The whole world is seen as fair play for cybercriminals
Sophos presents advanced cybersecurity solutions at GITEX Global 2023
Cybercriminals – individuals or organisations – invariably do not target specific regions, such as the Middle East, to launch cyberattacks. Instead, they treat the whole world as fair play for their nefarious activities.
Speaking at GITEX Global 2023, John Shier, Field CTO at Sophos, noted that “cybercriminals do not care who they attack as they are opportunists who go for easy and quick pickings”.
Headquartered in Oxford, UK, Sophos is a global leader and innovator of advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR), incident response services and a range of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies that help businesses counter cyberattacks in the bud.
Sophos defends 500,000+ organisations and 100 million+ users across the globe from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more, said Shier, in an interview at GITEX Global 2023 held at Dubai World Trade Centre (October 16-20, 2023).
Powered by Sophos X-Ops, the company’s cross-domain threat intelligence unit, Sophos’ services and products connect through its cloud-based central management console.
Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimises the Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, including a centralised data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors.
Global footprint
According to Shier, Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide to businesses that need fully managed, turnkey security solutions.
He added that customers could also work their cybersecurity directly with Sophos’ security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos’ services, including threat hunting and remediation.
Sophos showcased its advanced cybersecurity solutions and services, including its MDR solution, at GITEX Global 2023, where Shier also highlighted the company’s newly released Active Adversary Report for Tech Leaders 2023.
According to the report, it takes approximately 16 hours for malicious actors to reach Active Directory (AD), one of an organisation’s most critical digital assets.
Active Directory typically manages identity and access to resources across an organisation, meaning attackers can use Active Directory to escalate their system privileges quickly by logging in and conducting a wide range of malicious activity.
With cybercriminals constantly modifying and evolving their gameplan to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity professionals, Sophos used its presence at GITEX Global 2023 to showcase its new Incident Response Retainer solution, which provides organisations with speedy access to the company’s industry-first fixed-cost incident response services that includes 45 days MDR.
The retainer allows Sophos’s incident responders to respond to active cyberattacks, investigate, and commence remediation quickly. External vulnerability scanning and critical preparedness guidance are also included in the retainer, enabling organisations to proactively improve their existing security resilience by pinpointing and resolving issues that reduce the likelihood of a breach in the first place.
StarLink distribution partnership
Sophos has meanwhile partnered with StarLink, an Infinigate Group Company, as a distribution partner in the Middle East and Levant regions. The deal was formalised at GITEX Global 2023.
With effect from November 20, 2023, and through its extensive channel network, StarLink will distribute and promote Sophos’ portfolio of solutions, including MDR services and network, endpoint and messaging cybersecurity.
Harish Chib, Vice President for the Middle East and Africa at Sophos said: “We are thrilled to partner with StarLink to provide cybersecurity to organisations in the Middle East. Cybercriminals are constantly upping their game, and Sophos’s research indicates that attacks, such as ransomware, occur within hours after cybercriminals establish a foothold in a network.
“Our mission is to provide organisations with the most effective cybersecurity solutions that protect, detect and remediate, and with StarLink’s extensive portfolio, network and expertise, we are confident that together, we can empower organisations to defend their digital assets effectively,” Chib added.
Ahmed Diab, COO at StarLink, added: “StarLink is proud to partner with a globally recognised security solutions provider such as Sophos. Our partnership will enable us to offer customers strategic and defensive security solutions backed by unparalleled support and services.”
Featured image: Sophos exhibitor stand at GITEX Global 2023. Image: Arnold Pinto
Last Updated on 1 year by Arnold Pinto
