SolCyber Blog

Does the cybersecurity industry really need as much esoteric jargon and as many complex components as it has?

Or is the burden of “more tools, more tools” weighing us down?

All the cybersecurity experts and vendors in the world failed to stop the SolarWinds attack. It’s often the fluency and completeness of how you respond to the news that really matters…

The manufacturing sector has suffered the highest percentage of cyberattacks of any sector for three years in a row, according to IBM’s latest X-Force Threat Intelligence Report. Of the top 10 attacked sectors, manufacturing suffered 25.7% of all attacks, followed by finance and insurance at 18.2%. The highest “action on objective”—meaning “the cyber attacker’s end goal”—was malware. Ransomware represented 17% of actions on objective. The same report reveals that 85% of attacks on critical infrastructure could have been prevented with […]

When cybercriminals are around, what you see at the outset is rarely what you get in the end.

The financial services industry has historically been one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks, and it’s not difficult to imagine why. Roughly 95% of attacks are financially motivated, and hackers are going directly to the source by targeting the financial services sector. Not only do these financial institutions have direct access to cash, they also tend to be high-revenue businesses that can’t afford to be disrupted or take a reputational hit, so they’re more likely to pay a ransom.  […]

Here’s a gentle, objective, and not-too-technical retrospective. Are you sitting comfortably?

The average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million — a 15% increase over three years, marking yet another year in which the average cost has risen significantly. Yet, costs can balloon even higher. Just recently, Change Healthcare had to shell out billions after its breach earlier this year. With the devastatingly high costs of cyberattacks, acting only after you’ve been compromised is a good way to incur some heavy payments or, in some cases, even go […]

As the famous saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Employees are a major attack vector for threat actors targeting organizations. Recent research by Stanford University confirms this, revealing that 88% of all data breaches are caused by human error. These human errors might be as simple as sending an email to an incorrect address or leaving a database publicly viewable; but they can also be more involved, as when employees become victims of targeted phishing campaigns. Let’s detail how employees might be increasing risk for organizations and what organizations […]

When you come across a threat that seems mundane at first glance, is it OK to let AI try to mop it up on its own?

Banks with safe deposit vaults don’t set them up so that every box gets the same key. But when it comes to online accounts, we’re not always so careful…

HTTPS needed at least two decades to take hold, for a bunch of curious and sometimes contradictory reasons. Join Paul Ducklin for Part 2 of this peculiar but educational tale…

HTTPS needed at least two decades to take hold, for a bunch of curious and sometimes contradictory reasons. Join Paul Ducklin for Part 1 of this peculiar but educational tale…

If you work in a large organization with an extensive attack surface, you might have considered establishing a security operations center (SOC) for more dedicated monitoring and response. Establishing a SOC makes sense for enterprise organizations that face constant threats, handle sensitive and high-value data, and/or have large and complex infrastructures. Such organizations include financial institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, high-profile companies, large entertainment companies with A-list celebrities on their rosters, and massive e-commerce companies. For these organizations, a SOC […]

Does the cybersecurity industry really need as much esoteric jargon and as many complex components as it has?

Or is the burden of “more tools, more tools” weighing us down?

All the cybersecurity experts and vendors in the world failed to stop the SolarWinds attack. It’s often the fluency and completeness of how you respond to the news that really matters…

The manufacturing sector has suffered the highest percentage of cyberattacks of any sector for three years in a row, according to IBM’s latest X-Force Threat Intelligence Report. Of the top 10 attacked sectors, manufacturing suffered 25.7% of all attacks, followed by finance and insurance at 18.2%. The highest “action on objective”—meaning “the cyber attacker’s end goal”—was malware. Ransomware represented 17% of actions on objective. The same report reveals that 85% of attacks on critical infrastructure could have been prevented with […]

When cybercriminals are around, what you see at the outset is rarely what you get in the end.

The financial services industry has historically been one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks, and it’s not difficult to imagine why. Roughly 95% of attacks are financially motivated, and hackers are going directly to the source by targeting the financial services sector. Not only do these financial institutions have direct access to cash, they also tend to be high-revenue businesses that can’t afford to be disrupted or take a reputational hit, so they’re more likely to pay a ransom.  […]

Here’s a gentle, objective, and not-too-technical retrospective. Are you sitting comfortably?

The average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million — a 15% increase over three years, marking yet another year in which the average cost has risen significantly. Yet, costs can balloon even higher. Just recently, Change Healthcare had to shell out billions after its breach earlier this year. With the devastatingly high costs of cyberattacks, acting only after you’ve been compromised is a good way to incur some heavy payments or, in some cases, even go […]

Banks with safe deposit vaults don’t set them up so that every box gets the same key. But when it comes to online accounts, we’re not always so careful…

HTTPS needed at least two decades to take hold, for a bunch of curious and sometimes contradictory reasons. Join Paul Ducklin for Part 2 of this peculiar but educational tale…

HTTPS needed at least two decades to take hold, for a bunch of curious and sometimes contradictory reasons. Join Paul Ducklin for Part 1 of this peculiar but educational tale…

If you work in a large organization with an extensive attack surface, you might have considered establishing a security operations center (SOC) for more dedicated monitoring and response. Establishing a SOC makes sense for enterprise organizations that face constant threats, handle sensitive and high-value data, and/or have large and complex infrastructures. Such organizations include financial institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, high-profile companies, large entertainment companies with A-list celebrities on their rosters, and massive e-commerce companies. For these organizations, a SOC […]