Threat Report overlooks sino-defined not works
The new tools of engagement in nation state cyberwars are deepfakes, application programming interfaces (APIs) and lateral movement, according to VMware’s latest Global Incident Response Threat Report. The most popular tactic is to target incident responders, it said. However the report manages to avoid mentioning what is arguably the greatest threat to mobile operator security: the total reliance on a super power that is currently unhappy with the US and its allies.
The report is based on a survey of 125 cybersecurity and incident response professionals, 82 of which said cyberattacks have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine, confirming similar results found by a Microsoft study released in June. Both these studies predate the current geo-political tensions between the US and China over Taiwan.The biggest threat to mobile operators could be a kill switch embedded in hardware which turns a network into a not work, swarmed one analyst.
VMWare and Microsoft seem to be ignoring an issue that has been simmering for years Telecoms analyst John Strand has consistently warned that China will exploit the world’s dependence on its technology. “Just as Russia threatens to turn off the gas, China can also turn the screws with its IT products and services. Huawei and ZTE enjoy broad and deep installation in Europe and Africa,” said Strand.
With Lenovo is the world’s leading make of laptops, DJI of drones, Hikvision of video cameras and TikTok of video entertainment, mobile operators need to have a plan to respond should China invade Taiwan, warned Strand, who offered more context in research notes.
However, the chances of western telcos mounting a defence are diminishing, according to one finding of the VMWare report which highlighted burnout as a critical issue among security teams. Nearly half (47%) of respondents said they experienced burnout or extreme stress in the past 12 months with 70% wanting to quit. Two-thirds of respondents needed wellness programmes to address the ‘burnout’.
Meanwhile, European mobile operators are exposed, according to the head of Strand Consult. “I fear that China will use the access to the software in the software to control the networks. It can be a kill switch or problems with updates of network software,” said Strand, “if it is safe to buy Chinese networks, it must be just as safe to buy Chinese fighter planes.”