Trend Micro Archives - CT Link Systems, Inc.

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security: Trend Vision One™

November 23, 2023November 23, 2023 Arby News and Events Trend Micro

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Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Preview

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape of the Philippines, where data is a precious resource, cloud security is more critical than ever. The adoption of hybrid cloud security in the Philippines has brought new challenges that many businesses are trying to solve. This is where Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security, Trend Vision One™, can help businesses address the new challenges through plethora of features perfect for the new hybrid landscape.

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Feature: Attack Surface Management

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security: Attack Surface Management

Trend Vision One™ – Cloud Attack Surface Risk Management is a tailor-made solution that delivers hybrid cloud telemetry correlation for fast detection and response with centralized risk visibility and benchmarking. It does this through the following key components:

Cloud Asset Visibility in the Philippines

To secure your cloud assets effectively, you first need a clear view of them. Trend Micro provides comprehensive visibility into your cloud assets, ensuring that no vulnerabilities go unnoticed in the unique Philippine digital landscape.

Mitigating Misconfigurations

Misconfigurations are a common entry point for cyber threats. Trend Micro helps you identify and rectify these issues, providing a strong defense against potential attacks in the Philippines.

Template Scanning for Philippine Cloud Environments

Scanning cloud templates is vital to building a secure cloud infrastructure. Trend Micro ensures that your cloud resources in the Philippines are constructed on a solid and secure foundation.

Compliance in the Philippines

Staying compliant with local and international regulations is essential. Trend Micro aids in compliance management, helping Philippine businesses reduce the risks associated with non-compliance.

Prioritizing Risks and Recommendations

In the diverse and dynamic digital landscape of the Philippines, not all risks are equal. Trend Micro helps you prioritize risks based on their severity and provides actionable recommendations for mitigation.

Addressing Threats and Vulnerabilities

The Philippines is not immune to cyber threats. Identifying and addressing threats and vulnerabilities is crucial, and Trend Micro’s hybrid cloud security solution is well-equipped to protect your assets.

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Feature: Cloud Protection

On-demand and runtime protection for your hybrid cloud is crucial for maintaining a secure digital landscape in the Philippines. Trend Micro offers a multi-layered approach to cloud protection.

Real-Time Integrity Monitoring

Ensure the integrity of your cloud workloads with real-time monitoring, ensuring that any unauthorized changes are promptly detected and addressed, even in the dynamic Philippine environment.

Application Control

Manage and control applications running in your cloud environment, preventing unauthorized or potentially harmful software from executing and maintaining the security of your digital assets.

Virtual Patching for Philippine Clouds

Virtual patching bridges the gap between identifying vulnerabilities and applying official patches. This proactive approach safeguards your systems and data, which is particularly crucial in the Philippine context.

Intrusion Prevention

Intrusion prevention systems work tirelessly to block malicious activities, ensuring that your cloud environment remains secure in the Philippine digital landscape.

Continuous Compliance

Maintaining compliance is an ongoing effort in the Philippines, and Trend Micro supports this by reducing your exposure to risks associated with non-compliance.

Guarding Against Malware

Malware poses a persistent threat in the digital world, and Trend Micro’s anti-malware solutions provide robust defense against these malicious agents, safeguarding businesses in the Philippines.

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Feature: Container Security

Containers have played a significant role in advancing digital innovation in the Philippines, but they come with their own set of security challenges. Trend Micro addresses these concerns comprehensively.

Vulnerability Management

Identifying vulnerabilities in containerized applications and addressing them is crucial for ensuring the security of your containers in the dynamic digital landscape of the Philippines.

Ransomware Protection

Ransomware attacks can be devastating for businesses. Trend Micro’s container security solutions guard against these threats, preventing data loss and financial damage in the Philippine context.

Image Scanning

Before deploying container images, it’s essential to scan them for potential threats. Trend Micro’s image scanning tools serve as the first line of defense, ensuring that your digital innovations remain secure in the Philippine landscape.

Drift Detection

Container environments are dynamic and ever-evolving in the Philippines. Trend Micro detects and responds to runtime threats and any suspicious activities that may arise in the rapidly changing digital landscape.

Cloud Detection and Response: Staying Ahead of Emerging Threats

In the Philippine context, staying ahead of emerging threats is essential to ensure the security of your digital assets. Telemetry enables cloud detection and response (CDR), extending the concept of Extended Detection and Response (XDR) to cloud provider and cloud-native technologies.

Telemetry Collection from Hybrid Workloads in the Philippines

For a comprehensive view of your digital assets in the Philippines, Trend Micro collects telemetry data from hybrid workloads, ensuring that your Security Operations Center (SOC) team has the insights they need to protect your digital landscape.

Unique XDR for Philippine Hybrid Environments

Trend Micro’s XDR solution is tailored to the unique needs of hybrid environments in the Philippines, covering servers, instances, and containers seamlessly.

Integration with Philippine Cloud Provider Logging Services

A broader view of your digital landscape in the Philippines is achieved by integrating with cloud provider logging services. Automation of remediation actions ensures a swift response to threats, which is crucial in the dynamic and evolving Philippine digital context.

Future-Proofing Cloud Security in the Philippines

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security in the Philippines

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security, with its Trend Vision One™ solution, is a trusted partner for securing digital assets in the dynamic and ever-evolving digital landscape of the Philippines. With robust attack surface management, real-time cloud protection, and advanced cloud detection and response capabilities, Trend Micro empowers businesses to safeguard their digital assets effectively.

To learn more about Trend Micro or learn more about hybrid cloud security, you may contact us at marketing@ctlink.com.ph to consult with us today!

Trend Micro Antivirus: Apex One – Unparalleled Protection for Your Digital World

In today’s digital landscape, ensuring the security of our personal and professional data is paramount. The ever-evolving threat landscape demands a robust antivirus solution that goes beyond traditional protection. Enter Trend Micro Antivirus Endpoint Security, powered by Apex One. In this article, we will explore how Trend Micro Antivirus, also known as Apex One, sets itself apart from other antivirus solutions by delivering unmatched features, proactive defense, and comprehensive protection against emerging cyber threats.

Trend Micro Antivirus: Apex One Unleashed

Trend Micro Endpoint Security, Apex One, is a formidable software engineered to detect, prevent, and eradicate malicious programs from a wide range of devices. With its advanced threat detection capabilities and real-time protection, Apex One offers an unrivaled defense against viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other forms of malware. Unlike conventional antivirus solutions, Apex One sets a new standard for proactive threat intelligence and adaptive cybersecurity.

The Apex One Advantage

Advanced Threat Detection

Apex One leverages cutting-edge technology and machine learning algorithms to identify and neutralize both known and emerging threats. Its intelligent detection mechanisms analyze behavior patterns, file reputation, and network anomalies to detect malicious activities before they can wreak havoc on your system. This proactive approach ensures that your digital world remains safeguarded from the latest threats.

Ransomware Protection

Ransomware poses a significant threat to individuals and organizations alike. Apex One’s robust defense mechanisms include specialized ransomware protection that identifies and neutralizes ransomware strains before they can encrypt your files. In the event of an attack, Apex One can roll back any unauthorized changes, keeping your data safe and secure.

Vulnerability Protection

Apex One offers powerful Vulnerability Protection, leveraging Trend Micro™ Research and the Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI) for world-class vulnerability expertise. It eliminates risk exposure by patching vulnerabilities at your own pace, including legacy systems. With incremental protection against zero-day attacks, it reduces downtime for recovery and ensures a proactive defense against emerging threats. By harnessing Trend Micro’s expertise, organizations can confidently protect their systems from vulnerabilities and maintain a robust security posture.

Real-Time Protection

With Apex One, real-time protection is at the core of its defense strategy. It continuously monitors your system for any signs of suspicious activities and instantly blocks potential threats. Whether you’re browsing the web, downloading files, or communicating online, Apex One works silently in the background, ensuring a secure digital environment.

Enhanced Privacy and Data Protection

Protecting your privacy and sensitive data is of utmost importance in today’s digital age. Apex One provides comprehensive privacy protection by safeguarding your online activities and sensitive information. Its privacy scanner ensures that your social media accounts are shielded from prying eyes, while its secure browser offers a safe environment for online transactions. Apex One also includes a file shredder that permanently deletes confidential files, leaving no traces behind.

Integrated Application Control

Integrated Application control is a vital feature of Apex One that provides comprehensive protection against unwanted and unknown applications. It offers flexible policies, allowing organizations to create dynamic rules and effectively safeguard their systems. With safelisting and blocklisting capabilities, organizations can control application execution, minimizing the risk of attacks.

Furthermore, Apex One’s application control feature allows users to make informed decisions when installing applications by considering reputation variables like prevalence, usage, and maturity. By leveraging real-time threat intelligence based on good file reputation data, organizations can enhance their security posture and mitigate potential risks.

Integrating Trend Micro Endpoint Security Apex One with Vision One

Trend Micro Endpoint Security Apex One seamlessly integrates with Trend Micro Vision One, providing organizations with a unified security ecosystem. This integration offers centralized security management, enhanced threat intelligence and detection, unified incident response capabilities, comprehensive visibility and reporting, as well as improved threat hunting and forensics.

By integrating Apex One with Vision One, organizations gain centralized security management capabilities, allowing them to monitor and manage the entire security landscape from a single console. The integration enhances threat intelligence and detection by leveraging advanced capabilities, providing real-time insights into the organization’s security posture. It also enables unified incident response, streamlining the workflow for investigation, containment, and remediation.

Additionally, Vision One provides an XDR solution which covers not only endpoints but also telemetry from Email, Network and Servers. This is much more than a typical Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution would provide as they usually only cover endpoint telemetry.

FAQs about Trend Micro Antivirus: Apex One

Is Trend Micro Antivirus compatible with both Windows and Mac?

Absolutely! Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) caters to both Windows and Mac users. Whether you’re using a Windows-based PC or a Mac system, Apex One provides tailored protection for your specific operating system.

Does Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) impact system performance?

Apex One is designed to have minimal impact on system performance. Its efficient scanning algorithms ensure that your device remains secure without compromising speed or responsiveness.

How does Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) stay updated against new threats?

Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) leverages its global threat intelligence network, constantly monitoring and analyzing the ever-evolving threat landscape. This enables Apex One to provide timely updates and protection against emerging threats, keeping your digital world secure.

Can Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) be used in a business environment?

Absolutely! Trend Micro Antivirus (Apex One) offers robust protection for businesses of all sizes. Its centralized management console allows administrators to efficiently deploy and manage security across multiple endpoints, ensuring comprehensive protection for the entire organization.

Want to learn more about Trend Micro and Apex One? Contact us at marketing@ctlink.com.ph to set up a meeting with us today!

CT Link Wins Trend Micro Partner of the Year in 2022

February 23, 2023April 20, 2023 Arby News and Events Trend Micro

Trend Micro Philippines recently held its annual partner appreciation night on February 21, 2023, and for the first time since the pandemic began, it was celebrated in-person at Revel at the Palace in Taguig. The event was held from 5PM – 9PM and was the first partner celebration done in-person since the lockdown happened back in 2020.

During the event, Trend Micro recognized and awarded its partners for their exceptional performance in 2022. CT Link brough home two awards significant awards that night: the Endpoint and Email Security Champion for 2022 and the Partner of the year for 2022. This is the second year in a row that CT Link has won the Partner of the year award, as we were also awarded the same award virtually in 2021.

Endpoint and Email Security Champion

Awarded to the partner who generated the most sales for Trend Micro’s endpoint security suites.

Partner of the Year

Awarded to the partner who generated the most overall sales across Trend Micro’s security solutions.

The celebration was a testament to the resilience and perseverance of the partners amidst the pandemic. It was an opportunity for Trend Micro to express their gratitude to their partners for their unwavering support and dedication in providing the best cybersecurity solutions to their clients.

Thank you Trend Micro for the wonderful evening and we hope to continue our valuable relationship throughout the year of 2023 and the future as well!

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro is a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, dedicated to making the world safer for exchanging digital information. Founded in 1988, Trend Micro has grown to become a trusted provider of cutting-edge security solutions for businesses and consumers alike.

Trend Micro’s comprehensive range of cybersecurity solutions includes endpoint security, network security, cloud security, and security management services. These solutions are designed to protect against a wide range of threats, including malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and other forms of cybercrime.

One of Trend Micro’s core strengths is its ability to stay ahead of emerging threats. The company employs a team of experts who constantly monitor the latest cyber threats and develop innovative solutions to counter them. Trend Micro’s solutions are designed to provide proactive, real-time protection against both known and unknown threats.

Trend Micro’s commitment to cybersecurity extends beyond its products and services. The company is also dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of online safety and promoting best practices for cybersecurity. Trend Micro regularly publishes research and insights on the latest cybersecurity trends and hosts events to help educate businesses and individuals about the importance of cybersecurity.

Preparing for Evolving Threats with OT Zero Trust

November 11, 2022November 11, 2022 Arby News and Events Operational Technology, OT Security, Trend Micro, Zero Trust

Every year new technologies are being introduced into the IT business environment to improve it for the better. On the other hand, threats as well have been improving the ways to disrupt businesses and finding ways to exploit security vulnerabilities to steal or ransom your data. Attackers in recent years have focused their efforts on previously less guarded entry points such as remote endpoints. However, Operational Technology (OT) is an entry point which most businesses tend to forget, are unsure of how they can secure it, or even think IT security covers it. OT security is something businesses need to be aware of as the threats coming from it grow every year.

OT targeted threats started coming into big news in 2010 when an Iranian nuclear power plant experienced major loses due to an attack. It was then considered a common way state-sponsored threat actors would deal blows to enemies of their state. It would then be looked in a different light in 2017 when WannaCry caused havoc to many businesses. This showed threat actors that companies were willing to pay large sums of money for data that they could easily encrypt by exploiting security vulnerabilities within their systems.

As of 2020 and 2021, customized and targeted attacks have now become the norm and something to be wary of. All these attacks, be it to the remote endpoints or OT, stem from the exploitation of excessive trust. This is why in recent years, the push for Zero Trust security has been everywhere.

Zero Trust approach for OT can improve defenses, streamline security oversight, minimize time taken during maintenance. This is done through policies which help neutralize the activities that attackers and malware can do if they are able to get into the business network.

Below are the steps that Trend Micro txOne takes to ensure that Zero Trust is implemented into a business’ OT:

Scan inbound devices

Modern OT cyberattacks usually start with an infected endpoint or USB brought into the worksite by an employee. Once connected to the network, the attackers are able to access the OT device which has little to no security. By setting up a checkpoint for rapid, installation-free device scans you can mitigate these threats. This also be the process of newly arrived assets being prepared for onboarding to mitigate threats from compromised devices prior to shipping.

Activate endpoint defenses

Traditional antivirus software can bog down assets, leading to crashes or delays. By using operations-friendly, “OT-native” lockdown software can help secure legacy endpoints through a trust list that only allows applications critical to operations. Modernized endpoints on the other hand, can save on resources by cross referencing a library of trusted Industrial Control System (ICS) applications and licenses. This to allow the OT security to communicate with the next generation firewalls to know what files and applications it can skip and give priority to.

Zero out network trust

Having IT security doesn’t mean that you have OT security. The OT network and devices have their own protocol and processes that are separate from your business IT. However, OT still needs a connection to your business IT for necessary data collection and updates. Attackers aim for this window to get your attack the network. To increase the difficulty for attackers, Zero Trust OT security limits the access of entry points within the OT network with specific traffic rules. The traffic rules are based on the functions and communication needs in order for them to do their work. It also has the added benefit of separating them into segments that make it easier for IT teams to monitor and secure.

To learn more about OT security solutions like txOne, you can send us your inquiries at marketing@www.ctlink.com.ph!

Cyber Security Landscape in 2022

October 20, 2022April 20, 2023 Arby News and Events Cloud Security, IT Security, Security, Trend Micro

The past few years have been a rollercoaster of change for the security landscape. The global pandemic caught many companies off guard due to how fast they needed to adapt to a remote work environment. This allowed threat actors to use a variety of attacks, old and new, to exploit vulnerabilities in security during their transition. However, now that we are slowly emerging from the global pandemic and slowly are slowly returning to the office, can we still say the threat landscape is the same or is there a new trend slowly emerging?

Now that we have passed the halfway point of 2022, it would be a good time to reflect and understand the current threat landscape to better prepare for the end of 2022 and the years after. Let’s take a look at the data provided by Trend Micro’s latest cybersecurity report for the midyear of 2022.

MaaS and RaaS on the Rise

Earlier this year, we saw the rise of malware-as-a-service (MaaS) and ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS). MaaS was propagated through the use of the EMOTET infrastructure that made it easier to distribute. This shows that even if EMOTET was dismantled in 2021, threat actors still use it to deploy other ransomware families to EMOTET-compromised systems.

Cyber Security Landscape emotet — EMOTET Attack Structure

According to Trend Micro data from its Smart Protection Network (SPN) platform, EMOTET detections have soared in the first six months of 2022. The number of detections in 1H 2021 was recorded at 13,811 while in 1H 2022 it has jumped to 148,701.

RaaS on the other hand, has grown due to it’s ease of use. RaaS is available to any would be criminal organization who can either purchase the infrastructure outright or can rent it out. It also does not need any technical knowledge to run a sophisticated attack which makes it even simpler to use. Trend Micro has detected that there are around 57 active RaaS and extortion groups and almost 1,205 victim organizations based on data they have collected throughout the 1H of 2022. They use mostly ransomware such as Lockbit, Conti, and BlackCat which has been detected from Trend’s SPN network.

Cloud Misconfiguration and Cryptocurrency-mining

Cloud-based containers have become integral into the digital transformation strategies of many organizations. However, due to its tendency to be misconfigured, it has become a big target for threat actors. According to a survey from Red Hat in May 2022, out of 300 participants who took the survey, 53% of them have answered that they have detected a misconfiguration in their containers and/or Kubernetes deployment. An independent investigation from Trend into Kubernetes clusters has shown that there are over 243,000 exposed clusters via Shodan that can be seen publicly. Some of these nodes, around 600, came back with a “200 – OK” notification, meaning attackers are free to exploit them and install and run malicious programs on the kubelet API.

Another emerging threat to come recently has been threat actors who steal cyptocurrency mining capabilities from their victims’ resources. There have been five prominent threat actor groups that Trend Micro has been able to identify.

Outlaw – Primarily targets internet-of-things (IoT) devices and Linux cloud servers by exploiting known vulnerabilities or performing brute-force Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) attacks.
TeamTNT – One of the most technically proficient threat actors focused on cryptocurrency mining.
Kinsing – Known for quickly abusing new exploits (including the Log4Shell vulnerability) in a short period.
8220 – Known for exploiting Oracle WebLogic vulnerabilities.
Kek Security – a relatively new group that uses sophisticated techniques and integrates new exploits in its attacks.

Threats are always evolving and adapting to situations within the cyberspace. This is why businesses should always work closely with security vendors to be able to stay up to date with the latest security trends. Consulting with partners like us from CT Link or even security solution vendors like Trend Micro is one way to keep ahead of the new threats that may come in the latter part of 2022 and beyond.

To learn more about the latest in the security trends or even to find someone to help improve your current security measures, please email us at marketing@www.ctlink.com.ph.

What Is Sandboxing?

September 7, 2021April 20, 2023 blog-manager News and Events Trend Micro, what is sandboxing

What do you need to know about sandboxing?

Benefits of sandboxing
Examples of sandboxing
Sandboxing solutions

Sandboxing is a cybersecurity term that involves putting a suspicious code in an isolated environment — also known as a sandbox — to observe its behavior and activity. This way, it can safely be detonated to see if it’s malicious or not. This method can help you prevent threats from getting into your network. To help you understand what sandboxing is, keep on reading to learn more.

Benefits Of Sandboxing

Cybersecurity professionals use the sandboxing method to detect potentially malicious files and applications. This way, if a security problem or error occurs, it is contained in one area. This can prevent a virus from compromising your device or operating system. Aside from that, sandboxing is also used by software developers to test a new code.

The internet is not short of threats. You or your employees could mistakenly download malicious files or access suspicious websites that can lead to a data breach. Most security tools can only detect known malware. This is why sandboxing is often used on top of traditional measures to detect cyber threats.

Without sandboxing, you’re giving a program free access to all your system resources and data. This is risky if you encounter a threat that doesn’t match any known malware signatures — are also known as a “zero-day threat”. As new threats are appearing continuously every day, sandboxing is an effective method to help you detect these problems before they can do any damage.

Examples Of Sandboxing

Sandboxing is used for situations where you need to execute a potentially problematic code. For example, plenty of web browsers nowadays are designed to automatically run in a sandbox. This way, it can prevent problems when a website exploits the vulnerability in the browser. Several applications and operating systems also use sandboxes by default to protect computers from untrusted code. A sandbox is also utilized to quarantine email and file attachments.

Virtual machines are another example of sandboxing. By installing a copy of your operating system on your computer, you can use potentially risky programs in a separate environment. This way, if malware infects the system, it won’t spread beyond the virtual machine.

Sandboxing is also an important component of the secure access service edge (SASE) model. This model combines Software-Defined Wide Area Networking and security functions in one cloud platform. This way, an organization won’t have to purchase multiple point solutions. Sandboxing is one of the security technologies used alongside secure web gateway, firewall as a service, VPN, and more.

Sandboxing Solutions

Plenty of security tools and programs include sandboxing on their list of threat protection features. This can help users detect malware in documents, email attachments, and other data.

If you’re interested in implementing sandboxing practices in your organization, there is a long list of IT solutions you can use. This way, you can utilize it with other security measures to make your network safe from threats. Here are some suggestions:

Citrix Secure Internet Access

With most companies having a hybrid or purely remote workforce, it’s getting more difficult to secure employees’ online activities. They could accidentally download malicious files or access websites that can introduce malware to your network.

To prioritize productivity and security, one good option is to use Citrix Secure Internet Access. It inspects all the traffic from the internet and runs them into a database of known threats. To detect new threats, files are also put into a sandbox.

Cisco Secure Email Advanced Protection

When it comes to business, email is one of the most important communication tools. Due to that, it has also become an attack point for security breaches. This can be done through spoofing, where a cybercriminal attempts to disguise their emails to look like it’s sent by a legitimate source. When left unaddressed and without proper cybersecurity training, corresponding with such phishing emails can spread malware through malicious links and attachments.

Cisco Secure Email Advanced Protection can help combat malware through its Malware Defense and Cisco Threat Grid feature. It uses methods such as file reputation scoring and blocking, sandboxing, and retrospection to analyze threats continuously. This way, you can identify malware that evades initial detection and catch new threats.

Trend Micro Cloud App Security

Office 365 provides companies access to applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. But other than that, it also has multiple features that can improve productivity, enable a mobile workforce, and more.

For additional protection of your corporate files, you can utilize Trend Micro’s Cloud App Security. Aside from machine learning, it also leverages sandbox malware analysis to detect unknown threats. This way malware and other threats coming from remote workers, partners, and mobile devices won’t migrate through cloud file sharing.

Trend Micro Connected Threat Defense

For network-wide protection and detection of threats, another solution offered by Trend Micro is the Connected Threat Defense. A threat could be stopped at the protection stage after running it through its advanced security techniques.

For unknown threats, it uses a sandbox to identify if a file is malicious. After analysis, it uses the Central Visibility feature to pinpoint users who also received the same file — therefore allowing organizations to respond fast before it spreads through the network.

Key Takeaway

Sandboxing is a cybersecurity practice often used with other methods so you can detect and respond to unknown threats. By putting a potentially malicious file or application in an isolated environment, you can observe its behavior and activity. This way, when malware is detected it won’t spread throughout your network.

If you have additional questions on what sandboxing is, you can send us a message here at CT Link. We can help you find and implement the right IT solutions that can boost your organization’s network security.

4 Information Technology Problems In The Healthcare Industry

August 6, 2021April 20, 2023 blog-manager News and Events Citrix virtual apps, information technology problems healthcare industry, Trend Micro, Unitrends

What are some information technology problems in the healthcare industry?

Increasing need for data storage
Vulnerabilities to ransomware
Risk of data loss
Telemedicine and BYOD

With the advancement of technology, the medical field has grown by leaps and bounds. But despite that, there are still information technology problems that the healthcare industry continues to face. Medical devices are still exposed to vulnerabilities, there is a growing need for long-term retention of patient records, and many others. This article discusses these problems and the best ways to mitigate them. Read on.

Increasing Need For Data Storage

Over time, healthcare facilities accumulate an increasing amount of files in their system. With higher-quality laboratory imaging files, data from medical devices, and a growing collection of patient records, the need for larger storage capacities is vital.

But the main challenge for most healthcare facilities is how to quickly scale up without exorbitant price requirements. Most hospitals utilize on-premise data storage but the cost of getting physical servers can be overwhelming. Add to this the cost of maintaining power supply, cooling mechanisms, and more.

That’s why numerous healthcare institutions move towards a more cost-efficient option—cloud storage. This requires less capital investment because organizations can scale up and expand depending on their needs. They can start with a smaller space and gradually increase it as the need for storage grows. Cloud storage solutions also lessen management costs through simplified monitoring and reduce the need for on-premise hardware.

Vulnerabilities To Ransomware

Healthcare data and applications are necessary so healthcare employees can provide proper patient care. Cybercriminals know this, which is why they target these in exchange for ransom. Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks users from accessing data and applications until payment is sent to the criminal. For instance, you might encounter encrypted files and will only be given a decryption key upon settling the ransom.

This type of malware can spread in a system in a variety of ways. Employees could accidentally download it when accessing compromised websites or when clicking on phishing email attachments. These messages try to duplicate legitimate organizations, so users might click on them without checking or verifying their authenticity.

To combat this problem, it is vital to train healthcare employees on how to avoid malicious sites and files. Other than that, IT security measures are also critical in order to detect and isolate suspicious files.

For example, anti-ransomware solutions like Deep Discovery Email Inspector from Trend Micro help detect ransomware from malicious email. Detection is done at the entry point so that the attacks can be blocked before they can even begin. This is made possible through custom sandboxing and other techniques to facilitate the blocking or isolation of such emails.

Another challenge in the healthcare industry is the vulnerability of operational technology (OT) systems and devices — such as CT scans and ultrasound machines — to threats. Since patient outcomes heavily depend on these devices, a disruption could be problematic. Malware could enter the devices and compromise the facility’s computer systems. Fortunately, Trend Micro’s OT solution, the TXOne, can help protect these machine’s entry points from any such threats that can hamper their functionality without downtimes.

Risk Of Data Loss

Because data is crucial to healthcare facilities, many take steps to prevent data loss. But this could still happen due to human error, computer viruses, and hardware destruction. This could affect patient care and lead to downtime. Data loss could also affect the reputation of an organization and trigger legal action from patients.

This is why aside from having additional storage, having backups of important files and data is necessary. Recovering lost data can be expensive, time-consuming, and impossible to completely do. But with a backup, files and applications can be restored faster for smooth continuation of operations.

In some cases, however, criminals also target backups. Fortunately, solutions like Unitrends doesn’t just offer backups, but also ransomware detection and recovery. Backup data is stored in an immutable format, which means that it can’t be accessed by ransomware. This way, it remains safe and ready for recovery. Aside from that, Unitrends also utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze ransomware infections during every backup.

Telemedicine And BYOD

Gone are the days when pagers were the main communication device for healthcare workers. Today, smartphones are the gadget of choice to interact with team members, streamline workflows, and access patient information. By allowing medical workers to use their own devices, healthcare facilities can enjoy huge savings while benefiting from increased work efficiency.

With the pandemic not ending anytime soon, outpatients and physicians can have virtual consultations too. This means that health workers need to have access to their facilities’ electronic health records remotely. This way, they can document e-visits properly and provide continuous care for their patients.

One of the best ways to make telemedicine possible is through the power of cloud computing. This allows health workers to access applications and files that can make work from remote locations possible. With cloud security solutions available, healthcare organizations could secure endpoint devices so physicians can work efficiently whether they’re at the hospital or at home.

A reliable way of accessing the cloud is by using Citrix Virtual Apps. With this, doctors can do work on their tablets while on their rounds and access work from their computers at home. From getting patient information, collaborating with other doctors and patients, and providing patient care anytime — health care workers can do all of these remotely, on the field, or at the hospital. These can all be achieved with regulatory compliance and meeting all HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act) standards.

Key Takeaway

With an increase in data, ever-present cyber threats, risk of data loss, BYOD protocols, and telemedicine on the rise, the need for advanced IT solutions is vital for the healthcare industry. These can help organizations reduce the risk of downtime and provide high-quality care for their patients.

If you want to solve these information technology problems in the healthcare industry, CT Link can help you! You can send a message here today so we can assist you in choosing an IT solution that is fit for your needs.

What Is Hybrid Cloud Computing?

June 18, 2021April 20, 2023 blog-manager News and Events Microsoft Azure, Trend Micro, what is hybrid cloud computing

What is hybrid cloud computing?

A combination of public and private cloud
Has multiple benefits for an organization
Offers enhanced security for companies
The go-to solution for many businesses

A public cloud provides plenty of benefits for organizations, but some companies still have apprehensions when moving all their workloads to this platform. The good news is, hybrid cloud computing provides you an option where you can choose to put your company’s workload either in the public cloud or your local data center. What is hybrid cloud computing? Keep on reading to learn more!

A Combination Of Public And Private Cloud

With cloud computing, you can access computing services such as storage, servers, databases, networking, and more, over the internet. These are typically implemented through the public or private cloud.

A public cloud is managed and offered by a cloud provider to multiple customers. This gives organizations the benefit of less server management and cost savings because a third-party provider manages the service itself. On the other hand, a private cloud is hosted in a company’s own data center, allowing companies to use and manage it themselves.

Hybrid cloud computing allows organizations to integrate their local data center with the public cloud. This acts as extensions of their own data centers, giving businesses flexibility and the ability to have greater control over their data.

A hybrid cloud is often confused with a multi-cloud strategy, where you have workloads on multiple public clouds such as Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform. In a hybrid cloud solution, both private and public clouds can be managed in a single platform.

Has Multiple Benefits For An Organization

With a hybrid cloud solution, you are given the flexibility to choose the applications and data you want to keep in your private and public clouds depending on your needs. For example, an organization can keep sensitive information on their private cloud while taking advantage of the large storage and computing capacity offered by a public cloud.

A hybrid cloud solution also provides rapid scalability to its users. When computing needs extend beyond the capabilities of your on-premises data center, you can use the public cloud for computing, storage, and other resources to scale up your capacity. This will help you save time and money on the purchase and maintenance of new servers.

Aside from these benefits, hybrid cloud computing also gives companies increased support for remote employees. It provides on-demand access to data wherever they are without having to be in one central location.

Offers Enhanced Security For Companies

Apart from the flexibility, scalability, and reduced costs, hybrid cloud computing also provides enhanced security for your data and applications.

Finance, banking, government, healthcare, and other organizations that are consistently scaling their processes might need a hybrid cloud computing solution. This is because the solution provides them greater control and better monitoring of data while complying with privacy protection regulations. Sensitive information can be kept in a hybrid cloud setup without compromising data safety and security.

Hybrid cloud setups make this possible because they provide more advanced and enhanced security compared to what businesses typically implement on their own. Even then, businesses must learn to properly configure the platform to prevent attacks. This is because attacks on hosted servers may be caused by platform misconfigurations such as using weak passwords or failing to secure the cloud container.

Fortunately, there are also features offered in hybrid cloud security solutions that allow you to keep your data and applications secure. For example, the Trend Micro Cloud One offers faster detection and protection from malware, vulnerabilities, and unauthorized change in your hybrid cloud setup. Some of its features include machine learning and virtual patching to protect from multiple cybersecurity threats. It provides continuous monitoring of misconfigurations and sends these alerts to the user for added protection.

The Go-To Solution For Many Businesses

Who uses hybrid cloud computing strategies? Aside from industries that need to fulfill regulatory compliance, more and more companies adopt this solution to become more flexible and agile. With the rapid scalability and other benefits that it offers, organizations can select and combine cloud setups according to their needs. Compared with a strictly public or private setup, a hybrid cloud provides the most flexibility.

Hybrid cloud computing is suitable for companies that need to handle large amounts of data and use various IT services. It is also recommended for organizations that have highly changeable workloads because of a significant increase in demand during peak seasons.

With the ability to respond quickly to changing needs and demands, organizations that utilize hybrid cloud computing have the competitive edge. Workloads can be expanded conveniently into the cloud so that testing and launching new products is quicker.

If you want a flexible, scalable, reliable, and cost-effective cloud computing solution, hybrid cloud computing is the best option for you.

Key Takeaway

Hybrid cloud computing combines the private and public cloud to give organizations flexibility, scalability, and reduce costs depending on their current and changing needs. With its numerous benefits, countless companies are migrating to this setup to keep up with dynamic workload demands.

Now that you know what hybrid cloud computing is, you can experience its benefits in your organization. If you’re interested in implementing this setup, you can contact CT Link! As a hybrid cloud solutions provider in the Philippines, we can help you choose the right product for your needs. Send a message here so we can help you today.

Improve Visibility and Detection Beyond Endpoints with Trend Micro XDR

March 31, 2021March 6, 2023 Arby News and Events EDR, IT Security, Managed Security, MDR, Network Security, Trend Micro, XDR

The threat landscape is always evolving, making it hard for traditional security measures to adapt to it. This has become even more prominent ever since the pandemic; threat actors have been taking advantage of the increased attack surfaces that remote work has provided. However, if you are only securing the endpoint side, you only see a part of the malicious activity and would not be able to properly find the source and cause of it.

Another thing that must be put into consideration is that not all companies have a dedicated security team to make sense of all the alerts that an organizations security solution may notify them of. If you have no one to analyze the alert or if your team can’t respond fast enough due to the number of alerts, you leave your network vulnerable to threat actors.

This is where a security solution like Trend Micro’s XDR can help.

Better visibility of threats to your network

Trend Micro XDR has a reference of indicators of compromise (IoC) that is capable of scanning not just endpoints, but also across emails and network servers, giving your IT team more security visibility of your infrastructure.

Investigating across your organization

Trend Micro XDR allows your IT team to find threats that may have bypassed your security before and also allows you to investigate threats that have already been blocked to find their origin.

Extending your security team

With Trend Micro Managed XDR, you are able to outsource experts from Trend Micro to help interpret the security reports and alerts to quickly remediate threats to your network. This is helpful in both situations in which you have a dedicated security team, as it helps free their time to do other tasks, and those who cannot afford to have a dedicated team.

Machine learning and signatures

Machine learning is used to ensure that files you download are safe through sandboxing to ensure no malicious actions are done once it is running. Signatures on the other hand help quickly distinguish known malicious files and immediately blocks them once detected.

Virtual patching

Once an exploit is found, you need to apply the necessary vendor patch to ensure your business-critical server is safe. However, as we know this is usually easier said than done as patching requires your operations to stop. With Trend Micro, you are able to virtually patch your machine to protect you from the exploit while you slowly patch your business-critical servers.

These are just some features of the XDR suite that Trend Micro Offers, if you are interested in learning more on Trend Micro XDR or other security solutions, you may fill out the form below and we will contact you as soon as we can!

Security Advisory: Zerologon, a level 10 Critical Vulnerability

September 25, 2020April 20, 2023 Arby News and Events Security, Trend Micro

It was recently discovered that a new Critical vulnerability, named Zerologon, has been found for windows which is so severe that the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has given it a score of 10 out of 10 and Microsoft itself has rated it as a severe vulnerability.

What is Zerologon?

The vulnerability was found in Netlogon which is the protocol used by Windows systems to authenticate against a Windows Server running as a domain controller. The vulnerability in Netlogon allows for attackers to:

Impersonate the identity of any of computer on your network during an authentication attempt on a domain controller
Disable security features in the Netlogon authentication process
Change a computer’s password on the domain controller’s Active Directory

The only limitation for the vulnerability is that the attack can only be done if the threat actors already have gotten into your network.

What can I do?

Firstly, it is highly recommended that you update your Microsoft security to avoid this vulnerability. This is the most important step into making sure that your network is not affected by this critical vulnerability. You can find the Microsoft security advisory CVE-2020-1472 here.

If patching cannot be done immediately, one way to help mitigate an attack is to prevent attackers from getting into the network. As stated above, the limitation of this attack is centered on them getting inside the network, however, once they do, it means that they will be able to take control of your whole network.

Trend Micro Solution

For our Trend Micro customers, Deep Security or Apex One can be used to do virtual patching to help mitigate the attacks to help ensure that your network is safe. Below are the IPS rules that may help you strengthen your defense if patching cannot be done immediately:

IPS Rules

Deep Security and Cloud One – Workload Security, Vulnerability Protection and Apex One Vulnerability Protection (iVP)

Rule 1010519 – Microsoft Windows Netlogon Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVE-2020-1472)
Rule 1010521 – Microsoft Windows Netlogon Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability Over SMB (CVE-2020-1472)

Please note that both rules are already set to Prevent.

Other Inspection / Detection Rules

Deep Discovery Inspector

Rule 4453: CVE-2020-1472_DCE_RPC_ZEROLOGON_EXPLOIT_REQUEST
Rule 4455: CVE-2020-1472_SMB2_ZEROLOGON_EXPLOIT_REQUEST

For those interested in learning more about the attacks, Trend Micro is also hosting a webinar this coming September 29, 2020 to talk more in detail about the vulnerability. You can register for the free webinar here.

If you have any questions with regards to either Zerologon or the Trend Micro solution to help prevent the attacks, please just contact us via email (rcruz@www.ctlink.com.ph) or through our landline 88939515 and we would be happy to answer your inquiries!

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