Category Archives: Internet Security
What is ransomware and how is it dealt with? – Cosmos Magazine
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malicious software AKA malware that infects and takes control of a device. It blocks access to files or even whole devices, and then sends a message demanding a ransom to grant access to those files.
This is a common form of cybercrime that has recently affected universities, hospitals and meatworks. Because it blocks vital data from being accessed, it can massively disrupt organisations that use the shared networks and/or the internet which is, well, everyone at this point.
Malware is infectious software that will download onto a computer, phone or other device. It can be shared though phishing emails, links in messages or other online locations, or fake download buttons. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a link or button is malicious in the first place.
When the fake link is clicked, the malware automatically downloads and then hunts through the system or network to identify important data. The software can lock the device or files with a new password, or encrypt files with a secret key, preventing access.
This can be exacerbated because malware can be accompanied by social-engineering tools that trick you into granting admin access, or it can exploit security holes to dive into the important files and software on the computer without even needing to get permission.
There are many ways of encrypting files, but the point is to prevent user access with computer algorithms. Without an up-to-date backup, this data is essentially lost.
The user will then often see a ransom note in the form of a message demanding (usually) money to lift the password or encryption.
Of course, paying the ransom doesnt mean the cyber-criminal will actually lift the encryption, and if you have paid up once, there is incentive for the criminal to do it again.
Credit: cyber.gov.au
The real kicker here is that the infectious software can gain access to a whole network of connected devices, even if it has been downloaded on just one computer which means businesses that have shared data can be completely prevented for accessing anything, including saved files, emails and user profiles.
There is no simple explanation of how the programming works it is complex software engineering that can be continuously updated, and there are different examples that can be spread and downloaded in ways the suit the attacker.
Because malware can pop up in almost anywhere, it is often hard to identify.
A lot of ransomware is designed to look like something real, such as a casual email attachment, something shared via social media, or a website that looks almost like a real website you wanted to visit, but has a few different letters in the URL.
in one sneaky approach, the attacker can even pretend to be somebody from law enforcement who is stopping another cybercrime that they accuse you of, and then demand a fine from you but there are easier ways to get access to a device.
The main thing to remember is that a lot of phishing can be prevented by not clicking suspicious links. Just a little life hack on how not to get hacked.
via GIPHY
More seriously, this in an increasingly big business between ransoms paid, loss of data and downtime, costs of recovery, and other security and investigations, ransomware attacks cost the world $5 billion in 2017.
Cybercriminals are often individuals or work in teams or networks, but there are also crimeware-as-a-service groups that essentially operate as a business.
Technology develops so quickly that defenders and attackers can get stuck in an arms race, so cybersecurity and trained professionals are absolutely essential to an online world, especially as we begin to incorporate more AI and machine learning into our manufacturing. Once ransomware is in a network, its extremely hard to remove.
First and foremost, keep backups. If all your files get encrypted but you have another offline backup, its simple to restore your data.
Always keep your malware security up to date. Attackers obviously try to get around this security, but it is a whole lot better than having none at all. Many companies test their systems with white hat hackers, who attempt to hack their systems to recognise and fix the security flaws.
Teaching people to recognise phishing emails and be cautious about suspicious sites and links is also necessary, but it can only go so far, because phishing material is constantly being improved to blend in better. Dont click on links or open attachments if you dont know the sender of the email. A lot of these emails suggest you need to make a payment, have breached some sort of contract, or pretend to have blocked access to an account.
Because ransomware secretly searches your device, there can be a delay between when a link is clicked and when files are encrypted. There is a rise in predictive analytics and machine learning to help detect this suspicious behaviour and shut it down early.
And finally, if you do get attacked, dont pay up, because its likely to make you seem like an easy target in the future.
We asked Diep Ngyuen, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS, for a little more depth. This is what they said
Cyber attacks target either to bring down networks/systems (make them malfunction) or to compromise the information access authority or integrity.
Although the former is often closer and easier to understand to most people, the latter is more popular and the major target of most daily life cyber attacks.
For example, DoS (Denial-of-Service) attacks can make a network or service inaccessible for some time, disrupting corporates functioning or business. These types of attacks can be easily detected.
However, cybercrimes often target high-value information and attempt to illegally access it or even alter the information.
The information authority or integrity attacks are more difficult to be detected but their consequences can be very damaging, even much worse than the DoS attacks.
To prevent or reduce risks from cyber attacks, IT core engineers/experts and daily users can take different approaches. However, these approaches all aim to early detect cyber threats, then effectively protect or cure the systems when the attacks really happen.
One of the most common precautions [is] to avoid using services/websites, apps, hardware from non-certified or low-reputation sources/providers. These systems often have back doors or vulnerable loopholes that can be leveraged by cybercrimes.
The second precaution would be to update and follow security recommendations from governments and experts, e.g., using multi-factor authentication methods, not to share or be cautious on sharing personal/private information like Date of Birth, photos, [etc] on open platforms (even social media).
The last, but not least, is to become more aware of cyber threats/risks before deciding to take any action (e.g., do you understand the risk of using Apple pay or using activity trackers?).
Cyber security landscape has been changing dramatically over the last 10 years. This is because of the penetration of IT to every corner of our daily life, from working, entertaining, to sleeping.
This is also because of the ever-growing advances in attacks and their countermeasures. In comparison with 10 years ago, the number of connecting devices today has been increased by multiple times.On average, each person now would have more than a few connecting devices (e.g., phones, activity trackers, laptops, sensors at home).
These devices, [while they] bring us lots of conveniences, are making us more vulnerable to cyber threats when they are attacked or compromised. More importantly, most of these newly added devices (e.g., in Internet of Things) are limited in computing and storage capability or referred to as low-end devices in cyber security. They are more susceptible to cyber threats.
The advances in machine learning and AI also empower cybercrimes, allowing them to launch larger scale and more damaging attacks.
In the past, talking about cyber security/attacks is something of defense. Now, it is the responsibility of every single citizen with implications on our daily life.
View original post here:
What is ransomware and how is it dealt with? - Cosmos Magazine
Global Internet Security Software Industry Size 2021 Market by Major Vendors, Share Leaders, Types, Applications, Demand, Forecast To 2028 KSU | The…
IT Intelligence Market Research has recently published a research study on Market Internet Security Software Market. The Global Internet Security Software Market Report, Trends, Size, Share, Analysis, Estimations and Forecasts to 2028. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the sales of products under the scope of the report. The report also considers the revenues to be generated from the sales of the product, which is expected to be launched into the market during the forecast period. This well-drafted report involves the current market status, historical data, and prediction outlook.
FREE : Request Sample is Available @ https://www.itintelligencemarkets.com/request_sample.php?id=292 #utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
The report is based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Market Internet Security Software Market collected from specialized sources. The research analyst has derived insights using a mix of primary and secondary research with an aim to provide a holistic picture of the market. The primary research is based on vendor briefings, telephone, and online surveys, along with interviews with industry experts and centers of influence. Whereas, secondary research focused on studying company reports & publications, webinars & podcasts, industry journals & publications, proprietary tools & databases.
The report on the global Market Internet Security Software Market categorizes the breakdown of global data by major players, regional analysis, and segmentation. It also investigates the market status, growth rate, market share, and future trends.
Global Market Internet Security Software Market: Regional Analysis
Inquire or share your questions if any before purchasing this report @https://www.itintelligencemarkets.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=292 #utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
The report also presents the vendors/manufacturers landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top vendors/manufacturers operating in the global Market Internet Security Software Market. The top vendors/manufacturers included in the report are the companies that generate maximum revenues in the global market. In addition, it discusses the major drivers influencing the market growth and the challenges faced by the market players and the market as a whole. It also examines key emerging trends and their influence on current and future market scenarios. Most importantly, the report offers valuable insights on the future trends within the market across the different stages of the overall market.
A detailed study of the global economic conditions and other economic indicators is conducted to assess their impact on the current market conditions and to make informed predictions about future market scenarios. The report also covers a detailed analysis on current COVID-19 pandemic conditions and its future impacts on the growth of overall market.
Detailed segmentation of the market offered in this report provides key information on the subjects that combinedly contribute to the revenue of the market, the report enlightens current trends and future prospect based on individual segmentation to deliver meaning insights that helps to take better business decisions.
The study objectives of this report are:
Exclusive Offer: Ask for Discount on this Premium Report https://www.itintelligencemarkets.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=292#utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Also, Research Report Examines:
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter-wise sections or region-wise report versions like North America, Europe, or Asia.
About Us:
IT Intelligence Markets is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Present-day being a consumer-driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a soundboard firm for your decisions becomes crucial. IT Intelligence Markets specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result, getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut-throat. Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer to consult as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Therefore, we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.
Contact Us:
IT Intelligence Markets
Contact Name: Erika Thomas
Address: US 76 AT US 19 & HWY 129 Murphy Highway, Blairsville, GA, USA
Phone: +1 (888) 312-3102
Website: http://www.itintelligencemarkets.com
Cyber Security Market to Make Promising Progress; Increasing Adoption of Latest Technologies to Boost the Market – GlobeNewswire
Pune, India, May 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global cyber security market size is set to experience speedy growth from USD 165.78 billion in 2021 to USD 366.10 billion in 2028 owing to the emergence of new technologies in the IT security industry, finds Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Cyber Security Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Solution and Services), By Deployment Type (Cloud and On-Premise), By Enterprise Size (Small & Medium Enterprise and Large Enterprise), By Industry (BFSI, IT and Telecommunications, Retail, Healthcare, Government, Manufacturing, Travel and Transportation, Energy and Utilities and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028, the cyber security market stood at USD 153.16 billion in 2020. It is set to exhibit a CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period.
Request to Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/cyber-security-market-101165
In recent years, the cyber security market has gained prominence on account of the growing adoption of latest technologies in the IT sector such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud security, and others, which has resulted in the growth of this market. Further, the cyber security solutions can be used in different applications such as banking, financial services, insurance companies, and others, which is an important factor driving this markets growth. For instance, Cisco Systems, a renowned IT company, has developed a simple, secure and user-friendly cyber security solution which helps in protecting and managing the companys critical data that is used for digital purposes.
However, the lack of professional and expert personnel for development of the security solutions is projected to hinder this markets growth.
COVID-19 Impact:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions have affected all the major businesses and companies worldwide. Due to the lack of experts, lay-offs in the companies, shutdown of large scale and small scale companies, and many other reasons, the cyber security markets demand has decreased during this pandemic impacting the demand for internet cyber security solutions across the world.
Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market.
Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/cyber-security-market-101165
Market Segmentation:
On the basis of component, this market is divided into network security, cloud application security, end-point security, secure web gateway, internet security, and others. By deployment type, the market is classified into on-premises and cloud. Based on enterprise size, the market is categorized into small and medium enterprises and large enterprises. By industry, the market is divided into BFSI, IT and telecommunications, retail, healthcare, government, manufacturing, travel and transportation, energy and utilities, and others. In terms of geography, the market is clubbed into North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.
Highlights/Summary:
This research report offers an in-depth study of the driving factors, restraints, and trends related to the growth of the market. In addition, this report offers a detailed evaluation of the market segments and regional developments in the market. Further, this report also incorporates a comprehensive analysis of the strategies adopted by the leading players to boost their market position.
Drivers/Restraints:
Increasing Number of Cloud-based Security Solutions to Fuel the Market
Nowadays, most of the IT companies and financial service providing companies are adopting cloud-based IT security solutions in order to protect their companys privacy and the critical data from getting hacked. This has helped these companies to reduce the risk of cyber frauds which can have a major impact on their business operations and the reputation of the company. This acts as a crucial driving factor responsible for the growth of the market. For instance, Palo Alto Networks has expanded its business by acquiring two companies Twistlock and PureSe. This has resulted in increasing the companys product portfolio and provides a complete cloud security solution with a wide variety of cloud security applications.
Ask for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/cyber-security-market-101165
Regional Insights:
Rising Number of Security Violations to Propel the North America Market Growth
North America region is projected to expand rapidly in the cyber security market share on account of the increasing number of security infringement incidents which have led to the growing demand for cloud-based security applications in this region. Further, the surge in the demand for e-commerce platforms in the countries such as US and Canada has resulted in fuelling this markets growth.
Europe is another region anticipated to witness substantial growth in this market owing to the rising number of internet security projects and major investments in IT security in the countries such as Germany, Spain, UK, and others.
Competitive Landscape:
Developing Latest and Advanced Cyber Security Systems by Key Players to Feed Competition
The key players in the cyber security market are focusing on developing and installing latest cyber security systems to avoid data breaches, cyber frauds, and other major incidents which occur due to lack of expert personnel or use of outdated systems. Thus, there is an increasing competition among the leading companies for installing these systems, which has resulted in propelling this markets growth and helps the companies to widen their business horizons in this market.
Industry Development:
September 2020: Bharti Airtel Ltd. launched a suite of internet security solutions for small and medium enterprises. The security solutions will help these companies in adopting cloud platforms and other emerging technologies.
List of Key Players Covered in the Cyber Security Market Report:
Quick Buy - Cyber Security Market: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/101165
Table of Content:
TOC Continued..
Speak to Our Analyst- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/cyber-security-market-101165
Have a Look at Related Research Insights:
Business Process Management (BPM) Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Solution/Tools/Platform, Services), By Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud), By Organization Size (Large Enterprises, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises), By Functionality (Accounting & Finance, Sales & Marketing, Human Resource, Supply Chain Management), By Industry (BFSI, IT & Telecommunication, Healthcare) and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028
Europe Smart Building Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Solution (Security System, Safety System, Others), By Application (Residential, Commercial), and Europe Forecast, 2021-2028
Augmented Reality Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Hardware, and Software), By Device Type (Head Mounted Display, Heads-Up Display, Handheld Devices, Stationary AR Systems, Smart Glasses, Others), By Industry (Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Automotive, Retail, Healthcare, Education, Manufacturing, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028
Face Recognition Door Lock Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Application (Residential, Hospitality, Commercial, Government, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028
IoT in Smart Cities Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Solution and Services), By Application (Smart Building, Smart Healthcare, Smart Energy, Smart Transportation, Public Safety, Smart Infrastructure, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028
About Us:
Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in.
Contact Us:
Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.
308, Supreme Headquarters,
Survey No. 36, Baner,
Pune-Bangalore Highway,
Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India.
Phone:
US :+1 424 253 0390
UK : +44 2071 939123
APAC : +91 744 740 1245
Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortune-business-insights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortuneBusinessInsightsPvtLtd
Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/cyber-security-market-9280
Read more from the original source:
Cyber Security Market to Make Promising Progress; Increasing Adoption of Latest Technologies to Boost the Market - GlobeNewswire
Internet Security Software Market 2021-2026 | Detailed Analysis of top key players with Regional Outlook in Internet Security Software Industry |…
The Global Internet Security Software Marketreport gives CAGR value, Industry Chains, Upstream, Geography, End user, Application, Competitor analysis, SWOT Analysis, Sales, Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Market Share, Import-Export, Trends and Forecast. The report also gives insight on entry and exit barriers of the industry.
Initially, report provides information about Internet Security Software Market Scenario, Development Prospect, Relevant Policy, and Trade Overview to current demand, investment, and supply in the market. It also shows future opportunities for the forecast years 2021-2027.
Get Sample copy of this Report at:https://reportsglobe.com/download-sample/?rid=295212
The Internet Security Software market report covers major Manufactures like Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, AVG, Avast Software, ESET, Bitdefender, Fortinet, F-Secure, G DATA Software, Avira, Qihoo 360, Kaspersky, Panda Security, Quick Heal, Comodo, Microsoft, Rising, Cheetah Mobile, AhnLab.
Report provides Internet Security Software market Breakdown Data by its type like Linux, Macintosh OS, Microsoft Windows as well as by Applications such as Individual Users, Enterprise Users, Government Users.
Global Internet Security Software Market: Regional Segments
The different section on regional segmentation gives the regional aspects of the worldwide Internet Security Software market. This chapter describes the regulatory structure that is likely to impact the complete market. It highlights the political landscape in the market and predicts its influence on the Internet Security Software market globally.
Get up to 50% discount on this report at:https://reportsglobe.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=295212
The Study Objectives are:
Some Major Points from Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Research Methodology & Data Sources
Chapter 2. Executive Summary
Chapter 3. Internet Security Software Market: Industry Analysis
Chapter 4. Internet Security Software Market: Product Insights
Chapter 5. Internet Security Software Market: Application Insights
Chapter 6. Internet Security Software Market: Regional Insights
Chapter 7. Internet Security Software Market: Competitive Landscape
Ask your queries regarding customization at: https://reportsglobe.com/need-customization/?rid=295212
How Reports Globe is different than other Market Research Providers:
The inception of Reports Globe has been backed by providing clients with a holistic view of market conditions and future possibilities/opportunities to reap maximum profits out of their businesses and assist in decision making. Our team of in-house analysts and consultants works tirelessly to understand your needs and suggest the best possible solutions to fulfill your research requirements.
Our team at Reports Globe follows a rigorous process of data validation, which allows us to publish reports from publishers with minimum or no deviations. Reports Globe collects, segregates, and publishes more than 500 reports annually that cater to products and services across numerous domains.
Contact us:
Mr. Mark Willams
Account Manager
US: +1-970-672-0390
Email: sales@reportsglobe.com
Website: Reportsglobe.com
Global Internet Security Software Market 2021 by Company, Industry Size, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2028 KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper…
The Global Internet Security Software Market By Type, By Crop Application, and By Region Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2021 2028 report has been added to QY Reports offering.
The Internet Security Software market is estimated at USD XX billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of XX.XX%, to reach USD X.X billion by 2028.
The growth of the Internet Security Software market is driven by the advancements in integrated pest management solutions and increasing adoption of organic farming among farmers. The key drivers for market growth are the advancements in integrated pest management solutions. The continuous and extensive use of modern crop protection products to eliminate or reduce pest infestation has led to the development of resistance among pests to conventional crop protection products. This resistance can be classified into metabolic resistance, target-site resistance, penetration resistance, and behavioral resistance.
FREE: Request Sample is Available @ https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample/?report-id=61286#utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
The report is based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Market Internet Security Software Market collected from specialized sources. The research analyst has derived insights using a mix of primary and secondary research with an aim to provide a holistic picture of the market. The primary research is based on vendor briefings, telephone, and online surveys, along with interviews with industry experts and centers of influence. Whereas, secondary research focused on studying company reports & publications, webinars & podcasts, industry journals & publications, proprietary tools & databases.
The report on the global Market Internet Security Software Market categorizes the breakdown of global data by major players, regional analysis, and segmentation. It also investigates the market status, growth rate, market share, and future trends.
Global Market Internet Security Software Market: Regional Analysis
Inquire or share your questions if any before purchasing this report @https://www.qyreports.com/enquiry-before-buying/?report-id=61286#utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
The report also presents the vendors/manufacturers landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top vendors/manufacturers operating in the global Market Internet Security Software Market. The top vendors/manufacturers included in the report are the companies that generate maximum revenues in the global market. In addition, it discusses the major drivers influencing the market growth and the challenges faced by the market players and the market as a whole. It also examines key emerging trends and their influence on current and future market scenarios. Most importantly, the report offers valuable insights on the future trends within the market across the different stages of the overall market.
A detailed study of the global economic conditions and other economic indicators is conducted to assess their impact on the current market conditions and to make informed predictions about future market scenarios. The report also covers a detailed analysis on current COVID-19 pandemic conditions and its future impacts on the growth of overall market.
Detailed segmentation of the market offered in this report provides key information on the subjects that combinedly contribute to the revenue of the market, the report enlightens current trends and future prospect based on individual segmentation to deliver meaning insights that helps to take better business decisions.
The study objectives of this report are:
Exclusive Offer: Ask for Discount on this Premium Report https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount/?report-id=61286#utm_source=Aniket&utm_medium=May2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Also, Research Report Examines:
The Worldwide Internet Security Software market Economy Report Helps You to:
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter-wise sections or region-wise report versions like North America, Europe, or Asia.
About QYReports:
We at QYReports, a leading market research report publisher cater to more than 4,000 prestigious clients worldwide meeting their customized research requirements in terms of market data size and its application. Our list of customers includes renowned Chinese companys multinational companies, SMEs and private equity firms. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering you accurate, in depth and reliable market insight, industry analysis and structure. QYReports specialize in forecasts needed for investing in an and execution of a new project globally and in Chinese markets.
Contact Us:
Name: Jones John
Contact number: +1-510-560-6005
204, Professional Center,
7950 NW 53rd Street, Miami, Florida 33166
See the article here:
Global Internet Security Software Market 2021 by Company, Industry Size, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2028 KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper...
Zero-trust security: Assume that everyone and everything on the internet is out to get you and maybe already has – The Conversation US
President Joe Bidens cybersecurity executive order, signed May 12, 2021, calls for the federal government to adopt a zero-trust architecture.
This raises a couple of questions. What is zero-trust security? And, if trust is bad for cybersecurity, why do most organizations in government and the private sector do it?
One consequence of too much trust online is the ransomware epidemic, a growing global problem that affects organizations large and small. High-profile breaches such as the one experienced by the Colonial Pipeline are merely the tip of the iceberg.
There were at least 2,354 ransomware attacks on local governments, health care facilities and schools in the U.S. last year. Although estimates vary, losses to ransomware seem to have tripled in 2020 to more than US$300,000 per incident. And ransomware attacks are growing more sophisticated.
A recurring theme in many of these breaches is misplaced trust in vendors, employees, software and hardware. As a scholar of cybersecurity policy with a recent report on this topic, I have been interested in questions of trust. Im also the executive director of the Ostrom Workshop. The Workshops Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance focuses on many of the tenets of zero-trust security by looking to analogies including public health and sustainable development to build resilience in distributed systems.
Trust in the context of computer networks refers to systems that allow people or other computers access with little or no verification of who they are and whether they are authorized to have access. Zero Trust is a security model that takes for granted that threats are omnipresent inside and outside networks. Zero trust instead relies on continuous verification via information from multiple sources. In doing so, this approach assumes the inevitability of a data breach. Instead of focusing exclusively on preventing breaches, zero-trust security ensures instead that damage is limited, and that the system is resilient and can quickly recover.
Using the public health analogy, a zero-trust approach to cybersecurity assumes that an infection is only a cough or, in this case, a click away, and focuses on building an immune system capable of dealing with whatever novel virus may come along. Put another way, instead of defending a castle, this model assumes that the invaders are already inside the walls.
Its not hard to see the benefits of the zero-trust model. If the Colonial Pipeline company had adopted it, for example, the ransomware attack would likely have failed and people wouldnt have been panic-buying gasoline in recent days. And if zero-trust security were widespread, the ransomware epidemic would be a lot less biting.
But there are at least four main barriers to achieving zero trust in government and private computer systems.
First, legacy systems and infrastructure are often impossible to upgrade to become zero-trust. Achieving zero-trust security requires a layered defense, which involves building multiple layers of security, not unlike a stack of Swiss cheese. But this is challenging in systems that were not built with this goal in mind, because it requires independent verification at every layer.
Second, even if its possible to upgrade, its going to cost you. It is costly, time-consuming and potentially disruptive to redesign and redeploy systems, especially if they are custom-made. The U.S. Department of Defense alone operates more than 15,000 networks in 4,000 installations spread across 88 countries.
Third, peer-to-peer technologies, like computers running Windows 10 on a local network, run counter to zero trust because they rely mostly on passwords, not real-time, multifactor authentication. Passwords can be cracked by computers rapidly checking many possible passwords brute-force attacks whereas real-time, multifactor authentication requires passwords and one or more additional forms of verification, typically a code sent by email or text. Google recently announced its decision to mandate multifactor authentication for all its users.
Fourth, migrating an organizations information systems from in-house computers to cloud services can boost zero trust, but only if its done right. This calls for creating new applications in the cloud rather than simply moving existing applications into the cloud. But organizations have to know to plan for zero-trust security when moving to the cloud. The 2018 DoD Cloud Strategy, for example, does not even reference zero trust.
The Biden administrations executive order attempts to foster a layered defense to address the nations cybersecurity woes. The executive order followed several recommendations from the 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a commission formed by Congress to develop a strategic approach to defending the U.S. in cyberspace.
Among other things, it builds from zero-trust frameworks propounded by the National Institute for Standards and Technology. It also taps the Department of Homeland Security to take the lead on implementing these zero-trust techniques, including in its cloud-based programs.
I believe that when coupled with other initiatives spelled out in the executive order such as creating a Cybersecurity Safety Board and imposing new requirements for software supply chain security for federal vendors zero-trust security takes the U.S. in the right direction.
However, the executive order applies only to government systems. It wouldnt have stopped the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, for instance. Getting the country as a whole on a more secure footing requires helping the private sector adopt these security practices, and that will require action from Congress.
[Over 106,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]
See more here:
Zero-trust security: Assume that everyone and everything on the internet is out to get you and maybe already has - The Conversation US
Misconfigurations are the Biggest Threat to Cloud Security: Here’s What to Do – Infosecurity Magazine
Recently, a major tipping point was reached in the IT world more than half of new spending is now on cloud services over non-cloud IT. Rather than being the exception, cloud-based operations have become the rule.
There are many reasons why companies transition to the cloud. Lower costs, improved efficiencies and faster time to market are some of the primary benefits.
However, too many security teams still treat the cloud like an exception, or at least not as a primary use case. The approach remains and cloud, rather than cloud and.
Attackers know that business information security is generally behind the curve with its approach to the cloud, and they take advantage of the lack of security experience surrounding new cloud environments. This leads to ransomware, cryptocurrency mining and data exfiltration attacks targeting cloud environments, to name a few.
But what are they attacking specifically, and what can you do about it?
Misconfiguration at the User Level is the Biggest Security Risk in the Cloud
Cloud providers have built-in security measures that leave many systems administrators, IT directors and CISOs feeling content with the security of their data. Customers often think that the cloud provider is taking care of security with no additional actions needed on their part.
This way of thinking ignores the shared responsibility model for security in the cloud. While cloud providers secure the platform as a whole, companies are responsible for the security of the data hosted in those platforms. Misunderstanding the shared responsibility model leads to the primary security risk associated with the cloud:misconfiguration.
You may be thinking, But what about ransomware and cryptomining and exploits? These and many other attack types are primarily possible when one of the three misconfigurations below are present.
You can forget about all the worst-case, overly complex attacks: Misconfigurations are the greatest risk and should be your number one concern.
Why do Misconfigurations Happen?
Generally speaking, there are three primary categories of common misconfigurations that attackers are likely to target:
To further understand the state of cloud misconfigurations, Trend Micro Research recently investigated cloud-specific cyber-attacks. The report found a large number of websites partially hosted in world-writable cloud-based storage systems.
Despite these environments being secure by default, settings can be manually changed to allow more access than actually needed. These misconfigurations are typically put in place without knowing the potential consequences, but once in place, it is simple to scan the internet to find them and cyber-criminals are exploiting them for profit.
The risk of misconfigurations may seem obvious in theory, but in practice, overloaded IT teams are often simply trying to streamline workflows to make internal processes easier. So settings are changed to give read and/or write access to anyone in the organization with the necessary credentials. What they dont realize is that this level of exposure can be found and exploited by cyber-criminals.
How Big is the Misconfiguration Problem?
Nearly all data breaches involving cloud services have been caused by misconfigurations.Trend Micro identifies an average of 230 million misconfigurations per day.
We expectthis trend will increase in 2020, as more cloud-based services and applications gain popularity with companies using a DevOps workflow. Teams are likely to misconfigure more cloud-based applications, unintentionally exposing corporate data to the internet, and to cyber-criminals.
Our prediction is that through 2025, more than 75% of successful attacks on cloud environments will be caused by missing or misconfigured security by cloud customers rather than cloud providers.
How to Protect Against Misconfiguration
The good news is that misconfigurations are easily preventable with some basic cyber hygiene and regular monitoring. You can secure your cloud data and applications today, especially knowing that attackers are already cloud-aware and delivering vulnerabilities as a service.
Here are a few best practices for securing your cloud environment:
This overview builds on the recent report from Trend Micro Research on cloud-specific security gaps, which can be foundhere.
Cyber NX ties up with BD Soft as its National Distributor, for the Indian Markets – TechnoSports
CyberNX, an Indian origin IT firm offering Cloud Cyber security solutions, strengthens its presence in the Indian Markets,announces BD Soft as its National Distributor for Offline presence.BD Soft, is one of the largest security distributors, to Internet security technology, with several national and international brands in its portfolio, for SMB and enterprise level solutions.
As part of this partnership, BD Software will distribute CyberNXs suite of products & services through its 1000+ strong channel partner network. Leveraging its reach, CyberNX shall enable a seamless flow of products and services especially targeted to the BFSI Industry, as its future customers.
CyberNX, with its core technology stack offers a complete portfolio of advisory, stand-alone and end-to-end managed security services, for Cloud Cyber security.CyberNXapproaches cloud security holistically, with solutions that combine visibility, protection complemented by a comprehensive rangeofservices. CyberNXhas in a short span of time established presence across India and MiddleEast.
Speaking on the partnership Mr. Krishnakant Mathuria, Co-Founder, CyberNX says The Covid19 situation, has well alarmed the industry to growing cyber risks and the need for a concrete cyber security framework. We believe our solutions with proven BD Softs well-built reach, will provide us the necessary impetus to help the industry in these challenging times
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Zakir Hussain, Director, BD Software Pvt. Ltd. said, At BD Soft, we have always believed in forging robust partnerships with companies that benefit both our partners and customers by offering them unique value propositions. We have been observing CyberNXs journey from its inception and, in a very short span of time, they have achieved a strong clientele, which is very impressive. With our strong network and reach the partnership offers great synergy.
BD Software Distribution is the exclusive country partner to Bitdefender, MailVault, Safe DNS, EndPoint Protector, Zecurion, PDF Autosigner, Proget, Abbyy and Digitware Back up for India Distribution.
Read the rest here:
Cyber NX ties up with BD Soft as its National Distributor, for the Indian Markets - TechnoSports
Cyber NX ties up with BD Soft as its National Distributor – CRN – India – CRN.in
CyberNX has strengthened its presence in the Indian Markets, announces BD Soft as its National Distributor for Offline presence. BD Soft, is one of the largest security distributors, to Internet security technology, with several national and international brands in its portfolio, for SMB and enterprise level solutions.
As part of this partnership, BD Software will distribute CyberNXs suite of products & services through its 1000+ strong channel partner network. Leveraging its reach, CyberNX shall enable a seamless flow of products and services especially targeted to the BFSI Industry, as its future customers.
CyberNX, with its core technology stack offers a complete portfolio of advisory, stand-alone and end-to-end managed security services, for Cloud Cyber security. CyberNX approaches cloud security holistically, with solutions that combine visibility, protection complemented by a comprehensive range of services. CyberNX has in a short span of time established presence across India and MiddleEast.
Speaking on the partnership Krishnakant Mathuria, Co-Founder, CyberNX says The Covid19 situation, has well alarmed the industry to growing cyber risks and the need for a concrete cyber security framework. We believe our solutions with proven BD Softs well-built reach, will provide us the necessary impetus to help the industry in these challenging times
Zakir Hussain, Director, BD Software said, At BD Soft, we have always believed in forging robust partnerships with companies that benefit both our partners and customers by offering them unique value propositions. We have been observing CyberNXs journey from its inception and, in a very short span of time, they have achieved a strong clientele, which is very impressive. With our strong network and reach the partnership offers great synergy.
BD Software Distribution is the exclusive country partner to Bitdefender, MailVault, Safe DNS, EndPoint Protector, Zecurion, PDF Autosigner, Proget, Abbyy and Digitware Back up for India Distribution.
If you have an interesting article / experience / case study to share, please get in touch with us at [emailprotected]
Read more from the original source:
Cyber NX ties up with BD Soft as its National Distributor - CRN - India - CRN.in
Russia’s Hacking Success Shows How Vulnerable the Cloud Is – Foreign Policy
An expert's point of view on a current event.
May 24, 2021, 10:00 AM
Russias Sunburst cyberespionage campaign, discovered late last year, impacted more than 100 large companies and U.S. federal agencies, including the Treasury, Energy, Justice, and Homeland Security departments. A crucial part of the Russians success was their ability to move through these organizations by compromising cloud and local network identity systems to then access cloud accounts and pilfer emails and files.
Hackers said by the U.S. government to have been working for the Kremlin targeted a widely used Microsoft cloud service that synchronizes user identities. The hackers stole security certificates to create their own identities, which allowed them to bypass safeguards such as multifactor authentication and gain access to Office 365 accounts, impacting thousands of users at the affected companies and government agencies.
It wasnt the first time cloud services were the focus of a cyberattack, and it certainly wont be the last. Cloud weaknesses were also critical in a 2019 breach at Capital One. There, an Amazon Web Services cloud vulnerability, compounded by Capital Ones own struggle to properly configure a complex cloud service, led to the disclosure of tens of millions of customer records, including credit card applications, Social Security numbers, and bank account information.
This trend of attacks on cloud services by criminals, hackers, and nation states is growing as cloud computing takes over worldwide as the default model for information technologies. Leaked data is bad enough, but disruption to the cloud, even an outage at a single provider, could quickly cost the global economy billions of dollars a day.
Cloud computing is an important source of risk both because it has quickly supplanted traditional IT and because it concentrates ownership of design choices at a very small number of companies. First, cloud is increasingly the default mode of computing for organizations, meaning ever more users and critical data from national intelligence and defense agencies ride on these technologies. Second, cloud computing services, especially those supplied by the worlds four largest providersAmazon, Microsoft, Alibaba, and Googleconcentrate key security and technology design choices inside a small number of organizations. The consequences of bad decisions or poorly made trade-offs can quickly scale to hundreds of millions of users.
The cloud is everywhere. Some cloud companies provide software as a service, support your Netflix habit, or carry your Slack chats. Others provide computing infrastructure like business databases and storage space. The largest cloud companies provide both.
The cloud can be deployed in several different ways, each of which shift the balance of responsibility for the security of this technology. But the cloud provider plays an important role in every case. Choices the provider makes in how these technologies are designed, built, and deployed influence the users securityyet the user has very little influence over them. Then, if Google or Amazon has a vulnerability in their serverswhich you are unlikely to know about and have no control overyou suffer the consequences.
The problem is one of economics. On the surface, it might seem that competition between cloud companies gives them an incentive to invest in their users security. But several market failures get in the way of that ideal. First, security is largely an externality for these cloud companies, because the losses due to data breaches are largely borne by their users. As long as a cloud provider isnt losing customers by the droveswhich generally doesnt happen after a security incidentit is incentivized to underinvest in security. Additionally, data shows that investors dont punish the cloud service companies either: Stock price dips after a public security breach are both small and temporary.
Second, public information about cloud security generally doesnt share the design trade-offs involved in building these cloud services or provide much transparency about the resulting risks. While cloud companies have to publicly disclose copious amounts of security design and operational information, it can be impossible for consumers to understand which threats the cloud services are taking into account, and how. This lack of understanding makes it hard to assess a cloud services overall security. As a result, customers and users arent able to differentiate between secure and insecure services, so they dont base their buying and use decisions on it.
Third, cybersecurity is complexand even more complex when the cloud is involved. For a customer like a company or government agency, the security dependencies of various cloud and on-premises network systems and services can be subtle and hard to map out. This means that users cant adequately assess the security of cloud services or how they will interact with their own networks. This is a classic lemons market in economics, and the result is that cloud providers provide variable levels of security, as documented by Dan Geer, the chief information security officer for In-Q-Tel, and Wade Baker, a professor at Virginia Techs College of Business, when they looked at the prevalence of severe security findings at the top 10 largest cloud providers. Yet most consumers are none the wiser.
The result is a market failure where cloud service providers dont compete to provide the best security for their customers and users at the lowest cost. Instead, cloud companies take the chance that they wont get hacked, and past experience tells them they can weather the storm if they do. This kind of decision-making and priority-setting takes place at the executive level, of course, and doesnt reflect the dedication and technical skill of product engineers and security specialists. The effect of this underinvestment is pernicious, however, by piling on risk thats largely hidden from users. Widespread adoption of cloud computing carries that risk to an organizations network, to its customers and users, and, in turn, to the wider internet.
This aggregation of cybersecurity risk creates a national security challenge. Policymakers can help address the challenge by setting clear expectations for the security of cloud servicesand for making decisions and design trade-offs about that security transparent. The Biden administration, including newly nominated National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, should lead an interagency effort to work with cloud providers to review their threat models and evaluate the security architecture of their various offerings. This effort to require greater transparency from cloud providers and exert more scrutiny of their security engineering efforts should be accompanied by a push to modernize cybersecurity regulations for the cloud era.
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), which is the principal U.S. government program for assessing the risk of cloud services and authorizing them for use by government agencies, would be a prime vehicle for these efforts. A recent executive order outlines several steps to make FedRAMP faster and more responsive. But the program is still focused largely on the security of individual services rather than the cloud vendors deeper architectural choices and threat models. Congressional action should reinforce and extend the executive order by adding new obligations for vendors to provide transparency about design trade-offs, threat models, and resulting risks. These changes could help transform FedRAMP into a more effective tool of security governance even as it becomes faster and more efficient.
Cloud providers have become important national infrastructure. Not since the heights of the mainframe era between the 1960s and early 1980s has the world witnessed computing systems of such complexity used by so many but designed and created by so few. The security of this infrastructure demands greater transparency and public accountabilityif only to match the consequences of its failure.
See the original post here:
Russia's Hacking Success Shows How Vulnerable the Cloud Is - Foreign Policy