Tag Archive for: Keeping

How Check Point is keeping pace with the cyber security landscape

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Having invented the modern firewall that enterprises still use today to keep threat actors at bay, Check Point Software’s founder and CEO Gil Shwed cuts an influential figure in the cyber security industry.

He wrote the first version of FireWall-1, the company’s flagship offering that became the world’s first commercially available firewall product in 1994, and patented stateful inspection, now a de facto standard security technology.

Under his leadership, Check Point has broadened its portfolio, offering a wide range of security capabilities from cloud and network security to a unified security management tool called Infinity that consolidates security capabilities into a single platform.

In a wide-ranging interview with Computer Weekly, Shwed spoke about how Check Point is keeping pace with the cyber security landscape, the company’s key growth areas and approach to cloud security, as well as how generative AI (artificial intelligence) will impact cyber security.

Could you give me a sense of the growth areas for the company, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region?

Shwed: I think the growth areas are almost unlimited because our business is multi-dimensional, especially in Asia, where not all the countries are in the same stage of development. So clearly, there is more potential everywhere.

For those in less developed countries, there’s plenty of potential to catch up and get to a reasonable level of security and those in developed countries will keep investing because they know how important it is.

In terms of technology, I think the real challenge today is from a product perspective. While we can sell more products to secure the cloud, networks and users, it’s important to create a collaborative platform for security architectures to work together.

Now, if you look at traditional defence, when a fire alarm goes off, we’re not going to sit around and say we don’t care. The doors will close, and we will all take care of it to make sure the fire doesn’t spread to the entire building.

The average cloud application has about 15 connections to other applications, and not all of them are owned by your company, so the risk level on the cloud is very high
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11 practical internet safety tips for keeping kids and teens safe online

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If you have children, chances are good you’ve seen them looking at their phones or laptops but you don’t know exactly what they’re doing. You have even less idea when they’re away form home. Should you check in, or would that invade the privacy?

According to Pew Research, 65% of kids age 9 to 11 and 95% of teens use a smartphone, which typically have access to email, messaging, and social media apps that can enable kids to interact with people anywhere—including total strangers. For kids, interactive technology is a window to the world, but it’s natural for parents and guardians to worry.

That’s why Amazon has partnered with ConnectSafely, a nonprofit working to educate parents and other users of connected technology about safety, privacy, and security. ConnectSafely has put together the following guide—with 11 easy-to-follow tips—to help approach these tricky topics with your kids, have productive conversations, and find tools to help along the way.

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Keeping Up with Evolving Ransomware

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The Threat Hunter Team with software company Symantec reported
that Noberus, which also goes by the names BlackCat/ALPHV, is leveraging new tools, tactics, and procedures (TTPs). The ransomware-as-a-service BlackCat/ALPHV has compromised at least 60 different entities across the world using the programing language RUST, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division report from April 2022. The number of affected organizations has likely increased since then.

Noberus is using an updated data exfiltration tool, Exmatter and Eamfo malware designed to steal credentials, according to the Symantec report. Four cybersecurity experts dig into what the Noberus updates and evolving ransomware mean for IT leaders that need to help defend their organizations.

How Noberus Works

Noberus is a descendant of the Darkside and BlackMatter ransomware families; Darkside was used in the 2021 Colonial Pipeline attack. Symantec reports that ransomware-as-a-service operation Coreid is likely responsible for the development of these ransomware strains.

Noberus was initially discovered in November 2021, and since then, it has undergone a number of updates to improve its efficiency, including new encryption functionality. An updated version of the Exmatter tool was spotted in connection with Noberus attacks in August, according to Symantec. It also reports that attackers leveraging Noberus have been observed using Eamfo malware to steal credentials stored by Veeam software.

“What sets Noberus apart from other ransomware groups is its ability to design highly customizable ransomware executables for its intended target,” says Aaron Sandeen, CEO and co-founder of Cyber Security Works, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security-sponsored CVE Numbering Authority. “Rather than creating automated malware, Noberus ransomware dedicates a lot of manpower to understanding its target’s systems to find specific entry points.”

Responding to Evolving Ransomware

The updates to Noberus are concerning but expected. “This is the new normal. Criminal groups will continue to reinvest part of their profits in research and development to drive the innovation cycle of development and distribution of…

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Why printing security plays a vital part in keeping Aotearoa safe

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While Kiwis continue to follow the world when it comes to working online, there’s still one manual business need that is often still crucial to a successful enterprise. Whether you’re an educational institute, a law or accounting firm or even a government agency, printed documents often play a vital role in working operations.

Much has changed since the simpler days of plug-in, pressed and mechanical printing. Printers and print mechanisms are now heavily integrated, with cloud technologies and the internet being significant parts of the process. What could be done via dial-up 12 years ago can now be completed within seconds by clicking a button.

While internet printing, mobile printing and other similar technologies have no doubt made things easier to manage, it has also brought a whole new set of problems to the table. As with all cloud, mobile and internet-based technologies, cybersecurity can be a significant challenge to address, and because of the complexities involved in the printing process it can become even more disruptive.

And history has proven that there are ongoing issues. In 2017, Y Soft conducted a survey which found that while 35% of New Zealand workers were using a mobile device at work for printing, only 50% had adequate security protection or antivirus installed on their mobile devices. A global report from Quocirca in 2016 also found that 61% of respondents had experienced at least one print-related data breach during this period. 

The subsequent 2020 report reflected that 83% of IT decision-makers were very concerned about home printing security, proving that there was still a significant concern in both the workplace and at home. The rise in hybrid work situations has also meant that, in a similar fashion to general cybersecurity, printing security has become more complex and involves more risk.

Part of this risk comes from things like inadequate firewall protection, lack of WiFi security and additional problems with file sharing and data protection. Transferring data in any sense can be dangerous, and often printing devices (mobile and computer) and printers themselves don’t have the correct security. As the data reflects, often Kiwis are…

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