CSC Smart Business UK Edition December - Stand up for security
Stand up for security
CSC has taken the novel step of including a stand-up comic show on ID theft in its staff security training programme
Cyber crime is no laughing matter but CSC realises that employees often retain new skills if training is entertaining as well as informative. So, as part of its commitment to make staff security aware at all times, comedian Bennett Arron has been brought in to pass on security tips through the novel medium of a stand up show.
With cyber criminals becoming ever more sophisticated in stealing money and information from businesses and employees, organisations need to take a lead in ensuring their people are security aware.
CSC has an on-going programme to ensure staff have best practice security practices front of mind at all times. This helps to protect its own and clients' data, by ensuring employees entrusted with sensitive information are always security conscious whether working at home, their office or at a partner's location.
It was as a part of its constant efforts to keep security central to employees' working and home lives that Christopher Dean, Director Security Risk Management at CSC, took the novel step of booking award-winning comic, Bennett Arron, to pass on his experiences. Arron became well-known for turning the exasperation of having his identity stolen into a stand up show and Channel 4 documentary. He famously cloned the identity of Charles Clarke, the then Home Secretary, to obtain a driving licence in his name to show how simple ID fraud can be.
Dean explains he was keen that, in addition to annual security reviews and on-going security awareness events, CSC employees should have very useful information on the ever-present threat of ID fraud presented through a new medium.
"We take security very seriously because a breach affecting an individual can have a subsequent knock-on effect at their home, work or at clients' premises, dependent on where they are based," he explains. "We heard about Bennett's stand up show and thought it would be a great way of getting over the message in a different medium. Research shows if you can entertain people as you get a message across they're much more likely to take it in and act on the insights provided."
No laughing matter
Bennett Arron's identity was stolen just over a decade ago at the worst possible time. He and his pregnant wife were in the process of arranging a mortgage for their dream home when a criminal used his identity to go on a spending spree. The black mark on his credit report left him unable to gain a mortgage and he spent the next 18 months fighting to clear his name.
"It all came down to a postcard sent to an old address of mine which asked whether I wanted to open up a shopping account," he recalls. "The person receiving the postcard turned out to be part of an ID theft gang, so he ticked the box, opened up the account and then used the order confirmation letters he received as proof of ID to buy mobile phones. He then used those contracts as proof of ID to go on a shopping spree, leaving me to prove it wasn't me, which was virtually impossible."
During his half hour stand up routine Bennett relays the very serious, life-changing impact of ID theft with a humorous undertone. In particular the experience of being arrested and cautioned for cloning the Home Secretary's identity was met with amusement. He had managed to get a birth certificate for Charles Clarke sent to his own address and then used it as proof of ID to gain a driving licence.
"They kept on saying I was under suspicion of copying Charles Clarke's identity and I kept insisting there was no suspicion, I really did do it," he recalls. "The funny thing was, they wanted to meet my accomplice who had signed the back of my photo to verify it was Charles Clarke. I'd actually signed it myself under the pseudonym of Mr D Skies. When the penny dropped, and the police interviewers read out Mr D Skies (disguise), they had to go to the back of the room to laugh so it wouldn't be caught on tape."
Serious tips
On the very serious subject of protecting your identity, Bennett has several tips which he now follows to the letter and advises others to follow suit. This is not only to prevent home information going astray but also to prevent cyber criminals getting hold of passwords for work-related data which could compromise employer and client data integrity.
"To prove how people just don't take their personal information seriously we filmed me setting up a stall where I promised a free security check for anyone who wrote down all their details and passwords on a form," says Bennett. "Only one guy came back after supplying his details to ask if it was a con. I said it wasn't, so he shrugged and walked away saying, 'Sorry for asking, just thought I'd best check'."
There are several steps to avoid giving away information. The golden rule for Bennett is to use several passwords and for these to never include just a single word. Not only should they include letters and capitals but the password should not be a proper word in the dictionary which could be guessed. Hence passwords should never be real names or birthdays and security questions should never be set to information given away on websites and social networks – such as pet names, first school and mother's maiden name.
Another key point is to shred every document with your name and address on it and to update everyone who has your name and address with your new details should you move. Above all else, never assume a person is who they say they are. Always check credentials of any employee or partner contacting or entering your premises, and if someone claims to be calling from a bank, insist on calling them back to ensure they are not a fraudster.
Learn more about CSC’s work in Cybersecurity