machine learning AI

Why AI isn't the only answer to cybersecurity [Q&A]

Read about any new cybersecurity product today and the chances are that it will be keen to stress its use of AI in some form.

But are we expecting too much from AI and are companies adopting it just because it's on trend? We spoke to Nadav Arbel, co-founder and CEO of managed SOC platform CYREBRO, to find out more about AI's role and why the human factor is still important.

By Ian Barker -
api

ThreatX platform gives businesses a clear view of their API attack surface

APIs make life easier for developers by allowing easy access to various program functions. However, this functionality also makes them an increasingly attractive target for attack.

Web application and API Protection platform ThreatX is launching new API catalog capabilities to provide enterprises with a clear view of their API's attack surface, as well as the operational health of any APIs in production.

By Ian Barker -
open digital lock

Vulnerabilities are back as people return to work

After a slump during the pandemic, vulnerability disclosures are once again showing growth according to the latest Vulnerability QuickView Report from Risk Based Security's VulnDB team.

The report shows 12,723 vulnerabilities disclosed during the first half of 2021 and the vulnerability disclosure landscape saw a growth of 2.8 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

By Ian Barker -
Secure cloud

100 percent of companies experience public cloud security incidents

A new study from threat detection and response specialist Vectra AI finds that all respondents have experienced at least one security incident in their public cloud environment in the last 12 months.

The study of over 300 IT executives, with 70 percent coming from enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, shows a rapid expansion and reliance on AWS services while simultaneously pointing up security blind spots within many organizations.

By Ian Barker -
online banking

Financial intelligence network aims to secure the cashless economy

Over the last year there has been a significant move away from using cash. In the US alone ATM withdrawals are down 58 percent, 41 percent of consumers have switched from cash to online and phone payments, while 55 percent don't plan to switch back to using cash.

But while this is convenient for the consumer it opens up more opportunities for fraud and cybercrime. Financial risk management firm Feedzai is aiming to boost digital trust, by adding pre-transaction behavioral intelligence to prevent financial crime in real-time before it happens.

By Ian Barker -
Magnified certificare

Lack of automation hampers certificate management

A new study carried out by Opinium for certificate authority GlobalSign shows that managing digital certificates, especially expirations and renewals, continues to be a challenging process for businesses of all sizes.

The top challenges respondents typically encountered when keeping track of certificates include managing multiple types of certificates (45 percent) and managing large quantities of them (41 percent).

By Ian Barker -
home working

Remote and hybrid working makes preventing phishing harder

A new survey from Egress of 500 IT leaders and 3,000 employees across the US and UK finds that 73 percent of organizations have suffered data breaches caused by phishing attacks in the last year.

In addition 53 percent of IT leaders report an increase in incidents caused by phishing since the widespread adoption of remote working. There are also concerns over future hybrid working, with 50 percent of IT leaders saying it will make it harder to prevent breaches caused by malicious email attacks.

By Ian Barker -
Laptop security

Windows 10 will block Potentially Unwanted Applications by default

Microsoft is making a change to the way so-called Potentially Unwanted Apps (PUAs) are handled by Defender and Edge in Windows 10.

Starting this month, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 will default to blocking PUAs. Users who want greater control over the apps that can be run on their computer have the option of disabling the setting, but this does mean missing out on an important protective measure.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
robot call center

Robocall bot goes after one-time passwords

We're all encouraged to use multi-factor authentication to protect our online accounts. Very often this involves a one-time passcode (OTP) sent via an SMS message.

This makes life harder for the cybercriminals even if they have your password, but the team at CyberNews has uncovered a new robocall bot that aims to trick users into giving up their OTPs.

By Ian Barker -
ransomware key

Initial Access Brokers refine their ransomware-as-a-service model

We've looked before at the phenomenon of Initial Access Brokers, cybercriminals who breach systems and then sell access to the highest bidder.

It seems that during the pandemic IABs have been busy improving their business model. New research from threat intelligence company KELA shows that pricing is often determined by company size and the level of privilege on offer within the compromised network, with $5,400 as the average price for network access, and $1,000 as the median price.

By Ian Barker -
workplace stress

51 percent of cybersecurity professionals experience burnout

The challenges of the last year and a half, along with major cyberattacks, like that on Colonial Pipeline, have had a major impact on security professionals, with 51 percent reporting experiencing extreme stress or burnout.

The latest Global Incident Response Threat Report released today by VMware finds 65 percent saying they've considered leaving their job because of stress.

By Ian Barker -
Printer

New variant of PrintNightmare exploit lets any user gain admin privileges in Windows

The PrintNightmare vulnerability has indeed proved to be something of a nightmare for Microsoft, and it's one that shows no signs of coming to an end. Security researchers have unearthed yet another method of exploiting the Windows print spooler vulnerability, making it possible for anyone to gain administrator privileges.

The latest method involves creating a remote print server and connecting to it. This causes Windows to install a driver which requires loading a DLL with System privileges -- a fact that can be exploited to launch an elevated Command Prompt. Even on a fully patched and updated copy of Windows 10 21H1, the attack works.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Remote working

Cybersecurity in the new hybrid workplace

As more organizations begin to establish plans to return to the physical office, the majority of employees are still expecting to conduct their work in a hybrid environment post-pandemic. Many businesses are navigating what this means for their infrastructure as a hybrid environment brings its own set of challenges for cybersecurity.

At the start of the pandemic, as physical offices closed and employees were sent to work from home, businesses were forced to immediately adapt their infrastructure and security measures. No longer were employees working from desktop computers behind a firewall in the office. Instead, many were on brand new laptops that were purchased at the last minute and deployed with an immature security posture. With an impending hybrid work environment, organizations are starting to evaluate their temporary security measures in lieu of more permanent controls better suited for the organization.

By Randy Watkins -
Computer Hacker in suit

The Olympic Cyber Defense Games: How the Tokyo Olympic Games will fare keeping cyber attacks at bay while the world watches

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world watched as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) postponed the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Fast forward a year later and the change in sentiment -- from excitement to weariness -- is palpable in Japan and the rest of the globe. In fact, over 70 percent of the country wanted the IOC to cancel the games outright. And a resurgence of COVID cases throughout the country effectively cripples Japan’s ability to create revenue streams through international tourism and event attendance, resulting in an inevitable hit to its economy. But the IOC insists on pushing forward as the Olympic Games is a symbol of unity and resilience. 

Like the IOC, however, cybercriminals will charge ahead too in their own race to potentially disrupt the Olympic games. Ultimately, it isn’t a matter of "if" they’ll succeed in doing so, but "when" and how much damage will it cause. It takes a collective of lawmakers, government officials, security and IT teams assigned to maintaining the games’ online infrastructure to ensure that proper measures are in place to deter any cyber attacks and disruptions long enough for proceedings to cross the finish line. What sorts of threats does the Tokyo Olympics face; where will those threats stem from; and can previous history lessons effectively inform present day defense tactics?

By Joseph Carson -
ransomware laptop

New software improves ransomware resilience and recovery

Ransomware attacks are growing in severity and volume, bringing increasing costs and financial, legal, and other challenges.

Businesses need to be sure they can recover from an attack and data management specialist Zerto aims to provide the means with its latest offering Zerto 9.

By Ian Barker -
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