Author: Cybersecurity Insiders

Your Gmail account is a critical part of your digital life, making it a prime target for hackers looking to steal personal information, financial data, and credentials. According to a 2023 study by Google, over 15% of internet users have experienced an attempted email hack, highlighting the need for strong security measures. Once compromised, hackers can steal sensitive data, send phishing emails, and even lock you out of your own account, leading to identity theft and financial fraud. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to determine if your Gmail has been compromised and how to secure it effectively.

Signs That Your Gmail Account Has Been Hacked

If you suspect that someone has gained unauthorized access to your account, look out for these warning signs:

1. Unexpected Password Changes

If you receive a notification that your password has been changed and you didn’t do it, this is a major red flag. Learn more about password security.

2. Unfamiliar Devices or Locations

Google tracks the devices that access your account. If you notice a login from an unfamiliar device or location, someone else may be using your account.

3. Emails Sent That You Didn’t Write

If your friends or colleagues receive emails from your account that you never sent, it’s likely a hacker is using your email for spam or phishing attacks.

4. Altered Recovery Information

If your recovery phone number or email address has been changed, an attacker may be trying to prevent you from regaining access to your account.

5. Automatic Email Forwarding

Hackers sometimes set up automatic email forwarding to steal incoming emails without you noticing. You can check this setting in Gmail’s settings menu.

6. Security Alerts from Google

Google will send security alerts if it detects suspicious activity, such as an unfamiliar login attempt. If you receive such an alert, take action immediately.

How to Check If Your Gmail Account Has Been Compromised

If you’ve noticed any of the warning signs, follow these steps to investigate further:

1. Check Recent Account Activity

Google allows you to review recent login attempts:

  • Go to Gmail and scroll to the bottom right of your inbox.
  • Click on “Details” under “Last account activity.”
  • Look for any unfamiliar IP addresses or locations.
  • If you see something suspicious, click “Sign out of all other web sessions” to log out any unauthorized users.

2. Review Security Events in Google Account

Google provides a security audit feature where you can track login attempts and device access. When reviewing these events, look for unfamiliar IP addresses, multiple failed login attempts, or login activity from different countries that you haven’t visited. Google provides a security audit feature where you can track login attempts and device access:

  • Visit Google’s Security Checkup.
  • Look for any unfamiliar devices, locations, or recent security events.
  • If you see anything suspicious, take action immediately.

3. Verify Account Recovery Settings

Ensure your recovery email and phone number are correct:

4. Check for Email Forwarding or Filters

Hackers often set up automatic email forwarding:

  • Open Gmail Settings.
  • Go to “Forwarding and POP/IMAP”.
  • If you see an unknown forwarding address, remove it.
  • Check the Filters and Blocked Addresses section to ensure no suspicious filters are forwarding your emails.

How to Secure Your Gmail Account

If your account has been hacked, or you suspect it might be vulnerable, take these immediate steps:

1. Change Your Password

  • Use a strong, unique password that includes a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
  • Do not reuse old passwords or use easily guessable information (e.g., birthdays, common words).
  • Update your password by going to Google Password Change.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security:

  • Visit Google 2-Step Verification.
  • Enable it and choose an authentication method (e.g., SMS, Google Authenticator, Security Key).

3. Review and Remove Suspicious Third-Party Apps

4. Scan Your Device for Malware

  • Run a full antivirus scan using trusted security software like Malwarebytes or Windows Defender.

5. Notify Your Contacts

If a hacker has sent spam or phishing emails from your account, inform your contacts so they don’t fall for any scams. You can send them a simple message like this:

‘Hi everyone, my Gmail account was recently compromised, and some of you may have received suspicious emails from me. Please do not click on any links or respond to those messages. I’ve taken steps to secure my account. Stay safe!’ If a hacker has sent spam or phishing emails from your account, inform your contacts so they don’t fall for any scams.

6. Monitor Your Account for Ongoing Threats

  • Regularly check your Google Security Checkup.
  • Be cautious of phishing attempts and fake Google login pages.

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity is a continuous process, and staying vigilant is essential to protecting your Gmail account and personal data from cyber threats. Stay updated with the latest cybersecurity news. By following these steps, you can check if your Gmail account has been hacked and take action to secure it immediately.

For more official information, refer to Google’s security help page: Google Support: Recover a Hacked Account.

Stay Safe Online!

Cybersecurity is not a one-time action but an ongoing process. Make it a habit to regularly update your passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and stay informed about the latest security threats.

Have you ever had your Gmail account hacked? Let us know in the comments below and share your tips on how you secured it! Have you ever had your Gmail account hacked?

The post How to Check If Your Gmail Account Has Been Hacked (Step-by-Step Guide to Secure It) appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Network security is now an important part of keeping a company safe in this digital age where cyber threats are getting smarter. It is expected that cybercrime will cost the world $10,5 trillion every year by 2025. Because of this, businesses need to take action right away. One of the best ways to detect and stop possible cyber threats before they become full-scale attacks is through network monitoring, which happens in real-time.

Monitoring is very important for finding strange things, attempts to get in without permission, and strange patterns of data flow that could mean there has been a breach. By looking at these signs early on, businesses can successfully lower risks, keeping sensitive data safe and making sure they can keep running. This proactive method not only limits damage but also lowers the cost of recovery, which makes the security stronger overall.

Monitoring in Preventing Cyber Attacks

Smart technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and behavior analytics are used in good network tracking to give detailed information about what’s happening in the network. AI-powered solutions, for instance, can look at huge amounts of data in real time and pinpoint possible threats with great accuracy. Modern attacks like ransomware, phishing, and zero-day exploits often get past standard barriers, so this method is especially important for stopping them.

Also, laws like GDPR and HIPAA stress how important it is to keep an eye on things all the time to protect personal and business data. Businesses that follow these standards not only make sure they are following the law, but they also improve their image as safe and trustworthy organizations.

Cybercrime is on the rise, so companies need to make network monitoring a key part of their cybersecurity plan. Being able to find and stop threats before they happen can make the difference between a small problem and a major breach. This shows how important network security is in today’s digital world.

What is Proactive Cybersecurity?

Being proactive about cybersecurity means planning ahead to stop online threats before they happen. The standard reactive approach focuses on dealing with problems after they happen. Proactive cybersecurity, on the other hand, focuses on predicting, finding, and stopping possible threats before they happen.

The main difference between proactive and reactive hacking is when and what they focus on. While reactive steps are necessary for containment, damage control, and recovery after a breach, they can be pricey and cause problems. Proactive cybersecurity, on the other hand, tries to stop events before they happen by fixing weaknesses early on to make breaches less likely. This method not only lessens the harm, but it also lessens the costs that come with it, like fines, legal fees, and damage to your image.

Key Components of Proactive Cybersecurity

Threat intelligence, risk assessment, vulnerability management, and incident reaction planning are some of the strategies that are used in proactive cybersecurity. Let’s take a closer look at each part:

Information About Threats

Threat information is what makes proactive security work. Organizations can stop possible attacks before they happen by collecting and analyzing data on current threats and attack methods. With this information, security teams can stay ahead of new threats and effectively protect important systems.

Evaluation of Risk

Risk assessment is the process of looking at an organization’s IT infrastructure in a planned way to find, analyze, and rank risks. Steps include making a list of important assets, checking for weaknesses, figuring out how likely and harmful threats are, and putting in place custom plans to protect them. Monitoring and updating the process on a regular basis make sure it can change to new risks.

Taking Care of Vulnerabilities

Security holes are found, categorized, and fixed through this ongoing process of thorough testing and patch management. Keeping systems safe from known vulnerabilities with regular updates and patches is an important part of keeping a strong security posture.

Plan for Responding to an Incident

Incident reaction planning makes sure that security incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively, since no system is completely safe from attacks. Automated tools make work easier and faster, which helps limit and lessen possible damage more quickly. These tools shorten the time it takes to respond and lessen the damage that threats do, making the system more resilient overall.

To protect against new cyber dangers, proactive cybersecurity is important. It gives businesses the tools and knowledge they need to safeguard their digital assets.

What You Should Know About Network Security Monitoring (NSM)

Network Security Monitoring (NSM) is the process of gathering and studying network data to find and fix security problems. It is necessary to keep a strong security stance.

Proactive Threat Detection: NSM focuses on finding suspicious behaviors as soon as possible. This limits attackers’ options and keeps companies ahead of both known and new threats.

The most important parts of an NSM system are its ability to provide full insight, collect data continuously, work seamlessly with other security tools, and respond quickly to threats.

Strategic Role in Cybersecurity: NSM is more than just monitoring; it takes a strategic approach that focuses on lowering risks, stopping threats, and constantly checking the security of a company.

Real-Time Monitoring Pros: It lets you respond more quickly, find threats more accurately, lower the risk of data breaches, see more of your network, and make compliance reporting easier.

Prevention of Potential Threats: NSM finds and stops possible threats before they get worse. This helps create better security measures and lowers the chance of data breaches.

Long-Term Network Security: An effective NSM strategy protects digital assets, follows security rules, and can adapt to new threats, ensuring the future success of a company.

The Role of Network Security Monitoring (NSM) in Cybersecurity

Network Security Monitoring (NSM) is an important part of modern cybersecurity. It’s more than just watching things; it uses a strategic method to find risks and reduce them. NSM is all about finding possible attackers, figuring out how they work, and coming up with good ways to defend against risks.

Threat information and prevention are at the heart of NSM. Companies can plan ahead for attacks and stop them before they happen by looking at network data and comparing it to known threat trends. In the world of cybersecurity, where threats change every minute, this preventative approach is very important.

Furthermore, NSM provides ongoing evaluations of a company’s security state. By looking at data flows and user behavior on a daily basis, it makes the necessary changes and improvements, making the system more resistant to new threats. An important part of a good NSM plan is getting feedback all the time. This helps companies stay ahead of their cyber enemies.

Real-time network security monitoring has many benefits.

Real-time NSM has changed advanced security strategies by making it easier for companies to find cyber threats, stop them, and reply to them. Some important perks are:

Faster Response Times: Real-time tracking lets you find threats right away, so you can take action faster to lessen the damage of breaches.

Better Accuracy in Threat Detection: Continuous data analysis makes it easier to spot bad behavior by cutting down on false positives and focused on real threats.

Less likely to leak data: Finding problems quickly makes it much less likely that data will get out, keeping private data safe and the network running smoothly.

Better visibility into the network: regular monitoring lets you see everything that’s happening on the network, which makes it easier to control resources and spot strange behavior.

Compliance Support: NSM creates detailed logs and reports that help businesses meet the rules of their field and make them more accountable.

Active Protection Against Threats

NSM stands out because it takes a proactive approach to protection. Instead of responding to breaches, NSM finds threats and stops them before they become full-scale strikes.

Modern tools for watching networks look at traffic in real-time, which lets security teams find problems right away and fix them. This method not only stops possible leaks but it also helps the network stay stable and work well. Also, proactive measures make it easier to create more advanced security procedures that can effectively deal with new threats as they appear.

Using NSM to improve security

When NSM technologies are used together, they make a company safer overall. A mindset of putting security first is fostered by constant visibility and awareness, which makes sure that all network activities follow established policies and standards.

An NSM system protects IT infrastructure from many types of threats by using many levels of security. These levels range from preventing unauthorized entry to dealing with complex cyberattacks. A strong network that is backed up by NSM can respond quickly to new threats, successfully lower risks, and protect the integrity of important assets.

Conclusion

Today’s cyber world changes quickly. It is important to keep digital assets safe by actively looking for threats through strong network tracking. Continuous tracking not only finds possible holes in security. It also lets companies act quickly to lower risks before they become major problems. AI-driven analytics and real-time alerts are some of the advanced tools and methods companies can use. These tools help them stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.

Investing in good network security plans protects your data. It also makes your network more resilient and builds trust among all stakeholders. As cyber threats get smarter, being proactive about watching networks is no longer a choice. It has become a must for protecting the integrity, privacy, and availability of important data and systems. Be careful and stay safe.

The post Proactive Threat Detection: The Role of Network Security appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

To better understand the problems of online identity theft, we need to consider what we mean by ‘digital identity’. At the start of its guidelines, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines digital identity as the “online persona of a subject,” recognising that there isn’t yet a single, widely accepted definition. But here, we can view digital identity simply to represent a person in online transactions.

Access to digital infrastructure traditionally relies on information associated with this digital identity. In most cases, to access a digital service, a person (or “subject”) needs to know a “secret,” which acts as a credential—such as a password, PIN, or API key. When they provide this secret, the system assumes the person is who they claim to be. But if this credential is stolen, malicious actors can use it to impersonate that person — effectively committing identity theft.

To more reliably verify a person’s true identity, security systems often combine multiple factors — credentials — such as:

  • Something they know: A secret, like a password or PIN.
  • Something they have: like a physical device, such as a security token or trusted platform module (TPM).
  • Something they are: such as biometrics, like a fingerprint or facial recognition.

This layered approach strengthens digital identity verification, helping ensure a person’s identity is accurately represented in online transactions. It’s clear that the theft of a credential equals identity theft.

Credential Misuse is rising

According to the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report , human involvement in data breaches remains significant. The report indicates that 68% of breaches involved a (non-malicious) human element, such as individuals falling victim to social engineering attacks or making errors.

The report notes that over the past decade, stolen credential incidents have appeared in almost one-third (31%) of all breaches, highlighting the persistent risk associated with credential-based attacks.

Verizon observes a significant increase in attacks involving the exploitation of vulnerabilities, which nearly tripled from the previous year, accounting for 14% of all breaches. This surge underscores the evolving tactics of threat actors and the importance of robust security measures.

According to data gathered by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) analyses revealed that Valid Accounts [T1078] were the most common successful attack technique, responsible for 41% of successful attempts.”

Meanwhile, the 2024 Microsoft Digital Defense Report highlights a significant rise in credential misuse and identity theft, emphasising the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and the necessity for robust security measures. Key findings note that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting user credentials to gain unauthorised access to systems and data. This surge underscores the critical need for organisations to implement strong authentication protocols and monitor for suspicious activities.

Microsoft also reports a notable increase in sophisticated phishing campaigns designed to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information. These attacks often exploit human psychology, making them particularly effective and challenging to detect.

The report advocates for the widespread implementation of MFA as a fundamental defence against credential theft. MFA adds an additional layer of security, making it more difficult for attackers to compromise accounts even if credentials are obtained.

And it stresses the need to adopt a ‘Zero Trust’ approach, which assumes that threats could be both external and internal. This model requires continuous verification of user identities and device health, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.

These insights underscore the importance of proactive security strategies, continuous monitoring, and user education to combat the growing threat of credential misuse and identity theft.

Bypassing MFA?

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) prevents access to the system unless all required factors are verified, ensuring the user’s identity is confirmed. A typical MFA setup, for example, asks users to enter a One-Time Password (OTP) sent via SMS in addition to their username and password.

While adding more factors strengthens security, the system can still be compromised if it is improperly configured or if there are vulnerabilities in the software or hardware components.

One example of an incident in relation to credential theft, is a customer under the protection of our Managed Detection and Response services receiving a phishing email from a compromised business partner.

The email contained a Google link redirect chain leading to a M365 phishing page. These types of phishing links are much harder to detect due to the email sender being observed previously communicating with the recipient and the mails passing DMARK, DKIM, and SPF checks. These checks    normally prevent users from receiving such a  link , but that was bypassed using this technique

As a result, few defenses remain, and only the email security solution raised an alert for CSIS to take action on.

The next stage involved a Man-in-the-Middle attack –  the user’s login session was hijacked and a secondary MFA option was registered by the perpetrator, to gain persistent access to the account.

Fortunately, CSIS was able to stop the attack and take preventive measures to mitigate the threat in the initial access phase – leaving the perpetrator empty-handed.

To further safeguard against identity theft, implementing Restrictive Conditional-Access Policies can provide an additional layer of security by ensuring that only trusted users and devices can access sensitive systems. For organisations managing devices, requiring enrolment into Microsoft Intune for management enhances oversight and control, though it’s important to note that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies may pose challenges in these cases.

Switching to Windows Hello for Business on devices equipped with Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) is another effective alternative. This approach leverages advanced authentication methods, such as biometrics or PINs, to improve resistance against phishing attacks while enhancing the overall security posture of endpoints. These measures, when integrated into a robust cybersecurity framework, can significantly mitigate the risk of identity theft.

CSIS strongly recommends establishing a phishing-resistant multifactor policy, incorporating security devices like YubiKey — a hardware-based security key that provides strong two-factor, multi-factor, and passwordless authentication — or similar. Implementing such measures not only enhances protection, but also makes it impossible to fall victim to malicious activities such as session stealing.

Managing digital identities

There are several ways to better manage organisational security online, and help staff avoid the issues surrounding identity attack, including, but not limited to:

Implementing proper Access Control

Implementing robust access control mechanisms is essential to ensure only authorised users can access specific data and systems, reducing the risk of unauthorised access. This includes setting up role-based access controls (RBAC) and applying the principle of least privilege, which limits user permissions to only what is necessary for their role. CSIS offers services such as Active Directory (AD) Security Assessments to help organisations identify and remediate complex risks and threats within their access control systems.

Monitoring infrastructure – audit logs

Regular monitoring of audit logs is crucial for detecting unusual activity early on, providing insights into who accessed what, when, and from where. Analyzing these logs can reveal signs of unauthorised access, privilege escalation, or attempted credential misuse, enabling swift intervention. CSIS Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services offer 24/7 monitoring and analysis of security events, ensuring prompt detection and response to potential threats.

CSIS Compromised Credentials service provides continuous real-time monitoring of stolen credential data which may be used against your organisation. During 2024, CSIS has observed approximately 24 billion credential combinations (i.e., usernames along with associated passwords and URLs) from Q1-Q3, or an average of 3 billion credential combinations per month.

Develop and maintain a cyber incident response plan

Developing and maintaining a cyber incident response plan provides a clear roadmap for identifying, containing and resolving security incidents, helping to reduce damage and recovery time. Regularly updating and testing the plan ensures it remains effective against evolving threats. CSIS provides Emergency Response Consulting services to assist organisations in preparing for and responding to cyber incidents.

Have an Emergency Response partner

Partnering with an external emergency response team ensures access to specialised expertise in the event of a breach. These professionals can assist with containment, investigation and remediation efforts, helping restore operations quickly and securely. CSIS is a member of FIRST, the global forum for incident response and security teams, and NCSC Assured in Incident Response, offers Emergency Response Retainers, guaranteeing immediate and round-the-clock access to world-class emergency incident response.

Through implementing multi-factor authentication, strengthening access controls, and establishing proactive monitoring and incident response measures, organisations can reduce the risk of unauthorised access and protect against identity theft.

Using solutions like those provided by CSIS, including continuous monitoring, access control assessments and dedicated emergency response services, companies are better equipped to defend their digital infrastructure against sophisticated attacks. A strong commitment to a robust, well-rounded security strategy is essential for any organisation to thrive in today’s digital landscape.

The post From Credentials to Identity: Understanding Digital Identity and Access appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Data breaches can be expensive. The average ransomware attack costs organisations about $47,000, according to the 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, and it can even soar into the millions. Business email compromise (BEC) attacks often target executives with valuable company information. The average amount lost is over $50,000 but ransomware can exact a much greater financial toll. The biggest cost of all, however, may be the reputational damage caused by a data breach.

The price of reputational damage

It’s easier to pinpoint the financial cost of data breaches. There’s the money threat actors are able to extort from an organisation, and then there’s the number of IT personnel hours applied to responding to incidents and containing breaches. The reputational damage a data breach causes is harder to quantify, though that doesn’t make it any less real.

A data breach can prompt customers to lose trust in an organisation, compelling them to take their business to a competitor whose reputation remains intact. A breach can discourage partners from continuing their relationship with a company since partners and vendors often share each other’s data, which may now be perceived as an elevated risk not worth taking. Reputational damage can devalue publicly traded companies and scupper a funding round for a private company. The financial cost of reputational damage may not be immediately apparent, but its consequences can reverberate for months and even years.

Industries dependent on trust 

All organisations rely on their reputation and the trust they cultivate, but trust is more important in some industries than others.

Finance

Consumer confidence, a form of trust, is a leading economic indicator that influences the direction of financial markets and the valuation of individual companies. How consumers perceive the economy actually has an economic impact. The subprime mortgage crisis may have been the financial mechanism that led to the Great Recession of 2008, but it was plummeting consumer sentiment that eventually tipped the global economy over the edge.

Financially motivated threat actors target the financial sector for obvious reasons: there’s ample money to be extorted. In EMEA, ransomware is one of the most common and lucrative attack patterns for cybercriminals. Because there’s more money in the pot, so to speak, hackers are more likely to use more sophisticated and labour-intensive attack patterns, which explains why system intrusion became the number one attack pattern in the finance industry this past year.

Healthcare

The digitisation of healthcare, characterised by the integration of electronic health records (EHRs) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), has transformed the healthcare landscape, bringing both opportunities and cybersecurity threats. This shift toward a more connected and data-driven approach enables enhanced patient care and operational efficiency but simultaneously exposes sensitive personal health information to potential cyberattacks.

Due to the sensitive nature of personal health data, healthcare organizations become lucrative targets for cybercriminals. A data breach in the healthcare sector could severely compromise patient privacy and security, leading to the exposure of protected health information (PHI) and posing a significant liability for organizations. Therefore, safeguarding healthcare cybersecurity has become paramount to protect patient information and ensure the integrity of the healthcare system.

Healthcare organisations are responsible for holding some of the most sensitive data there is – patient records. The leaking of medical records and other confidential patient information can wreak havoc on the reputation of a hospital or other healthcare facility, as patients depend on these institutions for safety and discretion.

Hackers sometimes attack healthcare facilities by targeting medical equipment, like infusion pumps they can render inoperable for the purpose of demanding a ransom, which would have a massive impact on a hospital’s reputation (especially if it resulted in the harm of one of its patients). Compromised data is often not the fruits of an external hacker’s labour, however. Medical information is often misplaced through the actions of an internal actor, who is more often than not a non-malicious agent. Misdelivery is a common cause of data breaches in the healthcare sector according to the 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report. To mitigate such risk  Data Loss Prevention tools (DLP) controls can be implemented to monitor outgoing emails for sensitive information and can alert or block emails being sent to unintended recipients.

Having recognized those challenges, Verizon enhanced cybersecurity for a large hospital system by unifying its network with Secure Cloud Interconnect and centralizing access controls. This approach improved global connectivity and security, allowing clinicians to secure access to necessary information and boost operational efficiency. The hospital system saw increased productivity and a better patient experience with consistent and reliable Wi-Fi services.

Retail

Retailers that suffer data breaches risk losing their customers to competitors. In this era of digital convenience, it’s just too easy for consumers to take their business elsewhere; and if their customers have PCI data or credentials compromised, there’s a good chance they will.

Incidentally, stolen credentials surpassed payment card information as the data most commonly compromised in the retail industry this past year. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks remain a big threat in retail, a threat that is amplified seasonally, as with Christmas and the end-of-year holiday season. Retailers can’t afford to have systems down during this time of year, which also makes them more susceptible to ransomware attacks.

How organisations can defend themselves

In order to optimise cybersecurity efforts, organisations must consider the vulnerabilities particular to them and their industry. For example, financial institutions, often the target of more involved patterns like system intrusion, must invest in advanced perimeter security and threat detection. With internal actors factoring so heavily in healthcare, hospitals must prioritise cybersecurity training and stricter access controls. Major retailers that can’t afford extended downtime from a DoS attack must have contingency plans in place, including disaster recovery.

These measures won’t eliminate the threat, but the truth is no business is entirely free of the risk of a data breach, but they can mitigate the risk, augment their security efforts, and reduce the potential points of entry by focusing their attention on the risks most likely to affect them. Their reputation is on the line, after all, and that may be the biggest compromise of them all.

Verizon advocates for the adoption of CTEM (Continuous Threat Exposure Management) as a cyclical program designed to prioritize potential countermeasures and enhance security posture on an ongoing basis. Through this approach, organizations have demonstrated a reduction in the time required to identify and address incidents. This is achieved by leveraging valuable insights obtained through the CTEM program and integrating them with the Security Operations Center (SOC) for improved treatment strategies.

The post How Data Breaches Erode Trust and What Companies Can Do appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

The FSCA’s Joint Standard on Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience is set to commence in June 2025, putting pressure on South African financial institutions to align with the stringent requirements established by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in collaboration with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).

With South Africa’s financial sector being one of the country’s most targeted industries, the Joint Standard is designed to mitigate the growing risks posed by cyber threats, protecting both the institutions themselves and the broader financial system from disruptive cyber events. This will affect organisations including, but not limited to, banks, mutual banks, insurers, retirement funds and fund administrators, and collective investment scheme managers.

Troye, a leading IT solutions provider and Arctic Wolf partner, is committed to helping financial institutions and any other organisation required to comply to meet these demanding cybersecurity standards. Through their collaboration with Arctic Wolf, Troye offers a range of tailored solutions to not only meet FSCA compliance requirements but also improve institutions’ overall cybersecurity resilience against evolving threats.

According to Troye CEO Helen Kruger, the Joint Standard details several essential cybersecurity requirements that institutions must meet. “A foundational requirement is for organisations to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy tailored to their specific risk profile, size, and complexity.”

“This strategy must undergo regular review and updates to ensure continued effectiveness, and robust governance structures with clearly defined roles must be established, making management responsible for collaborating with other stakeholders to ensure cyber resilience.” she explains.

In addition to the strategy and operational aspect of cyber security, financial institutions will be required to implement stringent identity and access management protocols, application and system security policies, network security measures, security awareness training programs, incident response capabilities and more.

Regular testing of cyber resilience is another critical mandate, with institutions required to conduct ongoing vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and cyber incident simulations to assess their readiness against potential threats. Significant cybersecurity incidents must be promptly reported to relevant authorities, ensuring transparency and enabling swift regulatory responses.

With the deadline approaching, Kruger cautions that institutions must act decisively to achieve compliance and avoid serious regulatory consequences.

Troye’s partnership with Arctic Wolf offers financial institutions and partners that may also need to comply, a seamless path to meet the FSCA’s rigorous standards. Leveraging Arctic Wolf’s cutting-edge cybersecurity operations and Troye’s local expertise on cyber security solutions and red teaming exercises, institutions can transition smoothly into compliance while enhancing their cyber resilience.

Cyber Resilience Assessment (CRA)

Arctic Wolf provides all customers with a comprehensive CRA, which enables financial institutions to assess their cybersecurity readiness against industry standards such as NIST and CIS, identifying gaps to ensure regulatory compliance.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Troye offers 24/7 MDR services that monitor network, endpoint, and cloud environments in real-time. This proactive threat detection and response capability helps financial institutions mitigate potential cyber threats before they escalate, ultimately covering a large portion of the FSCA requirements from protection to detection, to response and recovery.

Continuous Vulnerability Management

Troye also provides continuous vulnerability management, which identifies and addresses security gaps before they can be exploited. “Our services cover identity infrastructure monitoring and data loss prevention, aligning with FSCA requirements for robust access management and asset protection,” Kruger adds.

Incident Response and Real-Time Remediation

Arctic Wolf’s Incident Response services provide quick action in the event of a cyber incident, minimising disruption and damage. Customers collaborate with Arctic Wolf’s Concierge Security Team to develop pre-incident plans, ensuring that institutions are well-prepared for any cyber event.

“With Arctic Wolf’s Security Journey, Troye provides continuous compliance support to help institutions maintain alignment with the FSCA’s Joint Standard,” Kruger concludes. “This ongoing partnership ensures that businesses not only meet regulatory requirements but also stay ahead of emerging cyber threats through regular updates and best practices.”

As the FSCA’s Joint Standard on Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience comes into force in 2025, financial institutions must prioritise compliance.

The post Financial sector faces pressure to meet FSCA Cyber Resilience Standards appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

With businesses increasingly reliant on cloud technologies, the security of cloud platforms has escalated into a significant concern that highlights their potential and susceptibility. Traditional security measures often fall short in addressing the dynamic and sophisticated nature of threats faced in cloud settings, making it imperative to shift from a reactive to a preventative stance in security strategies.

This 2024 Cloud Security Report uncovers the pressing concerns and evolving priorities in cloud security. By gathering insights from over 800 cloud and cybersecurity professionals, the survey explores the current state of cloud security, the effectiveness of existing security measures, and the adoption of advanced security solutions, providing a comprehensive view of the challenges and advancements in this critical area.

Key Survey Findings Include:

  • Escalating Security Incidents: Cloud security incidents are alarmingly on the rise, with 61% of organizations reporting breaches within the last year, marking a significant increase from 24% the year before. This trend underscores the escalating risk landscape in cloud environments.
  • Evolving Breach Types: Data security breaches have emerged as the most common cloud security incident, reported by 21% of organizations. This shift highlights the evolving nature of threats and the critical need to safeguard sensitive data.
  • Addressing Zero-Day Threats: Navigating zero-day threats remains a top concern, with 91% of respondents worried about their systems’ ability to handle such unknown risks. The survey underscores the need for predictive and immediate defense mechanisms against these sophisticated attacks.
  • Shifting Security Focus: Despite the rise in incidents, only 21% of organizations prioritize preventive measures aimed at halting attacks before they occur. This indicates a significant prevention gap in current cloud security strategies.
  • Accelerating CNAPP Adoption: The adoption of Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) is growing, with 25% of organizations having already implemented CNAPP solutions. This trend reflects a strategic move towards integrating comprehensive security measures that combine prevention, detection, and response capabilities.

We would like to extend our gratitude to Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. for their invaluable contribution to this survey. Their expertise and support have been instrumental in shedding light on the complexities and necessities of modern cloud security.

Cloud Security Incidents on the Rise

Understanding the frequency and nature of cloud security incidents is important for grasping the vulnerabilities that persist in cloud environments.

An alarming 61% of organizations reported experiencing cloud security incidents over the past 12 months, a significant increase from 24% in the previous year. This sharp rise underscores the risks associated with cloud environments and emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced security frameworks that prioritize comprehensive visibility and proactive threat management.

Additionally, the fact that 23% of respondents were either unsure or unable to disclose details about these incidents suggests a concerning lack of visibility and control over cloud security, which could exacerbate the risk of undetected breaches.

KEY INSIGHTS:

To address these increased incidents and blind spots, organizations should adopt a prevention first approach, ensuring security measures are proactive rather than reactive. Leveraging advanced, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported security solutions can aid in anticipating and mitigating potential threats before they result in significant damage, aligning with an industrywide shift towards more preemptive security strategies.

Most Common Cloud Security Incidents

Tailoring cybersecurity strategies to the specific types of incidents encountered in cloud environments is critical for effectively addressing prevalent threats, and this is particularly relevant for 2024 and beyond.

In previous years, misconfigurations has been the leading enabler for security incidents and the focus for most organizations. However, this year, we see that data security breaches have taken the number one spot with 21%. Misuse of cloud services, noted by 17% of respondents, indicates significant exploitation of cloud resources for malicious purposes, and configuration and management errors, reported by 12%, moves down a couple of places.

Additional responses include: Supply chain attacks 6% | Malware-related incidents 5% | User activitiy related 3% | Compliance violations 3% Software vulnerabilities 3% | Other 4%

KEY INSIGHTS:

Although Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) has become a common security practice for many organizations, aimed at ensuring the implementation of appropriate policies and controls to identify misconfigurations, the rising number of data breaches highlights the necessity of prioritizing the protection of cloud assets that contain sensitive data. Adding security components like Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) offers security teams added visibility as to where sensitive data lives, who has access to it, and how it is being used.

Cloud Security Concerns

Understanding the degree of IT professionals’ concerns about cloud security risks helps in assessing the efficacy of current security measures.

An overwhelming 96% of survey respondents are concerned about their capacity to manage these risks, with 39% being very concerned, highlighting the significant pressure on scarce resources and underscoring the need for more proactive security solutions.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Continuous cloud innovation and complexity has taken us to a place where cloud security is managed and implemented by DevOps and developer teams. Over time, many CISO organizations have ceded control over to DevOps, losing visibility and oversight.

It is time for a paradigm shift that transcends the traditional cycle of detection and remediation so organizations can secure cloud environments without offloading security operations to developers alone.

Barriers to Effective Cyber Defense

Knowing the key obstacles organizations face in defending against cyberthreats is necessary for refining cybersecurity strategies and resource allocation. The most significant barrier, reported by 41% of respondents, is the lack of security awareness among current employees, emphasizing the need for comprehensive training programs that enhance security knowledge across all organizational levels. Rapid technological changes and the lack of skilled personnel, noted by 38% and 37% respectively, underscore the difficulty in keeping pace with evolving threats and the technology designed to combat them.

Additionally, 36% of participants identified poor integration and interoperability between security solutions as a major challenge, indicating that a cohesive security environment could significantly enhance defensive capabilities.

Additional responses include: Difficulty justifying additional investment 29% | Inadequate contextual information from security tools 28% | Supply chain vulnerabilities 26% | Lack of management support 24% | Underinvestment in effective solutions 23% | Not sure/other 13%

KEY INSIGHTS:

To overcome these barriers, organizations should consider advanced training and development of existing staff to close the skills gap. In addition consulting services can also further assist with integrating security solutions across their various tools and platforms and free up constrained resources.

Cybersecurity Talent Shortage

Digging deeper on employee resource constraints, we find that not only are organizations struggling with keeping current cybersecurity skills sharpened, but the survey findings highlight the challenge many organizations face in recruiting new cybersecurity expertise with a significant 76% of respondents reporting a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

This substantial figure underscores the widespread issue in the industry where the demand for cybersecurity talent far exceeds the supply for years to come, potentially leaving critical security functions understaffed and vulnerabilities unaddressed.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Organizations can supplement these deficiencies and grow their team’s expertise by investing in a Managed cloud native application protection platform (CNAPP). This approach helps offset shortages and fill knowledge gaps by providing seamless integration with an organization’s IT and InfoSec operations for better monitoring, configurations, policy tuning, incident management, troubleshooting, and more.

Additionally, integrating advanced security solutions that leverage AI and automation can compensate for the shortage of human resources. These technologies can perform routine security tasks and analyze large volumes of security data more efficiently than human teams, allowing existing staff to focus on more strategic, high-impact security initiatives.

AI Priority in Cybersecurity

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity strategies is a telling indicator of how organizations perceive the role of advanced technologies in enhancing their security posture.

A majority of respondents (91%) consider AI a priority, illustrating a significant lean towards adopting AI-driven solutions within their cybersecurity strategies. This substantial focus underscores the growing reliance on AI to augment security measures, driven by AI’s capability to analyze large data sets rapidly, detect anomalies, and predict potential threats with a level of precision and speed unattainable by human analysts alone.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Organizations should consider elevating AI’s role within their cybersecurity strategies, particularly by leveraging AI-powered tools like proactive web application firewalls and advanced network security systems. These AI-enhanced tools can dramatically improve the detection and prevention of sophisticated cyber threats, especially zero-day attacks, by continuously learning and adapting to new threats.

Navigating Zero-Day Threats 

Rapid technological advancements have increased cybercriminals’ capabilities to create more sophisticated attacks.

Almost all respondents (91%) are concerned about their security systems’ ability to manage zero-day attacks and unknown risks, pointing to a significant gap in current security measures that do not adequately prevent or mitigate these attacks before they cause harm.

KEY INSIGHTS:

A modern WAF, especially one that utilizes AI to provide immediate and predictive protections without reliance on signatures, can serve as a critical first line of defense at the cloud’s ‘front door’, blocking malicious attempts before they penetrate deeper into the network. Coupling this with an advanced network security solution that offers deep packet inspection and real time threat detection across all access points can greatly reduce the vulnerability of cloud environments to zero-day exploits.

These technologies, when integrated within a seamless security architecture, ensure a robust defense mechanism that not only detects but also prevents attacks, maintaining the integrity and resilience of cloud infrastructures against the most unpredictable threats.

Evolving Priorities in Cloud Security

As organizations navigate the complexities of cloud security amidst rising security incidents and data breaches, the survey reveals a concentrated focus on threat detection and response, with 47% of respondents emphasizing this as a priority. This approach reflects a traditional, reactive stance that rests solely on identifying and mitigating threats as they occur.

Interestingly, despite the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, only 21% of organizations prioritize prevention strategies aimed at stopping attacks before they happen.

KEY INSIGHTS:

This prevention gap highlights a critical and common oversight in current security efforts—while threat detection and monitoring are essential, they often rely on recognizing known vulnerabilities and patterns of malicious behavior. Such methods fall short against novel threats, particularly zero-day attacks, which exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities, and therefore cannot be detected using conventional security tools. A more balanced strategy incorporates robust prevention mechanisms to strengthen overall security by reducing dependency on after-the-fact mitigation once an attack has already taken place.

Slowness in Security Response

The survey confirms one of the biggest challenges faced by cybersecurity operations: an overwhelming volume of daily security alerts. Notably, 40% of organizations receive over 40 alerts each day. This situation not only strains SOC analyst resources but also lengthens the time required to resolve each alert, with 43% reporting resolution times exceeding five days. This deluge of alerts can exhaust teams and increase vulnerability due to delayed responses to potentially critical threats.

KEY INSIGHTS:

It is common for organizations to identify millions of potential issues upon scanning their cloud environment— most are not harmful unless malicious actors can exploit them. To combat this challenge, vendors have implemented ‘attack graphs’ to group and correlate static misconfigurations and vulnerabilities to better prioritize alerts. However, prioritization is not enough, as teams may still be ignoring alerts below the attention threshold. This false sense of confidence can be detrimental. By focusing on preventing attacks before they occur, organizations can significantly reduce the volume of alerts generated that would otherwise be considered high risk. This shift not only frees up valuable resources but also enhances the organization’s ability to thoroughly investigate and manage true risks that would otherwise pose significant threats.

Navigating Cybersecurity Tool Fragmentation

The survey reveals significant fragmentation of the security platforms and tools organizations deploy to manage their cloud infrastructures. Firewalls lead as the primary defensive measure (49%), reflecting their critical role in network security. However, only 37% have effectively implemented segmentation strategies. This oversight can be particularly detrimental, as insufficient segmentation can allow attackers to exploit vulnerabilities, which allows them to gain access to broader parts of the network, causing extensive damage.

The use of WAF by 35% of respondents, along with Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) at 26%, points to a layered approach to security that addresses both network defense and application-level vulnerabilities, and everything in between.

Cloud Policy Sprawl

While we are witnessing a noticeable rise in the comprehension and utilization of various cloud security components, the increasing number of security solutions—highlighted by 43% employing seven or more tools to configure policies alone—indicates a complex and highly inefficient security landscape.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Consolidating security measures into a highly integrated platform that can offer comprehensive coverage without the need for multiple, disjointed tools is the way forward.

By streamlining broader capabilities like WAF, network segmentation, cloud detection and response, and CNAPP under a single umbrella, companies can enhance their security efficacy while simplifying the administrative burden.

Cloud Integration Challenges

If the majority of security issues organizations face can be alleviated through a more streamlined solution, why does the number of tools and policies continue to rise every year? The survey illuminates the pains organizations face when trying to better integrate cloud security.

The complexity of maintaining consistent regulatory standards in hybrid or multi-cloud architectures becomes apparent, as 54% of respondents grapple with ensuring compliance and cloud governance across diverse environments. Additionally, nearly half (49%) struggle with integrating cloud services into aging legacy systems, a task complicated by scarce IT resources which can hinder effective and secure integration.

Cloud Providers

When we talk about integration challenges, it’s important to note that a majority of organizations are also managing multiple cloud IaaS providers within their security landscape. The survey shows that Microsoft Azure leads the market with 65% of surveyed organizations deploying their cloud services, followed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) (53%) and Google Cloud (47%).

KEY INSIGHTS:

Cloud native solutions often lack uniformity across cloud services, including on-premises data centers, leading to disparate policies and complicating security oversight. Look for a network security solution that is tightly integrated with the WAN networking infrastructure of various cloud security providers, enabling rules to be applied universally across different cloud environments.

By incorporating WAF as a service with API schema discovery, organizations can further streamline the process for on-premises deployments. Leading vendors provide this level of advanced security within a CNAPP to ensure ease of integration and full coverage.

Rapid CNAPP + Prevention Adoption

A CNAPP should be the cornerstone of any cloud security strategy, as it unifies Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Workload Protection (CWP), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR), and code security, making it much easier to automate processes and reduce manual inefficiencies.

The survey reveals a promising trend towards the adoption of CNAPP: 25% of organizations have already fully implemented a comprehensive CNAPP solution, indicating a strong commitment to advanced cloud security practices. Another 29% are in the process of integrating CNAPP into their systems, showing that a majority of respondents recognize the benefits of such platforms.

KEY INSIGHTS:

Not all CNAPPs are created equal. Be sure that you invest in a platform that provides those preventative components that can only be found by integrating WAF and network security. Most solutions on the market overlook this important integration and, as a result, are creating too many alerts and risk factors.

Enhancing CNAPP systems with additional components that emphasize prevention over remediation can fortify cloud infrastructures.

Proactive Cloud Defense Strategies

As cloud threats become increasingly frequent and sophisticated, it is vital for organizations to shift from traditional reactive security measures to a prevention-first approach by leveraging the following cloud security framework.

Employ AI-Powered WAF for Zero-Day Protection: With 91% concerned about zero-day attacks, employing an AI-powered Web Application Firewall is critical. These WAFs intelligently counteract web threats, including zero-day exploits, without relying on signature-based detection, offering immediate protection that aligns with modern attack vectors.

Deploy Advanced Network Security: Consider advanced network security solutions that scale with your cloud infrastructure. This solution should support seamless integration and provide comprehensive protection, facilitating both macro and micro-segmentation and unified policy management across cloud platforms.

Adopt a Prevention-First Approach: With a significant focus on threat detection (47%), adopting a prevention-first CNAPP can shift the approach from reactive to proactive. This platform minimizes alerts and incorporates preventative measures, significantly reducing the volume of risks needing attention by scarce security analysts.

Leverage Comprehensive CNAPP Features: To manage the complexity highlighted by 43% using seven or more tools to configure policies, a sophisticated CNAPP with extensive features like Cloud Workload Protection, Cloud Detection and Response, Code Security, and Cloud Security Posture Management should be employed. These features help streamline security processes and enhance the management of cloud environments.

Incorporate AI Technologies: With 91% of organizations now prioritizing AI to enhance their security posture, the focus has shifted towards leveraging AI for proactive threat prevention and enhancing employee deficits.

Methodology & Demographics

The 2024 Cloud Security Report is based on an in-depth survey of 813 cybersecurity professionals conducted in April 2024. This research provides insights and trends in cloud security management, highlighting the threats and pressing challenges organizations face while providing guidance for enhancing cloud security posture. Participants span various roles, from technical and business executives to hands-on IT security practitioners, representing a balanced mix of organizations of different sizes across various industries.

Contact us today to learn how Cybersecurity Insiders can help you stand out in a crowded market and boost demand, brand visibility, and thought leadership presence.

Email us at info@cybersecurity-insiders.com or visit cybersecurity-insiders.com

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Over the past several years, CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has released a steady stream of guidance encouraging software manufacturers to adopt Secure by Design principles, reducing customer risk by prioritizing security throughout the product development process. This is particularly critical for the operational technology (OT) sector, where vulnerabilities in industrial control systems and other critical infrastructure can have severe consequences.

Though the pressure is on software manufacturers, buyers of software also have a large role to play in ensuring that their mission-critical OT systems are resilient against cyber attacks. CISA calls this “Secure by Demand,” and one of the key tenets for software buyers is ensuring that an organization’s software manufacturers have a plan to eliminate memory safety vulnerabilities.

Why Is CISA Putting the Spotlight on Memory Safety Vulnerabilities?

Memory safety vulnerabilities are one of the most common software vulnerabilities and are consistently ranked among the most dangerous software weaknesses. Recent high-profile attacks, such as the Volt Typhoon campaign targeting critical infrastructure, have demonstrated the real-world impact of these vulnerabilities.

For example, in 2021, programmable logic controllers were found to be vulnerable to a memory corruption flaw that could allow remote code execution, potentially disrupting critical industrial processes. Addressing such vulnerabilities is a key priority for CISA, as they pose a significant risk to the security and reliability of OT systems.

What to Ask Software Manufacturers About Their Memory Safety Roadmap

CISA released guidance on “The Case for Memory Safe Roadmaps,” which strongly urges software manufacturers to publish a memory safety roadmap by January 1, 2026 for existing products written in memory-unsafe languages. The deadline provides a clear timeline for software buyers to engage with their suppliers and initiate conversations on if and how memory safety is being adequately addressed.

There are several key areas to consider when building and evaluating a memory safety roadmap.

1.Vulnerability Assessments: Suppliers should have a process for identifying and prioritizing memory-based vulnerabilities within their existing product portfolio. Using a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is an ideal starting place for identifying vulnerabilities within software — especially when a software supply chain involves multiple parties including open source authors — and determining what products have the most memory-based vulnerabilities to address.

2.Remediation Strategies: Once vulnerabilities are identified, manufacturers should prioritize systems that have both high exposure to memory vulnerabilities and high potential consequences from an attack. Discuss the supplier’s plans to address identified vulnerabilities in existing code bases, including their approach to rewriting legacy code in memory-safe languages like Rust. Since code rewrites may not be practical, talk with  suppliers about implementing proactive solutions like Load-time Function Randomization (LFR), which provides an effective protection layer for existing systems.

3.Product Lifecycle Planning: Understand how a supplier is integrating memory safety considerations into their product roadmap, particularly for new products or those undergoing major architectural changes. Both instances are opportunities to write in a memory-safe language for new systems or components and to deploy software memory protection for existing code.

4.Collaboration and Communication: Evaluate a supplier’s willingness to engage in ongoing collaboration and communication regarding memory safety efforts, including regular updates and transparency around progress.

Software Buyers  and Manufacturers Working Together for More Secure Software

The path to memory safety requires planning and buy-in from software buyers and manufacturers, but leaving critical systems vulnerable to memory-based attacks isn’t an option in today’s threat landscape.

By incorporating these collaborative and proactive steps, software buyers and manufacturers can work together to meet CISA’s memory safety mandate and enhance the overall security and resilience of critical OT systems.

The post Meeting CISA’s Memory Safety Mandate: The Role of OT Software Buyers and Manufacturers appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

The landscape of insider risk management continues to evolve rapidly, driven by increasing complexities in IT environments, the adoption of hybrid work models, and the rise in adoption of sophisticated GenAI tools by knowledge workers.

The new 2024 Insider Threat Report is based on the insights of 413 IT and cybersecurity professionals to capture the latest trends, challenges, and best practices in managing insider threats, providing a comprehensive overview of how organizations are addressing these critical security challenges today.

KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:

• Rising Frequency and Cost of Attacks: 48% of organizations reported that insider attacks have become more frequent over the past 12 months. Additionally, 51% experienced six or more attacks in the past year, with the average cost of remediation exceeding $1 million for 29% of respondents.

• Drivers of Insider Attacks: The top three drivers behind the surge in insider attacks are complex IT environments (39%), adoption of new technologies (37%), and inadequate security measures (33%), highlighting multifaceted areas of concern that organizations must address.

• Increased Vulnerability Perception: A substantial 71% of organizations feel at least moderately vulnerable to insider threats, indicating heightened awareness and concern over internal risks.

• Unified Visibility and Control: While 93% of respondents consider unified visibility and control across environments to be critically important, only 36% have a fully integrated solution that delivers unified visibility, underscoring the need for more cohesive security strategies.

• Tools Gap: While 50% of respondents have a partially integrated solution, 28% of organizations still rely on limited integration, managing visibility through separate, non-integrated tools, 17% have altogether insufficient tooling, and 20% use disparate systems for monitoring users, applications, and devices, revealing a significant tools gap.

• Obstacles to Implementation: Technical challenges (39%) and cost factors (31%) remain the primary obstacles to implementing effective insider threat management tools, although organizations are increasingly recognizing the ROI of investing in advanced security solutions.

We extend our gratitude to Gurucul for supporting this important research project. Their commitment to advancing insider threat management solutions has made this comprehensive analysis possible. We hope that the insights provided in this report will guide you to enhance your security posture and better protect your organization from insider risks.

Here are the survey findings in detail:

Rising Tide of Insider Attacks

We asked respondents to rate their organization’s vulnerability to insider threats, and the results show a notable increase compared to last year’s results. The frequency of insider attacks experienced within an organization provides critical insights into gaps in insider risk management.

The survey results show a concerning increase in reported incidents from 2023 to 2024. In 2024, only 17% of organizations reported no insider attacks, a significant decrease from 40% in 2023. A significant number of organizations reported a small number of attacks (1-5), remaining relatively stable at 32%, compared to 35% in 2023. However, the number of organizations experiencing 6-10 attacks nearly doubled to 25% from 13%, and those reporting 11-20 attacks saw a dramatic increase to 21% from just 4% in 2023. The percentage of organizations experiencing more than 20 attacks decreased slightly from 8% in 2023 to 5% in 2024.

This dramatic shift suggests an increasing frequency and awareness of insider attacks, echoing other findings in this report where 11% of respondents felt extremely vulnerable to such threats, up from 5%. The rise in reported incidents also indicates that organizations are becoming better at detecting insider attacks that previously might have gone unnoticed. Additionally, 48% of respondents confirmed that overall, insider attacks have become more frequent over the past 12 months, while only 19% observed a decrease.

To combat this growing threat, organizations should invest in robust insider threat management programs that incorporate advanced detection technologies to identify and mitigate suspicious insider activities early. Continuous monitoring, comprehensive incident response plans, and fostering a culture of security awareness among employees are essential steps in reducing the frequency of insider attacks.

Costly Consequences of Insider Attacks

Evaluating the financial impact of insider attacks is important for understanding the full scope of their repercussions. It also strengthens the case for robust investments in insider risk management and related solutions.

When asked to estimate the average cost of remediation after an insider attack, the most common response, noted by 32% of organizations, was an estimated cost in the range of $100K to $499K.

Following this, 27% of respondents estimated their costs to be between $500K and $1M, while 21% reported costs ranging from $1M to $2M. Additionally, 12% indicated remediation costs of less than $100K, and 8% even estimate costs exceeding $2M.

These findings underscore the substantial financial impact of insider attacks, with many organizations incurring costs in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Considering that 51% of organizations experienced six or more attacks in the last 12 months, the financial damage can be severe. For example, with 10 attacks costing $1 million each, the total could easily exceed $10 million. This aligns with broader industry trends, where the average cost of insider threats continues to rise due to the growing sophistication of these attacks.

Slow Recovery from Insider Attacks

The faster an organization can recover from an insider attack, the less operational disruption and financial loss it will face.

The survey reveals that while 55% of organizations report recovering from an insider attack within a day, a significant 45% face recovery times extending up to a week or longer. This highlights a concerning trend—many organizations may be underprepared for the complexities of insider attacks, often underestimating the resources and time required for full recovery.

To address this gap, it’s essential for organizations to leverage advanced incident response solutions that go beyond basic automation. These solutions integrate dynamic risk-based prioritization, machine learning, and comprehensive contextual analysis to ensure that security teams can focus on the most critical threats, thereby reducing recovery times.

By automating incident response workflows and integrating with existing security tools, these advanced platforms—like Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)—enable organizations to swiftly isolate and remediate threats. This approach significantly reduces the time needed to recover from insider attacks and helps maintain operational continuity, even in complex threat scenarios. By addressing these gaps and adopting more realistic recovery expectations, organizations can better prepare for and respond to the complexities of insider threats, ultimately strengthening their overall security posture.

Drivers Behind Insider Attack Surge

Understanding the key drivers behind the observed rise in insider attacks is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies.

The most cited reason for the increase in attacks, noted by 39% of respondents, is the increasingly complex IT environment. This includes the growing number of employees accessing the network from home and the increasing integration of cloud services and SaaS applications, adding layers of complexity and rapidly expanding the attack surface.

Close behind, 37% point to technological complexity, such as the adoption of new technologies like IoT and AI, that simultaneously increase vulnerabilities and enable new attack vectors. Inadequate security measures were noted by 33% of respondents, indicating that insufficient data protection and inconsistent policies are significant enablers of insider threats.

Additionally, 32% of respondents attribute the rise in insider incidents to a lack of training and awareness among employees, highlighting the importance of proper education and awareness programs to reduce the risk of inadvertent insider threats. Weak enforcement policies, including a lack of consequences for employees and insufficient monitoring, were identified by 31% as contributing factors.

These findings suggest that a multifaceted approach is necessary to address the increase in insider risk and attacks. Organizations should simplify and better secure their IT environments, ensuring that access is strictly controlled and monitored. Organizations should also leverage advanced analytics and continuous monitoring to detect and respond to suspicious activities. Embracing a Zero Trust model and gaining visibility into entitlement sprawl using identity as an indicator of compromise (IoC) can help reduce over-privileged accounts and ensure that all users and devices are continuously authenticated and authorized before granting access, further enhancing security.

Challenges in Detecting and Preventing Insider Attacks

The difficulty of detecting and preventing insider attacks compared to external cyber attacks reveals critical insights into the complexities of managing internal threats.

According to the survey, 37% of respondents find detecting and preventing insider attacks more difficult than dealing with external cyber attacks. This reveals a notable improvement from 2023 when 48% of organizations found insider attacks more difficult to detect than external ones. A majority, 55%, believe the difficulty level is about the same (compared to 44% in 2023), while only 8% consider insider attacks easier to manage than external ones.

This data underscores the inherent complexities in identifying and mitigating insider threats. Unlike external attacks, which often come from identifiable sources and follow recognizable patterns, insider attacks originate from trusted individuals within the organization, making them more challenging to detect. Insiders have legitimate access to systems and data, allowing them to bypass many traditional security measures undetected.

Organizations must enhance their insider threat detection and prevention strategies to address these challenges. Implement advanced monitoring solutions, such as User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), to identify anomalous activities that may indicate insider threats. Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) platforms can further automate insider incident response and prioritize high-risk threats. Additionally, fostering a culture of security awareness among employees and conducting regular training can help mitigate the risk of insider attacks by making all staff vigilant against potential threats.

Obstacles to Effective Insider Threat Management

Implementing effective insider threat management tools and strategies is fraught with challenges.

Technical challenges are the leading obstacle to effective insider threat management, cited by 39% of respondents. These include the complexity of data classification processes, the negative impact of tools on user productivity, challenges in deploying to remote or personal devices, and concerns about vendor lock-in or compatibility. Organizations can address these issues by investing in user-friendly, interoperable security tools that minimize disruption to productivity and that are compatible with a wide range of devices. Choosing flexible, scalable solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems can alleviate compatibility concerns and ease deployment complexities.

Cost factors are the second most significant barrier, mentioned by 31% of respondents. While costs of tools like User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), eXtended Detection and Response (XDR), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) can be prohibitive for some organizations, it’s crucial to view these investments as essential for robust security posture. Unified insider risk management platforms not only provide significant ROI by consolidating these disparate tools but also optimize the data for cost savings and enhance operational efficiency through automation and advanced analytics. Organizations might also consider phased implementations or pilot programs to manage initial expenses while demonstrating value early on.

Resource limitations, noted by 27% of respondents, include insufficient staff to implement and maintain tools and a lack of expertise or specialized skills required to operate them. Investing in ongoing training and development for cybersecurity teams to build the necessary expertise is crucial to address this challenge. To help reduce the burden on staff we recommend seeking out tools that are more intuitive to use and that reduce alert triage and false positives by providing a complete case of evidence with context and advanced behavior analytics. Collectively this can streamline investigations, expedite response, and improve operational efficiency. Additionally, managed security services can supplement internal capabilities, ensuring that tools are effectively implemented and maintained without overburdening existing staff.

Compliance and privacy concerns, reported by 26% of respondents, also pose significant hurdles. Regulatory requirements and concerns about infringing on employee privacy complicate the implementation of comprehensive monitoring systems. This challenge is particularly acute in regions with stringent data protection laws, where balancing security and privacy becomes a delicate task. Adopting privacy-by-design principles ensures that compliance and privacy are embedded in security practices from the outset. Staying informed about regulatory changes and working with legal and human resource experts can help navigate these challenges more effectively. Transparent communication with employees about the importance and benefits of monitoring can further alleviate privacy concerns.

Executive management and policy issues are cited by 20% of respondents, indicating that a lack of prioritization by management and ineffective internal policies are significant obstacles. This highlights the need for stronger executive support and more effective policy frameworks to ensure that insider threat management is given the attention it deserves. Securing stronger executive support by clearly communicating the risks and potential impacts of insider threats on the organization can help address this. Developing and enforcing effective internal policies that emphasize the importance of insider threat management ensures it receives the necessary attention.

By tackling these obstacles head-on, organizations can better position themselves to implement effective insider threat management strategies and protect their sensitive information and systems.

Vulnerability to Insider Threats

Understanding organizational vulnerability to insider threats is crucial, as it highlights potential weaknesses that could be exploited by insiders and informs strategies to close gaps in insider risk management.

We asked respondents to rate their organization’s vulnerability to insider threats, and the results show a notable shift in perceptions to being more vulnerable. The most noticeable shift in 2024 was that 11% of respondents felt their organizations were extremely vulnerable, a significant increase from 5% in 2023. Similarly, those who felt very vulnerable rose to 25% from 21%. As a result, the moderately vulnerable category shifted from 48% in 2023 to 35% in 2024. Slightly vulnerable responses saw a slight increase, moving from 25% to 26%, while those who felt not at all vulnerable increased only marginally from 1% to 3%.

This data indicates a growing awareness and concern about insider threats among organizations, with a marked shift from moderate to higher levels of perceived vulnerability. The increase suggests that organizations are becoming more cognizant of the potential damage insider attacks can cause— a change in perception that is likely due to high-profile incidents and improving internal threat detection capabilities.

Organizations should prioritize enhancing their insider threat detection and response strategies to address these growing concerns. Implementing comprehensive security programs that include continuous monitoring, advanced analytics, and employee training can help mitigate these risks. Leveraging cutting-edge cloud security solutions and adopting Zero Trust architectures can also fortify defenses against insider threats, ensuring a more robust security posture.

Effectiveness in Managing Insider Threats

Assessing the effectiveness of organizations in managing insider threats reveals a complex landscape. According to the survey, a majority (63%) believe their organization is extremely effective (24%) or very effective (39%). Another 32% describe their efforts as somewhat effective. A smaller portion (5%) rates their effectiveness as not very effective (4%) or not at all effective (1%).

These findings present a surprising contrast to earlier survey results, where a significant portion of respondents felt increasingly vulnerable to insider threats. This dichotomy suggests that despite perceiving improvements in their ability to monitor, detect, and respond to insider threats, organizations still feel a heightened sense of vulnerability.

This apparent contradiction can perhaps be explained by the evolving and sophisticated nature of insider threats, which continually challenge even the most robust security measures. The rise in insider attacks and the complexity of hybrid work environments further contribute to this persistent sense of vulnerability.

To reconcile these findings, organizations should continue to enhance their security frameworks by integrating advanced monitoring tools, conducting regular training, and continuously updating incident response plans. Ensuring unified visibility and control across all environments, both on-premises and in the cloud, is crucial for maintaining a strong defense against insider threats.

Confidence vs. Reality: Tool Gaps in Insider Threat Protection

Evaluating whether organizations feel equipped with the right tools to protect sensitive information and systems from insider threats reveals significant gaps in capabilities.

According to the survey, a majority (52%) reveal they do not have the tools to confidently handle insider threats today. 28% acknowledge having some tools but recognize shortcomings that need to be addressed.

Additionally, 6% report a lack of critical tools necessary for effective monitoring and protection, and 18% are uncertain about the tools they have or their effectiveness.

On the flipside, 48% of respondents believe they have all the necessary tools and are fully confident in their ability to handle insider threats. This high level of confidence contrasts with earlier findings where many organizations reported feeling increasingly vulnerable to insider threats. This discrepancy suggests that even with robust tools, the dynamic nature of insider threats and evolving attack methods continue to generate concern and perceived vulnerability.

Organizations reporting gaps or partial toolsets should prioritize identifying and integrating advanced security solutions to cover these deficiencies. Leveraging comprehensive Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) tools and platforms that unify visibility across on-premises and cloud environments can help bridge these gaps.

Importance of Unified Visibility and Control

Unified visibility and control across the entire IT environment, both on-premises and in the cloud, is critical for effectively managing insider threats. However, it’s not just about visibility—data optimization also plays a key role in ensuring that only the most relevant data is ingested and analyzed, keeping costs down and ensuring that critical threats are identified without overwhelming the system with unnecessary data or false positives.

The complexity of managing security across disparate systems without unified control can lead to gaps and blind spots, increasing the risk of insider threats going undetected. The survey reveals that 93% of respondents recognize the critical role of unified security measures. However, to make these measures truly effective, organizations must prioritize the optimization of data feeds.

By integrating data optimization techniques with unified visibility and control, organizations can enhance security across hybrid environments while reducing operational costs. Advanced platforms filter and enrich data, ensuring that only critical insights are analyzed, which minimizes false positives and improves detection accuracy. This approach allows security teams to focus on real threats without being overwhelmed by irrelevant data, ultimately making the system more efficient and effective in mitigating insider risks.

Organizations should prioritize implementing integrated security solutions that offer unified visibility and control. These solutions should encompass all areas of the environment, including on-premises systems, cloud infrastructure, and hybrid configurations. By doing so, organizations can ensure a more cohesive and effective approach to insider threat management.

Levels of Unified Visibility and Control in Insider Threat Management

Understanding the level of visibility and control organizations have in place to detect and manage insider threats is crucial for evaluating their preparedness and response capabilities.

Most commonly, 50% of organizations use partially integrated solutions, where multiple products are integrated for visibility and control. Meanwhile, 36% have fully integrated solutions, with a single platform delivering unified visibility and control.

However, 28% still rely on limited integration, managing visibility through separate, non-integrated tools, and 20% use disparate systems for monitoring users, applications, and devices.

Additionally, 14% are in transition, upgrading or integrating tools, while 17% lack sufficient tools for unified visibility and control. Alarmingly, 6% have no tools in place for insider threat management. These findings highlight the need for more robust and cohesive solutions, as fragmented systems increase the risk of missed threats.

To strengthen their defenses, organizations should consolidate their tools into fully integrated solutions  that not only provide unified visibility but also leverage advanced technologies like machine learning and behavioral analytics. Such platforms enable real-time data optimization, filtering only critical data for analysis, which reduces noise, improves detection accuracy, and accelerates response times. By making this transition, organizations can better detect, manage, and mitigate insider threats efficiently.

Integrating Non-IT Data Sources in Insider Threat Programs

Incorporating non-IT data sources into insider threat programs can significantly enhance an organization’s ability to detect and mitigate internal threats by providing a broader context for behavior analysis.

For example, legal data, such as court records and credit reports, has been successfully incorporated by 55% of qualified respondents. This integration helps organizations identify potential red flags related to financial instability or legal issues that could predispose individuals to malicious activities. Access to such data enables a more comprehensive risk assessment, aligning with best practices for insider threat management which recommend using diverse data sources to build a complete profile of potential threats.

Human Resources (HR) data, including information on leavers, performance data, and background checks, has been integrated by 45% of respondents. HR data is invaluable for insider threat programs, as it provides insights into employee behavior, satisfaction, and history, which are crucial for detecting early warning signs of potential insider threats. Patterns such as sudden drops in performance, disciplinary actions, or imminent departures can indicate heightened risk and help organizations take preemptive measures.

Public data sources, including social media, forums, and the dark web, have been utilized by 43% of respondents. Monitoring public data can provide external context that might influence insider behavior, such as engagement with potentially harmful groups or discussions of sensitive information. This type of data helps in identifying potential insider threats who might be influenced by external actors or are actively seeking ways to exploit organizational vulnerabilities.

While the integration of these non-IT data sources enhances the effectiveness of insider threat programs, it also presents challenges, such as privacy concerns and the technical complexity of data correlation. Organizations must ensure they are compliant with legal and ethical standards when accessing and utilizing this data. Implementing robust data governance policies and ensuring transparent communication with employees about the use of such data can help mitigate these concerns. Continuous training for security teams on the importance and handling of non-IT data is also essential for maximizing the benefits of these additional data sources.

To further improve the integration of non-IT data sources, organizations can leverage advanced analytics and machine learning technologies that can handle diverse data types and provide actionable insights. By incorporating a wide range of data sources into their insider threat programs, organizations can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of potential threats, enhancing their ability to detect, prevent, and respond to insider risks effectively.

Best Practices for Insider Threat Management

1.Implement Advanced Monitoring Solutions

Given that 37% of organizations find insider threats more difficult to detect than external attacks, leveraging advanced monitoring tools like User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) can help identify anomalous activities that may indicate insider threats. Look for solutions that provide comprehensive visibility across on-premises and cloud environments, enabling quicker and more accurate threat detection through integrated analytics and machine learning.

2.Integrate Non-IT Data Sources

Incorporating non-IT data sources such as legal records, HR data, and public data can provide a more comprehensive view of potential insider threats and provide additional context for detections and investigations. As the survey indicates, 55% of organizations have successfully integrated legal data and 45% use HR data. Solutions that can integrate diverse data sources into a unified analytics platform will enhance the ability to identify and mitigate risks early.

3.Leverage Automated Threat Detection and Response

Automation can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of insider threat and risk management. Automated tools can handle large volumes of data and identify threats more quickly than manual processes. Seek solutions that include advanced AI-driven analytics and automation features to streamline threat detection and response, reducing the burden on IT security teams.

4.Adopt a Zero Trust Framework

A Zero Trust approach ensures that all users and devices are continuously authenticated and authorized, reducing the risk of insider threats. This method aligns with the need for unified visibility and control across all environments, which 93% of respondents consider important. Look for platforms that offer detailed identity and access management and analytics to support Zero Trust principles.

5.Enhance Employee Training and Awareness

With 32% of respondents highlighting a lack of training and awareness as a major driver behind insider threats, implementing regular and comprehensive training programs is crucial. These programs should educate employees about security best practices, recognizing suspicious behavior, and understanding the importance of data protection. Opt for platforms that offer insights into user behavior to tailor effective training programs.

6.Foster a Security-Conscious Culture

Creating a culture of security awareness is vital. Executive management should prioritize insider threat management and lead by example. This includes developing and enforcing robust internal policies and encouraging open communication about security issues. Create an insider threat stakeholder advisory board to help build and enforce all internal policies. Seek solutions that provide continuous monitoring and enforcement capabilities to support this cultural shift.

7.Conduct Regular Security Audits and Assessments

Regular audits and assessments can identify vulnerabilities and gaps in your insider risk management strategy. This practice is particularly important for the 18% of respondents uncertain about the effectiveness of their tools. Continuous evaluation and improvement ensure that your defenses remain robust against evolving threats. Choose platforms that offer comprehensive reporting and analytics to facilitate ongoing assessments.

8.Implement Comprehensive Incident Response Plans

Having a well-defined incident response plan that includes specific procedures for dealing with insider threats is crucial. This plan should be regularly tested and updated to reflect the latest threat landscape. As noted in the report, a significant portion of organizations are unsure about their recovery times, highlighting the need for robust and tested incident response strategies. Opt for solutions that provide actionable insights and customizable response playbooks to guide security teams during incidents.

By adopting these best practices and leveraging advanced, integrated cybersecurity solutions, organizations can significantly enhance their ability to manage insider threats, protect sensitive information, and maintain a secure operational environment.

Methodology and Demographics

This 2024 Insider Threat Report is based on a comprehensive online survey of 413 cybersecurity professionals, conducted in August 2024, to gain deep insight into the latest trends, key challenges, and solutions for insider threat management.

The survey utilized a methodology ensuring a diverse representation of respondents, from technical executives to IT security practitioners, across various industries and organization sizes. This approach ensures a holistic and balanced view of the insider threat landscape, capturing insights from different organizational perspectives and experiences.

Research Notes: Results shown in this report are focused on organizations larger than 1,000 employees, unless noted otherwise. In “Select all that apply” survey questions, the total percentage can exceed 100% because respondents could pick more than one answer.

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Cybersecurity Insiders brings together 600,000+ IT security professionals and world-class technology vendors to facilitate smart problem-solving and collaboration in tackling today’s most critical cybersecurity challenges. Our approach focuses on creating and curating unique content that educates and informs cybersecurity professionals about the latest cybersecurity trends, solutions, and best practices. From comprehensive research studies and unbiased product reviews to practical e-guides, engaging webinars, and educational articles – we are committed to providing resources that provide evidence-based answers to today’s complex cybersecurity challenges. Contact us today to learn how Cybersecurity Insiders can help you stand out in a crowded market and boost demand, brand visibility, and thought leadership presence. Email us at info@cybersecurity-insiders.com or visit cybersecurity-insiders.com

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Companies depend on external partners to support operations and provide various services. Collaborating with contractors, consultants and auditors is often a necessity. However, the reliance on external resources also creates notable security concerns, as allowing partners to access the network and various assets can expose the company to undesired risk. The question arises: how well do companies understand what their partners can access within their network?

Granting access is often a double-edged sword. It can foster growth, but it can also expose a company’s digital assets if managed incorrectly. To maintain the safety of critical assets, companies must ensure that third-party vendors only access the data and systems they need – no more, no less, and monitor their access to ensure no suspicious activity is taking place.

Breaches such as those at the Metropolitan Police and CMS serve as an example of the damage that could derive from third-party access. These incidents signify a major oversight: many companies neglect the need to monitor and control what their partners do once they’re in a network. The lack of observability can create significant blind spots, which make it more difficult to detect unauthorized actions. As such, a top priority for companies should be gaining comprehensive observability into and actively managing what external partners can access.

Inadvertent or Malicious, Breaches Abound via Third Parties

Whether through oversight or inadequate security measures, third parties often have too much access. If access is compromised, companies can become exposed to not only data breaches, operational disruptions, financial losses and reputational damage, but also regulatory penalties. Because cyber threats are advancing and regulations are tightening, the need to monitor and secure third-party access has never been more urgent.

One of the main challenges companies face is the disjointed nature of current cybersecurity and Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions. Many companies deploy multiple tools that operate in silos, which means that they can offer only a partial view and limited oversight. A lack of oversight and difficulty in enforcing security policies can result from an absence of integration.

The risks associated with unmonitored third-party access to sensitive information and assets are too significant to dismiss. Without a unified approach to identity security, ensuring full observability into the actual activities of identities, and access paths, companies will struggle to detect illicit access attempts or unusual behaviors. For companies to strengthen their security posture, they must bring these siloed efforts together and employ integrated solutions.

The Need for Identity Observability

Having the ability to understand, contextualize and monitor identity systems as well as access paths is required to detect suspicious activity and respond promptly to any potential threat. Comprehensive identity observability helps companies protect digital assets by ensuring a complete view into identity activities and access paths, including those of third-parties. It helps contextualize the data, rapidly investigate any threat, and narrow the possible explanations for any suspicious behavior. Without adequate oversight, these third parties may inadvertently compromise sensitive data or systems, leading to significant disruptions. To ensure that third-parties are safely operating in the environment, companies must be proactive and take specific security measures:

  • Clearly stipulate what data and systems third parties can access. These policies must be widely communicated and strictly imposed.
  • Ensure you have the ability to gain real-time observability into relevant activities across the entire identity fabric to quickly identify and address any suspicious activity.
  • Periodically review third-party access to reveal undesired access paths that bypass security controls and ensure there are no unknown exposures.

A consistently proactive approach allows companies to monitor for any suspicious behavior, enforce security policies, and respond promptly to any incidents that may arise, helping to ensure the security of the company’s digital assets and operations.

By establishing robust identity security practices across all the identities in their networks – including their partners – companies can enhance their ability to detect and respond to security threats, prevent unauthorized access, and maintain the integrity of their IT environment.

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The highly anticipated 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards are now open for nominations, honoring achievements and celebrating innovation, leadership, and excellence in the global cybersecurity industry. Marking 10 years of recognizing excellence since 2016, these prestigious awards honor outstanding contributions from companies, professionals, and the innovative solutions shaping the future of cybersecurity.

As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, and expanding attack surfaces expose new vulnerabilities, the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards provide a proven platform for organizations and leaders to gain global recognition for their efforts in advancing cybersecurity practices and driving the industry forward.

“As cybersecurity threats grow more sophisticated, it’s the innovators and leaders who truly make an impact,” says Holger Schulze, CEO of Cybersecurity Insiders and founder of the 600,000-member Information Security Community on LinkedIn, which organizes the annual Cybersecurity Excellence Awards. “The 2025 awards will highlight those pushing the boundaries—whether it’s through pioneering AI advancements, reimagining threat detection, or developing solutions that redefine how we safeguard critical data and infrastructure in an increasingly complex digital landscape.”

Why Participate in the 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards?

The 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards offer robust recognition, marketing, and third-party validation opportunities within the global cybersecurity community:

• Global Publicity and Industry Validation: Winners and participants gain visibility through personalized nomination profiles on the awards site. They are featured in press releases, on the Cybersecurity Insiders news site, and across social media, reaching cybersecurity professionals, clients, and industry influencers across the world.
• Elevate Your Brand: Winning an award boosts credibility, differentiating your brand in marketing, investor relations, and product launches. It enhances both your organization’s and your personal reputation, positioning you as a thought leader in cybersecurity and raising your profile in professional networks.
• Recognition Across Comprehensive Categories: The awards span multiple categories including products and services, professionals, company, and industry solutions, ensuring that all critical areas of cybersecurity are acknowledged. Participants can also request custom award categories to reflect their unique contributions to cybersecurity.

Nomination Process and Key Dates

Submit your nominations via a user-friendly online platform. Early submissions are encouraged to maximize visibility and voting opportunities (and benefit from early-bird specials):

• Nominations close January 31, 2025 (midnight PST)
• Awards announcements start the week of February 24, 2025

Visit the 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards [https://cybersecurity-excellence-awards.com/] to start your nomination today.

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