Scottish companies can now safeguard their e-mail accounts against the potential damage of a cyber-attack thanks to a new online e-mail protection service from the SBRC.

SwiftPass is a server-based system which monitors a range of resources and repositories where hackers commonly post details of compromised e-mails and passwords. The system will then alert users, warning them of the threat and advising them to immediately change their password.

There are a number of tools which allow users to search for their details and find out if they’ve been subjected to a data breach, but they can be time consuming and are purely reactive. SwiftPass consolidates these tools to pro-actively search multiple channels for the user’s e-mail and a set of keywords associated with the user and/or their company.

SwiftPass has been built by the SBRC to be secure. It does not require access to the user’s e-mail account, or store any personal information outside the e-mail address and keywords. The system has been built by the SBRC to help Scottish companies defend against cyber attacks.

The SBRC SwiftPass service is available at a single price of £5 per user, per month, a price the SBRC hopes will make it affordable to the the vast majority of SME’s in Scotland.

Gerry Grant, the Chief Ethical Hacker at the SBRC told DIGIT: “Cyber-attacks are taking place at an alarming rate, but the vast majority of these can be easily prevented if caught and responded to as early as possible.

“This new email monitoring service will be extremely useful to businesses as it gives extra assurance that the security of their e-mail accounts is being monitored as part of their wider cyber security response.

“Without intruding on customers’ personal emails, it will help users find out if their password has been breached and details leaked by providing reminders to alert them to a potential problem as quickly as possible. They can then check for any unusual activity and change their password to secure the account before it’s too late.

“This way, even if hackers were to pass on their details to others, the account password will have already been changed, making access impossible for the criminals

“The system is cheap and incredibly easy to use, so we would recommend that organisations take this step to give them that extra peace of mind when it comes to protecting employee email accounts.”

To sign up for SBRC SwiftPass, e-mail: cyber@sbrcentre.co.uk or call the centre directly: 01786 447 441