Identity Security | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Until just a couple of years ago, only a handful of IAM pros knew what service accounts are. In the last years, these silent Non-Human-Identities (NHI) accounts have become one of the most targeted and compromised attack surfaces . Assessments report that compromised service accounts play a key role in lateral movement in over 70% of ransomware attacks. However, there's an alarming disproportion between service accounts' compromise exposure and potential impact, and the available security measures to mitigate this risk.  In this article, we explore what makes service accounts such a lucrative target, why they are beyond the scope of most security control, and how the new approach of unified identity security can prevent service accounts from compromise and abuse .  Active Directory Service accounts 101: Non-human identities used for M2M In an Active Directory (AD) environment , service accounts are user accounts that are not associated with human beings but are used for machine-to-

Attackers are increasingly using new phishing toolkits (open-source, commercial, and criminal) to execute adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks. AitM enables attackers to not just harvest credentials but steal live sessions, allowing them to bypass traditional phishing prevention controls such as MFA, EDR, and email content filtering. In this article, we're going to look at what AitM phishing is, how it works, and what organizations need to be able to detect and block these attacks effectively. What is AitM phishing? AitM phishing is a technique that uses dedicated tooling to act as a proxy between the target and a legitimate login portal for an application.  As it's a proxy to the real application, the page will appear exactly as the user expects, because they are logging into the legitimate site – just taking a detour via the attacker's device. For example, if accessing their webmail, the user will see all their real emails; if accessing their cloud file store then all their r

For years, securing a company's systems was synonymous with securing its "perimeter." There was what was safe "inside" and the unsafe outside world. We built sturdy firewalls and deployed sophisticated detection systems, confident that keeping the barbarians outside the walls kept our data and systems safe. The problem is that we no longer operate within the confines of physical on-prem installations and controlled networks. Data and applications now reside in distributed cloud environments and data centers, accessed by users and devices connecting from anywhere on the planet. The walls have crumbled, and the perimeter has dissolved, opening the door to a new battlefield: identity . Identity is at the center of what the industry has praised as the new gold standard of enterprise security: "zero trust." In this paradigm, explicit trust becomes mandatory for any interactions between systems, and no implicit trust shall subsist. Every access request, regardless of its origin,

The Emergence of Identity Threat Detection and Response Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) has emerged as a critical component to effectively detect and respond to identity-based attacks. Threat actors have shown their ability to compromise the identity infrastructure and move laterally into IaaS, Saas, PaaS and CI/CD environments. Identity Threat Detection and Response solutions help organizations better detect suspicious or malicious activity in their environment. ITDR solutions give security teams the ability to help teams answer the question "What's happening right now in my environment - what are my identities doing in my environments." Human and Non-Human Identities As outlined in the ITDR Solution Guide, comprehensive ITDR solutions cover both human and non-human identities. Human identities entail the workforce (employees), guests (contractors), and vendors. Non-human identities include tokens, keys, service accounts, and bots. Multi- environment ITDR solutions c

The browser is the nerve center of the modern workspace. Ironically, however, the browser is also one of the least protected threat surfaces of the modern enterprise. Traditional security tools provide little protection against browser-based threats, leaving organizations exposed. Modern cybersecurity requires a new approach based on the protection of the browser itself, which offers both security and frictionless deployment.  In an upcoming live webinar ( Register here ), Or Eshed, CEO of browser security company LayerX, and Christopher Smedberg, Director of Cybersecurity at Advance Publishing, will discuss the challenges facing modern enterprise in the new hybrid-work world, the gaps found in existing security solutions, and a new approach to securing the modern enterprise workspace, which is centered on the browser. The Browser is Where Work Takes Place The browser is the key to the organization's critical assets. It connects all organizational devices, identities, and SaaS and

It's the age of identity security. The explosion of driven ransomware attacks has made CISOs and security teams realize that identity protection lags 20 years behind their endpoints and networks. This realization is mainly due to the transformation of lateral movement from fine art, found in APT and top cybercrime groups only, to a commodity skill used in almost every ransomware attack. The lateral movement uses compromised credentials for malicious access – a critical blind spot that existing XDR, network, and SIEM solutions fail to block.  Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) has emerged in the last couple of years to close this gap. This article breaks down the top five ITDR capabilities and provides the key questions to ask your ITDR vendor. Only a definitive 'YES' to these questions can ensure that the solution you evaluate can indeed deliver its identity security promise.  Coverage For All Users, Resources, and Access Methods  Why is it important? Partial protectio

Identity theft isn't just about stolen credit cards anymore. Today, cybercriminals are using advanced tactics to infiltrate organizations and cause major damage with compromised credentials. The stakes are high: ransomware attacks, lateral movement, and devastating data breaches. Don't be caught off guard. Join us for a groundbreaking webinar that will change the way you approach cybersecurity. Gain insider knowledge on Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) , the latest technology designed to protect your identity like never before. In this power-packed session, you'll discover: Hidden Vulnerabilities in Your Security: Learn why traditional solutions are falling short and how ITDR fills these critical gaps. Top Features of ITDR Solutions: Get an insider's perspective on what sets the best ITDR solutions apart. ITDR in Action: See real-world scenarios where ITDR has thwarted sophisticated identity-based attacks. Future Trends in Identity Security: Stay a

Since the first edition of  The Ultimate SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) Checklist  was released three years ago, the corporate SaaS sprawl has been growing at a double-digit pace. In large enterprises, the number of SaaS applications in use today is in the hundreds, spread across departmental stacks, complicating the job of security teams to protect organizations against evolving threats. As SaaS security becomes a top priority, enterprises are turning to SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) as an enabler. The  2025 Ultimate SaaS Security Checklist , designed to help organizations choose an SSPM, covers all the features and capabilities that should be included in these solutions. Before diving into each attack surface, when implementing an SSPM solution, it's essential to cover a breadth of integrations, including out-of-the-box and custom app integrations, as well as in-depth security checks. While there are apps that are more sensitive and complex to secure, a breach c

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations face an increasingly complex array of cybersecurity threats. The proliferation of cloud services and remote work arrangements has heightened the vulnerability of digital identities to exploitation, making it imperative for businesses to fortify their identity security measures. Our recent research report,  The Identity Underground Report , offers valuable insights into the challenges and vulnerabilities organizations encounter in managing digital identities. The report paints a vivid picture of the "hidden" identity security liabilities where attackers leverage Identity Threat Exposures (ITEs) such as forgotten user accounts and misconfigurations to breach organizations' defenses, with each ITE posing a significant threat to organizations' security posture. Discover the most common identity security gaps that lead to compromises in the first-ever threat report focused entirely on the prevalence of

We all know passwords and firewalls are important, but what about the invisible threats lurking beneath the surface of your systems? Identity Threat Exposures (ITEs) are like secret tunnels for hackers – they make your security way more vulnerable than you think. Think of it like this: misconfigurations, forgotten accounts, and old settings are like cracks in your digital fortress walls. Hackers exploit these weaknesses to steal login information, gain sneaky access, and move around your systems unnoticed, whether they're in the cloud or on-site. This upcoming webinar,  " Today's Top 4 Identity Security Threat Exposures: Are You Vulnerable? "  isn't just for tech experts—it's about protecting your business.  We'll use real-world examples and insights from Silverfort's latest report to show you the hidden dangers of ITEs. You'll learn about: The Top 4 Identity Threats You Might Be Overlooking:  We'll name them and explain why they're