Ransomware is a particularly heartless -- though undeniably lucrative -- endeavor. Criminals target schools, vital infrastructure, and even patient records in attempts to cash in. As a result, many security professionals put defensive ransomware strategies at the top of their to-do list.

Understandably, most of these strategies start with measures that minimize the footholds attackers can find. Checking inbound emails for ransomware payloads, giving users training on safe internet usage, and monitoring the network for suspicious activity are essential elements of an effective anti-ransomware strategy.

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Mid-sized organizations are as much as 490 percent or more likely to experience a security breach by the end of 2021 as they were in 2019.

A report from security platform Coro shows that mid-size companies are largely unprotected due to the fact that they lack resources, expensive products and expertise needed to protect against increasing attacks.

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A new poll of 250 information technology, IT security, legal and risk/fraud/compliance professionals reveals that 83 percent say they have experienced a successful cyber attack in the past two years, with half saying the attackers managed to reach their critical IT assets.

No surprise then that 86 percent admit to having been kept awake at night by concerns about the protection of critical systems.

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A new report shows that 86 percent of organizations believe they follow best practices for security hygiene and posture management, though they may not actually be doing so.

The report, created for asset management and governance company JupiterOne by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), finds that 73 percent of security professionals admit that they still depend on spreadsheets to manage security hygiene and posture at their organizations.

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Two in five CISOs have missed holidays like Thanksgiving due to work demands and a quarter haven't taken time off work in the past 12 months.

A new report from Tessian based on a study of 300 CISOs also shows that they work, on average, 11 more hours than they're contracted to each week while one in 10 works 20 to 24 hours extra a week.

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A new survey of 650 IT leaders around the world shows that while 96 percent consider their organization's mainframe applications as important or critical to business operations, 98 percent would consider migrating off the platform.

The preferred destination for these apps is the cloud, with 82 percent of respondents saying they would use public and/or hybrid cloud deployment models if they were to move their organization's applications off the mainframe.

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A new survey of more than 200 IT leaders in the US finds that 95 percent of businesses are making multi-cloud a strategic priority in 2022 with security being top of mind.

However, only 54 percent feel highly confident that they have the tools or skills they need to execute the strategy. In fact, when it comes to multi-cloud operations in general, 76 percent of respondents believe it is 'under-invested' at their respective companies.

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New research from cloud services provider Navisite finds that 45 percent of companies do not employ a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). However, of this group 58 percent think they should have one.

Only 40 percent of respondents say their cybersecurity strategy was developed by a CISO or member of the security team, with 60 percent relying on other parts of their organization, including IT, executive leadership and compliance.

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One of the keys to the success of an IT team is the ability to communicate both within and outside the team, something that is as important as talent or knowledge.

But for this to work buy-in from executives and business managers is essential to ensure IT managers can achieve their department goals.

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A lack of preparedness for ransomware attacks on weekends and holidays has a significant impact on victim organizations according to a new report.

The study from Cybereason shows 24 percent of companies have no security plan for holidays and weekends and 43 percent say that attacks at these times take longer to stop.

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Ecommerce giant Amazon is to stop accepting payments made from Visa credit cards issued in the UK as from January 19 next year.

Visa debit cards and credit cards from other issuers like Mastercard and Amex will still be accepted. The reason for the move is cited as Visa’s high processing charges.

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IBM's global Call for Code Challenge encourages developers to use their skills to drive positive and long-lasting change across the world and is now in its fourth year.

2021's winner is Saaf Water, an accessible water quality sensor and analytics platform created, in particular, for people living in rural localities.

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Data from 3,900 tests conducted on 2,600 software or systems targets reveals that 97 percent had some form of vulnerability, 30 percent of the targets had high-risk vulnerabilities, and six percent had critical-risk vulnerabilities.

In the research from Synopsys 83 percent of the tested targets were web applications or systems, 12 percent mobile applications, and the remainder either source code or network systems/applications. Industries represented in the tests include software and internet, financial services, business services, manufacturing, media and entertainment, and healthcare.

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New research carried out by ESG for digital forensics platform Cado Security finds that 89 percent of companies have experienced a negative outcome in the time between detection and investigation of a cyber-attack on their cloud environments.

When asked about the challenges involved in dealing with incidents, 74 percent of security professionals say their organizations need additional data and context to conduct forensics investigations in cloud environments.

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Regulatory compliance requirements have slowed digital transformation for 48 percent of financial organizations, according to a new study.

The research from banking security specialist OneSpan surveyed over 150 bank executives in the US, Mexico, UK, and France to assess how banks in different parts of the world are addressing compliance with changing regulations.

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