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Day three of our 12 Days of Cyber Security - and we’re talking passwords in our latest Technical Guide. Small changes here make a big difference, and Ben’s pulled the essentials into a quick, practical guide your teams can actually use without annoying everyone. Easy to share, easy to action, and a simple win for better security. 👉 Check it out: https://lnkd.in/edTrqjJv

Day eight of our 12 Days of Cyber Security and we are sharing a Top Tip from our Senior Information Governance Consultant at Evolve North, Matt Carney. One of the simplest ways to tighten your security posture doesn’t require a new tool or a long project plan - just ten focused minutes. Matt, recommends a quick “access and exposure” check is one of the fastest wins any IT team can make: ⭐ Who currently has access to what? ⭐ Which accounts haven’t been used in a while? ⭐ And are there any old credentials, shared accounts or leftover permissions that have quietly collected more access than they should? A short, structured review like this – even if it’s once a month - closes down some of the easiest pathways attackers rely on, and prevents small oversights turning into bigger issues. It’s a practical, genuinely low-effort exercise every IT team can do, and it’s one of the quickest ways to reduce avoidable risk.

Contributed by our resident grinch - a silent knowledge bank and wordsmith who shall never be named… here's a festive blog piece about Microsoft Purview. It’s that magical time of year again: twinkling lights, mince pies, and the annual debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film (our grinch remains adamant that it isn’t). But while we’re busy spreading cheer, it’s worth making sure we’re not spreading something else… sensitive data. Oversharing isn’t just telling everyone what you got from Secret Santa (though genuinely, keep that to yourself). In the workplace, oversharing information - internally or externally - can lead to compliance headaches, security risks and a decidedly un-festive call from the IT team. Enter Microsoft Purview: your very own digital elf quietly keeping an eye on who’s sharing what, and where. Here’s how Purview helps keep your data wrapped up tighter than a Christmas present: 🎄 Data Classification & Labelling: Purview automatically identifies sensitive information and applies the right labels, so even if you’re dashing through Teams messages or firing off emails at Santa-sleigh speed, your data stays protected. ⭐ Access Controls: Not everyone needs a peek at the Christmas list. Purview ensures only the right people have access to the right data, reducing the chance of internal oversharing. ❄️ Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Think of DLP as the office holly hedge for data - stopping things from going where they shouldn’t. Whether it’s an accidental email to the wrong person or a file shared externally, Purview steps in before any damage is done. 🎅 Audit & Insights: Want to know who’s been naughty or nice? Purview provides clear insight into data usage, helping you spot risky behaviour early and keep compliance on track. So, as you deck the halls and sip your mulled wine, remember: sharing is caring, but only when it’s secure. With Microsoft Purview, you can keep your organisation’s data safe and sound, leaving you free to enjoy the festivities without a single compliance clause in sight.

We are midway through our 12 Days of Cyber Security, and day six is another valuable Technical Guide, this time on Cyber Essentials prep, and the three checks that catch 80% of last-minute fails. Cyber Essentials doesn’t usually fall down on complex technical issues - it’s the simple things that trip organisations up right at the end. Ben’s latest guide highlights the three checks that prevent the vast majority of last-minute fails. If you want to avoid the classic pitfalls and approach your submission with confidence, this is a quick, practical place to start. ⭐ Full guide here: https://lnkd.in/exX6wJJZ

A quick but important reality check. According to the Information Commissioner's Office and National Cyber Security Centre reporting trends, the leading cause of UK data breaches continues to be human error and not hackers breaking in, but everyday mistakes like mis-sent emails, incorrect data sharing, and poor password hygiene. It keeps happening because organisations rely on process but forget about people. If training is irregular, onboarding is rushed, or staff don’t have clear guidance, small human slips lead to big incidents.

📢 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has become the go-to recommendation for improving account security. And with good reason - when it’s set up well, it dramatically reduces the risk of credential-based attacks. But here’s the bit most organisations don’t talk about: MFA still fails more often than you think. And in many cases, it’s not the technology at fault, it’s how it’s being used. Mark, one of our senior technical consultants and MD, has shared the key issue he sees time and time again when supporting organisations across the UK. And it’s surprisingly simple. The real problem? MFA fatigue. Attackers know users get used to notifications. They know people approve prompts without really thinking. And they know that once they’ve got a password, they often only need a bit of persistence to get the second factor too. This is where the modern threat landscape has shifted. MFA is no longer a silver bullet, not when attackers are actively engineering ways around it. The fix most teams miss You can have MFA everywhere, on every account, across every device… …but if your second factor is still using basic push notifications, you’re leaving a gap wide open. The solution? Number matching (or equivalent verification methods such as hardware keys or passkeys). It stops “blind approval” dead in its tracks, forcing the user to take an action that can’t be guessed or spammed by an attacker. It’s one of the simplest, highest-impact security improvements an organisation can make, and yet so many still haven’t enabled it. Why this matters for your organisation MFA fatigue attacks are becoming increasingly common across both public and private sectors. And attackers only need one moment of distraction from one user. With number matching (or a stronger second factor) turned on: Attackers can’t force a stream of prompts hoping someone clicks Approve. Users become more intentional and aware of suspicious login attempts. Your authentication process becomes significantly harder to bypass. Small change. Huge difference. If you only do one thing today… ⭐ Check your MFA settings. If you’re still relying on simple push notifications, it’s time to upgrade how your second factor works. A tiny adjustment - but one that closes a major gap.