Smiths Group, a multinational engineering business, has disclosed a data breach. The company, which is based in London but employees more than 15,000 people in over 50 countries, published a filing to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Tuesday saying that it is “currently managing a cyber security incident” involving “unauthorized access to the Company’s systems.”
While details of the breach are scant, Javvad Malik, Lead Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, says that it is “a reminder that all organizations, regardless of industry or size, are potential targets of cybercriminals.”
Smiths Group Responds Quickly
Although extent of the incident is as yet unclear, it is, at the very least, encouraging that Smiths Group has taken prompt action, telling the LSE that it “rapidly isolated affected systems and activated business continuity plans” as soon as it became aware of the unauthorized activity.
In the filling, the company said it is working with cyber security experts to recover affected systems and establish any wider impact on the business. “The Company is taking steps to comply with all relevant regulatory requirements. An update will be provided as and when appropriate.”
Companies Need to do More
Malik praised Smith Group’s response, arguing it is both commendable and in line with regulatory requirements. However, he also notes that, as attackers grow more sophisticated, organizations will need to do more to protect themselves.
“As adversaries evolve, leveraging ever-more sophisticated tactics and exploiting the smallest of vulnerabilities, the defense mechanisms and response strategies of corporations must not only match but anticipate the threat vectors with a defense in depth approach that extends across people, process, and technologies,” he ended.
Josh is a Content writer at Bora. He graduated with a degree in Journalism in 2021 and has a background in cybersecurity PR. He's written on a wide range of topics, from AI to Zero Trust, and is particularly interested in the impacts of cybersecurity on the wider economy.
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