Why We Can't Promote and Leverage a Cyber Safe Precinct

We all have seen various local municipalities' health food and safety initiatives that promote food and beverage businesses that have met stringent safe food handling guidelines. It may be a sign at the entrance indicating that the business has won an award or has scored a very high hygiene rating.

Promoting such an award or rating gives customers peace of mind regarding the business's safe food handling and hygiene practices.

Having served as a President of a small business precinct that has over 600 businesses (a voluntary role) for more than eight years, I was a strong supporter of such initiatives.

It only makes sense that people who visit the precinct want to know that it has food services that implement food handling protocols and adhere to best hygiene practices.

Several outbreaks of food poisoning in the area across several businesses could irreparably damage the precinct's reputation and drive customers away from the area.

While President, I thought, why can't we apply similar awards for businesses that adopt cyber safety protocols? Additionally, the local council, traders' association and chamber of commerce groups could run awareness campaigns similar to the food hygiene rating system. A stroke of genius, you might say.

Simple right?

A cyber safety expert would assess every business in the precinct, a checklist would be completed and verified, awarding a cyber safe store award, and if you achieved 100% compliance, you would make the precinct extremely marketable.

The general public would feel safe from data breaches, credit and debit cards would be safe from skimming and malware attacks. Devices would not be vulnerable to compromise at the transaction point of sale or from public wifi hacking.

So why don't we have cyber-safe precincts?

The reason why we can't apply the same to cyber safety

Sadly, any promotion of a cyber-safe precinct is like placing a red rag in front of a bull with hackers possibly…