NBRA calls for greater cyber-security

Following the largescale cyber attack on NHS computers, NBRA has highlighted its ongoing efforts in this area and called for greater cyber-security in the aftermarket.

“The National Body Repair Association (NBRA) has been focusing heavily on protecting member’s interests related to data security within bodyshops over the past 12 months”, comments Jason Moseley, NBRA director.

Working with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the NBRA has been a driving force to uncover the illegal activity of unauthorised access of a body shops customer’s data. This has resulted in several search warrants and the identification of ‘people of interest’ to the authorities.

Moseley continues, “In our latest move following last week’s massive ransomware cyber-attack, the NBRA has communicated some critical IT security advice to our members to protect their businesses.

“The attack hit the NHS, the French carmaker Renault, many banks and companies around the world. The ransomware that hit the NHS in England and Scotland, known as ‘Wanna Decryptor’ or ‘WannaCry’, has infected 200,000 machines in 150 countries since Friday.”

Particularly the NBRA has advised its members to:

• Use an actively supported operating system that receives security updates
• Have effective patch management that deploys security updates to PCs and other critical parts of their infrastructure in a timely manner
• Run anti-malware software and ensure they regularly receive malware signature updates.
• Implement a disaster recovery plan that includes backing up and restoring data from devices that are kept offline