New data shows phishing attacks are deviating from the traditional focus on technology and retail sectors and are opting for alternate brands with widespread appeal. I’ve covered plenty of reports about brand impersonation and it’s almost always Microsoft on top of the list. And with good reason: access to a Microsoft 365 account can give attackers a foothold and potential access to data, applications and more.

Traditional methods of flaw remediation are not equipped with the technology to keep pace with the rapid evolution of code generation practices, leaving developers incapable of managing burdensome and overwhelming security debt. Code security is still a critical concern in software development. For instance, when GitHub Copilot generated 435 code snippets, almost 36% of them had security weaknesses, regardless of the programming language.

Global optics manufacturer Hoya had business operations at its headquarters and several business divisions impacted and is now facing a “No Negotiation / No Discount Policy” $10 million ransom decision to make.

The EU Cyber Solidarity Act is a new initiative that follows the European Union's latest efforts to build stronger cyber defenses against evolving cybersecurity threats. This legislation introduces a new strategy for enhanced cooperation between EU member states and focuses on how EU nations can better prepare and respond to cyber incidents.

Right now, to boost efficiency and achieve economies of scale, businesses want to automate as much as possible. In back office processes, approaches like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), for example, are now increasingly standard and are expected to be a $20bn-plus market by 2030. In parallel, enterprises are looking to ChatGPT and Generative AI to help them speed up everything from creating marketing brochures to drug discovery.

Vendor risk assessments are critical for any organization that relies on third-party vendors. Third-party risk can negatively affect an organization’s security, compliance, and performance, resulting in devasting security breaches or disruptions in its supply chain that halt business operations. Organizations use vendor risk assessments to evaluate and manage third-party vendor risks associated with outsourcing business operations or procuring goods from external suppliers.

Budgetary and resource constraints play a huge role in cyberattacks on smaller organizations. Amidst a strained global economy, many under-resourced organizations like non-profits, local governments, and hospitals struggle to keep their heads above water - they simply don't have the funds to invest in cybersecurity.

In 2023, companies lost about $4.45 million on average because of data breaches. As cyber threats advance, securing endpoints is more important than ever. An advanced Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) provides a sturdy remedy to improve endpoint security. By monitoring and examining system responses and device status, HIDS identifies and tackles nefarious behaviors that are often overlooked by conventional defenses.

In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, I'm joined by Nicolas Chaillan. Nicolas is a security leader who has held several high-profile roles in US federal agencies including Chief Software Officer for the US Air Force and Space Force, Special Advisor for Cloud Security and DevSecOps at the Department of Defense (DOD), and Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Chief Architect for Cyber.gov at the Department of Homeland Security.

Security posture refers to the overall strength of an organization’s cybersecurity. It measures how an organization’s mechanisms, policies, procedures and operations respond to and defend against cyber threats. Continue reading to learn more about security posture, why your organization’s security posture is important, how to assess it and how to improve it.