Zero Trust | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Identity-based attacks are the #1 cause of breaches, often exploiting weaknesses in traditional identity platforms. It's time for a proactive approach that addresses these gaps and stops threats before they strike. Identity has become the primary attack surface in cybersecurity. According to Forbes, 75% of cyberattacks leverage identity-based threats. Threat actors gain access using stolen credentials, compromised devices, and deepfake impersonation techniques, often bypassing traditional defenses without detection. Many identity platforms rely on MFA, such as push notifications and one-time passcodes (OTPs), which were once considered secure but are now frequently exploited through phishing, MFA fatigue, and man-in-the-middle attacks. The rise of generative AI has made these threats more effective and more prevalent.  To compensate, organizations have deployed tools like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Network Detection and Response (NDR), and Identity Threat Detection ...

The cybersecurity community has been buzzing about JPMorgan Chase CISO Pat Opet's open letter to third-party suppliers since its release right before RSA. This candid assessment from the security leader of one of the world's largest financial institutions has struck a chord, particularly his observations about SaaS security. Opet didn't mince words: " SaaS models are fundamentally reshaping how companies integrate services and data—a subtle yet profound shift eroding decades of carefully architected security boundaries ." This statement encapsulates a reality that security professionals have been grappling with—the traditional security perimeter has dissolved, replaced by a complex web of interconnected SaaS applications, each with their own configurations, access controls, and data sharing capabilities. Let's break down the key issues highlighted in Opet's letter and explore practical solutions. The New SaaS Security Challenges OAuth Vulnerabiliti...

In today's digital landscape, where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, organizations must take a hard look at their traditional security models. For over three decades, firewalls and VPNs have been the backbone of network security. However, as the threat landscape evolves, it's clear that these legacy systems are no longer sufficient. Enter the Zero Trust model, exemplified by innovative solutions like Zscaler, which could revolutionize the way your organization approaches cybersecurity. Understanding the Risks Public IP Addresses as Attack Surfaces One of the critical vulnerabilities inherent in traditional security models is the reliance on public IP addresses. These addresses serve as direct attack surfaces for malicious actors. Just as having your phone number in a public directory makes you susceptible to unwanted calls, exposing public IPs makes organizations vulnerable to cyberattacks. Attackers can easily discover these IPs, allowing th...

Many of the day-to-day digital operations of businesses, governments, and critical infrastructure have one thing in common: Microsoft. From the Microsoft Windows operating systems powering endpoints and servers, to Azure's rapidly growing cloud services, Microsoft's products are everywhere, making the company and its products attractive targets for threat actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities at scale.  With more than 1.4 billion Windows users around the globe and the adoption of platforms like Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and Azure surging, a single exploitable vulnerability in a Microsoft product can open the door to privilege escalation, lateral movement, or ransomware deployments that impact tens of thousands of interconnected systems. Whether nation state or financially motivated, modern cyber-crime syndicates will consistently take the path of least resistance, and vulnerable assets are a reliable attack vector. For twelve years, the Microsoft Vulnerabilities Repor...

Many moons ago, when the World Wide Web was young and the nerd in me was strong, I remember building a PC and setting it up as a web server. In those exciting, pioneering days, it was quite something to be able to have my very own IP address on the internet and serve my own web pages directly from my Apache server to the world. Great fun. I also remember looking at the server logs in horror as I scrolled through pages upon pages of failed login, and presumably hacking, attempts. I'd buttoned things up pretty nicely from a security standpoint, but even so, it would only have taken a vulnerability in an unpatched piece of software for a breach to occur, and from there, all bets would have been off. Even today, many internet service providers will let you provision your own server, should you feel brave enough. Of course, the stakes were not high for me at home, but knowing what we know now about the growth of ransomware attacks and how AI is facilitating them, no organization would da...

Businesses are firmly in attackers' crosshairs. Financially motivated cybercriminals conduct ransomware attacks with record-breaking ransoms being paid by companies seeking to avoid business interruption. Others, including nation-state hackers, infiltrate companies to steal intellectual property and trade secrets to gain commercial advantage over competitors. Further, we regularly see critical infrastructure being targeted by nation-state cyberattacks designed to act as sleeper cells that can be activated in times of heightened tension. Companies are on the back foot. Leaders must be confident in their cyber posture: Are defenses up to the job of keeping attacks at bay? Does the leadership team have a complete understanding of the threats and risks the company faces? How can CEOs seize the initiative to get ahead of threats? Adoption of zero trust architectures to improve cyber defense Businesses that don't embrace true zero trust will find themselves increasingly vulnerable to br...

It's been reported that a new, generative AI worm dubbed "Morris II" has emerged. And for many, this new, generative AI worm is an understandable reason to panic.  Pushing back against hysteria, however, we discover that Morris II only targets AI apps and AI-enabled email assistants. No attack is a good one, but at least this one's very specific. More importantly, the recognition that just as AI is helping to accelerate and automate attacks, it will also drastically improve security efficacy.  While AI threatens to overwhelm reactive security teams with the pace and sophistication of its onslaught, it can likewise enable proactive prevention through predictive processes and controls. This is critical to giving security teams the chance to withstand the barrage that awaits them. Scaling alongside AI-enabled attacks There are two proactive efforts that scale well when accelerated attacks become the norm. Neither of these efforts need to be AI-powered to be effective against...

Cybercriminals don't just hack systems—they hack people. They've figured out that humans are wired to trust, empathize, and help, and they're using that against us in ingenious ways. Take this jaw-dropper: In 2024, a company lost over $25 million because an employee fell for a deepfake during a video call. Yep, a fake video of "trusted colleagues" tricked someone into handing over the keys to the kingdom—all kicked off by a phishing email. Ouch. If we want to stay one step ahead, we need to understand the psychology behind these attacks. Let's break it down—the human vulnerabilities, the identity and access management (IAM) fixes, and how to make tech work with (not against) our brains. Why Humans Are the Weakest Link Here's the deal: Humans evolved to trust and empathize. It's why we have friends, families, and functional societies. Mirror neurons in our brains make us feel what others feel, which is awesome for bonding… but terrible when a scammer shows up. Cybercrimi...

Most IT security professionals would agree that the key ingredient for safeguarding networks is "reducing the attack surface." Fewer avenues for breaches mean reduced risk and fewer incidents for an enterprise: Hackers can't attack what they can't see. Reducing attack surface is the key to securing your network, applications, and—most importantly—your data. Calling all servers . . . The "attack surface" comprises the sum of all exposed points through various vectors that an attacker could target to compromise a computing device or network. You can group the attack vectors into three main categories: the channel (a listening TCP/UDP port), assets (which include applications, services, webpages, files, executables, etc.), and access (user credentials). Below is a breakdown of the various attack vector options available to attackers. The channel —typically an exposed-to-the-internet communications protocol like TCP or UDP—allows all entities on the internet to communicate with each ot...

In every industry, Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID are the de facto standard identity directories . While cloud environments are becoming more prevalent, many industries' governing bodies require sensitive and private data and the applications utilized by them to remain on the premises. The hybrid combination of AD and Entra ID creates a complex web of identities in domains and forests that are often managed from separate consoles, creating a costly and risky administrative challenge. The complexity of hybrid environments often results in vulnerabilities that can put businesses at risk. These vulnerabilities take the form of privilege sprawl as a result of mergers, acquisitions, mobility within a company, and the resulting creation or addition of new identity accounts. Each individual identity account requires specific rights to access corporate resources. How those rights are allocated and protected is critical to an organization's security and productivity. Any gaps create s...