By: Jacob Chacko Regional Business Head – Middle East, Saudi & South Africa (MESA) at HPE Aruba

The hype continues to grow for 5G technology, with many carriers promoting it as a way to target the enterprise networking and IoT markets with an end-to-end service that spans indoor and outdoor coverage.

But will 5G be the answer to all decision-makers’ prayers? There is a lot of understandable confusion about the role Wi-Fi will play in the 5G era, and how they might work together. Although carriers are just beginning to deploy 5G networks, customers need to decide whether it is worth hanging around for 5G offerings, or whether it won’t actually deliver what they need.  

Is 5G more secure than Wi-Fi?

There is a misperception that cellular technologies are more secure than Wi-Fi. Although LTE is relatively secure, it’s not perfect. According to researchers at the University of Iowa and Purdue University, LTE is vulnerable to a range of attacks, including data interception and device tracking. 5G improves upon LTE security with multiple authentication methods and better key management. At the same time, Wi-Fi security continues to advance. Of course, Wi-Fi implementations that do not follow best practices, such as those without even basic password protection, are not optimal. Those configured with proper access controls and passwords are highly secure, and with new standards – specifically WPA3 and Enhanced Open – Wi-Fi network security is even better. It’s also important to keep in mind that that enterprises have made enormous investments in security and compliance solutions tailored to their specific needs. With cellular networks, including 5G, enterprises lose the ability to deploy their chosen security and compliance solutions, as well as most visibility into traffic flows. With macro 5G, from a security perspective, you get what you get.

Does 5G have more features than Wi-Fi?

Although everyone is talking about the incredible speed of 5G, you would be hard-pushed to argue that Wi-Fi 6 couldn’t match it int terms of speed, latency, spectral efficiency, connection density (number of devices connected in a given area) and reliability. The 5G standard does add some new capabilities that 4G doesn’t have, such as the ability to network splice, higher connection density and integrated Edge Compute (MEC). However, while these features are new for cellular, they aren’t new in the market. Enterprise networks, including Wi-Fi, have featured high connection density, network virtualisation and edge computing capabilities for decades. When comparing 5G to Wi-Fi 6, the most important functional difference is 5G’s ability to offer macro-area coverage and high-speed mobility. Wi-Fi was not designed to incorporate either of these capabilities. Conversely, Wi-Fi economics are more favorable from both per-square-foot and lifecycle cost perspectives – devices that only need Wi-Fi are cheaper than those that also have LTE, which would also have the added cost of having to manage SIM cards/subscriptions. So, if a customer values macro coverage and high-speed mobility – and is willing to pay the additional cost for them – 5G is a better fit.

Which is more reliable?

Both Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are extremely reliable when deployed correctly. Although macro 5G is deployed using licensed spectrum, which is less subject to interference than unlicensed spectrum, operating on licensed spectrum doesn’t always translate to higher levels of reliability. Numerous enterprise Wi-Fi customers have achieved extremely high levels of reliability and performance in demanding environments, such as large, sophisticated manufacturing plants. Wi-Fi 6 improves reliability even further. Still, for certain applications, it might make sense to segment a specific private network on either a licensed spectrum, or a different band of unlicensed spectrum (for example, CBRS).

The reality is that Wi-Fi and 5G are both evolving to better serve end users, and both markets will grow to address the macro trend of connecting devices and analysing the data generated by these devices. 5G will serve applications requiring high-speed mobility and macro coverage, while Wi-Fi 6 will continue to prove its value as a reliable, secure and cost-effective access technology for most enterprise applications, as it does today.

BlueTech Holding Ltd., part of Midis Group and providing end-to-end technology advisory solutions for business partners across the Levant, Gulf and Africa, today signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Autodesk for North, West and Central Africa. BlueTech will be responsible for developing, creating and enabling the right partner ecosystem for Autodesk that can design, promote, sell, implement and deploy successful digital transformation solutions for end customers.

Speaking about the agreement, Mr. Toni Azzi, General Manager at BlueTech Holding Ltd. comments, “Autodesk is a global leader in design and make software for architecture, engineering, construction, media and entertainment, and manufacturing industries. We believe that there is huge potential for the company’s solutions in the African market as enterprises in the region evolve towards complete digitization.”

“BlueTech has been a valued IBM and Lenovo Distributor for more than twenty years. Adding Autodesk will further strengthen our portfolio and solution offering and is in line with our vision ‘to be the preferred strategic partner in MEA, by delivering innovative solutions that enable and support the digital transformation agenda of regional enterprises’.”

BlueTech will have an active engagement with Autodesk to ensure alignment on the go-to-market strategy. The distributor and vendor will work closely together to develop and enable the regional channel community. Partner recruitment events will be held frequently such as partner summits, roadshows, roundtables and bootcamps, as well as partner enablement and technical training workshops. Training will also be provided to end-customers to help them derive maximum benefit from the implementations.

“With rapid urbanization, a rising middle class, economic growth and increased government investments, we are witnessing a growth in the construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in Africa. Technology adoption can play a critical role in driving this growth, and we are excited about working with BlueTech to bring these best-in-class solutions to Africa. As we aim to expand into new markets and new territories in Africa, it is critical to have a strong distribution framework that enhances the operational efficiencies across the supply chain and maximizes business outcomes. The addition of BlueTech to our existing VAD family is a significant step in this direction,” explains Louay Dahmash, Director Field Sales for EMEA Emerging at Autodesk.

Over the last several decades, Autodesk has driven innovation in every industry its software touches. Below are some of the areas that the company is revolutionizing through its market leading technology:

• Building Information Modelling (BIM) – BIM is an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. Autodesk is helping AEC professionals move towards more collaborative, automated and successful ways of working.
• Construction – Autodesk’s vision for the construction industry is based on how cloud-based, collaborative technology can drive the era of connected construction. Autodesk Construction Cloud portfolio combines next-generation technology, a robust network of professionals and firms, and powerful predictive analytics to help the business thrive across all phases of construction.
• Generative Design for D&M and for AEC – Generative design is a form of artificial intelligence that leverages the power of the cloud to create better outcomes for products, buildings, infrastructure, systems and experiences. It utilizes algorithms, machine learning and computational geometry to quickly explore multiple solutions to a design problem. Generative design yields a wide range of alternatives that are optimized and validated by satisfying the various criteria a design must meet while accelerating the entire design-to-make process. The recent expansion of Autodesk Revit that is now including generative design technology, allows users to explore, optimize and evaluate data-driven design alternatives based on project goals, constraints and inputs.

“For more than 25 years, Autodesk resellers have been delivering the right solutions, software, and services to meet business needs. They understand unique business and industry needs. We are pleased to bring BlueTech as our new distributor in Africa. With over twenty-two years of experience in solution selling and technology advisory, we believe that BlueTech, through its vast channel network, robust logistical engine, and its team of experts, will drive customer success in our key industries in the region to new levels,” concludes Simon Bromfield, Africa Territory Sales Manager at Autodesk.

By: Ehab Halablab, Regional Sales Director – Middle East at A10 Networks

The financial services sector is experiencing significant commercial disruption coupled with rapid innovation as established institutions strive to become more agile and meet evolving customer demand. As a result, financial services organisations are undergoing rapid digital transformation to meet changing customer needs and preferences, and to compete with a new generation of digital-native competitors. Hybrid cloud environments play a key role in this strategy, allowing greater speed, flexibility, and visibility over application delivery than on-premises data centres while also reducing costs.

But the move to hybrid cloud introduces new challenges as well. So, as financial services organisations plot their strategy for transformation, firms must make critical technical decisions about the clouds and form factors best suited to host their hybrid environment. They also need to consider how they will secure web applications against evolving threats such as ransomware, data theft, and DDoS attacks through measures such as DDoS protection and using a Zero Trust model. At the same time, they must also maintain regulatory compliance, governance, and auditability across complex, fast-evolving infrastructures.

To understand more about these challenges, we recently conducted a survey with Gatepoint Research involving senior decision-makers to gain insight into the current state of financial services technology and the future direction for organisations in this sector. Here are some of the key findings:

Today’s Financial Services Technology Landscape

Although financial services businesses are making a steady move to the cloud for application delivery, on-premises data centres continue to play an important role.

While adoption of public cloud infrastructure is strong, with almost half of those surveyed hosting applications primarily in the cloud, most respondents (58 percent) continue to rely primarily on their private on-premises data centre for application delivery. 35 percent of organisations described their environment as a hybrid cloud, though with an emphasis on their own private data centre. This shows that even as transformation continues, the traditional data centre remains prominent in the technology strategy of financial services organisations.

That said, the balance between on-premises and cloud infrastructure may well shift soon. When respondents were asked about their plans for the coming year, 57 percent of decision-makers reported that they intend to move more applications to the cloud.

Ransomware and PII Lead Security Concerns

Today, financial services organisations face a broad spectrum of security threats, including many being targeted at sensitive customer data. The survey highlighted that organisations’ biggest security concerns or consequences were ransomware (57 percent); personally identifiable information (PII) data theft (55 percent); and phishing or fake sites (49 percent).

While threats to customers and their data are seen as the highest risk, dangers to the company’s brand image and reputation were not far behind. 38 percent of leaders cited concerns about hacking and cyber defacement, tied with brand damage and loss of confidence. Nearly as many (37 percent) were concerned about DDoS attacks, which can undermine a firm’s perception among customers through impaired service quality and customer experience. Meanwhile, insider attacks remain an issue, named by 28 percent of respondents, if not quite at the same level as most external threats.

To address the changing security landscape, many organisations have started initiatives around the Zero Trust model, in which traditional concepts of secured zones, perimeters, and network segments are updated with a new understanding that a threat can come from anywhere or anyone inside or outside the organisation. As of June 2020, 41 percent of respondents had already established a timeline for their Zero Trust model initiative with 15 percent having projects currently underway. Still, nearly two-thirds have no current plans or initiatives around the Zero Trust model.

Moving to Improve Flexibility, Agility, Scalability and Security

Technologies and strategies planned for the coming year reflect a key focus on the competitive requirements of fast-paced digital markets. The top-two initiatives included moving from hardware appliances to more flexible software form factors and deploying hybrid cloud automation, management, and analytics to increase operational efficiency.

With DDoS attacks a prime concern, 29 percent of respondents planned to deploy or replace an existing web application firewall (WAF) or DDoS protection solution. Surprisingly, even several years after the introduction of modern Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) and Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) encryption standards for enhanced security, 29 percent of organisations are only now working to upgrade their Transport Layer Security (TLS) capabilities to support these technologies.

Even as cloud adoption continues to be strong, five percent of decision makers intend to repatriate applications from private cloud environments to their private data centre. While not a high number, this is not entirely insignificant. Given the diversity of form factors, architectures, and deployment methods to choose from, it is important to make sure that the approach fits the organisation’s needs before proceeding.

Addressing the Requirements of Hybrid Cloud and Rising Demand

Moving forward, decision-makers view capabilities related to risk as especially important for their financial platforms. When it comes to the most important capabilities for financial platforms running in hybrid cloud environments, regulatory compliance, comprehensive application security and redundancy/disaster recovery are top must-haves.

In addition to the importance placed on redundancy/disaster recovery, many respondents (43 percent) named centralised management and analytics as important capabilities. Along with elastic scale for variable/seasonal demands (25 percent), this shows a recognition of the requirements to provide effective service through redundancy, scalability, and a sound infrastructure.

Compared with risk-related and operational priorities, cost saw considerably less emphasis in the survey. While 28 percent of respondents placed importance on automation for operational efficiency and reduced costs, just 18 percent prioritised flexible licensing and pricing.

Desired Benefits from New Technology Investments

As they plan new technology investments, decision-makers are motivated foremost by risk reduction—far outpacing business factors such as revenue, customer experience, and competitive advantage.

By a large majority, security was the most likely benefit to spur funding for new technology. Operational considerations followed, including operational improvements (65 percent) and cost savings (63 percent). Regulatory compliance, emphasised earlier in the survey as a priority for a hybrid cloud requirement, was not necessarily top-of-mind in the technology funding stage—but still of high importance (57 percent). Revenue generation was named as a highly important benefit by only 35 percent, followed by customer satisfaction at 32 percent. Even in an industry undergoing rapid digital transformation, just 32 percent of decision-makers cited business advantage from new technology as a prime factor—and only 17 percent were moved by the ability to accelerate development speed.

The results of the survey offer a snapshot of an industry in transition, as decision-makers seek to keep control over security and compliance and maintain operational consistency, as they look to tap into the agility and scalability of the cloud. It is clear that, while security is important for digital transformation initiatives, application delivery and managing multi-cloud environments are of equal importance.  Above all financial services organisations must maintain their good reputation and ensure customer trust. Firms must demonstrate that they are protecting customer assets, providing an ultra-reliable service, working with trustworthy partners and reducing risk to the business.

Derek Manky, Chief, Security Insights & Global Threat Alliances, FortiGuard Labs said, “2020 demonstrated the ability of cyber adversaries to leverage dramatic changes happening in our daily lives as new opportunites for attacks at an unprecedented scale. Going into 2021 and beyond, we face another significant shift with the rise of new intelligent edges, which is about more than just end-users and devices remotely connecting to the network. Targeting these emerging edges will not only create new attack vectors, but groups of compromised devices could work in concert to target victims at 5G speeds. To get out ahead of this coming reality, all edges must be part of a larger, integrated, and automated security fabric platform that operates across the core network, multi-cloud environments, branch offices, and remote workers.”

The Intelligent Edge Is an Opportunity and a Target

Over the past few years, the traditional network perimeter has been replaced with multiple edge environments, WAN, multi-cloud, data center, remote worker, IoT, and more, each with its unique risks. One of the most significant advantages to cybercriminals in all of this is that while all of these edges are interconnected many organizations have sacrificed centralized visibility and unified control in favor of performance and digital transformation. As a result, cyber adversaries are looking to evolve their attacks by targeting these environments and will look to harness the speed and scale possibilities 5G will enable.

• Trojans Evolve To Target the Edge: While end-users and their home resources are already targets for cybercriminals, sophisticated attackers will use these as a springboard into other things going forward. Corporate network attacks launched from a remote worker’s home network, especially when usage trends are clearly understood, can be carefully coordinated so they do not raise suspicions. Eventually, advanced malware could also discover even more valuable data and trends using new EATs (Edge Access Trojans) and perform invasive activities such as intercept requests off the local network to compromise additional systems or inject additional attack commands.
• Edge-enabled Swarm Attacks: Compromising and leveraging new 5G-enabled devices will open up opportunities for more advanced threats. There is progress being made by cybercriminals toward developing and deploying swarm-based attacks. These attacks leverage hijacked devices divided into subgroups, each with specialized skills. They target networks or devices as an integrated system and share intelligence in real time to refine their attack as it is happening. Swarm technologies require large amounts of processing power to enable individual swarmbots and to efficiently share information in a bot swarm. This enables them to rapidly discover, share, and correlate vulnerabilities, and then shift their attack methods to better exploit what they discover.
• Social Engineering Could Get Smarter: Smart devices or other home-based systems that interact with users, will no longer simply be targets for attacks, but will also be conduits for deeper attacks. Leveraging important contextual information about users including daily routines, habits, or financial information could make social engineering-based attacks more successful. Smarter attacks could lead to much more than turning off security systems, disabling cameras, or hijacking smart appliances, it could enable the ransoming and extortion of additional data or stealth credential attacks.
• Ransoming OT Edges Could Be a New Reality: Ransomware continues to evolve, and as IT systems increasingly converge with operational technology (OT) systems, particularly critical infrastructure, there will be even more data, devices, and unfortunately, lives at risk. Extortion, defamation, and defacement are all tools of the ransomware trade already. Going forward, human lives will be at risk when field devices and sensors at the OT edge, which include critical infrastructures, increasingly become targets of cybercriminals in the field.

Innovations in Computing Performance Will Also Be Targeted

Other types of attacks that target developments in computing performance and innovation in connectivity specifically for cybercriminal gain are also on the horizon. These attacks will enable adversaries to cover new territory and will challenge defenders to get ahead of the cybercriminal curve.

• Advanced Cryptomining: Processing power is important if cybercriminals want to scale future attacks with ML and AI capabilities. Eventually, by compromising edge devices for their processing power, cybercriminals would be able to process massive amounts of data and learn more about how and when edge devices are used. It could also enable cryptomining to be more effective. Infected PCs being hijacked for their compute resources are often identified since CPU usage directly impacts the end-user’s workstation experience. Compromising secondary devices could be much less noticeable.
• Spreading Attacks from Space: The connectivity of satellite systems and overall telecommunications could be an attractive target for cybercriminals. As new communication systems scale and begin to rely more on a network of satellite-based systems, cybercriminals could target this convergence and follow in pursuit. As a result, compromising satellite base stations and then spreading that malware through satellite-based networks could give attackers the ability to potentially target millions of connected users at scale or inflict DDoS attacks that could impede vital communications.
• The Quantum Computing Threat: From a cybersecurity perspective, quantum computing could create a new risk when it eventually is capable of challenging the effectiveness of encryption in the future. The enormous compute power of quantum computers could render some asymmetric encryption algorithms solvable. As a result, organizations will need to prepare to shift to quantum-resistant crypto algorithms by using the principle of crypto agility, to ensure the protection of current and future information. Although the average cybercriminal does not have access to quantum computers, some nation-states will, therefore the eventual threat will be realized if preparations are not made now to counter it by adopting crypto agility.

AI Will Be Critical To Defending Against Future Attacks

As these forward-looking attack trends gradually become reality, it will only be a matter of time before enabling resources are commoditized and available as a darknet service or as part of open-source toolkits. Therefore, it will take a careful combination of technology, people, training, and partnerships to secure against these types of attacks coming from cyber adversaries in the future.

• AI Will Need To Evolve: The evolution of AI is critical for future defense against evolving attacks. AI will need to evolve to the next generation. This will include leveraging local learning nodes powered by ML as part of an integrated system similar to the human nervous system. AI-enhanced technologies that can see, anticipate, and counter attacks will need to become reality in the future because cyberattacks of the future will occur in microseconds. The primary role of humans will be to ensure that security systems have been fed enough intelligence to not only actively counter attacks but actually anticipate attacks so that they can be avoided.
• Partnerships Are Vital for the Future: Organizations cannot be expected to defend against cyber adversaries on their own. They will need to know who to inform in the case of an attack so that the “fingerprints” can be properly shared and law enforcement can do its work. Cybersecurity vendors, threat research organizations, and other industry groups need to partner with each other for information sharing, but also with law enforcement to help dismantle adversarial infrastructures to prevent future attacks. Cybercriminals face no borders online, so the fight against cybercrime needs to go beyond borders as well. Only by working together will we turn the tide against cybercriminals.
• Enabling Blue Teams: Threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), researched by threat intelligence teams, such as threat actor playbooks, can be fed to AI systems to enable the detection of attack patterns. Similarly, as organizations light up heatmaps of currently active threats, intelligent systems will be able to proactively obfuscate network targets and place attractive decoys along attack paths. Eventually, organizations could respond to any counterintelligence efforts before they happen, enabling blue teams to maintain a position of superior control. This sort of training gives security team members the ability to improve their skills while locking down the network.

Mindware, the regional leader in Value Added Distribution, announced today the distribution agreement with HTC. As per the agreement, Mindware will now offer HTC’s complete portfolio of VIVE Enterprise virtual reality (VR) solutions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

HTC VIVE Enterprise solutions are built around enabling businesses of all sizes to enhance their creativity, accelerate training, strengthen collaboration, and engage their customers. They combine great hardware with versatile software and deliver an exceptional overall experience. Businesses have different requirements – some require best-in-class software and hardware, room-scale tracking, and multiple users in the same environment. Others seek convenience, portability, and a more affordable entry point to VR. HTC’s wide range of products cater to every need.

Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware comments, “Are you ready for the New Reality? – this is the question we challenge regional enterprises with! Virtual Reality is a trend that is gaining considerable traction in the enterprise space at the moment. It enables powerful ways for employees to communicate, collaborate and learn. With remote working becoming increasingly prevalent in the context of the current pandemic, VR solutions provide a real sense of presence and personalization of interactions, contributing to better business outcomes. Today, VR is able to eliminate traditional physical barriers and provides incredibly immersive experiences. Organizations across different industries are gradually discovering new and interesting use cases and application areas, such as training, industrial design and architecture, scientific visualization, virtual events and entertainment, to name a few.”

“With VR gaining popularity in the MENA region, we believe that there is an enormous amount of potential for HTC’s best-in-class technology that will usher in a new age for the enterprise. We are excited about our newest partnership and look forward to introducing our innovative solutions to the region through our channel ecosystem.”

One of HTC’s innovations, namely the VIVE Focus plus, features an all-in-one VR headset for enterprise designed for quality and portability. With the newly-added dual 6DoF controllers, increased comfort for extended VR sessions, and enhanced optics, VIVE Focus Plus blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality. The VIVE Pro Eye Office creates more immersive virtual simulations with precision eye tracking and is ideal for a wide range of environments and applications, such as training, design, construction, and more. Finally, the VIVE Sync is an all-in-one meeting and collaboration solution for VR, which is in beta stage but currently being used all over the world. It enables clients and co-workers to meet in a virtual setting in the blink of an eye.

HTC and Mindware will work together to develop a strong partner ecosystem based on a specially designed partner program – REED (Recruit, Enable, Engage & Deliver). The objective is to enable skilled and trained partners to consult, design and deliver on enterprise VR requirements. Mindware’s agile logistics operations with several warehousing facilities enable HTC to timely deliver the vendor’s solutions to resellers across the region.

Speaking about the partnership, Graham Wheeler, General Manager, HTC EMEA says, “The freedom and flexibility of VR is limited only by your own imagination, and we are seeing business use grow in a number of ways, from internal collaboration through to working with external partners. VR will continue to revolutionize how we work remotely and change how businesses operate in the future.”

“HTC as a company is always searching for talented partners to collaborate with. Mindware has an expansive reach in Middle East and Africa and shares our ethos and vision. We are confident that we have found the ideal partner to support the business use of VR in the region.”

A10 Networks today announced that it will host its inaugural global virtual user conference ‘A10 Transcend’ – giving customers, partners and prospects a forum to share insights into their journey with digital and business transformation during and post COVID-19. The impactful and informative event will take place between November 9-10.

Ehab Halablab, Regional Sales Director – Middle East at A10 Networks says, “Inspire, learn and network are the three pillars of the event. We invite attendees to join the bold thinkers pushing the boundaries of multi-cloud transformation and 5G readiness. The conference is an opportunity to get practical tips and tricks on how to configure and optimize the IT environment.  It is also a great networking platform for IT executives to connect with peers and leaders and raise the bar for their businesses.”

Below is a snapshot of the agenda:

Keynotes: A10’s CEO will share his perspectives for A10’s growth and innovation, along with fireside chats with two celebrity speakers, Scott Kelly and Lindsey Vonn, who will share their inspirational stories of how they have transcended the odds in their respective journeys.

Innovation Panel: A10’s product marketing and product management leaders discuss the current state of network and application security as challenges such as digital transformation, global cyber threats and COVID-19 are permanently changing the IT landscape.

Customer Transformation Spotlight: Customers will share their digital transformation journeys.

A10 Security Research:  Will provide insights into trends around malware and DDoS threat trends.

A10 Core Solutions: Attendees can learn about the latest product updates and capabilities of A10’s core technology – DDoS protection, zero trust SSL/TSL decryption, Polynimbus application services and service provider edge.

DevOps Deep Dive: A10 engineering and partner teams will provide deep dive technical sessions on DevOps

A10 Tips & Tricks: A10 solution architects will deliver a series of tips and tricks covering all aspects of application and networking technologies.

Partner Innovation: Will offer insights into joint solutions from technology and system integrator partners.

For more information about the event including registration, visit https://transcend.a10networks.com/

By Derek Manky, Chief, Security Insights & Global Threat Alliances, FortiGuard Labs &  Aamir Lakhani, Global Security Strategist and Lead Researcher for FortiGuard Labs.

In our increasingly digital world, the threat landscape is rapidly changing and expanding, leaving organizations to wonder how they can keep up with evolving threats—especially as cybercriminals swiftly take advantage of new threat vectors and global events as lures. To provide some insight into the minds of cybercriminals and their various tactics and targets, Derek Manky and Aamir Lakhani of FortiGuard Labs offer their observations from the trenches.

Q: What changes in attack trends has FortiGuard Labs seen in the months since the beginning of the pandemic? 

Derek – April and May were the months where the most COVID lures came about, and of these, email-based threats were by far the most dominant in the threat space. These threats played off of layoff notices sent to employees, false purchasing orders, messages from HR departments, really anything that could exploit the huge shift in the work environment that employees were experiencing. Outside of the workplace, people were being targeted by health authority impersonators for example offering more information about the pandemic. In our trackers, the traditional COVID lures have dropped down quite a bit, going from almost 350 a day to double digits now. Now that things are shifting to a different normal, we’re seeing the old threats kickoff once again, but with a change in general focus. For example, as some organizations begin hiring again, we’re seeing lures that are specifically targeting candidates, particularly with man-in-the-middle attacks. For example, bad actors are injecting themselves into the middle with classic threat attempts such as sending malicious PDFs as resumes.

Q: The attack surface for threat actors is constantly growing, are there any targets that stand out to you as most vulnerable? 

Derek – Cybercriminals are often going to jump on the freshest opportunity they see for the element of surprise but that varies from place to place. The start of Q4 means a lot of people are heading back to work, but also students are heading back to school—both remotely and in-person, or a combination of the two. And that’s been a huge challenge for some institutions that weren’t fully prepared with remote learning capabilities, particularly in K-12 learning where this is all very new to them. They have new platforms and classroom setups, as well as a lot more connections that are happening, so education is a big target right now. 

Aamir – Yes, I certainly agree. Attackers have also shifted their focus to areas where people are becoming more digitally populated. Things like remote learning are still ongoing in places like the U.S., so we’re seeing more service and online attacks aiming to disrupt these organizations. It’s almost the perfect situation for attackers because a lot of schools are set up with a hybrid learning model, where teachers are headed to classrooms while doing remote work and teaching. All attackers have to do is target the internet connections being used in the classrooms, rather than targeting cloud applications or other platforms. By doing this, these bad actors can target more institutions and users much quicker.

Q: What are some of the most popluar attack vectors right now? 

Derek – There are a lot of systems that are now publicly exposed, especially with increased usage of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Attacks like Wannacry, for example, leveraged public RDPs as points of entry and we know that was a big concern. This is something that I think, from a security architectural standpoint, needs to be addressed still. When it comes to remote learning especially, it’s such an easy way for attackers that are trying to hijack these sessions to try to get into these networks. 

Aamir – Last year, I remember doing a search on Shodan to see how many publicly available RDP ports were indexed and the number then was a little over 2 million. I searched again a few days ago and it was over 4 million worldwide. We’ve definitely seen an increase in public RDP connections out there, which means this is a growing risk. At this point, most RDP connections are on the public network and it’s an easy win for attackers.

Q: What would you recommend defenders do given what we know about the threat landscape in 2020?

Derek – This is where our world of threat intelligence really comes into play. We often say you can only protect against what you can see and I think, in the past, a lot of these attacks were not seen. There was a lot of persistence and stealth in these attacks. Companies didn’t have the proper inspections or management in place for all of their traffic flow, similar to the RDP case. Another key to defending against cybercriminals is getting the right model for securing, segmenting and monitoring business-critical applications. I believe the next 2-3 months in cybersecurity will be quite critical and it’s really the time to set up a strong foundation built on actionable threat intelligence. This is the new normal we’re heading into and it’s important to have a structured security plan.

Aamir – Visibility is a key, especially these days when most traffic is encrypted. If you put in a regular firewall or other devices that are not capable of that filtration at high speed, you may miss critical threats entering your network. You need a setup that is capable of decryption and encryption as well as having the proper policies and inspections in place to sort them. Timely information is also important because you need to know the second the attack has happened and be prepared to address it, rather than finding out months after the attack actually happened. 

Q: With how rapidly the threat landscape has been changing, do you have any predictions on where the cybersecurity conversation will be in the next few months? 

Derek – In the future, I think we will see more discussion around critical areas like healthcare and education, but also around operational technology (OT) as we move into more integrations. The wide adoption of technology to facilitate OT by combining old and new technology will lead to a collision between old, sometimes vulnerable technology with new technology capable of combatting modern threats. The entire ecosystem of OT is becoming a larger attack space that is often challenged with threat visibility, and this needs to be top of mind for these organizations.

By: Jacob Chacko Regional Business Head – Middle East, Saudi & South Africa (MESA) at HPE Aruba

There has never been a greater need to connect students, classrooms, and buildings. Enrolment of students (who are always more tech savvy and more expectant than the year that preceded them) continues to rise, and the benefits of technology – better grades and greater staff well-being – are necessary if schools are to maintain high levels of performance during the challenging time of digital transformation.

What’s key, however, is that cyber security is taken seriously. Not in a way that restrains a school’s ambitions to innovate, but so that technology is controlled and managed with caution to protect the students. This will become increasingly important as schools and universities expand deployment of digital, collaborative and immersive learning environments across new and modernised buildings and campuses.

Here’s a closer look at some of the advances many schools are making today, and the security measures that can, and should, be taking to protect their data and reputation.

The changing face of education

There are exciting times ahead for the education industry. Typically, this sector is one of the last to make extensive change, but thanks to the ambitions of teachers keen to engage better with students, the classroom of yesteryear is starting to transform. In many schools, where once Wi-Fi was limited to a handful of classrooms, now any room can be used as an IT suite. New tech such as eLockers are being trialled as a way of empowering students and encouraging self-paced learning. And, rather than deter the use of personal devices, they are becoming increasingly more embedded in the educational toolset.

And so by enabling a more digital workplace, staff will be freed up to make faster decisions and engage students whose learning styles vary. Already we’re seeing education employees reap the rewards of technology. In Aruba’s recent study of more than 1,000 employees, almost three quarters (74%) said they could accomplish more throughout the day and had the opportunity to develop new skills (74%).

However, as the smarter classroom gradually becomes a reality, so the question of security – and how it is managed – must be addressed.

Keeping security in check as progress is made

Worryingly, just under half (49%) of teachers admit they rarely (if ever) think about cybersecurity, despite 91% acknowledging its importance. In addition, more than three-quarters (76%) believe there is room for improvement in the way connected tech is managed.

This is a challenge for institutions. Schools, colleges and universities alike share the same priority: providing the best possible education to cater to students whose expectations are growing exponentially. To connect with them in a meaningful way requires reliable, optimised, and personalised learning experiences. But an influx of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and a cohort that aren’t all trained in security best practices, puts networks at risk of intrusion. And, more seriously, puts young people at risk of communication from people who may wish to abuse, exploit or bully them.

Tackling this issue requires both accountability and an autonomous approach to security. Ensuring there is ownership over IoT security is imperative, and some institutions have appointed “digital champions” who review technology and share practices that foster innovation.

Technology, too, will play its part in managing the cybersecurity risk. Colleges and universities must implement new tools that go beyond traditional cybersecurity measures, such as User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), which identify patterns in typical user behaviour and flag any anomalies. These kinds of solutions don’t hinder employee creativity, collaboration, or speed as many clunky security systems do. Instead, they provide real-time protection and enable quick responses should a network breach occur.

Enthusiastic pupils are a huge opportunity

It’s important that a focus on security doesn’t take away from the bold ambition demonstrated by the education sector. In many ways, this industry in a totally unique position. Every day, it interacts with an enthusiastic generation that gets more technologically sophisticated each year. In few other sectors is there such a huge cohort of people as adaptable and receptive to new ways of working.

This is where the opportunity lies for teachers, who can challenge the traditional way of teaching. But in order to do so, they cannot be shackled by the fear of cyber risk. Instead, education employees must continue to push themselves to investigate what other innovations can be implemented in order to enhance student learning.

There’s no doubt it can feel overwhelming for many to think about how to make improvements while dealing with a demanding timetable. However, by investing in automation technology that streamlines processes and provides protection, the opportunity of a digital workplace can become a reality. This will drive greater efficiencies, freeing up space in the day to innovate and try new things.

With the right technology in place, and a security strategy that ensures accountability for the management of said technology, there is huge potential for educational institutions to become efficient, productive and inspiring digital workplaces. The enthusiasm for transformation is already there. With the right security strategy, I’ve no doubt the future of education will be bright.