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Suraya Casey

Suraya Casey is a freelance writer and editor based in New Zealand. Her interests include sustainability, energy, reforestation, statistics, healthcare and the arts.

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threats outer space

How criminals could use space junk to attack any business

  • IT infrastructure
  • min read
    • A powerful way cybercriminals can cause catastrophic damage on Earth is to attack in space. It may sound like science fiction, but now we all rely on space infrastructure to do business, any organization could be affected. Space enthusiast and Distinguished Chair of the cybersecurity program at Middle East Institute Chris Kubecka explains a little-known space disaster scenario we should be more aware of in Tomorrow Unlocked's video Threats in Outer Space. Smash-ups in space Although space exploration has brought many world-changing advances, it's left orbit like many places on Earth – littered. From obsolete satellites to rocket parts and chips of paint, space junk circles the Earth at high speeds, threatening to collide with useful things, like working satellites and the International Space Station. Collisions could be deadly or cause irreparable damage to expensive equipment. Any smash-up creates more space junk, raising the risk to other orbiting objects. For a sense of just how much 'stuff' there is up there, see known space objects tracked in real-time on StuffIn.Space, some known only as 'debris' or 'unknown.' The 'black swan' of space crashes One of the most serious consequences of a space collision is Kessler Syndrome. Kubecka describes it: "A big enough collision would create a chain reaction, causing space junk to smash into each other all over orbit, forming a dust cloud." An accident or deliberate attack could trigger a Kessler Syndrome event. Kubecka explains, "It's now so cheap to build 'attack CubeSats' or even larger satellites. You could cause collisions." She also points to the growing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in space tech. "If IoT goes rogue, that's a big problem." As wealthy business people become more visible in space exploration, the potential for huge media attention will attract cybercriminals to attack their space systems and use them to create chaos in space – and so, chaos on Earth. Preventing a 'Kessler' event As well as protecting space systems from cyberattack through the best available methods, like cyber immunity – building systems in a way that makes them almost impossible to compromise – we must take out the space trash. As part of the Securing Space initiative, Kaspersky supports fledgling innovators StartRocket as they develop a new way to remove space debris from orbit – with foam.
behind screen heathrow airport

Why cybersecurity education is taking off at Heathrow Airport

  • Safer business
  • min read
    • You might not think of cybersecurity first when it comes to airport safety, but Jasvinder Pham, Head of Cyber Development and Assurance and Matthew Bourne, Cyber Security Manager, believes it's at the heart of London Heathrow's safety practice. And education is their most important protective gear against cybercriminals that use psychological tricks, also known as social engineering, on their staff. In Tomorrow Unlocked's video Next Departure: Fighting Cybercrime, Pham and Bourne outline how they're helping Heathrow staff see through cybercriminals' mind games. What is social engineering? And Pham says it's a common tactic. "Nine out of ten breaches are done through social engineering. At Heathrow, we tend to get scattergun emails across the whole estate. We call that phishing. They'll ask a user to enter login and password details or click a link." Learning to recognize the mind tricks Where phishing emails are a scattergun approach, the Heathrow cybersecurity team responds with carefully targeted cybersecurity education. They use internal advertising to raise staff awareness of social engineering techniques, then send out their own phishing-style test emails to see who takes the bait. It's part of a wider cybersecurity education program based on identifying those who can benefit most from the learning. Bourne says, "We've turned training courses on their head by asking the questions first. If you answer them all correctly, you don't need the training. If you don't, you can sometimes complete training in less than 10 minutes." Bourne believes cybersecurity training should resemble real-world cyberthreat situations. "We've started using live actors to get a bigger impact and bring it to the context of the airport." Customers are ready for better security Pham says Heathrow wants to be on the cutting edge of security technology, but it's not always easy. "We want to stay one step ahead, but I feel like we're one step behind." But Pham believes one thing on their side is staff and customer readiness to embrace the latest security features. "People use services like WhatsApp and multi-factor authentication in their home. They want more, so we need to make sure we don't miss out."
heathcare emotet

How could hospitals be better protected from cyberattacks?

  • Safer business
  • min read
    • "In wartime, a red cross on a hospital's roof protects it from bombing. But in cyberwar, there's no convention to protect hospitals," says Professor Dr. Harald Dormann, Head Emergency Room Physician at Germany's Klinikum Fürth hospital. With thousands of networked computers and medical devices crucial to patient care, Klinikum Fürth's quick thinking turned a malware attack into an unlucky day for cybercriminals. Tomorrow Unlocked's video, Malware: A New Virus in the Hospital, tracks how Klinikum Fürth's actions stopped the ransomware attack in its tracks and likely saved lives. How do cybercriminals use malware against hospitals? The first hint of an attack was when Klinikum Fürth's IT support team started receiving strange emails from users – a hallmark of the dangerously effective malware Emotet. Emotet also uses Wi-Fi networks to spread. If infected, a wirelessly connected device scans nearby networks and infects other devices using a password list. Klinikum Fürth found 65 systems infected with computer viruses and malware. Thanks to acting fast, they isolated the malware before it encrypted data and held it for ransom – usually the Emotet attack's goal. Malware is common. From March to June 2021, Kaspersky software blocked 1.7 billion malware attacks. It's also becoming more dangerous, with cybercriminals using particularly damaging malware like Emotet for fraud and ransomware attacks. The hospital's surgical cyberdefense Professor Dr. Dormann recounts how hospital staff stepped up when they learned of the cyberattack. "When our CEO told us what had happened, some were nervous. Some were pale. But all were motivated to act." First, they began diverting new patients to nearby hospitals. Then they disconnected the hospital from the internet to reduce the risk of infecting other institutions. They put together taskforces of clinicians, administrators and IT staff to analyze the problem. Then, prioritizing the most critical medical devices, they checked for malfunctions. Extra staff were brought in to help switch to paper-based working. How to stop and prevent malware attacks Klinikum Fürth's story offers many lessons. Their fast response shows why organizations should plan what they'll do if attacked. Cybersecurity education can help staff get wiser to threats like Emotet's use of spoofed emails. Strong passwords help defend against malware that uses Wi-Fi networks to spread. Read more about how to prevent and reduce the impact of ransomware attacks.
engaging women

Infographic: Why women leave tech careers, and what to do about it

  • Leadership
  • min read
    • In tech, there's much talk of what we can do to recruit more women. But we rarely talk about that even bigger problem: Once we recruit women into tech roles, they're more likely to leave the career than men. The good news is, leaders can do a lot to change that. How leaders can help more women (and men) stay engaged at work When it comes to retaining more women, the changes you make will likely benefit all staff. Work on these six areas to help keep everyone in your team engaged. 1.    Get better at onboarding Karen Holtzblatt of WITOps says, "50 percent of women are not clear about what to do to be successful. All new hires need to develop strong connections and knowledge and skill to succeed. Use our Team Onboarding Checklist to onboard right." 2.    Encourage valuing and belonging "Women need to feel belonging and value in their team," says Karen Holtzblatt. WITOps have engaging, practical activities to foster more supportive workplace behaviors. 3.    Use tools to reduce bias "Map the full employee experience and identify where bias influences career paths. Use tools and processes that mitigate human and automated biases," says Dr. Patricia Gestoso, BIOVIA's Head of Scientific Customer Support in Kaspersky's Women in Tech report 2021. 4.    Be all about mentoring Mentoring helps more women rise through the ranks, says global tech leader Margaret Dawson. Leaders should take opportunities to mentor and encourage team members to get a mentor. 5.   Take breaks and switch off 'Always on' work culture is bad for productivity and health, and affects women more because they're more likely to have care responsibilities. Lead by example: Take regular breaks, switch off after hours and encourage all in your team to do the same. 6.    Identify and challenge ways your business centers men Are employee benefits male-coded, like tickets to sporting events? Is competitiveness overly encouraged? Do after-work drinks loom large? Review benefits and offer what more women need, like flexible work and good parental leave. Infographic references 1 Accenture Resetting Tech Culture report 2021 2 Accenture Resetting Tech Culture report 2021 3 Pew Research 4 New study reveals key to the gender gap in C-suite 5 Karen Holtzblatt, WITOps 6 Kaspersky Women in Tech report 2020-21 7 WITOps onboarding research 8 WITOps onboarding checklist 9 Fostering more supportive behaviors 10 Kaspersky Women in Tech report 2020-21 11 Mentoring is hard but rewarding, and it's everyone's job 12 ACCA Global: The always-on culture is bad for productivity and health
identity theft university

How one university’s stolen student IDs caused a crime wave

  • Data and privacy
  • min read
    • Cybercriminals see education as an amazing opportunity. But they're not taking classes or gaining qualifications – they target universities and other educational institutions for the wealth of personal information they hold. In Tomorrow Unlocked's video The Backdoor into Campus, Royal Holloway, University of London cybersecurity experts talk about how a major identity theft incident on campus happened and how they're working to keep students and staff safe in future. How educational institutions are attacked Universities and colleges often have many people using their systems, like staff, students and visitors. They also offer many kinds of services online. Mike Johnson, Chief Information Officer at Royal Holloway, University of London, describes a recent security incident. "A staff member's credentials were stolen and used to send convincing offers of part-time work to students. Some students undertook the work and were paid. But they were overpaid, then asked to return some of the money. It was money laundering on a significant scale." Why cybercriminals love stealing identities "Commonly, we find those who try to attack us are looking to harvest identities," says Johnson. "When they've got them, they'll try to harvest more until they're sure they can attack us in the way they want to." Education can stop attacks on education It's all about authentication, says Keith Martin, Professor of Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London: Knowing the person trying to access something online is the person they say they are. "Imagine a front door. Whoever has the key can open it. To breach that, you need to get hold of the key. Entering a country is more high security: Border control looks at credentials like a passport and the person submitting it." Professor Martin continues, "In cyberspace, it's a bigger problem because we can't see who's asking for access. The most popular authentication is a password, but passwords are like keys – easily copied or stolen. So we need to use the passport model – asking for multiple things to gain access." That's called multi-factor authentication. You'd need more than a password to gain access, such as a code sent by SMS or biometrics, like a fingerprint. Senior security researcher at Kaspersky, Noushin Shabab, says for the best security, multi-factor authentication should combine biometrics like facial recognition with another credential. Developing 'cyber common sense' in education Professor Martin says the most important thing anyone can do to keep their identity safe is to develop 'cyber common sense.' "Hesitate before doing anything in cyberspace – if you're sent a link or a message asking for information, ask, why do they want this?" Johnson feels education institutes are perfect places to learn cybersecurity awareness. "We've got to be willing to have a conversation with students about digital security and what protecting their identities means. We're educators – we're well placed to help people operate in an environment they'll operate in for a long time."
internet of things

Securing your Internet of Things: What business needs to know

  • Digital transformation
  • min read
    • Today's businesses are full of things that connect to the internet, from electricity meters to lighting to fridges. In manufacturing and industry, networked devices monitor safety, productivity and maintenance needs, saving money, time and energy. What's not to love? Security for these game-changing IoT devices isn't getting enough attention, argues Chris Kubecka, CEO of Hypatec and distinguished chair of the Middle East Institute in Tomorrow Unlocked's video Internet of Things: When Devices Attack. In fact, poor IoT security has already claimed lives. What is the Internet of Things? IoT devices include any device that connects to a network. They're often called a 'smart' something – like smart meters, lightbulbs and printers. Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky, says, "The industrial Internet of Things could be worth a trillion US dollars by 2025. Companies like Airbus use IoT for predictive maintenance sensors in aircraft. It's high risk – devices not regularly connected can't receive updates, so are more easily hacked." "These devices are becoming common in homes and industry," says Kubecka. "But most are not properly security tested, and many use outdated operating systems. It's easy for attackers to exploit those and bring down entire businesses." What risks come with unsecured IoT devices? Kubecka describes how in 2014, the German government reported a fatal hack into the network of a steel mill. Attackers flooded the network, and safety systems couldn't operate. Three people were killed and many injured. Other attacks are more domestic, like one Kubecka investigated in Saudi Arabia. "A company bought a bunch of new smart fridges from a supplier that didn't security-test. A criminal gang exploited these fridges and used them for spam and manipulating the stock market." But cybercriminals can use anyone's data and systems for fraud and other money-making schemes, like mining bitcoin. How businesses can better secure smart devices "Makers and sellers of IoT devices must do their part to secure them," says Shabab. She recommends they audit code, test for vulnerabilities and let users update and patch devices themselves rather than updating remotely. Using security expertise helped smart prosthetic limb makers Motorica, who asked Kaspersky to review their device security. Kaspersky's researchers found several vulnerabilities, letting Motorica protect their customers by closing security holes. While IoT makers are getting more security conscious, businesses may already be full of insecure smart devices. Start with an audit of what's connecting to the internet, disconnect anything that doesn't need to connect and make sure connecting devices have strong passwords. If you supply IoT devices, use a secure-by-design gateway like Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateways (KISG.)
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About Secure Futures

Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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