Risk dial

Enterprises poorly protected against third-party risks

A new report from compliance and risk management firm Kiteworks shows 51 percent of organizations are inadequately protected against third-party security and compliance risks related to sensitive content communications.

It also reveals that most organizations share sensitive content with a long list of third-party entities. Two-thirds do so with more than 1,000 third parties, while one-third have over 2,500.

By Ian Barker -
Backup key

Good backups are critical to recovering from ransomware

A new report from Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), sponsored by Keepit, shows that granular and air-gapped backup are critical to data recovery when businesses are hit by ransomware.

Of more than 600 respondents to the survey, 79 percent have experienced a ransomware attack within the last year, with 17 percent experiencing attacks weekly and 13 percent daily.

By Ian Barker -
Fraud

Outsmarting the new generation of online fraudsters [Q&A]

Millions of dollars are lost to online scams each year and the fraudsters are getting ever more sophisticated in the targeting of their attacks.

Much of today's fraud is executed using information about the consumer's habits and personal details, usually captured in phishing attacks or data breaches. The fact that we’re conducting more of our transactions online as a result of the pandemic has created even more opportunity for fraudsters.

By Ian Barker -
AI security

Behavioral analytics and why it's important to threat detection and response [Q&A]

Traditional rule-based security techniques centered on malware signatures and perimeter protection are increasingly unable to cope with the latest, more sophisticated threats.

Taking a more behavior-based approach to spotting unusual or risky activity offers a solution, but what is required to make it work? We spoke to Sanjay Raja, VP of product marketing and solutions at cybersecurity specialist Gurucul, to find out.

By Ian Barker -
Russia hacker

Over 3.5 million Russian internet users suffer breached accounts

It's hard not to feel just a little bit sorry for the Russians at the moment. First the Ukrainians keep blowing up their tanks, and now it seems the country has topped the charts in terms of breached accounts from January to March this year.

A study by Surfshark shows that since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in March, 136 percent more Russian accounts have been breached than in February. Ukraine meanwhile appeared in 67 percent fewer breaches than in the quarter before the war.

By Ian Barker -
phishing keyboard hook

Holiday-themed phishing emails most likely to get clicks

Phishing emails that mention holidays are most likely to entice employees to click, according to security awareness training company KnowBe4.

The Q1 2022 top-clicked phishing report finds successful subjects globally include: 'HR: Change in Holiday Schedule', 'St. Patrick's Day: Employee Behavior/Company Policies', and 'Starbucks: Happy Holidays! Have a drink on us'.

By Ian Barker -
Cyber attack

Cybersecurity firm Trellix releases report on critical infrastructure providers' readiness for attacks

Cyberattacks are something every organization fears. Perhaps those who should be most concerned, and which should scare us most, are the ones that control vital infrastructure -- nuclear power plants (recall Stuxnet in Iran?), banks, telephone carriers, healthcare and power grids. 

Today, security firm Trellix releases its latest report on the current state of affairs in the industry and, as expected, the news isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. 

By Alan Buckingham -
Ransomware skull

Ransomware insurance claims are down and ransom payments are too

A new Risk Insights Index released today by Corvus Insurance reveals that the rate of ransomware claims reached in the final quarter of last year was just half of the peak seen in Q1.

At the same time the average ransom paid was around $167k, 44.2 percent less than the Q3 figure. Fewer ransoms are being paid compared to those demanded too. The percentage for the last quarter of 2021 held steady in the low twenties, down significantly from figures that once were over 50 percent. As recently as Q3 2020, the ratio was 44 percent.

By Ian Barker -
Laptop security

What Log4Shell still means for the enterprise [Q&A]

When the Log4Shell vulnerability first appeared at the end of last year it sent a shockwave through the cybersecurity community.

But just because it's no longer in the headlines doesn't mean it's gone away. There's still a lot that enterprises can learn from the vulnerability and the response to it. We spoke to Maninder Singh, corporate vice president and global head of cybersecurity and GRC services at HCL Technologies, to find out more.

By Ian Barker -
Windows 11

Microsoft releases KB5012592 update for Windows 11 with vital security fixes and easier browser switching

Windows 11 users have an important update to install. The KB5012592 update takes the operating system up to build 22000.613 and not only includes a number of important security fixes, but also introduces several significant changes.

Like the previously released KB5011563 update, the new KB5012592 update makes it possible to display up to three high-priority toast notifications simultaneously as well as fixing issues with OneDrive. The update also introduces a simpler way to change the default web browser in Windows 11, although it is a change that has been met with disdain from like likes of Mozilla and Vivaldi.

Magnified certificare

Certificate outages impact the majority of organizations

A new survey finds 83 percent of 1,000 organizations surveyed experienced a certificate-related outage over the last year, with over a quarter (26 percent) saying critical systems were impacted.

The report from identity management firm Venafi shows that digital transformation is driving an average of 42 percent annual growth in the number of machine identities.

By Ian Barker -
Cyber attack

Cyberattacks increase as security talent remains scarce

A new survey of more than 1,200 security leaders reveals they've seen an increase in cyberattacks while their teams are facing widening talent gaps.

According to the latest State of Security report from Splunk 65 percent of respondents say they have seen an increase in attempted cyberattacks. In addition, many have been directly impacted by data breaches and costly ransomware attacks, which have left security teams exhausted.

By Ian Barker -
Digital transformation

Cybersecurity takes a back seat to other digital projects

A new study reveals that 79 percent of cybersecurity professionals think that their organization prioritized maintaining business operations over ensuring robust cybersecurity in the last 12 months.

The CyberArk 2022 Identity Security Threat Landscape Report also points up how the rise of human and machine identities -- often running into the hundreds of thousands per organization -- has driven a build-up of identity-related cybersecurity 'debt', exposing organizations to greater risk.

By Ian Barker -
Ransomware,Cyber,Attack,Showing,Personal,Files,Encrypted,Screen

'RansomOps' attacks yield record returns for perpetrators

Early ransomware campaigns relied on sending out large volumes of emails in so called 'spray-and-pray' attacks.

But a new report released today by Cybereason highlights the rise of sophisticated RansomOps attacks that are allowing ransomware syndicates to reap the benefits of record profits.

By Ian Barker -
identity theft mask

If it's the second Tuesday in April it must be Identity Management Day

First held in 2021, Identity Management Day seeks to inform about the dangers of casually or improperly managing and securing digital identities by raising awareness and sharing best practices across the industry.

Today's second celebration of all things identity management -- you may have noticed the Identity Management Day eggs and bunnies in the shops (oh, they're for something else?) -- has sparked comment from many industry figures and we round up some of their thoughts below.

By Ian Barker -
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