How a bank got hacked (a study in how not to secure your networks)
Robbing a bank is easier than you might think, especially if you don’t care which bank you rob, according to a “how to rob a bank” manifesto by the apparently vigilante hacker Phineas Phisher. The PwC incident response report, which Phineas Phisher leaked, backs up that claim. The report details the intrusion to management at…
5,183 breaches from the first nine months of 2019 exposed 7.9 billion records
According to Risk Based Security’s Q3 2019 Data Breach QuickView Report, the total number of breaches was up 33.3% compared to Q3 2018, with 5,183 breaches reported in the first nine months of 2019. Breach activity in 2019 Breach activity in 2019 is living up to being “the worst year on record”. Although the total…
How much does it cost to launch a cyberattack?
Companies spend big to defend their networks and assets from cyber threats. Kaspersky Labs has found security budgets within enterprises average around $9 million per year. On top of that, data breaches cost companies millions of dollars. Yet, cheap, relatively easy-to-use off-the-shelf hacking tools make the barrier to entry for cybercriminals incredibly low. Cyber attacks…
Only 47% of cybersecurity pros are prepared to deal with attacks on their IoT devices
Fewer than half (47%) of cybersecurity professionals have a plan in place to deal with attacks on their IoT devices and equipment, despite that fact that nine out of ten express concerns over future threats, according to the Neustar International Security Council (NISC) research. Do you have a plan for the security of your IoT…
Cybersecurity workforce skills gap rises to over 4 million
The estimated current cybersecurity workforce is 2.8 million professionals, while the amount of additional trained staff needed to close the skills gap is 4.07 million professionals, according to (ISC)2. The data indicates a necessary cybersecurity workforce increase of 145% globally. Cybersecurity workforce skills gap around the world In the UK, the current cybersecurity workforce estimate…
Security and risk compliance: Still the most important part of IT strategy
Security practice is the number one priority for IT teams, with a clear majority (59%) reporting deficiencies in the controls, that should ensure data processing and storage systems adhere to security policies; while over a quarter (27%) pointing to a lack of relevant skills as inhibiting quality assurance in the evolving Testing environment, according to…
Most organizations plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets in 2020
With the perpetually shifting threat landscape, most organizations (over 90%) believe that the cyber threat landscape will stay the same or worsen in 2020, according to FireEye. FireEye surveyed over 800 CISOs and other senior executives across North America, Europe, and Asia to uncover attitudes towards some of cybersecurity’s most prevalent topics. The majority (51%)…
A continuous problem: Tackling the cybersecurity skills shortage
We have read the over abundance of apocalyptic articles covering the growing talent shortage in cybersecurity. But buried under the hyperbolic numbers, there is a larger and more interesting story. But first, let’s level set. This talent shortage is a well recognized issue that grows year after year as qualified candidates become more scarce and…
IoT is an ecosystem, as secure as its weakest link
Remember when, three years ago, several Mirai botnets hit DNS provider Dyn and caused part of the Internet to be unreachable for most users in North America and Europe? For a moment there it really seemed that IoT security would become an indisputable necessity. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and security professionals and consumers are…
Integrating security into IoT projects is not easy, but it’s increasingly urgent
With an installed base of 44 billion connected devices projected for 2023, the amount of data and information generated and shared will reach zettabytes of data, according to ABI Research. “Much of that data will be sensitive, whether about an individual’s privacy or confidential business information. As such, it presents a lucrative opportunity for threat…