker is not necessarily a malicious hacker. Eg hackers who use open data to shed light on an important story.

     View conversation

  57. 15h

    We do seem to be way too lenient on hackers, considering the reputational damage potential

    Expand

  58. 15h

    to paraphrase Monty Python, hangings too good for them.

     View conversation

  59. 15h

    I wondered when someone was going to say that. Hopefully no one here will be hacked! More best practice …

     View conversation

  60. 15h

    then come up with some good examples or comments. we’d love to hear

     View conversation

  61. 15h

    that would certainly help a lot, yes

     View conversation

  62. 15h

    RT : This is so dull. I wish someone would hack it –> 🙂

    Expand

  63. 15h

    If hackers can be traced & prosecuted by law enf. Tho multinational agreements eg could make easier

     View conversation

  64. 15h

    I recently wrote on the topic of cyber security & reputation, specifically for comms pros here:

    Expand

  65. 15h

    This is so dull. I wish someone would hack it

    Expand

  66. 15h

    Look at what happened when was hacked. Short-term reputational damage to AP & even to Twitter as a platform.

    Expand

  67. 15h

    There’s an opportunity to learn from hackers – like the guy given a job at Facebook

    Expand

  68. 15h

    Best practice re cyber security inc. (1) change your computer passwords monthly

    Expand

  69. 15h

    Good question, . I’m about to post some best practice. See … give me 1min …

     View conversation

  70. 15h

    RT : . Yes, , the BBC etc already been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army.

    Expand

  71. 15h

    . Yes, , the BBC etc already been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army.

     View conversation

  72. 15h

    RT : topic 3 What does best practice look like? Can hackers be punished? –> does anyone think they shouldnt be punishd

    Expand

  73. 15h

    , here are some cyber security experts to follow: & Richard T:

     View photo

  74. 15h

    Is it as simple as refreshing passwords every couple of weeks?

     View conversation

  75. 15h

    topic 3 What does best practice in cyber security look like? Can hackers be punished?

    Expand

  76. 15h

    lets move to topic 3 (possibly come back to topic 2)

    Expand

  77. 15h

    Hi & all readers. Sarah here, online PR & social media manager. What would you suggest is best practise?

    Expand

  78. 15h

    should we all be afraid od the Syrian Electronic Army

    Expand

  79. 15h

    Here’s the stream direct on Twitter. Hopefully that works for you:

     View conversation

  80. 15h

    is v hard to disprove. Makes it easy get out.

     View conversation

  81. 15h

    no 🙁 Take part through instead Padraic

     View conversation

  82. 15h

    thanks for sharing example. Yes, most of the time companies seek help after a hack, not prepare for one.

     View conversation

  83. 15h

    My IP address has been identified as spam on so won’t be able to follow again tonight 🙁

    Expand

  84. 15h

    RT : heres a good example of a politicians Twitter account being compromised. (Close to home)

    Expand

  85. 15h

    . currently it’s not NGOs who are the threat. Most of the time they play by the rules. It’s the Syrian Electronic Army.

     View conversation

  86. 15h

    i used to work for security comms comp and orgs came to us after a security incident-reactive rather than proactive

     View conversation

  87. 15h

    such as oil and gas, fur industry, financial services, and so on

     View conversation

  88. 15h

    . here’s a good example of a politician’s Twitter account being compromised. (Close to home)

     View conversation

  89. 15h

    is it mainly going to happen in sectors where there are active NGOs who want to hijack the brand

     View conversation

  90. 15h

    Hi Helen

     View conversation

  91. 15h

    Has anyone out there faced a cyber attack while in a PR or social media role for a company or client? (Big of you to admit it!)

    Expand

  92. 15h

    Hi Padraic, welcome back to CommsChat

     View conversation

  93. 15h

    Hi all, Helen here-i work in the comms industry-currently travelling but will contribute where signal allows!

    Expand

  94. 15h

    does this really happen that frequently?

    Expand

  95. 15h

    everyday a politician, businessman or celebrity claims twitter/facebook/etc was hacked into and racist tweet wasnt theirs

    Expand

  96. 15h

    . here’s an example of where a comms professional slipped up on cyber security

      View photo

  97. 15h

    Evening all, Padraic here from Vodafone Ireland. Looking fwd to the session this evening

    Expand

  98. 15h

    Hi Sarah. Thanks for joining

     View conversation

  99. 15h

    and are they causing risk? have we got any good examples?

     View conversation

  100. 15h

    evening and our guest for the evening,

    Expand

  101. 15h

    Comms pros have high-level access to company/client digital profiles. PRs should protect reputations not cause risk

     View conversation

  102. 15h

    I’m Chris, head of digital . Thanks for having me on this evening.

    Expand

  103. 15h

    Hi you have to get the hashtag totally right – its . Welcome.

     View conversation

  104. 15h

    Going on right now: on the topic of online security

    Expand

  105. 15h

    Going on right now: on the topic of online security

    Expand

  106. 15h

    Just come across , an interesting concept. Will be following the hashtag for the next hour . Debating cyber security

    Expand

  107. 15h

    lets start with topic one: Why is cyber security an important issue for communications professionals?

    Expand

  108. 15h

    But please remember, its always polite to introduce yourself first. & with that, Im Andrew, publisher & editor of

    Expand

  109. 15h

    Please join in with insightful questions, acerbic wit, or just make the occassional LoLs and IMHOs.

    Expand

  110. 15h

    Here to guide us on this issue is Chris Woods, digital director from Hanover.

    Expand

  111. 15h

    Lax security on social media and in digital communications can impact an organisation’s reputation.

    Expand

  112. 15h

    Cyber security has become a serious issue for everyone from a Facebook account holder to a small business to the armed forces.

    Expand

  113. 15h

    Welcome everyone, it’s 8pm, BST. Time for CommsChat.

    Expand

  114. 15h

    Go make a cup of coffee, pour a glass of wine, or mix up a chili martini, for CommsChat starts in three minutes.

    Expand


See what others are talking about "Brittany Golob"

: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

 
#CommsChatGet updates