Gemalto yesterday released the findings of its Breach Level Index for 2016, which states that 1,792 data breaches worldwide led to the compromise of almost 1.4 billion data records last year, an increase of 86 percent over the previous year. Identity theft was the leading type of data breach in 2016, accounting for 59 percent of all… Continue reading 1.4 Billion Data Records Exposed in 2016

Sure, malware’s a persistent pain. But IT security pros today have other things on their minds. Carbon Black, a Waltham, Mass. security vendor, recently polled 400 cybersecurity researchers. The majority of them, 93 percent in fact, said that non-malware attacks posed a bigger danger to businesses than the current crop of commodity malware that’s making… Continue reading Cybersecurity Pros Brace for Non-Malware Attacks

Tens of thousands of policyholders caught in a disaster in 2016 were better able to recover from the losses and hardships inflicted thanks to insurance. Global insured losses from catastrophes totaled around $54 billion in 2016 – the highest level since 2012, according to the latest report from Swiss Re sigma. North America accounted for more than half the global insured… Continue reading INSURANCE PAYOUTS UNDERPIN DISASTER RECOVERY PROCESS

Is there a case for blockchain in your organization? Cutter Business Technology Journal contributing authors Steven Kurshand Arthur Schnure recently argued that companies should begin considering which parts of their organization might benefit from blockchain. Among their advice to CIOs and CTOs is to look for areas of friction when it comes to exchange of value or information that would… Continue reading Building the Case for Blockchain in Your Organization

According to a recent Kaspersky Lab report, attackers who demand a ransom in return for not launching a DDoS attack (or to call off an attack in progress) can earn thousands of dollars in bitcoins, enabling the profitability of such attacks to exceed 95 percent. “And the fact that the owners of online sites are often… Continue reading Cybercriminals See 95 Percent Profit from DDoS Attacks

While data backup and replication have their similarities, they are not the same, and rather than competing with one another can be used as complimentary tools to maximise the efficiency of an IT environment. Data backup is the process of taking a copy of data at a fixed point in time and storing it for a set time frame… Continue reading Back to basics: The differences between Backup and Replication

“Give me your gut!” (as in “gut feeling”) has long been the cry of business continuity management in meetings, trying to make sense of complex situations or cut through to the essentials. Gut feelings are nonetheless only as good as judgement and the experience used to make them. They may therefore be wrong, for any number of… Continue reading Business Continuity, Gut Feeling and Data-Driven Decisions

As I’ve said many times, cybersecurity seems to be more about reacting than acting or being proactive. Now, a new study by 1E found that, in fact, IT professionals spend a third of their time reacting to emergencies. Nearly 30 percent of the IT tasks are unplanned, which works out to be about 14 weeks of… Continue reading Why Your Business Must Be Prepared for Security Incidents

More than 30,000 people in low-lying coastal areas have been urged to evacuate their homes ahead of powerful Cyclone Debbie, as it bears down on the Queensland coast in northeastern Australia. With landfall expected early Tuesday, Cyclone Debbie is currently a Category 4 storm and could intensify to Category 5. A Category 4 storm on… Continue reading CYCLONE DEBBIE: STORM SURGE BIGGEST THREAT