Cybercriminals are using AI tools like ChatGPT to create convincing phishing emails. In a move that is concerning cybersecurity teams everywhere, the use of ChatGPT could significantly reduce costs for cybercrime gangs and eliminate language barriers. Internet users need to be aware of these scams and learn to spot them instead of relying on spotting phishing scams through poorly written text. According to Julia O'Toole, CEO of MyCena Security Solutions, AI tools such as ChatGPT make it much more difficult to spot scam emails. O'Toole warns that cybercriminals are currently exploring ways to use ChatGPT to defraud victims, despite built-in protections to prevent this. She adds: “The quality and speed of execution of ChatGPT makes it a powerful productivity hack. With it, criminals can now launch complex phishing campaigns, generating emails faster with higher chances of success.”

In February 2020, News Corp suffered a state-sponsored breach that went undetected until January 2022. The attackers accessed business documents and emails linked to a small group of employees, potentially compromising sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, names, and health insurance numbers. News Corp believes the attack was part of an intelligence-gathering mission by a threat group supported by the Chinese government. The nearly two-year dwell time was longer than average, and it is unclear why News Corp took over a year to reveal the breach's extent. "Two years to detect a breach is way above average," confirmed Julia O'Toole, CEO of MyCena Security Solutions. With attackers regularly gaining easy access to corporate networks through compromised credentials, we may continue to see these attacks. O’Toole adds: "Despite all the investment in threat detection tools, over 82% of breaches still involve compromised employee access credentials."

The White House unveiled its national cybersecurity strategy in early March. The updated approach emphasises collaboration between the public sector, private sector, and international allies as crucial to securing the nation against cyber threats. The US national cybersecurity strategy aims to safeguard critical infrastructure, combat malicious threat actors, invest in digital security, and foster international partnerships. The plan also advocates transferring security responsibility to software companies and initiating more assertive campaigns against financially motivated and state-sponsored malicious activities. The strategy named China and Russia-backed attackers the biggest threat to US national security.

Almost one in every 20 employees has submitted sensitive company information into ChatGPT, according to a report. The use of large language models like ChatGPT by employees raises concerns about incorporating sensitive business data into the models. Data security service Cyberhaven detected and blocked requests from 4.2% of workers at client companies to input data into ChatGPT – mainly due to the risk of leaked confidential information. Examples include an executive using ChatGPT to create a presentation using a confidential strategy document and a doctor inputting patient health information. As the use of ChatGPT and similar AI-based tools grows, the risk of data breaches is likely to increase.

The aviation industry is reviewing updated cybersecurity requirements in network segmentation, access control, threat detection, and patching. The attempt to increase industry security comes as the Biden administration aims to strengthen critical infrastructure cyber defences. The aviation sector is also facing threats from emerging digital technologies, like 5G and smart devices. Employees in critical roles, such as pilots and air traffic controllers, have limited training in managing cyber incidents, while the threat surface has increased due to the digital transformation of air traffic management systems and airport functions. While details of the new cybersecurity requirements for the aviation sector remain unclear, they will require companies to keep up with hardware and software patches, strengthen access controls, and build redundancy into critical systems.

Mario Greco, CEO of Zurich Insurance, recently explained that cyberattacks are becoming uninsurable as the industry can no longer absorb losses caused by cybercrime. The biggest issue? Many companies do not use sufficient cyber protections, leaving them uninsurable. One of the most common issues is stolen employee credentials, which can provide attackers with the simplest route into corporate systems. Insurance veteran Gerry Kennedy and Julia O’Toole, CEO of MyCena Security Solutions, explain that practices such as network access segmentation and passwords encryption could make companies insurable again. O’Toole explains: “When it comes to the policy changes, insurers first need to realise the root of cybersecurity problems lie in the reliance of employee-generated passwords, which companies have no control over.” She adds: “The cyber insurance industry has been in a position of vulnerability for too many years now, but it doesn’t need to be this way. With stolen credentials being the most common way for criminals to infiltrate networks, access segmentation, and encryption are a simple and effective way for insurers to take control of the risks they cover.”