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How could hospitals be better protected from cyberattacks?

  • 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.
financial times report csuite collaboration

How to bring the C-suite and cybersecurity team close

  • min read
    • With cyberattacks growing more frequent and ever more complex, company leaders can no longer leave corporate security to the IT team. The C-suite (senior leadership) must get in the loop. Global professional services giant Accenture found cyberattacks were up by 31 percent globally in 2021. Protecting against attacks must be a priority for leaders. In partnership with Longitude, a Financial Times company, Kaspersky surveyed 750 leaders at enterprises around the world about their approach to cybersecurity. The research found that when companies have strong links between their C-suites and cybersecurity teams, they report being better prepared for attacks. For example, 64 percent say they could deal comfortably with a cybersecurity threat created accidentally through employee error, compared to 47 percent of the rest of respondents. Two ways to ensure C-suite integration 1. Share perspectives at the top Evgeniya Naumova, Executive Vice President of Corporate Business at Kaspersky, believes the increased security risks with remote work have captured leaders' attention since the pandemic began. They realized employees were more likely to be exposed to threats outside the office environment. This, coupled with recent rises in cybercrime, has opened leaders' eyes to the threats they face. "There was a switch — a really obvious switch — in their minds," Naumova says. "They understood that it's not just something to observe from afar — it needs to be top of their minds. Companies that did not have a chief information security officer (CISO) or tech expert on their boards of directors were promoting roles because now they understood they could lose their business in one day to an attack." By drawing on the experience and insights of the wider leadership team, CISOs and chief information officers (CIOs) can gain a broader perspective that could create more effective, 360-degree protection for the business. Graeme Watt, CEO of UK IT giant Softcat, says responsibility for risk ultimately rests with the CEO – but he acts based on his CIO's input. "I have a CIO who reports directly to me, and the information security team sits under them," Watt says. "I am the person the board looks to on cyber risks, but I don't do all the reporting myself. I bring the CIO into the board meeting when we're talking about cybersecurity threats." 2. Ensure effective cybersecurity training and collaboration Integration between C-suite and cybersecurity teams starts with building a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. This can be achieved with the right training for senior leadership. "Training for the C-suite has an additional goal of advocacy – turning managers into leaders of an organization's cyber-awareness culture," says Kaspersky's Naumova. "Training using gamification and simulations of real attacks are particularly useful. First, they are more engaging, and second, they allow the C-suite to observe the results of their decisions instantly." Ricardo Lafosse, CISO at multinational food company Kraft Heinz, says the company promotes a culture of constant collaboration and communication between its cybersecurity team and wider leadership. Lafosse continues, "A great example is marketing. From a privacy and cybersecurity perspective, we have a very close collaboration on how we manage data before we launch a marketing campaign. That shows the importance of cybersecurity as a business enabler." A welcome side-effect of promoting the importance of cybersecurity across the business is that employees at every level of the team feel more valued by the company. This is likely to improve retention rates – an important consideration, given the research found that one-third (34 percent) of company leaders believe the cybersecurity skills shortage will become critical in the next two years. C-suite integration is consistent across the world The research shows attitudes to greater alliances between cybersecurity teams and the C-suite are consistent globally. The most positive is Latin America, where half of enterprises (51 percent) say closer integration between the C-suite and cybersecurity teams will be very important in the next two years. The lowest is in North America, at 42 percent. This is encouraging for enterprises with a multinational presence, as it's important they embed and maintain their culture consistently across global operations. Kraft Heinz's Lafosse says C-suite integration at his company is part of a broader positive and proactive cybersecurity approach. "Culturally, the organization respects and responds to cybersecurity events, and we champion great people in the team," he says. "The whole company also understands how reliant we are on cybersecurity." There are clear advantages in building strong links between senior leadership and cybersecurity teams. Any company seeking protection against ever-sophisticated cyber threats should nurture and value this relationship.
chief AI officer CAIO

Your business probably needs a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

  • min read
    • Artificial intelligence (AI) is now playing a major part in our everyday interactions, whether it's dictating an email reply to an automated transcription service, asking a question of a virtual assistant or looking at personalized ads. While consumers and companies alike have become accustomed to using AI daily, many large enterprises haven't fully realized its potential in their work. NewVantage Partners research found less than 15 percent of leading organizations have put AI capabilities into widespread production. In a bid to make the most of AI opportunities, some companies have introduced a new role to their C-suite (senior executive) – the Chief AI Officer, or CAIO. Having a CAIO could give new insight and skill vital to business success. One of the most urgent areas where CAIO leadership is needed is in AI ethics. Knowing when to use and not use AI raises complex questions about customer and employee data. These require a deep level of knowledge to answer. With BCG research finding 70 percent of digital transformation fails to meet its objectives, a leader in AI overseeing technology projects could tip the scales by using advanced AI tools more effectively. AI insights in the C-suite Oliver Christie, CAIO at healthcare technology firm PertexaHealthTech, says the insights a CAIO can offer may change everything. "My role is a mix of the technical, so answering questions like, "What can be done successfully now with existing data and what are the pitfalls around this," and innovation, with questions like, "What business structure must change and how can we better understand customers through data?"" explains Christie. Someone in the C-suite who understands AI can have a powerful impact on the bottom line. Companies achieving most with AI are more than twice as likely to say they have a knowledgeable AI champion in the C-suite, according to a McKinsey report. Breaking down data silos and providing a voice for how leaders can best use AI will become a more pressing issue as AI technology advances. But can't a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or Chief Information Officer (CIO) lead on AI decisions? Should you add AI to another executive's responsibilities? "I think that's not the right decision and not the right way of thinking about how to embrace new technology," says Christie. "You need someone who will step between data science and the business process, who is part of the C-suite but can challenge how things are done at the moment." Normally, a CTO has comprehensive knowledge of software available and takes the lead in setting it up, scaling it and supporting data security and cybersecurity initiatives. Pablo Zegers, Co-founder and CAIO at software company Anastasia, believes that while many CTOs use off-the-shelf technologies and build on them, CAIOs approach software differently. "Artificial intelligence is a Lego piece, but you need to design AI from the ground up. That's something most CTOs don't know how to do." "If you bring a CAIO into your company without the CEO's backing, they'll have problems. And if your CAIO doesn't have a clear goal, it's going to be fruitless," says Zegers. All industries must consider AI Arguments for creating a CAIO role at a tech start-up or large tech enterprise link to core business, but it's not just these types of companies that can benefit from a CAIO, says Ambica Rajagopal, Group CAIO at tire manufacturer Michelin. "For companies not born digital, there can be adoption challenges and barriers to reaping the benefits of AI. Bringing a strategic AI focus is a driving reason to hire a CIAO." Combining the skillset of an AI expert with the C-suite's business expertise is a tempting proposition for companies looking to catch the AI wave. Despite the benefits a CAIO can bring, Rajagopal thinks each company should consider AI's importance to their business and how well they've done so far in achieving cultural change using it. The number of CAIOs in boardrooms may pale compared to established C-suite titles, but as AI matures, this may not be the case for long. "As AI technologies gain relevance across almost all areas of large enterprises, there's an argument for peeling out AI from the business intelligence and data umbrellas," Rajagopal concludes. The time when executives could delay decisions on how to use AI in their business has long gone. Those business leaders who want to take the next step with AI will need to act quickly to find the sweet spot.
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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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