Business leaders expect suppliers to ensure they are cyber secure
Most UK business leaders expect suppliers to be cyber secure and nearly a third of businesses would terminate contracts because of suppliers’ security failings, a survey has revealed
Some 31% of UK businesses would terminate contracts with suppliers whose negligence caused them to become a victim of cyber crime, according to a survey published by business internet service provider Beaming.
The research, conducted by consultancy Opinium, revealed that most UK business leaders polled believe their suppliers are obligated to ensure they do not expose them to unnecessary cyber security risks.
One in five (17%) would take legal action to recover financial losses incurred from a breach as a result of a supplier’s negligence, and a similar number (20%) would use the incident to negotiate a further discount. Just 3% of businesses said they would take no action.
The survey also showed that victims of cyber crime could find it more difficult to attract new customers, with 35% of the business leaders questioned saying they would not work with a supplier they thought would make them more vulnerable to cyber crime, while just over a quarter (27%) said they would avoid using a company that had been publicly associated with a major cyber security breach.
A quarter of those questioned said they would not work with companies that did not have a documented cyber security policy in place, a quarter said they would not work with a supplier that had not met any information security certifications, such as ISO27001 or Cyber Essentials, and one in five (19%) said they would avoid potential suppliers that had no cyber security insurance.
The research showed that small businesses are most at risk of damaging their reputation and business relationships by neglecting their cyber security obligations. Of the firms surveyed that employ between 10 and 49 people, just over half (51%) had a documented cyber security policy and one-third (38%) had insurance in place for breaches and data theft at the beginning of 2018.
Meanwhile, only half (51%) of businesses employing fewer than 10 people were using a network perimeter firewall to stop threats from reaching their systems, and just one in three (30%) had intrusion detection systems to spot malicious activities or cyber security policy violations.
Sonia Blizzard, managing director of Beaming, said cyber attackers often seek to infiltrate one organisation as a stepping stone to attack others.
“This research clearly shows that business leaders see cyber security as a shared responsibility,” she said. “Businesses that neglect to take the steps necessary to protect themselves and their partners could find that a single breach could irreparably damage their hard-earned reputations and relationships.”
According to Blizzard, consideration of risk must extend beyond businesses’ own boundaries to incorporate customers, partners and other organisations they come into contact with.
“Rather than simply guarding what is ours, we need a cyber security culture that means we all look out for those we do business with too,” she said. “If enough businesses are well secured, the ability for denial of service attacks, viruses and other attacks to spread will be greatly diminished
Source computerweekly
Industry: Cyber Security news

Latest Jobs
-
- IAM Product/ Project Manager
- Belgium
- Upto €80,000 plus benefits
-
IAM product/project manager is need for this expanding service provider to help develop their IAM (CIAM) strategy roadmap. This role will have two main functions, to work between the front end digital team and the backend IAM development team to ensure that the current deployment of the solution runs smoothly and is fit for purpose, the Second function is to look at the business’ future digital offerings and to understand how the IAM/CIAM solution will develop with the new digital strategy, you will be looking at the future technology and the ensuring the IAM solution is fit for purpose. The business is an agile environment and you will require agile experience. This is a great opportunity to help shape a key product within the future digital strategy of this expanding service provider. We are looking for someone with both IAM and strong product management experience Project management experience would be beneficial. If you are interested speak to Robert Anderton on 0044 (0) 7957 493501 and he will be able to discuss the role in more details IAM product/project manager is needed for this expanding service provider to help develop their IAM (CIAM) strategy roadmap. This role will have two main functions, to work between the front end digital team and the backend IAM development team to ensure that the current deployment of the solution runs smoothly and is fit for purpose, the second function is to look at the business’ future digital offerings and to understand how the IAM/CIAM solution will develop with the new digital strategy, you will be looking at the future technology and the ensuring the IAM solution is fit for purpose. The business is an agile environment and you will require agile experience. This is a great opportunity to help shape a key product within the future digital strategy of this expanding service provider. We are looking for someone with both IAM and strong product management experience Project management experience would be beneficial. If you are interested then speak to Robert Anderton on 0044 (0) 7957 493501 and he will be able to discuss the role in more details
-
- Cyber Incident Manager, Proactive planning and management. SC
- London
- N/A
-
Cyber Incident Manager, Proactive planning and management. Cyber incident Manager needed to join a large and complex business to help them prepare for a cyber related incidents. SC clearance will be required. Current or the ability to achieve. This role does not require specific current hands on technical Incident response experience, but this background would give a distinct advantage. The role has two key functions: to help the business prepare for an event and to steer them through when / if that happens. The Cyber Incident response managers role will include, but not be limited to; working with internal stakeholders to develop a security incident management plan along with its and supporting policies. Developing plans and implementing strategies on how incidents are detected, reported, assessed and responded to. Engaging with leadership teams both internal and external, proactively mapping out this large business to identify and engage the various other stakeholders and their teams. Build out and document incident scenarios and their processes, ensure incident management procedures are updated, playbooks and key training etc. You should have experience working with both internal teams and external suppliers. The role will also focus on liaising with the various teams to ensure the security incident response plan is delivered effectively. CCIM, GCIH, CIPR (NCSC-Certified Cyber Incident Planning & Response) Looking to interview immediately.
-
- SOC Manager. SC Clearance. Immediate opportunity.
- Unknown
- N/A
-
Permanent SOC Manager. SC cleared / clearable, London / Birmingham. SOC Manager needed to replace a SOC contractor I placed into a client who is due to complete their assignment at the end of March. The ability to achieve SC clearance is essential. Looking for someone that is a blend of strategic stakeholder engagement with strong technical skills. The role will sit in a relatively new SOC environment. The position is to setup, implementation and management of resources to help with the initial and on-going stages of a new SOC. Experience engaging with and managing client stakeholder relationships as well as 3rd party relationships is critical. The role will involve; setting up, implementing and fine tuning the various initial stages of a SOC environment. Experience establishing and building out technical process / operational capability, managing of technical teams (analysts, engineers and architects, creation of policy / playbooks, fine turning is key. SPLUNK is the tooling of choice… Interviewing immediately. Set up a call with me today on https://calendly.com/chris-holt/arranged-call-with-chris-holt-soc-manager-role Direct contact details Chris.Holt@dclsearch.com or 07884666351
-
- Security engineer. Financial Services. UK. Permanent
- Unknown
- N/A
-
CH7863 Security engineer. End User . Financial Services Security Engineer needed to monitor and manage a security suite of tools within an End User environment. The Security Engiener will be responsible monitoring, configuring, fine tuning, incident management and generally improving the security tool capability. Specific experience with CyberArk, Tripwire Log Center and Tripwire Enterprise is highly desirable). Current experience with Vulnerability management and penetration testing is highly desirable. Specifically the ability to effectively manage 3rd party pen tests. You will be working within a specialist security team reporting to the CISO. Experience working within an end user environment within financial services is highly desirable. Flexible location. This is an exclusive role to DCL Search & Selection. To book a call please use my Calendy link https://calendly.com/chris-holt/arranged-call-with-chris-holt-soc-role-