Passwords cling on to celebrate another World Password Day
Last year we asked the question whether it was time to make World Password Day a thing of the past. But despite the rollout of passkey technology from giants like Google, passwords are still here a year on.
There's no doubt that the use of passwords is in decline, but they are proving more tenacious than many people predicted. Here are some expert views on the role of passwords in the wider digital security landscape.
New solution helps enterprises demonstrate security and compliance
As numbers and severity of third-party breaches grow, companies are scrutinizing not just how they handle data, but how their vendors do as well. Trust management platform Vanta is launching a new addition to its Trust Center to allow enterprises to automate security questionnaires
Questionnaire Automation in Trust Centers uses Vanta AI to save time by generating suggested responses for security teams to review and approve, rather than starting from scratch each time. This will make it easier for enterprises to proactively and reactively demonstrate their security and compliance.
New solution uses AI to target spam and phishing
Since the launch of ChatGPT there has been a surge in the number of phishing emails as AI makes it easier to create convincing lures.
Email security specialist SlashNext is fighting AI with AI thanks to the launch of a new generative AI large language model (LLM) to deliver accuracy and precision in spam detection, with claimed near-zero false positive rates.
VNC is the hacker's favorite remote desktop tool
Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is the remote desktop tool most targeted by attacks, accounting for 98 percent of the traffic across all remote desktop-specific ports.
This finding comes from Barracuda which has released a new Threat Spotlight report looking at the most common tools, associated ports, and the ways in which attackers can, and do, gain access.
The human challenges of dealing with security alert backlogs [Q&A]
Most security teams experience some level of alert overload, struggling to prioritize the issues demanding immediate attention from those that are less pressing. This can lead to a backlog of problems to be dealt with and consequent stress on team members.
We talked to Yoav Nathaniel, CEO and co-founder of Silk Security, about why alert backlog is a people problem rather than a technological problem and how IT and security teams can overcome this challenge.
Nearly 1 in 5 ransomware attacks results in a lawsuit
A new study from Comparitech finds that around a fifth of ransomware attacks in the US led to a lawsuit in 2023.
It shows that 355 lawsuits were filed following 3,002 ransomware attacks. Of these 228 have been completed and 134 were successful -- that is they led to a data breach settlement, resulted in the company being fined for failing to safeguard systems and/or data, or were settled out of court.
Businesses turn to generative AI but many don't have policies on it
According to a new report, 93 percent of security leaders say public gen AI is in use across their respective organizations, and 91 percent report using gen AI specifically for cybersecurity operations.
But the study of more than 1,600 security leaders, from Splunk and Enterprise Strategy Group, shows that despite this high adoption 34 percent of surveyed organizations say they don't have a gen AI policy in place, and 65 percent of respondents admit to not fully understanding the implications of the tech.
New threats and regulations lead companies to update security strategies
A new report from LogRhythm, based on a survey from Dimensional Research, reveals that 95 percent of enterprises have changed their cybersecurity strategies in the last 12 months.
Drivers of this change include keeping pace with the shifting regulatory landscape (98 percent), the need to meet customer expectations for data protection and privacy (89 percent) and the rise of AI-driven threats and solutions (65 percent).
Human factor is significant cyber risk for smaller businesses
Human factors, including lack of awareness, training and inconsistent policy adherence, are getting in the way of cybersecurity for smaller businesses.
A new survey of more than 600 business and IT security managers conducted by LastPass and survey research firm InnovateMR shows that cyberattacks targeting smaller organizations have increased significantly in recent years, as cyber criminals have learned these organizations are relatively easy targets.
UK rolls out new consumer safeguards for smart devices
From today all new internet connected smart devices sold in the UK will be required by law to meet minimum-security standards.
The UK becomes the first country in the world to legally require manufacturers to protect consumers from hackers and cyber criminals accessing devices with internet or network connectivity.
The psychological impact of phishing attacks on your employees
As we observe Stress Awareness Month, it's important to recognize the toll that phishing attacks can take on individuals and organizations. These attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and widespread, with a staggering 94 percent of organizations falling victim to successful phishing attacks. As cybercriminals continue to exploit human vulnerabilities through social engineering, the impact on employee stress levels is a growing concern that cannot be ignored.
The constant vigilance required to identify and avoid these attacks, along with the potential consequences of falling victim, can contribute to increased anxiety and decreased productivity in the workplace. Addressing this issue is of paramount importance, to protect both the wellbeing of employees and the security of sensitive information.
Younger women are going into cybersecurity but more needs to be done
New research from ISC2 shows improved representation of women under 30 in cybersecurity roles but concludes that more need to be done to improve diversity.
The study gathered responses from 14,865 people who participated in the latest ISC2 Workforce Study finds 36 percent of those under 30 were women compared to only 13 percent of those 65 or over and 17 percent overall.
Politically motivated DDoS attacks on the rise
This year has already seen several warnings of attacks targeting elections that are happening around the world.
A new report from NETSCOUT has identified a rise in politically motivated DDoS attacks. Peru experienced a 30 percent increase in attacks tied to protests about former Peruvian President Fujimori’s release from prison in December.
Free test lets you check how websites measure up to privacy rules
Governments around the world have been busily introducing privacy rules over the last few years and only this month the US Congress introduced a draft of a new federal law, the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA).
But how do you know if the websites you use are following the rules? ImmuniWeb is launching a new free website privacy test with checks and verifications that cover specific requirements of the majority of modern privacy, data protection and consumer protection laws in the US, UK, Europe and other regions.
CISOs worry about gen AI leading to security breaches
A new survey of more than 400 CISOs in the US and UK reveals that 72 percent are concerned about security breaches related to generative AI.
The study from Metomic finds that CISOs from both the US and UK rank data breaches as their top security concern. Data breaches are continuing to surge across industries, but particularly for healthcare, finance, and manufacturing organizations. According to industry reports, US companies experienced 3,205 data breaches last year (up from 1,802 in 2022), with the average cost of a data breach in the US climbing to $9.48 million in 2023.
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