Mary York, CEO of York Public Relations, Joins Maine Bankers Association’s Bank Security Conference to Discuss How to Navigate a Crisis During a Cyberattack

Crisis expert discusses current state of cybersecurity, risks faced by banks & how to plan ahead

ATLANTA, Dec. 1, 2020 – York Public Relations, the only crisis PR firm dedicated exclusively to mitigating crises for financial institutions and fintechs, announced that its CEO Mary York will lead a session, “Steering a Cybersecurity PR Crisis,” during the Maine Bankers Association’s Bank Security Conference on December 8, 2020.

The Maine Bankers Association will host a half day of bank security training that will cover a range of topics. During York’s session, she will discuss the current state of cybersecurity and the risks banks are currently facing, how banks can manage a cybersecurity crisis, and how to plan ahead and be proactive through cyberattack drills.

According to Risk Based Security’s 2019 Year End Report, last year saw the highest number of data breaches ever, with more than 15 billion records exposed. That’s a 284% increase over the exposed records reported in 2018. And this year has been worse with COVID-related attacks surging.

Moreover, data breaches and cybersecurity fraud rank as the second greatest crisis that would cause consumers to break up with their bank, according to The 2020 Financial Institution Crisis Survey. More than 2 in 5 Americans (42%) say they would leave a bank if it experienced this.

“Emerging threats and an ever-changing media landscape have made it critical to prepare for an emergency,” said York. “I look forward to sharing insights with attendees next week.”

As CEO and founder of York Public Relations, York is the principal strategist for all clients, leading her team through various organizational crises and brand awareness campaigns. With more than 15 years of experience and a 100% success rate, she has mitigated numerous crises, ranging from high-profile investigations and lawsuits, as well as regulatory disputes.

York has also studied with top crisis officials from Emory, the CDC and Southwest Airlines, as well as the former press secretary for the Royal Family and the former Chief of Staff to Princess Diana. She has also worked with state and federal officials, including the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

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