Law enforcement agencies in the United States, UK, Netherlands, Poland, and Germany have brought down the most popular DDoS-for-hire services on the internet, responsible for tens of millions of attacks against websites. 50 of the world's biggest "booter" sites used to launch disruptive distributed denial-of-service attacks have been taken down as part of "Operation Power Off" - a joint action by the US Department of Justice, FBI, the UK's National Crime Agency, and their equivalents.

As we walk towards the end of 2022, full-scale predictions are made about the trends for cybersecurity in the upcoming year: how will cybersecurity affect us, what major cyber threats will dominate the landscape, and, where shall we allocate cybersecurity budgets? Above all, what can we do to secure our businesses and protect our tangible and intangible assets from cybercriminals’ activities?

Network security is a significant topic that all organizations should consider as a major concern. Regardless of the industry, business, or scope of their operations, all enterprises need to have good network security practices in place to protect against cyberattacks. There are a plethora of different security solutions for different needs, and organizations have to figure out what will work best for them and use the resources that they require.

Philip Ingram (PI) talked to Darren Desmond (DD). Darren currently works with the Automobile Association (AA) in the UK as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), joining in 2018. He started his professional career in the British Army's Royal Military Police, before a stint in the Special Investigation Branch, and Military Intelligence.

Businesses come in many different sizes, yet, they all share one similarity; the growing need for cybersecurity in today’s ever-changing technology landscape. While large companies with robust security infrastructure and experience may ward off many aspiring cybercriminals, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) prove to be ideal targets.

During my time as a cybersecurity admin, I had the authority to decide what was going to be done, but I didn’t have the access to configure or install my own software. To make matters worse, despite having authority over the implementation, I was also held accountable for failures but again, without the necessary access to fix issues. This created a lot of tension between myself and the teams I relied upon to handle implementation details.

As the world is preparing for the winter of 2022, energy efficiency and availability becomes a major concern for all countries and governments. The electric grid is a vital sector, and any malfunctions will create ripple effects on any nation’s economy. As the grid is heavily dependent on cyber-enabled technologies and a vast chain of suppliers, contractors and partners, the ability to safeguard the availability and reliability of the grid is crucial.

Malicious hackers, hell-bent on infiltrating an organisation, have no qualms about exploiting even the most tragic events. Take, for instance, the horrific crowd crush that occurred in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaweon on 29 October, when over 150 people were killed during Halloween festivities.

It’s no surprise that industrial environments have become increasingly valuable targets for malicious behavior. The State of Security has featured many cybersecurity events across myriad industrial verticals, including but not limited to chemical manufacturing, transportation, power generation and petrochemical. Several of these industries have taken great strides in improving their defense posture, but this was primarily driven as a result of governmental regulatory compliance requirements.

Digital payment systems are quickly becoming the norm. The speed and convenience of apps like PayPal and Apple Pay have led businesses and consumers to move away from cash, but this efficiency comes at a cost. These digital platforms are also attractive to cybercriminals. Mitigating any vulnerability starts with understanding how threat actors target it. With that in mind, here’s how cybercriminals take advantage of digital payment systems, and what you can do to stay safe.