KPMG’s global cyber challenge 2020 prepares consultants to best support clients facing cyber attacks

As times are changing more rapidly than ever, the number of platforms going digital has seen a significant increase during the outbreak of COVID-19. Transition towards digitally connected entities fully operating in a cyber age, has the tendency to bring out new challenges as we explore modern technological tools. When physical working environments evolve into digital platforms, the physical security aspect takes the back seat while cyber security takes high priority.  

The outbreak of COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for organisations to increase digital enablement that is predominantly forced by working remotely. While KPMG’s teams are working remotely across the world, the Global Cyber Security Team recently ran a global cyber challenge to prepare its consultants to help clients deal with a variety of cyber-attacks, including the now all-too-common COVID-19-themed phishing scams and malware.

Continued professional development is a key part of how we continue to evolve and grow as both individuals and as a business. To deliver on this, throughout the last week of April, Immersive Labs offered KPMG’s entire Cyber team globally free access to its gamified skills development platform, to test and develop its cyber incident response, threat awareness and security testing skills. 

Many of the labs on the platform are approved as learning resources by industry professional bodies, helping KPMG professionals to study for technical qualifications such as CREST, and build their careers in cyber security. By leveraging the global network of firms, the cyber security facility of KPMG in Sri Lanka equipped with highly skilled professionals has continued to cater at globally accepted standards. 

Over the course of the week, 650 global cyber practitioners participated across 59 member firms, completing more than 21,552 individual learning labs and challenges – to score a total of 1,967,570 points – a record for an Immersive Labs competition.

More than 100 of the team also watched as two groups of partners and directors tested their crisis management skills using Immersive Labs’ executive crisis simulation, racing to manage a ransomware attack in a virtual simulated incident. The simulations were a lesson in what real crisis management looks like in a Boardroom environment and gives executives an insight into the decisions they may have to make under stress. The Global Cyber team is now working with Immersive Labs to develop the crisis simulation offering, and take it to clients alongside the skills development platform, in a suite of joint go-to-market propositions.

The cyberspace in Sri Lanka is continuing to grow rapidly as a result of entities embracing digital technologies. The increased deployment of latest tech tools creates an opportunity for cyber criminals to penetrate poorly protected systems to extract sensitive data. In this cyber age we live in, individuals and organisations will continue to face cyber threats which will be the norm hence building resilience against cyber crimes would be the way forward.

To counter this increased exposure to cyber risk, KPMG in Sri Lanka’s cyber security team equipped with a state-of-the-art cyber security testing lab, will provide comprehensive, modern and robust solutions to all client needs. KPMG’s cyber security wing led by Priyanka Jayatilake (Partner – Head of Advisory) is geared with highly skilled cyber security specialists experienced in multiple domains, committed to providing clients with latest technological solutions to adapt to rapidly changing environments and to spread innovation throughout the client’s organisation. 

(https://intra.ema.kpmg.com/sites/KPMGI/Pages/KPMGIGlobalNews.aspx)