A non-profit educational foundation has teamed up with a cybersecurity company to develop a game that reveals what happens in a cyber-attack.

The online simulation is the joint effort of Kaspersky and the DiploFoundation, and is based on the Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS).

The game was created with the intention of helping diplomats and professionals who lack a technical background to understand how digital assaults unfold so that they are better equipped to formulate an effective response to a cyber-attack at the international level. 

Players are assigned the role of a diplomat in a fictional world in which threat actors are targeting the UN First Committee – an organization that handles matters of international security and peace both offline and online.

During the game, players must make decisions with action cards and collect pieces of the technical evidence puzzle. Depending on their choices, they will be led either to the most accurate technical analysis of the attack, or into a situation of greater uncertainty and cyber-instability.

“Its primary aim is to collect all necessary pieces of evidence and technical information to respond to as many questions as possible during the training, including what or who is the intended target, what techniques have been applied, how severe an incident is, and who was behind the attack in the simulated environment,” said a spokesperson for Kaspersky. 

Vladimir Radunović, director of cybersecurity and e-diplomacy at DiploFoundation, said that diplomats must understand cybersecurity because of its importance in today’s world.

“The terms ‘cyber’ and ‘digital’ are not the favorite among diplomats. Yet, cyber and digital issues increasingly dominate the international agenda – not least in international peace and security,” said Radunović.

“These are particularly sensitive areas, such as the attribution of cyber-attacks to a party or a state where a miscalculation could easily lead to the escalation of tensions between countries. Cyber-diplomats thus need to understand the technology that underpins our modern society.”

Anastasiya Kazakova, senior public affairs manager at Kaspersky, said: “We’ve piloted the game with real cyber-diplomats, legal and policy experts, and have already received positive feedback, which makes us believe that by joining efforts in cyber-capacity building we can help achieve cyber-stability.”

The organizers of the Globee Business Awards are seeking nominations for the top performers in the cybersecurity industry. 

Star performers are being sought for the 18th Annual 2022 Cybersecurity Global Excellence Awards, which recognize achievements on an industry-wide scale and between peers.

Entries will be accepted from all organizations (private or public), corporations, non-profits, associations, and vendors around the world. 

The categories for this year’s Cybersecurity Global Excellence Awards have been reimagined to reflect the new challenges and innovations swirling about in the security space.

Gongs up for grabs will be in groups that include COVID-19 Response, Milestone of the Year, Chief Technology Officers, New and Innovations, and Hot Technologies.

This year, CTOs will be recognized for their successes in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

Startup companies formed between 2018 and 2022 will also be honored for their achievements in Artificial Intelligence, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

Winners will be decided by a worldwide panel of judges formed from executives and professionals representing a broad range of industries. Applications to participate as a judge or an industry expert are now open. 

“Industry experts and end-users of cyber & digital security and information technology products and services can participate in the judging process,” said a spokesperson for the Globee Awards. 

Last year’s judging panel included Tasjia Reddy, a director of a world education community in KwaZulu-Natal, Gerrit Rindermann, a CTO from California, Ajay Kaushik, founder and CEO of Indian information technology company Panacea Infosec Pvt, and Haitham Ahmed, teacher and CEO at the London Academy of Online Education in the United Kingdom.

Winners will be notified on February 7, 2022, then presented and honored in a virtual ceremony attended by the finalists, winners, judges, and industry peers. 

Globee Awards have been conferred for business achievements to individuals and organizations of every size and in locations dotted around the globe since 2003. Past winners of cybersecurity Globees have included SyncDog, Qualys, Deep Instinct, Cloud Daddy, Thycotic, Bitglass, CyberArk, Singlewire Software, Flash Networks, and Acuant.

The world’s largest producer of platinum has launched a cybersecurity apprenticeship scheme in the northeast of England. 

Multi-national mining company Anglo American, which is headquartered in London, is seeking seven budding cybersecurity stars who are eager to learn about the latest cybersecurity tools and techniques being deployed to protect mining operations globally.

“We’re looking for people with inquisitive minds and an ability to commit themselves fully,” said Craig McEwen, chief information security officer at Anglo American. “You don’t necessarily need to have a knowledge of computers, although it’s an advantage.”

The apprenticeship scheme will be run from the company’s base in Scarborough. The base is a roughly 30-minute drive south from Anglo American’s Woodsmith Project, which is focused on the sustainable mining of polyhalite fertilizer to boost food production. 

Candidates accepted into the apprenticeship program will receive two years of tuition in cybersecurity tools, techniques, and skills in areas that include threat detection and the defense of critical infrastructure. 

McEwen said: “It will be a challenging course that demands commitment from the candidates, who will be operating at a high level, encountering complex and fast-moving problems, supported by a world-class team to train and support their growth.”

The program is part of Anglo American’s commitment to nurture cybersecurity talent in North Yorkshire. It was launched at Scarborough Science and Engineering Week by Anglo American’s chief executive, Mark Cutifani.

“This apprenticeship scheme is an important part of our purpose as a company to re-imagine mining to improve people’s lives,” said Cutifani.

“Technology is helping us to carry out our operations more effectively and efficiently, not just here in the UK but around the world, so protecting our IT and industrial technology systems is vital to our success.

“Our decision to locate the cybersecurity apprenticeship program in North Yorkshire demonstrates our continued commitment to the region, and to providing young people here with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in the 21st century.”

The scheme will give the apprentices a grounding in more than cybersecurity; instruction will be given in general business skills too. The apprentices will also gain work experience acquired from a large multi-national organization.

The considerable variation in risks faced by internet users worldwide has been laid bare by a new study by anti-fraud vendor SEON.

Combining data from five cybersecurity indices and indicators, the researchers ranked 100 countries across the world according to their respective cyber-risks. These indicators included data from the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI) and the Global Cybersecurity Index 2020, which rank countries according to their cybersecurity measures.

The researchers also analyzed the Basel AML Index: 9th Edition, which focuses on the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing in different countries, and the Cybersecurity Exposure Index (CEI) 2020, which measures how at-risk internet users are in each country. Finally, they examined the strength of anti-cybercrime legislation in each country via the Global Cyber Strategies Index.

Taken together, Denmark was rated the safest nation to spend time online, achieving a cyber-safety score of 8.91. The researchers noted Denmark scored especially well on the Cybersecurity Exposure Index.

Germany (8.76) was second place, which had a high Global Cybersecurity Index score and comprehensive laws and regulations. In third was the US (8.73), followed by Norway (8.46), the UK (8.44), Canada (8.35), Sweden (8.22), Australia (8.16), Japan (8.09) and Netherlands (8.00).

Conversely, the country that ranked lowest for internet safety was Myanmar (2.22), scoring poorly across the indices. In particular, it had hardly cybersecurity legislation in place to help disrupt the activities of threat actors. Myanmar was followed by Cambodia (2.67), Honduras (3.13), Bolivia (3.21) and Mongolia (3.25).

SEON also highlighted the most common types of cybercrime in the US in 2020, taken from the US Internet Crime Complaints Center. The three highest were phishing and pharming (32.96%), non-payment/non-delivery (14.87%) and extortion (10.48%).

Additionally, the study demonstrated the growing prevalence of data breaches. In 2005, there were 157 breaches, which compares to 1001 in 2020, a rise of 537.58%.

SEON stated: “While the combination of public and private sector efforts to tame the digital Wild West has made it more difficult for online fraudsters in some respects, cybercrime remains a persistent threat for internet users.”