There are many words that could be used to describe the current state of cybersecurity, but not one of them would be ‘boring’. On the one hand, enterprises across Europe and beyond are scrambling to comply with GDPR, with varying levels of success, and on the other the global defence climate is getting increasingly complex.

In this issue of Verdict Encrypt we’re looking at both avenues of cybersecurity, along with a host of other timely topics that security conscious companies need to be aware of.

On the subject of GDPR, we’re providing an alternative to much of the broad brush strokes coverage with two key focuses: crisis management in the wake of a GDPR-relevant incident and the potential of virtual data protection officers for companies that need a DPO. Not everyone has a DPO, but for many companies it is truly vital, so is a VDPO an effective alternative?

On the defence side of the table, it would be easy to think that things are simmering down, but in reality the focus has just shifted to cybersecurity. North Korea, for example, has stepped up its cyber activity despite an apparent de-escalation.

Meanwhile, determining who is truly behind attacks remains a significant challenge. We get the thoughts of Cybereason CISO and former Israeli Defense Forces red team founder Israel Barak on the challenges of attack attribution, as well as the concerning lack of rules when it comes to cyber warfare.

All this may seem concerning, and if Google Jigsaw’s Jared Cohen is to be believed, it is, which is why we hear his warnings of the role of cyberattacks in warfare.

Away from the twin terrors of cyberattacks and GDPR, we also look at some of the threats to arise this month, from logging in with Facebook accounts to the dangers of train wifi. Plus, we hear what companies really should be concerned about when it comes to cybersecurity, from a host of experts across the industry.

For all this, and more, read on in issue 5 of Verdict Encrypt.

Lucy Ingham

Editor