GISEC 2021 //
ARABIAN RESELLER - MAY 2021
THE CYBERATTACK SURFACE CONTINUES TO EXPAND Giuseppe Brizio, CISO EMEA at Qualys, says that the insider threats are often underestimated but are very dangerous How has the security threat landscape evolved over the past few months? Digital Transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, has heralded a new reality characterized by the hybrid (remote and mobile) workforces and fast adoption of new technologies (e.g. Cloud Computing, Containers, Enterprise Mobility etc.) which have dramatically increased the cyberattack surface and weakened organizations’ cybersecurity posture. Consequently
the cyberattacks have increased in volume and bad actors have gained higher possibility of succeeding. Supply chain attacks for instance, are complex and require a lot of resources, but are very attractive to hackers because one successful hacking on a commonly used software gives the attackers a multiplying effect, providing potential access to all the customers using that software. The SolarWinds attack is an example of the supply
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chain risk. As it was the case in 2020, cyber-criminals will continue and increase the focus on remote workers, launching attacks which exploit “stay at home” technology vulnerabilities but also behavioural weaknesses through social engineering. Cybercriminals continue to take advantage of the sudden shift to remote working caused by the pandemic, to launch phishing, ransomware and malware attacks, targeting gaps in security postures, as many organizations were
