Why tough times need quality software [Q&A]
When it comes to software development, quality testing is among the first items on the chopping block during budget cuts. It is often viewed as a cost center, and nothing more than a box to tick on the road to getting software out the door.
Chief quality architect Mush Honda of quality management platform Katalon, sees it differently. We spoke to him to find out why he thinks quality testing is an essential catalyst for company growth by helping companies retain customers, who can easily switch to competitors at the first sign of online hiccups.
Malicious DDoS attacks up by 150 percent
In 2022, the number of DDoS attacks grew 150 percent globally compared to the previous year, while the number of attacks in the Americas rose even faster, increasing 212 percent compared to 2021.
These figures are from the 2022 Global Threat Analysis Report released today by Radware which also shows the frequency of DDoS attacks saw a significant uptick. Globally, organizations mitigated an average of 29.3 attacks per day during the fourth quarter of 2022, 3.5 times more compared to 8.4 attacks per day at the end of 2021.
Java underpins enterprise app modernization plans
A new report from provider of Java web application platforms, Vaadin, looks at how enterprises build, deploy, and modernize Java applications in 2023 and also reveals trends and future plans for the use of Java in enterprise applications.
Java is used heavily for both internal (64 percent) and customer-facing (62 percent) applications, which include both SaaS and internet-based services. However, Almost half of Java applications still need modernization.
Real-time Ubuntu delivers for enterprise workloads
Today Canonical has announced the general availability of real-time Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This enterprise-grade offering is aimed at the industrial, telecom, automotive, aerospace and defense sectors, as well as public sector and retail.
Real-time Ubuntu allows organizations to run their most demanding workloads and develop a wide range of time-sensitive applications on the open-source operating system.
Connected device vendors devote more effort to security and safety
More and more connected systems are being used to deliver the essentials of our everyday lives. From the water and power that comes into our homes to the medical treatment we receive, the 'Extended Internet of Things' (XIoT) is involved.
A new report on the state of XIoT security from Claroty's Team82 researchers shows vulnerabilities in these cyber-physical systems disclosed in the second half of 2022 declined by 14 percent since hitting a peak in 2021. At the same time vulnerabilities found by internal research and product security teams have increased by 80 percent over the same period, indicating that vendors are taking the risk seriously.
Complex PAM solutions mean organizations pay for features they don't need
Privileged access management (PAM) solutions are too complex, with 68 percent of organizations paying for features they don't need, according to a new report.
The report from Keeper Security finds 91 percent of organizations employ PAM and 84 percent of global IT leaders say they want to simplify their PAM solutions in 2023.
Real-world analysis finds the severity of many CVEs is overrated
The latest report from JFrog looks at the most prevalent vulnerabilities in 2022 with an in-depth analysis of open source security vulnerabilities that have most impact for DevOps and DevSecOps teams.
The report shows that the severity of six of the top 10 CVEs was overrated, meaning they scored higher in the NVD rating than in JFrog's own analysis. In addition the CVEs appearing within enterprises most frequently are low-severity issues that were simply never fixed.
OSINT -- the security technique you might never have heard of [Q&A]
Traditionally used by intelligence agencies and the military, the OSINT technique is used to gather information about people, organisations or companies from freely accessible sources, then analyse the data obtained and draw useful conclusions and information from it.
But IT security experts can also benefit from the technique to discover potential vulnerabilities and remediate them before they're exploited by attackers.
Striking the right balance between development and security [Q&A]
Developers need access to many devices and internal services in order to build software. But many of these devices and services are exposed to the public web, creating gaps in security.
Add in the challenges of securing remote working and it's clear that there's a tricky balancing act needed to enable development while keeping the organization secure. We spoke to Avery Pennarun, CEO and co-founder of VPN service Tailscale, to find out how this can be achieved.
Happy phishing day to you!
Phishing emails usually try to trick the user into opening an attachment or visiting a website. Often this is by instilling a sense of urgency -- telling you your account is about to expire, for example.
Researchers at NordVPN have uncovered a new tactic involving email birthday cards. After all, if it's your birthday and you've opened several eCards already you're not going to think there's anything phishy about another one.
Phishing up 36 percent in the last quarter of 2022 as attack tools get more sophisticated
Phishing volumes increased 36 percent, with 278.3M unique phishing emails in the fourth quarter of 2022, while malware volumes increased 12 percent QoQ, accounting for 58.9M emails, in the same period.
The latest Phishing and Malware Report from Vade shows the company detected 278.3 million unique phishing emails in Q4, surpassing the previous quarter’s total by 74.4 million. December saw the biggest jump in phishing emails, up 260 percent, as threat actors tried to cash in on the holiday period, this echoes a similar pattern at the end of 2021.
HTML smuggling -- the latest way to to deliver malware
Since Microsoft began the default blocking of macros in documents sent over the internet there's been an increase in the use of HTML files to deliver malware.
Research by Trustwave Spiderlabs reveals a rise in so called 'HTML smuggling' using HTML5 attributes that can work offline by storing a binary in an immutable blob of data within JavaScript code. The embedded payload then gets decoded into a file object when opened via a web browser.
Vulnerabilities in industrial control systems are on the increase
The number of CVEs reported via ICS advisories has increased each year, with 2020-2021 seeing a 67.3 percent increase in CISA ICS CVEs, while 2021-2022 saw a two percent increase, according to a new report from SynSaber.
The growing volume of vulnerabilities highlights continued efforts to secure the ICS systems critical to a nation's energy, manufacturing, water, and transportation infrastructure. There's also a growing focus on regulation which means operators in critical infrastructure are under more pressure to analyze, mitigate, and report on new and existing vulnerabilities
Canada pioneers standard to improve IT transformation efficiency
Rolling out digital transformation projects involves navigating increasingly strict data protection regulations, while at the same time coping with risk and inefficiency associated with data silos and copy-based data integration.
Today a pioneering national standard approved by the Standards Council of Canada has been published aimed at providing organizations with a framework to accelerate the delivery of digital innovation projects.
Rise in unmanaged devices increases risk
Unmanaged device usage continues to increase, with only 43 percent of respondents to a new survey claiming to be actively monitoring 75 percent or more of their endpoints. For organizations with 1,000-4,999 devices, 34 percent are unmanaged, and more than half report experiencing several cyberattacks as a result of poorly managed endpoint devices.
The study, from Syxsense, of more than 380 IT and cybersecurity professionals shows that despite these blind spots most survey respondents believe endpoint security (56 percent) and management (58 percent) are getting easier compared to two years ago.
Ian's Bio
Ian spent almost 20 years working with computers before he discovered that writing about them was easier than fixing them. Since then he's written for a number of computer magazines and is a former editor of PC Utilities. Follow him on Mastodon
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