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AI-powered cyberattacks force change to network security
This article is part of the Information Security issue of May 2020, Vol. 21, No. 2
When the manager of a company's U.K. subsidiary got a call in March 2019, he recognized the voice of his Germany-based CEO on the other end of the line. They'd met before, at meetings. The manager gave little thought when the chief requested that he transfer €220,000 to a Hungarian vendor. "This guy was absolutely sure that this was a call from the German CEO, so he paid the money," said Ruediger Kirsch, a fraud expert with insurance firm Euler Hermes, which underwrote the cyberinsurance policy for the firms involved. It wasn't until the German CEO called two days later, requesting another €100,000 that the head of the UK subsidiary noticed that, this time, the phone number wasn't the right one -- it came from Austria. So he reached out to the CEO and discovered the executive had no knowledge of either of these transfers. Now worried, he called the number from which the original request came. "The UK manager said, even when he talked to [the person on the other end] a third time, he was sure it was the voice of the CEO," said ...
Features in this issue
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AI-powered cyberattacks force change to network security
Companies now face sophisticated enemies using AI and machine learning tools for their attacks. It's a world of new dangers for those defending network systems and data.
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The state of cybersecurity risk: Detection and mitigation
Hackers will always try to creep in, and many will succeed. That's why effective detection and mitigation are essential. How are enterprises faring?
News in this issue
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Plan now for the future of network security
How to battle well-funded, technologically sophisticated threats and ensure high-quality network performance? CISOs need a plan to meet network challenges now and in the future.
Columns in this issue
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One security framework may be key to cyber effectiveness
The Mitre ATT&CK security framework could best enable effective cybersecurity, according to The Chertoff Group, as could joining information sharing and analysis organizations.
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Why nation-state cyberattacks must be top of mind for CISOs
Even though organizations face threats coming from many sources, one type of cyberattack should be top of mind for CISOs: those backed by nation-states. Here's why.