Importance of cyberwarfare a key takeaway from this year’s Cobra Gold, general says
RAYONG, Thailand — Thousands of troops from 30 nations started for home Friday as the largest military exercise in mainland Asia officially came to a close.
More than 9,000 service members from 30 countries — including 4,500 troops from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps — gathered throughout Thailand beginning Feb. 27 for Cobra Gold, the world’s longest-running annual exercise of its kind.
Over nearly two weeks, those troops made amphibious assaults and airborne drops, fired live artillery rounds, trained for jungle survival and took part in community relations projects and other activities.
Lt. Col. Lindsay Mathwick, commander Combat Logistics Battalion 15 and Marines aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset, said she visited each training area where members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit were engaged.
“We learned so much as a force,” she told Stars and Stripes by email Friday.
“Some of our Marines also had the opportunity to participate in community relations events with locals – a truly memorable experience,” Mathwick wrote. “But what truly moved me and showed me the impact we have coming to participate in these exercises, was seeing the Marines laughing, eating, and sharing stories with each other during their breaks.”
Bit-Wizards Stresses Importance of IT Security in Light of Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Fort Walton Beach, Oct. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Managed IT Services provider Bit-Wizards is urging businesses of all sizes to prioritize security in response to Cybersecurity Awareness Month. With the average cost of a data breach in the United States reaching $9.48 million in 2023, up from $9.44 million in 2022, Bit-Wizards emphasizes the importance of businesses taking proactive measures to protect against cyber threats.
High-profile companies such as T-Mobile, MGM, Activision, and many others have already suffered financial losses due to cyberattacks this year, and with the holiday season approaching, Bit-Wizards warns that cybercrime tends to spike during this time. Businesspeople often let their guards down, and more employees are traveling and working remotely, making organizations more vulnerable to security risks.
“There’s an increase in activity for cyber threats this time of year because hackers know that people are not being as vigilant as they normally are,” says Jason Monroe, Director of Solution Consulting at Bit-Wizards. “By nature, we’re relaxed, we’re happy, and we don’t think anything can touch us.”
To combat this, Bit-Wizards urges businesses to implement:
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Employee training: The main problem with employees is that they simply don’t know that they’re doing anything wrong, or they don’t know what to look for. Training your employees to be skeptical about every external email should be ongoing training that happens regularly. Your employees are your last line of defense before a cyber-criminal can get into your network, but they are also the reason why the doors are left unlocked and opened. Training on computer security best practices, passwords, phishing, ransomware, and other threats should be frequent and ongoing.
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Cybersecurity measures: Taking cybersecurity measures such as undergoing regular penetration tests is a smart way to help defend your network. A penetration test is an authorized attack on a network to evaluate its security posture. When you undergo a pen test, you’re hiring a company to ethically hack your system. The main focus of this exercise is to attempt to find a vulnerability in a company’s system and then exploit…