As October 2024 closes, so does cybersecurity month.  Were you aware? I certainly didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of increased knowledge and understanding this month.

 

Leaving aside that every single issue now has a day, week or month dedicated to it, we really should be more conscious of ensuring we’re protected against the risk of hacking, phishing and other forms of cyber attack.  We tend to see protections such as two-factor authentication as a bit of a pain, rather than an important part of protecting ourselves. I should know – I was fooled in the summer of 2023.

 

And – with AI being used both as a protector against attacks and a key tool in attempts to defraud people - awareness and vigilance need to get even more effective. 

 

Back in 2017 Dan Simmons (at the time a BBC Click reporter and producer) fooled the HSBC voice ID verification system using his non-twin brother. Today AI makes it simple to use someone’s recorded voice to create a sequence of sentences that could confuse both humans and machines. 

 

This is clearly an area where the technology and innovation industry needs to communicate more effectively – to tell us not only what we need to do but why – although arguably they already do and we don’t listen enough.  It’s a fine balance, because scaring people will not help;  equally, I’m not personally convinced an awareness month will do the job either.

 

I hope I’ll be forgiven for highlighting some of the incredible work the team here at Jargon Group has been doing in the last month.  To name a few, our campaigns have driven media profile in the Independent and The Guardian for Leonard Curtis; KAO Data achieved some six minutes of profile on Sky News and The National Business Crime Solution achieved blanket media profile for a campaign highlighting organised crime against retailers targeting champagne.

 

If your media campaign needs turbo charging – chat to me or other members of the team.  We'd love to help.  And you could do worse than reading my colleague Emily’s latest blog on creating global comms campaigns that cut through.