Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world today and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we’re looking at four ways organizations can strengthen their Digital Immune System. The cyberthreat landscape is constantly evolving at an accelerated pace; merely focusing on preventing incidents is no longer an effective approach.

The healthcare IT landscape is rapidly evolving and driven by digital transformation efforts that aim to enhance patient care and network operational efficiency. However, this digital shift introduces complex challenges, including escalating security threats and the critical need for robust, reliable network infrastructure.

Developing a proactive security strategy can potentially save an organization millions of dollars per year. According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 added up to a staggering $4.45 million, up 15% over the last three years. This is especially true for cloud-native environments, which face unique security challenges due to their dynamic nature.

With the proliferation of AI/ML enabled technologies to deliver business value, the need to protect data privacy and secure AI/ML applications from security risks is paramount. An AI governance framework model like the NIST AI RMF to enable business innovation and manage risk is just as important as adopting guidelines to secure AI. Responsible AI starts with securing AI by design and securing AI with Zero Trust architecture principles.

In January 2024, Cloudflare employee Brittany Peach achieved social media virality when she recorded a video of her former company firing her and posted the exchange on TikTok, where it was viewed millions of times and featured as front-page news across mainstream media platforms. She’s just one of many employees recording and posting their layoff meetings online. This trend is accelerating as more companies make staffing cuts. However, these videos reflect more than just a viral internet trend.

Keeping track of who is accessing your systems and data is a critical part of any security program. Requirement 10 of the PCI DSS covers logging and monitoring controls that allow organizations to detect unauthorized access attempts and track user activities. In the newly released PCI DSS 4.0, Requirement 10 has seen some notable updates that expand logging capabilities and provide more flexibility for merchants and service providers.

We're proud to introduce the Advanced DNS Protection system, a robust defense mechanism designed to protect against the most sophisticated DNS-based DDoS attacks. This system is engineered to provide top-tier security, ensuring your digital infrastructure remains resilient in the face of evolving threats. Our existing systems have been successfully detecting and mitigating ‘simpler’ DDoS attacks against DNS, but they’ve struggled with the more complex ones.

Balancing developer velocity and security against bots is a constant challenge. Deploying your changes as quickly and easily as possible is essential to stay ahead of your (or your customers’) needs and wants. Ensuring your website is safe from malicious bots — without degrading user experience with alien hieroglyphics to decipher just to prove that you are a human — is no small feat. With Pages and Turnstile, we'll walk you through just how easy it is to have the best of both worlds!

The next crypto bull run is coming. Bitcoin’s price is up 120% from this time last year, and previous Bitcoin halving events have resulted in growth across the entire digital asset ecosystem. Given this growth, the space is witnessing significant institutional interest and a push for secure, reliable blockchain platforms.

Arctic Wolf and SC Media surveyed an audience of more than 500 North American IT security professionals in the fall of 2023 and discovered that, among those who currently have cyber insurance policies, 47% of them have had coverage for 12 months or less. A significant increase among the insured reflects the kind of growth one might expect from an industry that has seen monumental change in just a few short years.