• Tanks and troops are only part of the modern warfare story
  • Cyber security expert and ex-Marine Paul Claxton says Western businesses are ill-prepared for the scale of the security threat
  • The public, and businesses, urgently need education on cybersecurity

While our news is flooded with dramatic scenes of bombing, the military conflict with Ukraine is only half the battle according to cybersecurity expert and ex-marine Paul Claxton.

A week before Putin’s physical invasion began, reports suggest Ukraine was hit by an unprecedented cyber security attack.

70 Ukrainian government websites were targeted in a bid to destabilize the Kyiv government. Many cybersecurity experts say that Putin’s attack of choice is often DoS attacks - Denial of Service, and that he might use thousands of bots to overwhelm an online service until it crashes, blocking access to normal users.

Since the invasion began Putin has tried to spread misinformation to disrupt Ukraine’s banking system and crash the economy. It has been reported - though not confirmed - that Ukrainian citizens were hit with fake text messages informing them that all ATMs were offline.

Claxton explains that in a crisis situation such as a war it’s much easier to capitalize on fear. This could have dramatic effects on the economy as savers effectively create a run on the bank.

Ransomware attacks - when a user or corporation is locked out of their accounts until they pay up - were already on the increase before this crisis. In Q1 2021 ransomware attacks were up by 64% on the previous year. The average amount paid out was also up by 82% to $570,000.

The reason for this increase is the lack of education and investment in cybersecurity. Often cybersecurity comes as an afterthought, not a priority. Claxton believes that as a society we purchase new tech equipment like a laptop and think first about how it can make our lives easier without first considering the security implications.

Claxton is an expert and investor in A.I and smart technology for the healthcare industry. Whilst such tech can revolutionize the patient experience and save lives, the healthcare industry is often one of the most easily hit industries by cyber attacks.

Healthcare executives are keen to invest in new tech but they overlook the need to invest in cybersecurity and in cybersecurity education for their staff. The result is that rather than saving lives, lives are put at risk.

In the U.K the NHS - National Health Service - was brought to a total standstill for several days in 2017 thanks to the WannaCry cyberattack - a North Korean cyber hacking group. The NHS itself wasn’t specifically targeted but the lack of defenses against such an attack at a time of cuts to the public sector meant they were an easy target.

The attack was caused because NHS executives had failed to upgrade their Windows 7 Operating system with a minor software patch. This kind of small error is one Claxton warns against as having far-reaching consequences.

Claxton believes this wouldn’t have happened if there was better planning, infrastructure, and awareness at all levels of businesses. His company Reciprocity ROI specializes in A.I systems consultancy, helping businesses take advantage of the A.I revolution to develop a strategy to prevent their software and hardware from attacks.

He continues ‘Strategy in war is no good without the right weapons,’ a mantra that clearly stems from his military background, having spent 11 years in the Marines including 4 tours in Iraq. He believes that you are once a marine, always a marine. He feels that every business owner needs to adopt a military and strategic mindset if they are to protect themselves from impending threats.

His portfolio of companies all helps other businesses develop this level of thinking and security. He is a venture partner at The Robotics Hub, the world's first fund aimed at actively creating companies of consequence out of emerging robotics breakthroughs.

Claxton says ‘ The Robotics Hub ‘provides a level of active support much closer to that of a co-founder than a typical venture investor,’ this is important because Claxton can bring his expertise in cybersecurity and military mindset to the projects from the get-go. Rather than thinking about cybersecurity as an afterthought, Claxton can help and incubate cutting-edge robotics programs from the ground up with cybersecurity in mind.

His unique background in both military and technological enterprise makes him a good fit for many organizations and advisory boards of which he is a member. His roles include an upcoming chairmanship of the International Trade Council, ‘a non-profit, non-aligned, peak-body, chamber of commerce. He is also a ‘Strategic Growth Board Advisor, Military and Private Sectors’ for Spine Nation, bringing his wealth of global connections and networks to the table.

All this makes Claxton an ideal and influential advisor on cybersecurity as the war between Russia and Ukraine ramps up.