SBRC Marks Incident Response Milestone with New Appointment

16.05.22

Cyber, General

With the UK’s first free cyber incident response helpline having supported 100 enquiries since it was launched in 2020, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has appointed former Police Scotland Cyber Investigator Mike Smith as Incident Response and Threat Intelligence Manager to manage its growing cyber division including overseeing its Incident Response helpline.

Mike joins the SBRC with over 30 years of experience in policing, having worked across various Police Scotland teams including School Links, Safer Communities, and Cyber Prevention – where he worked with the SBRC and other partners to drive the Cyber Essentials programme.

Mike noted: “The collaboration spearheaded by the SBRC between the private sector, Scottish Government, and other partners across public and third sectors is unprecedented and a clear testament to the importance of cross-sector support. I’m confident the experience I’ve gained in cyber policing, including handling incidents, managing enquiries, and forensic work will help me and my colleagues at SBRC better support businesses in the private sector.”

Jude McCorry, CEO of the SBRC, commented: “Mike’s extensive experience on the policing side of cyber incidents will be a huge boon to our incident response team – who are well-versed in limiting the impact of a cyber attack. Having now assisted with 100 cyber incidents and counting, this felt like the perfect time to bring Mike in as Incident Response and Threat Intelligence Manager to lead the team and consider what more can be done to reduce cyber threats within organisations.

“Our ongoing close relationship with Police Scotland, alongside our helpline, executive education courses, and other outreach programmes, are just some of the ways we are working to ensure all Scottish organisations understand and combat the threat of cyber crime.”

The cyber incident response helpline was launched in October 2020 in response to a national rise in cyber attacks and is run by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) in partnership with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland. The team also works with a cadre of trusted external companies around the country who can help in situations where an onsite expert is needed.

The helpline helps members of the SME community that have been the victim of a cyber attack understand the support available to them and help them quickly recover.

The SBRC has also seen the line used by organisations who might have been concerned about their security get in touch to confirm they have the right processes in place.

Mike added: “Cybercrime is a crime like any other; organisations with even slight concerns about digital criminal activity should report the crime to Police Scotland on 101 as well as calling the SBRC’s incident response helpline for guidance about IT security.”

More information about the cyber incident helpline is available here.