BlackBerry offers Kaspersky replacement cybersecurity for the channel

The Russian invasion in Ukraine has demonstrated that while wars in the past were mainly confined to geographical locations, today’s battles are also being fought digitally, and globally. The challenge of ‘borderless’ cyber warfare is further underlined by this week‘s joint warning from Five Eyes Alliance security authorities, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), urging Managed Service Providers to protect the IT supply chain with a fresh set of cybersecurity measures.  

The Biden Administration also just revealed the USA will ramp up a security probe into Kaspersky, following earlier statements by Germany and Italy about potential cyber risks associated with the company’s software.

BlackBerry previously reported that MSPs are a viable target, particularly for ransomware attacks, due to their level of access to multiple customer networks and sensitive data. BlackBerry’s 2022 Threat Report also revealed that malicious hacking attempts occur every 39 seconds, with SMEs facing upward of 11 cyberthreats per device per day.

“The message from cyber security experts is clear: the cyber threat must be taken seriously, and caution is advised when dealing with companies based in a country whose government may be hostile,”  BlackBerry says.

Proactive, not reactive

According to BlackBerry, many customers and companies in the Australian and New Zealand channel ecosystem are now asking themselves whether their antivirus solutions are keeping them safe in the long term. 

Regardless of the AV vendor, one thing should be clear: signature-based, reactive cybersecurity solutions and antivirus programs are no longer sufficient for comprehensive system protection. Today’s threat environment requires a proactive approach and innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect and prevent cyberattacks.

“BlackBerry commends the new Five Eyes cybersecurity measures to help MSPs proactively defend the IT supply chain,” says 

Graeme Pyper, director of APAC channels at BlackBerry. 

“With widespread IT security skills gaps, and the looming threat to privileged…