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Introduction

Cybersecurity threats have been globally prevalent for quite some time now. All nations, organisations and individuals stand at risk from new and emerging potential cybersecurity threats, putting finances, privacy, data, identities and sometimes human lives at stake. The latest Data Breach Report by IBM revealed that nearly a staggering 83% of organisations experienced more than one data breach instance during 2022. As per the 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon, the total number of global ransomware attacks surged by 13%, indicating a concerning rise equal to the last five years combined. The statistics clearly showcase how the future is filled with potential threats as we advance further into the digital age.  

Who is Okta?  

Okta is a secure identity cloud that links all your apps, logins and devices into a unified digital fabric. Okta has been in existence since 2009 and is based out of San Francisco, USA and has been one of the leading service providers in the States. The advent of the company led to early success based on the high-quality services and products introduced by them in the market. Although Okta is not as well-known as the big techs, it plays a vital role in big organisations' cybersecurity systems. More than 18,000 users of the identity management company's products rely on it to give them a single login for the several platforms that a particular business uses. For instance, Zoom leverages Okta to provide "seamless" access to its Google Workspace, ServiceNow, VMware, and Workday systems with only one login, thus showing how Okta is fundamental in providing services to ease the human effort on various platforms. In the digital age, such organisations are instrumental in leading the pathway to innovation and entrepreneurship. 

The Okta Breach

The last Friday, 20 October, Okta reported a hack of its support system, leading to chaos and havoc within the organisation. The result of the hack can be seen in the market in the form of the massive losses incurred by Okta in the stock exchange. 

Since the attack, the company's market value has dropped by more than $2 billion. The well-known incident is the most recent in a long line of events connected to Okta or its products, which also includes a wave of casino invasions that caused days-long disruptions to hotel rooms in Las Vegas, casino giants Caesars and MGM were both affected by hacks as reported earlier this year. Both of those attacks, targeting MGM and Caesars’ Okta installations, used a sophisticated social engineering attack that went through IT help desks.

What can be done to prevent this? 

Cybersecurity attacks on organisations have become a very common occurrence ever since the pandemic and are rampant all across the globe. Major big techs have been successful in setting up SoPs, safeguards and precautionary measures to protect their companies and their digital assets and interests. However, the Medium, Mico and small business owners are the most vulnerable to such unknown high-intensity attacks. The governments of various nations have established Computer Emergency Response Teams to monitor and investigate such massive-scale cyberattacks both on organisations and individuals. The issue of cybersecurity can be better addressed by inculcating the following aspects into our daily digital routines: 

• Team Upskilling: Organisations need to be critical in creating upskilling avenues for employees pertaining to cybersecurity and threats. These campaigns should be run periodically, focusing on both the individual and organisational impact of any threat.  
• Reporting Mechanism for Employees and Customers: Business owners and organisations need to deploy robust, sustainable and efficient reporting mechanisms for both employees well as customers. The mechanism will be fundamental in pinpointing the potential grey areas and threats in the cyber security mechanism as well. A dedicated reporting mechanism is now a mandate by a lot of governments around the world as it showcases transparency and natural justice in terms of legal remedies.  
• Preventive, Precautionary and Recovery Policies: Organisations need to create and deploy respective preventive, precautionary and recovery policies in regard to different forms of cyber attacks and threats. This will be helpful in a better understanding of threats and faster response in cases of emergencies and attacks. These policies should be updated regularly, keeping in mind the emerging technologies. Efficient deployment of the policies can be done by conducting mock drills and threat assessment activities.  
• Global Dialogue Forums: It is pertinent for organisations and the industry to create a community of cyber security enthusiasts from different and diverse backgrounds to address the growing issues of cyberspace; this can be done by conducting and creating global dialogue forums, which will act as the beacon of sharing best practices, advisories, threat assessment reports, potential threats and attacks thus establishing better inter-agency and inter-organisation communication and coordination.  
• Data Anonymisation and Encryption: Organisations should have data management/processing policies in place for transparency and should always store data in an encrypted and anonymous manner, thus creating a blanket of safety in case of any data breach.
• Critical infrastructure: The industry leaders should push the limits of innovation by setting up state-of-the-art critical cyber infrastructure to create employment, innovation, and entrepreneurship spirit among the youth, thus creating a whole new generation of cyber-ready professionals and dedicated netizens. Critical infrastructures are essential in creating a safe, secure, resilient and secured digital ecosystem. 
• Cysec Audits & Sandboxing: All organisations should establish periodic routines of Cybersecurity audits, both by internal and external entities, to find any issue/grey area in the security systems. This will create a more robust and adaptive cybersecurity mechanism for the organisation and its employees. All tech developing and testing companies need to conduct proper sandboxing exercises for all or any new tech/software creation to identify its shortcomings and flaws. 

‍Conclusion 

In view of the rising cybersecurity attacks on organisations, especially small and medium companies, a lot has been done, and a lot more needs to be done to establish an aspect of safety and security for companies, employees and customers. The impact of the Okta breach very clearly show how cyber attacks can cause massive repercussion for any organisation in the form of monetary loss, loss of business, damage to reputation and a lot of other factors. One should take such instances as examples and learnings for ourselves and prepare our organisation to combat similar types of threats, ultimately working towards preventing these types of threats and eradicating the influence of bad actors from our digital ecosystem altogether. 

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References: 

• https://hbr.org/2023/05/the-devastating-business-impacts-of-a-cyber-breach#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20global%20average,legal%20fees%2C%20and%20audit%20fees.
• https://www.okta.com/intro-to-okta/#:~:text=Okta%20is%20a%20secure%20identity,use%20to%20work%2C%20instantly%20available.
• https://www.cyberpeace.org/resources/blogs/mgm-resorts-shuts-down-it-systems-after-cyberattack

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Risk Management

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The ‘Information Security Profile’ prioritises and informs cybersecurity operations based on the company's risk administration procedures. It assists in choosing areas of focus for security operations that represent the desired results for producers by supporting periodic risk evaluations and validating company motivations. A thorough grasp of the business motivations and safety requirements unique to the Production system and its surroundings is necessary in order to manage cybersecurity threats. Because every organisation has different risks and uses ICS and IT in different ways, there will be variations in how the profile is implemented.

Companies are currently adopting industry principles and cybersecurity requirements, which the Manufacturing Information is intended to supplement, not replace. Manufacturers have the ability to identify crucial operations for key supply chains and can order expenditures in a way that will optimise their impact on each dollar. The Profile's primary objective is to lessen and manage dangers associated with cybersecurity more effectively. The Cybersecurity Framework and the Profile are not universally applicable methods for controlling security risks for essential infrastructure.

Producers will always face distinct risks due to their distinct dangers, weaknesses, and tolerances for danger. Consequently, the ways in which companies adopt security protocols will also change.

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Key Cybersecurity Functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover

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1. Determine 

Create the organisational knowledge necessary to control the potential hazards of cybersecurity to information, systems, resources, and competencies. The Identify Function's tasks are essential for using the Framework effectively. An organisation can concentrate its efforts in a way that aligns with its approach to risk mitigation and company needs by having a clear understanding of the business environment, the financial resources that assist with vital operations, and the associated cybersecurity threats. Among the outcome characteristics that fall under this function are risk evaluation, mitigation strategy, the administration of assets, leadership, and the business environment.

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2.  Protect

Create and put into place the necessary measures to guarantee the provision of crucial infrastructure amenities. The Protect Function's operations enable the limitation or containment of the possible impact of a cybersecurity incident. Instances of results Access Management, Knowledge and Instruction, Data Safety and Security, Data Protection Processes and Instructions, Repair, and Defensive Systems are some of the classifications that fall under this role.

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3. Detect

Create and carry out the necessary actions to determine whether a cybersecurity event has occurred. The Detect Function's operations make it possible to find vulnerability occurrences in an efficient way. This function's result subcategories include things like abnormalities and incidents, constant security monitoring, and identification processes.

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4. React

Create and carry out the necessary plans to address a cybersecurity event that has been discovered. The Response Function's operations facilitate the capacity to mitigate the effects of a possible cybersecurity incident. Within this Scope, emergency planning, interactions, analysis, prevention, and enhancements are a few examples of result categories.

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5. Recover

Create and carry out the necessary actions to uphold resilience tactics and restore any services or competencies that were hampered by a cybersecurity incident. In order to lessen the effects of a vulnerability incident, the Recovery Function's efforts facilitate a prompt return to regular operations. The following are a few instances of outcome subcategories under this role: communications, enhancements, and recovery planning.

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Conclusion

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The Information Security Profile, when seen in the framework of risk mitigation, offers producers a tactical method to deal with the ever-changing cybersecurity danger scenario. The assessment directs safeguarding operations prioritisation by recognising specific business reasons and connecting with corporate goals. The Profile enhances the cybersecurity standards and established industry guidelines by taking into account the differences in vulnerabilities and organisational subtleties among producers. It highlights the significance of a customised strategy, acknowledging that every business has unique risks and weaknesses. 

The fundamental tasks of the Framework, to Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover, serve as a thorough roadmap, guaranteeing a proactive and flexible approach to cybersecurity. The Profile's ultimate goal is to increase the efficacy of risk mitigation techniques, understanding that cybersecurity is a constantly shifting and evolving subject for the manufacturing sector.

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References

• https://csrc.nist.gov/news/2020/cybersecurity-framework-v1-1-manufacturing-profile
• https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2020/NIST.IR.8183r1.pdf
• https://mysecuritymarketplace.com/reports/cybersecurity-framework-version-1-1-manufacturing-profile/

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Executive Summary: 

A viral post on X (formerly Twitter) gained much attention, creating a false narrative of recent damage caused by the earthquake in Tibet. Our findings confirmed that the clip was not filmed in Tibet, instead it came from an earthquake that occurred in Japan in the past. The origin of the claim is traced in this report. More to this, analysis and verified findings regarding the evidence have been put in place for further clarification of the misinformation around the video.

Claim:

The viral video shows collapsed infrastructure and significant destruction, with the caption or claims suggesting it is evidence of a recent earthquake in Tibet. Similar claims can be found here and here

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Fact Check:

The widely circulated clip, initially claimed to depict the aftermath of the most recent earthquake in Tibet, has been rigorously analyzed and proven to be misattributed. A reverse image search based on the Keyframes of the claimed video revealed that the footage originated from a devastating earthquake in Japan in the past. According to an article published by a Japanese news website, the incident occurred in February 2024. The video was authenticated by news agencies, as it accurately depicted the scenes of destruction reported during that event.

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Moreover, the same video was already uploaded on a YouTube channel, which proves that the video was not recent. The architecture, the signboards written in Japanese script, and the vehicles appearing in the video also prove that the footage belongs to Japan, not Tibet. The video shows news from Japan that occurred in the past, proving the video was  shared with different context to spread false information.

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The video was uploaded on February 2nd, 2024.

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Snap from viral video

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Snap from Youtube video

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Conclusion: 

The video viral about the earthquake recently experienced by Tibet is, therefore, wrong as it appears to be old footage from Japan, a previous earthquake experienced by this nation. Thus, the need for information verification, such that doing this helps the spreading of true information to avoid giving false data.

• Claim: A viral video claims to show recent earthquake destruction in Tibet.
• Claimed On: X (Formerly Known As Twitter)
• Fact Check: False and Misleading