Various studies show that unpatched software vulnerabilities are a primary source of cyberattacks. A recent report from the Ponemon Institute found that unpatched vulnerabilities were directly responsible for 60 percent of all data breaches. Cybercriminals target known software security bugs in operating systems and applications and attack systems that haven’t been patched.

Organizations are adopting generative AI tools to automate tasks and gain new insight into data. Gen AI has the potential to transform operational processes and enable unprecedented levels of efficiency and innovation. However, gen AI also creates new security threats.

Tax-filing season is upon us, but it’s like Christmas for cybercriminals.

Each spring, scam artists unleash their annual flood of fraudulent emails, phone calls and text messages designed to steal money or information. Millions of Americans are duped by scammers every year, losing billions of dollars.

The near-constant attacks on computer networks make it clear that cybersecurity is no longer a human-scale problem. Traditional security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software aren’t enough to ward off the onslaught of increasingly sophisticated attacks leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning.

A regional health network in Illinois was forced to shut down two rural hospitals last summer, in part due to losses sustained during a prolonged ransomware attack two years earlier. It marked the first time a hospital closing was directly linked to a cyberattack.

Since the beginning of the computer age, IT teams have doggedly worked to prevent all cyberattacks and system outages that could disrupt operations. That may no longer be an achievable objective. Modern technologies and threats have become so complex and sophisticated that IT failures now seem nearly inevitable — 96 percent of IT organizations worldwide experienced at least one outage in the past three years, according to one study.

Stolen or compromised credentials are the leading cause of data breaches, but password-based authentication isn’t going away anytime soon. With more than 80 percent of organizations still depending on them, passwords are easily the most prevalent method of user authentication.

In an ideal world, our IT security systems would be so excellent that we’d be able to thwart all manner of cyberattacks. In reality, there’s no way to fully prevent the onslaught of threats hitting networks.

Independent IT security institute AV-TEST registers more than 450,000 new malware and potentially unwanted applications every day.

We live in an age of remarkable advances in healthcare technology, including such breakthroughs as genetic sequencing, 3-D-printed prosthetics, robotic-assisted surgery and AI-powered imaging systems. However, research shows that outdated and inefficient communication technologies create persistent challenges in the industry.

In our last post, we discussed the importance of threat-detection solutions that can find and stop cyber threats that have secretly taken root in your network. The good news is that C-level executives and board members are taking an increased interest in cybersecurity and actively encouraging increased investment in threat detection and other security controls.