Uncover the startling surge in cyber threats from our Avast Q4/2023 Threat Report. Over 10 billion attacks last year reveal the critical need to pay attention.

Recent supply chain attacks, from SolarWinds to 3CX and MOVEit, illustrate the impact that can occur when a single widely used software platform is compromised, thereby enabling attackers to use this initial access as an entry point into any number of subsequent networks. Often the intention is to propagate malware or leverage sensitive data to extort victim organisations.

In the age of attack surface expansion, securing IT assets is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. IT and cybersecurity leaders must protect their organisation’s digital assets from increasing cyber threats. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, according to their report. This underscores the importance of having a robust security strategy in place.

The CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) is a widely used standard that produces a score between 0 and 10 to indicate the level of severity of a vulnerability. The most popular spot to find CVSS scores is on the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) website, where you’ll see CVSS scores for all CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) IDs.

Vulnerability remediation is no small feat – especially if your security and remediation teams are understaffed and overwhelmed. Because vulnerabilities extend across the code, cloud, and infrastructure in your attack surface, and can vary drastically in their criticality, location, type, or affected systems, one-size-fits-all approaches are rarely the answer.

If you want to significantly reduce the attack surface and data breach risks for your organization, zero trust architecture may be the answer. This approach is becoming a priority for global organizations and tech giants like Microsoft that seek to reduce cybersecurity risks in their IT environments. It’s no wonder then that 10% of large organizations will have a comprehensive and mature zero trust program in place by 2026, according to Gartner’s predictions.

This is the second in a series of four posts on how to secure your hybrid workforce. For an overview of the topics discussed in this series, download The new perimeter: Access management in a hybrid world.

In our last blog, we discussed the many challenges faced by telecom organisations in this ever-changing regulatory and technical landscape. While it is clear to see the challenges the industry faces in this digital world, there’s also a unique opportunity to solve the many problems that hold them back.