More data, more risk: Cybersecurity is now a board-level issue – UKTN

Cybersecurity is the defining boardroom issue of the next five years. Founders and investors need to treat data risk like cashflow risk – measure it, insure it, and govern it at board level.

As companies increasingly digitise, every line of code becomes a target. Where the biggest threat was once espionage, it is now large-scale extortion, driven by sophisticated criminal networks with state-level capability. GCHQ’s warning is blunt: the UK’s digital infrastructure is under sustained attack.

The UK is striving to be an innovation economy. In a world where innovation runs on data, and its extraction, collection and dissemination fuel both invention and investment, one fact is unavoidable: the more data we hold, the higher the risk.

For growth companies, the trade-off is starker. What attracts investors – new markets, AI, digital growth – also increases entry points for attackers. Founders cannot outsource that risk to “IT”, they need a clear view at board level of where the business is most exposed and what would happen on day one of a serious incident….