Only 15 percent of companies are ready for cyber threats

web threats

Just 15 percent of organizations globally have the 'Mature' level of readiness needed to be resilient against today's modern cybersecurity risks, according to Cisco's first-ever Cybersecurity Readiness Index.

More than half (55 percent) of companies globally fall into the Beginner (eight percent) or Formative (47 percent) stages, meaning they are performing below average on cybersecurity readiness.

Continue reading

Ransomware surges as threat actors get more aggressive

ransomware cash

Ransomware and extortion actors are utilizing more aggressive tactics to pressure organizations, with harassment being involved 20 times more often than in 2021, according to a new report.

The study, from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 threat intelligence team, finds harassment is typically carried out via phone calls and emails targeting a specific individual, often in the C-suite, to pressure them into paying a ransom demand.

Continue reading

ForgeRock launches password-free enterprise identity platform

Passwordless authentication - Inscription on Blue Keyboard Key.

People have been predicting the end of the password for a very long time, yet they still remain key to securing access to many systems.

Maybe the end is edging just a bit closer though as ForgeRock announces Enterprise Connect Passwordless, a new passwordless authentication solution that eliminates the need for users to interact with passwords inside large organizations.

Continue reading

Why a bigger budget isn't necessarily the key to good cybersecurity [Q&A]

budget keyboard

Cyberattacks are expected to reach historic levels this year, in both volume and sophistication, yet many organizations are reducing their 2023 cybersecurity budgets.

We spoke to Steve Benton, VP of threat research at intelligence-driven cybersecurity specialist Anomali, to discover how a different approach might offer strong protection without breaking the bank.

Continue reading

New platform aims to deliver consumer insights without compromising privacy

Analyzing data on computer

The online world means that there is more information available about individuals than ever before. At the same time, however, there's growing concern around tracking and privacy.

A new SaaS platform launched this week by Qudo uses 'zero-party' data shared by consumers in anonymous online surveys, rather than rely on first- and third-party data collected via cookies.

Continue reading

Poorly planned digitization makes it harder for customers to get support

Smartphone anger

Most businesses now offer their customers multiple means of getting in touch, with many providing online chatbots as a customer service channel.

But new research released by Twilio shows that without taking advantage of first-party data to understand their customers and personalize their approach, businesses are missing key opportunities to engage.

Continue reading

How IBM and AWS are driving innovation in the cloud [Q&A]

Businessman working with a Cloud Computing diagram

As we reported at the end of last year, IBM and AWS have extended their collaboration, making IBM software products available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) on the AWS Marketplace.

We spoke to Judah Bernstein, CTO, AWS strategic partnership at IBM, to find out more about how the collaboration works and what it means for customers and Ecosystem partners.

Continue reading

Payment fraud gets democratized as cybercriminals target consumers via social media

eCommerce - online card payment

According to a new report, 17 percent of consumers have encountered online offers to commit payment fraud, a symptom of fraud's increasing accessibility and democratization among everyday internet users.

What's more the study from Sift shows 16 percent of consumers admit to having committed, or knowing of someone who has taken part in, payment fraud.

Continue reading

Threat actors turn to QR codes and other creative techniques as macros are blocked

QR code

The default blocking of macros in MS Office is forcing threat actors to be more creative with their attack methods, according to the latest report from HP Wolf Security.

There have been increases in the levels of malware delivered in PDFs and zip files, as well as a rise in 'scan scams' using QR codes to trick users into opening links on mobile devices.

Continue reading

UK government loses hundreds of IT devices

Enter button with United Kingdom Flag

UK government departments are losing hundreds of devices each year according to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted by encrypted drive manufacturer Apricorn.

The Home Office declared 469 lost and stolen devices between September 2021 and September 2022, with the Ministry of Defence not far behind with 467 mobiles, tablets and USB devices unaccounted for.

Continue reading

Lockbit ransomware victims more than double in February

ransomware laptop

The Lockbit ransomware group claimed 129 victims in February, more than double the 50 that was reported in January.

The latest ransomware report from GuidePoint Security shows that another RaaS group, AlphV, also significantly increased its reported monthly victim count from 20 to 31.

Continue reading

Humans write better phishing emails than AI

robot keyboard

There's been a fair bit of hype recently surrounding the potential for ChatGPT and similar tools to be used for creating phishing campaigns, eliminating the typos and other errors that are the giveaways of a scam.

However, new research from Hoxhunt suggests that AI might not be quite so good at going phishing after all.

Continue reading

Mid-sized businesses lack cybersecurity expertise

Missing Puzzle Pieces

A new study reveals that 61 percent of mid-sized businesses don't have dedicated cybersecurity experts in their organization.

The research from managed security platform Huntress also shows 24 percent of mid-sized businesses have suffered a cyber attack or are unsure if they have suffered a cyber attack in the past year.

Continue reading

Zero Trust Authentication aims to boost security

zero trust

Growing numbers of cyberattacks have highlighted the shortcomings of passwords and legacy multi-factor authentication systems.

Beyond Identity today launches Zero Trust Authentication, which has been developed in response to the failure of traditional authentication methods. It includes components such as Beyond Identity's risk scoring and continuous authentication capabilities to significantly enhance the level of protection offered.

Continue reading

The challenge of securing APIs [Q&A]

api

Technology continues to advance at an unprecedented rate. The development and use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) being a particularly notable example.

The latest Salt Labs State of API Security report found that overall API traffic increased 168 percent over 12 months, with API attack traffic increasing by 117 percent in the same time period. Perhaps understandably, many CISOs are struggling to keep up.

Continue reading

Load More Articles