Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS): Understanding the future of cyber-attack accessibility.

Cyberintelsys- MaaS
Cyberintelsys- MaaS

Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS): Understanding the future of cyber-attack accessibility.

As technology advances, businesses become increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which are becoming more sophisticated and frequent. A data breach can be incredibly costly, with the average cost rising to $4.24 million in 2021, potentially causing significant financial strain for small and medium-sized businesses and reputational damage.

To avoid these consequences, it is essential to stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity developments, including the emergence of Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS), and take steps to protect your networks, data, systems, and reputation.

Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS): what is it?

Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) allows cybercriminals to easily launch attacks by purchasing pre-made malware instead of developing it themselves. This service is usually accessible on the dark web and can be purchased by anyone, even those without technical knowledge.

Once purchased, the malicious actor can use the software to conduct a variety of nefarious activities, including stealing sensitive information, disrupting computer systems, or encrypting data and demanding a ransom payment to unlock it. This poses a significant threat to businesses and individuals, as MaaS enables cybercriminals to launch complex and devastating cyber-attacks with ease

This makes it challenging for law enforcement, cybersecurity experts, and IT teams to track down the perpetrators responsible for the attacks.

The bottom line: To safeguard valuable company data, businesses must be familiar with various types of malware and take proactive measures to defend against these malicious services.

Your business and MaaS: how to protect yourself.

As malware continues to advance in sophistication and accessibility, it is increasingly crucial for businesses to implement defense programs that can provide additional protection against malicious actors.

The following steps can help your business protect itself from MaaS:

  • Secure your network with strong network security measures, such as a web application firewall, intrusion detection, and a strong password.
  • Ensure that all software and operating systems are regularly updated and patched in order to prevent vulnerabilities from occurring.
  • Inform staff members about Malware-as-a-Service hazards and how to prevent them, including not clicking on dubious email attachments or visiting dubious websites.
  • Make sure the network is regularly scanned for signs of infection by reputable anti-virus and anti-malware software.
  • If something goes wrong, you can quickly restore your business’ operations by regularly backing up your data.

Your company’s data privacy and reputation are valuable assets that directly impact its worth. A robust and well-executed cybersecurity plan is essential to safeguard against the risk of Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS).

Conclusion

The rise of the MaaS model means that cybercrime no longer requires advanced technical skills. However, this does not mean you have to avoid the internet altogether. By implementing preventative measures and a strong cybersecurity strategy, you can rest assured that your company’s data is protected against MaaS attacks.

CrowdStrike Platform offers a dependable and affordable solution for thwarting ransomware and other threats with a proven track record of 100% prevention rate. The platform has also been recognized for its excellence by winning the AAA award from SE Labs. By choosing CrowdStrike, businesses can save valuable time and resources while ensuring robust security.

With advanced threat intelligence, machine learning, and real-time analysis, Proofpoint identifies and blocks even the most sophisticated attacks before they can harm your people or data. Stay ahead of potential risks with detailed threat insights and reporting. Choose Proofpoint for comprehensive protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and more.

Steering the Container Ship: Navigating the Top Kubernetes Security Challenges.

Cyberintelsys- Kubernetes
Cyberintelsys- Kubernetes

Steering the Container Ship: Navigating the Top Kubernetes Security Challenges.

Are you ready to set sail with Kubernetes container orchestration? As you navigate through the open-source orchestration layer that manages container-based applications, it’s important to keep security challenges top of mind. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the security considerations you’ll face when administering Kubernetes clusters and provide guidance on how to implement preventative measures to ensure your container ship stays secure.

Kubernetes can be thought of as an operating system for the cloud, enabling the orchestration of containers that are grouped into Pods and distributed across multiple servers. With the dynamic nature of this setup, containers are constantly spun up and down to meet the varying demands of users and computing resources. The beauty of Kubernetes lies in its portability and extensibility, allowing for scalability and accessibility. However, Kubernetes presents a range of security challenges, one of which stems from the distributed and interoperable nature of containers. This characteristic makes it difficult to maintain security across the infrastructure, as identifying potential risks becomes a challenging and never-ending task. With everything containerized, it can be daunting to itemize all the applications running on Kubernetes and pinpoint the security risks they may pose.

Nevertheless, following a few simple steps can greatly reduce security risks:

Maintain an asset inventory – In today’s constantly evolving IT infrastructure, the cloud is no exception. As a result, it has become crucial to maintaining an up-to-date asset inventory as a fundamental component of any effective security program. Such an inventory forms the foundation of vulnerability and patch management programs, allowing organizations to identify potential vulnerabilities and patch them before they can be exploited.

Assess the risk level of your assets – After creating an asset inventory, it’s important to assess the significance of each asset and prioritize risk assessment efforts accordingly. By doing so, organizations can allocate their resources more effectively and focus on mitigating the most critical risks first. This approach ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed in order of their potential impact, minimizing the risk of any adverse impact on the organization’s overall security posture.

Continuously scan for vulnerabilities – To keep up with the ever-changing cloud infrastructure, incorporate image scanning into your CI/CD pipeline and generate alerts for high-severity vulnerabilities. Additionally, conduct periodic security assessments by experienced penetration testers who specialize in containerized environments. This approach enables organizations to proactively identify and address potential risks, ensuring a robust security posture in the cloud.

Security is a nightmare when it comes to supply chains.

To minimize security risks posed by public image registries and software repositories, use private image registries for container management and business automation. For vendor registries, only use whitelisted sources.

Simplify operating system base images by removing non-essential components like package managers, language interpreters, and compiling tools. This prevents attackers from building offensive capabilities and spreading in your network. Use the latest component versions for added security.

Flat networks – A problem

The default network model in Kubernetes is flat, which means that no network segmentation is present. This can be problematic since every pod can communicate with all other pods, and if a single pod is compromised, it can be exploited by an attacker to move laterally throughout the cluster. This increases the risk of a security breach or data compromise. Therefore, it’s crucial to implement network segmentation and restrict communication between pods as part of a comprehensive security strategy for Kubernetes.

To prevent lateral movement within a Kubernetes cluster, it’s important to use a network plugin that enforces strict network policies, such as Weave Net, Calico, or Kube-router. By configuring which groups of pods can communicate with each other, you can significantly reduce the risk of a security breach.

Additionally, implementing complete separation between Kubernetes clusters can prevent attackers from exploiting any potential vulnerabilities in the network policies to move between network segments.

By default, it’s secure… but don’t be too sure…

Kubernetes default settings prioritize simplicity over security, which creates risks, especially in older versions. To mitigate these risks, adopt the latest Kubernetes updates and configuration guidelines, and regularly review policies and settings.

Kubernetes uses a “hub-and-spoke” API pattern for communication between the Control Plane and the Node components. Therefore, it is crucial to enable proper access and authorization controls for every Kubernetes component’s API to serve as the primary line of defence against security threats.

API Server – The security configuration of the cluster is applied at the point where all other components interact with the cluster’s state store via its REST API. Authentication mechanisms such as client certificates, bearer tokens, and others are used by Kubernetes to authenticated requestors. Once authenticated, the Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanism comes into play, regulating access to resources based on the roles within an organization. RBAC policies are highly configurable, and it is important to review them thoroughly to achieve the principle of least privilege without creating unintended security vulnerabilities.

Etcd – Every entity requiring access to Etcd API must have a unique key pair created.

Kubelet – It is crucial to limit access to the Kubelet read-write and read-only REST API ports. While the read-only port can be disabled to prevent data leakage, the read-write port cannot be fully disabled, and its compromise could result in a takeover of the cluster.

To mitigate this risk, disable unauthenticated or anonymous access to the read-write port and require authentication of all clients using X.509 client certificates or authorisation tokens.

Make sure your nodes are protected.

To prevent one compromised node from jeopardizing the entire cluster, it is crucial to adhere to the principle of least privilege when granting node access rights. This means limiting and monitoring access to host resources and requiring developers to use “kubectl exec” for direct container access instead of SSH.

In addition, it is important to keep the node operating systems up to date with security updates and patches, follow the principle of least privilege when granting access, regularly monitor the system, and conduct periodic security audits to ensure the system remains secure.

Establish boundaries.

To enhance security in Kubernetes, create multiple namespaces and assign resources and accounts accordingly. This approach aligns with Kubernetes’ design philosophy, which emphasizes logical resource separation. Additionally, utilize Kubernetes Authorization Plugins to establish highly granular access control rules for individual namespaces, containers, and operations.

Beware of the cloud metadata.

Cloud platforms often offer metadata services via REST APIs that provide information about an instance, including network and storage details, and temporary security credentials. However, since pods running on an instance can access these APIs, attackers can use these credentials to move within the cluster or even access other cloud services under the same account.

To mitigate this risk when running Kubernetes on a cloud platform, apply network policies to restrict pod access to the metadata API. Additionally, avoid delivering secrets through provisioning data.

Conclusion

Security should not be overlooked in DevOps processes, despite tight deadlines and a perception that it is not a core requirement. Breaches can compromise organizations and grab headlines, highlighting the importance of incorporating security from the start.

Sysdig is a security platform that specializes in containers, Kubernetes, and host security. It is based on open-source technology and prioritizes a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) approach. One of Sysdig’s key strengths is its seamless integration with existing DevOps tools and workflows, making it an ideal solution for organizations that prioritize both security and efficiency in their development processes.

Unlocking the Power of Identity as a Service: The Benefits for Your Business

Cyberintelsys- IDaaS
Cyberintelsys- IDaaS

Unlocking the Power of Identity as a Service: The Benefits for Your Business

As businesses increasingly embrace cloud and mobile technologies, their legacy Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions are no longer sufficient to secure their expanding network boundaries. Identity as a Service (IDaaS) offers cloud-hosted IAM services to verify user identities and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. IDaaS providers offer a broad range of technological functions that enhance security and ensure users are who they claim to be.

Identities as Services – what are they?

Identity as a Service (IDaaS) is a cloud-based authentication service provided by third-party vendors to enterprises. The X-as-a-service model, including IDaaS, is an easy-to-understand concept in IT that involves remote delivery of features by third-party providers, as opposed to on-site management by in-house personnel. IDaaS provides identity management and security services through a subscription-based model, ensuring that users have the right access to applications, files, and resources at the right time. With a cloud-based system, companies can easily adapt to changing technologies, such as BYOD employees switching to different types of phones, without having to build and manage the infrastructure themselves. IDaaS offers a centralized solution that is created by identity experts with a proven track record of addressing such issues for many organizations.

IDaaS: What does it mean in cloud computing?

IDaaS addresses the challenge of managing multiple usernames and passwords by providing a centralized identity management system. In addition, IDaaS helps ensure data security in cloud computing environments by offering user authorization functions like biometric security and multifactor authentication. This enables organizations to protect their data stored in the cloud by limiting access to authorized users only.

IDaaS streamlines the process of managing user accounts, particularly when an employee leaves the company. By relying on trusted third-party vendors, companies can enjoy the economic and operational benefits of cloud-based solutions, while ensuring that user accounts are properly managed and terminated. The combination of functions provided by IDaaS simplifies the management of user accounts, reducing the workload for admins and other employees.

Services provided in IDaaS.

Identity as a Service solution varies in scope and functionality, with some providers offering a single service, such as directory management, while others offer a comprehensive suite of customized functionalities. Some of the services offered through IDaaS services are listed below.

Single Sign-On (SSO): SSO simplifies the login process for users by allowing them to access multiple SaaS applications through a single portal. It also offers a centralized location for businesses to manage user access. Typically hosted on the cloud, SSO services are accessible via web pages and provide users with a streamlined login experience.

Identity Management: Identity Management involves the storage and management of user identities, with an Identity Provider (IDP) verifying a user’s identity through credentials such as usernames and passwords. When hosted on the cloud, IDPs are considered part of the IDaaS umbrella.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Multiple verification factors, such as password and USB authentication, are used to ensure user security. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) provides a more secure alternative to traditional username and password methods. Cloud providers offer easy MFA implementation for organizations.

Access Control: Access security, also known as policy-based access management, goes beyond SSO and involves the development of security measures by applications and APIs.

Directory: IDaaS is preferred by many organizations and users who require a cloud directory for customer and partner support.

Provisioning: By leveraging the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) support and integration, as well as on-premises provisioning, organizations can synchronize user data across web and enterprise applications.

What are the factors to consider when choosing an IDaaS?

Access multi-platform environments

IDaaS solutions should offer seamless access from various devices, even in a hybrid environment where applications are hosted both on-premises and in the cloud. IDaaS should simplify integrations and create a unified consumer experience, regardless of where the applications are accessed or hosted.

Provide increased security.

Robust security techniques must be employed to ensure secure communication between all endpoints, particularly as identity management moves to the cloud.

Validate and manage all identities.

A good IDaaS solution should provide frameworks for SSO, federated identity, and MFA, eliminating silos and enabling a continuous network environment, allowing access to authorized resources without requiring repeated authentication.

Providing full lifecycle management access to apps

An ideal IDaaS solution should simplify the user provisioning process, including automatic account creation, role-based authorization, and account de-provisioning when users leave the organization. This automated app access lifecycle management system reduces IT workload and saves time. Instant access removal and account deactivation simplify offboarding.

Applications

IDaaS offers various applications, including Okta’s adaptive multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and Okta’s Universal Directory. Adaptive MFA improves security by requiring multiple factors to gain access to the network. SSO allows users to sign on once and access authorized company resources. Okta’s UD is a centralized cloud-based system that restricts access to sensitive data to only authorized users with the right security permissions.

How does IDaaS benefit your organization?

IDaaS provides cost savings compared to on-premises identity provisioning solutions like Active Directory Domain Services. With on-premises solutions, companies must maintain servers, purchase, and install software, pay hosting fees, and perform regular backups and security monitoring. In contrast, IDaaS only requires a subscription fee and administrative work.

Conclusion

Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solutions are a game-changer in enhancing user satisfaction and experience. With IDaaS, the onus of remembering multiple credentials is eliminated, leading to a standardized and streamlined Single Sign-On (SSO) process. Users can access all their applications using a single set of credentials, thanks to identity federation protocols like SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect.

Cybersecurity threats in SaaS in 2023: Are you prepared?

cyberintelsys- SaaS
cyberintelsys- SaaS

Cybersecurity threats in SaaS in 2023: Are you prepared?

In the year 2023, cybercriminals are expected to remain active, which makes it crucial for organizations to prioritize the security of their systems and data. By focusing on key areas of security, businesses can safeguard their environments and ensure success while avoiding negative attention in the media. It’s important to take measures to protect your company so that you only make headlines when you intend to.

The weaknesses of web applications

Web applications are the backbone of SaaS companies, and they store sensitive information like customer data. Since SaaS applications are often multi-tenant, it’s crucial to ensure that your applications are secure against attacks that could potentially expose one customer’s data to another. Common vulnerabilities like logic flaws, injection flaws, and access control weaknesses are easy to exploit by hackers and can result from errors in code writing.

To mitigate these risks, regular security testing is essential. By utilizing an automated vulnerability scanner and regular penetration testing, you can proactively design and build secure web applications that integrate seamlessly with your existing environment. These security measures will help you detect vulnerabilities as they emerge throughout the development cycle, ensuring your web applications remain secure and free from threats.

Misconfigurations

Securing cloud environments can be a complex and challenging task for CTOs and developers as they need to ensure that every setting, user role, and permission comply with industry and company policies. Unfortunately, even a single misconfiguration can result in a significant data breach. In fact, according to Gartner, misconfigurations account for 80% of all data security breaches, and by 2025, up to 99% of cloud environment failures will be caused by human errors.

To minimize the risk of misconfigurations, it’s essential to leverage external network monitoring, which can help detect vulnerabilities and misconfigurations while providing visibility across your attack surface. This enables you to identify potential errors and unauthorized activities that could pose a threat to your cloud infrastructure. Conducting a penetration test on your cloud infrastructure can help identify potential vulnerabilities such as improperly configured S3 buckets, excessively lenient firewall settings within Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), and excessively liberal access privileges for cloud accounts.

Software vulnerabilities and patching

Although it might seem apparent, this is nonetheless a significant problem that affects everyone and every type of organization. SaaS businesses aren’t an exception. When applying operating system and library security patches, you must make sure that your application is self-hosted. Unfortunately, this is a continuous effort since operating systems and libraries frequently have security flaws that need to be repaired.

You may assist guarantee that your service is always delivered to a fully patched system on each release by using DevOps processes and ephemeral infrastructure, but you also need to keep an eye out for any new vulnerabilities found in-between releases.

Inadequate internal security policies and practices

As many SaaS firms are small and expanding and have lax security measures, these organizations are particularly vulnerable to hackers. You may greatly improve your safety by taking a few straightforward steps like utilizing a password manager, activating two-factor authentication, and receiving security training.

A password manager, which is affordable and simple to use, will assist you in keeping secure, one-of-a-kind passwords for all the online services that you and your team use. Ensure that everyone on your team uses it, preferably one that doesn’t frequently have security breaches.

Wherever possible, enable two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA/MFA) using an app like Authy. A second authentication token must be used in addition to the right password in 2FA. A hardware security key is the most secure option, followed by a time-based One Time Password and a One Time Password transmitted to a mobile device (least secure). Although not all services provide 2FA, it should be turned on where it is.

Okta is a renowned leader in the field of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) security solutions. By leveraging the power of Okta’s Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication, organizations can ensure the highest level of security for their employees, partners, contractors, and customers. Okta’s MFA solution offers a broad range of authentication factors that can be customized to suit the unique needs of any business. This enables organizations to choose the most appropriate MFA factors to secure their resources and prevent unauthorized access.

Last but not least, when you see efforts, make sure your staff is aware of how to practice good cyber hygiene, particularly how to identify and avoid clicking phishing links, by offering training or at the very least by sharing instances within the team.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a delicate balance between risk and resources, and this becomes even more challenging for start-ups that have competing priorities. However, as a business grows, expands its team, and generates more revenue, it becomes increasingly important to invest in cybersecurity.

Fortunately, there are many security specialists that can help businesses stay secure and identify weaknesses in their systems. At Cyberintelsys we help small and large organizations to maintain their cybersecurity every day. We are committed to providing reliable and effective solutions to help you protect your business in 2023 and beyond.

If you’re looking for a partner to support your cybersecurity needs, we’re here to help. Reach out to us today to learn more about our services and how we can help your business stay safe and secure.

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Goals – Enable business with security.

Cyberintelsys- CIAM
Cyberintelsys- CIAM

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Goals - Enable business with security.

In traditional brick-and-mortar settings, interactions often take place face-to-face at a counter with a sales representative. However, in the current landscape, these interactions typically begin with digital access, whether through cloud computing, mobile applications, or eCommerce platforms. This highlights the critical role of digital channels in shaping customer experiences and driving business success.

In today’s digital age, websites and mobile applications serve as primary gateways for consumers to engage in business and social activities. To safeguard against fraudulent activities such as account hijacking, it’s crucial to ensure the security of these access points. However, it’s equally important to maintain user-friendliness and not create unnecessary hurdles that could hinder user adoption. To achieve these objectives, businesses are increasingly adopting Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solutions, which provide a comprehensive and effective approach to managing user identities and access rights while delivering a seamless user experience.

Security and user experience must be balanced.

As we move into 2023, the age-old challenge of transforming security from a hindrance into an asset for businesses still persists. To enable digitized businesses to function smoothly, it has become crucial to address the issues related to user experience, privacy, and security in managing customer identities. From implementing single sign-on to multifactor authentication, finding solutions to these challenges has become a top priority.

In the realm of managing customer identities, there has been a historical division between those prioritizing user experience and those emphasizing secure login. These two camps have often been at odds with each other, as implementing security measures can introduce friction, which may negatively impact the customer experience. This creates a push-pull situation where the sales teams and other stakeholders may be tempted to compromise security for the sake of convenience. Balancing security and user experience remains a challenge in this context.

To strike a new balance between security and user experience in managing customer identities, security teams must collaborate with stakeholders outside of those typically involved in employee Identity and Access Management (IAM), such as marketing and customer support teams, rather than just Human Resources. As a result, the nature of conversations surrounding the project will also differ. Instead of delving into job roles and segregation of duties, the focus will likely be on accommodating various device types to simplify the authentication process. The ultimate objective is to create a seamless and uncomplicated authentication experience for customers.

Understanding the Type of MFA that is Right for You.

Discussions surrounding the balance between security and user experience in managing customer identities often centre around Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). While passwords remain widespread, there is increasing recognition that additional layers of security are necessary. This prompts the question of what type of MFA an organization should adopt. A sound MFA approach typically involves a combination of something you know, such as a password, and something you have, such as a fingerprint or a secure challenge sent to a mobile device. These factors should belong to different categories to enhance security.

While it may be tempting to use email or SMS as a second factor in MFA due to its ease of use and setup, these methods may not be the most secure option. SMS is susceptible to SIM hijacking attacks and SMS fatigue, while email accounts are at risk of attacks, as well as message routing can be intercepted. In fact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) does not recommend either method as an effective MFA approach and suggests moving away from them. It is essential to identify an MFA technique that does not require the presence of an IT consultant on the customer’s device to set it up.

Organizations are forced to search for two-factor strategies that strengthen security posture without compromising a seamless user experience because of the conflict between usability and security. One solution is biometrics. However, many businesses make use of the device’s built-in features, such as the ability to take a user’s fingerprint and use it to unlock the required credentials. Another strategy is to implement end-to-end processes that rely on user validation up front. In this case, the user makes use of MFA throughout the registration process, resulting in MFA being used for the user’s initial verification. By adding an additional layer of identity verification, this tactic helps to supplement the usage of MFA when a user connects into a service.

Identity is also confirmed using the features of the device. These abilities, however, frequently need to be developed more. Simple capabilities can create errors, such as mistaking a device as new just because it recently got a web browser update. Unnecessarily, there has been an increase in friction. Such circumstances include when a device has an unrecognised IP address due to using a different IP address.

Customer experience should be aligned with the CIAM program.

To successfully implement Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), organizations should prioritize adopting a strategy that effectively balances security measures with user engagement. This is important because the CIAM program must align with the organization’s customer experience objectives in order to be successful. Therefore, a thoughtful and holistic approach is necessary to ensure that both the security of customer data and the ease of use for customers are considered.

In addition to frictionless experiences, Okta Customer Identity provides centralized management, cloud-based security, and developer-friendly design with minimal customization. Okta provides CIAM-managed services to help organizations achieve their CIAM goals.

Conclusion

While identity management discussions typically centres around employees, it is equally important for businesses to safeguard their customers’ identities. Neglecting to do so can result in severe consequences. As we move forward into the upcoming year, enterprise leaders should prioritize providing a user experience that is both seamless and secure. This should be viewed as a New Year’s resolution, as it is vital to the success and longevity of the business. By prioritizing a comprehensive approach to identity management, organizations can better protect both their employees and their customers from potential harm.

Passwordless Login: How to Secure Your Company?

Passwordless login - Cyberintelsys.
Passwordless login - Cyberintelsys.

Passwordless Login: How to Secure Your Company?

In today’s digital age, Cyber Security has become one of the top priorities for businesses. With the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, it is essential to have robust security measures in place to safeguard sensitive information and applications. However, it is surprising to note that many businesses rely solely on password protection to secure their data against cyber-attacks and breaches. While passwords may seem like a viable option for access management, they have several limitations that can lead to security vulnerabilities.

What are the problems with using passwords?

The sheer volume of passwords that need to be generated, stored, and handled is one of the problems with password management.

You also have the problem of weak passwords, which might compromise the security of important data. However, passwords today are readily cracked, putting your computer systems, networks, and mobile devices at risk. Password theft, credential stuffing, or phishing have all been the starting points of previous high-profile cyberattacks.

This is the reason why many companies are turning to solutions platforms for password-free authentication like Okta. Clearly, you must make sure you select the best plan for your company; in this post, we will learn more about this.

What are the alternatives?

For better network and information security, experts now advise doing away with passwords entirely. One of the safest approaches to enhancing organisational security and making it as resistant to simple cyberattacks like phishing attacks as feasible is passwordless authentication.

Simply said, passwordless authentication is a solution that enables users to access your IT systems and associated services without entering a password. Any alternative more practical and secure mechanism, such as biometric identification, OTPs, proximity badges, etc., might be used for authentication.

Passwordless logins greatly minimise the possibility of identity theft and make managing them easier for enterprises. Long-term, they significantly lower the costs associated with password management and the subsequent attacks brought on by weak passwords.

Passwordless Login Plans: How Do You Choose One?

It is crucial to take into consideration a few significant considerations while choosing the best passwordless authentication strategy for your company. Among the most important ones to think about are:

Costs and Budgets

The cost of the plan in relation to your budget is one of the factors you should consider when selecting a passwordless authentication plan for your company. So that you can concentrate on solutions that fall within your budget, you should take the time to figure out how much you can afford to spend.

Naturally, you must consider more than just the solution’s price because you also need to be sure it will meet your demands.

Advantages and Features

You must make sure you review the features and benefits to make sure the passwordless authentication platform is best suited to your company’s requirements. As a result, you may customise the features to your company’s demands to make sure it meets your expectations. Spend some time determining your needs and thoroughly examining the features of the plan to see whether it is the best option for you.

Reviews and Ratings

Checking ratings and reviews is another crucial step in the process since they may teach you more about the service and the solution, respectively. You may thus make an informed selection much more quickly as a result. You will be able to learn more about the platform’s effectiveness, the influence that other reviewers have had on their businesses, and the supplier’s reputation.

Conclusion

Eventually, firms who use passwordless logins find them to be quite advantageous. In addition to the obvious security advantages, they also improve the user experience for your management and staff because they are spared the difficulties of constantly having to establish and remember new passwords. Nonetheless, it is crucial that you thoroughly consider the passwordless login package you select and go for something that is ideal for your particular organization. There are many Passwordless authentication solution providers. Okta is the leader in the passwordless Authentication system.

Building a Culture of Security: Governance and Zero Trust in Manufacturing.

Building a Culture of Security: Governance and Zero Trust in Manufacturing.

Manufacturers are highly driven to leverage leading-edge technology to revolutionize their businesses, The emphasis in the year 2023 is to adopt and improve their operations with 5G and IoT. As a result, the manufacturing industry is progressing faster in terms of technology adoption than other verticals, including energy, finance, and healthcare. This rapid advancement is a testament to the industry’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies for optimizing operations and improving overall efficiency.

However, they should also prioritize innovation in governance and cyber risk management. As they push for technological advancements, it’s crucial for manufacturers to address potential risks and ensure proper management of these risks.

OT-IT convergence drives manufacturing modernization.

The Integration of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) on the factory floor is a critical component of modernizing manufacturing. This convergence facilitates innovative digital processes, remote connectivity, and more intelligent operations. It’s a transformation that focuses on achieving business outcomes, and executives rely on it for future success.

The Industrial Control System (ICS) technologies that form the backbone of the OT ecosystems are being targeted by cybercriminals more often. Attackers have mastered the art of effectively utilising ICS hyperconnectivity and convergence with the IT world. This is supported by the government Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) warning from the previous year and by high-profile attacks that year against tyre producers, wind turbine manufacturers, steel producers, automobile manufacturers, and others.

Reducing risk through Zero Trust

Manufacturers can significantly reduce cyber-attack risk by implementing a Zero Trust architecture. This approach involves integrating endpoint security, user authentication, and network security measures to prevent unauthorized access to OT or IT networks and to limit the ability of attackers to move laterally through these networks. With Zero Trust, access is granted based on risk level, and only when certain conditions are met.

ZTNA 2.0 solutions can contribute to the implementation of more efficient controls at the application level that is responsive to account takeover attempts when developing a zero-trust approach. ZTNA 2.0 combines fine-grained, least-privileged access with continuous trust verification and thorough, ongoing security inspection – all from a single, streamlined package to safeguard all users, devices, apps, and data worldwide. Although the concept is straightforward, it requires careful execution to be effective.

The need for collaboration and feedback from corporate stakeholders is another crucial aspect of Zero Trust. Business stakeholders must be deeply involved in Zero Trust projects if they are to succeed, just as they drive the “push to the edge” and “push for all nature” of digital transformation and OT-IT convergence in manufacturing.

Business stakeholders should own Zero Trust.

Business stakeholders should be involved in risk discussions before delving into the architectural design for Zero Trust. This approach aims to prioritize risk assessments and other activities that align with the manufacturer’s business goals, instead of focusing solely on technical specifications. By involving the entire team in determining the value of OT and IT assets, this step back helps establish a roadmap for deploying Zero Trust security technologies over time. Ultimately, this collaborative approach aims to shape the way risk is managed and reduce the risk of cyber-attacks.

The most foresighted and deep knowledge of the upcoming business circumstances, regulatory requirements, partnership agreements, and supply chain factors that may affect risk estimates is held by corporate stakeholders. Because of this, the cornerstone and basis of Zero Trust governance is firm ownership.

These technical executors are less likely to adopt a tools-only approach to technology acquisition or participate in reactionary expenditure based on the most recent breach news when manufacturers guide the security team with an eye on business results. The security measures that manage risk to the most crucial operational operations initially as well as the processes and systems most at risk from new innovations and business models will be the focus of incremental enhancements.

Conclusion

Companies can reduce cyber-attack risk by implementing a Zero Trust architecture, which involves integrating endpoint security, user authentication, and network security measures to prevent unauthorized access to OT or IT networks and limit the ability of attackers to move laterally through these networks.

This collaborative approach aims to shape the way risk is managed and reduce the risk of cyber-attacks. The security measures that manage risk to the most crucial operational operations initially as well as the processes and systems most at risk from new innovations and business models will be the focus of incremental enhancements.

Understanding Workforce Identities: The Foundation of Workforce Identity and Access Management

Understanding Workforce Identities: The Foundation of Workforce Identity and Access Management.

Ensuring the protection of digital users, assets, and data is of utmost importance, whether it’s dealing with password challenges, onboarding new employees, facilitating remote work, or integrating cloud IAM capabilities with on-premises infrastructure. Workforce IAM is an effective solution for achieving this objective.

What is Workforce IAM?

A Workforce Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution is designed to provide secure access to organizational resources for internal users such as employees and partners. By implementing a robust Workforce IAM solution, businesses can enhance their agility, safeguard against data breaches, and comply with privacy regulations.

A top-quality Workforce IAM solution should offer a secure and seamless experience to enable users to be productive in their daily activities. According to MarketsandMarkets, businesses are projected to invest $30 billion in IAM by 2023.

Features of Workforce Identities

  • Single Sign-On (SSO)

Organisation IT, security, and users will all benefit from Single Sign-On (SSO). Best-in-class security is offered. Provide a single identity to all on-site employees, remote workers, and contractors so they can safely login to all apps with this we can reduce ineffective credential management and employee credential fatigue. We can also lessen the number of user IDs that IT must handle in addition to this.

  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Enhance the satisfaction of both your customers and workforce by providing them with secure and intelligent access solutions. Increase the overall login security by enforcing robust password policies or by implementing password less or biometric Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) methods. This can be achieved by seamlessly integrating user-friendly MFA methods like TOTP (Time-Based One-Time Password) into your existing authentication processes.

By adopting these measures, you can create a streamlined and hassle-free login experience that helps to reduce the risk of security breaches and protects against unauthorized access attempts. Furthermore, with the added security features of password less or biometric MFA, you can provide your customers and workforce with an added layer of protection without adding unnecessary complexity to their login experience.

Benefits of Workforce IAM

  • Centralize Access

The Workforce Identity & Access Management (IAM) solution offers centralised access to both on-premises and cloud-based apps. SSO and MFA are made possible by centralised access controls, which improve security across all linked applications.

  • Enable Secure Access

With the use of a context- and behavioural-aware strategy that includes risk-based adaptive access restrictions, it offers safe access. By enhancing authentication and authorisation capabilities, it gives consumers instant access that offers a seamless experience. Whether connecting to the cloud, SaaS, web services, microservices, or IoT, connective APIs should be secure and managed.

  • Protect Against Breaches

With the aid of workforce IAM, you may expand access to a worldwide, remote workforce without ever compromising security because it guards against any breaches. You may activate additional levels of authentication to ensure that only the appropriate users can access the appropriate resources (MFA).

  • Increased Productivity

It boosts employee productivity by increasing application usage and enabling seamless app-to-app login. The burden of managing credentials and password resets is reduced on IT with self-service credential management.

  • Monitor Privileged Users

By providing adaptable and effortless privilege management capabilities, it lowers the chance of security incidents. Use our WIAM approach to manage access with unmatched privilege granularity. With non-intrusive privileged session monitoring, you may improve security while maintaining a good user experience.

 Workforce IAM: Why do organisations need It?

Authenticate

You can improve user agility using Single Sign-on or password less authentication. Moreover, you may re-authenticate remote employees with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Integrate

Security solutions may be integrated with both on-premises and cloud-based applications. You may lessen disturbance to legacy systems and business applications with smooth transfers.

Automate

Automate the providing and deprovisioning of user profiles to apps with the use of lifecycle management. Users have the ability to request access, reset passwords, and manage credentials using self-service alternatives.

Innovate

Provide adaptive access with AI and machine learning for context and deeper insights to create risk-based authentication policies. Find entitlement irregularities and compare behaviour across user sessions.

Built on Identity Standards

It supports a number of identification protocols, including SAML and OpenID Connect. Every application using standards is now simple to connect.

Conclusion

Implementing a comprehensive workforce IAM solution can yield significant benefits, such as improved productivity by streamlining access management processes and reducing the workload of IT teams. Adopting a zero-trust approach to security can also enhance the security posture by assuming that no user or device should be automatically trusted, and demanding continuous authentication and verification throughout the user’s session. Overall, effective workforce IAM is an essential component of any robust cybersecurity strategy.

If workers have the easiest possible access, your business will function smoothly whether they are working from a secured facility or remotely. Enable a productive, mobile staff with a thorough Workforce IAM that offers simple access to your digital services and offers security, scalability, and dependability.

There are many Identity-first security solution to connect and protect your employees, contractors, and business partners. Okta is the leader in Identity-first security solution Okta provides a powerful foundation to bridge all the apps and identity source, Okta’s WIAM Identity Server is also backed by a comprehensive integration platform, including API management and analytics.

Mastering the Art of AI-Driven Cybersecurity: 4 Strategies for Effective Decision-Making.

AI driven cybersecurity- cyberintelsys
AI driven cybersecurity- cyberintelsys

Mastering the Art of AI-Driven Cybersecurity: 4 Strategies for Effective Decision-Making.

As cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and complexity, organizations are turning to autonomous systems to bolster their cybersecurity defenses. However, this has raised important questions about the dynamics between human security teams and artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, there is a need to determine the appropriate level of trust to place in an AI program and identify when human intervention is necessary to guide its decision-making.

Autonomous systems have revolutionized cybersecurity by allowing human operators to focus on higher-level decision-making. Rather than being overwhelmed by a deluge of minute “micro-decisions,” operators can now establish guardrails and parameters for AI machines to follow as they make millions of granular decisions at scale. This shift has allowed security teams to elevate their decision-making and leverage the power of AI to enhance their overall cybersecurity posture.

The advent of autonomous systems in cybersecurity has transformed the role of human operators, elevating their decision-making to a macro level. Instead of being bogged down by micro-level tasks, they can now focus on higher-level and more strategic responsibilities. Their involvement is limited to essential requests for input or action, as AI machines handle the bulk of the micro-level decision-making. This shift has enabled human operators to operate more efficiently and effectively, ensuring that they are able to devote their attention to the most critical tasks at hand.

As the role of AI in cybersecurity continues to evolve, questions about the nature of the relationship between humans and machines have come to the fore. In an insightful piece, the Harvard Business Review outlined four possible scenarios for how humans and machines may interact in the future. These scenarios offer a glimpse into the varied possibilities for this relationship and provide a framework for exploring how it may manifest in the context of cybersecurity.

Human In the Loop (HITL)

One of the scenarios presented by the Harvard Business Review entails a dynamic in which humans are the primary decision-makers, with AI machines serving as advisors. In this scenario, machines provide recommendations for actions and offer context and supporting evidence to accelerate decision-making and reduce time-to-action for human operators. Essentially, the machines function as force multipliers, providing critical insights and recommendations that enable humans to make more informed and effective decisions in a shorter amount of time.The human security team is completely in control of how the machine behaves under this setting.

While the scenario where humans retain full control over AI decision-making is effective, it requires significant human resources in the long run. Often, organizations may not have the personnel to sustain this approach over time. However, this stage can be crucial in establishing trust in the AI autonomous response engine. As organizations become more comfortable with the technology, they can move towards more streamlined models that strike a balance between human oversight and machine autonomy, leveraging the strengths of both to maximize their cybersecurity defenses.

Human In the Loop for Exceptions (HITLFE)

Another scenario described in the Harvard Business Review involves a model where the majority of decisions are made autonomously by AI machines, with humans stepping in only when exceptions occur. In this model, the AI machine operates largely independently, with the human providing input or making judgments only when necessary to support the decision-making process. This approach is highly efficient, allowing organizations to leverage the power of AI to make decisions at scale while also ensuring that human oversight is in place to handle complex or nuanced situations.

Under this scenario, humans maintain control over the logic used to determine which exceptions require human review. As organizations deploy increasingly diverse and customized digital systems, they can tailor the level of autonomy granted to the AI machine to meet specific needs and use cases. This enables a flexible approach that allows organizations to balance the benefits of machine autonomy with the need for human oversight and intervention in situations where complex or novel scenarios arise. By providing granular control over the decision-making process, humans can ensure that the AI machine operates in a way that aligns with their strategic objectives and risk tolerance.

In this scenario, the AI-powered autonomous response engine takes charge of the majority of events, enabling immediate and autonomous action. However, the organization remains “in the loop” for special cases, with flexibility over the emergence and timing of these cases. In such cases, the human operator can intervene as necessary but must exercise caution when overruling or declining the AI’s recommended action without careful review. By leveraging the power of AI to handle routine tasks, organizations can reduce the burden on human operators and improve efficiency, while maintaining a human touch for exceptional scenarios that require human judgment and expertise. This approach strikes a balance between autonomy and oversight, enabling organizations to benefit from AI technology while maintaining control over critical decisions.

Human on the Loop (HotL)

In this scenario, all activities are carried out by the machine, and the human operator may evaluate the results of those actions to comprehend the context in which those actions were taken. This configuration enables AI to confine an attack in the event of an emergent security incident while alerting a human operator that a device or account requires help, in which case they are brought in to address the situation.

This security setup is ideal in the eyes of many. It is simply not possible to have the human in the loop (HitL) for every event and every potential vulnerability due to the complexity of the data and the scope of the judgements that must be taken.

With this structure, humans still have complete control over how, when, and where the system behaves, but once events do happen, the computer is in charge of making millions of little decisions.

Human out of the Loop (HootL)

Every choice is made by the machine in this approach, and the improvement process is likewise an automatic closed loop. As a result, each AI component feeds into and enhances the next, increasing the ideal security state, creating a self-healing, self-improving feedback loop.

This is the apex of security without intervention. It is doubtful that human security operators would ever desire “black boxes,” or autonomous systems that operate completely autonomously without allowing security teams to even have a general understanding of the activities it is doing or why. A human will always desire oversight, even if they are sure they won’t ever need to interfere with the system. Transparency will therefore become more crucial as autonomous systems develop over time.

Each of the four models provides unique benefits and can be applied to different use cases, enabling companies with varying levels of security maturity to leverage the recommendations of AI systems confidently. By harnessing the power of AI to analyse data and make decisions at a scale beyond what any individual or team could accomplish in the time available, organizations can effectively detect and respond to cyberattacks.

This allows businesses of any size and type to utilize AI decision-making in a way that aligns with their specific needs and use cases. With AI handling routine tasks and providing recommendations, human operators can focus on strategic decision-making and exceptional cases that require their expertise. Ultimately, by combining the strengths of humans and AI, organizations can better protect themselves against cyber threats and prevent the disruption they can cause.

Building a Secure Future: The Key Resolutions for Security Leaders in 2023.

Building a Secure Future: The Key Resolutions for Security Leaders in 2023
Building a Secure Future: The Key Resolutions for Security Leaders in 2023

Building a Secure Future: The Key Resolutions for Security Leaders in 2023

We are navigating through the fresh year; people often feel a renewed sense of energy and motivation to reflect on significant changes they wish to make and determine how best to achieve them. This period also coincides with the end of the “prediction season,” where the security community anticipates the challenges and hot topics that may arise. Although many individuals make predictions about security, the real challenge lies in turning these predictions into tangible outcomes. Therefore, consider setting resolutions for the coming year to transform these predictions into reality.

To ensure successful digital transformation, create unified security, infrastructure, and operations teams:

Since the world has already shifted towards a hybrid workforce, organizations face the challenge of balancing the competing needs of security and networking teams. Jason Clark, the Chief Security and Strategy Officer, highlighted in a 2022 blog that networking teams prioritize network performance and user experience, while security teams focus on visibility and protection. To address this dilemma, Jason recommends adopting a modern architecture, such as a converged Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture. By leveraging a converged SASE architecture, companies can achieve a single point of inspection for traffic, enabling a sustainable, fast, secure, and cost-effective hybrid work experience. This approach is crucial in meeting the demands of both networking and security teams, as they work together to drive successful digital transformation in the upcoming year.

Improve technical and economic security by implementing more effective technologies and processes:

As economic conditions remain uncertain, organizations must prioritize the ongoing evaluation and maintenance of their security measures to ensure continued protection. In a recent two-part article series for Forbes, Field CTO Steve Riley outlined critical strategies for assessing the effectiveness of existing processes and technologies, empowering people, and optimizing the impact of security resources. Steve emphasizes that improving the efficiency of processes and technologies can increase the value of an organization’s personnel, ultimately enhancing overall security effectiveness. Therefore, it’s crucial for companies to focus on enhancing their security measures through constant evaluation, empowering their employees, and maximizing their security resources.

Be sure to communicate the business value of your security program throughout the year:

As budget season approaches, security leaders must effectively communicate the value of their program to the board to ensure continued funding for upcoming projects. In a recent article for HelpNet Security, James Christiansen, the VP and CSO Cloud Strategy, highlights the key elements of a strong security business case. Specifically, security and technology leaders must articulate how their program aligns with the organization’s overall business objectives, such as facilitating agility, cost management, and risk mitigation. Additionally, they should provide regular status updates to their management team, educating them on progress and setting expectations for future budget cycles. By effectively communicating the value of their security program, leaders can secure the resources needed to drive success and enhance overall organizational security.

Security teams and leaders should place a high priority on mental health:

The security industry is known for high level of stress and potential for burnout and other mental health concerns. As a result, prioritizing the well-being of security teams has become a pressing issue for security leaders in 2023. By addressing mental health, security leaders can mitigate potential risks from a burnt-out workforce, including insider threats and security breaches due to errors and negligence. In a two-part series for Dark Reading, Shamla Naidoo, Head of Cloud Strategy and Innovation, emphasized the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace. Naidoo recommends that companies prioritize promoting work-life balance for security professionals and creating a safe environment for mental health support. Additionally, equipping CISOs with simple tools to manage stress can help them perform their already demanding roles without distractions. As Naidoo notes, addressing mental health concerns is crucial for both maintaining corporate security and attracting and retaining top security talent.

Conclusion:

The most important details in this text are the four key resolutions for security leaders in 2023. These include creating unified security, infrastructure, and operations teams, balancing the needs of security, and networking teams, adopting a modern architecture, improving technical and economic security, assessing the effectiveness of existing processes and technologies, empowering people, and optimizing the impact of security resources.

Additionally, organizations must prioritize the ongoing evaluation and maintenance of their security measures to ensure continued protection. Steve emphasizes that improving the efficiency of processes and technologies can increase the value of an organization’s personnel, ultimately enhancing overall security effectiveness. Companies should focus on enhancing their security measures through constant evaluation, empowering their employees, and maximizing their security resources.

They should also communicate the business value of their security program to the board and place a high priority on mental health. Additionally, companies should prioritize promoting work-life balance for security professionals and creating a safe environment for mental health support.