Although as a general rule we usually associate Dell Technologies with hardware, technology also has an important presence in the field of cybersecurity, with both proactive approaches, to avoid unauthorized intrusions, as well as reactive ones, to guarantee a fast and effective response plan in the event of an incident.
We have talked to Iván Rodríguez, Head of Data Protection Solutions at Dell Technologies in Spain, on the present of present cyber threats, the risks associated with teleworking and what we can expect in the short and medium term from cybercriminal organizations.
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[MuySeguridad] Ransomware seems unstoppable, what can we expect from it in the future?
[Iván Rodríguez] The reality is that with the great advance of the digitization of companies, the expansion of connectivity and the ease of access to “everything online 24 × 7”, ransomware attacks have accelerated, also because those attackers have seen what It can be lucrative for them because of the ransoms paid by some companies that are victims of cyberattacks. As long as this remains a lucrative business, I think what we can expect is that cyberattacks will increase in number and intensity / severity. As of today we know that there are criminal organizations that even sell their cyberattacks or “as a service” software, industrializing this type of malicious behavior.
[MuySeguridad] Attacks on the supply chain have forced us to rethink security policies, what can we do to protect ourselves from them?
[Iván Rodríguez] If we talk about cyberattacks on the supply chain of IT solutions that we consume or hire, it is one of the most difficult cyberattacks to detect. From Dell Technologies we have the strategy and technology to ensure that there are no infiltrations in our supply chain. An example of this are the component certificates included in our hardware solutions; are certificates built into the components that allow customers to verify that the components have not been altered or modified from the time they left the factory until they are deployed in their data centers.
My suggestion is to always keep the technologies we use updated to the latest versions, and to be in contact with their manufacturers to find out any type of problem in case it arises, and what is the solution. As has been seen recently with some software company that was attacked in the supply chain, nobody is infallible, and we must be prepared for any eventuality of this type.
[MuySeguridad] Although little by little some companies are returning to face-to-face work, teleworking is still very present, and it seems that mixed models are going to prevail. What must companies take into account to maintain this model safely?
[Iván Rodríguez] As more people and also systems / machines connect to corporate networks, the attack surface widens, and what were once physical perimeters become virtual. It is important that security is intrinsic to the products and technologies we use, rather than an afterthought.
For example, it is important that security is integrated in the client station that the worker is going to use, in the network and the way in which it is going to connect to corporate services, in the data center and in the applications that serve that user. And user training is also important, since many cyberattacks can be avoided by avoiding entry doors or the execution of malicious files due to the users’ ignorance.
[MuySeguridad] Combining the previous three points, could we talk about a perfect storm? Has there been any other such complex moment in the past when it comes to cybercrime and cybersecurity?
[Iván Rodríguez] It is true that we are in a complex moment with a very important boom in cyberattacks, but I would not define it as a perfect storm. Simply with the great acceleration in the digitization of companies, in the consumption of services, the number of potential clients or services attacked by cybercriminals has increased.
But it is also true that the possibilities for business growth and expansion have multiplied. It is the responsibility of everyone, customers and suppliers, to continue investing in security but focusing on it as something necessary and planned from the beginning, before starting to provide a service, so that security accompanies the service and the digitization of each function / service.
[MuySeguridad] What evolution can we expect from cybercrime in the short and medium term?
[Iván Rodríguez] What we are seeing recently is that the attacks are becoming more sophisticated and specialized. We cannot let down our guard or trust ourselves, not now or in the near future. It is to be expected that cyberattack attempts against companies will continue to increase, but also customers are now much more aware of the threat they pose than they were, for example, 2 years ago. And being aware of this problem allows us to plan how we are going to protect ourselves and how we are going to act, what measures we are going to adopt.
[MuySeguridad] How does Dell Technologies address this situation? What solutions do you propose to face these threats?
[Iván Rodríguez] Our approach and actions go along two complementary lines. First of all, we start by ensuring the life cycle that follows the development of our products and ensuring the supply chain, to avoid infiltrations or cyberattacks in the components of the products. Second, we believe that companies should have a plan to protect themselves and, equally important, to recover in the event of a cyberattack.
They must carry out the necessary simulations of what actions they will take if they suffer a cyber attack and for this the first thing they must do is assume that they are going to suffer a cyber attack. In this regard, we consider that companies should prioritize data protection and use a digital safe, what we call a Cyber Recovery Vault, which is based on 3 fundamental pillars: being isolated from production, being immutable and being intelligent. . This vault should ensure that company information is protected and quickly recoverable in the event of a cyberattack in the production environment.
We achieve this with our PowerProtect Cyber Recovery solution and Cybersense analytics. Cyber Recovery allows us to orchestrate the entire data synchronization process from the production environment to the vault, close the vault once the daily synchronization has finished and start analyzing all the data with Cybersense to detect if we may be suffering a cyber attack. And most importantly, if we suffer a ransomware attack, to know which is the last valid backup and what we can restore to production. This entire process is performed and orchestrated from within the vault itself, which is isolated from the production environments and processes.
Dell Technologies Forum 2021: the best is yet to come
On December 1, Dell celebrates its great annual event: Dell Technologies Forum 2021.
An event that will be held again virtually and that will become a framework of technological opportunities for partners and customers in environments such as multicloud, Edge, 5G or IT as a service.
So if you want to understand how to improve your digital transformation processes, accelerate making use of your data and design a strategy for the future of your hybrid company, you cannot miss the Dell Technologies Forum 2021. Take aim!
