Articles about Security

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, QR code usage globally has surged by 57 percent, and by 2025, it is forecast to increase by another 22 percent. And up to eight new QR codes are generated per minute globally.

It is no surprise then why QR codes are everywhere -- on billboards, shopping malls, event brochures, restaurant menus, charity websites, parking spaces, you name it! Of course, the genius of QR codes is their ease of use and convenience. For users, one scan and the job is done, be that registering for an event or purchasing an item.  

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Gartner predicts that public cloud end-user spending will surpass $675 billion by the end of 2024. In 2025, as AI systems proliferate and organizations increasingly store sensitive data in public cloud infrastructure, many stakeholders will begin demanding more robust cloud security measures.

Additionally, cybercriminals are becoming more inventive than ever. They now rely on AI and machine learning (ML) to improve and iterate on their methods, just as we all do. Interestingly, despite advances in cloud security, research suggests that common vulnerabilities like unenforced multi-factor authentication (MFA) and long-lived credentials continue to expose many companies to risk. Patching these known vulnerabilities will be crucial next year.

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Cybersecurity is often frustratingly seen as a boardroom burden -- a compulsory cost to keep threats at bay. This “necessary evil” mindset is holding businesses back and leading to a critical opportunity to leverage security as a driver of success being missed.

It’s time we looked at cybersecurity investments differently. Rather than the board reluctantly seeing the investments solely as a necessity for threat prevention, organizations should see cybersecurity also as a powerful enabler of productivity and growth. As digital transformation accelerates across manufacturing, healthcare, and other critical infrastructure sectors where cyber-physical systems (CPS) underpin operations, security needs to keep up with the pace of innovation, supporting -- and even driving -- new efficiencies, customer trust, and competitive advantages which all come with improving cyber and operational resilience.

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Linux-based operating systems have long been heralded as being inherently more secure than Windows. Whether or not this is true is open to debate, as is the impact of user numbers on making an OS a target for malware writers.

A key security concern in recent times has been UEFI bootkits, and it has been something affecting only Windows-based systems. Now, however, security firm ESET has revealed details of Bootkitty, the first UEFI bootkit designed for Linux systems.

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Although the cyber threat landscape rarely stands still, some age-old attack vectors will continue to be revisited by cyber criminals. For example, the cyber security risks of removable media -- which have persisted for years -- are presenting fresh challenges for security teams. 

This is because, thanks to its convenience and cost, removable media remains a cornerstone of the operations of critical national infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Devices such as USB drives are used by CNI operators and their third-party service partners to handle sensitive data, perform physical data transfer, and carry out vital operational tasks such as firmware updates in air-gapped networks. 

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Phishing is on the rise. Egress' latest Phishing Threat Trends Report shows a 28 percent surge in attacks in the second quarter of 2024 alone. But what’s behind the increase? There are a few factors in play. Like any other form of threat, phishing is becoming more sophisticated with hackers now having access to a variety of new AI-powered tools to generate email messages, payloads, and even deepfakes.

Further, these technologies and the cyberattacks they can create are now easier to access than ever. Especially as more hackers tap into the professional services on offer from a mature and diverse Crime as a Service (CaaS) ecosystem of providers selling everything from the mechanisms to create attacks to pre-packaged phishing toolkits that promise to evade native defenses and secure email gateways (SEGs).

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As financial institutions prepare for the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) enforcement in January 2025, IT teams face a complex challenge: ensuring their Salesforce implementations meet new technical requirements while maintaining operational efficiency.

The regulation's focus on ICT risk management demands a comprehensive technical approach beyond basic security measures. For organizations utilizing Salesforce as a critical business platform, this represents a fundamental shift in how system architecture and security must be approached.

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In November 2024, Russia began blocking Cloudflare’s implementation of Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), a privacy-focused extension of the TLS protocol.“This technology is a means of circumventing restrictions on access to information banned in Russia. Its use violates Russian law and is restricted by the Technical Measure to Combat Threats (TSPU),” the statement by the Russian Internet regulator read.

Russia, known for its tight control over internet access, views ECH as a tool for bypassing geo-restrictions, though that was never its intended purpose. This move follows a broader pattern of censorship and surveillance. Over the past few years, Russia has been cracking down on VPNs, making it harder for users to circumvent government-imposed restrictions.

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Having already tested the waters with Windows Server for the last couple of years, Microsoft is bringing hotpatch updates to Windows 11 24H2.

The key advantage to hotpatching is that it allows for security updates to be installed without the need for a restart. This is something which is important for businesses, so it is perhaps not surprising that Microsoft is previewing hotpatch updates in Windows 11 Enterprise.

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A growing challenge for 6G wireless development involves the potential for unexpected cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This is especially true given the growing set of Internet of Things (IoT) use cases with complexities such as connected cars, smart cities, and even satellite-based (non-terrestrial networks (NTN) IoT. The expanding security threat surface is particularly concerning due to its novelty and the lack of thorough testing by researchers.

IoT vulnerabilities themselves are nothing new. We have seen the hacking of home doorbell cameras since the advent of 4G. However, that problem has less to do with wireless standards than with homeowners making poor decisions about how to manage device passwords.

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Back in September, Elon Musk announced upcoming changes to the blocking feature of X. Once fully implemented, the change means that when an X user blocks someone, that blocked user will still be able to see all of the content posted by the blocker, although no interaction will be possible.

The precise reasons for changing the functionality of blocking in this way is not really clear, but it is something that has sparked concern. In addition to risks to privacy, there are also worries about what the changes could mean for victims of cyber-stalking.

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While cloud storage offers convenience and accessibility, it may not always provide the level of security some users require, especially if you have private data that you can’t afford to have fall into the wrong hands. If security is paramount, you should definitely consider a PIN authenticated hardware encrypted portable USB drive like iStorage’s excellent diskAshur3.

Available with HDD and SDD storage in a choice of capacities, diskAshur3 is designed with portability in mind, Measuring just 130mm x 80mm x 20mm, its sleek and sturdy build makes it easy to carry, whether you're traveling for business or managing data on the go. The device is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPadOS and more. It comes with both USB Type-A and Type-C cables, so you can connect it to most devices. Additionally, a protective carry case is included to keep the drive safe during transport and you get a free one year license of Nero BackItUp and iStorage DriveSecurity.

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The Tor Project has announced the release of Tor Browser 14.0 for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit), Mac, Linux, and Android. The browser offers increased privacy to users by redirecting their internet traffic through the open Tor network.

Tor Browser 14.0 updates the browser’s underlying code to the latest Firefox ESR release -- 128 -- while also introducing new improvements that allow its fingerprinting protections to work with several new features introduced in Firefox’s latest ESR release.

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Managing WhatsApp contacts has proved to be a frustrating friction point for many users, and Meta has just announced that it is taking steps to simplify things.

As well as making it possible to add contacts via the web interface and Windows app, soon it will be possible to use linked devices -- not just your primary mobile -- to manage them. There are also new privacy controls including the option to create WhatsApp-only contacts to keep your main address book separate. And there is more on the horizon, with contact usernames being a particular highlight.

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Today, it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’ any organization will be compromised. So, while it’s essential to strengthen cybersecurity across the entire organization, it’s also imperative to plan for a significant cyber-attack and the worst-case scenario. No business can be 100 percent secure but they can be resilient. Resilience is about continuing to thrive amidst adversity. This is why cyber resilience can be more important than cybersecurity. Every organization can take positive actions to improve their cyber resilience today, ensuring they can continue to win even if they are affected by an incident. They can start by having the right mindset and instilling a culture of cyber security and cyber resilience.   

Strong cyber resilience will enable an organization to continue to operate key business processes, even when they are under attack. This means keeping people safe, guaranteeing data security, and protecting their reputation with their customers, partners, suppliers, industry and government regulators and other key stakeholders. Having a strong cyber resilience will save stress, time and money -- it will give you a return on your investment -- and you’ll be better prepared for uncertainty in the future.  

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