Editor’s note: There is a lot going on in the world of IT, from emerging technologies to digital transformation and new cybersecurity threats. However, we can’t possibly cover it all, so we’ll bring you This Week in IT, a curated summary of IT and enterprise technology stories each week.
New Apple iPhones don’t have physical SIM cards
Apple has released several new devices, including new iPhone and Watch models. Of particular interest is that all new iPhone 14 models (standard, Plus, Pro and Pro Max) is the lack of a physical SIM card. In its place is the eSIM, which Apple says allows users to more easily transfer their existing plans digitally and provides more security than a physical SIM card. It also allows for multiple cellular plans on a single devices.
Learn more about Apple’s new devices.
IT trends CIOs should plan for
A new report from MuleSoft Research finds that organizations are shifting their IT strategies to focus on creating experience-centric capabilities to meet the demands of their business, employees and customers. The report finds that leaders are addressing skills gaps within IT by doubling down on automation, fusion teams are being created to increase alignment between IT and business functions, and organizations are empowering teams with low/no-code tools to create connected experiences.
Learn more about MuleSoft’s study here.
IT pros say videoconferencing is unsecure
Zerify, a secure videoconferencing provider, says new research of 1,000 IT professionals finds that 97% are concerned about protecting privacy and videoconferencing data, and 92% are aware of security vulnerabilities in videoconferencing platforms. The survey also suggests that nation-state cyber threats are increasing at a wide range of organizations, as 81.8% reported an increase. Nearly 70% said they believe threat actors could breach their videoconferencing platforms, with 84% saying a successful breach could result tin theft of sensitive information.
Learn more about Zerify’s research here.
Mirai botnet variant targets D-Link devices
Unit 42, the threat research arm of cybersecurity Palo Alto Networks, has discovered attacks leveraging four vulnerabilities in routers made by D-Link. If devices are compromised, they can be fully controlled by attackers, who could then use them to launch DDoS attacks and other offenses. Researchers say they observed attackers use the vulnerabilities to spread MooBot, a variant of the Mirai botnet, that targets exposed networking devices running Linux.
All of the vulnerabilities have been addressed by D-Link, so organizations using D-Link devices should apply upgrades and patches.
Learn more about the attacks here.
Tech firms sound the alarm on Iranian hackers
Microsoft and Mandiant have issued three reports this week detailing actions by allegedly Iran-based threat actors, including ransomware campaigns leveraging newly disclosed vulnerabilities, data theft and destruction against the Albanian government, and highly-targeted spear-phishing and social engineering campaigns.
Some of the campaigns highly targeted and largely focus on organizations of strategic interest to the Iranian government, such as government, defense, think tanks and journalists. However, one group simply scans the internet to find vulnerable servers and devices.
- Microsoft: Attacks against the Albanian government
- Microsoft: Phosphorous ransomware
- Mandiant: Iranian state-sponsored group
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