Insights blog.

According to an Opus and Ponemon Institute study, 59% of companies have experienced a data breach caused by one of their vendors or third parties — while only 16% claim they effectively mitigate third-party risks. Don’t be a part of these alarming statistics: In order to protect your organization’s valuable information, it’s critical that you set up the necessary security expectations from the onset of a new vendor relationship. Now, as an increasing percentage of businesses are moving to the remote office model, having these security conversations early on is even more critical — because residential IPs account for more than 90% of all observed malware infections and compromised systems.

As cases of COVID-19 have grown, a lack of capacity has led governments to erect temporary hospitals in our nation’s stadiums, parks, and convention centers.

In the world of cybersecurity, there’s one ultimate truth that applies in every scenario: You can’t secure what you can’t see. Making informed, comparative decisions about your digital ecosystem requires you to understand where all your critical assets live — and any inherent risks present there. With as much as 75% of the workforce shifting to remote work in some industries, this visibility is more critical than ever.

We used to think of malicious software — or malware as it’s more commonly known — as a threat to laptops and desktop computers. But as we are increasingly using mobile devices for many important things in our daily lives such as banking, cybercriminals are targeting smartphones and tablets more often. Consequently, Apple iOS and Android, which are the most popular mobile operating systems, have become targets for cybercriminals. Android still remains the most targeted because it has more market share and it’s open source, contrary to its direct competitor.

When onboarding new vendors, it takes the median company an average of 90 days to complete due diligence — 20 days longer than it did four years ago, according to Gartner. In a competitive business climate where speed can be the difference between success and failure, a lengthy onboarding process undercuts your organization’s efforts at digital transformation and growth acceleration. And now, with as much as 75% of the workforce in some industries shifting to remote work due to the coronavirus outbreak, finding operational efficiencies in your onboarding process is more important than ever.

In a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has established a “new normal” in society. But it has also rapidly shifted the business of cybersecurity. 

The cornerstone of digital transformation is the migration of apps and data to the cloud. There are obvious benefits to doing this. Businesses become more nimble and agile, and the cost of maintenance and development is off-loaded to a third-party. The benefits are so profound that, as of 2019, 84% of businesses used cloud-based SAAS (software as a service) apps. 

With as much as 75% of the workforce shifting to remote work in some industries, organizations around the world are seeking to rapidly acquire new software and technology to properly enable the business, facilitate the new needs of workers, and prevent employees from turning to unauthorized shadow IT.

Did you know that, according to an Opus and Ponemon Institute study, 59% of companies have experienced a data breach caused by one of their vendors or third parties? During these uncertain times, when many industries are shifting to an increasingly remote workforce, organizations may feel pressure to accommodate new business requirements by onboarding new technology faster. However, given the frightening implications of a potential breach — and the fact that phishing attacks and other cyber scams are on the rise due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — it’s more important than ever that you consider a potential vendor’s cybersecurity posture before you sign on the dotted line.

Security leaders are increasingly making their cases through metrics. Data-driven measurement of cybersecurity performance can be used to justify spending, quantify risk, and more. 

It’s often said that our reputation precedes us. When it comes to the damage that can be done by a cybersecurity incident, that couldn’t be more true. In today’s security-focused world, a single breach can dramatically impact the public perception of your organization, ultimately leading to a loss of business and a hit to your bottom line.

During the period of March 2020, we looked at a sample size of 41,000 US-based organizations to understand the difference between corporate networks and Work From Home-Remote Office (WFH-RO) networks from a cyber-risk perspective.

Third parties can play an essential role in your ability to grow your business and remain competitive. Of course, if you’re not careful, these trusted partnerships may introduce unwanted cyber risk into your organization. This is particularly true as more and more businesses are moving to mandated work-from-home models — because residential IPs account for more than 90% of all observed malware infections and compromised systems. With this widespread workforce shift, new vulnerabilities are being introduced both internally and within your third-party network, thereby increasing risk across your ecosystem as a whole.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sees millions of employees shift to a work-from-home model, collaboration tools like Zoom and Slack have never been more critical or popular. Zoom is currently experiencing a 378% year-over-year growth in its daily active user count and was downloaded 2.13 million times in a single day as lockdowns went into effect worldwide.

Cyber risk reduction is emerging as one of the most significant issues organizations face when managing their cybersecurity. As digital ecosystems expand, it’s crucial that organizations have insight into their core digital assets and the level of risk present. To improve performance over time, it’s critical to have visibility into your attack surface across various environments. With as much as 75% of the workforce shifting to remote work in some industries, this visibility is more important than ever.