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Vulnerabilities
connected gadgets Cyber Security Cyber Threats Data Privacy IoT Network Security Remote Work Risks Smart Devices Vulnerabilities

Unveiling the Unseen Cybersecurity Threats Posed by Smart Devices

 

The number of smart devices worldwide has surpassed the global population, with a continuous upward trend, particularly amidst remote and hybrid work settings. Ranjit Atwal, Gartner's senior research director, attributes this surge to the increase in remote work. As work mobility grows, the demand for connected devices like 4G/5G laptops rises, crucial for employees to work from anywhere.

Smart devices encompass gadgets connecting to the internet, like smart bulbs, speakers (e.g., Amazon's Alexa), and wearables such as the Apple Watch. They collect data, enhancing user experience but also pose security risks exploited by cybercriminals. Surprisingly, consumers often overlook security when purchasing smart devices, as shown by Blackberry's research.

In response, the European Union proposed the "Cyber Resilience Act" to enforce cybersecurity standards for all connected devices. Failure to comply may result in hefty fines. Margrethe Vestager from the European Commission emphasizes the need for market products to meet robust cybersecurity measures, likening it to trusting CE-marked toys or fridges.

Security vulnerabilities in smart devices pose threats, as seen in TP-Link's smart lightbulb. Exploiting these vulnerabilities could grant hackers access to networks, risking data and enabling potential malware deployment. Even smart homes face numerous entry points for hackers, as illustrated by investigations conducted by Which?, showcasing thousands of hacking attempts in a week.

Mirai botnet targets smart devices, using brute-force attacks to gain access via weak passwords. In a concerning case, a Google Home speaker was turned into a wiretap due to vulnerabilities, highlighting the potential risks associated with unsecured devices.

Securing home networks becomes paramount. Strategies include:

1. Purposeful Device Selection: Opt for devices that suit your needs, avoiding unnecessary interconnected gadgets.
2. Router Security: Update router settings, change default passwords, and enable automatic firmware updates.
3. Password Management:Use password managers to create strong and unique passwords for each account.
4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Employ MFA to add layers of verification during logins.
5. Wi-Fi Network Segmentation: Create separate networks for different devices to isolate potential threats.
6. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs):Invest in VPNs to encrypt online activities and protect against cyber threats on unsecured networks.

Implementing these measures strengthens overall cybersecurity, safeguarding personal data and devices from potential breaches and threats.
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Technology
Cloud Devices IoT online threats Remote Work Technology

Remote Work and the Cloud Create Various Endpoint Security Challenges

At the recent Syxsense Synergy event, cybersecurity experts delved into the ever-evolving challenges faced by security and endpoint management. With the increasing complexity of cloud technologies, advancements in the Internet of Things, and the widespread adoption of remote work, the landscape of cybersecurity has become more intricate than ever before. 

These experts shed light on the pressing issues surrounding this field. Based on a survey conducted by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), it has been discovered that the average user presently possesses approximately seven devices for both personal and office use. 

Moreover, the ESG survey revealed a notable connection between the number of security and endpoint management tools employed within an enterprise and the frequency of breaches experienced. Among the organizations surveyed, 6% utilized fewer than five tools, while 27% employed 5 to 10 tools. 33% of organizations employed 11 to 15 tools, whereas the remaining organizations implemented more than 15 tools to manage their security and endpoints. 

Understand the concept of Endpoints and why their security is important while working remotely?

Endpoints encompass various physical devices that establish connections with computer networks, facilitating the exchange of information. These devices span a wide range, including mobile devices, desktop computers, virtual machines, embedded devices, and servers. 

Additionally, endpoints extend to Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as cameras, lighting systems, refrigerators, security systems, smart speakers, and thermostats. When a device establishes a network connection, the transmission of information between the device, such as a laptop, and the network can be linked to a conversation taking place between two individuals over a phone call. 

Endpoints are attractive targets for cybercriminals due to their vulnerability and their role as gateways to corporate data. As the workforce becomes more distributed, protecting endpoints has become increasingly challenging. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable, as they can serve as entry points for criminals to target larger organizations, often lacking robust cybersecurity defenses. 

Data breaches are financially devastating for enterprises, with the global average cost being $4.24 million and $9.05 million in the United States. Remote work-related breaches incur an additional average cost of $1.05 million. The majority of breach costs are attributed to lost business, including customer turnover, revenue loss from system downtime, and the expenses of rebuilding reputation and acquiring new customers. 

With the increasing mobility of workforces, organizations face a range of endpoint security risks. These common threats include: 

Phishing: A form of social engineering attack that manipulates individuals into divulging sensitive information. 

Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts a victim's data and demands a ransom for its release.

Device loss: Leading to data breaches and potential regulatory penalties, lost or stolen devices pose significant risks to organizations. 

Outdated patches: Failure to apply timely software updates leaves systems vulnerable, enabling exploitation by malicious actors. 

Malware ads (malvertising): Online advertisements are used as a medium to distribute malware and compromise systems. 

Drive-by downloads: Automated downloads of software onto devices without the user's knowledge or consent. 

According to Ashley Leonard, Syxsense founder, and CEO, the biggest reason behind increasing challenges related to endpoint security is lack of training. “If people are not properly trained and grooved in on their endpoint and security tools, you are going to find devices and systems misconfigured, not maintained properly, and with critical patches undeployed. Training is vital, but it is much easier to train people on a single tool,” he further added.
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Web browsing
Cloud Computing Cyber Security Cybersecurity Endpoint security Remote Work Web browsing

The Rising Popularity of Remote Browser Isolation

Browser Isolation

The Importance of Browser Isolation in a Remote Work Environment

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a seismic shift in the way we work, with remote work becoming the norm for many organizations. While this has brought numerous benefits, it has also presented new security challenges. In response, companies have turned to remote browser isolation as a solution. 

According to the "Innovation Insight for Remote Browser Isolation" report by Menlo Security, remote browser isolation is a rapidly evolving technology that is gaining popularity due to its ability to provide a secure browsing experience. In this blog, we will explore some of the key findings of this report and examine the growing importance of remote browser isolation in today's business landscape.

Amit Jain, who holds the position of Senior Director of Product Management at Zscaler, a cloud-based security company, suggests that due to the increasing number of remote employees utilizing cloud services, browser isolation has become essential in safeguarding both corporate cloud services and the employee's device.

He says, "For modern enterprises, the Internet is now the corporate network. This shift has enabled workers to work from anywhere while being able to access the information they need for their jobs through cloud-based apps and private apps via the Web, while this has provided maximum flexibility to workers, it has also significantly expanded the attack surface and has the potential to expose data."

Key Trends in Remote Browser Isolation: An Analysis of Menlo Security's Report

1. Growing Popularity of Remote Browser Isolation: It is quickly gaining traction as a key security technology, with many organizations recognizing its ability to protect against web-based threats.

2. Increased Need for Scalable Solutions: As more companies adopt remote work policies, the need for scalable remote browser isolation solutions has become more pressing. Many companies are exploring cloud-based solutions to meet this need.

3. The Importance of User Experience: Despite its security benefits, remote browser isolation can be challenging to implement in a way that provides a seamless user experience. The report highlights the importance of user experience in driving the adoption and suggests that solutions that prioritize ease of use are likely to gain traction.

4. New Threats and Attack Vectors: As with any security technology, remote browser isolation is not immune to evolving threats and attack vectors. The report discusses some of the emerging threats that remote browser isolation must contend with and suggests that ongoing innovation in this space will be critical in order to stay ahead of attackers.

5. Integration with Other Security Technologies: Remote browser isolation is most effective when integrated with other security technologies such as secure web gateways and endpoint security solutions. 

Browser Isolation Solutions: Will companies isolate?

Gartner says, "By 2022, 25% of enterprises will adopt browser isolation techniques for some high-risk users and use cases, up from less than 1% in 2017. By effectively isolating endpoints from browser-executable code, attacks that compromise end-user systems will be reduced by 70%, while eliminating the need to detect or identify malware."

Larger companies operating in regulated industries have tended to adopt remote browser isolation due to its ease of deployment and its physical air gap, which provides an additional layer of security. 

Small and medium-sized enterprises tend to opt for local browser isolation technology due to its flexibility. As expected, vendors have varying opinions on whether standalone or integrated solutions are preferable.

Mr. Jain from Zscaler said "The technology should be fully integrated into the zero trust platform providing threat protection for all Web activity and preventing data loss from sanctioned SaaS and corporate private apps. Moreover, HTML smuggling [and other] attacks can be better thwarted by an architecture which involves a tighter combination of browser isolation and sandbox technologies."

As cloud usage has increased, browser isolation has become even more important. Cloud services are often accessed through web browsers, and if a user's device is compromised, the sensitive data stored in the cloud is also at risk. However, using browser isolation significantly reduces the risk of a data breach.

Mark Guntrip, senior director at Menlo Security, said "It's not the fact of what we do — it's the fact that we do it without interfering with that digital experience of the end user." So they can interact with whatever they want. They can click on whatever they want, but we hold anything that's active away from them"



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Security Solutions
Cloud Architecture Cyber Security Hybrid Work Remote Work Security Solutions

5 Ways That Can Help Your Business in Remote Work Security While Saving Costs


CISOs can ensure BYOD and remote work without raising safety costs

Remote and hybrid work models are the common trend in the current industry. The sudden shift to this new model of working also has some threats and security risks associated with it.

With the start of 2023 and fears of recession dawning over enterprise planning, security companies should find new ways to secure sensitive data and resources without increasing expenses. 

However, they also have to keep supporting work from home and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, these two are main drivers for business agility, accessibility, and flexibility to a wider range of human talent. 

Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) can incorporate these five ways to ensure remote work security while saving operational costs:

1. Replacing virtual desktops

Virtual Desktops (VD) are virtual PCs in the cloud that allow remote access to on-premises physical devices. Once VD software is installed on the remote endpoint device, users can link to their in-office workstations. This solution was made for legacy architectures and was a go-to option if a user needed to leverage his on-premise computer to access on-premises company resources and keep working. 

2. Implement a zero-trust approach

Cloud architectures pushed security organizations to bring new ways of permission provisioning. With global users, the old castle-and-moat approach doesn't work anymore. Hence, identity became the new standard, pushing security firms to control access in a new manner. 

The best identity-based security approach for distributed architecture is "zero-trust," it consists of ongoing user verification and authorization, instead of trusting them on the basis of network origin or IP. As per the recent IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2022, the zero-trust method saved companies an average of $1 million in breach damage. 

Any security response should provide a "zero-trust" approach as a part of its solution to stop the attack window from getting access and restrict lateral movements, and also cut down data breach costs. Purchasing any other solution can increase unnecessary costs for your business. 

3. Control access via granular conditions

User verification and access management are laid out from a clear set of policies. These policies decide which actors can access what resources, and the actions they can perform. But keeping high-level policies will offer users extra privileges and can result in a costly data breach. 

Authorization policies should be granular to make sure not too many access privileges are given to users, they should be consistent throughout all SaaS and local applications and implemented on both unmanaged and managed devices. This will help ensure high ROIs (return on investment), and increase security, and productivity. 

4. Provide security awareness training to employees

As per Verizon's 2022 DBIR report, "82% of breaches involved the human element. Whether it is the use of stolen credentials, phishing, misuse, or simply an error, people continue to play a very large role in incidents and breaches alike." Remote work has further increased the use of sophisticated phishing attacks, around 62% of security experts said that phishing campaigns were a major threat during Covid-19, suggests The New Future of Work Report from Microsoft. 

A cybersecurity solution will only work when employees are aware and know how to deal with potential threats like malware, phishing emails, and sites, etc.

5. Use modern alternatives as a replacement for costly network solutions 

Network security solutions such as VPNs, SWGs, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and CASBs are costly and need IT management and maintenance, which increases cost. These are difficult to deploy, affecting user experience, and do not always provide instant solutions to businesses. 

Modern alternatives offer conditional access to resources, and they have the potential to ensure a higher level of security while keeping operational costs low and also managing network traffic. 

What is next for security firms in 2023?

It does not matter if the recession is nearing or not, security teams have to provide security while keeping the operational costs under control. Traditionally, it has been difficult for security teams to work as per the given budget, hence, they will have to modify the approach and planning in dealing with threats. Low-cost and effective security measures will be the key for security solutions firms as we step into the year 2023. 



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South Korea
Cyber Attacks Online Traffic Remote Work South Korea

South Korea Under Major Cyber Attacks in Pandemic Era

 

As per Ciso, ransomware attacks have proliferated in South Korea over the last year, impacting hospitals and shopping malls as the coronavirus pandemic has increased Internet usage. 

A major plastic surgery clinic in southern Seoul disclosed on Thursday that its servers had been the target of a ransomware attack on its website. Personal data about their patients seem to have been obtained by the hackers. This is the most recent in a string of ransomware assaults recorded in the city.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of ransomware assaults reported in the country increased by more than thrice to 127 last year, up from 39 in 2019. According to the Yonhap news agency, there have been around 65 cases so far this year. A wide spectrum of businesses has been attacked by ransomware attacks. 

Last month, Super Hero's operations were interrupted for hours due to a ransomware attack that affected 15,000 delivery employees around the world. Hackers broke into the local fashion and retail behemoth E-Land Group last November, forcing the shutdown of 23 of its 50 NC Department Store and NewCore outlet sites. 

Cyber-attacks have increased in both number and profile as the epidemic has led to more Internet usage. According to Kim Seung-joo, a cybersecurity specialist at Korea University, ransomware assaults might pose more problems than just destroying a company's complete work system because enterprises are relying more on remote work during the epidemic. 

As an outcome, a growing number of companies are paying the ransom. This technique supports the spread of ransomware. It's a vicious circle, Kim said, urging more investment in cybersecurity to avoid the crisis in the first place. 

Regrettably, the attacks appear to be part of a bigger global pattern. The hack of Colonial Pipeline, a major oil pipeline operator in the United States, was a notable recent incident. The corporation was compelled to pay a $4.4 million ransom. 

As ransomware assaults continue in South Korea, the ICT ministry established a 24-hour monitoring team last month to help businesses harmed by the attacks. Companies that have been targeted by the attacks are currently receiving assistance from the government, including the restoration of their systems.
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