In the fight against malware, the more publicity and attention the better

In our work for IBM Security, it’s not unusual to draw attention to data breaches that have been in the news. So it’s especially gratifying when the other side of the story—data protection—makes news.

Whether DeLaune and Associates is writing a white paper or solution brief from scratch, updating an existing document, or editing text written by the security experts at IBM, stories of data breaches are common. Target. Sony. Anthem. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on.

It’s sad to see cybercriminals taking advantage of companies this way, and it’s serious business to try to stop them.  This is important work, and we work hard to get it right.

One publication we edit is the quarterly report by IBM X-Force, the world-renowned research and development team that provides security intelligence to help organizations protect against threats. The current report, titled IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Quarterly, 3Q 2015, which came out in August, carries the subtitle “With attacks by ransomware on the rise, it’s more important than ever to understand how malware travels the Internet and infects networks.”

And now the mainstream media—not only the technology press—are paying attention. The national network Fox News recently highlighted the threat that ransomware poses by locking computers and their data and demanding payment to set them free. Fox cited the findings of the X-Force report, including best practices for protecting against ransomware and the warning from IBM that “…this is the beginning of a long battle for all of us.”

Ransomware is something that can strike virtually any organization. IBM and the Fox reporter, in fact, both cite police departments that have fallen victim.

In this environment of daily security breaches, IBM X-Force helps protect customers and the general public against these growing and evolving threats.

You can watch the full 2 minute 50 second Fox report here.

by Ernie Wood