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Facing the Cold Reality of Cyber Threats: The Key to Effective Cybersecurity in ASEAN

Every second counts during a cyber attack.

Imagine this scenario: A company is hit by a devastating ransomware attack. The once-bustling office is now eerily quiet, as employees have been instructed to stay away from their computers to prevent the further spread of the malware. Panic sets in as everyone realises the extent of the damage.

The attackers have encrypted the company’s files, leaving a ransom note demanding an exorbitant amount of money for their release. The loss of sensitive information and potential damage to the company’s reputation looms over everyone’s heads. The cybersecurity team is in overdrive, trying to contain the spread, identify the source, and prevent further damage.

If this scenario feels far-fetched, think again. Ransomware attacks are a real and growing threat to businesses of all sizes and industries. Our Orange Cyberdefense Security Navigator 2023 reports that ransomware and cyber extortion attacks rose significantly in 2022 amidst concerns over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the activity of international hacker groups like Lapsus$ and Conti. Even worse, there has been a significant change in the geographical locations of cyber extortion victims, with attackers increasingly shifting their focus away from North America towards the rest of the world, including emerging markets like Southeast Asia (33% YoY growth).

Click HERE to download the full Orange Cyberdefense Security Navigator 2023 Report.

Most worryingly, the report also states that today’s cybercriminals operate in a world devoid of empathy, morality, and integrity. In fact, researchers from the Journal of Criminal Justice describe this worldview as cognitively dissonant. This dangerous mindset poses a serious threat to society, particularly in an environment where consequences are often unlikely, and the impacts of their actions can be far-reaching and devastating.

The question is, how do you defend your organisation against such unsympathetic and unyielding foes?
 
Reducing the Level of Uncertainty

The Security Navigator 2023 indicates that almost half (47%) of security incidents are caused by internal sources, not external ones. This means that a significant portion of security incidents can be prevented by you, through increasing internal awareness and training.

That leaves you with the other half to protect against.

According to Laurent Célérier, EVP Technology and Marketing at Orange Cyberdefense, the key to making the right decisions and staying ahead of highly sophisticated and unpredictable modern threats may come down to one important factor: Reducing uncertainty.

Organisations need to focus on building a strong cybersecurity foundation and embracing collaboration and information-sharing initiatives. One effective way to reduce uncertainty is to implement a threat intelligence program, which involves collecting and analysing data from various sources to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. This can include both internal and external data, such as logs, network traffic, and intelligence feeds from industry partners and government agencies.

By leveraging this information, organisations can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the threat landscape and take proactive steps to prevent attacks before they occur.
 
The Power of Partnership in Eliminating Risks and Uncertainty

The good news is that businesses do not have to go through it alone when it comes to understanding the threats and becoming more proactive. Our experts at Orange Cyberdefense (OCD), the specialised cybersecurity division of Orange Business, have been helping ASEAN businesses protect against cyber threats by providing tailored security solutions and services that address the unique challenges and risks faced by organisations in the region.

When it comes to reducing risks and uncertainty, Orange Cyberdefense specialises in threat analysis and intelligence gathering, providing unrivalled insight into both established and new cyber dangers. In fact, our Global Threat Intelligence enables clients to stay ahead of threats and invest resources where they have the most impact.

Currently, OCD has over 3,000 multi-disciplined security experts and 250+ researchers and analysts globally. Closer to home, the OCD Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Malaysia serves to protect businesses in ASEAN, with over 40 SOC experts and 3 tiers of security engineering responsible for systems consulting, design, integration, implementation and management of crucial areas that include SIEM/SOAR/SOC, Vulnerability Management, Distributed Denial of Services (DDoS) Protection, Digital Forensic and Security Device Management.

For businesses in the region, this valuable partnership offers a number of benefits:

  • Reduced security risk to enable business strategy, addressing all phases of the security lifecycle (anticipate, identify, protect, detect and respond), while positioning security as an enabler of business objectives.
  • Better compliance and risk management via assessment and advisory services that help organisations to meet compliance standards.
  • Optimised security operations by simplifying the security operating environment, reducing false positives incidents, improving visibility into the threat landscape, automating incident response and minimising risk exposure by means of a compliant environment.
  • Improved response readiness by assisting companies to deliver user awareness training, breach stimulation, forensic incident response and curated threat intelligence, enabling containment/mitigation before significant business impact.
Narrowing Down the Focus: How Orange Cyberdefense Helped a Global Company Identify and Mitigate Supply Chain Risks and Ransomware Attacks

In today’s constantly evolving threat landscape, managing the security of a global organisation can be a daunting task. Take, for example, a multinational consumer products company with 88,000 employees and 3 million IT assets spread across the world. The company generates 37 billion events each month, making it challenging to distinguish the signals from the noise and prioritise potential threats.

The security experts at Orange Cyberdefense were able to help this multinational client improve their overall security posture and reduce risk in three distinct ways:

  • Our comprehensive security platform that includes Global Threat Intelligence, advanced analytics and vulnerability management capabilities gave the client proactive protection, faster response and clearer visibility of emerging threats.
  • Operating as an extension of the client’s global infosec team with local delivery of services provided in all hub regions, we provide all the essential expertise while enabling the client to focus on core objectives.
  • As a managed service provider, we offer round-the-clock consulting, expertise and assistance to deliver true 24x7x365 cybersecurity operations.

In effect, Orange Cyberdefense was able to “cut through the noise” and rapidly pinpoint 100,000 assets that were potentially affected, out of the 3 million that the global client had. Of these, 20,000 assets were identified as critical to the business. With this enhanced focus, Orange Cyberdefense could prioritise the most vulnerable and important assets, enabling the client to make the best use of their resources and mature their cybersecurity program.

Essentially, Orange Cyberdefense’s expertise allowed the client to quickly identify and protect what mattered most to their business, keeping them ahead of the evolving threat landscape.


Prevention is always better than cure. Other than establishing a culture of security awareness, it’s vital for today’s businesses to find a security partner that is proactive and helps to address potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

If in doubt, contact us to find out how you can eliminate uncertainty in your organisation.
 
About Orange Cyberdefense: Security Navigator 2023

The Orange Cyberdefense 2023 Security Navigator is an in-depth analysis of the situation of cybersecurity during the previous year. This invaluable guide provides a bird’s-eye view of the industry and is based only on data collected by their vast network of global SOCs, CERT, Epidemiology Labs, World Watch, Ethical Hacking, and Vulnerability Management operations. You will be better equipped to assess the security risks facing your business and make decisions about how to best protect it with this report.

Get the full 120-page report here for a comprehensive understanding of the current cybersecurity landscape.

DSA Editorial

The region’s leading specialist IT news publication focused on Data Lifecycle, Storage Infrastructure and Data-Driven Transformation. DSA has nearly 17,000 e-news subscribers, over 6500 unique visitors per day, over 20,000 social media followers and a reputation for deep domain knowledge.

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