Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in state-sponsored cyberattacks, with senior IT professionals being urged to prepare their defences with extra care.
In the US, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have, for example, all reported increased targeting of defense contractors by Russian cyber actors, with fears that major corporate institutions are next in line.
It is a time for CIOs and CISOs to be extra vigilant and prepared to adopt innovative technologies, commented Kevin Mandia, CEO of security vendor Mandiant which has recently agreed to be acquired by Google Cloud in an all-cash deal valued at $5.4 billion. The current geopolitical climate is likely to see further consolidation in the security space, predicted Mandia, as large companies look to bolster their defenses amid the looming threat of cyberwarfare.
“Cyber security is a mission, and we believe it’s one of the most important of our generation,” he added. “Google Cloud shares our mission-driven culture to bring security to every organization. Our efforts will help organizations to effectively, efficiently and continuously manage and configure their complex mix of security products.”
Mandiant will now become part of Google Cloud Platform, adding its security services to GCP’s existing defenses. Mandiant played a key role in discovering the damaging SolarWinds hack in 2020, believed to have been perpetrated by by a Russian hacker group as part of a concerted assault on US government agencies and companies.
Image courtesy of Third Stage.
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