SANS Institute and BlackBerry comment on the huge cyberattack reported at JD Sports

Comments by John Davis, Director UK & Ireland, SANS Institute, EMEA: "JD Sports’ data breach reminds us that no organisation is safe, and everyone has a role to play in digital fortification. Following a huge number of high-profile security breaches just in the past year, we’ve learnt that budget alone is not enough to implement adequate defences.”

"Cybercriminals are levelling up. Their attacks are more prevalent, more sophisticated and harder to detect. Brand reputations and relationships with customers are on the line. Customers will reward businesses who can persuade them they are best equipped to manage their data.”

National reporting centre

"The golden rule to remember is that prevention is always better than cure. Power comes through knowledge about how cyberattacks could happen and flagging them to the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. This is why cybersecurity training shouldn’t just be a tick box exercise, but an ongoing journey of education for us all."

Data related to 10 million customers might now be at risk after the company was hit by a cyber-attack"

Keiron Holyome, VP UKI & Emerging Markets, BlackBerry: “This attack on JD Sports underscores that the global cyber risk equally applies to British institutions and their supply chains. Data related to 10 million customers might now be at risk after the company was hit by a cyber-attack.”

Prevention-first security posture

“Businesses should not have to suffer the effects of cyber-attacks. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) focused solutions take action too late and do not prevent breaches. Prevention is the best strategy. With a prevention-first and AI-driven approach, malware can be stopped in its tracks.”

“A prevention-first security posture begins with neutralising malware prior to the exploitation stage of the kill-chain. By stopping malware at the exploitation stage, organisations can increase their resilience, reduce infrastructure complexity, and streamline security management. We do not believe that there needs to be victims.”