Atos warns hybrid cloud, digitalization increase cyber risk

The move to the hybrid cloud and digitalization have led to an increase in cyberattacks over the past two years, says a new paper from Atos titled “Digital Vision for Cyber Security 2,” and launched in October at Cyber Innovation Den 2019, hosted by techUK.

According to the security company, 10.52 billion malware attacks were recorded globally in 2018. Artificial intelligence and automation have actively been exploited for sophisticated attacks against various industry verticals, while the landscape was marked by significant changes related to the legal and regulatory environment, the nature of the cyber threats, and cybersecurity capabilities in organizations.

In the given timeframe, Atos says state-sponsored groups that leverage targeted and social engineering attacks to manipulate election outcome and harass individuals with fake news, as well as large data thefts from unsecured cloud infrastructures and financial crime operations have increased. Although they are still present, DDoS attacks are no longer making the headlines.

Approximately 80 percent of known successful breaches are caused either by weak passwords or stolen credentials, usually on sale on the dark web, Atos says. This is consistent with findings from Verizon’s 2019 Data Breaches Investigation Report.

According to Atos’ research, 63 percent of UK consumers started paying more attention to cybersecurity and how it could impact their lives after hearing about recent attacks, 24 percent started paying more attention to potential cyber threats, while 67 percent said an organization would have more chances gaining their trust if it was investing in advanced cybersecurity technology.

Some 71 percent of UK businesses that fell victim to data breaches resulting in big data or asset loss in the past two years chose to spend more money on cybersecurity, but only 16 percent have formal cybersecurity incident management processes in place.

Atos emphasizes the need for prescriptive security that could be a solution to stop breaches by offering threat visibility though big data analytics, automation and artificial intelligence technologies.

While 66 percent of UK consumers expect an organization to take all possible measure to protect them from imminent attacks, 58 percent are likely to no longer trust an organization if attacked. Trust and integrity are two important pillars in a business relationship and 82 percent of respondents expect to be informed in the wake of an attack.

“Much has changed in the world of cyber security over the past two years. Significant new threats have emerged but so too have innovative cyber security solutions,” said Adrian Gregory, Atos Senior Executive Vice President and CEO, Atos UK & Ireland. “The challenge to stay ahead of our adversaries prevails, as does the need to ensure that cyber security is a board-level priority. This demands that we continue developing cutting-edge capabilities, enabling the benefits of digital technologies, and supporting the UK as a world leader in cyber security.”

According to Pierre Barnabé, Senior Executive Vice-President, Head of the Global Division Big Data & Security at Atos, “Cyber security has become a process of adaptation as the digital age advances and more and more technologies emerge. Cyber security is a critical enabler of digital transformation and must be a core function of every enterprise.”

“Ensuring our organizations stay prepared for the unexpected means not only responding to and pre-empting security events, but also helping to create a cyber vigilant culture. Most importantly, the role of cyber security in society is to underpin vital trust between individuals and organizations,” he added.

In October, Atos acquired IDnomic to enhance its product portfolio with digital identity and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solutions to protect digital identities of people, machines and smart devices.

Article Topics

artificial intelligence  |  Atos  |  biometrics  |  cloud services  |  cybersecurity  |  data protection  |  digital identity