IBM Cybersecurity Hub to mitigate APAC cyberattacks

• IBM invested its resources to help businesses prepare for and manage the growing threat of cyberattacks to organizations across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region
• Asia saw more cyberattacks than any other region in the past year, while financial services and manufacturing organizations together experienced nearly 60% of attacks
• Ransomware actors attempted to “fracture” the backbone of global supply chains with attacks on manufacturing, which became 2021’s most attacked industry (23%)

In a move that has the potential to revolutionize cybersecurity training, IBM virtually inaugurated its Cyber Range and IBM Security Command Center. The center located in Bengaluru explicitly trains cybersecurity response techniques through highly realistic, simulated cyberattacks designed to prepare everyone from C-Suite through technical staff. 

The first of its kind center was launched by Shri. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 

“As India becomes the largest connected democracy in the world, our PM’s vision is that cyberspace will not just become a place for innovation, growth and opportunity, it will also become a place where the future standards and future technologies for securing the cyberspace evolve, mature and proliferate. I believe the Cybersecurity Hub launched by IBM today will go a long way in creating an ecosystem of not just awareness but also capabilities and talent in creating safe cyberspace,” he said.

Commenting on the launch, Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India, said, “One of the biggest challenges impacting the success of the exponentially growing digital economy and that of countries across the world is cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a global challenge threatening enterprises more vigorously than ever before. We have an opportunity to respond and act now. We need cutting-edge technology and coming together of the entire ecosystem to address this threat. The launch of the IBM Cybersecurity Hub is, in fact, a response to this challenge. It will empower clients to respond to incidents with greater speed, effectiveness, and transparency.”

Asia is now the most targeted region for cyberattacks

According to IBM global analysis, Asia saw more cyberattacks than any other region in the past year while financial services and manufacturing organizations together experienced nearly 60% of attacks.

The 2022 report also detailed how in 2021, ransomware actors attempted to “fracture” the backbone of global supply chains with attacks on manufacturing, which became 2021’s most attacked industry (23%), dethroning financial services and insurance after a long reign.  The rapid rise of cyber-attacks and data breaches should spur more Asian organizations to invest in security solutions, especially in the financial and manufacturing sectors.

The new IBM cybersecurity center will help address the most pressing need of the hour for organizations of all types to accelerate their security strategies and align business priorities with a security-first approach. The cybersecurity sensor is a highly realistic, immersive training simulation environment leveraging industry-leading audio and visual effects. This includes live malware, ransomware, and other real-world hacker tools. These simulations were designed in consultation with dozens of experts from different industries, including emergency medical responders, active-duty military officers, and incident response experts. 

“Preparing for a cyberattack is like fire-drill training. Everyone from executives through to contractors need to understand their own role in an emergency and reinforce the crucial response steps through practice,” said Chris Hockings, IBM Security CTO for the Asia Pacific.

“The new IBM Security Command Center is the first in Asia Pacific enabled to train the entire business in the art of response to a cyberattack event, further enhanced by the real-time experience of our security experts based in the adjoining global Security Operations Center. With Asia Pacific’s enormous growth, diversity, and role in the global supply chain, these capabilities can be a real game changer for helping customers face growing threats in the region.”

IBM also invested its resources to help businesses prepare for and manage the growing threat of cyberattacks to organizations across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The investment also includes a new Security Operation Center (SOC), part of IBM’s vast network of existing global SOCs – providing 24X7 security response services to clients worldwide.

This includes IBM Managed Security Services and access to IBM’s team of incident response experts. It also comprises IBM Consulting, IBM Garage BM India Software Labs, and IBM Research. This collaborative approach drives meaningful, lasting transformation for clients and fast-track innovation. The center can deliver customized experiences and workshops – including virtually – tailored to organizations’ unique security requirements and objectives, leveraging the IBM Cyber Range Design consulting team.

IBM’s global SOC network now includes 9 locations such as Atlanta in the US, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia and more. It offers MSS investigation experts to assist with on-the-ground response, dedicated security experts with strong vertical expertise, personalized advisory services combined with a holistic approach to secure hybrid cloud environments. IBM’s SOC model leverages AI, machine learning and automation, bringing together human expertise and advanced technologies to help respond with speed, efficiency and transparency.

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