Cybersecurity for Financial Services: Building a World-Class Team

Thank you Finance Middle East for featuring my most recent article, exploring the intersection between military intelligence operations and cybersecurity. A lot is written about the best practices to follow and what technologies to implement, but much less on how to build, structure and scale a world-class team to truly keep financial service firms protected.

What Can GCC Banks Learn from Military Intelligence? Within hours of Operation Epic Fury being launched in February, cyber analysts counted more than 60 active pro-Iranian 'hacktivist' groups. By March, the Iran-linked hacktivist group, Handala, claimed a major cyberattack against Stryker Corporation: a prominent U.S. medical technology company. Travis DeForge, Director Of Cybersecurity, Abacus analyses how GCC banks can limit cyber threats in a year of heightened geopolitical risk. 🔗 Full Analysis: https://lnkd.in/dEtYdqv6 #Cyber #Risk #FinanceME

Cyber resilience is a serious discussion, especially in today’s age where it’s not about ‘if you get hacked, but when you get hacked’. How do organisations maintain resilience when systems inevitably face challenges? Earlier this week at Cyber First East Africa 2026, our Associate Director, Rakesh Ravindran, expertly moderated a critical panel on "Keeping the Lights On: Practical Resilience Against DDoS, Ransomware and Network Disruptions." He was joined by top experts from banking, aviation, and technology, including Hussein Omar Hussein (HOH) (SBM Bank Kenya), Miki Alkalay (Adili Group), Frank K Muriuki (Kenyan Airports Authority), and Michael Etale, CISSP, MBA, CEH, CISM (Absa Bank). The discussion provided invaluable insights into swift recovery strategies and business continuity. A truly impactful session! Learn more about our offerings in this space by visiting the link here: https://deloi.tt/4vUI6Bq. #DeloitteKenya #TogetherMakesProgress #Cybersecurity #CyberResilience #Ransomware #DDoS #CyberFirstEastAfrica CC:Events First Group

Every enterprise will face a cyber incident. The ones that survive are the ones that prepared before it happened. On Thursday, August 13th, Tenece Professional Services and Commvault are hosting an executive conversation in Accra on cyber resilience in modern enterprises, bringing together Okechukwu Eze, Jonathan Dartey, and Mubaraq Opeyemi Kolawole to discuss what it takes to protect critical assets and accelerate recovery when it matters most. This is the kind of conversation African enterprises need to be having. Ola JIMOH NNENNA NWACHI Chidera Udo-Azugo Dominii Antoine

The recent Iran–Israel conflict was a reminder that modern conflicts don't just happen on the ground—they also unfold in cyberspace. While headlines often focus on military developments, cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, financial institutions, healthcare, and communication networks have become an important part of geopolitical tensions. For businesses across the Gulf, it's a good reminder to ask a simple question: If a cyber incident happened tomorrow, are we prepared to detect it, respond quickly, and recover with minimal disruption? Cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting data—it's about protecting business continuity, customer trust, and operational resilience. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Do you think organizations in the GCC are investing enough in cyber resilience, or is there still a gap? #CyberSecurity #CyberResilience #GCC #InformationSecurity #BusinessContinuity #SOC #DigitalTransformation

The dynamics of cyber risk have changed. What once relied on perimeter‑focused controls now requires more deliberate, continuous approaches to trust and verification. Explore what this shift means for Malaysian businesses: https://pwc.to/4uPe2Gy

🚨 In this week’s cyber news roundup: 🔐 https://lnkd.in/ePdRMmpU 🤖 OpenAI investigates after AI ‘escapes’ its sandbox to launch an unprecedented cyber attack 🚆 Stadler Rail rejects a $12.3 million Everest ransomware demand following a supplier data breach 🥛 Anubis ransomware gang claims responsibility for the Fairlife attack and alleges the theft of 1TB of corporate data 🏥 Healthcare technology provider Craneware confirms customer and employee data theft following a cyberattack 📹 Dutch intelligence warns that Russian state-backed hackers are exploiting vulnerable IP cameras for espionage across Europe and Ukraine 🌐 Read these stories and more on our website: Integrity360.com 🔗 #CyberSecurity #CyberNews #Ransomware #ThreatIntelligence #DataBreach #AI #OpenAI #Espionage #Integrity360 🚀

The White House, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of War (DOW) have worked closely with industry partners to enable faster exploit detection and develop a rapid and prioritized response to cyber vulnerabilities across our critical infrastructure sectors. https://lnkd.in/gU6rXaMc

The latest NCSC update is another clear reminder that cybersecurity is no longer optional. It is essential for protecting businesses, customers, and digital trust. As the modern attack surface now extends across customer journeys, login flows, payment systems, APIs, and every digital interaction where trust can be created or broken, so, having cybersecurity in place is not enough. Choosing the right company, the right product, and the right layer of protection is what makes the real difference in preventing fraud, disruption, and advanced attacks. The modern attack surface now extends across customer journeys, login flows, payment systems, APIs, and every digital interaction where trust can be created or broken. At CyberSiARA, we believe the future of cybersecurity must be intelligent, adaptive, and embedded directly into digital journeys. In the next decade, cybersecurity will not only protect systems. It will define which organisations customers continue to trust. NCSC update: https://lnkd.in/e_8qQY-D #NCSC #uk #uknews #uae #uaenews #cyber #cyberattack #fruad

🔐 Cyber threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace and our approach to managing cyber risk must evolve with them. I recently watched the Security Minutes series featuring Richard Dornhart, Craig Jones, and Claudia Nave, where they unpack how cyber crime has transformed from isolated opportunistic attacks into a highly organised and sophisticated business model. Some key takeaways that stood out: ✅ Why attackers are increasingly targeting supply chains and interconnected ecosystems ✅ The growing prevalence of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and what it means for organisations ✅ Why proactive threat intelligence is no longer optional, it's essential As cyber threats continue to become more complex, understanding the tactics, trends, and motivations behind modern attacks is critical for business and technology leaders alike. A valuable discussion for anyone involved in technology, security, risk, or digital transformation and a timely reminder that cyber resilience starts with staying informed. 🎥 Well worth the watch. #CyberSecurity #CyberRisk #ThreatIntelligence #Ransomware #DigitalResilience #SecurityLeadership #Technology #RiskManagement #CyberAwareness Data#3