Security Is Everyone’s Responsibility, Fortinet PH Says

Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, urges netizens from all sectors to become more responsible in utilizing the cyberspace, stressing that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility.

In the recently concluded 6th National Anti-Cybercrime Summit, held at the Multi-Purpose Center in Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame, Quezon City, Mark Cayubit, solutions engineer for Enterprise, Public Sector and Education of Fortinet Philippines, said that despite the abundance of security tools available in the market, there is a single weak link in the entire security chain that remains easy to exploit.

“In today’s digital landscape, security tools can only get you so far. Organizations and even individuals can now deploy the best anti-virus in the world, the most secure firewall, or the best ideas in IPS but, what remains a weak spot in the security chain are us, humans,” Cayubit added. “In the hacking industry, they exploit this human factor in security through social engineering attacks.”

Cayubit defined social engineering as a scheme of approaching individuals and manipulating them so they provide personal information they can use to assume someone’s identity or break into a computer network to gain access to the organization’s sensitive data.

For instance, Cayubit shared that social engineers can use techniques, such as Phishing or Vishing (voice phishing). Cybercriminals send e-mails, appearing to be from reputable sources, or talk directly to their target victims with the goal of influencing them to give out personal information, such as credit card and social security numbers.

A more current approach that is being utilized by cybercriminals is by getting information from their target’s social media accounts or by planting links of interesting clips and content, which when clicked, downloads an attached virus or malware. These threats can be detrimental to an organization, especially that they can lead to serious cyberattacks and even data breaches.

To prevent these social engineering attacks, Cayubit emphasized that organizations should build an effective cyber-security strategy that involves three important aspects, such as People, Process, and Technology.

“Effective security requires a synergy between people, processes, and technology. There’s no such thing as a silo or an infrastructure that can protect everyone from cyberattacks—it’s always about the synergy of these three. For you to build an effective security strategy, these three aspects should work hand-in-hand with each other,” added Cayubit.

Fortinet Philippines has been supporting the Philippine National Police – Anti Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) and its initiatives of ensuring cybersecurity for Filipinos. The company has also been a partner of the National Anti-Cybercrime Summit since 2015.