Every day, your data is collected. Whether it’s on your laptop, smart phone, or even your fitness watch, your data is being stored and potentially sold. Thankfully, we do have some control over how our data is captured and shared. Data Privacy Week, promoted by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, is January 22^nd – 28^th, 2023.

Staying One Step Ahead of Emerging Threats

George Jones, Critical Start’s new CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), wears Hawaiian shirts on Thursdays. He cheers for the Red Sox, hits the gym every day at 5:30am, and was originally born in Germany when his dad served with the United States Army. 

The recent holiday season brought an uptick in well-crafted, targeted phishing attacks. In 2021, the industry saw a 30% increase in ransomware attacks during the holidays, and a 70% increase in attempted ransomware attacks (MUO) during November and December.

Everywhere you turn, bad actors are lurking who want to steal your valuable data. At Critical Start, our Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) team scours the clear and dark web and a variety of open and paid cyber sources, keeping a pulse on emerging threats across marketplaces, chats, and other platforms to help organizations like yours protect themselves against cybercriminals.

With 2022 wrapping up a year full of ransomware attacks and data leaks, we look ahead to the evolving threats of 2023. While I predict a new set of challenges, I think many of the major cybersecurity issues we’ve seen throughout the year won’t be going away. From ransomware to extortion, organizations in all industries need to consider 24x7x365 coverage - a massive challenge for organizations forced to do more with less in the current economic climate.

It felt great to be back at Palo Alto Networks Ignite in Las Vegas, connecting with friends old and new. Besides hanging out with awesome people, I like to check out expert speakers and hear about the big topics each year.

Collaboration drives innovation and improves outcomes

Think of the last time you confirmed that all your passwords to every login were unique, updated those passwords regularly and set up MFA for each account. Don’t worry – we'll wait. 

The very first MITRE ENGENUITY ATT&CK Evaluations program for Managed Services recently wrapped up and the results published on November 9. The team here at Critical Start has been an enthusiastic participant since the program kicked off earlier this year, and we’re excited to share details on the outcomes.

By: Steven Rosenthal | Critical Start Director, Product Management

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