• Log in
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us
Telecoms IT News - VanillaPlus
  • Home
  • News
  • Verticals
    • 4G
    • 5G News
    • Big data analytics
    • Bill & Charge
    • CEM
    • Companies
    • Digital transformation
    • Fraud prevention
    • Managed services
    • Network optimisation
    • NFV Hub
    • OSS
    • People
    • Policy
    • Revenue assurance
    • Revenue management
    • Service assurance
    • Service Provisioning
    • Test & measurement
  • Digital Edition
  • Events
    • Events diary
    • Webinars
  • Videos
  • VP Featured
    • Webinars
    • Podcast
    • Editorial advisory board
    • Expert opinions
    • Hot List
    • Operator View
    • Press releases
    • Reports & whitepapers
    • Special reports
    • Talking Heads
    • Troubleticket
    • Digital Talking Heads
  • Directory
  • Tech Trends
  • Subscribe
 

You are here:

  • Home
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Weaponised emails pose the biggest threat to cyber security

Weaponised emails pose the biggest threat to cyber security

09 January, 2019 at 2:04 PM

Posted by: Anasia D'mello

Weaponised emails pose the biggest threat to cyber security
Greg Sim of Glasswall Solutions

UK cyber security provider Glasswall Solutions predicts the decline of mass cyber-attacks as criminals opt for more tailored methods, with awareness growing that anti-virus technology fails to provide full protection.

Here, Greg Sim, CEO, Glasswall Solutions reveals its five top predictions for the year ahead. “2018 was a year of major cyber-attacks that took many forms, from all-too-common hacks, ransomware and phishing to new, sophisticated crypto-jacking,” says Sim.

“The digital landscape is becoming ever more challenging and demands a serious reappraisal of how enterprises protect themselves. As Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning advance, hackers and criminals are developing increasingly sophisticated and stealthy attacks that go undetected for longer periods of time.

“Our predictions are firmly based in the new reality – on what we’re already seeing first-hand with our customers and in the market,” he adds.

The five predictions are:

  1. The weaponised email is still public enemy number one

As we recently saw with the attacks on major US tech firms and industry announced by the US Department of Justice, malicious actors will continue to use weaponised email attachments because they know it remains their most successful payload delivery method. Attachments such as PDFs and Microsoft Office documents will continue to trick even savvy users because of the sophisticated customisation and targeting capabilities attackers now utilise.

Complex and devious social engineering using stolen personal and company data will make it even harder to work out whether an attachment contains malicious or harmless content.

  1. Major global attacks will decline as criminals become more targeted

As a result of the trend toward evasive and highly targeted attacks, there will be fewer global, large-scale events using an indiscriminate, carpet-bombing approach. Attackers using such non-targeted methods know their malware is halted and quickly becomes void, and that various national security services could soon be breathing down their necks.

In 2018, Glasswall observed an increase in attacks tailored to specific organisations, industries and individual users. It’s the organisational brand – and the associated hack, theft or privacy breach – that will make 2019 headlines. The underlying malware will be publicly blamed for the attack, but the business will take the reputational hit, as will the share price.

  1. Cyber security will move up the list of business relationship priorities

Criminals and hacking groups will increase their use of supply chain partners and vulnerable or poorly secured third-party products and services as attack vectors. This will escalate the importance of building mutually protective business relationships and reputations based on the most effective cyber security available.

Attackers will exploit vulnerable down-stream business partners to penetrate larger, more rewarding targets, by disguising their activities as normal business communications. A malicious spreadsheet, Word document or PDF hidden as an attachment among millions of emails is a perfect weapon.

  1. Enterprises will face reality about anti-virus technology

More enterprises will finally admit that anti-virus and other detection-based software don’t always work and that the highest impact and most dangerous advanced threats are still getting through.

Forward-looking CISOs will examine other options (and some are already doing so). The challenge will be to distinguish what works from a sea of marketing claims that obscures the fact there are two types of solutions – signature-based or behaviour-based. Cynicism will increase as enterprises realise that these solutions are about finding problems after they occurred. CISOs will be forced to apply more rigorous evaluation to ensure they invest in new solutions that actually work.

  1. Security automation will take control of tasks, but with a caveat

The persistent global shortage of information security professionals will accelerate broader adoption of automation and seamless orchestration (ASO) in a rush to normalise lower-level processes.

However, customers will demand that these products do not fail at their primary task of preventing cyber-attacks. In turn, instead of today’s dominance of proprietary protocols, customers will demand seamless integration across platforms and among security point solutions. They will move away from point technologies that offer little to no integration and migrate to those that deliver seamless access to structured and unstructured Threat Intelligence data.

The author of this blog is Greg Sim, CEO, Glasswall Solutions 

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @VanillaPlus OR @jcvplus


category: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Companies, Deep Learning / Machine Learning, Products & Services, Security, Troubleticket

Tags: CISOs, cyber-attacks, Microsoft

VanillaPlus Q3 Magazine
 

VanillaPlus Magazine Issue 1 2022: Why IT must catch up with OT to enable 5G monetisation

Is creativity a bridge too far for CSPs? As communications service providers (CSPs) engage in new digital value chains, collaborate with partners and participate in multi-directional business models, George Malim shares a tale of two bridges

READ NOW

Comments are closed.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Subscribe
Relax time
Read the new novel by J.J. Cowan on Africa’s conflict minerals trade and forced labour. 5* Reviews on Amazon.co.uk Paperback & Kindle

Check out on Amazon

X

Be the first to know!

  • The top telecom IT news stories of the minute
    in your inbox
  • Exclusive offers for entry into hundreds of
    events worldwide
  • Free access to a huge selection of the latest
    analyst reports and whitepapers
Subscribe now so you don't miss out
Don’t show me this again
Please check your email
x
Vanillaplus - The Global Voice of Telecoms IT
The Global Voice of Telecoms IT

VanillaPlus is the world-leading resource covering digital transformation for the communications industry. VanillaPlus brings you exclusive News, Expert Views, and Event Reviews. See Interviews from CEOs, CTOs, and COOs who are successfully transforming their business today.

Connect

Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn

NEWS

  • Latest Telecoms IT news

DIGITAL EDITION

  • Latest Editions

OTHER

  • Newsletters [Archive]

KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

  • Webinars
  • Special Reports
  • Talking Heads
  • Editorial Advisory Board

COMPANY

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

PARTNERS

  • IoT News

© 2014-2022 VanillaPlus - The global voice for telecoms IT. All rights reserved.