Рубрика: Cybersecurity

Explore the list of top cybersecurity experts and influencers to follow in 2021

We live in a world that is entirely connected to the internet. A lot of information is floating over the internet that is crucial to businesses. However, such information is also vulnerable to cyberattacks as the digital world is open to all, whether someone uses it for good intent or bad. This is where cybersecurity becomes vital, involving everything to ensure the security of sensitive data, personally identifiable information, intellectual property, governmental and industry information systems, etc. from theft and damage attempted. When it comes to cybersecurity, gaining insights from cybersecurity experts and influencers will be beneficial. They can help optimise organizations’ security systems and applications.

Analytics Insight has compiled a list of Top 10 Cybersecurity experts worth following on Twitter in 2021.

Brian Krebs

Brian Krebs is an American independent investigative reporter, and one of the most globally recognized voices in Cybersecurity. He is an author of an award-winning book called “Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime – from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door”. Brian began his career as a reporter at The Washington Post and authored more than 1,300 blog posts for the Security Fix blog. He has won 12 awards for his blogs, which mainly focuses on computer security and cybercrime.

Eva Galperin

Eva Galperin serves as the Director of Cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). She is a technical advisor for the Freedom of the Press Foundation. She is noted for her extensive work in protecting global privacy and free speech and for her research on malware and nation-state spyware. Eva’s proactivity gave her recognition in the Fast Company Magazine’s “Most Creative People of 2019”.

Adam K. Levin

Adam K. Levin is a recognized expert on cybersecurity, privacy, identity theft, fraud, and personal finance. He has distinguished himself as a fierce consumer advocate for the past 40 years. He is the co-founder of Credit.com and the Founder and Chairman of CyberScout. Adam is an author of the critically acclaimed book, Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves.

Bruce Schneier

Bruce Schneier is a well-known security technologist and Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a board member of EFF, Access Now and the Tor Project; a special advisor to IBM Security; and the CTO at IBM Resilient. Bruce has written and published several Application Security books including the most popular “Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World”. He also has his own blog that covers security-related trends.

Shira Rubinoff

Shira Rubinoff is a recognized cybersecurity executive, cybersecurity & blockchain advisor, global keynote speaker and influencer. She has built two cybersecurity product companies and led multiple women-in-technology efforts. She currently serves as President of the NYC-based technology incubator, Prime Tech Partners and the social-media-security firm, SecureMySocial. Shira also serves on the Boards of Pace University Cybersecurity Program, The Executive Women’s Forum for Information Security, Leading Women in Technology, the blockchain company, Mainframe, and AI companies, TrueConnect & Pypestream.

Dmitri Alperovitch

Dmitri Alperovitch is an American computer security industry executive. He is a Co-Founder and former CTO of CrowdStrike. He is also on the boards of over a half-dozen companies and has patents on more than two dozen of his cybersecurity creations. Served as vice president of threat research at McAfee in August 2011, Dmitri had published Operation Shady RAT, a report on suspected Chinese intrusions into at least 72 organizations, including defense contractors, businesses worldwide, the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee.

Eugene Kaspersky

Eugene Kaspersky is a Russian cybersecurity expert. He is chairman and CEO of Moscow-based Kaspersky Labs where he has earned worldwide fame. His interest in IT security began when his PC was infected with the Cascade virus while working for the Ministry of Defense, and he developed a program to remove it.

Mikko Hyppönen

Mikko Hypponen, a global security expert, is working at F-Secure since 1991. He has written on his research for the New York Times, Wired and Scientific American as well as appears frequently on international TV. Mikko has lectured at the universities of Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. He was selected among the 50 most important people on the web by the PC World magazine and was included in the FP Global 100 Thinkers list.

Daniel Miessler

Daniel Miessler is a project leader of OWASP’s IoT security project. He is broadly known for his weekly voice on the Unsupervised Learning podcast and newsletter, which explores the intersection of security, technology, and society.

Steve Morgan

Steve Morgan is the Founder of Cybersecurity Ventures, Editor-in-Chief at Cybercrime Magazine and Executive Producer at Cybercrime Radio. He is also a researcher, publisher, journalist, and author. Every year, Steve comes up with a report about the current state of cybercrime, including statistical data. His reports are being referred to and quoted by a variety of magazines, journals, and other media outlets.

The post Top 10 Cybersecurity Experts to Follow on Twitter in 2021 appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Ransomware is malicious software that restricts access to a victim’s files or devices until the ransom is paid. Last year, this type of attack was one of the cybercriminals’ favorite methods for targeting organizations.

According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, the government sector was the most affected by ransomware attacks in 2020, followed by Banking. In total, 50% of last year’s ransomware attacks were directed at these industries among the top 10 most-targeted sectors.

Government organizations took the biggest share of ransomware attacks last year — 31,906, while the banking sector suffered 22,082 attacks. The data is based on the Trend Micro Annual Cybersecurity report.

Another industry that was hit hard by ransomware last year is manufacturing. It experienced 17,071 ransomware attacks, which made up 16% of last year’s ransomware threats aimed at top industries.

Next up is the healthcare sector. It suffered 15,701 attacks, which accounted for nearly 15% of ransomware attacks targeting businesses in top sectors in 2020.

Finally, rounding out the top five industries most targeted by ransomware last year is the finance sector. It underwent 4,917 or almost 5% of last year’s ransomware attacks.

It seems, cybercriminals went after the most vulnerable sectors, such as government and healthcare, which are not only known for using outdated operating systems but were critical in dealing with the global pandemic. Banking, finance, and manufacturing sectors also were frequently assaulted as they are highly lucrative targets for ransomware operators.

Other industries highly affected by ransomware in 2020 include education (4,578), technology (4,216), food and beverage (3,702), oil and gas (2,281), as well as insurance (2,002).

WannaCry ransomware was favored by cybercriminals

Like most cyber threats out there, ransomware comes in many different types. However, some ransomware families were more popular last year than the others.

Out of all the ransomware types, WannaCry, also referred to as WCry, WannaCrypt, WanaCrypt0r, WRrypt, was most favored by cybercriminals. This cyber threat was responsible for 220,166 or nearly 87% of all last year’s top ransomware families’ attacks.

When infecting the system, WCry encrypts files and renames them, adding the .wcry or .WNCRY extension. Following successful encryption, WCry displays a pop-up window with a demand to pay a ransom in Bitcoin. It is a global ransomware family first discovered in 2017.

Locky ransomware also continued to plague organizations last year. There were 15,816 Locky cases detected in 2020.

Discovered in 2016, Locky is a type of ransomware that targets Windows operating systems. It is most often delivered via email, with an attached Microsoft Word document that contains a malicious code.

Moving on, another prominent ransomware family last year was Cerber. In 2020, cybercriminals launched 5,448 attacks using Cerber ransomware.

Cerber ransomware infects victims’ computers via phishing emails, malicious websites, and malware-infected ads. Unlike other ransomware families, Cerber is being offered as ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS). It means that criminals can become Cerber affiliates and get paid part of a ransom for spreading it across victims’ computers.

Cerber is followed by Ryuk. This ransomware family was detected in 3,376 last year’s ransomware attacks.

Ryuk is a sophisticated malware that can encrypt network drives and resources, as well as delete shadow copies on the endpoint, making it impossible to recover data lost in attack without an external backup. The ransomware is attributed to a Russian hacker group, WIZARD SPIDER, and was first spotted in 2018. Ryuk attackers primarily target large organizations and are known to demand high ransom payouts that have to be made in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Other ransomware families that made it to the top 10 include GandCrab (2,326), Sodinokibi (2,275), Crysis (1,744), Crypwall (1,019), Egregor (827), and DoppelPaymer (526). The latter two are relatively new, however, they still left a prominent mark last year.

The post Government most hit by ransomware attacks in 2020 followed by Banking, says Atlas VPN appeared first on Analytics Insight.

The status flaw of WhatsApp is enabling stalkers to track and get user details

According to The News Minute report, the National Crime Records Bureau had recorded cases of cyberstalking and cyberbullying of women in their crime database for the first-ever time in 2017 with around 555 cases being registered in the year from across India. This did not mean that it was not happening before, but it got little attention and a lack of statistical data to support it. With the advent of the internet, everything became easier and faster, simultaneously opening new avenues for cyberattackers and hackers. The recent report on WhatsApp’s status flaw is yet another evidence of the increasing cyber threats and degrading data privacy strategies.

A few days back, Traced, a mobile security app published a report on WhatsApp’s status loophole and how cyberstalkers are misusing it for their advantage. In March 2020, Whatsapp shared the news of reaching 2 billion users worldwide and in its blog talked about the safety encryptions that the app follows. But the recent incident highlights that despite promising such a safe platform, the app almost forgot to address the other flaws.

According to the Traced report, their CTO Matt Boddy, while pondering into different WhatsApp online status tracking apps and websites discovered that if a person enters any mobile number, the tracker provides the exact date and time that person opened WhatsApp. They also found that entering another phone along with the first one enables the cyberattackers to find out whether these two numbers are having a conversation in the app. The report reveals the marketing taglines used by some of these online trackers and one of them says, “If you suspect a cheating spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, the (tracker)’s Whatsapp last seen tracker online can help you to confirm whether or not your suspicions are really true.”

And another one allows parents to track their children.

WhatsApp has a security feature that enables its users to hide the ‘last seen’, but that does not come to any use here since your online status is displayed the minute you enter into WhatsApp. The WhatsApp security setting needs to be more alert in such scenarios and find a way to stop this privacy invasion.

WhatsApp Messenger is one of the popular social media platforms and thus is easily accessible from around the globe. This WhatsApp status flaw will encourage many stalkers to monitor their targets with ease.

This is not the first time we are witnessing a privacy concern regarding the social media platforms out there. Recently, Facebook was in news for a massive data leakage, which gave away the personal details of many users to hackers and dark webs. WhatsApp itself garnered attention last year for changing its privacy policies and creating confusion among the users, which gradually saw people leaving the app and entering Telegram.

A report by Hacker News mentioned how WhatsApp addressed two security vulnerabilities in their app for android recently that could have caused a ‘man-in-the-disk’ model attack and would have led to the compromise of sensitive information exchanged through the app. While resolving such intricate issues, why did the app leave such a loophole even after acknowledging its existence in their security terms and conditions is an important question to ask.

Creating an online tracking system is not an unattainable process anymore. Many apps and websites are offering free online tracking systems. One of the websites even describes elaborately how to develop a WhatsApp online tracker to monitor the activity of desired people. The article says how selenium and Xpath can automate the operations to create a tracking app through a python script.

It is a bit unsettling to know how easily people can be monitored without consent, stalked, and controlled in today’s world. Social media giants should take immediate actions against these privacy invasions and there should be strict strategies to restrict such spying apps.

The post WhatsApp and its Privacy Conundrum: Trackers Can See Your Status appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Famous ransomware attacks teach us certain lessons to follow while ensuring cybersecurity.

A few days ago, Quanta Computers Inc., a primary supplier of computers and Macbooks to Apple, acknowledged being dealing with a ransomware attack. A Bloomberg report revealed that a ransomware group REvil is behind the attack and they published a blog on its dark website on the same. This attack was reportedly an attempt to extract ransom from Apple and Quanta immediately upgraded its cybersecurity strategy.

This is just an example of recent ransomware attacks. Since data is considered the currency today, it becomes easier for the attackers to get hold of it and threaten companies. The higher vulnerability of data on certain platforms enables these kinds of cyberattacks. A similar infamous incident took the internet by storm in July last year, the Garmin ransomware attack. Garmin is a global tech company and is a key player in GPS navigation and wearables technology. The tech giant fell victim to a scandalous ransomware attack that was said to be initiated by EvilCorp, a Russian cybercrime gang. The attack was enabled through “WastedLocker” ransomware and it forced Garmin to shut down its website used by users to sync data, and other GPS-powered business operations. Various reports stated that the company paid a huge ransom to obtain an encryption key to restore the data. This huge cybersecurity breach enlightened many business systems and projected the importance of having better security in place. There are many lessons that the Garmin ransomware attack teaches us.

• Holistic Cybersecurity

By just being compliant, it is not necessary that a business can save itself from cyberattacks. A holistic approach to cyberattacks and a better cybersecurity strategy is what businesses need in the current scenario. Every company needs to have an Incident Response plan that details how it will respond to threats and immediate crises. Integrating cybersecurity to enterprise risk management, developing strong IT asset management, and a robust incident response approach will enhance security. Faster breach and cyber threat detection, better response, effective reconstruction of security, etc., are the results of such a complete approach.

• Size Does Not Matter

It is not necessary that these ransomware attacks only happen to bigger or smaller organizations. Cyberattacks are not limited to the size of a business and they can threaten any organization. No organization is actually immune and safe from these ransomware attacks. When companies are exposed to vulnerabilities, loopholes in security, and issues in systems, they are targeted by attackers irrespective of the industry, size, and geographical boundaries. Even universities fall prey to ransomware and other cybersecurity breaches. Recently, the South and City College in Birmingham announced that they were targeted by a ransomware attack that affected many core IT systems of the institution.

• Attackers are Smart

Yes, these attacks do not happen out of the blue. Findings say they are perfectly timed and tactical. The Garmin cyberattack was targeted just before they announced their quarterly earnings according to reports and smartly placed the attack which did not allow the company to recover faster. They knew that Garmin was a well-established company consisting of sensitive data and would not be ready to compromise it at any cost. A similar scenario worked out in the Quanta Computing case where the attacker targeted it at the right time when Apple announced its new range of products.

• Attacking Customer Operations Can be Fatal

When ransomware attacks affect customer operations, it becomes more effective. In the case of Garmin, their user interface Garmin Connect was terribly hacked. The business completely went offline for more than three days and that sounds like a great loss. These synced websites also had a lot of customer data and the company could not send them away. Attackers knew how to make the company helpless by targeting its strong point. Businesses should be more aware to maintain good security measures in their user-friendly platforms and save sensitive user data from breaches.

• Defense is the Only Remedy

Many reports state how Garmin was not vocal about how the ransomware entered the company’s systems. The incident clearly showed how the company was not ready to deal with such an attack and they got entangled in resolving the issue, saving their business, and shutting down their sites. Safeguarding networks, upgrading cybersecurity strategies, continuous data backups, encouraging patch management programs, regular scanning of internal and external networks, proper encryption, and authentication in place are all a company can consider while preparing itself to fight cyberattacks. It is also imperative to make the employees aware of such situations and train them on how to handle them.

Apart from these lessons, it is important to decide whether to pay the ransom or not. Experts have an opinion that paying ransom will make your company an easy target for future attacks and also the business might end up indirectly funding these threat actors. Well, to avoid such confusion, the only possible way is to ensure maximum security and encourage discussions on cybersecurity, data vulnerability, and security loopholes in your business. Using state-of-the-art technologies like AI, blockchain, etc., can also strengthen the cybersecurity walls to more platforms like cloud and IoT that are more vulnerable these days.

The post What Can We Learn From the Garmin Ransomware Attack? appeared first on Analytics Insight.

AI can truly stop cyber attackers from making your business vulnerable by using technologies like deep fakes to break into the business’s systems.

When companies were dealing with the COVID-19 chaos, AI was guarding all the intellectual property against cyberattackers. But as days pass, cyberattacks are finding innovative ways too. So now is the time organizations should prioritize building a thorough cyber immunity into their processes.

Between 1st September 2019 and 31st August 2020, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has handled 723 cases, more than the average of 602 cases over the last three years. According to analysts in the UK intelligence, over a quarter of cases that they have dealt with involved criminals exploiting the pandemic. Cyberattackers have also targeted COVID-19 vaccine research centres, like how a Russian hacking group was accused of targeting centres across the UK, US, and Canada.

With the pandemic stretching out for the foreseeable future, “what will their next move be?” is a crucial question to ask to prevent such cyberattacks.

According to Richard Starnes, the Chief Security Strategist at Capgemini, many companies, who planned AI into their business strategies after 5-6 years in the future need to restrategize this timeframe. This comes as a result of the spike in cases that left IT teams down in the dumps, drowning in several TBs of data that they have to monitor to detect possible attacks.

• CYBER ATTACKS ARE HERE TO STAY: HOW TO PREVENT THEM?
• ONLINE INDUSTRIES MOST TARGETED BY CYBER ATTACKS
• HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS CAUSING CYBER ATTACKS

When Time Becomes A Ticking Bomb

If organizations don’t realize the urgency of the situation, cybercriminals will leave the IT teams behind and innovate faster. In fact, cybercriminals are already adept at using AI to initiate their attacks. In 2021, there’s no other way for cyber analysts to delay the adoption of AI. Employing SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) processes will allow companies to collect security data from different sources for quicker and more accurate incident analysis. Through these intelligent techniques, cyber analysts and IT teams will be better equipped to control the growing threats.

The beginning of 2021 saw deep fake technology making rounds and fascinating people with its capabilities. The same technology might pose a threat to businesses, as hackers are learning to create fakes using AI and machine learning. Along with deep fake, audio technologies, which has seen an increase in adoption owing to remote learning will also pose danger for businesses. Such sophisticated technologies are harder to detect, putting businesses at the possible risk of financial losses.

During the course of this pandemic, social engineering methods like gathering stolen online information to carry on social profiling (creating fake identities of the targets) is also increasing. Because the world is going through a digital transformation, IT systems will see the burden if these plans go through.

What’s The Best Plan?

One is to un-cut the slashed AI budgets from their cybersecurity strategies and the second is to adopt zero trust policies. Zero trust policies treat every entry into the business network as a threat and do the needful to verify its intentions. With strong multi factor authentication, strict identity governance, and a long lifecycle, effective threat detection will take place across all the digital intellectual properties of businesses.

In 2020, cyber attackers took advantage of the physical-to-remote-working chaos and attacked e-commerce systems, financial services, healthcare, and many other industries. To counter that, in 2021, organizations should leverage AI to augment with humans and machines to come up with innovative solutions powered by artificial intelligence to break the attacker’s plans. Using AI technology will also help spot deep fakes, along with concrete zero trust practices.

The post Build Cyber Immunity Against Hackers & Deep Fakes Using AI appeared first on Analytics Insight.

2020, which was one of the busiest years in the United Kingdoms witnessed a surge in the cases of cyber-attacks by 20%. Experts have commented that the situation of the pandemic COVID-19 had been a source of impetus to it.

Business organisations, all over the UK, have incurred 686,961 attempts by hackers to penetrate their systems and breach confidentiality. Sonia Blizzard states, “ The threat to UK businesses from hackers and other malicious elements online was magnified in 2020, as the volume of attacks continued to grow and the Internet became increasingly important to many more parts of the economy.”

Owning up to the voids and flaws that must have led to these cyber-attack attempts, the UK has decided to catch the bull by its horns by sharpening its cybersecurity measures. Adhering to this, the UK has now decided to invest in cybersecurity, even more, to tighten it to the point of making the standards of technology deployed to prevent cyber threats from being impervious by alien invasions.

GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming, expresses his confidence in National Cyber Security Centre( NCSC) and National Cyber Force (NCF), located in London that makes the UK a leading power responsible for cyber all across the world.

This investment in cybersecurity forces will not only tighten the cybersecurity tools and technologies at use but will also ensure improvements of future technology in the domain of cybersecurity. Fleming has laid stress on the continuance of development and growth in cybersecurity technologies. Along with the investments made to fill the flawed gaps, Fleming has also emphasised the need for new policies that foster innovations and improvisations for technologies responsible for protecting office systems. This will help the UK to gain a strategic advantage.

The post The Rise of the Epidemic named Cyber Attacks in the UK makes Investing in Improved Technological Measures Crucial appeared first on Analytics Insight.

A mobile phone ransomware attack is a procedural attack where a hacker gains insight into your phone corrupts sensitive data and acquires them then demands a ransom.

A ransom attacker demands favor mostly financial in order to return the personal data stolen. Ransomware attacks on personal mobile phones are on the rise due to the increased use of smartphones and technology.

An online survey indicates that 15% of online users receive ransomware attacks on their mobile phones. With this indication, it is very crucial to study ways to protect your phones from ransomware attacks.

Ransomware in most instances occur when a user visits popular tools and pop-ups on the latest trends, downloads apps, features, and updates then go ahead to install them.

A user is tricked to believe in the latest update or social trends only to install ransomware. Upon revelation, the attacks end up demanding payment for instance to decrypt information on your phone.

In other instances, it warns of deleting all mobile phone information including photos, videos, documents, or crucial data upon failure of paying for the ransom.

• WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE GARMIN RANSOMWARE ATTACK?
• GOVERNMENT MOST HIT BY RANSOMWARE ATTACKS IN 2020 FOLLOWED BY BANKING, SAYS ATLAS VPN
• RANSOMWARE: A CYBER THREAT THAT CONTINUES TO HAUNT PUBLIC

Using Firewalls and Antivirus Softwares

Firewalls and antivirus play a significant role in averting ransomware attacks. They help build a strong security status for the mobile phone allowing ransomware attacks to bounce back when they strike.

The difference between a firewall and an antivirus is that while a firewall is concerned with the creation of an enhanced security level in terms of preventing attacks from reaching the intended destination, an antivirus helps repel the ransomware attack.

Using firewalls and antivirus softwares goes a long way in creating a buffer zone between the ransomware softwares and your mobile phones.

With updated firewalls and antivirus software a user can comfortably download any trending news and activities on social media without fear of information breach or attack. Having unbiased and full guide on antivirus software is key in eradicating ransomware attacks. A good antivirus not only provides protection against viruses, but also has a Firewall, which will effectively prevent access to your computer.

Installing Security Patches

Patches are software embedded in designated software locations which help in keeping track of malicious softwares.

Patches help in diverting ransomware attacks because they repel any incoming attack through underlaid secured paths. Combining the security features of antiviruses and firewalls with patches secures your mobile phone in great ways from ransomware attacks.

Mobile phone security patches come in different forms and as such should be evaluated to ensure a perfect match with the mobile phones. This is not a problem at all because mobile phone manufacturers recommend some patches to be used for their mobile phones.

Backing Up All Files

A very crucial point to consider. Ensure that all your files are backed up before proceeding to browse.

Backing up on reliable softwares such as Bacula Cloud ensures that your data and files can be retrieved even in instances of data breaches through ransomware attacks.

In most instances, ransomware attackers demand ransom at the expense of personal data. Backing up files would guarantee safe retrieval even in instances of data deletion through the ransomware attack.

Performing Security Update

It is significant to ensure a consistent update is done on your phone. Performing security updates ensures that your mobile phone receives new security features and keeps it updated to current standards.

Most ransomware attacks occur on mobile phones that have not been updated over a considerable period. Whenever a new security update is released the previous updates become null and void.

At such status, your phone could easily fall victim to ransomware attacks without your discretion.

Use Downloads From Certified Sources

When downloading applications it is advisable to use Google’s Playstore app or Apple’s store app. These two apps stores are considered the best download stores that are trusted and licensed.

Downloading applications from other sources could be detrimental to your mobile phone because you could easily fall prey to malicious softwares. Playstore and Applestore are the conventional global apps download hub.

One can claim a refund if a ransomware attack occurs from applications downloaded on these two app stores.

Use Limited Phone Privileges

This process is useful when the user is on the Internet. Limiting your privileges enhances security through prohibition.

Whenever a ransomware attack occurs, your data will be secured because the viruses cannot gain full control of your data contrary to full privileges mode. It is important to exercise limited Internet practices always because one can never know when ransomware attacks occur.

Conclusion

Ransomware attacks are ranked among the most disturbing attacks because they infringe on personal information.

Exercising caution and following the underlaid caution when browsing with mobile phones goes a long way in preventing such attacks from occurring.

The post How to Protect the Phone against Ransomware appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Securing remote workers’ devices will be a key security challenge over the next year, as majority of organizations believe they will not return to pre-pandemic working norms

New Delhi – 29th April, 2021 — Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, is warning enterprises that securing their employees’ endpoint devices – their laptops, home PCs and smartphones – will be critical through 2021, as nearly three-quarters of organizations plan to shift employees to remote working permanently, and do not expect to return to pre-COVID operations.

According to a recent survey, the leading security priorities for enterprises through to 2023 were securing remote working (cited by 61%), endpoint and mobile security (59%), and security for employees working remotely was the leading challenge for 2021. These issues have been magnified during the enforced transition to remote working in the COVID pandemic because:

• More endpoint devices, more entry points: 97% of organizations in 2020 faced mobile threats that used multiple attack vectors, and 46% had at least one employee download a malicious mobile app, according to Check Point’s 2021 Mobile Security Report. Cyber-criminals know remote workers are relying on mobile devices more than ever, and actively target enterprise and BYOD mobiles with new attacks.
• Remote working is targeted: during 2020, hackers ramped up ‘thread hijacking’ attacks on remote workers to steal data or infiltrate networks using the Emotet and Qbot trojans, which together impacted 24% of organizations globally. Attacks against remote access systems also increased sharply.
• Vulnerabilities and outdated devices mean more risk: The vulnerabilities recently discovered in Microsoft Exchange server show how critical it is for organizations to regularly update software to protect themselves against attacks which exploit flaws, and the explosion in remote working makes this more challenging than ever before. In addition, Check Point’s Achilles research showed that at least 40% of the world’s mobile devices are inherently vulnerable to cyberattacks due to flaws in their chipsets, and need urgent patching.

“The pandemic has made corporate access points more vulnerable, as more devices come into play in the new remote-work format. What’s more, hackers are actively targeting employees’ endpoints, because they know that they are not as well protected or updated as often as their usual endpoint PCs and devices,” said Spokesperson, position at Check Point Software. “As a result, it’s critical that organizations deploy solutions that can seamlessly protect all types of endpoint device, from unmanaged mobiles to corporate laptops, to ensure they don’t fall victim to the increase in attacks and breaches.”

In February, Check Point launched Check Point Harmony, the first unified solution to enable secure connectivity to any resource anywhere and give total endpoint protection for users on any device. Check Point Harmony unifies endpoint, browser, email and remote access security components to protect all user devices and the enterprise networks they connect to against known and unknown threats, in a single, easy to manage solution.

“Check Point Harmony closes the security gaps that are usually left behind by multiple different point products from several different security vendors, blocking all exploit techniques across all attack vectors. This protects the enterprise´s network end to end, ensuring uncompromised security for the new ‘work from anywhere’ enterprise environment, with easy deployment and single-console management,” added Spokesperson, Position at Check Point Software.

Follow Check Point via:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/checkpointsw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/checkpointsoftware

Blog: https://blog.checkpoint.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CPGlobal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/check-point-software-technologies

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cyber security solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally. Check Point Infinity´s portfolio of solutions protects enterprises and public organisations from 5th generation cyber-attacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and other threats. Infinity comprises three core pillars delivering uncompromised security and generation V threat prevention across enterprise environments: Check Point Harmony, for remote users; Check Point CloudGuard, to automatically secure clouds; and Check Point Quantum, to protect network perimeters and datacenters, all controlled by the industry’s most comprehensive, intuitive unified security management. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.

The post Securing Endpoints Is More Critical Than Ever in 2021, Warns Check Point Software appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Analytics Insight predicts a huge rise in Cybersecurity jobs in coming years

Analytics Insight forecasts 10,006,993 new job openings in cybersecurity by 2023, compared to 3,241,800 job openings in 2019, growing a CAGR of 25.3% during the forecast period 2019-2023. The soaring demand for cybersecurity among industries and companies can be considered the reason for this exponential growth.

With the rapid digital transformation and automation across the globe, companies have been dealing with soaring cybersecurity threats and cybercrimes. Today, companies are in need of expanding and developing a strong cybersecurity team.

Almost all companies are falling prey to cyber threats irrespective of size, growth, technology, etc. Thus, organizations are prioritizing the development of scalable and secure digital infrastructures. Application development security, cloud security, threat intelligence, risk management, etc. are some of the significant cybersecurity skills in demand. Application development security and cloud security skills will enable the development of secure IT infrastructures rather than responding to attacks when they occur.

Thanks to the proliferation of smart technologies like IoT and digital media, cyberspace has become more vulnerable to data breaches today. Also, threat actors have entered into the modern technological space and they are using disruptive technologies like AI to commit these breaches.

However, there is a huge skill gap in the cybersecurity market. As per Analytics Insight, the global skills gap in cybersecurity was 64% in 2020. Considering the huge skill gap and soaring demand for cybersecurity experts, companies should focus on reforming the cybersecurity infrastructures. Siloed IT operations and development teams will create more confusion and hence need to be brought together. The IT professionals can increase their skill base in cybersecurity. All employees should have a basic knowledge of necessary security measures.

Reports revealed that the millennial community is keenly interested in taking up cybersecurity jobs. According to Forbes, cybersecurity professionals with cloud security skills can gain a USD15,025 salary premium in 2021. The accelerated migration to the cloud and a rising interest in connected devices will create more significance for cybersecurity and force companies to have a continuous cyber monitoring system.

The post Analytics Insight Estimates 10 Million New Jobs in Cybersecurity by 2023 appeared first on Analytics Insight.

With virus developers becoming craftier by the day, it behooves all of us to take active measures to protect our computers. Even if you’ve been lucky in the past, a single virus infection is all it takes to compromise your online security, slow your PC to a crawl and expose personal information. However, despite how devastating certain viruses can be, keeping them at bay doesn’t have to be an arduous undertaking. A little bit of cybersecurity knowhow and a willingness to exercise basic caution can go a long way in the fight against computer viruses.

Utilize Dedicated Antivirus Software

There’s simply no substitute for dedicated antivirus software. Even though most operating systems are equipped with their own virus-fighting features, antivirus software is needed to truly fortify your digital defenses. Dependable antivirus software can prove helpful at preventing, detecting and removing an extensive assortment of viruses and other cyberthreats. If you’re currently in the market for dedicated antivirus software, limit your options to programs that provide protection from a wide range of cyberthreats, offer consistent updates to users and make support personnel easily accessible.

In order to enjoy the full benefits of your antivirus software, you’ll need to install updates as they become available. Given how rapidly the number of cyberthreats expands, there’s little wonder as to why so many security-focused software developers provide users with updates on a near-constant basis. The longer you sit on these updates, the more vulnerable your PC will be to certain threats. If you don’t trust yourself to promptly install updates, you can save yourself the hassle by setting your software to install them automatically.

Update Your Apps and Operating System

Dedicated antivirus software isn’t the only thing that needs to be consistently updated. Both your operating system and the various apps you use should be updated on a regular basis. Many updates are created to combat new threats and remedy security flaws, so by failing to install them in a timely manner, you’re only increasing your chances of falling victim to a virus attack. That being the case, make a point of installing updates as they become available. You can also ensure that programs are updated in the most expedient manner possible by setting them to install updates automatically. This helps ensure that you won’t be tempted to place crucial updates on the backburner, thereby compromising your computer’s safety.

Don’t Visit Questionable Sites

Some websites are teeming with viruses and malware. To prevent yourself from ever accidentally visiting one, take care to heed any warnings provided by your operating system, antivirus software or browser about any sites you’re visiting for the first time. Furthermore, since these sites often contain virus-laden ads, make sure your browser is equipped with a good ad blocker. If your browser’s built-in ad-blocking properties are insufficient, utilize a highly-rated third-party ad blocker. Additionally, for an extra layer of protection, you should also make use of a good script blocker.

Run Regular Threat Scans

Regular threat scans are crucial to keeping your computer virus-free. These scans serve to detect any viruses or other cyberthreats that are present on your PC and can be carried out via operating systems and dedicated antivirus software. As an added bonus, threat scans generally don’t eat up much memory, so they can often be performed in the background without interfering with any other tasks. For best results, run at least one full-system threat scan every 24 hours. You can also save yourself the trouble of manually setting each scan into motion by setting your O.S. and/or antivirus software to carry them out automatically on the dates and times of your choosing.

Few things are more frustrating than going toe-to-toe with a computer virus. Even viruses that are considered minor can be extremely difficult to fully remove. Additionally, large-scale viruses like ransomware can take full control of your computer and compromise your personal information. That being the case, virus protection should be a priority for every security-conscious individual. While certain viruses can be formidable opponents once they find their way onto your system, preventing them from manifesting in the first place is much easier than you may think. Putting the previously discussed tips to good use can be a boon to your long-term virus prevention efforts.

The post Keeping Computer Viruses at Bay appeared first on Analytics Insight.