Cybersecurity

Cybercrime has always represented an existential threat to businesses — many companies go out of business within six months after a data breach. Following a record year for ransomware and other cyberattacks, organizations worldwide are reassessing their cybersecurity plans, priorities and budgets.

The notorious SolarWinds hack that compromised more than 30,000 public and private organizations in 2020 was the “most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen,” according to Microsoft President Brad Smith. However, there was nothing sophisticated about the flaw that allowed the attack — a weak password (solarwinds123) that exposed the company’s update server.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” goes the old warning about being too inquisitive. An unusual new mobile phone phishing scam is apparently counting on victims to be a little too curious for their own good.

Security threats continue to escalate. From advanced hacks engineered by nation-state actors to more prosaic attacks using “as-a-service” malware, organizations face a constant barrage of threats to their IT infrastructure and data. Hackers continue to shift their strategies as they find new vulnerabilities.