Cybersecurity must be continuously evolving in order to keep up with increasingly sophisticated attacks. No system is inviolable or completely secure, so both companies and governments must always be one step ahead of threats. Leaders need to constantly mitigate risks, enhance the defense of critical information and address one of the weakest links in the security chain: users. The lack of education and training is the root cause of the majority of social engineering attacks.
Telecommunications, media, and technology companies seem to be more aware of the risks. A Moody's report indicates that these companies are leading investments in cybersecurity. They have doubled their spending over five years, with telecoms increasing it by over 250%. But that's not the general rule.
The Brazilian government recently faced a major incident: the leaking of sensitive data led to an attempt to divert approximately R$9 million from the Integrated Financial Administration System (Siafi). Investigations revealed that the breach was carried out by someone with prior access to the system rather than an external hacker attack. The French government has experienced a similar breach, which also highlighted the vulnerability of systems and raised crucial questions about data protection reliability, especially when entrusted to governments. These events emphasize the need for aZero-Trust architecture, where no user or device is trusted by default and every access request is continuously verified.
Both situations could be avoided or mitigated with solutions from companies like Qriar, which offers pioneering data security measures.Qriar's offerings include IDaaS (Identity as a Service) identity and access management solutions. Automated user account provisioning ensures that new employees receive appropriate access rights automatically, and these rights are revoked when they leave the organization. This was a failure point in theBrazilian government incident, where former employees' identities remained active, leading to the orchestrated attack on Siafi.
Safe in the clouds
With the growing migration of services to the cloud, security in these environments has become critical. Cloud service providers have invested in robust security measures to protect data from unauthorized access.These investments are necessary to prevent incidents like the one involving Live Nation, where unauthorized activities on a third-party cloud server resulted in the theft of information from approximately 560 million users, with the ShinyHunters group offering the stolen data for sale at $500,000.
Investing in incident response strategies and disaster recovery has become essential. Organizations are developing detailed plans to ensure business continuity during cyberattacks. However, the expanded attack surface created by digitalization and the Internet of Things (IoT) increases exposure. The complexity of modern systems, integrating multiple platforms and technologies, also adds up to the vulnerabilities.
Security concerns have risen as companies are deploying moreAI coding tools. According to the AICode Security Report, 96% of developers use generative AI tools in their workflows. Organizations adopting these tools must establish proper security protocols to ensure safe usage. Snyk's survey revealed that only one in five organizations conducts proof-of-concept testing before implementing AI coding options, and over half still need to provide developers with related training.The report recommends establishing formal proof-of-concept processes for new AI technologies, prioritizing security feedback, documenting and auditingAI-generated code, as well as investing in secure technology, and increasing AI training across the company.
As mentioned before, a significant weakness is the lack of cyber security awareness among users and employees. Phishing and social engineering attacks remain effective because of inadequate training. Additionally, many organizations, including governments, face resource limitations, making it more challenging to implement robust and up-to-date security measures.
Trust in data protection is complex. While governments and large companies have significant resources and can implement comprehensive cybersecurity policies, incidents like the ones we've seen recently demonstrate that even large institutions are not immune to failures. Enhancing trust requires transparent cybersecurity policies and continuous investments.
Finally, international collaboration is crucial, as cybersecurity is a global challenge. Sharing information about threats and best practices among companies and countries can strengthen collective defense against cyberattacks. This is not just a technological issue but also a matter of public trust and ethical responsibility. The future of cybersecurity depends on organizations' ability to adapt quickly and collectively to threats and maintain data security in an increasingly digital world.
