Hello all, another week another roundup! Welcome back to the Positive Security News where it's not all doom and gloom in the cyber security industry!
1. FinFisher Shuts Down
Admittedly we're a little late to the party, what with the news coming out last month, but instead of brushing this under the rug, lets bring it to light!
FinFisher, a notorious German surveillance software (*cough* spyware *cough*), shut down operations and filed for insolvency last month.
FinFisher could be installed on a targets computer through various means, including fake software updates, emails with fake attachments and security flaws in popular software. Prior to bankruptcy, human rights organisations criticised FinFisher for selling these capabilities to authoritarian regimes that used it to surveil human rights defenders and journalists.
Naturally, it doesn't make all that much of a dent in the cauldron of spyware massess but it does serve as a warning to other similar technologies and vendors that their days are numbered.
Source: AccessNow
2. Companies Going to Greater Lengths to Hire Cybersecurity Staff
It's finally coming to fruition...We've spoken aptly before regarding entry barrier for cybersecurity and re-evaluation of job entry requirements. Whether it was perfectly demonstrated through UK's governement statisitics or would-be prodigies going down the wrong path, it's apparent the field isn't the easiest to enter and yet there is a significant (not unwarranted) demand for it.
It's infuriating to see and discuss but when action that leads to progress finally occurs it's every bit worth it.
And so here we are, companies appear to be filling the vacant cybersecurity positions through unconventional means. Companies are offering ridiculously high salaries, a bevy of benefits, and free training and certifications to woo candidates. This isn't the only way to attract good talent, though.
Fortunately, the cybersecurity field is a still hot off the frying pan - we're still adapting and thankfully, organisations like CAPSLOCK are helping us innovate when it comes to finding and growing security talent.
Check out DarkReading's article below for a full insight and advice on how get into the cyber security sector.
Source: DarkReading
3. UAE Bolsters their Cyber Security
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are taking actions in order to combat the rise in Cyber Security threats.
The UAE has experienced a 183% rise in DDoS attacks from 2019 to 2020 – and a further increase of 37% in 2021, according to Help AG. Ransomware has also been on the rise with hackers using ransomware-as-a-service to launch Cyber attacks.
To help bolster their resilience, the UAE Cybersecurity Council signed preliminary agreements with several organisations last month, including the likes of Huawei, Amazon Web services (AWS) and Deloitte, in order to help the country achieve its goals in countering cyber attacks. In addition, the council also signed an agreement with UAE firm Cyber Protection X (CPX) to improve the Cyber Security capabilities of government and semi-governmental agencies.
Since the council's establishment in November 2020, the UAE has seen their Cybersecurity efforts recognised when looking at their ranking improvements on the ITU's Global Cybersecurity index. The UAE jumped to an impressive 5th place in 2020 - up from 33rd in the previous year.
Moving forward, the partnerships the council continue to strike with outside experts should see the UAE establish themselves as a standard for Cybersecurity.
Check out ComputerWeekly's article linked for the full details into how the UAE are bolstering their Cybersecurity.
Source: Computer Weekly
And so that does it for this week's Positive Security News, be sure to stick around for next week's edition! Until then!