UK cybercrime crisis assessment start-up Cyberfish has chosen Malta as its base of operations to develop a custom web platform, after receiving assistance from Malta Enterprise.

Cyberfish was founded in 2018 by Berta Pappenheim to help companies strengthen their human interaction and decision-making skills when dealing with cyber incidents and other crises. It was selected by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to be part of a nationally acclaimed cybersecurity accelerator, where it was coached by technical and business mentors, including experts from NCSC and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

The company opened an engineering centre in Malta in 2021 and employed local engineers to build a custom web platform to deliver “better exercises, analysis, and feedback of customers’ performances”. The centre has been deemed “so successful,” that additional products and services have now been added, such as decision-making training, and a complete programme for companies, including assessments, training, and help with applying for and gaining international resilience standards.

Cyberfish sought and received funding from Malta Enterprise to develop Resilience Dojo, a unique digital platform that generates a realistic virtual and/or co-located exercise of a client’s organisation coming under some form of threat, ranging from natural disaster to a targeted cyberattack.

Afterwards, a team of organisational psychologists and risk management experts assess the team’s crisis response and delivers a “tailored learning programme for the team members”, including specific, measurable targets as well as regular check-ins to reassess the organisation to “ensure continual development”.

The company's CEO, Ms Pappenheim acknowledged that its relocation to Malta was motivated by the support it found through Malta Enterprise, adding that Cyberfish found “a dynamic economy and a very supportive ecosystem in Malta”. She is now living in Malta with her family and has “adapted to island life really well”.

“Cyberfish offers an innovative service and business proposition, but Malta Enterprise understood our vision and potential right away and has great incentives for start-ups. Malta is definitely a great place for start-ups to make headway,” Ms Pappenheim said.

Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia remarked that Cyberfish is a “clear example of the successful start-ups that Malta is managing to attract, also through the StartinMalta initiative”.

“The company has shown that it had what it takes to develop what is an innovative yet increasingly essential service. Cyberfish, through its platform, is not only using Malta as its operational base, but also contributing to the requirements of our local enterprises, including critical national infrastructure, as well as investing in our talents and skills as they collaborate with local educational institutions,” Mr Farrugia added.

It has also expanded its expertise in risk assessment and crisis management for organisations’ from just cyber threats to “business disruptions of all kinds”.

“In today’s unprecedented times of constant change, business continuity is down to a team’s resilience. However, most business strategies do not take into account the human component,” Ms Pappenheim said.

“Our learning programme and records of exercising competency of team members feed directly into ISO 27001 and ISO 22301, and FCA operational resilience requirements,” she explained, as Cyberfish’s solution aims to strengthen the focus on the human element in crisis situations.

Resilience Dojo has proven to be a solution for a variety of organisations, ranging from mission-critical departments in governments, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure, to finance and tech companies, including local telecommunications company Melita Ltd.

“Resilience Dojo is a novel solution in the cyber incident exercising and teambuilding space,” Melita Chief Technology Officer Simon Montanaro said.

“Cyberfish has developed a unique methodology that helps organisations, such as Melita, to become more resilient in the digital realm. We decided to try out their simulation exercise and found it beneficial for enhancing our cybersecurity controls,” he concluded.

Cyberfish is also collaborating with local vocational educational institution MCAST and University of Malta through crisis response exercises that it has set up, bringing together software development students in a friendly competition.

StartinMalta is an international initiative launched by Malta Enterprise to showcase Malta’s unique selling points for start-ups, also acting as the go-to platform for local start-ups and scale-ups already operating locally, as well as for international ventures who are aiming to join the local ecosystem.