Cybercrime is a growing problem for higher education. Between 2020 and 2021, cyberattacks targeting the education sector increased by 75%. In line with other industries, the education sector is also experiencing a dramatic increase in ransomware attacks. According to the 2022 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 30% of data breaches in the industry were attributed to ransomware attacks.

Between cloud storage and smart devices, remote access to various services has become a mundane fact of life. Remote access empowers software developers and system administrators to manage technical infrastructure without requiring physical access to the server, which supports cloud-based services. Remote desktop solutions can also aid remote users with troubleshooting.

Two chainable zero-day vulnerabilities face Ivanti Connect Secure (ICS) and Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS): CVE-2023-46805 and CVE-2024-21887. All supported versions of the Ivanti Connect Secure and Policy Secure Gateways are currently at risk, and Ivanti has confirmed that customers have experienced active exploitation. ICS was previously known as Pulse Connect Secure. ICS offers a virtual private network (VPN) gateway, while IPS provides network access control.

Attack surface management (ASM) is becoming a vital tool for any organization that utilizes digital assets or is undergoing digital transformation. Whether it’s web applications, IoT devices, or endpoint entry points, every digital asset escalates an attack surface in complexity and size.

Part of being a part of the cybersecurity industry means looking ahead to the future and anticipating what’s to come. For most of us, we should expect a 2024 that is largely dominated by AI discussion. With the cybersecurity industry growing rapidly, AI is at the forefront of every organization’s cyber plans and plays an integral role in all technological advances.

Digital threats have led to new cybersecurity regulations that organizations from various industries must follow. Staying compliant with cybersecurity regulations can be legally required, depending on the type of regulation, and organizations face steep penalties if they are non-compliant. With so many different regulations to adhere to, organizations often utilize cybersecurity compliance solutions to help them track compliance over time.

Communication protocols govern data transmission between computer networks. These protocols, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), determine how data is transferred between devices through a port, which is a unique connection endpoint for a specific service. Because file transfer moves files over the internet, insecure file transfer ports create opportunities for hackers to send their own malicious payload or for other threat actors to intercept traffic.

Apache Log4j 2, a Java-based logging library, was affected by a zero-day vulnerability on December 9, 2021. The vulnerability, known as Log4Shell and identified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as CVE-2021-44228, allows cybercriminals to take control of vulnerable systems and servers. Many web applications, open-source cloud platforms, and service providers utilize Log4j.

Vulnerability management is a critical aspect of vendor risk management (VRM). Organizations prioritizing third-party vulnerability management can mitigate third-party risk, ensure regulatory compliance, protect sensitive data, and maintain business continuity.

One of the foundational areas of cybersecurity is securing web applications. Millions of users visit different websites daily, exchanging sensitive information and data. Securing your organization’s web applications includes many tools like authentication protocols, data encryption, network defenses, and more. A good place to start evaluating your organization’s web application security posture is by using a security questionnaire.