The unfortunate truth is outsourcing to third-parties introduces significant cyber risk. The news is inundated with third-party data breaches and data leaks. With the average cost of a data breach at nearly $4 million globally, it makes sense to invest in tools to prevent data breaches. This is why cybersecurity vendor risk management (VRM) has become a top priority for CISOs and other members of senior management, even at the Board level.
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed an unprecedented $2 trillion stimulus package into law. The legislation received support from both chambers of the U.S. Congress for its goal to minimize the economic effects of the global coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reported CNN. A key component of that package was the direction to provide economic relief to Americans in the form of stimulus checks of varying amounts depending upon their income.
Digital attacks continue to weigh on the minds of industrial cybersecurity (ICS) professionals. In a 2019 survey, 88% of ICS experts told Tripwire they were worried about what a digital attack could mean for their industrial organization. The rate was even higher for those working in the manufacturing and oil & gas sectors at 89% and 97%, respectively. Such widely held concern suggests a need for industrial organizations to make greater investments in their digital security posture.
There are a few things that are easy to take for granted in a traditional office setting: the impromptu idea sharing that happens in unscheduled conversations, quick and easy access to audio-visual tools, and the energy that comes from being around others are just a few. But more importantly, it’s easy to forget that high-speed Internet access isn’t as ubiquitous as it sometimes seems, and there are many people, areas and job sites that have limited access and connectivity.
With most of the country sheltering in place and so many people working remotely, work-life balance is taking on a new meaning and cloud infrastructure is taking a beating. The dramatic increase in daily activity and network use is creating both a visibility challenge and an operating model shift for already lean security teams.
Cyberint research team closely monitors threats related to COVID-19, leveraging the global fear and uncertainty around it. Utilizing thematic lures, a variety of cyberattacks have been launched during a time when many are seeking critical information on the outbreak. Exploiting the headline-dominating crisis, individuals, organizations and governments alike are tricked into opening malicious payloads, visiting malicious websites and are subject to misinformation or fraud.
Just recently, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic. This decision brought with it several health and safety measures, and normal life came to a halt in many countries. This resulted in many organizations around the world adopting telecommuting methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While people are adjusting to the sudden changes in the way they work, cybercriminals are using this opportunity to exploit new vulnerabilities the work-from-home environment presents.
Acknowledging recent reports of ransomware targeting educational institutions, it is no wonder that there have also been articles that attempt to lure in readers with “free” tools. What is disappointing is that these “free” tools are little more than marketing pieces that direct you to click on readily available documentation from Microsoft or Google.
