From the Influencers 

“This continued investment in cybersecurity is proof that the issue is being taken seriously at the highest level. The collaboration between the government and organisations is an encouraging one - and with technological innovation speeding up, this support is going to be vital moving forward.”

Rob Norris, VP Enterprise and Cyber Security at Fujitsu, on the UK government’s announcement of a series of cybersecurity partnerships, including one with chipmaker Arm to enhance processor security

“Several firms dealing in cyber weapons have been criticised when their spyware has turned up in inappropriate places, but this could all change if Facebook is successful in this suit. The precedent set by a ruling in favour of WhatsApp could send shockwaves through this very murky industry prompting vendors to be more considerate about how their weapons are used.”

Craig Young, senior security researcher at Tripwire, comments on Facebook’s lawsuit against NSO Group over its spyware product targeting WhatsApp

“Unhindered and unimpeded cybercrime data exchange is indeed crucial both for the UK and EU. Most governmental agencies may require a crystal-clear legal framework to proceed after Brexit, especially when the information involves legally-protected data or cases of criminal prosecution.”

Ilia Kolochenko, founder and CEO of ImmuniWeb, on policing cybercrime in Europe after Brexit

“The consequences of not investing in industrial cybersecurity could be numerous and severe, particularly if a nuclear power station is targeted. It is imperative that critical infrastructure organisations put plans in place to prevent malicious attacks, and the cybersecurity community comes together to share expertise and knowledge on identifying and providing solutions to cybersecurity challenges.”

Andrea Carcano, co-founder and CPO at Nozomi Networks, comments on the news that the network of one of India’s nuclear power plants has been infected by malware created by state-sponsored hackers from North Korea

“Extortion is a well-established approach for cybercriminals and is used through tactics that include threatening denial of service, doxing and ransomware. In the reported case of the city of Johannesburg, the 4 Bitcoin ransom (circa $30K USD / £23.3K GBP / €26.8K EUR) is meaningful but not particularly high and so may be pitched at that level to encourage a decision to pay. Cybercriminals are increasingly making rational economic decisions around targeting organisations and demand ransom levels that they believe will have a higher likelihood of payment.”

Matt Walmsley, EMEA Director at Vectra, on the ransomware attack on the city of Johannesburg