Cloud computing has been around for some time, and while data points to the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and competitive advantages it has, a large part of the business community continues to operate without it. 

According to a study by the International Data Group, 69% of companies are already using cloud technology in some way and 18% say they plan to implement cloud computing solutions at some point. 

Dell, meanwhile, reports that companies investing in big data, cloud, mobility, and security enjoy revenue growth up to 53 percent faster than their competitors. 

As this data shows, a growing number of technology-savvy companies and industry leaders are recognizing the many benefits of the cloud computing trend. 

Thinking about it, we brought some relevant information for appropriate knowledge of the subject. Keep reading and find out what the main benefits involving the use of Cloud Computing are for your business.

 

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is an Internet-based computing solution. In the past, people ran applications or downloaded software programs on a physical computer or a local server. Cloud computing allows people to access the same types of applications remotely.

This technology is based on the premise that the main computing takes place on a machine, often remote, that is not the one currently being used. The data collected during this process is stored and processed by remote servers (also called cloud servers).

By hosting software, platforms, and databases remotely, cloud servers free up the memory and potential of individual computers. Thus, users can securely access cloud services with the credentials received from the provider, for example.

 

What Are the Main Benefits of Cloud Computing?

Here is a list of the key benefits a company can achieve by adopting cloud infrastructure.

 

Speed

The ability to launch new cloud computing instances in a matter of seconds has reshaped the agility and speed of software development. Developers can easily test new ideas and design architectures without the need to rely on on-premise hardware limitations or bureaucratic acquisition processes.

 

Security

One of the biggest concerns for all companies, regardless of their size and industry, is the security of their data. Data breaches and other cybercrimes can devastate a company’s revenue, customer loyalty, and brand positioning.

The cloud offers many advanced security features that ensure data is stored and handled securely. Features such as granular permissions and access management through certain roles can restrict access to sensitive data to only those employees who need to access it, thus reducing the attack surface for malicious actors.

However, cloud storage providers implement basic protections for their platforms and the data they process, such as authentication, access control, and encryption. From there, it is up to companies to complement these protections with their own security measures in order to strengthen the protection of data and restrict access to confidential information in the cloud.

 

Real-time Collaboration

Cloud environments allow for better collaboration between teams: developers, QA, operations, security, and product architects are all exposed to the same infrastructure and can operate simultaneously without stepping on each other’s toes. 

Cloud roles and permissions help improve visibility and monitoring of who did what and when to avoid conflicts and confusion. Different environments can be built for specific purposes, such as testing, quality assurance, demonstration, or pre-production. 

 

Data Backup and Recovery

The fact that data can be stored in the cloud without major capacity constraints also helps with backup and recovery purposes. 

As end-user data changes over time and needs to be tracked for regulatory or compliance reasons, older versions of the software can be stored for later stages in cases where it would be needed for recovery or rollback.

 

Permission Control

Having control over sensitive data is vital to any business. You never know what can happen if a document falls into the wrong hands, even if it is just the hands of an untrained employee.

The cloud allows full visibility and control over your data. You can easily decide which users have which level of access to which data. This gives you control and streamlines your work, as the team will easily know which documents are assigned to them. 

Furthermore, it will increase and facilitate collaboration. Since a version of the document can be worked on by different people, there is no need to have copies of the same document in circulation.

 

Competitive Advantage

Not all companies will move to the cloud, at least for now. However, organizations that embrace the cloud find that the many benefits it offers positively impact their business.

The adoption of this mechanism increases every year as companies realize it gives them access to world-class enterprise technology.

By using a cloud-based solution, a company can avoid many issues that affect organizations that rely on on-premises infrastructure.

Did you like everything discussed here? So, add to your reading and Find out Which Virtual Attacks Are Most Common in Companies and How to Avoid Them. 

We all know that cyber vulnerabilities are not a current issue. However, with the evolution of technology and virtualization growing in all areas of society, cybercrime becomes more and more frequent, creating a critical problem that deserves a lot of attention from the digital security industry.

One of the biggest challenges is to keep up with the evolution of these crimes, because as technology advances, crimes become increasingly strategic and sophisticated, requiring even more technological advances and security efforts, in addition to repeating a cycle that is difficult to prevent.

In recent years, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, in which most companies are adopting new work alternatives, migrating to digital environments, the role of criminals has been strengthened.

According to data from FortiGuard Labs, the year 2020 had 41 billion attempts of cyberattacks in Latin America. The good news is that while these attempts are taking place, the cybersecurity industry has also worked hard and strengthened itself to ensure as much security as possible for digital media and to weaken this cycle of attacks.

To get a sense of this problem’s scale and the lessons we can pass on to those who want to strengthen the security of their information, we have listed the 5 biggest cyberattacks in recent years. Check it out below.

 

Solar Winds: The Biggest and Most Sophisticated Attack in History

In 2020, Solar Winds, an information infrastructure company, suffered what can be considered, according to Microsoft’s President Brad Smith, as “the biggest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen”. This is because several tactics and techniques of cyber invasion and espionage were employed.

Hackers have inserted malicious software into Solar Winds’ monitoring software update that has been sent to up to 18,000 customers. These include Microsoft companies and the US Departments of Energy, Justice, and Nuclear Safety. But it was FireEye, one of Solar Winds’ client companies, the first victim to identify the attack.

In the Microsoft attack alone, according to its president, at least a thousand engineers took part. Ongoing investigations indicate that the operation is very complex and surprising even for specialists, as it combines very advanced and stealthy techniques, which have bypassed the radar of the most experienced security specialists. This made everyone apprehensive about a critical vulnerability in the technology infrastructure.

 

Colossal DDoS Attack Against Dyn

Dyn, an American company of DNS (Domain Name System) services, has suffered a DDoS attack, which, in general, is a type of attack that intensifies data traffic and overloads a certain server, making it unavailable to users.

This attack caused a system crash for all the company’s customers in 2016, who had virtual newspapers and magazines from the United States and other large companies among them: Amazon, Netflix, PayPal, Spotify, Tumblr, Twitter, GitHub, Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network.

It was an event known as “The American Internet Blackout”, one of the biggest DDoS attacks in recent times.

 

ASUS Automatic Updates

One of the largest laptop manufacturers in the world, ASUS, was the target of a hacker attack in 2018, with an automatic software update that infected nearly 1 million users worldwide.

The attack targeted 600 computers, but the malware spread and reached more users. As the attackers used the company’s legitimate security certificate during the action, it was almost impossible to raise suspicion.

This type of crime can increase users’ distrust and lead them to avoid machine upgrades, which can raise the level of vulnerabilities and cause even bigger problems.

 

STJ: Great Cyberattack in Brazil

Brazil is one of the countries with the highest number of users connected to the Internet, and according to the Internet Security Threat Report, released in 2019, the country occupies third place in the ranking of cyberattack attempts, fourth in bot attacks, and seventh in crypto-jacking.

As might be expected, government agencies are not left out of vulnerability for cybercrime. In Brazil, the biggest data attack involved the STJ (Supreme Court of Justice), a target of the ransomware action, which invaded more than 1,200 servers of the institution and destroyed the backups on the machines.

On the scale of this attack, Marta Schuh, Director of Cyber Insurance at the international broker Marsh, stated that: “It was like the STJ databases could be placed inside an incinerator.” As expected, the criminals offered to ransom the information in exchange for a sum of money.

 

A Leak of Sensitive Data from Over 100 million Americans

Paige A. Thompson, a former Amazon employee, was responsible for hacking the database of Capital One, a US financial institution, compromising the data of more than 100 million Americans and 6 million Canadians by obtaining access to personal data of credit card requests.

Although the affected information does not contain the users’ credit card numbers, as Capital One claimed, the damage will cost around $150 million to boost the institution’s digital security.

 

Other Relevant Data on Cybersecurity in 2020

 

• 60% of users say they are poorly informed about cybersecurity. (ESET Survey).
• Lack of backup is the main cause of loss of money for 3 out of 4 users (ESET Survey).
• Of the top causes for data leaks, 16% are exploiting third-party software vulnerabilities, 19% are cloud-server misconfiguration procedures and login data breaches, and 14% involve phishing activities. (IBM)
• 52% of data leaks were due to malicious attacks and 23% to human error. (IBM)
• Only 61% of users believe that some of their passwords are secure. (ESET Survey)
• The most used password in 2020 was “123456”, accounting for two and a half million users. (Nordpass)
• 40% of consumers worldwide use between one and three financial applications, but only half have security software installed on their devices. (ESET Survey)
• Reports of cyberattacks grew 400% during the pandemic. (FBI)
• DDoS attacks increased 151% in the first half of 2020. (Neustar)

What Can We Expect from the Future?

The trend for the future is to have more devices and users connected to the Internet around the world, which could further increase the number of cyberattacks and attempts. On the other hand, it has been increasingly difficult and outdated to live in a non-digital world even to perform simple everyday tasks.

Therefore, more than ever, digital security must be a concern for companies and governments, which must continue to invest heavily in the prevention and control of threats, and for users, who must always keep up-to-date on the best ways to protect their data and what legal protection they can receive in cases of attack.

If you are interested in the subject, we also invite you to read the next article. After All, How to Act in Case of Data Invasion and Theft?

 

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References to mentioned research.

 

https://noticias.r7.com/distrito-federal/jornal-de-brasilia/mp-no-df-abre-inquerito-para-apurar-vazamento-de-dados-de-clientes-do-banco-pan-04092019

https://olhardigital.com.br/2021/02/15/noticias/solarwinds-ataque-foi-o-maior-e-mais-sofisticado-que-o-mundo-ja-viu/

https://veja.abril.com.br/blog/radar-economico/brasil-sofre-seu-maior-ataque-hacker-da-historia/

https://olhardigital.com.br/2019/07/31/seguranca/hacker-vazou-dados-sensiveis-de-mais-de-100-milhoes-de-americanos/

https://canaltech.com.br/video/top-tech/7-ataques-hacker-que-entraram-para-a-historia-top-tech-10404/

https://olhardigital.com.br/2020/12/31/retrospectiva-2020/retrospectiva-2020-relembre-os-piores-ataques-ciberneticos/

按一下以存取 ESET_Security_Report_2020_BR-1.pdf

Performing any task today is much easier than it was a few years ago. With the evolution of technology, the consumer can make purchases faster and more practical, receive optimized ads – which help a lot when purchasing something -, social networks with features that follow the biggest trends, ease of payments and banking transactions, among others.

On the other hand, in exchange for all this comfort, the customer provides their data, which will be used as a resource/raw material by the companies. In this “win-win” relationship, the company makes life easier for customers through the use of data, but also exponentially increases its profits. 

Thus, there is much debate among specialists about the reciprocity of this relationship, considering the power and value of data today. Far from being just good things, just like at the time of the industrial revolution, the information and data age also brings some problems, which are constantly debated in search of the best solution within the current scenario. 

Such problems revolve around ethical and security issues in the use of data, since not all consumers are fully aware of how their data is used by companies and the great effort to protect this data from hackers, since the Internet is a place “where everyone treads”. 

This concern around data integrity is yet another aspect that emphasizes how valuable this resource is to society as a whole. In this article, we will explain the value of data in the information world and the main reasons why it is an essential part of a business strategy. We invite you to keep reading the article and find out why data is the new oil.

The Value of Data

Saying that data is the new oil is a smart and simple way to get a sense of where we are standing. However, the author of the statement himself, Ajay Banga, Mastercard’s CEO, added that data is even more valuable than oil, considering that oil is a scarce and finite resource, while data is inexhaustible and only increases. 

Furthermore, they can be continuously reused, even after being transformed, to generate new information, while oil is discarded after its transformation. That is, the more data, the more information is generated and the more valuable it becomes. 

Most people are aware of the contribution of their data to the economy, but not everyone knows or can measure this value, which leads many people to lose interest in the value of their personal data. Also, the benefits offered “free of charge” by companies work as a form of payment to the user for providing their data, who perceives the exchange as fair.

Nevertheless, this “bargaining” relationship is not always voluntary, since, with the new privacy policies, some companies “force” users to grant permission on their personal data if they want to continue using their tool. 

This only increases the users’ lack of control over their data, because between making them available and losing access to the tools’ benefits, the first option seems more sensible. In short, concerning data in the relationship between company and users, everyone wins, but disproportionately.

With the new data protection laws in the countries, a company that fails to comply with regulations or puts customer and user data at risk is punished with huge fines. 

This is because personal data such as name, age and date of birth, IP address, or sensitive information such as religious and ideological beliefs, health information, genetic and biometric data, for example, can be used for various purposes, from optimizing/customizing the use of a tool by the customer to increasing the company’s sales or as a criminal weapon. 

Therefore, privacy policies are full of strict requirements imposed on companies that work with data collection and storage.

Data in Business Strategies

It is important to understand that, from an organization’s point of view, for example, having the raw material is not enough, that is, it is not enough just to obtain the data, but to know how to handle and manage them properly in order to obtain information that generates value. 

The consequence of this is valuable returns for companies, both financially and in areas that have an impact on the world. The company that manages to get this increases competitiveness, productivity, and stands out from the crowd. 

So, it is not the data itself that makes it so important to companies, but the information and value that can be generated from it. 

In this sense, having a good data management policy today is essential for organizations, since, unlike a few years ago, when companies were working with hypotheses to analyze the competition and achieve customer preference, nowadays, data provides us with concrete, accurate information that, when handled correctly, helps drive the business forward. 

Therefore, good data management favors:

• Making the best decisions based on data.
• More precision in identifying problems.
• More strategic and precise approaches.
• Optimization of resources (time, money, and labor).
• In-depth understanding of customer tastes and behaviors.
• A greater understanding of the market and the competition.
• Increase in sales.
• Closer relationships with customers.

Data is The Future

Data is changing the world, as everything that can be done from exploiting it and the fact it is inexhaustible and reusable makes this resource even more valuable than oil. 

With the data revolution, not only do companies change the way they work, but the population also changes the way they think and act in society. The trend is for this to increase in the near future.

However, before appropriating this comparison of data with oil and trying to be part of this revolution, it is necessary to bear in mind that not all countries get rich from the sale of oil, and one of the reasons is the poor management of the resource. 

With data, it is no different. In this race towards evolution, as Yuval Noah Harari says in the book 21 Lessons For The 21st Century, “those who have the data own the future”, and those who are aware of it and make the best use of them lead the way.

Nomenclatures and acronyms are part of the routine of those who work in the technology area. Picture a physical archive room, the kind we see in movies and series set in hospitals or police departments, separated by a bookcase full of folders: when we get to the Privileged Access Management (or PAM) sector ⎼ look at one of them ⎼ we come across a file full of names and features that help us protect critical systems.

Under the theme “A meeting between security and efficiency”, the North American magazine Cybersecurity Review has published an article on the premises and services of senhasegura’s PAM in its most recent edition, explaining a little of the names and purposes of the mechanisms that make up the product, going through a brief explanation of the company’s history and ending with a success story. Within this entire trajectory, the goal of the article is to bring to light the mission of senhasegura to work on digital sovereignty and to defend the right to data protection of citizens and organizations, whether public or private, small or large, wherever they are.

Browsing Is a Must

Companies that were not born in the virtual environment need to migrate to this space for reasons of adaptation, brand positioning, maintenance of activities and relationship with customers. In a study performed by Statista (German market data research company) and published on Cuponation’s website, 4.66 billion people became active internet users in the first half of this year alone, which corresponds to 59.5% of the world population. With so many people consuming behind the screens, modern cybersecurity solutions – as is the case with PAM – are the walls of the corporate networks for those who provide services or leisure. 

That’s what Cybersecurity Review quotes: 

“In the ever-evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity is NOT a project anymore. In the wake of the changing digital trends and technological advancements, it is of survival for any company. The increasing cyber threats and other illicit activities make identity and access management (PAM) a crucial part of any business. The recent shift to remote work culture and increasing dependence on digital files made Privileged Access Management a focal point of every organization’s security model.

 Ineffective management of privileged access allows malicious agents to access a company’s critical information and exploit the same, threatening data privacy and aggravating security concerns. Traditional preventative cybersecurity approaches are no longer enough to withstand the rising tide of the cyber threat landscape. To deal with the current and emerging cyber threats, companies require next-generation solutions and defense capabilities, and São Paulo-based senhasegura is the one company excelling in addressing security challenges of organizations”.

Do you want to read the full article? Access the digital version of the magazine: CYBERSECURITY REVIEW – AUGUST 2021.

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, criminals’ skills often evolve as well, in many cases surpassing the skills of security professionals within organizations. The proof of this is that the number of successful attacks is growing every year. 

We live in a connected world. It is hard to imagine that what once started as a small number of large computers in the 1970s has grown to encompass billions of connected devices from personal computers and smartphones to Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, the advent of personal computing has come at the price of additional security risks in everyday life. 

The risk of a cyberattack to organizations has increased exponentially. Threats can occur anywhere on the network where there is a potential vulnerability that hackers can exploit, whether through a phishing email message, a fake social media post, or even compromised hardware. 

As the number of devices increases, the potential for attacks and disruption grows as well. That is why the need for cybersecurity measures grows exponentially too. 

Keep reading this article to understand the importance of security to your business.

How Important is Information Security in Business? 

Advanced security measures are a must for any organization. Most companies do not like to talk about it, but security breaches happen constantly in unprotected means and even monthly. 

Cybercriminals are constantly looking to hack companies and many succeed. A good security system that protects IT for companies is the best defense a business can have against these threats. 

The importance of cybersecurity for a company is not only for protecting its information, but also the information of its employees and customers. 

Consequently, companies have a lot of data and information in their systems. A fact that increases the importance of security, be it of data, information, or cybersecurity in general.

The Real Cost of Information Security

Cybersecurity breaches can be costly and harmful to any organization, both in terms of finances and reputation. Recent research reported that 43% of organizations experienced a data breach involving sensitive customer or business information in the past two years. 

Based on this data, two out of five companies are hit each year by a serious breach, in which a significant amount of sensitive data is compromised. It is noticed that hardly a week goes by without at least one data breach report in the news. 

A store can have its credit card data stolen. A health insurer may have lost its policyholders’ records. The government loses records of permits – while what should have been private emails are now being posted on activist websites. It appears that no private or public organization is fully protected against cyberattacks. 

The nature of cyberattacks is much more advanced. Initially, the most common target was email, such as messages from ‘banks’ requesting account details or personal data (IDs). But as computing has advanced, cyberattacks have also moved towards larger-scale operations, which are no longer limited to an individual, but rather to businesses, financial markets, and the government sector.

According to studies conducted by IBM, the average cost of a data breach is $3.62 million, which for many companies is an unbearable cost.

Main Threats to Information Security

Here are the top challenges companies face in trying to protect their confidential information.

Malware

Malware is an infectious agent that attacks software or pieces of software with malicious code intending to cause damage to data or devices within an organization.

Vulnerability Attacks

Hackers and criminals look for vulnerabilities within companies that can facilitate their attacks. These vulnerabilities are the result of the company’s own negligence, that is, the lack of care and investment in data security.

Some of the risk factors that may go unnoticed are outdated equipment, unsecured networks, incorrect configurations, and even lack of employee training.

Phishing

This is a type of attack developed through electronic fraud. One of the more classic ways is when the criminal impersonates someone trusted by the company via email, making the target easily click on infected links. 

Some of the hidden goals in this practice are identity and banking information theft.

Availability

Some systems cannot go down, and some attacks affect exactly the stability of these systems, causing crashes that consequently damage the company’s image or, worse, affect its revenue.

Lack of Confidentiality

Some data and information must be protected and accessed only by authorized and extremely trustworthy staff. When this basic rule of protection within companies is not followed, people outside the circles of trust can gain access to this data and misuse it.

Cybersecurity is important for any organization that has critical data and information that cannot be lost or stolen. When it comes to criminal attacks, many companies are defenseless against them. 

The reason for this is, in part, due to the lack of a proper cybersecurity service. When the company is aware of the importance of cybersecurity, it will what is necessary to ensure the protection of its business. 

So, now that you know why information security matters to your organization, how about getting to know our services? You can also complement your reading with this article that explains how PAM can help companies’ cybersecurity.