Tag: Cyber

What Is Cyber Insurance and Why Is It a Must for Your Company?
With the advent of digitalization, the rise in threats of cyber-attacks comes in. We have reported large figures in cases relating to cyber-attacks both in the corporate sector and among individuals as well.

Cyber-attacks have played a major role in bringing cyber insurance to the core. Cases of rising cyber fraud are not only limited to companies but also individuals. Therefore, cyber insurance is a considerable option.

An immense rise in the cyber insurance market has been seen globally. The figures are estimated to reach USD 20 billion by 2025. Indian base for cyber insurance is around Rs. 500-700 crores.

Several cyber insurance providers cyber insurance to cover individuals and companies as well. A few cybercrimes coverage included in the cyber insurance policy are social media liability, cyberstalking, IT theft loss, cyber extortion, and many others.

A majority of cases reported globally and in India are related to e-mail based attacks, malware or ransomware, and phishing attacks.

What is Cyber Insurance?
Why is Cyber Insurance a Must for Every Company?

What is Cyber Insurance?

The term cyber insurance is synonymous with cyber risk insurance and cyber liability insurance coverage. A cyber insurance policy helps an organization to continue to run even in case of a security breach. It acts as a friend in disguise that offers a helping hand in times of crisis.

Cyber insurance acts as a helping hand to mitigate the exposure of risk by offsetting the costs involved as it consists of various policies of recovery in case of a breach regarding cyber security.

Why is Cyber Insurance a Must for Every Company?

The reports of Ponemon Institute’s Cost of a Data Breach says that data breach costs $3.9 million on average. It includes remediation, continuity costs, fees, etc.

Cyber insurance comes into light as a friend in disguise that assures an organization needs not to bear all these costs alone. Cyber insurance helps to get prepared to respond effectively in case of a data breach.

The 2019 survey report by Marsh and Microsoft mentions that about 47% of businesses have cyber insurance cover. Apart from this, 89% of businesses are in confidence that their cyber insurance policies cover the costs of any cyber event that might occur. These stats depict an increasing number of organizations buying cyber risk insurance.

Cyber risk insurance is important for risk mitigation. A single cyber-attack on an unprepared company can put it totally out of business. Therefore, the implementation of a cyber risk management program is a must for all small and big organizations. The program must include at least the following three things:
- Notices the risks to which an organization might be exposed to
- Helps a company prevent breaches
- Helps the company to recover from a possible breach
Following are a few reasons that make cyber insurance a must-have:
- Not only the big businesses but also the small companies are targeted by hackers. Small businesses are at a greater risk instead, as they do not have proper financial resources to bounce back after a cyber attack or data breach.
- Data is a critical business asset that must be protected. The value of data is as important as the device in which it is stored. A cyber policy offers coverage for data restoration in the event of a breach of data.
- The organization might face harsh penalties in case of loss of credit card data. According to stats, credit card crime is a $7.5 billion industry worldwide and growing. Even the smallest retailers are exposed to this risk.
- A ransomware attack, a computer virus, or an untrustworthy employee may shut systems down; a cyber insurance policy can cover your losses including the compromise with the data or the device in which it is stored.
- Cyber insurance also covers costly claims such as defamation, breach of information, copyright infringement, etc.
- Cyber Insurance policy offered by the companies ensures public trust and a reason to the customers to remain connected and save a large number of future sales resulting from customers that the company might lose to its competitors.
- To ensure financial safety against any kind of cyber fraud, as any kind of breach ultimately leads to a lot of expense. Insurance companies offer cyber insurance policies that also cover any sort of monetary loss.
List of Top Cyber Security Companies in India

Do you know cybersecurity startups in India? There are many cyber security companies in India, to know more read this article. In this article, we have listed top cyber security companies in India.

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Conclusion

Any business venture that stores data online or in any way use technology is at risk of a cyber-attack. The outcomes can be shattering. Stats mention that the average cost to resolve a data breach issue is about $7 million.

Cyber insurance helps the company recuperate after a data breach. It is an essential option that includes costs of business interruptions, legal fees, revenue loss, public relations expenses, equipment damages, and legal costs. Cyber insurance plays a vital role in shielding the organization in the long run before a breach occurs.

With Indian businesses getting online, cyber insurance in India is the need of the hour with the proliferating cases of online breaches. Cyber frauds have taken a higher jump during the Covid-19. It has experienced a rise with the increase in digital payments.

Cybercrime is the world’s fastest-growing crime, cyber insurance is the solution.

FAQs

What is cyber insurance?

Cyber insurance is insurance that covers your liability and protects your company from Internet-based risks.

What are the benefits of cyber insurance?

Cyber insurance provides Data breach coverage, Legal support, and protects you from phishing, email spoofing.

What do cyber insurance policies cover?

Most cyber insurance covers any data that has been lost, damaged, stolen or corrupted due to the security breach.
February 28, 2022
Discovering the Daily Businesses Which Happen on Dark Web

There’s a reason why the term “dark web” sounds ominous. The dark web is a part of the internet you can’t find with your regular browser. To access it, you need one designed for uncovering these hidden sites. The dark web is a hidden area of the internet where people and businesses can go anonymously to buy illegal drugs, guns or other criminal activity.

Do you know what businesses happen on the dark web?, You’re probably thinking of things like stolen company data, pirated software, and password lists when you think of what sells on Dark Web markets. But that’s not even close to the complete picture of what’s going on in the Dark Web – and what you don’t know could be the catalyst for the next onslaught. Let’s see what all “actually” happens on the Dark Web.

What is Dark Web?
Things that are Sold on Dark Web
FAQ

What is Dark Web?

The dark web is a dangerous place where you can buy or sell almost anything. Drugs, Guns, counterfeit money, other people’s Netflix accounts, credit card details, and other items can be purchased and sold on the dark web.

You can also get software that allows you to log into other people’s computers. Data, passwords, and hacking services aren’t the only things sold on the Dark Web. Weapons, narcotics, stolen items, plundered artefacts, illegal commodities, endangered animals, slave labour, and child pornography are among the dangerous, unlawful, and nasty entities that can’t sell openly, as well as innocent but weird things that you wouldn’t anticipate.

The dark web, though, isn’t just for criminals. You’ll also find online editions of long-out-of-print books, a collection of political reporting from mainstream news sites, sometimes journalists use it so their sources can remain unknown and several whistleblower websites dedicated to exposing corporate and government misconduct.

10 Ways How you can secure your Startup against Cyber Risks in 2021

Startups are often at serious risk of cybercrimes. If you are a startup and worried about cybersecurity here are 10 ways you can setup IT security.

StartupTalkyArbaz Sayed

Things that are Sold on Dark Web

Drugs

The dark web is the most notable place for buying drugs. A good example is ‘Silk Road’, the go-to destination when looking up illegal substances on Tor. Still, it wasn’t always this way—the original version of Silk Road was shut down back in 2013. The FBI took action after the only one-year operation due to too many reports about shady deals being made under its name, which further investigated several alleged crimes committed against both users/buyers.

Firearms

A study by Rand Corporation in 2019 found that it’s relatively easy to find firearms for sale on the dark web, and almost 60 percent of all listings are advertising products originating within the US. Europe represents a more significant market compared with America as they generate revenues five times greater than those in the US. This means there is an ample supply both domestically and internationally.

Password and Usernames for Streaming sites

You may be able to find the passwords for some of the most popular streaming services on dark websites. Cybercriminals sell these login details so that people who want a subscription without paying can use them instead. Passwords and usernames for platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, and others are commonly available.

Credit And Debit Card Details

Criminals sell Credit and Debit card information for others to commit crimes. They’ll use these numbers and charge them on something without permission, like online shopping platforms or make an unauthorised withdrawal or payments. According to a report by Gemini Advisory, in 2020, posted 115 million stolen debit and credit card details were to the dark web.

Bank Account Details

A cyber security firm Digital Shadows conducted a survey, and according to it, online marketplaces currently sell over 15 billion pieces of financial account information. According to the research, banking and financial accounts made up about a quarter of the internet ads.

After purchasing your bank account information, fraudsters may do a lot of damage. They can make purchases with your account and quickly deplete your savings or checking accounts.

Legitimacy

Cybercriminals aren’t the only ones who want to remain anonymous online. Consumers increasingly use Tor and other anonymous web browsers to conduct simple online searches. As more consumers begin to get tailored adverts based on their web searches, the importance of keeping their search habits private will become evident.

Threat Intelligence

Collaboration and sharing of information are also facilitated via Dark Web exchanges. Cybersecurity professionals watch chat rooms where sophisticated opponents frequently debate hacking concepts. Security analysts can learn about new and emerging risks by listening to these chats.

To monitor and analyse assaults, several firms deploy threat intelligence and mitigation platforms. They can protect against attacks on their assets and applications using information obtained on the Dark Web and keep up with new vulnerabilities being marketed in underground marketplaces.

Dark Analytics

While organisations aiming to obtain unindexed data from the Dark Web face risks, the benefits of anonymity enable them to gain hitherto untapped business, consumer, and operational insights by studying unstructured, concealed, or unprocessed data.

Companies utilise new search tools designed to assist users in targeting scientific research, activist data, or even hobbyist forums in the same way that security organisations watch exchanges for dangerous intelligence.

Dark data can be found in various places, including on the Dark Web. Enterprises are figuring out how to harness this trove of untapped information from many sources to inform business decisions.

India- Third most affected country due to cyber attacks.

The number of local threats has been significantly increasing, to mitigate such major threats, business needs to allocate their budgets to build a strong security infrastructure.

StartupTalkyAditi Chawda

Conclusion

Security leaders must understand who uses the Dark Web, why they use it, and how the data they acquire can affect the security posture of their firm. But there’s also plenty of legal material on this corner that you might find fascinating too. The dark web is an excellent place to get medical advice that you want anonymous.

FAQ

What kind of services are on the dark web?

One can find drugs, firearms, credit and debit card details, and passwords.

Is the dark web illegal?

Surfing on the dark web is not illegal but purchasing illegal items from the dark web can land you in trouble.

How many people use the dark web a day?

The dark web has around 2 million active users.

February 6, 2022
How did Upstox suffer a data breach and What does it mean for the users

Upstox is the leading discount broker in the country. Upstox was formerly known as RKSV technologies. Upstox is backed by some of the top investors in the country which include Tiger Global and Ratan Tata. The company has nearly 30 Lakh users making it the second-largest stockbroker in the country.

Over the last few years, Upstox has increased its client base and ramped up its operations because of the easy availability of Smart Phones and cheap data prices. Recently Upstox had signed up with the Board of Cricket in India to be one of the sponsors of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

The company has announced and passed on an alert to their customer of the data breach. Let’s look at the further details of the data breach.

How Upstox suffered a Data breach
Measures taken by Upstox
Measures taken by Upstox for the customers
Funds and Securities of the customers
FAQ

How Upstox suffered a Data breach

Retail broking firm and one of the leading discount brokers of the country Upstox had alerted its customers that there has been a data breach in the company. They have told that details such as contact data and KYC details of the customers have been breached.

A spokesman of the company through an email statement had said that the hackers’ group has put the sample of the data on the Dark Web. The spokesman of the company added on saying that for now, the company is not exactly sure about the certainty of the number of customers whose data has been exposed.

It is estimated that around 25 lakhs of its customers KYC data and contact numbers have been gained access by the hackers. This incident has happened in the midst of data breaches in some of the leading domestic companies and global giants such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Mobikwik.

Upstox Data breach

Why Password manager is Essential for your Business in 2021

Password Managers are considered to be essential even if it for your personaluse or a business. In the recent years with the increase of cyber crimes andvarious other cyber related activities, it is always wise to choose a passwordmanager for your business or an enterprise. Let’s look at some of …

StartupTalkyAlan Joseph

Measures taken by Upstox

The company has said that they had received receipts of emails that claimed unauthorized access to their databases. In response to it, the company has appointed a leading international cyber-security firm that will investigate the possibilities of the data breach of KYC details of customers. They would investigate on the KYC data stored in third-party data warehouse systems.

The spokesman of the company has added that as a proactive measure the company has taken steps to initiate multiple security enhancements which will particularly concentrate on the third-party warehouses.

The company has also taken steps to increase real-time monitoring to 24/7 and adding an additional ring-fencing to its network said the spokesman of the company.

He added that the company has ensured to restrict the access to the databases which has impacted in the breach. The company has also added multiple security enhancements at all third-party warehouses.

Upstox has taken measures to speed up its bug bounty programme to encourage the ethical hackers to stress-test its systems and protocols. This is a step taken by the company where it makes ethical hackers to hack into their systems to understand the vulnerabilities and identify the problems in the safety of the company’s data. This activity will be undertaken from time to time in regular intervals.

Can you Rely on a Password manager in 2021

A password manager has a lot of benefits. It would help you in a lot of ways andthe doubt which you would have in your mind would be “Can I rely on a passwordmanager”. You can read the below article to get a clear understanding of whetherpassword managers are reliable or not. Security and Conven…

StartupTalkyAlan Joseph

Measures taken by Upstox for the customers

The company has taken an abundant caution towards the security of the customers. The company has taken the initiative to provide a secured password reset through OTPs for all its customers. The company has said that they take the safety of customers very seriously.

The CEO of the company Ravi Kumar has said that this time the company has strongly fortified its systems to the most highest standards to ensure higher safety.

The company has always made the customers to use unique passwords that are strong. They have ensured that the customers would change their passwords in regular intervals and stressed on not to share their OTPs with anyone.

The company has said that it has also taken steps to warn the customers about the online frauds and to double-check the legitimacy of the links and senders. They have asked the customers to keep a check on the OTPs they receive and the ones they have requested.

Upstox has always asked its customers to report and alert the service providers if they notice such activities.

Top 5 Technologies That Can Change The Future Of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2021. Advances in AI and ML areaccelerating its technological progress. Technology which can take us forwardand empower us, can also show the flip side that is Cyber Crime. By creating cybersecurity systems that encourage diversity and value equality…

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Funds and Securities of the customers

The spokesperson of Upstox has said that, the funds and securities of all Upstox customers are safe and have been protected by the company.

Ravi Kumar who is the CEO and Co-founder of the company has also tweeted about it saying that funds and securities of the customers are protected and kept safe by the company.

FAQ

Is Upstox funded by Ratan Tata?

Yes. Upstox is an online discount stock broker backed by funding from Mr. Ratan Tata. He held 1.33% stake in the company As of Jan 2020.

Who is owner of Upstox?

Founders of RKSV Securities (Changed to Upstox Later) are Ravi Kumar, Raghu Kumar and Shrinivas Viswanath are the owner of Upstox.

Is Upstox SEBI registered?

Yes, It is registered with the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as a stock broker.

Conclusion

These are the steps taken by Upstox regarding their data breach.

April 13, 2021
Why Password manager is Essential for your Business in 2021

Password Managers are considered to be essential even if it for your personal use or a business. In the recent years with the increase of cyber crimes and various other cyber related activities, it is always wise to choose a password manager for your business or an enterprise. Let’s look at some of the reasons why password management is important for your business.

Strong passwords
Unique Passwords
Remembering passwords
Password Retrievals
Browser Password management
Phishing attacks
Multi-factor authentication and syncing of devices
FAQ

Strong passwords

Your employees are most likely not to use any strong passwords. Most of them would not like to create new passwords and most likely they would choose to go with a simpler one. As we tend to forget passwords many of us use the password that we have already used across various platforms.

Nowadays with password-cracking software, it is easy to crack all the passwords and it is said that passwords which were considered strong and safe 5 years back are considered to be easy to crack now. Hence password manager is important for setting up of strong passwords and automation of logins.

India- Third most affected country due to cyber attacks.

Firstly we need to understand that what a cyber-attack is- A cyber-attack can bedefined as the malicious activity or planned attempt by any organization or anindividual to steal or corrupt the information of the system of anotherorganization or individual. Cybercriminals or hackers generally use …

StartupTalkyAditi Chawda

Unique Passwords

You will have to invest some of your time to create a unique password and most of them would randomly make a unique password. The carelessness of some employees may lead to the breach of data. Passwords aren’t considered secure unless and until it has 12 characters with a combination of upper, lower case, special characters, and numbers.

Some of them would take initiative and patience to create a unique password but they will have to ensure that they memorize them. Because of this the people again try to repeat the same passwords across different platforms.

Password managers have inbuilt algorithms that can generate unique passwords and store them securely which will let you use the platforms without remembering the passwords.

Remembering passwords

Most of the companies try to make a secure environment by asking the employees to change passwords after regular intervals. This sounds to be secure, but when put into practical use it is not.

When the employees are asked for a frequent password change, your employees would find it hard to remember and they would save the passwords for an easy access to it.

They may note it down in some platform or physically write it down. This is again considered to be risky. Whereas the password managers provide an option to not have to remember the passwords.

List of Top 15 Cyber Security Companies in India

In this digital world, as technologies harm most industries, Cybersecurity worksas a shield for the industries at risk. As technology evolves, the adversariesare also enhancing their attack methods, tools, and techniques to exploitindividuals and organizations which calls for a strong cybersecuri…

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Password Retrievals

It is considered by the IT departments that the major task they undertake is retrieving the passwords on a daily basis. The employees may forget their passwords because of frequent changing of passwords or because they tried creating a unique password and couldn’t memorize it.

The retrieval of passwords would take a lot of time of the help desk and this is not a cost-effective task for a company. Whereas password managers have features where you wouldn’t have to remember or memorize your unique password.

Browser Password management

Most of the browsers offer a feature for password management. They will provide you an option to remember your passwords, so that you can easily log in to your frequently used platforms. But this is not a password manager and does not ensure safety. This feature is only for ease of use of the browser and to increase the number of people to use the browser.

It means that your login credentials and details are easily accessible by any hacker and are left out in the open.

Cost of data breach in India

Phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are the most effective ways through which cyber criminals try getting access to your login credentials. Phishing emails or forwarded messages would seem like its from a legitimate source. But that actually is a way to get access to your login credential and will solely capture your passwords.

Phishing Attack

It is most likely that a human being gets into a phishing attack than a password manager. Password managers will have a record of trusted websites and if the domain name doesn’t match, they wouldn’t provide the login credentials.

Top 5 Technologies That Can Change The Future Of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2021. Advances in AI and ML areaccelerating its technological progress. Technology which can take us forwardand empower us, can also show the flip side that is Cyber Crime. By creating cybersecurity systems that encourage diversity and value equality…

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Multi-factor authentication and syncing of devices

You will most probably need to login through various devices such as mobile phones, desktops, tablets, etc. and there are no specific platforms or an application which will easily let you login through devices other than password managers. Password managers will provide an option to sync between various devices of your choice.

Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security to your passwords. It is a feature which is provided by various password managers which uses an extra step to access your login credentials such as answering a question or sending an OTP to your mobile phone. This will add an extra layer of protection to every data stored in your password manager.

FAQ

Is it good to have a password manager?

Many people re-use the same password on multiple websites. Password managers makes it possible and easy to use a different random password for every account.

Can malware change your password?

A malware in your computer with the help of the third party could reset your passwords on other websites and gain access to almost any of your online accounts.

What is the best Password Manager 2020?

LastPass is considered the best Password Manager, because of its ease of use convenience, security and price.

Conclusion

There are a lot more benefits of using a password manager for your business. It can be one of the effective tools which are required by your business.

April 12, 2021
Are Password Managers Reliable in 2021

A password manager has a lot of benefits. It would help you in a lot of ways and the doubt which you would have in your mind would be “Can I rely on a password manager”. You can read the below article to get a clear understanding of whether password managers are reliable or not.

Security and Convenience
Safety
Two-factor authentication
Zero-Knowledge Technique
FAQ

Security and Convenience

Password managers offer you both security and convenience. Password Managers remember all your passwords and make it easier for you. It provides you with your password whenever you require to access that particular platform.

This gives you an opportunity to easily create strong and very unique passwords as you need not have to remember all your passwords. You will have to ensure that you entered the details of the log in to your password manager. You will not have to remember all your passwords or memorize them.

You will have to just remember a single password that is the master password to unlock your password manager. Hence password manager ensures security as well as convenience.

List of Top 15 Cyber Security Companies in India

In this digital world, as technologies harm most industries, Cybersecurity worksas a shield for the industries at risk. As technology evolves, the adversariesare also enhancing their attack methods, tools, and techniques to exploitindividuals and organizations which calls for a strong cybersecuri…

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Safety

Password Managers are one of the safest ways to keep your passwords safe. Ron Culler who is a senior director of technology and solutions at ADT Cybersecurity said that “Password managers are safe and far safer than not using one”.

Password managers ensure your passwords are safe and it encourages the users to maintain a good security hygiene. This is considered to be a partial reason. Through password managers, you can easily create very unique passwords which are strong and which you don’t have to remember. You can even create long and complex passwords.

If it was during the early days of the internet it would have been easy for an individual to create unique passwords and memorize them but now it is next to impossible.

The password manager company LastPass has said that the average user of its password manager has around 191 passwords which are managed by the company’s password manager application. This makes the tool essential in this era and in the coming years.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is one of the best feature available for the password manager applications. This provides double safety for the users. It’s like adding an extra safety wall for your passwords.

The working of the password manager is as follows. You will not have to remember or memorize all your passwords you feed in the application. There will be a master password and you will just have to remember and memorize it. Using this master password, you will be able to access all your other passwords.

Two factor Authentication

So, this master password is the key for all your passwords. You can make it as long and complicated as per your choice. The two-factor verification will provide double security for your password manager.

Examples of two-factor verification refer to an additional pin or some questions which will be asked after you enter your master password or an OTP will be sent to double-check whether the person trying to access to it is legitimate.

Through a two-step verification process the password manager ensures that all your passwords are double safe and kept away from easily getting in hands of cybercriminals or hackers.

India- Third most affected country due to cyber attacks.

Firstly we need to understand that what a cyber-attack is- A cyber-attack can bedefined as the malicious activity or planned attempt by any organization or anindividual to steal or corrupt the information of the system of anotherorganization or individual. Cybercriminals or hackers generally use …

StartupTalkyAditi Chawda

Zero-Knowledge Technique

This is the most important technique you need to know about password managers. All the leading password managers using this technique called Zero-Knowledge.

In simple terms, Zero-Knowledge technology means that even though the password manager knows all your passwords and data, the company that manufactures all these wouldn’t have any idea about it.

What makes a password manager safe is its Zero-Knowledge Technology and security model which consists of three layers of defense. The first layer will be the encrypted user data, the second is the manager’s password which is not kept on the system and the security key.

To get access to the information the cybercriminals or hackers will have to get through all these three layers of defense. These defensive layers will greatly reduce the risk that the password manager can be hacked by just a middleman. This was the information provided by Chris Hallenbeck who is the Chief Information Officer of the cybersecurity firm Tanium.

Chris Hallenbeck also said that even if a password manager company gets hacked the customer data will not be compromised because of it.

Mike Kiser who is a senior identity strategist at the security firm SailPoint told that “Any tool has weaknesses”. But he points out that you would be far more likely to fall into a low-tech phishing attack than having your password manager hacked.

Mike Kiser added on saying that he would still use one and the advantages of the password manager far outweigh its security risks.

Password Managers are reliable and the level of reliability would depend on the company you choose. It would also depend on the versions as a premium version would be more reliable than a free version.

FAQ

How reliable are password managers?

Majority of cyber-security specialists agree that password managers are indeed the most secure way to protect your passwords.

What is the best and safest password manager?

LastPass is the best and safest password manager.

Does Apple have a password manager?

Apple has a full-fledged password manager built into iOS and macOS, it stores all of your sensitive information with end-to-end encryption and syncs it across all of your Apple devices.

Conclusion

No Solution can be considered to be perfectly safe all the time but by using a password manager can be the best possible way to protect your passwords.

April 12, 2021
Top 5 Technologies That Can Change The Future Of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2021. Advances in AI and ML are accelerating its technological progress. Technology which can take us forward and empower us, can also show the flip side that is Cyber Crime. By creating cybersecurity systems that encourage diversity and value equality, we can help ensure that technology, innovation, and the future, will be better. We’ve listed technology used in cyber security in this article.

These evolving Cyber security technologies list can help protect your organization.

The future of cybersecurity is in high-speed quantum encryption as Cyber war-fare gets graver day-by-day.

Top 5 Emerging Technologies That Are The Future Of Cybersecurity
Challenges That Organizations Face With Cybersecurity

If we look at some trends, then it’s observed that cybercrime is costing organizations on average $3.9 million of data breaches every year around the world. Global scalability of Cybercrime is becoming easier for attackers, as criminals find new business models. It is one of the reasons that 55% of the organizations work together with external partners to reduce security risks.

Technology and security go hand in hand. There’s always have been a war between data defenders and data thieves, so you have to take a stand and be infosec warriors. Here is list of top 5 emerging security technologies that may be of great help.

Top 5 Emerging Technologies That Are The Future Of Cybersecurity

Hardware Authentication

Hardware Authentication is the future of cybersecurity. This approach is used as user authentication that relies on a device like smartphones, laptops, or any hardware systems held by an authorized user. This could be in the form of a basic password or fingerprints to grant access to the device.

The dearth of usernames and passwords are well known, so, a more secure form of authentication is needed. Hardware authentication is an important feature for the Internet of Things (IoT), where a network wants to ensure that the thing trying to gain access to it is something that should have access to it.

One limitation of hardware authentication devices is that they can be lost or stolen, which can create login issues for users.

Secure Your Business With These Cyber-Security Startups In India

In this digital world, as technologies harm most industries, Cybersecurity worksas a shield for the industries at risk. As technology evolves, the adversariesare also enhancing their attack methods, tools, and techniques to exploitindividuals and organizations which calls for a strong cyber secur…

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Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

AI is compared as technology that appears to emulate human performance typically by learning, including conclusions, analyzing complex content, engaging in natural dialog with people, enhancing human cognitive performance and, the major one is replacing people on execution of non-routine tasks.

AI technologies can be used to protect data against increasingly sophisticated and malicious malware, ransomware, and social engineering attacks. AI is not conscious yet, but there is likely a future in AI cognitive autonomy in predicting and mitigating cyber-attacks.

Rediscover the technology behind cybersecurity

If we look otherwise AI and ML go hand in hand in every respect. It basically gets a computer to act without much programming. It combines with AI and is one of the rapid automation of predictive analytics.

ML can provide the fastest way to identify new cyber-attacks, draw statistical inferences, and push that information to endpoint security platforms. Threat intelligence is one of the special cases where AI and ML can be an important functionality for cybersecurity. AI and ML could help with identity management by cross-checking the veracity of data across multiple fragmented databases. Hence, AI and ML are definitely the future of the cybersecurity.

% of AI Cybersecurity for the folloeing areas in organisation

Automated and Adaptive Networks

Automated networks can change the future of cybersecurity. Automation allows for scanning and monitoring of connected networks that can report on deviations and anomalies in real-time. The automatic updating of Defence framework layers i.e. network, endpoint, firewalls, payload and anti-virus; and diagnostic and forensics analysis for cybersecurity. AI and ML can be one of the major components and support applications of these networks.

Cyber Security Competence Survey in different areas

Blockchain Cybersecurity

It is one of the potentially strong cybersecurity technologies that’s rising stupendously. The blockchain technology works on the basis of identification between two transaction parties so this type of security works on the basis of peer-to-peer fundamentals. It offers authentication and resolving a single point of attack simultaneously.

With the help of blockchain technology, a security system used in a company can leverage a distributed public key infrastructure for authenticating devices and users. The use of Blockchain technology with AI can set-up a robust authenticated verification system to keep potential cyber threats at bay. It’s the future of cybersecurity.

Blockchain Start-ups In India

The banking sector has modernized and tried to deal with all types of hindrancesin transactions, leakages and ease of process utilising internet. Digitalpayments have almost ended the sluggish and orthodox process of physicaltransactions. It just takes few minutes to do the payments using credit/…

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Zero-Trust Model

Zero Trust model is a response to a breakdown in traditional security models. The zero-trust security model is based on the principle of maintaining strict access controls and not trusting anyone by default, even those already inside the network perimeter. The goal is to use authentication throughout the course to re-ensure security—but in a thoughtful and limited manner, to avoid unduly burdening the user. The key is to know when a re-authentication has actually become necessary due to some malicious or simply anomalous event taking place. This is how the combination of identity technology with application and API protection technology comes into play.

In spite of these technologies and many more upcoming smart cybersecurity techniques, organizations do face a lot of phishing scams. So, have you ever wondered how these Malware actually look like or what are the challenges?

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Challenges That Organizations Face With Cybersecurity
- Continuous Security Incidences And Breaches
- Ineffective Responses And Security Protocols
- Too Few Responders are Available for 24/7 Support
- Employees are Afraid of Security Threats at Work
- Many Organizations are still Unprepared For Security Threats
- Phishing Scammers Target Senior Decision-Makers
- Increased Weekly Volume of Suspicious Emails
- Lack of Training about Security Threats and Scams
To Strengthen Cybersecurity

The upsurge in technology and digital connectivity and more and more cyber-threats has promulgated the need for smart cybersecurity. Smart Cybersecurity is an intellect reflex to manage risk by lessening security gaps that often occurred by reliance on manual processes that are impacted by a continual cybersecurity skills shortage and the administrative burdens of data security management.

A myriad of upcoming technologies can help us enhance cybersecurity and guide the increasingly malicious and disruptive cyber threat landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Does cybersecurity have a future?

Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2020. Advances in AI and ML are accelerating its technological progress. Technology which can take us forward and empower us, can also show the flip side that is Cyber Crime. By creating cybersecurity systems that encourage diversity and value equality now, we can help to ensure that technology, innovation, and the future, will be better.

Will cybersecurity die?

Cybersecurity will never die. Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2020. Advances in AI and ML are accelerating its technological progress. Technology which can take us forward and empower us, can also show the flip side that is Cyber Crime. By creating cybersecurity systems that encourage diversity and value equality now, we can help to ensure that technology, innovation, and the future, will be better.

Is cybersecurity a good field?

Yes, definitely cybersecurity is one of the growing things in India. Cybersecurity is at the tipping point entering 2020. Advances in AI and ML are accelerating its technological progress.

Why AI is the future of cybersecurity?

AI is compared as a technology that appears to emulate human performance typically by learning, including conclusions, analyzing complex content, engaging in natural dialogs with people, enhancing human cognitive performance and, the major one is replacing people on execution of non-routine tasks. AI technologies can be used to protect data against increasingly sophisticated and malicious malware, ransomware, and social engineering attacks. AI is not conscious yet, but there is likely a future in AI cognitive autonomy in predicting and mitigating cyber-attacks.

Will AI take over cyber security?

No, AI technologies can be used to protect data against increasingly sophisticated and malicious malware, ransomware, and social engineering attacks but cannot fully overtake cybersecurity. AI is not conscious yet, but there is likely a future in AI cognitive autonomy in predicting and mitigating cyber-attacks.
March 8, 2021
Growth and Evolution of Hacking Industry

They’re smart. They know their code. They got the ardor to get into your system. The strengths and the backdoors, they know it all. Yes, we’re talking about the brilliant minded, cyber thrill seekers called Hackers. The term hacking, means to gain unauthorised access in someone’s computer or private network for some illicit purpose.

Nowadays, the word “hacker” carries an excessively negative connotation, projecting images of digital thieves intent on stealing identities and letting disruptive viruses loose into cyberspace.

It wasn’t always the same. In fact, computer hackers were originally viewed by society as technology fanatics who wanted nothing more than to optimize, customize and improvise. Decades later, with the growth of viruses and cyber crime – the traditional hackers got stuck together with those of malicious purpose and the censure of hacking began.

Curious as to how this evolution came to be? Let us now see the complete story behind the topic- Growth and Evolution of Hacking Industry.

History of Hacking Industry
Current Trends in Hacking Industry

History of Hacking Industry

Hacking originated from the term “phreaking” (hacking phone systems), in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Gaining access within networks was called “cracking.” The primary motive of hackers was to get into the phone system.

1980s brought with it the personal computers. More people, businesses and governments adopted to them, and a whole new world of technology fascinated the hackers. They had a gala time playing around in this new tech realm, and simultaneously, discovering the loop holes in the network.

The law responded swiftly. The emergence of cyber criminals was met in 1986 with the first legislation related to hacking, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act but this didn’t stop these criminals.

Initially, hacking was primarily done to get the adrenaline rush—the computer equivalent of sky diving.But over time, these players realized that they could make money off of their skill. Why destroy a file, corrupt a program and play cat-and-mouse with the IT team when you can rip them off with a code? A black market began to surface.

By 2003, Microsoft was offering money to hackers that could corrupt Windows. Ethical hacking took birth to discover vulnerabilities and fix them before an unethical hacker gets in.

Also Read: How Anshul Saxena became a Cyber Hero after the Pulwama Attack

Current Trends in Hacking Industry

When cybercrime takes place on a larger scale, like to a giant retailer, the damages value upto tens of millions for a single business.

Hackers make use of hardware and software to test how easily a computer network can be infiltrated. Vulnerabilities are sited at any one of a number of points, such as the Internet connection itself, the browser or the operating system of the user’s computer.

A decade ago, hackers crashed computers, making the user instantly aware they were hacked. Nowadays, hackers leave no proof. How could they get your banking information if your computer is crashed?

Instead, they inject a Trojan that waits, undetected, then springs into action when you begin online banking—transferring information to the hacker.

By the mid 2000s hacking was carried by state sponsored hackers, organized criminals, hacktivists and cyber terrorists. Some political attacks like the interference by the Russians in the 2016 Presidential Election or the Stuxnet virus.

Hacktivists groups use their fervour about certain beliefs and plot an attack against a group that they disagree with. For example, a hacktivist group known as “Anonymous” attacked the Church of Scientology by flooding its servers with fake data requests. All they wanted was for the Scientology website to take down a video of Tom Cruise endorsing from their website.

Most attackers hack for the money. They hack into system and demand large ransom payments to prevent information leak.

There were 1,903 breaches disclosed and 1.9 billion exposed records in Q1 alone, according to RiskBased Security.

Some repeated patterns that were traced are:

1) Presence of Misconfigurations

43% of data breaches linked misconfigurations analyzed by X-Force. That accounts for 990 million records lost.

2) Phishing is still there

29% of cybersecurity attacks used phishing, according to go X-For ce. About half of the latest phishing attacks involve hackers fiddling with business email.

3) Coin-mining malware

Cryptojacking(unauthorised use of someone else’s computer to mine cryptocurrency) attacks grew a surprising 450% last year, according to Proofpoint.

4) Extortion as the new ransomware

Includes credential theft, downloaders, and infected attachments. There has also been a significant surge in direct attempts to blackmail executives.

5) Missing passwords

Nearly three-quarters of the records lost in 2019 contained email addresses and passwords, per RiskBased Security. 10% had credit card or social security numbers.

6) Malicious domains

About 10 million DNS requests to harmful sites are blocked each day, according to X-Force.

7) SMS leads to malware

Android malware named TimpDoor raised prominence in early 2019. When an attack starts, users are generally prompted to download a malicious app via SMS phishing, or “smishing,” according to McAfee. These apps install an unforeseen backdoor that gives hackers access to corporate and home networks.

Current Market Size and Future Projection of Hacking Industry

Hacking collectively called Cybercrime is a major threat to every organisation in the world, its effect on society is reflected in the Official 2019 Annual Cybercrime Report, announced by Cybersecurity Ventures.

As per the report, it will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021, up from $3 trillion in 2015 marking the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history, risking the reason for innovation and investment.

Cybercrime might triple the number of jobs to 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions by 2021 — which is up from 1 million in 2014 – and the cybersecurity unemployment rate will remain at 0%.

The international cyber security market size was at USD 131.3 Billion in 2018 is expected to reach USD 289.8 Billion by 2026, according to fortune business insights.

Global security spending on identity access management is accounted to reach 10.58 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Spending on security services, the largest segment of the information security market, might reach 64.24 billion U.S. dollars in the same year as per Statistica report.

Also Read: IT Services giant Cognizant Hit by ‘Maze’ Ransomware

Conclusion

Hacking trends are tricky to predict.With that said, there are a few ways you can innovate faster than hackers and respond to emerging threats in 2019 and beyond.

*) Protect the endpoints

Hardware weaknesses are common, means hackers can keep harvesting data in the easily. It should be kept in mind that the time to address device vulnerabilities is before data loss.

*) Analyse human error

Hackers sense vulnerability, and they target the weakest link in your network. Sophisticated social engineering as well as less-sophisticated blackmail attempts take place. Some user may click on spammy attachments, even after years of training.

Awareness should be spread. Invest in smarter spam filters and devices that can quarantine and eliminate threats before they infect your network.

*) Visibility is a security advantage

Hackers love it when you make their job easy with an unprotected cloud database or printers protected with easy passwords. The solution is to install services that enable you to understand risks across multiple cloud environments and multi-vendor printers.

June 4, 2020