Imagine trying to follow a movie where the villain goes by four different names.
It would be a bit confusing to say the least.
That’s what it’s like in the cyber security world right now.
A hacking group could be referred to by completely different names, by those who report and write about them. Whether it’s Microsoft, Google, CrowdStrike, or another security firm.
This makes things hard to track and often slows down how quickly a cyber-attack can be dealt with.
So, Microsoft and CrowdStrike are collaborating to try fix this issue.
They’re planning to create a unified naming system to more easily identify hacking groups. This means cyber-criminal gangs will have one official label. Helping cyber-attack responders to quickly identify who’s attacking, how they operate, and how to stop them.
As it stands, when a hacking group gets into an organisation. That same group can be known by anything from Salt Typhoon, to GhostEmperor, or OPERATOR PANDA.
This often leads to a lag in response time as everyone tries to identify the threat and get on the same page.
The new unified naming conventions will use weather themed terms to organise these groups. For example, groups backed by the Chinese-state will be identified with ‘Typhoon’ in their name, Russian groups will be assigned ‘Blizzard’. Other ransomware and commercial spyware developers will be labelled with words like ‘Tempest’, ‘Storm’, or ‘Tsunami’.
The idea is simple but could have powerful benefits for businesses like yours.
It has the potential to drastically improve threat intelligence. Which means your IT team or cyber security provider can easily identify the source of the attack, spot patterns, and ultimately act sooner with a stronger response.
This kind of collaboration between the big tech firms helps small businesses level the playing field. With everyone speaking the same language it makes dealing with threats easier for all.
It’s one of those changes that won’t make headlines, but it could benefit businesses significantly and help keep them safe.
Need help to better protect your business from cyber-attacks? Get in touch with us.
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