16 December 2020: Instead of predicting more malware, ransomware attacks and data theft, the cyber security industry needs to stop trying to prevent access to IT systems and take a new data-centric approach, says Nigel Thorpe, technical director at SecureAge, who looks at some predictions that should come true in 2021, but probably won’t.
9 December 2020 – Network attacks and unique attack signatures both hit two-year highs between July and September this year, according to the latest Internet Security Report from WatchGuard Technologies. Findings from the research show that attacks detected grew to more than 3.3 million, representing a 90% increase over the previous quarter. The report reveals how COVID-19 has impacted the cyber security threat landscape, with evidence that attackers continue to target corporate networks despite the shift to remote working.
On their road to recovery from the pandemic, businesses face unique dilemmas. This includes substantial and entirely necessary investments in digital transformation, however tight budgets are making such endeavors difficult if not impossible. Businesses continue to struggle with pivots like adopting new digital platforms, shifting their corporate model to resolve supply chain disruption and enabling a remote workforce.
The inability for businesses to quickly adopt technologies that support digital transformation processes, including identity-based segmentation, virtual desktop interfaces and full-stack cloud, is hindering their ability to adequately address new threats and even to test new security systems and protocols.
According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, 70% of organizations that encounter a data breach are small businesses. The same study highlights that most companies neglect the importance of cybersecurity. Namely, only 33% of them have taken precautionary steps to mitigate data loss risks.
A cyberattack can affect your business’ performance on multiple levels, from compromising your brand image to increasing your expenses.
Here are a few cybersecurity questions you should ask to protect your business.
24 November 2020: Researchers in WatchGuard Technologies’ Threat Lab are predicting that automation will play a major role in shaping cyber security attack and defense activities in 2021. Traditionally a high-investment, high-return targeted attack, WatchGuard predicts that automation tools will replace manual techniques to help cyber criminals launch spear phishing campaigns at record volumes, by harvesting victim-specific data from social media sites and company web pages. And as society continues to grapple with the impact of COVID-19, it is likely that these automated spear phishing attacks will prey on fears around the pandemic, politics and the economy.
Cybercrime is on the rise on an international scale, and no business or entity is safe. Large companies and multinational businesses may be high on cybercriminals’ list of targets, but that certainly doesn’t mean they’re the only entities affected. Small companies are being hard hit by criminal activities too.
Reading, UK. — 20th October, 2020 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today released the results of its sixth Global Incident Response Threat Report, entitled: “The Cybersecurity Tipping Point: Election, COVID-19 Create Perfect Storm for Increasingly Sophisticated Cyberattacks.”
September 29, 2020 – SAN FRANCISCO – A new report from email security company Tessian reveals that 75% of IT decision makers believe the future of work will be remote or “hybrid” - where employees choose to split their time between working in the office and anywhere else they’d like. As businesses try to deliver a seamless hybrid experience, Tessian’s Securing the Future of Hybrid Working report reveals the security risks they must overcome and the pressures on IT teams.
A New Look for the Modern Workforce
24 September 2020 – In its latest Internet Security Report, WatchGuard Technologies found that despite an 8% decrease in overall malware detections in Q2 2020, 70% of all attacks involved zero day malware - variants that circumvent antivirus signatures, which represents a 12% increase over the previous quarter.
London, UK – August 27, 2020 – RiskIQ, the global leader in attack surface management, has released its annual "Evil Internet Minute" security intelligence report. The company tapped its proprietary global intelligence and third-party research to analyse the volume of malicious activity on the internet, revealing that cybercrime costs organizations $24.7 (£18.8), year-over-year increase of more than $2 (£1.5) every minute. It will also have a per-minute global cost of $11.4 million (£8.7 million) by 2021, a 100 percent increase over 2015.
