CyberSecurity Risks and their managment

Cybersecurity: what are the cyber risks? How can we concretely defend against threats?

Cybersecurity is concerned with protecting all computer systems, public and private networks, and databases from unauthorized access and cyber attacks.

Why is it so important today to give cyber security its due weight?
Certainly two factors to consider in answering this question are: the increase in the number of devices connected to the Internet and the exponential growth in the volume of data circulating online. In addition, the spread of the Internet of Things (IoT) i.e., the extension of the Internet to the world of objects such as bicycles, scooters, cars, and household appliances, certainly plays its part in the spread of malware.

How prevalent is the phenomenon of cyber intrusions in Italy?

There is no precise data on the frequency of cyber attacks in Italy, as victims of breaches often do not report intrusions to the relevant authorities or the media. However, it is known that cyber attacks in Italy are very common and involve organizations of all types and sizes, from the public to the private sector.

According to the “Clusit Report 2022”, there was a 10% increase in cyber attacks globally in 2021 compared to the previous year, with a 21% increase in attacks to Europe. In addition, 79% of recorded attacks had a “high” impact, up from 50% in the previous year.

In Italy, the “Report on Information Policy for Security” edited by the Intelligence Compartment again showed a growing threat to CyberSecurity. This data shows how cyber security has become an increasingly important and necessary issue to address, as cyber attacks have become more sophisticated and serious.

An example may be the repeated cyber attack on the Lazio Region in 2022, which caused disruptions to various infrastructures for several days. In addition to these, the recent (March 2023) disruptions connected to the Rome Municipality website, although this news is not yet confirmed.

Have you ever thought about the reasons why cybersecurity is so important for a business?

Let us first think about the consequences that cyber attacks can cause. Among these, the most relevant are: the violation of privacy and loss of data, not to mention the theft and disclosure of personal information both one's own and that of one's customers. All of these certainly result in damage to the company's reputation and loss of customer trust. In addition, cyber attacks can disrupt business operations, causing significant financial losses.

Per quello che riguarda la perdita e diffusione di dati personali dei clienti, le sanzioni dal Garante GDPR sono molto pesanti: fino a 20 milioni di euro o il 4% del fatturato dell’intero gruppo.

As for what concerns the loss and dissemination of customers' personal data, the penalties from the GDPR Guarantor are very heavy: up to 20 million euros or 4% of the entire group's turnover.

A solid Posture to CyberSecurity enables companies to assess cyber threats, identify them and protect themselves before incurring irreparable damage. Special attention is also paid to compliance with data protection regulations, for which companies must be able to demonstrate adequate levels of cybersecurity in order to protect the personal data of customers and employees. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to severe penalties for the company and loss of credibility from customers.

In the past, cyber attacks were mainly aimed at harming individual users or companies by exploiting the email channel to send fraudulent links or attachments containing malware such as ransomware or spyware. These attacks were primarily aimed at stealing login credentials or damaging infrastructure, but could be easily solved with a good local or cloud backup plan.
In recent years, however, cyber attacks have evolved and become increasingly sophisticated, particularly after the GDPR came into effect in 2018. Cyberattacks now aim to extract personal and sensitive data for publication on the dark web, and the ransoms demanded are no longer aimed at unlocking devices, but at preventing the publication of the stolen data, which would result in a GDPR violation and penalties for the company from the regulator. This type of attack cannot be solved with a simple backup, but requires an advanced security system even to be intercepted.

Strong or weak passwords: how confident are you that your passwords protect you from cyber attacks?

Weak or easy-to-guess passwords represent one of the most common cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Using social hacking and phishing techniques, it is possible for a hacker to trace passwords to a company's computer systems and gain access to confidential information, thereby causing extensive damage.

But not only that, in recent years we have observed more and more attacks using certificates that totally bypass the use of passwords. In fact, it is advisable to always use professional credential management tools.

Cybersecurity: SOC service, what it is and what it is for

A Security Operation Center is a service that allows a company's IT security to be continuously monitored and intervened when a breach occurs.
Concretely, a SOC Service is responsible for constantly monitoring all of a company's IT systems for suspicious or abnormal activity. Specifically, it scans devices for vulnerabilities and malware, monitors security logs, and detects network intrusions by identifying phishing attempts or other cyber attacks. It can also manage compliance toward GDPR, PCI and NIST standards.

vvLab offers, within the Security Suite, several cybersecurity services both managed and self-service. With our SOC team present H24 7/7, we can provide a real-time overview of what is happening in the information systems, from vulnerabilities to attacks in progress, and thanks to a customized alerting system it is possible to receive notifications if something unexpected occurs. 

What can we do concretely for you?

Cyber risk management is critical for every business, and companies that fail to adapt and have a cybersecurity plan that matches the threats risk dire consequences.

If you would like to learn more about everything related to our cybersecurity services, and find out which plan best suits your business and needs, contact us at sales@vvlab.it or visit our website. Together we can work out an offer customized to your business model!