Edge Focused/Centric World …. Security Needs.

The IT landscape always seems to be changing and advancing. It has gone from centralized to distributed and back several times. And again, seems to be transitioning from centralized environments and moving to distributed – a lot to the edge.

We are moving toward a more edge-centric/focused technology environment. With IoT, Wi Fi, 5G, more supported remote workers, supply chain collaboration, and BYOD; IT teams are spending an increasing amount of time supporting users and devices at the edge. From an IT perspective, it presents a challenging and changing surface area that needs to be supported and protected.

Processes and controls need to thought out to be able to support the changing business landscape. And with the added focus on the “edge”, security is paramount. The following are several emerging cybersecurity threats that businesses and IT leaders may want to take notice of:

IoT Device Threats. 

So many devices are being added to the corporate networks,  Multiple sources indicate CAGR of over 30%.  Cameras, sensors, scanners, devices on manufacturing floors, SCADA, GPS, smart lighting, appliances, & HVAC to name a few. As all these devices access wifi networks, it is increasingly important to track and monitor these devices. Keeping track of login credentials and making sure the factory defaults are changed plus adding to the proper network segment takes effort and coordination.

Cryptojacking & Ransomware. 

Cryptojacking is similar to Ransomware. There are various iterations of malware that once in place, act silently in the background and use resources to mine for cryptocurrency.

There is also a new variant of Ransomware that is a malware, but there is no ransom to be able to un-encrypt the affected files. The threat actors are doing it to disrupt the company and monetize their efforts in other ways (i.e. shorting the company’s stock, have interest in services that are being affected, etc.)

And Ransomware continues to be a threat. And it ends up being non-IT staff that unknowingly infect a device on the network that causes the problems. A secure backup is still part of the defense strategy for Ransomware.

Mobile Malware

Mobile Malware is malicious software specifically built to attack and target mobile or smart phones. I have several of my most important app’s on my smart phone – Email, CRM, Banking, and LinkedIn to name a few. And the biggest vulnerability is Android, specifically some of the phones running older versions. Policies allowing devices to access corporate Wifi present risks.

It is important to keep abreast of the exploit trends. Knowledge helps to shape policies and processes related to security. We have a wide variety of clients and our support and engineering team is always willing to share their experiences. Let us know if we can help.