EDITOR’S QUESTION
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ensure that they are aware of the most
recent tactics used to target systems and
what can be done to prevent successful
threats. In addition, deploying solutions
that only give employees access to areas
of the network and devices in line with
their roles and responsibilities can mitigate
these types of attacks. This sounds simple
but in reality it’s an area often overlooked.
Quite often it can be as simple as sharing
privileged credentials on a post-it note, not
a deliberate insider threat. Organisations
can mitigate this risk of accidental sharing
by using tools that automatically inject
passwords directly into endpoints without
human intervention
S
ome of the biggest threats to
businesses are phishing attacks, where
cybercriminals aim to trick users into
handing over sensitive information by posing
as genuine third-parties. For example, by
using a particular email domain, hackers
can lure victims into downloading malware
or entering credentials into a fake website.
Frequently, those websites will be imitating
a bank, retailer or even an employer that
might typically ask for sensitive information.
Passwords are still the most common
form of protection for employee accounts
and need to be secured due to the rise
of credential theft via phishing attacks.
Credentials are often stored insecurely
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and in plain text, such as in shared
spreadsheets and passwords are often
forgotten, non-compliant, repeated, rarely
or never changed, or shared with the wrong
person. Hackers will try to steal privileged
credentials to access and pivot around
organisations’ networks, appearing as
legitimate users. By employing tools that
can quickly discover privileged credentials
and bring them under management, and
by using tools that require multifactor
authentication, organisations can prevent
them being compromised.
Additionally, by implementing regular and
up-to-date security training programmes
to educate employees, businesses can
In the advent that an employee runs a
programme included in a phishing email,
CISOs should also look at deploying
application whitelisting on employee devices
so that applications cannot run unless they
have been explicitly approved. Having this
visibility gives the IT teams the ability to
respond efficiently and can even eradicate a
threat completely.
Cybersecurity is a journey, not a destination
and with that in mind, organisations need
to adopt a proactive approach to profiling
their risk and creating and implementing a
cybersecurity strategy to address their key
areas of concern. By proactively having a
solid security baseline, organisations can
safeguard their systems and remain in
control during an attack. If organisations
continue to be reactive to such threats,
they will continue to see these large-scale
disruptive attacks that use tried and tested
techniques, including phishing scams. The
variants might be new, but the principles
are not.
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