Cybersecurity Archieven - Intermediate

Why a proactive cybersecurity strategy is essential for organizations today

Teun Tonino — Tue, 23 May 2023 06:28:00 +0000

In today’s digital age, where technology permeates every aspect of our lives, organizations face an ever-evolving and sophisticated threat landscape. Cyber attacks have become more prevalent, sophisticated, and damaging than ever before. It is no longer enough for organizations to simply react to incidents after they occur; a proactive cyber security strategy has become essential. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why organizations need to adopt a proactive approach to cyber security and the benefits it brings. Evolving cyber threat landscape Cyber threats are constantly evolving, with attackers finding new ways to exploit vulnerabilities in systems and networks. Recent high-profile attacks like ransomware incidents, data breaches, and supply chain attacks have highlighted the gravity of the situation. Organizations cannot afford to wait until they become victims; they must anticipate and prepare for emerging threats. By implementing a proactive cyber security strategy, organizations can stay ahead of attackers and mitigate potential risks. Cost of cybersecurity breaches The financial and reputational costs of cyber attacks are staggering. Studies show that the average cost of a data breach is in the millions, considering the expenses associated with incident response, remediation, legal fees, and customer notification. Moreover, the damage to an […]

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Are you prepared for DORA?

Teun Tonino — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 05:00:23 +0000

Digitization and technical innovation create plenty of opportunities for the financial industry, but they certainly also entail risks. To curb these risks, the European Union has designed regulations to increase the digital resilience of this important sector: the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) expects this regulation, which the European Council is currently discussing, to enter into force at the end of 2022 or early 2023. But what exactly does DORA mean? What does the EU law mean for companies active in the financial industry? And how can these companies prepare for the new legislation? Read on for the answers to these pressing questions. What is DORA? With DORA, the EU aims to create a unified legislative framework in the field of cybersecurity in the financial sector. At present, the rules in this area are fragmented or limited. Sometimes rules only apply at the national level or there are no rules at all, leading to inconsistency in regulations between different EU Member States. The consequence? More cyber risks and unnecessary costs for financial institutions, but also uncertainty about the rules that apply in certain countries or regions. The European Commission (EC) has formulated […]

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‘Attack surface management’: what is it and why is it important?

Teun Tonino — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 07:00:56 +0000

Modern CIOs face a challenging task: driving digital transformation and innovation, while protecting the organization from the growing number of advanced cyber threats and attacks. Digital transformation almost always leads to a larger, more varied, and more complex IT landscape. This has a larger attack surface and is often more difficult to manage than a small IT environment. One of the best ways to keep your digital environment safe is ‘attack surface management’, the top trend in cybersecurity according to Gartner. But what does this concept mean? And why is it important to pay attention to it? You can read it in this blog article. What is an attack surface? An attack surface is the sum of the number of IT assets within an organization that have been exposed to any cyber risks. Those parts may have a safe, vulnerable or unknown status. An organization’s attack surface includes IT components that are on-premises, in the cloud, in subsidiary networks, and in third-party environments. An attack surface also changes continuously over time. New applications and systems are added, while others are disappearing. Wat is attack surface management? Attack surface management is an ongoing process that helps you assess and classify the […]

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Will a cyber war affect my company?

Teun Tonino — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:08:52 +0000

The Russian war against Ukraine had started long before the tanks and military crossed the borders and rocket attacks left multiple cities in ruins. Where? On the online battlefield. Long before the invasion, attacks were carried out against the systems of Ukrainian government institutions, the Ukrainian armed forces and tech companies. 4 out of 5 cyber attacks could be traced back to Russian actors. Especially now that economic and social infrastructure is dependent on the availability and functioning of IT systems, cyber warfare and cyber crime are unfortunately effective and efficient ways to disrupt companies, government institutions and even entire countries. In this article we explain what cyberwarfare is, why it is an effective and disruptive way of warfare and what the consequences can be for companies. What is cyberwarfare? Cyberwarfare is a form of warfare in which hackers and cybercriminals attack nation states, organizations or companies in hostile countries with computer or network sabotage for political motives. The target? Gain political, military or economic advantage from disrupting, cracking (stealing valuable data) or shutting down critical IT systems. A cyber war can therefore be aimed at sabotage, espionage or a combination of both. It is no coincidence […]

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How can we explain the increase in ransomware?

Teun Tonino — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:00:07 +0000

Trends in the world of cybersecurity show a worrying trend: ransomware is on the rise. 2021 was an all-time record year for the number of recorded ransomware and cyber attacks. Cyber criminals specializing in ransomware are therefore among the major winners of the corona pandemic, as the advance of remote working gives them even more opportunities to develop their digital extortion practices. Cybercrime has become a lucrative business model that, according to Coveware, a company specializing in cybersecurity, generates profit margins comparable to those derived from organized cocaine trafficking. But how can the rapid rise of ransomware in IT be explained? Read on to find out. What is ransomware? The name makes it immediately clear how this insidious and vicious form of cybercrime works. Ransomware is a form of malware that locks computers, files or systems. In exchange for lifting the block, the cyber criminals demand money from the affected organization or users. Usually they ask for payment in bitcoins because transactions in cryptocurrencies are more difficult to trace than regular cash flows. While companies often see ransom payments as the only option to regain control of their IT, there is a degree of risk involved. You […]

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How to use a security framework

Teun Tonino — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 05:01:27 +0000

Implementing an information security strategy for your organization is a project in itself. Security frameworks help you get started. It is advised to familiarize yourself with some points for attention of the use of those frameworks in advance. That will help you make the right considerations. In this article we will list it for you. Preface It is arguably any company’s worst nightmare: hackers stealing your customer data, shutting down your online services or taking your critical IT systems and data hostage. That is not an unjustified fear. In 2020, the Dutch Data Protection Authority received 23,976 reports of data leaks. The number of reports of hacking, malware or phishing incidents has increased by 30% compared to 2019. New reports about cyber-attacks appear in the news every week. Fortunately, anyone who wants to defend themselves against such attacks does not have to reinvent the wheel. Existing security frameworks such as ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework can help you shape an information security strategy. Risk management Information security is about managing risks. To develop an information security policy, you first map out which information company assets are present in your organization, in physical or digital form. What information is […]

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Increase in cybercrime during Corona

Teun Tonino — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 08:35:08 +0000

Have you also received an email promising you a panacea for COVID-19? Just click on the link to order? Cybercrime increased dramatically during the corona crisis. Not surprising: there are always malicious people trying to cash in on a crisis situation. They respond to current events in order to steal money or valuable information from their victims. Or they try to further disrupt the situation for political or ideological reasons. What can you do about it? Attack To achieve their goals, cyber attackers are looking for human and technical vulnerabilities that they can exploit. The corona crisis helped them: People experience insecurity and are therefore more susceptible to scams. Technical facilities were quickly put in place to make working from home possible. Security was often not the top priority. Cyber criminals give a corona twist to proven attack methods. Chinese hackers, for instance, used a vulnerability in Cisco equipment for an extensive espionage campaign. They may have been looking for strategic information about COVID-19. And in July, 130 Twitter accounts were hacked, including those of celebrities like Elon Musk and Joe Biden. These hacked accounts claimed to be donating thousands of dollars in Bitcoins due to the corona crisis. In […]

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How to facilitate secure remote working

Teun Tonino — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:35:07 +0000

It’s almost impossible to imagine, but just a few months ago we found it quite normal to work 5 days a week in the office. Due to the corona crisis, many organizations have raised teleworking to the new standard in no time. And now that they have discovered its benefits, it is expected that this way of working will remain popular after the crisis. But not without a risk. Teleworking provides cyber criminals with an additional attack surface to harm your organization. In this article we provide tips to make secure teleworking possible. What’s going wrong? Improper management or use of telecommuting facilities is often the cause of an unsafe situation. A number of things that often go wrong: Working with outdated software or hardware Applications or devices that enable teleworking are not up to date. Such outdated features often have well-known vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. Examples: A teleworker using telework software has not installed the latest security update for this. The office network contains an old model network router for which the supplier no longer releases security updates. Insecure connection to the office network. The IT department has not securely configured the telework connections to the office […]

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