Securing the new hybrid education network
Even before 2020, connectivity played an important role in university life. In recent years, however, connectivity shifted from a mere convenience to a lifeline for students and universities. As these institutions built and expanded online remote access for their students, many from scratch, their IT departments were forced to shift their focus from on-campus networking to supporting a distributed global network to meet the new normal of education.
Although in-person teaching has now seen a welcome return, the wealth of online learning resources available, both on internal and external networks, are an invaluable asset to both teachers and students. Meanwhile, online retail, banking, health services, gaming, media, and more are mainstays of student life.
Rethinking cybersecurity
If you’ve been in the cybersecurity field for a while, you’ve probably noticed that there’s less emphasis on formal disaster recovery and business continuity plans than there used to be. CISOs still create plans, but it’s not the centerpiece of cybersecurity operations in the same sense. As security technology evolved, people started focusing more on technology solutions that they hoped could prevent problems altogether.
There’s some magical thinking involved in that, and ironically, one of the biggest struggles CISOs face now is how their organizations think about cybersecurity problems, i.e., that there shouldn’t be problems. That’s not the world we live in. Having difficulties is not the issue. Rather, thinking there are magic solutions that can eliminate every weakness is the problem. We need to rethink cybersecurity to accommodate this reality and create a holistic response for when problems inevitably arise.
What's all the fuss about zero trust?
If you’ve been in cybersecurity, IT, or operations for a minute, you’ve surely heard the term "zero trust." If you’ve been paying attention, the first time it came into use was in 2009. Although the term was defined at that point, it did not come into play in any significant way until nearly a decade later. And that fuss was driven, predominantly, by security vendors. Businesses, and in particular, security teams, were slower to evaluate and adopt zero trust.
First off, it took some time for everyone to agree on what zero trust really meant, what it entailed, and what it would accomplish. Although the term "zero trust" was first coined by a Forrester analyst and was based on ideas set in motion by the Jericho Forum, different individuals and entities tinkered with the meaning to best suit their situation and needs. So before we dive in too deep, a quick level set is appropriate here.
Windows 12 wallpapers created by AI -- download them now
Windows 11 hasn’t been with us very long, but you’ve probably seen reports that Microsoft is already working on its successor, Windows 12.
While there aren’t any screenshots, or anything else, to view of Windows 12 just yet, we asked an AI text-to-image tool to give us its take on what the future operating system might look like.
Why data security is no longer optional
Security breaches cost more than just money. Investing in data security today prevents long-term negative consequences that cost your business time, money, and reputation. Acquiring threat intelligence data is a primary step in preventing cyberattacks, and web scraping is the method of choice for many modern data-driven businesses.
Business and personal activities are increasingly being digitized. Whether you are simply taking your temperature with a connected thermometer or sending products across complex supply chains, enterprises continuously collect data to improve services and refine operational processes.
Your current cybersecurity approach creates systemic vulnerabilities
Verizon recently released its 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, giving businesses vital insights into the state of cybersecurity around the world. Containing an analysis of over 23,000 incidents and 5,200 confirmed breaches over 15 years, Verizon attributes the number-one motive of cyberattacks to financial gain. Almost four out of five breaches were attributable to organized crime seeking to extort businesses of hefty ransomware sums, backed by insurance pay-out.
Verizon has also estimated that there has been a 13 percent increase in ransomware breaches -- this is more than in the last 5 years combined. Additionally, 82 percent of cyber breaches involved a human element, namely through stolen credentials, phishing, misuse or simply an error.
Is risk-aversion holding back cloud maturity?
As we all know by now, the "cloud" is not just another "IT thing" that only IT people should care about. This is because every organization that has understood this principle has triumphed. Unfortunately, a significantly higher number have merely paid lip service to this idea. To them, the cloud is just another IT thing. The cloud enables a pace of change that companies of the past could have only ever dreamed of. Instead of waiting 6 months to deploy a new app, you can have the idea in the morning and have it deployed company-wide by the afternoon.
At least that’s the theory. But how many of us have seen this happen in reality? The problem is not a technical one. Most organizations could work at this "cloud pace," but most don’t. They might have the technology, leadership support, budget etc. to operate at this "same day" pace, but they don’t. Why not?
Why security training is key to improving cybersecurity posture
The threat landscape is constantly evolving and the shift to hybrid has only widened the attack surface. Today, organizations continue to be in the firing line as cybercriminals exploit their most used application: emails. The proliferation of phishing and business email attacks have seen hackers targeting the biggest corporate security weakness; employees.
Threat actors target workers because they are seen as the weakest link. Cybercriminals are thriving by targeting and exploiting staff, especially those who haven’t received effective user education and training. As the attack surface expands and threats become more sophisticated, organizations must reinvent the wheel by changing their approach to cybersecurity. Where should they start? With training employees and providing omnipresent tools and technology to prevent, detect, and recover from even the most sophisticated of attacks.
Flying high: Could drones help address the delivery crisis?
The UK has been experiencing a shortage of delivery drivers in recent years. So much so, Amazon enticed part-time workers with up to £3,000 in incentives to ensure this didn’t affect profits during the festive period.
As well as this, according to the Road Haulage Association, the industry was short of more than 100,000 HGV drivers in June 2021. This was due to a number of factors, from barriers to obtaining a license to the introduction of Brexit.
What you need to know about prototype pollution and how it affects JavaScript
No, this is not about solid waste generated with the production of prototypes or models for different products. Prototype pollution here refers to a critical cyber threat rated 10/10 on the CVSS scale of severity.
In a paper published in July this year, entitled "Silent Spring: Prototype Pollution Leads to Remote Code Execution in Node.js," security researchers revealed a serious vulnerability that affects prototype-based languages like JavaScript and the Node.js platform. This threat involves injecting properties into an object's root prototype at runtime and causes the execution of legit code gadgets.
Twice as nice? Who needs a digital twin?
The internet is always abuzz with new technology trends, and anyone who follows them will be familiar with the terms "digital twin" or "digital twin of an organization". Although digital twins have been around for several decades, the rapid rise of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has made the concept more widely considered a tool of the future. So, as digital twins increasingly model systems of interconnected things, what potential does the technology hold to orchestrate processes, people, and things in a sophisticated way that’s beneficial for everyone?
This article defines what a digital twin is, and suggests where the technology is headed in our increasingly interconnected world.
Digital transformation with four underutilized cloud-based capabilities
Making the most productive use of an organization’s digital resources is a vital ingredient for success in today’s ultra-competitive business landscape. Companies are challenged to extract the maximum value from their data assets when using exclusively in-house computing solutions.
This article will discuss cloud-based solutions and methods businesses can adopt to enhance their organization’s digital transformation. Failure to recognize and act on the potential benefits of these cloud technologies can leave a company struggling to keep up with more proactive market rivals.
What is the future of cryptocurrency regulation?
The cryptocurrency industry rose to prominence in the United States in 2014. Since then, people have debated whether the U.S. government should get involved in regulating the new form of commerce and to what extent.
On one hand, Congress doesn’t want to stifle the innovation resulting from the burgeoning crypto industry. On the other, regulation would increase safety and encourage investors to feel more confident in cryptocurrency. The future of crypto is up in the air, but professionals agree that any regulation would have to be done delicately.
Business intelligence to support a post-pandemic mindset
The 'management versus employee' battle on WFH continues -- but have managers recognized why hybrid working has become such a problem? Without face-to-face interaction, remote workers have far less trust in the information provided by distant colleagues -- or distant business partners/ suppliers/ customers. And that is leading to a breakdown in relationships across the board.
Furthermore, the pandemic has exacerbated differences in working attitudes: for every ambitious individual wanting to make a fast impact on the business before moving on to the next challenge, there is another taking the quiet quitting approach, coasting along doing just enough to get by. How do the former engage the latter or monitor their progress to ensure key tasks are done -- especially when they have zero trust in the business information currently available? The stand-off will be both inevitable and painful -- especially given the continued challenge to recruit talent.
Parallels Desktop 18 rolls out more compatibility, performance improvements
It’s that time of year again when a major new version of Parallels Desktop hits the stores with the promise of improved compatibility and performance. This time around, Parallels Desktop 18.0 promises to maximize the use of Apple’s M1 Ultra chip with the potential to deliver up to 96 percent faster Windows 11 VMs on a Mac Studio.
In addition to unlocking the extra power of the M1 Ultra chip -- which will allow users to assign additional resources to their virtual machines to deliver those performance improvements, Parallels Desktop 18 also promises full support for Apple’s ProMotion display, allowing for automatic refresh rate changes.
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