Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network and security solutions, today announced findings from its 2024 State of Connectivity report which found 92 per cent of Canadians rate the overall reliability of their organization’s network connectivity as good or very good. However, downtime continues to be a concern for Canadian businesses, with 53 per cent of respondents saying they experienced one to two hours of connectivity downtime per week on average in the last 12 months, due to fixed line/fibre network failure. Twenty-eight per cent indicated they experienced three to four hours of downtime per week.
The survey, which was conducted by Censuswide, indicates these outages have affected productivity and the ability for organizations to be competitive. Specific impacts cited by business leaders include higher operational costs (45 per cent), operational inefficiencies (41 per cent), and loss of talent (36 per cent). Looking ahead, respondents indicated key investment areas that should be made for private and public Canadian organizations to address the advancement of connectivity include stronger security (43 per cent), improved reliability of communication networks (40 per cent) and faster roll-out of 5G/advanced wireless networks to rural areas (38 per cent).
Improving connectivity is on the minds of many business leaders. Looking ahead over the course of 12 months, 25 per cent of respondents expect their business revenue to grow by 10 to 14 per cent as a direct result of improved connectivity.
5G: A priority for government and businesses
Respondents see the value 5G will bring to their organization, especially as it advances the competitiveness of Canadian businesses. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents indicated 5G will improve security; 38 per cent said it will offer expansion opportunities for business; and 37 per cent said it will improve bandwidth. Another 37 per cent said it will play a major role in infrastructure and transport.
While many organizations are already taking advantage of the benefits of 5G networks, it continues to be a focus for the government and service providers. With the Federal government’s plan to offer local licensing, there will be easier access to 5G spectrum for small internet service providers and innovative industries as well as rural, remote and Indigenous communities – specifically, 80 MHz of mid-band spectrum at 3900-3980 MHz for local shared and private 5G networks, and portions of the mmWave bands for local use. Three quarters of Canadian organizations (73 per cent) indicated they are planning for this.
However for some businesses, hurdles related to investing in 5G connectivity solutions remain. The top barriers reported by business leaders include complexity of change (30 per cent); perception of costs (27 per cent); concerns over the ability to secure connectivity across the enterprise (27 per cent); and 5G not being offered by a mobile carrier (27 per cent).
Securing connections
While security is always top of mind, as Canadian organizations leverage 5G and invest in new technologies such as IoT, it’s becoming even more important to combat bad actors who are developing new tactics and ways to compromise businesses. Over the last 12 months, 27 per cent of respondents said their business had been subject to a network security attack. Of those, 28 per cent indicated it was a major security breach that resulted in the loss of data.
Of those respondents who indicated their organization suffered an attack:
- 40 per cent indicated their network security had been compromised by a data breach
- 33 per cent indicated it was compromised by a denial-of-service attack
- 33 per cent indicated it was compromised by phishing
- 31 per cent indicated it was compromised by ransomware
Business leaders also indicated there is a gap in knowledge of some areas of their network. Seventeen (17) per cent of respondents said their network security had been breached as the result of a hacked IoT device, however almost nine out of 10 (89 per cent) were unsure of the number of IoT devices that were already deployed or are planned to be deployed in their organization in the next 12 months and beyond.
Additional findings:
* Improving security awareness and education will be key for organizations moving forward. Less than half of organizations are using or are familiar with crucial endpoint and network security solutions including the following:
- Multi-factor authentication (45 per cent)
- Secure Access Service Edge/SASE (39 per cent)
- Web browser isolation (38 per cent)
- Mobile device management (37 per cent)
- Zero trust network access (36 per cent)
- Edge security (36 per cent)
* Three-quarters (75 per cent) of Canadians believe the Canadian government is doing its part to ensure there is reliable connectivity across the country since the national outage in 2022. This number has increased from 72 per cent in 2023.
* Sustainability is an important issue for organizations in Canada, with 76 per cent of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing that it plays a key role in their organization’s short- and long-term goals and another 78 per cent noting that by increasing their sustainability efforts, they could help improve revenue.
- In order to operate more efficiently and sustainably, however, 78 per cent of respondents agree that smarter facilities are required – for example, by incorporating IoT and connected devices.
- Canadian businesses are making headway in this area, with many already using or planning to invest in technologies to reduce waste and make their facilities more efficient. In particular, 56 per cent of business leaders said they are already using cellular networks across the business to achieve this, with 41 per cent planning to invest within the next 36 months.
- Additionally, 76 per cent of businesses have IoT devices in place, and 42 per cent are already using AI and Machine Learning, with another 53 per cent planning to invest in these over the next three years.
The full 2024 State of Connectivity Report for Canada can be found here: https://cradlepoint.com/state-of-connectivity-2024-ca.
Apple Posts A Document On Apple Threat Notifications…. Why You Should Read It And Why You LIKELY Shouldn’t Worry
Posted in Commentary with tags Apple on April 11, 2024 by itnerdFrom the “this doesn’t happen every day” department comes this document that Apple posted yesterday. In short, this covers what Apple threat notifications are and why you’d get one:
Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, likely because of who they are or what they do. Such attacks are vastly more complex than regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware, as mercenary spyware attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices. Mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks.
So let me point out a couple of things. For the overwhelming majority of people who are reading this post, you will likely never get a threat notification because you’re likely not the target of a “mercenary spyware attack”. The targets for these sorts of attacks are typically politicians, journalists, and human rights activists for example. And the threat actors are typically governments who want to gather intelligence to ultimately silence those in the target group that I just named. But even given that fact, this article also goes into detail about what you need to do if you actually get a threat notification. And how to reduce the chance that you could be pwned by “mercenary spyware attacks” from people like the infamous NSO Group. Thus this is worth your time to at least read once or twice for reasons that I will get to in a moment.
Now if you’re still paranoid about this after everything that you’ve read so far, let me see if I can reassure you. Ted Miracco, CEO, Approov has some additional advice:
“While Apple devices are believed to feature strong security measures and privacy features, there are certainly gaps.
“Apple users can often develop a false sense of security, because the default settings on iOS are seemingly designed for user experience and convenience, and are not sufficient to guard against the most sophisticated attacks, such as mercenary spyware or state-sponsored cyber espionage. This reality is parallel to that of Android devices, where default settings also aim to balance security with user convenience, and so fall far short against highly targeted and well-funded attacks. Attackers have moved on from broad, clumsy attacks to highly targeted and sophisticated ones, and they’re deeply skilled, highly organized and well funded.
“The key point here is not to single out one platform over another but to highlight the broader industry challenge. The existence of features like Lockdown Mode and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud on Apple devices underscores the company’s awareness of these sophisticated threats, and a commitment to offering tools that users can employ to enhance their security. However, these tools often require manual activation and a deeper understanding of the potential threats, leading to a gap in security for users who do not adjust beyond the default settings.
“For Apple users, one of the most significant steps you can take to protect your data is enabling Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. This feature significantly enhances the security by using end-to-end encryption for a broader range of data types. We strongly urge users who might be at higher risk due to their profession or visibility, to also enable Lockdown Mode on their Apple devices. Lockdown Mode is a comprehensive shield designed to prevent the most advanced digital threats by limiting the attack surface that spyware exploits.
“Mobile users aren’t alone in this exposure. App developers are similarly at risk from Apple and Android mobile devices, where sideloading allows their apps to be subject to cloning and other IP theft – security and fiscal issues that current app store structures perpetuate.”
Again, I want to stress that for the overwhelming majority of people who are reading this post, you will likely never get a threat notification. Largely because you will never be targeted by threat actors in this way. But the advice that is given in this post is a great way to reduce your attack surface so that you are safe from this or any sort of threat.
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