Trish and Tom take a deep dive into the NCSC Annual Review for 2025 and unpack practical tips for business leaders. We're tearing open the most critical report of the year: the NCSC Annual Review 2025. The message from GCHQ is crystal clear: Cyber risk is no longer just an IT issue—it’s a boardroom priority. Forget those old assumptions—the threats are escalating at an alarming rate. Recent high-profile attacks on household names like M&S, Co-op, and JLR show that cyber incidents now caus...

This episode dives deep into UK Supply Chain Cyber Security, a critical and often overlooked area in today's digital world. So, what exactly is it? It's about securing the entire network of external partners, suppliers, and third-party services that your business relies on. Imagine your company as only as strong as its weakest link. In the UK, this is more urgent than ever: supply chain cyberattacks surged by a staggering 431% between 2021 and 2023. Despite this growing threat, shockingly few...

Business Leaders Cyber Briefing - Episode 12: Key TakeawaysWhat You'll Learn from This Episode Trish and Tom from Cool Waters Cyber break down the 2025 Cyber Security Breaches Survey findings to help UK financial services leaders understand their current risk landscape and improve their cyber defenses. Critical Insights for Business Leaders Your Risk Profile is Higher Than You Think 74% of large businesses and 67% of medium businesses experienced cyber incidentsFinance and digitally intensive...

Implementing the UK Cyber Governance Code of Practice with IASME Cyber Assurance In this episode, we discuss the crucial topic of cyber governance for business leaders. With 74% of large businesses and 70% of medium businesses in the UK experiencing a cyber breach in the past year, boards are now clearly expected to lead on cyber risk. In response, the UK government (via DSIT and NCSC) has introduced the voluntary Cyber Governance Code of Practice to guide boards and directors. The Code disti...

Tune into this episode for a deep dive into the UK government's Cyber Governance Code of Practice. This Code is a crucial resource designed specifically for boards and directors. Understanding it can significantly benefit your organisation. By listening, you will gain insights into: • Why cyber governance is essential for modern businesses and organisations. Digital technologies are deeply embedded in most businesses, and critical operations often rely on them. Cyber risk is a material risk f...

Is your organisation ready for the quantum revolution? This episode delves into the looming threat of quantum computing to current cybersecurity, explaining how powerful quantum computers could break widely used encryption like RSA and ECC, potentially by the early to mid-2030s. Understand the "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks that could expose your sensitive data in the future. This episode highlights the critical risks to UK businesses, especially in finance and the public sector, includ...

Passwords are out, and passkeys are in! But what exactly are passkeys, and why should business leaders care? In this episode, we break down passkeys in plain English—no tech jargon, just clear and practical insights. You'll learn: ✅ What passkeys are and how they work ✅ Why they’re more secure (and easier) than passwords ✅ How passkeys can protect your business from phishing and credential theft ✅ Why major companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are already making the switch With upcomin...

🔹 Episode Overview: For decades, the construction industry has made physical safety a top priority. Over time, mental well-being has also been recognised as a critical part of workplace safety. But now, a new challenge is emerging—one that many construction businesses aren’t prepared for: Cyber Safety. In this episode, we discuss the findings of our latest white paper on the evolution of safety culture in construction, revealing how cyber risks are becoming just as important as traditional ...

Join Trish and Tom as they explain what the UK Cyber Essentials scheme is, how it will benefit your business and the changes coming to the scheme from April 2025. Whether you already have Cyber Essentials and will need to renew after the changes come into effect or are considering going for the certification for the first time - this is essential listening. Always in plain English, always short and to the point - this is the Business Leaders Cyber Briefing from Cool Waters Cyber. Need help wi...

If your business processes card payment transactions you need to be PCI-DSS compliant. This episode provides an introduction to PCI-DSS and along the way explains many key cyber security concepts that apply to all businesses. This podcast episode discusses PCI DSS, a global information security standard for organisations that handle branded credit cards from the major card schemes. The episode focuses on two key areas: scoping and segmentation. Scoping is the process of identifying all...

The EU has passed the world’s first comprehensive law on Artificial Intelligence (AI): The AI Act. This groundbreaking legislation aims to ensure the safe, ethical, and transparent use of AI within the EU, impacting businesses in the UK and globally. Key Takeaways for Business Leaders: Understanding Risk Categories: The AI Act categorises AI systems based on their potential risk. Systems posing unacceptable risk, such as those used for social scoring or manipulative practices, are banned. Hig...

This episode explains Cyber Essentials, a UK government-backed scheme that helps charities protect themselves against common cyber attacks. Trustees and leaders are responsible for ensuring their charity's IT systems and data are secure. This is essential for maintaining public trust, protecting beneficiaries, and securing funding. Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates a commitment to cyber security, helping charities meet the increasing requirements of grant-making bodies and public se...

This episode explores cybersecurity in the UK, examining threats, resilience efforts, and long-term strategies. It draws on the National Cyber Security Centre's (NCSC) 2024 Annual Review. Key Themes: Escalating Cyber Threats: The UK faces a "diffuse and dangerous" cyber threat landscape, with increasing attacks from hostile states (Russia, China, Iran, North Korea), organised crime, and opportunistic actors. These threats are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities in critical...

This episode explores the evolving landscape of cybersecurity legislation in the EU and the UK, examining key initiatives aimed at fortifying digital defences against an increasingly sophisticated threat environment. The EU's Cyber Resilience Act, now in force, establishes mandatory cybersecurity standards for all products with digital elements sold in the EU market. The act aims to ensure that manufacturers prioritise cybersecurity throughout a product's lifecycle, from design and developmen...