October is here and with it comes Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Jonathan Whitley, Regional Vice President – Northern Europe at WatchGuard Technologies, describes how to protect our world with cybersecurity…
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a key reminder of the need to be prepared for the ever-growing barrage of cyber threats.
Findings from WatchGuard’s latest Internet Security Report (ISR), which analyses the top cyber threats detected by the global cyber security company’s lab in Q2 2024, reveal that by volume 7 of the top 10 malware threats were new in that period, demonstrating that attackers are always adjusting their tactics.
The report also underlines an increase in malware that bypassed signature-based defenses, requiring behaviour analysis to prevent, suggesting attackers also adopt innovative and evasive new strategies.
It seems crucial that we need to have heightened awareness of these risks and take preventative measures to protect ourselves.
This year, the International Computer Security Association (ICSA) coined the slogan “Secure Our World” to highlight the role everyone must play in helping to protect the digital environment. We are increasingly connected through digital tools – and more sensitive information is now online than ever before. From our personal devices to the systems and networks that provide essential functions for modern life, everything is part of a complex and interconnected ecosystem. While making it easier to function on a day-to-day basis, these interconnections also carry significant risks.
As our critical infrastructures, such as energy, water and transportation, become digitalised, the attack surface expands. Many of these infrastructures still rely on legacy technologies, combined with insecure Internet connections and traditional approaches to security – making them sitting ducks for cybercriminals.
This threatens the continuity of essential services and can have serious consequences for the safety of people and property, such as outages affecting hospitals or transportation systems, for example. A recent example is the attack on the Port of Seattle, which demonstrated how a cyberattack on critical infrastructure can cause transportation disruptions, negatively impacting all those travelling.
The nature of critical infrastructure involves a combination of Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), adding layers of complexity to their protection. While IT manages data and information systems, OT controls physical processes, such as machinery and industrial systems. And while IIoT integration has enabled the monitoring and management of connected devices, it has also exposed these traditionally isolated systems to new vulnerabilities.
This evolving situation underscores the need for approaches such as network segmentation and zero-trust architectures, which limit access to only what is strictly necessary to ensure security. By segmenting networks and restricting traffic to the essentials, the risk of a failure or attack in one part of the system impinging on other critical areas is reduced.
Attacks, such as the one at the Port of Seattle, will certainly continue. Cybercriminals now have access to software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), enabling them to execute large-scale, highly sophisticated attacks against all types of businesses and industries.
AI has become a powerful tool within cybersecurity, with a crucial role in critical infrastructure protection. Its ability to monitor and analyze large volumes of data makes it possible to detect threats in real time and spot anomalies that could well go unnoticed by humans. However, as with many technologies, AI is a double-edged sword. While it is key to preventing attacks before they cause serious damage, cybercriminals can also leverage it to execute faster and more sophisticated attacks. This risk is of particular concern in interconnected infrastructures, where any vulnerability can be exploited on a large scale.
In this increasingly complex scenario, managed service providers (MSPs) have become the true drivers of cybersecurity, facilitating the adoption of advanced technologies such as AI and automation in threat defense. As many critical infrastructures rely on them to manage their systems, MSPs provide essential IT services and seamlessly integrate advanced cybersecurity solutions into organisations. Their ability to implement and manage these tools makes their role vital in preventing attacks that could have ripple effects across multiple sectors.
But cybersecurity is not something that can be limited to a single month or a few players. Cybersecurity Awareness Month reminds us that protecting the digital environment is a shared and ongoing responsibility, involving everyone from technology providers to individual users.
Different sectors, from finance to healthcare and transportation, play a key role in the resilience of the digital ecosystem. Strengthening security in all of them is critical to protecting our world in an increasingly complex and interconnected environment.
