Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

It can be hard to react to and remediate ransomware attacks; by the time you realize you're under attack, you're already in damage control mode. The sheer number of ransomware attacks that take place isn't surprising. Though organizations across the globe have long been plagued by ransomware, the recent increase in hybrid work environments has led to a subsequent increase in cyberattacks.

Over the past two years, change has been rapid and widespread in the business world. The pandemic forced a frenzied shift to remote work, and the rushed adoption of new tools, workflows, and communication methods. Now, rather than cram back into the office all at once, many companies are testing the waters of hybrid work - either as a stepping stone or an indefinite transformation.

It has been argued that automation in the workplace tends to be misunderstood. Analysts are keen to point out that, despite myths to the contrary, automation isn't going to put most people out of work, for instance. Nor is AI going to become a real substitute for actual human intelligence. These are compelling arguments for rethinking the way we think about automation in general. But you can take the points further if you analyze the impact of automation on specific domains, such as cybersecurity. Indeed, automation is perhaps nowhere more misunderstood than in the realm of cybersecurity. To prove the point, here are five common myths about automation's impact on security, and why they're wrong.

In the current digital age, most enterprises turn to the use of third-party applications for every requirement, from end-user applications for productivity purposes, all the way up to more complex endpoint and Active Directory utility tools. However, with more cyber-threats being identified everyday, enterprises are increasingly aware that the installation of third-party software comes with the considerable responsibility for maintaining the system's security.

It's no secret that 2021 has already seen a huge surge in ransomware attacks; we've seen an increase of 64% over last year. Advancements in attack strategies and the shift to remote work are undeniably reasons for this ongoing wave. With most businesses merely testing the waters with hybrid working models, completely returning to work still seems like a far-off reality indicating that these numbers are only likely to swell even further.

Static application security testing (or SAST) used to be a term coined by the security team, to help developers test their code early in the software development life cycle (SDLC). Unlike dynamic testing, it does not require a working application, which allows developers to identify security vulnerabilities while they code, so they can spot them as soon as they appear and fix them when it's easiest and fastest to do so. This cuts down their future workload by decreasing the backlog of issues they'll have to address later.

SecOps and security teams spend an excessive amount of time sifting through low-value, poorly-contextualized alarm data rather than actively hunting for valid threats. This is because bad actors are constantly looking to steal whatever they can hold onto with the least exposure. Recent ransomware attacks in critical business sectors only serve as reminders that organizations cannot lie dormant. This blog post will unpack strategies to help overcome these challenges and explain why integrating threat intelligence with security orchestration and automation is critical for an effective security operations strategy.