The Time to Focus on Critical Infrastructure Security is Now

The world has once again been reminded that the threat of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure systems remains very real. Last month, Britain’s defense secretary, Gavin Williamson, iterated that Russia held the potential for wide disruption and “thousands of deaths” through such attacks. His announcement was the latest indication of increased chatter regarding attacks on critical infrastructure,…

Five Emerging Threats That Worry Global Security Professionals

Over the next year, five separate threats will have one major effect: the current rate of security breaches will increase and worsen. This is the view of the Information Security Forum (ISF), an international network of more than 10,000 security professionals. The five primary threats to cyber security are the continuing evolution of crime-as-a-service; the…

3 Pillars of Cyberthreat Intelligence

Strong enterprise cybersecurity programs must be a built on a framework that incorporates strategic, operational, and tactical leadership and goals. As an enterprise, you used to worry about your competitors and your goal was to outpace them, to outservice them, and to outsmart them. Today, you can be the smartest and the fastest and have…

‘Advanced’ Cyber Attack Targets Saudi Arabia

Saudi authorities said Monday they had detected an “advanced” cyber attack targeting the kingdom, in a fresh attempt by hackers to disrupt government computers. The government’s National Cyber Security Centre said the attack involved the use of “Powershell”, but it did not comment on the source of the attack or which government bodies were targeted.

Double Whammy: When One Attack Masks Another Attack

In some contexts, a double whammy can mean a good thing: when your favorite team wins two games in a row, when two candy bars fall from the vending machine, etc. However, in the context of cyber security, a double whammy may translate to being attacked while still reeling from the impact of another threat….

Tech Giants Warn of Crypto Flaw in Infineon Chips

Microsoft, Google, HP, Lenovo and Fujitsu have warned customers of a potentially serious crypto-related vulnerability affecting some chips made by German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies. TPM vulnerability allows attackers to obtain private RSA keys The flaw, tracked as CVE-2017-15361, is related to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), an international standard designed for protecting crypto processes…

How to survive the worsening cyber threat landscape

Don’t expect the cyber threat landscape to get safer anytime soon. That’s the message given by speakers at two recent Boston-based events. “By any measure you want to use, the trend line is going the wrong way,” said Rob Joyce, White House cybersecurity coordinator, speaking at the Cambridge Cyber Summit hosted by CNBC and The…

The global impact of huge cyber security events

The past 12 months have seen a number of unprecedented cyber-attacks in terms of their global scale, impact and rate of spread. Already causing widespread public concern, these attacks only represent a small sample of the wide array of cyber threats we now face. Europol’s Executive Director Rob Wainwright: “The global impact of huge cyber…