Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

While the tech sector is a pillar of efficiency and creativity, tech businesses are often vulnerable because of the type and amount of critically important data they handle. Tech companies are often at risk of cyber attacks from individual hackers, cyber spies, and nation-state-sponsored hacking groups. In this post, we’ll look at common traits of tech businesses that can expose them to cyber risks and make them a popular target for cybercriminals.

‍Educational institutions are among the top targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Education is among the sectors that experience the most cyber attacks, including healthcare, finance, and retail. According to Check Point’s Mid-Year Report for 2022, the education sector had 44% more cyber attacks than the year earlier. An average of about 2300 attacks against educational organizations were reported weekly.

Book publishers, movie distributors, TV producers, game developers, and newspaper publishers are just a few of the many businesses in the media and entertainment industry increasing their use of online services. Streaming services and the production of digital assets are the norm for media companies around the globe.

In 2016, the European Commission adopted the EU Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive. The directive aims to establish regulations that improve the overall cybersecurity level across Europe and was recently updated in January 2023 to a new directive called NIS2. The NIS Directive is a multifaceted legislation that applies to various industry sectors, providing regulations that help EU member states build strong cybersecurity postures.

Whether your organization is prepared or not, the risks associated with third-party partnerships will continue to increase. In 2022, approximately 1,802 data breaches exposed the information of more than 422 million individuals in the United States alone. While those numbers are enough to frighten any organization, many reports expect them to continue to rise throughout 2024.

Vendor Risk Management is critical for reducing the impact of security risks associated with third-party vendors. But often included with this cybersecurity practice is a bloat of administrative processes that disrupt workflows and impact VRM efficacy, defeating the purpose of even having a VRM program. To establish a scalable Vendor Risk Management program, cybersecurity teams should take advantage of every opportunity to replace manual processes with automation technology.

Technology in the modern era moves fast. Historically, new technologies emerged quickly as well, but novelty in the age of computing occurs in a matter of days, sometimes even minutes. Do you use the same computer or cell phone that you did five years ago? And how often do you run software updates or patches on your devices?

When a company contracts or partners with a third party to handle and process its sensitive customer data, it is crucial for those third parties to use effective strategies to safeguard that data. Third parties should treat the data they handle from organizations as their own, complying with regulations and security requirements set by the organization.

Australia is using the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act 2018) as a framework to help the country mitigate and remediate threats to the country’s critical infrastructure. This comes after several high-profile cyber attacks raised Australia’s awareness of the need for cybersecurity and the standardization of cyber security measures for priority organizations.

You don’t need a professional to be PCI-compliant, but professional expertise can make navigating the notoriously complex PCI DSS requirements easier. An experienced cybersecurity firm with qualified assessment staff can speed up compliance, enhance a firm’s security posture according to priority actions, and help the firm achieve a high level of security and peace of mind. However, you must use a professional for your business to be PCI-certified.