Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we have discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. This week, we explore decentralized identity, aka self-sovereign identity.

Ransomware groups have been exploiting the switch to remote work unlike any other. Ransomware attacks increased by more than 485% in 20201. By 2031, a new organization is expected to fall prey to a ransomware attack every 2 seconds2. Multiple reports by threat hunting firms confirm that the primary attack vector they are using to infiltrate corporate networks are poorly guarded Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections.

On July 2, 2021, the cybersecurity world woke up to yet another ransomware attack—this time, the victim was Kaseya, a software enterprise that provides IT management solutions predominantly to managed service providers (MSPs). The attack made a huge impact, affecting several MSPs and thousands of their customers. So, what exactly transpired in what most cybersecurity experts are calling the largest criminal ransomware attack on record?

Did you know that nearly 560,000 new instances of malware are detected every day? As cybersecurity advances, threat actors develop malware with new tricks that exploit weaknesses in an IT environment. Once the malware finds a loophole, it spreads exponentially like a disease, corrupting files, exfiltrating data, redirecting traffic to other destinations, and performing other malicious activities. Malware can spread at a jaw-dropping rate.

Details about cyberattacks on small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may not make it to the headlines, but numerous industry reports and surveys have highlighted the grim reality of the SMB cybersecurity landscape. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, SMBs were largely targeted by adversaries1.

Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. In this edition, we explore one of the evolving privacy-enhancing techniques called differential privacy and how it’s being leveraged by organizations to safeguard sensitive data from being exposed. Cutting-edge technologies based on artificial intelligence and machine learning have been gaining traction in recent years.

In a world of automation, computers and the data on them have become the backbone of many organizations. But data is a double-edged sword. It can be leveraged by organizations to improve operations, but in the wrong hands, it can be a deadly weapon for hackers. So how do organizations ensure their data is safe?

In March this year, organizations employing Microsoft Exchange were in for a shock when Microsoft announced that a hacker group was gaining access to organizations’ email accounts through vulnerabilities in its Exchange Server email software. The group tried to gain information from defense contractors, schools, and other establishments in the U.S.

Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. In this edition, we’ll learn about the legacy between the healthcare industry and cyberattacks, the vulnerable points in the healthcare system, and how risks can be mitigated. Did you know that for 10th year in a row, the healthcare industry has seen the highest impact from cyberattacks of any industry?

Picture this: It’s a normal day of working from home as usual since the COVID-19 outbreak. After that satisfying cup of coffee, you log in. But something is wrong. No matter how many times you click, your files don’t open. Your screen is frozen and refuses to budge. And then, you see one of the worst nightmares any IT admin can imagine: “Oops, your files have been encrypted. But don’t worry, we haven’t deleted them yet.