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Cybersecurity Industry News Review: February 21, 2023
By Joe Fay
Think tank warns as economic, political, and cybersecurity risks collide. Accenture heads to Brazil, quantum security firm Sandbox fills up on cash and Biden loses cyber director.
Washington Think Tank Warns on Economic Risk and Cybersecurity
Increased international conflict, including rising nationalism, a “cyber arms race”, and a looming recession are contributing to an increasingly volatile environment when it comes to cybersecurity, the Bipartisan Policy Center has declared in a new report. It also noted “lowered inhibitions for cyberattacks” and spillover from the war in Ukraine. Even as organizations contemplate these problems, they must deal with the consequences of earlier under investment in security and infrastructure, fragmented regulation and pressure on new investments due to economic uncertainty. All this and a “talent shortage” too.
Accenture Smells the Coffee, Buys Brazil’s Morphus
Consultancy giant Accenture has bolstered its security workforce and geographical reach with the acquisition of Brazil-based Morphus. The 20-year-old target firm provides an “end-to-end” portfolio of services, including strategy, risk management, and managed security services. The deal brings an additional 230 cybersecurity professionals into Accenture. Morphus will provide a launchpad for Accenture to expand its cybersecurity offering in Latin America, forming the core of a new Cyber Industry practice. Accenture last year named Brazil as one of the most victimized countries when it comes to info theft.
Sandbox Fills Up with Dash for Post Quantum Future
Sandbox AQ, which was spun off from Google last year and is developing “post quantum cryptography”, has raised $500 million in funding. Sandbox AQ describes itself as a SaaS company “combining AI + Quantum tech to solve hard problems impacting society”. Those problems include the prospect of quantum computing making current cryptography redundant – though that should be still some way away. At least part of its solution is scanning existing systems to identify the use of older encryption protocols so that they can be upgraded to newer standards, or as Sandbox AQ describes it, Cryptographic Agility.
Jamaica Ratchets Up on Cybersecurity
Jamaica is establishing a National Cyber Security Authority with backing from the US Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank. The authority will oversee policies, provide skills training, and monitor cyber threats to the Island nation. Its debut coincides with the finalization of data protection regulations, and the announcement of a national broadband network.
US Cyber Chief steps down ahead of new strategy
Chris Inglis has stepped down as the US National Cyber Director. The post was established by President Biden, with NSA and Air Force veteran Inglis the first individual to hold it. His appointment coincided with a ratcheting up of US focus on cybersecurity in general, along with critical infrastructure and open source in particular. Inglis’ move comes as the White House is expected to announce a new national cyber strategy. His principal deputy Kemba Walden is now acting director.
