Page 11 - Cybersecurity

Britain's new 'world first' laws crack down on smart gadget cyber attacks

All internet connected smart devices will be required to meet minimum security standards under what the UK government has dubbed as world first laws, effective from Monday to protect consumers and businesses from hacking and cyber-attacks. Under the new regime, manufacturers will be banned from having weak, easily guessable default passwords like admin or 12345 and if there is a common password, the user will be prompted to change it on start-up. An investigation conducted by the Which? consumer group found that a UK home filled with smart devices could be exposed to more than 12,000 hacking attacks from across the world in a single week, with a total of 2,684 attempts to guess weak default passwords on just five devices. From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals, as we introduce world first laws that will make sure their personal privacy, data and finances are safe, said UK Minister for Cyber Viscount Camrose, .

Quick Heal Technologies Q4 results: Net profit at Rs 14 cr, revenue up 62%

Global cybersecurity firm Quick Heal Technologies has reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 14.04 crore in the March 2024 quarter. The company had suffered a loss of Rs 6.64 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Its revenue from contracts with customers rose 62.39 per cent to Rs 80.03 crore against Rs 49.28 crore in Q4 FY23, according to a regulatory filing by the company on Thursday. For FY24, it has reported about four-fold increase in net profit to Rs 24.24 crore from Rs 6.40 crore in FY23. Its revenue for FY24 increased 4.91 per cent year-on-year to Rs 291.75 crore. Quick Heal Technologies CEO Vishal Salvi in a statement said the company's board has approved further investments in new solutions and products to strengthen its portfolio. "We eagerly anticipate the enforcement of the recently announced DPDP Act and are prepared to leverage our data classification solutions to support its implementation," he added. The company's board has proposed a divid

Hackers subverted security devices to spy on governments, says Cisco

In a statement, the company said it urged customers to take immediate action to update their software. It did not give further details on the breaches, which it said dated back to earlier this year

Indian businesses saw 235,472 ransomware incidents from Jan-Dec 2023

In 2023, India witnessed ransomware attacks against different organisations - a major healthcare institution, government departments, Indian telecom company, as well as power and utility company

Data protection law needs clarity on risk threshold for breaches: Group

BSA, which represents the global software industry, wants companies to get at least 72 hours to report data breaches

Microsoft-backed cybersecurity firm Rubrik aims to raise $713 mn in IPO

Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are the lead underwriters for Rubrik's IPO

Cyberspace integral part of country's security: NCSC Lt Gen M U Nair

Cyber space is an integral part of national security and it can have an impact on decision making, National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt Gen M U Nair said on Thursday. He was delivering the valedictory lecture at the grand finale of the 48-hour non-stop competition 'Pentathon 2024' at the Amity University's Noida campus. The competition is an initiative of the Ministry of Education. "Cyber space today is an integral part of national security which can not only impact decision making but also cause disruption of services," Nair said. "Data consumption is highest in India, and therefore, users need to be aware of challenges faced due to poor cyber hygiene," said the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC), who functions under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters. Nair asked the participants to find solutions to challenges in the cyber landscape and also identify cyber attacks by

As world leans on GenAI, cyber risks are a new worry for organisations

India is among countries at the highest risk from sophisticated cyberattacks. But only 4% of organisations in the country have 'mature' security systems to counter such threats

AT&T says personal data from 73 million accounts leaked on dark web

AT&T is the third-largest US retail wireless carrier, behind Verizon Communications Inc. and T-Mobile US Inc.

Only 4% of companies in India 'mature' to tackle cyber threats: Study

71% plan to upgrade their IT infrastructure in one to two years, says Cisco's 2024 Cybersecurity Readiness Index

L&T Technology Services bags $100 mn deal for Maharashtra cybersecurity

Programme will set up 'cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention centre' for public safety

LTTS bags Rs 800 cr project from Maha govt to set up cybersecurity hub

L&T Technology Services on Friday said it has secured a USD 100 million (around Rs 800 crore) project from the Maharashtra government to establish a cybersecurity and digital threat analytics centre. The engineering services arm of infra major L&T has teamed up with KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP as a forensics partner to provide advanced cyber security solutions for the state, enhancing public safety against cyber threats, according to a statement. The company said the contract is a first-of-its-kind programme in India, and a part of its initiative to develop digitally interconnected smart and safe cities through cyber security and digital forensic solutions consolidated under one umbrella. It said the project entails designing a sophisticated cybersecurity system and establishing a cyber security and cybercrime prevention centre to address cybercrime incidents and investigations by leveraging AI (Artificial Intelligence) and digital forensic tools. "It's an ...

Cisco signs agreement with Karnataka govt to train 40,000 in cybersecurity

Women will represent half of the trained workforce to help meet the growing need for such skills

IBM expands Expert Labs in India to guide clients on emerging tech adoption

It is critical to have the right skill sets and talent to integrate new technologies into their existing IT landscape/business processes

US Prez Biden issues exec order to shield Americans' sensitive data

President Joe Biden on Wednesday is signing an executive order aimed at better protecting Americans' personal data on everything from biometrics and health records to finances and geolocation from foreign adversaries like China and Russia. The attorney general and other federal agencies are to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans' personal data to what the White House calls countries of concern, while erecting safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to people's sensitive data. The goal is to do so without limiting legitimate commerce around data, senior Biden administration officials said on a call with reporters. Biden's move targets commercial data brokers, the sometimes shadowy companies that traffic in personal data and that officials say may sell information to foreign adversaries or US entities controlled by those countries. Most eventual enforcement mechanisms still have to clear complicated and often monthslong rulemaking processes.

First US-India cybersecurity drive launched to strengthen IT partnership

The US Consulate, in collaboration with the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), launched the first-ever US-India Cyber Security Initiative to strengthen IT connections between the two countries. US Consul General Mike Hankey, who was in Pune at the MCCIA Pune Business International Business Summit on Monday, said the initiative aims to unite top cyber security experts globally to create jobs and develop cutting-edge solutions. The initiative will lead the city into a mentorship model in cyber space and will also foster people-to-people ties in cyberspace, he said. The launch is timely, since digital technologies are advancing more rapidly than at any previous point in human history, he added. Hankey emphasized that a secure, resilient, and stable cyberspace is crucial for the development of both the public and private sectors, enabling people worldwide to benefit from the free flow of information online. "Cyber issues are a priority in the U.S.-India

Blocked over 74 mn local threat incidents in India last year: Kaspersky

Global cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky on Tuesday said 34 per cent of users in India were targeted by local threats in 2023, and that its products detected and blocked 74.3 million local incidents. These statistics represent the malicious programmes found directly on users' computers or removable media connected to them (flash drives, camera memory cards, phones, external hard drives) or that initially made their way onto the computer in non-open form (that is, programmes in complex installers or encrypted files). According to the latest report of Kaspersky, 34 per cent of users in India were targeted by local threats in the year 2023. "Kaspersky products detected and blocked 74,385,324 local incidents on the computers of Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) participants in India placing the country in 80th position worldwide," it said. India's cybersecurity market reached USD 6.06 billion in 2023. "However, according to the IDC, the alarming increase in sophistica

iPhone alert to MPs: Apple's reply on vulnerability not clear, says MoS IT

The government is still waiting for a clear reply from iPhone maker Apple on iPhone alert sent to opposition political leaders around five months back on alleged hacking of their devices by state-backed hackers. In an interview to PTI, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the government has asked Apple two questions: whether their devices are safe, and if so the reason for the alert was sent to opposition members. "In my humble opinion, this is not something that any proprietary platform will completely concede whether they have vulnerabilities in their platform. There's an instinct in any platform to deny that vulnerability exists," he said. "We are asking a clear question, is your phone vulnerable? The answer to that is not totally unambiguous," Chandrasekhar said. In October, several opposition leaders claimed they have received an alert from Apple warning them of state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and alleged ...

Data breach: No impact on biz ops, says Motilal Oswal Financial Services

Cybercrime group LockBit had claimed the attack on MOSL on its dark web site, according to a report by news portal TechCrunch

Datadog forecasts revenue results below market estimates on weak adoption

Growing competition in the sector from bigger rivals such as SentinelOne and CrowdStrike is also weighing in on smaller players like Datadog