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 1,587 words long, a 6-minute read.

Uber's Former Security Executive Charged for Mishandling Breach

For a company with the tagline, we reimagine the way the world moves for the better, Uber screwed the pooch. Joe Sullivan, the mobility giant's former security executive, has been sentenced to three years of probation and two hundred hours of community service. Why? In 2016 he concealed a cyberattack from authorities and impeded a federal investigation. Even though this is not the first time someone from the C-suite has been found guilty, this unprecedented verdict is most likely the first #cybersecurity professional charged for mishandling a data breach.

Joe Sullivan (together with his team) paid hackers $100,000 to keep quiet and not release any stolen data by routing the payment through their bug bounty program — a process typically used to report vulnerabilities. The hack that affected 50 million drivers and riders was not public until a year later. This approach has caused a split in the community.

Judge William Orrick got over 180 letters from various friends, family and industry peers supporting his character, including one from former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who did not participate in the trial. His response, "If I have a similar case tomorrow, even if the defendant had the character of Pope Francis, they would be going to prison," sent shockwaves in the tech industry. Some people who reached out were CISOs expressing their fear of jail time if Joe Sullivan went to prison, showing that these cases are not unusual one-offs, which means that there may be more to come.

The case highlights the importance of transparency. As we saw in Malta a couple of weeks ago with those four university students, it is time to start a mature conversation about having better guidelines. In the digital age, it is necessary to have the proper processes in place to handle incidents and report them promptly to authorities. Failure to do so undermines trust and can have very dire consequences, not just for companies but also for customers. And as seen in this story, it can also have legal repercussions for the stakeholders involved. Just like they taught us in our younger days, honesty is the best policy.

Link to article: https://buff.ly/3B4xcyc

Link to photo: https://buff.ly/3B0j7SH 

Obtaining the Microsoft Security Immersion Completion Badge

One can be fully prepared only after experiencing something new for the first time. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In the case of data breaches, we all prefer avoiding them from happening in the first place. Thanks to Microsoft's Into the Breach Immersion Event, #cybersecurity professionals can test their skills in a gamified learning simulation. We had the opportunity to investigate a ransomware attack on a fictitious Health Network, where we applied our knowledge of Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel. View my verified achievement from Microsoft Security Partner Marketing Program for more information.

Link to badge: https://buff.ly/3B0ZLwL

United Airlines Implements Modern Solutions to Boost Efficiency

💡Company Spotlight: United Airlines has connected people globally for over 90 years. They opted for a modern solution to integrate their widely dispersed workforce. Are you interested to learn more? Click on the link below to see how United Airlines puts information at employees' fingertips with automated processes to answer frequently asked questions. Using apps like Trinity and UChat, they have successfully increased efficiency and reduced the number of tools they use so their frontline workers could work smarter, not harder. Nearly 74% of organisations say that automation helps their workforce work more efficiently and save on labour costs. Turn outdated into automated. Discover a better way to get things done.

If you need a hand, we're here to help. Without proper end-user adoption, even the most state-of-the-art technology becomes nothing more but an expensive paperweight. It just takes one trusted partner to gain a holistic view of how to get started properly.

Link to article: https://buff.ly/42ey4fs

The CYBER Breakfast by the National Coordination Centre

Yesterday morning, I attended the CYBER Breakfast with my colleagues. Meeting like-minded peers in a setting where we could learn from each other and talk about #cybersecurity was a pleasure. Hats off to the team at MITA (Malta Information Technology Agency), responsible for the National Coordination Centre, for creating a forum for us to exchange ideas and discuss best practices in this critical field. It's inspiring to see such initiatives that foster knowledge-sharing among professionals at a time when the threat landscape, locally and globally, continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace.

Something that struck a chord from Sarah Armstrong-Smith's keynote is how we must manage the threats posed by legacy systems and controls as we build new capabilities for a hyperconnected world. This statement dovetailed perfectly with Dr Christian Colombo's point that it is essential to start preparing the technology of tomorrow today.

For those that saw the highlights of the RSA Conference two weeks ago, it's easy to draw some similarities. For starters, both events emphasised the importance of staying ahead of the curve and being proactive in our approach. With the theme in San Francisco, "Stronger Together," the two emphasise the strength of alliances between different stakeholders — bringing together diverse expertise in one technology-driven community. However, it is also interesting to note the differences in focus between global conferences and local initiatives.

While both are valuable in their own right, having a space to discuss the contexts specific to our country is refreshing. Given that we are typically reactive to international events, we now have the chance to be more proactive and work together to tackle the distinct conditions that affect us in Malta. Being a small island state in the middle of the Mediterranean, we face unique opportunities and challenges that typically need a tailored approach. While we do not need to reinvent the wheel, we still must adapt best practices to our specific context to ensure they are fit for purpose. I recommend exploring this further by visiting their platform. Let's create a more secure digital environment for all of us.

Link to platform: https://buff.ly/3VwELaB

Link to photo: https://buff.ly/427ozyW

Best Practices and Features of Microsoft Teams for Hybrid Work

#ICTsolutions: Hybrid work is here to stay, and making it work at home and in the office, takes a thoughtful approach. Follow Daniela Chocron, a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, as she uses Microsoft Teams for hybrid work at home. Something that today is the norm for all of us. There's no question that coherent teams with thriving relationships experience higher productivity and better overall well-being, making them less likely to leave in the long run. According to the Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index, unscheduled calls make up 64% of meetings, and meetings under 15 minutes now make up 60% of all meetings, increasing more than any other meeting length. Feel connected regardless of where you work. Discover best practices and features, including having five-minute late starts to meetings, making calls using their phone feature, and leveraging PowerPoint Live, all to stay flexible and engaged from home.

Link to video: https://buff.ly/3NMKKWU

We're Here to Help You Get Started with Microsoft 365

🚀 Product Push: Hybrid work has become just 'work' — remote and in-office teams are now the norm. That's why proactively addressing hybrid work challenges is more critical than ever. Microsoft Teams is specifically designed to enable your team to collaborate seamlessly, stay connected, and simplify processes. All in one place.

Of course, the challenge for companies is to balance employee demands for flexibility with various business needs. More than ever, today's shifting macroeconomic environment requires maximising productivity while also reducing costs. And finding the right solutions will help your employees work better and smarter. It's possible to feel connected no matter where your workforce is. Do more with less. With Microsoft Teams, hybrid work works. Need Microsoft 365? We're here to help you get started.

Link to video: https://buff.ly/3CY0BKE

An Alums Professional Networking Platform for the Marine Sector

Last month, with my colleagues, I presented the need to build an efficient alums professional networking platform to create an inclusive pan-European community that provides prospects to doctoral holders and students in the marine sector. This contribution was part of my research support work at the university. As showcased by the results of the SEA-EU DOC project, with the deficit of academic permanent employment contracts in Europe and the growing employment risks, striving for a scenario where it is a win-win situation for all stakeholders involved is a must to achieve long-term success.

The project (link below), co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, looks at how to give visibility to the diversity of career paths for doctoral holders, identify skills for doctoral students, advance training quality to fit current employment opportunities and strive toward a strategic network to strengthen links with the private sector. Split into three different Intellectual Outputs, six universities worked together to understand how to develop programmes relevant to the demands of the labour market — bridging the gap between academia and industry.

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

Link to project: https://buff.ly/41R1ZdI