Looking Back to Move Forward

Welcome to the Retrospective – your summary of this week's top news in #cybersecurity. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with this concise and informative roundup, designed to keep you up to speed with all the latest developments shaping the industry. 

If you are a C-Suite executive, technology expert, cybersecurity specialist, compliance professional or simply interested in staying secure online, Retrospective has got you covered.

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Today's article is 1,105 words long, a 5-minute read.

Cybersecurity Awareness Through Authentic Storytelling

Inspired by the World Economic Forum videos, I prepared this short clip using Lumen5 as the 30th piece of content I have published on LinkedIn (since I began posting more frequently). My main goal in writing these is to raise awareness about #cybersecurity and its importance in our daily lives. This topic has become a pressing issue worldwide as we rely more on technology — personally and professionally.

The digital divide is real. By sharing authentic stories about cyber threats, data breaches and privacy concerns, I want to inform as many people as possible about all the potential risks online. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for vulnerabilities to exploit, and it's up to us to protect ourselves. Remember, this is not just an individual responsibility but a collective one. Step by step, we can make it. Together.

Link to profile: https://buff.ly/3K2LzXV

3CX Targeted by North Korean Hackers in Supply Chain Attack

Unfortunately, this isn't an April Fools Day joke. Hackers from North Korea were caught actively attaching malware to Windows and MacOS versions of 3CX's voice and video conferencing applications, resulting in significant #cybersecurity concerns for companies like BMW, Coca-Cola, Ikea, Pepsi and Toyota, as well as 600,000 others that use the software.

This cyberattack has been in the works since last February, according to SentinelOne, and it's still unclear how many have been affected. In some respects, this feels like a deja vu to back when SolarWinds faced a similar situation in 2020 — involving at least nine federal agencies. What's very interesting to note is that this time, instead of carrying out espionage via email phishing campaigns or hacking crypto firms to fund the regime, they opted for a supply chain attack. If successful, infecting numerous targets through a single entry point can have a far-reaching impact, taking their prowess to a new level (one we haven't seen before).

Nick Galea, the CEO, advised clients to uninstall the desktop client from their devices and avoid using it "unless absolutely necessary". He also remarked that they are working day and night on another rebuild with a newly signed certificate to replace the compromised version. The fallout is likely to be consequential as CIOs and CISOs scramble to assess the damage and take steps to reduce their exposure. Like a chain of dominos, the repercussions may continue to unfold for months to come.

It's going to take weeks until the dust settles. In the meantime, look out for tell-tale signs of viruses. Feel free to share this with a colleague using the internet telephony service and advise them to take immediate action to protect their devices. Never let your guard down. Bulletproof all your systems by installing reputable antivirus software with the latest patches and updates. The ball is in your court, don't wait.

Link to article: https://buff.ly/3Zs8S37

Bringing Generative Artificial Intelligence to the Front Lines

Do you remember Clippy? The launch of Microsoft Security Copilot earlier this week felt like a trip down memory lane. Nostalgia aside, this new tool brings generative artificial intelligence to the front lines of #cybersecurity. With 356 breaches reported across Europe daily (according to the World Economic Forum), responding to threats has become like playing whack-a-mole without enough hammers.

Despite the mantra that no company is too small to fall victim to an attack is generally well understood, microenterprises often struggle to have the proper security measures due to a lack of economies of scale. This latest breakthrough from the Redmond campus pushes to solve the unsolvable. These extra pair of eyes with the ability to analyse vast quantities of data in real-time will help professionals focus on what matters — running their business. Quicker, faster and better.

Being inundated with an influx of alerts makes keeping up with everything coming through a corporate network challenging, creating a dynamic akin to a game of cat and mouse. The tech giant aims to cull through the noise by stacking the odds in the asymmetric battle against prolific attackers in our favour. This improved availability of affordable, customisable solutions gives everyone a fighting chance. While the technology is still in its early days, producing inaccurate or incomplete ideas, it simplifies the complex by finding things that others might miss.

Like a Swiss Army Knife, it offers multiple ways to map out in both words and charts what may be happening in the infrastructure, providing a clear path towards a potential investigation. But the real question here is: Does this blast from the past have what it takes to revolutionise how we protect all our digital assets? Well, only time will tell, but this refreshing change of pace certainly marks a significant step forward.

Link to 1st article: https://buff.ly/3zfS6tu

Link to 2nd article: https://buff.ly/3G6Inti

The Utility of Chatbots in Specialist Addiction Services

Last Sunday, the MaltaToday newspaper published an article I wrote for a special edition of Unity — a periodic publication by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta. My piece was called 24x7 Support: Chatbots in Specialist Addiction Services.

I am sharing an excerpt below for those interested in learning more about my research on this topic.

The race is officially on. Even though it is irrational to think that intelligent systems can solve everything, chatbots in healthcare are now a subject of growing academic interest. With the recent release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the once hypothetical intersection between automation and addictions is becoming a reality. Understandably, this has generated interest in how we can use this technology to enhance our everyday lives. Many businesses of all shapes and sizes are trying to see how artificial intelligence fits into their corporate strategy. My doctoral research explores the utility of these interfaces as a prequel to face-to-face psychosocial assistance. It seeks to understand how we could use this as an opportunity to help individuals in Malta that are struggling with addiction.

If you want to continue reading the other parts of the article, kindly click on the provided link. In the meantime, I encourage you to peruse through the rest of the material if you come across the printed version on campus, as it presents valuable insights.

Link to article: https://buff.ly/3FYJN90