The EMiC Network is excited to announce CyberQ Group as a sponsor for the upcoming Cyber Diversity Awards 2024.
Widely recognised as award-winning cyber experts, CyberQ Group brings a cutting-edge, technology-based approach to strengthening organisational strategies against cyber threats. Their innovative approach aligns seamlessly with the ethos of the Cyber Diversity Awards, positioning them as an ideal sponsor for this event.
The Cyber Diversity Awards, organised by the EMiC Network, aims to celebrate, and recognise outstanding contributions to diversity and inclusion within cyber security. With CyberQ Group on board, this year’s event promises to be even more impactful, bringing together leaders, professionals and advocates dedicated to advancing diversity in cyber security.
For more information on available sponsorship packages and to secure participation in the Cyber Diversity Awards 2024, please contact: p.pillai@wlv.ac.uk
On Monday 27th November 2023, MSc students from the University of Wolverhampton embarked on a transformative away day hosted at the Midlands Centre for Cyber Security in Hereford.
The visit featured a Cyber Security Essentials training programme, providing students with invaluable insights into the latest developments in the ever-evolving world of cyber security. The programme also covered a range of topics crucial for understanding and combating cyber threats.
As part of the experience, students were given the opportunity to explore the Midlands Centre for Cyber Security and gain first-hand knowledge about its cutting-edge facilities. A highlight of the visit was a tour of the state-of-the-art cyber range, where students observed live threat maps and simulated cyber-attack scenarios. This immersive experience provided insight into potential threats and the strategies required to mitigate risk.
The Midlands Centre for Cyber Security, known for its commitment to advancing cyber security education and research, continues to offer a real-world experience that complements learning, whilst preparing delegates and students for the challenges and opportunities in the dynamic field of cyber security.
For more information regarding visits and upcoming tours, please visit www.cyberquarter.co.uk and complete our online enquiry form.
On Wednesday 19th July, Wigmore High School embarked on an enlightening journey into the realm of digital protection during a visit to the Midlands Centre for Cyber Security.
Cyber Quarter hosted two immersive sessions filled with engaging activities that included interactive cyber security games, informative talks, and hands-on demonstrations. The aim was to not only capture the students’ attention but also to spark their curiosity for cyber security.
A highlight of the Cyber Discovery Day was the demonstration of the state-of-the-art Cyber Range. Equipped with cutting-edge cyber security equipment, the range showcased live software which reported the current threat landscape across the world. Student were also provided with web tools which enabled them to identify whether their email addresses had been compromised in any data breaches. This practical exercise underscored the vulnerability of personal data in the digital age and further reinforced the importance of implementing robust security practices.
Students left with a deeper understanding of the digital world and a heightened awareness of potential online risks.
For school visit enquiries please complete the enquiry form below:
In a bid to promote cyber security awareness and digital safety among families, Cyber Quarter hosted the highly anticipated Family Cyber Discovery Day at the Midlands Centre for Cyber Security on Tuesday 25th October, attracting families from across Herefordshire.
The Family Cyber Discovery Day consisted of interactive activities and engaging workshops, making it a memorable experience for participants. Families gathered to explore the fascinating world of cyber security through online games catered to different age groups, educational talks, and an engaging Cyber Maze challenge designed for families to navigate together.
One of the highlights of the event was the presence of Boston Dynamics’ agile mobile robot dog, Spot. Attendees were treated to engaging demonstrations showcasing Spot’s incredible capabilities, allowing families to witness first hand how robots like Spot can assist in various scenarios and tasks.
The primary goal of the event was to promote digital resilience and empower families to stay safe online. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats and online dangers, the need for such awareness initiatives has become paramount and the event provided families with valuable skills and knowledge to navigate the digital world securely.
Due to the overwhelmingly positive response and impact on the community, Cyber Quarter are now putting plans in place for the next Family Cyber Discovery Day.
To access additional details about the upcoming 2023 Family Cyber Discovery Day, please complete our enquiry form using the link provided below.
On the 26th May, we invited local businesses in Herefordshire to come and visit the Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security for a joint briefing between us and the Regional Cyber Crime Unit (RCCU) to hear a succinct update about the latest trends and threats in cyber at the moment and how SMEs can use this knowledge to further protect their business.
According to the recent Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022, in the last 12 months, 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber-attack. Within the group of organisations reporting cyber-attacks, 31% of businesses and 26% of charities estimate they were attacked at least once a week. Additionally, just over half of businesses (54%) identified in this survey have acted in the past 12 months to identify their own potential cyber security risks.
Considering these alarming statistics, we joined up with the RCCU to deliver a presentation to businesses in the area. Jack Litman represented the RCCU, and we caught up with him afterwards to hear more about his time at the Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security.
Jack is currently a student at Birmingham City University and is working towards a bachelor’s degree in digital forensics. In September 2021, he was successful in securing an internship with the RCCU and has spent the last year representing the RCCU at various events to help deliver more of these important briefings to businesses regionally.
“I really enjoyed networking with the local businesses around the Cyber Quarter, especially in such an amazing building and venue. It was a great opportunity to talk to people and raise awareness around what the Cyber Crime unit does and give them awareness of what we do and what support they can get from law enforcement reporting routes. It was really nice to be given a speaking slot so that I could talk all this through in a more formal setting and also give the attendees some helpful cyber tips that they could take away from the event.
In my presentation, I went over a bit about the NCSC Cyber Aware campaign and the main take aways that the attendees can think about that would massively enhance their cyber resilience in both their workspace and home space. I also spoke about reporting routes as well, so not just action fraud and cyber crime, but also how they can report things like phishing emails and texts, for example.
I think that the Cyber Quarter building is a really nice workspace and I think it’s an excellent hub of cyber security knowledge and a great place for SMEs to be.”
We’d like to give a big thank you to Jack and the RCCU team for taking the time to come and speak at the Cyber Quarter and for demonstrating how the unit supports local businesses. Stay tuned for more cyber security & threat updates to come in the future!
Jack and the RCCU team will be joining us again at our upcoming ‘meet the neighbours’ family event taking place on 14th July in collaboration with the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.
To register for this event, please express interest via the link below:
Cybersecurity stress has been described as an industrywide epidemic amongst many cyber and security professionals. Talking about stress can be a difficult conversation for many, however, it is important to address workplace stress before its consequences affect both people and the business.
Stress can be one of the biggest underrated insider threats to a business. According to CIISec’s 2020/2021 State of Profession report, 557 security professionals have said that stress has become a major issue due the COVID-19 pandemic, with 80% also saying they have seen first-hand the effects of stress on their staff. These figures are a significant concern as it’s been shown that people are more vulnerable to the attempts of cyber criminals whilst feeling stressed. A Cyberchology (2020) report found that when stress levels are heightened, staff members are more likely to panic and potentially click on a malicious link or fail to report any security breaches to their IT team.
Workplace stress is becoming such an issue that, according to VMware’s 2021 Global Incident Response Threat Report, 65% of cyber professionals have said that they have considered leaving their job because of stress and CIISec’s 2020/2021 report states that 51% of cybersecurity professionals are kept up at night due to the stress of their job.
The facts and figures are clear that stress is a serious topic in the cyber community that needs to be more thoroughly addressed. Therefore, we asked our Human Factors Specialist, Ellen Kay, for her top tips for dealing with workplace stress and how we can spot signs of stress in others:
“I want to talk to you about one of the most common things in the workplace that break down teams and organisations around the world.
I’ve worked with MANY different companies, corporations, upper management and human resources, and they’re always talking about the impact of stress in their businesses. Stress is when your brain and body are knocked out of homeostasis. The stress response is what your body innately does to return itself back to order.
All organisms in nature, every creature, can tolerate short-term stress. But when the stressors add up and people keep reacting to threats and conditions in their external environment over and over again, they’ll keep their brain and body out of balance. And as a result, a system is going to break down. That means, individuals are going to break down. Teams are going to break down. Because no organism can live in emergency mode for an extended period of time.
Living in emergency means living in stress. And living in stress is living in survival. And what are the effects of that?
It turns out that the main cause of absenteeism in companies and organisations, has to do with stress and anxiety related problems that add to health problems. Over 75%of people who walk into a healthcare facility in the western world, walks in because of emotional and psychological stress. This emotional and psychological stress ultimately leads to other conditions and health problems, which cause people to be more sick. As a result, people become less creative, less innovative. They’re less productive and produce fewer outcomes. They communicate less and they’re less engaged in the workplace.
This has a direct effect on profits and growth in a business. They also tend to be more sick, and tend to be more competitive in a way that does not add real value to the business, they are more resistant to change, they’re more hostile, more resentful, more anxious and more depressed. They add to the toxic environment that they’re reacting to, which then causes the environment to become more stressed, which causes people to become more reactionary. And the cycle continues. It’s a huge problem all over the world.
It turns out that there’s a way to teach people how to make significant changes in their brain and body, and it’s actually a formula. The Human Factors offering at Cyber Quarter teaches this formula, and I want to share some of that information with you. Are you looking after your organisation, are you looking after your people, are you looking after you?”
To learn more about the impacts of stress and your business, sign up for our three upcoming Human Factors Briefings. Follow the links below to register your interest:
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