Tag: Cybersecurity

Indonesia – Google Play has teamed up with DDB Group Singapore to launch its new ‘Protect Your Play’ campaign that urges Indonesian gamers to stay vigilant against hidden cyber threats in online gaming.

As Indonesia’s gaming market rapidly expands, Google Play’s campaign aims to alert Indonesian gamers about the risks of neglecting online security, including potential data leaks and scams by cybercriminals on unsecured gaming sites.

The campaign features one of Indonesia’s top action stars, Iko Uwais. Renowned for his roles in The Raid, Expendables, and Star Wars, Uwais is celebrated for his exceptional fighting skills.

Conceptualised by DDB Group Singapore, the campaign film features Uwais navigating the gaming worlds of popular platforms such as Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Freefire, and EA Sports FC. In a dramatic twist, Uwais confronts villains representing online security risks with high stakes as his personal assets and banking details are put at risk.

The campaign also showcases Google Play’s security features, including two-step verification and data encryption, which protect transactions and user data. This technology ensures gamers can safely top up without leaving the game.

In addition to the main campaign film, the initiative features 15-second game-specific ads, gaming influencer battles, and numerous promotions with discounts and game perks, all designed to build excitement and encourage online safety among users. 

Vinod Savio, CCO at DDB Group Singapore, said, “A campaign for gamers has to be engaging. Our task was to deliver a serious message in a way that gamers would not only enjoy but also sit up and pay attention.”

Amanda Chan, product marketing manager at Google Play, added, “Marketing to a diverse yet deeply passionate audience like the gaming community is challenging. DDB Group Singapore did an excellent job of focussing on our audience’s shared love of game cinematics to create an educational campaign that works. It’s no mean feat, and the results speak for themselves.”

Manila, Philippines – Targeting several countries in the region, MARKETECH APAC has announced the launch of its new sister publication brand UpTech Media, aimed at providing the latest technology news and insights across Asia-Pacific.

This strategic launch follows the company’s commitment to keeping organisations at the forefront of knowledge and innovation in the ever-evolving tech landscape. 

Embracing the philosophy “Always Moving Upwards,” the company also acknowledges the dynamic force of technology and its profound impact on the way we live, work, and connect. 

The publication covers a diverse range of topics, including AI, blockchain, cloud computing, cybersecurity, customer experience (CX), e-commerce, fintech, HR tech, and startups. Its coverage also extends across the Asia-Pacific region, encompassing countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and ANZ.

Talking about the launch, Joven Barcenas, CEO of UpTech Media and MARKETECH APAC, shared his vision for the company, stating, “We aim for UpTech Media to actively involve and sway business decision-makers in reshaping their organisations across all operational facets. Serving as a trade media platform, our goal is to convene experts and facilitate discussions on strategies for future-proofing organisations, guaranteeing their continual growth and evolution.”

On the other hand, discussing the integration plans between the two affiliated companies, Barcenas further explained, “We’re thrilled about the debut of UpTech Media and are keen to explore its synergy with Marketech APAC. Initially, we’re focusing on integrating content that caters to the interests of both marketers and tech enthusiasts. However, there are further developments on the horizon.”

“At this stage, our primary objective is to initiate discussions with experts and disseminate their insights to our readership. We’re excited to begin forging partnerships to host roundtable events and other events alongside tech professionals. Rest assured, there are additional initiatives in the pipeline,” he concluded.

Teddy Cambosa, Regional Editor at UpTech Media and MARKETECH APAC, also said, “To illuminate the path to innovation, it is crucial for new media entities to embrace and spotlight the myriad threads of cutting-edge technologies, for in their intricate details lies the blueprint for a future where enterprises thrive, and humanity evolves.

“We are excited for UpTech Media’s launch as we continue on our mission of covering the latest technology updates beneficial for businesses in the Asia-Pacific region,” he concluded.

Headquartered in Manila, Philippines, UpTech Media is set to bring tech discourse to the region across its social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (now X), and its publication site.

Singapore – 90% of organisations were hit with at least one major cyber attack in the last year, with 83% of security leaders have paid ransoms to their attackers during cyberattacks, according to data security and IT software provider Splunk’s 2023 global CISO survey which covered 350 security leaders in total as respondents.

According to the report, more than half of the respondents paid at least $100,000, and every 1-in-11 paid a staggering $1 million or more.

Specifically, numerous industries experienced ransomware attacks that significantly impacted their systems and business operations, including financial services (59%), retail (59%) and healthcare (52%). The retail industry is the most likely to pay the ransom, with 95% of respondents reporting they either paid directly, through cyber insurance or a third party.

While all regions reported paying the ransom, APAC was more likely to pay $1 million or more as compared to its counterparts, and also suffered the most from disruptive cyber attacks.

Notably, 86% of surveyed chief information security officers (CISOs) believe that generative AI will alleviate skills gaps and talent shortages on the security team, filling labour-intensive and time-consuming security functions and freeing up security professionals to be more strategic. 35% percent report using generative AI for positive security applications and an additional 61% will likely use it within the next 12 months.

On the other hand, 70% of CISOs also believe generative AI could give cyber adversaries more opportunities to attack, yet 35% are already experimenting with it for cyber defence including malware analysis, workflow automation and risk scoring.

CISOs also overwhelmingly responded that tool sprawl is a major concern, likely adding to existing visibility issues. Majority say they see a need to rein in security analysis and operations tools with solutions like security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR), security information and event management (SIEM) and threat intelligence. CISOs are looking to decrease the number of tools they use and simplify processes with automation.

The report also mentioned that CISOs and organisations are now prioritising cybersecurity, with 47% of organisations now adding CISOs as part of the C-suite, and 93% of respondent CISOs expecting an increase in their cybersecurity budget over the next year. Additionally, 92% of respondents report either a significant or moderate increase in cybersecurity collaboration between security teams, IT and engineering organisations, largely driven by initiatives like digital transformation, cloud native development and a greater emphasis on risk management.

Jason Lee, CISO at Splunk, said, “The C-Suite and board of directors are increasingly relying on CISOs for guidance across a sophisticated threat landscape and changing market conditions. These relationships provide CISOs the opportunity to become champions who strengthen an organisation’s security culture and lead teams to become more cross-collaborative and resilient.”

“By communicating key security metrics, CISOs can also guide boards on adopting emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to help improve cyber defence management and prepare for the future,” he added.

Manila, Philippines – The recent ransomware attack against government-controlled health insurance entity PhilHealth depicts a dip on the Philippines’ overall digital quality of life, new data from Surfshark.

Overall, the Philippines is ranked 60th in the overall ranking on digital quality life globally in 2023, dropping by five places from last year.

According to the data, the Philippines ranks 45th in the world in e-security — 1 place lower than last year. While it has beat its other regional counterparts such as Indonesia (61st) and Malaysia (48th) and have data protection laws in place, the country still suffers from various cyberattacks–including the recent ransomware attack carried out by the Medusa group.

Meanwhile, the country ranks 54th in e-infrastructure and 64th in e-government. For context, the e-government pillar shows how advanced a government’s digital services are and the level of AI readiness a country demonstrates, while e-infrastructure shows how it is easy for people to use the internet for various daily activities.

Moreover, the data also notes that Internet in the country remains unaffordable, with Filipinos having to work 10 hours 5 minutes a month to afford fixed broadband internet, and 3 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds a month to afford mobile internet. 

Despite all of this, the internet speed is now 25% higher than the global average, with fixed internet averaging 119 Mbps, and mobile internet averaging 55 Mbps. Since last year, mobile internet speed in the Philippines has improved by 43%, while fixed broadband speed has grown by 59%. Compared to Indonesia, the Philippines’ mobile internet is 107% faster, while fixed broadband is 229% faster.

Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, spokeswoman at Surfshark, said, “In many nations, ‘digital quality of life’ has merged into the broader concept of overall ‘quality of life’. There’s no other way to look at it now that so many daily activities, including work, education, and leisure, are done online. That’s why it’s crucial to pinpoint the areas in which a nation’s digital quality of life thrives and where attention is needed, which is the precise purpose of the DQL Index.”

Singapore – New data shows that Filipino consumers who visit pirate streaming sites are prone to 21.66 times greater risk of malware infections, with a verifiable detection rate of 10%. This was according to the latest study conducted by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) alongside Dr. Paul Watters of Cyberstronomy.

The report’s findings reveal that when Filipino consumers access pirate torrent sites, the risk of malware infection increases 16.66 times when compared to mainstream platforms. The confirmed infection rate is 18%.

It concluded that a typical user visiting a pirate site faces the threat of infection by ransomware, numerous trojan horses, and other advanced persistent threats (APTs). These infections could occur within 42 seconds on a Windows machine and just 1 minute and 18 seconds on an Android device.

Matt Cheetham, general manager of CAP, said, “Evidence continues to mount that far from being a victimless crime, piracy can victimize consumers.” 

He added, “We look forward to the successful passage of site blocking legislation in the Senate that will allow the Philippines to both protect its consumers from online harm posed by pirate sites and grow its economy.” 

Melbourne, Australia – After a highly competitive pitch, Australian digital ad agency Magic has won the media strategy and media buying remit of security software and hardware company Sophos. 

As it lead the media strategy in Australian office, Magic’s new office in West Hollywood will serve the Sophos account and effectively launch the Alchemy methodology to US market.

Magic’s revolutionary mathematical media-buying methodology Alchemy is also one of the factors of being chosen by Sophos to handle the remits. Alchemy employs statistical datasets, custom mathematical modelling, and direct mathematical findings to power media buying optimisations and planning. 

Jordan Taylor-Bartels, CEO of Magic, said that they are thrilled to be chosen as the agency to manage the media strategies of Sophos, which serves as a testament that their strategies and media methodologies are ahead of traditional network approaches.

Meanwhile, Megan Cabrera, VP of global marketing operations at Sophos, commented, “Magic’s mathematical led media-buying strategy and execution will empower Sophos to understand its customers better and find the most efficient and cutting-edge ways to engage with them. We are excited to see the impact of this partnership on our global marketing strategy.”

Magic is an ad agency that specialises in innovative and data-driven media buying and planning solutions. 

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines has been ranked ninth in the Asia-Pacific region with the most breaches, accounting for around 1.2 million users affected, according to the latest study from cybersecurity company Surfshark.

According to the report, the new statistic was 70.2% less than the previous year. It is estimated that 11 in 1,000 people in the Philippines are affected by a data breach.

On a regional level, Asia amounted to a fourth of all world’s breaches with 74.2M, mostly coming from China, Indonesia and India. Turkey ended up in the 4th place regionally, followed by Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Malaysia. 

In APAC, the IndiHome breach was the biggest in the region in 2022, leaking as many as 12.6M accounts. Another notable breach occurred in China, when a breach of a Chinese adult content site Hjedd resulted in around 11M accounts being leaked. This accounted for around a third of all Chinese accounts leaked in 2022.

Globally, 2022 had 68% less breached users than 2021. While the majority of countries around the world showed improvement, the sharpest victim spikes were spotted in Indonesia (269%), Sri Lanka (204%), Russia (191%), Uzbekistan (73%) and China (45%).

Agneska Sablovskaja, lead researcher at Surfshark, said, “While these numbers remain unsettling, we’re happy to report an immense global decrease of 68% compared to last year. Some countries, including U.S., India and Brazil, managed to improve their situation significantly, while Indonesia, China and Russia experienced the biggest surges in data breaches year-over-year.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Super app Grab in Indonesia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesia’s primary signal intelligence agency, National Cyber ​​and Crypto Agency (BSSN), to increase knowledge and development of human resources related to cybersecurity, especially for driver-partners and Grab merchants. 

The collaboration will hold various trainings and webinars related to cybersecurity literacy and digital economy security at GrabAcademy. It will also see Grab supporting BSSN for educational activities related to cyber security for the Indonesian people to avoid cyber attacks.

Hinsa Siburian, Republic of Indonesia’s head of the National Cyber ​​and Crypto Agency (BSSN), believes that they must have a strategy in carrying out the task of BSSN.

“And specifically for the problem of protecting national vital information infrastructure, Grab is included here, we must protect this so that business processes at Grab run safely and smoothly. If one day there will be a crisis, then we have also prepared how to manage a national cyber crisis,” said Siburian.

Meanwhile, Ridzki Kramadibrata, Grab’s president for Indonesia, shared that the use of technology also needs to be complemented by an understanding of digital literacy, especially for driver-partners and business partners.

“We hope that through collaboration that carries the GrabForGood spirit to bring positive impact from technology, Grab can continue to increase literacy awareness on cybersecurity so that everyone can participate in digital economy activities more safely,” said Kramadibrata.

Bratislava, Slovakia – Global internet security company ESET has unveiled its newest brand positioning centred around the message of ‘Progress. Protected’, which aims to deliver a message of empowering progressive change for society through a fully integrated marketing and communications campaign.

According to the company, said brand positioning was inspired by the insight that while the power of human ideas remains the leading catalyst for the world’s progression today, progress is advanced via the connectivity provided by technology, which needs protecting. 

“Human and technological progress is now more vulnerable than ever to attack, and ESET is positioned to protect the continued advancement of this innovation through the provision of its industry-leading security software and services,” the company said in a press statement.

As part of the brand positioning, ESET has released a series of short films directed by Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Hubert Davies, in which leaders in science, education, innovation, and space exploration discuss progress from their specialist point of view.

https://youtu.be/LHYIfDyGWPE

As part of the brand films, it will feature bespoke illustrations created by four top-class artists: John Tomac, Jun Cen, Marcellus Hall and Bruno Mangyoku. They will be reacted to in the films with famous personalities such as famous NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield, cultural anthropologist Dr. Mimi Ito, marine biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and science author Steven Johnson.

For Richard Marko, CEO of ESET, the new brand positioning is a way for them to demonstrate ESET’s investment and passion for progress through technology. In addition, the company places great importance on the technology, research and corporate responsibility initiatives that they pursue with colleagues, customers, partners and the communities in which they operate.

“The world continues to move forward at pace. When ESET was founded, the Internet was in its infancy. Now technology is part of everything we do and is central to the continued advancement of our society. Most of the time, technology does just what it is supposed to, but to ensure continued progress in the digital age, we need someone to question what’s going on in the background. I believe that is an important task for our company, as to protect technology means to protect progress itself,” Marko explained.

This new brand proposition will be supported with a fully integrated campaign which will be executed throughout 2022. With digital, video, print and Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising, ESET will celebrate progress within technology by spotlighting a number of fascinating thought leaders across a range of fields.

Singapore – Global security intelligence company LogRhythm has unveiled its new brand identity, which is designed to represent its commitment to helping security operations centres (SOCs) close workforce gaps, increase knowledge of new attacks and techniques, and navigate an ever-changing threat landscape with confidence. 

LogRhythm, which has a presence in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia within APAC, brings together the complete technology to improve security posture. It combines a comprehensive and flexible security operations platform, technology partnerships, and advisory services.

The new logo recognises LogRhythm’s value, which is not rooted in technology alone, but is both analogue and digital; a mix of people, expertise, and know-how that allows the company to best apply technology to customers’ most pressing security concerns and challenges. It also connotes being in rhythm with the company’s customers, colleagues, and partners. Moreover, the wave signals LogRhythm’s commitment to adapting to the ever-changing threat horizon to keep customers protected in the face of uncertainty.

Cindy Zhou, LogRhythm’s chief marketing officer, shared that LogRhythm gives customers the upper hand by proactively identifying threats and the technology to defend against them.

“The people who work at LogRhythm are cyber advisory and technology allies to our customers. This brand identity supports our new technology offerings coming in 2022 that align with the mission we have always had, to ensure our customers are ready to defend against today’s top threats,” said Zhou.

LogRhythm said that the rebrand is the first of many changes to come in 2022, including a fresh visual look, an upcoming cloud-native platform, and a new outlook that reflects the company’s vision and evolution.