It may be hard to find the good news in a security report placing the average data breach cost at almost $5 million, but IBM researchers did see at least one reason for optimism: Companies are more frequently detecting their breaches.

In a study of more than 600 organizations in 16 countries that suffered a data breach between March 2023 and February 2024, the IBM team found that security pros and their tools discovered their compromises at a greater rate than previous years. And self-discovery has its savings: When an attacker disclosed a breach, the median cost reached $5.53 million, compared to $4.55 million when an in-house security team made the discovery.

“The faster you can identify and the faster you contain, the less harm that’s done to you, your company, and your customers, potentially,” Diana Kelley, CISO at cybersecurity company Protect AI (and former global executive security advisor at IBM), said on an August 13 presentation from IBM.

Got ID? Forty-two percent of IBM’s studied organizations spotted the compromise themselves—an increase from 33% last year. Also, the resident defenders had slightly quicker reflexes, taking, on average, 194 days to spot a breach, compared to 2023’s ID time of 204 days. The mean time for security teams to identify and contain a breach fell to 258 days—a seven-year low, according to the report.

Read the rest here.—BH

IT pros are a lot like quarterbacks: They’re under intense pressure to put touchdowns on the board for their biz (i.e., boost productivity while keeping software costs at bay). Working in IT can feel a lot like throwing Hail Marys while facing a blitz.

That’s why you gotta peep BetterCloud’s SMP playbook for IT leaders. It’s jam-packed with top-notch info on how selecting the right SaaS management platform can launch IT to the rafters.

And BetterCloud is well aware of how difficult it can be to get the C-suite to invest in new automation software. You’re in luck, though: This playbook provides a template to build a business case that’ll help you win over the top brass.

IT’s time to score a touchdown.

With the US presidential election less than three months away—and early voting in some states set to start in late September—security experts are warning of possible cyber disruptions to the process, both foreign and domestic.

“Things will go wrong,” CISA Director Jen Easterly told the crowd at BlackHat on August 7. “I can guarantee that.”

Easterly added that she isn’t worried about overall election security. She said she feels confident in election infrastructure—it “has never been more secure”—and that disruptions “will not affect the security or the integrity of the votes.”

State by state. Despite the CISA head’s confidence, some states are already reporting problems. In Georgia, experts found a flaw in the Secretary of State’s online portal that opened the possibility of anyone canceling a voter registration as long as they had the voter’s personal information.

“It’s shocking to have one of these bugs occur on a serious website,” Silent Push Senior Threat Researcher Zach Edwards told ProPublica.

Read more here.—EH

Relationship drama? Try adding “getting hacked” to the normal spats and disagreements of a romantic relationship.

It’s a possibility, thanks to an increase in shared passwords, joint accounts, and location sharing. An August 6 report from Malwarebytes surveying 500 adults across the US, all in committed relationships, revealed the extent of digital integration for couples—85% of those polled reported allowing their partner access to personal accounts. Close to 50% of those surveyed reported allowing their partner access to their email, messaging apps, social media, and online forums.

“It absolutely broadens the number of targets that might exist,” Malwarebytes Senior Privacy Advocate David Ruiz told IT Brew. “If there are companies and organizations that are worried about what is their security risk…they no longer have to just worry about their C-suite, they no longer just have to worry about their employees—highly committed cyber criminals could start targeting loved ones.”

Keep reading here.—EH

Hack your way to success. Grab the exclusive offer for Brew readers only: 60% off EC-Council’s online cybersecurity library with 600+ courses. Learn with cutting-edge, practical classes that scored an average rating of 4.9/5.0. Elevate your cybersecurity career with unlimited learning anytime, anywhere. Act now.