IT News: Security (Dec. 28th)

Selections from Volume 273 Issue 4 of the weekly newsletter, “IT News and Events.”

Top 10 Cyber Security Stories Of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly's 10 top cyber security stories of 2020

"The Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the world of technology in 2020, and the cyber security sector was itself profoundly affected.

But that is not to say a microscopic virus had the headlines all to itself, with developments around data privacy and protection, cloud security, vulnerability and much more, all seizing their share of the spotlight. And as usual, we've not even begun to consider the impact of cyber crime.

Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 cyber security stories of 2020:..."

Passwordless Authentication: The Future Is Here

The future has finally arrived, and it looks like it may be passwordless

"It's no surprise that most people are frustrated by having to juggle passwords to access their ever-growing list of digital accounts. Once upon a time, it made sense to gate-keep access to digital services with usernames and passwords. However, now that the average user has around 150 online accounts (with this set to increase to 300 by 2022), it's no wonder people are struggling to remember all their passwords..."

Lesson From Solarwinds Hack: Why It Should Rethink On-Premises Tooling

The targeted update from SolarWinds is getting a lot of grief for these issues; however, the fact is that any one of hundreds of similar applications used by the government could have been used in the same manner

"It's entirely possible that the U.S. government has undergone - and is still undergoing - the harshest, most potentially devastating cyber breach in the short history of digital information.

Reuters broke the story last week that foreign entities - the National Security Agency and FBI have identified them as the Russian hacking group APT29, also known as Dark Halo or Cozy Bear (logo pictured) - had infiltrated several federal IT systems, including the Pentagon, National Institutes of Health, Homeland Security and State Department. This has been confirmed by highly regarded security companies that include CrowdStrike, FireEye, Volexity and Microsoft, for starters..."

Cybersecurity Budget Breakdown And Best Practices

Once budget is secured, CISOs must figure out where it should be allocated -- as well as how to justify the costs. Get the lowdown on a cybersecurity budget breakdown here

"The reasons for adding cybersecurity to an organization's annual budget are clear by now. But how a CISO allocates and justifies that budget is never quite as straightforward. Unlike marketing, sales, engineering and support -- where the ROI can be more easily explained -- the math of cybersecurity's ROI is not simple. However, with the costs and occurrences of data breaches rising by the minute, securing budget and ensuring it is spent appropriately are more critical for today's CISO than ever before..."

7 Cybersecurity Tools On Our Holiday Wish List

The holiday season is upon us. After a difficult year, and facing an even more challenging year ahead, digital defense experts don't have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

"Instead, they dream of cybersecurity tools and other resources to help them cope with a wild threat landscape.

Here's our ultimate holiday wish list...

1. Skilled Cybersecurity Employees

The top thing security experts need is more of them..."

U.S. Cybersecurity: Preparing For The Challenges Of 2021

In 2020, cybersecurity became a business problem for every industry, as well as the U.S. government

"According to a new report by the Aspen Cybersecurity Group, there are several opportunities for the new presidential administration to increase cybersecurity efforts and awareness to create a more resilient digital infrastructure.

Organizations like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), local and state governments, and the private sector have all taken significant steps to mitigate and respond to cyber incidents. Given the rise in bad actors targeting critical infrastructure, ongoing nation-state threats, and increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks, here are three cybersecurity priorities to keep in mind as we head into 2021 with a new administration..."

Top 10 Cyber Crime Stories Of 2020

Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 cyber crime stories of 2020

"The past 12 months have seen an unprecedented surge in cyber criminal activity, with two key trends explaining much of the increase - the Covid-19 pandemic introduced new attack surfaces and opportunities for malicious actors, while new developments in ransomware extortion tactics saw millions lost to operators such as Maze, Sodinokibi, Egregor and others.

Here are Computer Weekly's top 10 cyber crime stories of 2020:..."

The Top 21 Security Predictions For 2021

As we recover from the worst pandemic in a century, what will the New Year bring in cyberspace? Here's your annual roundup of security industry forecasts, trends, themes and cybersecurity predictions.

"When the topic of 2021 security predictions came up at a recent meeting of top cyberindustry executives, several leaders starting laughing.

'Really? After we completely blew it last year?' said one chief strategist.

'Wow! We're not even out of the woods yet with COVID-19,' said a marketing expert. 'How can we talk about the post-pandemic world with credibility?'..."

Top 10 Cybersecurity Online Courses For 2021

Our panel of leading experts picked the best free and paid online cybersecurity courses for working professionals advancing their careers and newbies breaking into the field

"With so much online courseware on cybersecurity today, it can be a daunting task to narrow the choices to a top 10. To create this list of cybersecurity courses online, we talked to leading security professionals about what they recommend to newbies, computer science students, businesspeople and security pros looking to advance their careers..."