Hackers will always exploit a crisis, and the coronavirus outbreak is no different. Since January, cybercriminals have leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic to stage all manner of cyberattacks, from ransomware take-overs of hospital systems to private network hacking. But the latest cybercrime scheme exploits the greatest cybersecurity vulnerability of all: human emotion.
Half of infosec professionals revealed that their organizations didn’t have a contingency plan in place, or didn’t know if they did, for a situation like COVID-19 or a similar scenario.
Cred, a blockchain-based financial services platform, announced Bethany De Lude will take over all security operations as Chief Information Security Officer.
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced the details for AcceleRISE 2020 – a virtual conference created by SIA’s RISE community for young professionals in the security industry – taking place July 27-31.
Threat actors launched a cyberattack against the Texas Office of Court Administration, the IT provider for many Texas courts, and encrypted their computer systems with ransomware, leaving those systems useless. Cognizant, which has a large presence in Dallas-Fort Worth and is one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated providers of information technology services for other companies, was hit with ransomware with losses currently estimated between $50 million and $70 million.
MITRE’s Center for Technology & National Security (CTNS), created to enhance MITRE’s engagement with senior government leadership, named five highly esteemed national security officials to its newly established advisory board.
There is a trade-off between technology innovation and security. The adoption of emerging technologies like 5G will fuel the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) which are often built with basic security controls, creating a larger attack surface. At the same time, reliance on data means that data breaches can cause greater damage.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is introducing a new four-year degree program in cybersecurity in the fall 2021 semester to help meet the rising demand for cybersecurity professionals.
CenturyLink, Inc. announced that Hugo Teufel has joined the technology company as its new chief privacy officer. As a noted expert in the field, he will advise the company on privacy and security issues and will work closely with CenturyLink’s sales, IT and security teams to help design, implement and refine strategic privacy initiatives throughout the company.