Cyber-attacks are one of the defining security threats of our age and cybersecurity a growing priority for business and governments alike.
The internet’s transformation of both our personal lives and the world of commerce has created boundless opportunities for hackers with a wide range of motives and an even broader array of tools. From phishing and clickjacking to ransomware, direct-access attacks and denial of service attacks (DoS) the threats keep on evolving and emerging. It’s a game of cat and mouse as the criminals become more sophisticated and cyber security professionals try to keep up.
The stakes are high. Lloyd’s of London has warned that a major cyber-attack could wreak havoc that costs as much as £92bn to remedy – more than the repair bill for Hurricane Katrina, costliest natural disaster in UoS histry. And ‘destruction of service’ attacks could “disrupt the internet itself” and destroy businesses in one fell swoop, according to research from Cisco.
The GDPR, which comes into force across Europe in May 2018, raises the stakes further still. The fines for data protection breaches – including deficient cyber security protections – will be 79 times higher than under the previous regime: €10 million (£7.9 million) or 2% of an organisation’s global turnover.
A government survey of the FTSE 350 has revealed 68% of board members have not been trained to deal with cybersecurity incidents, potentially leaving their businesses in danger.
If the ubiquity of smartphones have created even more opportunities for criminals, then the internet of things has ramped up the threat further still, with everyday household objects now connected to the internet. In 2016, some 1.5m IoT devices – mostly security cameras – were hijacked during a DDoS attack. Even our cars are becoming vulnerable.
Why are hospitals such a major target for hackers?
April 20, 2018
The NHS was hit by the wave of ransomware attacks - dubbed WannaCry - last year and other hospitals around the world have been targeted. Why are they such a popular target and what can they do about it? Read More
NHS is “not alone” in its inertia post-WannaCry, says cybersecurity chief
April 19, 2018
“The Public Account Committee’s report into the NHS WannaCry cyber-attack highlights a lack of preparedness for attacks of this nature, but the NHS is not alone in this,” said Andrew Beckett, managing director of Kroll’s cyber security and investigations division. Read More
UK and US on alert for critical infrastructure attacks in wake of “sustained” Russian cyber offensive
April 17, 2018
The UK and US are concerned that Russia is laying the groundwork for further cyber-assaults on critical infrastructure after Moscow was accused of mounting a “sustained” attack on Western targets. Read More
Axis Communications is awarded Cyber Essentials accreditation
April 16, 2018
Network video technology supplier Axis Communications has been awarded Cyber Essentials accreditation, a UK government scheme for mitigating cyber security risks within an organisation. Read More
Ransomware and social attacks are top threats to cybersecurity
April 13, 2018
Ransomware attacks are the top cybersecurity threat to organisations and are now targeting business-critical systems, according to a new report from Verizon. Read More
IFSEC International 2018 announces the Converged Security Centre powered by Vidsys
April 12, 2018
IFSEC International 2018 will host a dedicated learning and demonstration area where visitors will benefit from a real-time immersive experience of integrated physical and cybersecurity. Read More
2018 appears to be the year of ransomware: Extenua Q&A
April 11, 2018
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com spoke to the company’s CEO, Steve Visconti, about the rise of ransomware, the dark underbelly of Bitcoin and how Extenua’s Cloud2Drive configured with SilverShield can protect against ransomware. Read More
No cause for panic: Cybersecurity chief responds to slow detection of breaches in Europe
April 10, 2018
The fact that organisations in Europe are taking more than twice as long to detect IT security breaches as American ones is not necessarily a cause for concern, according to the CEO of a Swiss-based web security company. Read More
WATCH: 5 notorious insider jobs
April 6, 2018
Some 74% of companies feel vulnerable to insider threats and only 42% are confident in their security countermeasures, a report revealed in 2016. Here are five examples of those fears being realised to spectacular effect. Read More
Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2018 now open for entries and table bookings
April 6, 2018
You can now enter yourself or your company for one or more of the categories in the Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2018. Read More