Marc Wilczek
- Vice President, Portfolio, Innovation & Architecture, T-Systems and Columnist, CIO
Frankfurt am Main
COO @Link11GmbH | Columnist CIO.com, @DarkReading et al. | #Innovation, #Strategy & Change | @LBS alum | #CIO #Cybersecurity #Cloud #Bigdata | Views are mine.
Articles by Marc Wilczek
Digitale Resilienz hält Unternehmen handlungsfähig
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Digital Sovereignty by Design: Rethinking Security, Cloud, and AI in Europe
Digital sovereignty will not be achieved by patching problems after the fact – it has to be designed in from day one. Building on the panel discussion on “Future Connectivity” at the eco Interaction Day 2026, this article explores why security and compliance must become design principles, how businesses can master today’s fragmented IT landscapes, what really drives AI adoption in the German SMEs, and where policymakers need to act so that Europe’s digital economy can scale on its own terms.
Don’t sleep on DDoS: How the DNA of this cyberattack is evolving
Link11’s Marc Wilczek explains how DDoS attacks have changed in 2022, and what security leaders need to prepare for in future. While the incidence of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks declined at the start of this year, it cannot be ignored that these attacks are changing their DNA. They are getting bigger and unleashing their massive potential for destruction more quickly. IT decision-makers have less time to defuse ever more complex DDoS attacks before too much damage is done.
Why cybersecurity is relevant for industrial production
Statistics now show exactly how expensive neglecting cybersecurity measures can be for companies. In 2021 alone, the German economy suffered damage to the tune of around €223 billion due to cyber-attacks. All in all, 86% – i.e. the overwhelming majority – of companies in Germany, were affected by an IT attack in 2021. Of these, it was primarily companies in the industrial production sector that were affected.
Cyber-Security: Relevanz für Finanzsysteme steigt
Keine andere Branche ist weltweit so stark von Cyber-Attacken betroffen wie der Finanzdienstleistungssektor. Doch woran liegt das? Wie stellen sich die Angriffe in der Regel dar? Und welche Verteidigungsmechanismen sollten Banken installieren? Cyber-Kriminalität hat Hochkonjunktur. Dies zeigt das aktuelle Beispiel „Hydra Market“.
Why cloud service providers are a single point of failure
Cloud computing has been a global megatrend for the past decade and enjoyed skyrocketing adoption, and there is no end in sight. As this transition continues, cloud services will assume a dominant position as IT innovators produce more efficient, flexible, and faster products. A forecast by analyst firm IDC estimates that total worldwide spending on cloud services will reach $1.3 trillion by 2025.
Why Cloud Service Providers Are a Single Point of Failure
Cloud computing has been a global megatrend for the past decade and enjoyed skyrocketing adoption, and there is no end in sight. As this transition continues, cloud services will assume a dominant position as IT innovators produce more efficient, flexible, and faster products. A forecast by analyst firm IDC estimates that total worldwide spending on cloud services will reach $1.3 trillion by 2025.
Dem Risiko DDoS-Angriff technisch und strategisch begegnen
Unternehmen erweitern ihre IT-Infrastrukturen und schaffen damit neue Ausfallrisiken. Security-Teams müssen diese aktiv angehen und Cyberresilienz als Grundlage etablieren. von Marc Wilczek, Link11 und Ralph Noll, Deloitte Zuletzt aktualisiert:16 Nov. 2021 Konnektivität, Cloud Computing, IoT, KI, Big Data – diese Technologien beflügeln die Digitalisierung in der Wirtschaft.
CISO Confidence Is Rising, but Issues Remain
New research reveals how global CISOs dealt with COVID-19 and their plans for 2022-2023. The pandemic has been a "black swan" event. The effects have hammered the global economy, and, on the Internet, allowed cybercriminals to ramp up their dirty work and extort millions of dollars. Today, despite taking measures to prevent them, many organizations around the world still fear feel vulnerable to online attacks.
Critical infrastructure under attack
Critical infrastructure is becoming more dependent on networks of interconnected devices. For example, only a few decades ago, power grids were essentially operational silos. Today, most grids are closely interlinked — regionally, nationally, and internationally as well as with other industrial sectors.
Critical Infrastructure Under Attack
Several recent cyber incidents targeting critical infrastructure prove that no open society is immune to attacks by cybercriminals. The recent shutdown of key US energy pipeline marks just the tip of the iceberg. Critical infrastructure is becoming more dependent on networks of interconnected devices. For example, only a few decades ago, power grids were essentially operational silos.
Under Attack: Hosting & Internet Service Providers
The digital universe depends on always-on IT networks and services, so ISPs and hosting providers have become favorite targets for cyberattacks. In less than a decade, cybersecurity has become a critical systemic issue for the world economy. More than ever, modern life and international commerce depend upon a functioning and accessible Internet. According to Cisco, 66% of the global population will have access to it within two years, by which time there will be 5.3 billion total Internet users.
Cybercrime goes mainstream
The World Economic Forum’s 2020 “Global Risks 2020” report notes that the digital space is characterized by growing geopolitical tensions and meddling, a lack of technology governance, and a greater overall reliance on technology. Further, more than half of the world is connected to the Internet, and the number grows by a stunning 1 million people a day. As a result, cybercrime has become the second-greatest risk that business will face over the next 10 years.
Cybercrime Goes Mainstream
Organized cybercrime is global in scale and the second-greatest risk over the next decade. The World Economic Forum's 2020 "Global Risks 2020" report notes that the digital space is characterized by growing geopolitical tensions and meddling, a lack of technology governance, and a greater overall reliance on technology. Further, more than half of the world is connected to the Internet, and the number grows by a stunning 1 million people a day.
Why North Korea Excels in Cybercrime
North Korea is laser-focused on boosting its cyber capabilities, and it's doing a remarkable job of it. Although the US and the United Nations have levied sanctions meant to prevent the illegal financing of nuclear weapons, North Korea is proving to be adept at sidestepping them — and is also remarkably proficient at cybercrime. As other countries try to hammer out common cybersecurity protocols, North Korea has rapidly grown its cyber capabilities, both domestically and abroad.
Cyber security 2021: five predictions for the coming year
Cloud computing, remote work, extortion campaigns, and carpet-bombing attacks will create even more cyber security challenges in 2021, says Marc Wilczek, COO at Link11 GmbH There have been many cyberattacks over the past year, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyber-gangs operating as Fancy Bear and the Armada Collective engaged in aggressive DDoS extortion. Municipalities, utilities, and other organizations managing critical infrastructure were particularly targeted.
Cybercrime: Nation-states go prime time
Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated by employing methodologies that make them both tougher to detect and more capable of thwarting even tech-savvy targets. Hostile nation-states are using new attack methods that improve the odds of infiltrating and knocking off high-value targets.
Cybercrime: Nation-States Go Prime Time
Critical infrastructure remains a high-value target, but 90% of nation-states also attack other industry sectors. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated by employing methodologies that make them both tougher to detect and more capable of thwarting even tech-savvy targets. Hostile nation-states are using new attack methods that improve the odds of infiltrating and knocking off high-value targets.
Cybercrime Losses Up 50%, Exceeding $1.8B
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Fewer companies are being hit by cyber incidents, but those that do get hit are hit harder and more often. The world is rightly obsessed with the COVID-19 pandemic right now, but there's also a growing cybercrime pandemic. The good news is that fewer firms are reporting breaches.
From Defense to Offense: Giving CISOs Their Due
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. In today's unparalleled era of disruption, forward-thinking CISOs can become key to company transformation -- but this means resetting relationships with the board and C-suite.
Security Boulevard
Banking in the 21st century no longer revolves around visiting your local branch. Doing business with a bank is now mostly online, global and 24/7. It makes sense that financial crime has also evolved alongside its target. The modern-day Jesse James has traded in his pistol for expertise in coding. What’s more, there are more bandits than ever before.
Average Cost of a Data Breach in 2020: $3.86M
A recent survey of 3,200 people in 524 organizations that suffered data breaches is a bit of a mixed bag. Ponemon's "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020" (commissioned by IBM) reveals that despite an apparent decline in the average cost of a data breach — from $3.92 million in 2019 to $3.86 million this year — the price tag was much less for mature companies and industries and far higher for firms that had lackluster security automation and incident response processes.
Average Cost of a Data Breach in 2020: $3.86M
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. When companies defend themselves against cyberattacks, time is money. A recent survey of 3,200 people in 524 organizations that suffered data breaches is a bit of a mixed bag.
The IT Backbone of Cybercrime
Like their counterparts who run legitimate businesses, cybercriminals need hosting and cybersecurity protection, too. As organizations increasingly adopt digital platforms, criminals are snapping at their heels, slavering to breach those platforms and steal money. The "Global Risks Report 2020," published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), notes that cybercrime will be the second most-worrisome risk for global business until at least 2030.
How to Help Spoil the Cybercrime Economy
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Cybercrime increasingly is turning into a commodity. Stolen PII data and hijacked cloud accounts especially propel the spread, research shows.
Average Cost of a Data Breach: $116M
Sensitivity of customer information and time-to-detection determine financial blowback of cybersecurity breaches. The authors of the "Trends in Cybersecurity Breach Disclosures" report from Audit Analytics reviewed 639 cybersecurity breaches at public companies since 2011 and discovered that, on average, each cyber breach costs $116 million. The report found that in 2019, cybercriminals usually targeted customer names, addresses, and e-mail addresses (48%, 29%, and 28%, respectively).
Safeguard Your Remote Workforce
DDoS attacks on VPN servers can not only bring remote work to a standstill but also cut off admins from accessing their systems. Here are three ways to stay safer. Operational continuity is crucial for organizations at the best of times — and right now, we're a long way from the best of times.
3 SMB Cybersecurity Myths Debunked
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Small and midsize businesses are better at cyber resilience than you might think. Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are the bedrock of most national economies.
The Covid-19 Factor: Impact on Cybercrime in 2020
2020 Cyber Security Breaches Survey highlights a surge in cyber-threats for UK businesses - the percentage of companies that are attacked at least once a week has increased by 50 percent.
Cybercrime May Be the World's Third-Largest Economy by 2021
The underground economy is undergoing an industrialization wave and booming like never before. As organizations go digital, so does crime. Today, cybercrime is a massive business in its own right, and criminals everywhere are clamoring to get a piece of the action as companies and consumers invest trillions to stake their claim in the digital universe.
Cybercrime May Be the World's Third-Largest Economy by 2021
As organizations go digital, so does crime. Today, cybercrime is a massive business in its own right, and criminals everywhere are clamoring to get a piece of the action as companies and consumers invest trillions to stake their claim in the digital universe. That's why the World Economic Forum's (WEF) "Global Risks Report 2020" states that cybercrime will be the second most-concerning risk for global commerce over the next decade until 2030.
Limiting the Impact of the Cybercrime Pandemic
In coping with the global pandemic that is COVID-19, organizations shouldn’t lose sight of protecting themselves against cybercrime Global concerns over the current spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and what will happen next with the outbreak are having a major impact on the global economy. The UN’s trade and development agency (UNCTAD) says the slowdown in the global economy caused by the coronavirus outbreak is likely to cost at least $1 trillion.
How Much Downtime Can Your Company Handle?
Why every business needs cyber resilience and quick recovery times. Cyber incidents in the past few years have captured the attention of business executives. The World Economic Forum's "Global Risks Report 2020" cites cyberattacks among today's top 10 business risks in terms of their likelihood of occurring and ability to inflict catastrophic damage.
Distributed disruption: Coronavirus multiplies the risk of severe cyberattacks
The coronavirus pandemic is upending everything we know. As the tally of infected people grows by the hour, global healthcare, economic, political, and social systems are bending and breaking under the strain, and for much of the world there’s no end in sight. But amid this massive wave of disruption, one thing hasn’t changed: the eagerness of cybercriminals to capitalize on society’s misfortune and uncertainty to sabotage, cripple, mislead and steal.
Cyber Resilience Benchmarks 2020
Here are four things that separate the leaders from the laggards when fighting cyber threats. These days, companies that want to compete must go digital. But the digital world has become complex and, in some cases, downright scary. Protecting against the Web's ever-present threats — via cybersecurity — is a tough problem for businesses of any size. But going about it the wrong way by sinking money into the wrong or ineffective solution can result in more than a depleted bank account.
The Cybercrime Pandemic Keeps Spreading
The World Economic Forum says cyberattacks will be one of the top global business risks over the next 10 years. Cyberattacks have become a pervasive threat to individuals, businesses, societies, and worldwide economic growth. The turbulent global geopolitical and geoeconomic environment — one that includes the possibility of a fragmented cyberspace — is also complicating the development and rollout of promising next-generation technologies.
Welche DDoS-Angriffe erwarten uns in diesem Jahr?
Dass erfolgreiche Cyber-Attacken nur eine Frage der Zeit sind, daran wird sich auch 2020 wenig ändern, insbesondere deshalb, weil sich eigentlich alles geändert hat. Die potenzielle Dimension und Reichweite von Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)-Attacken ist viel größer als je zuvor. Heute können Angreifer umfangreiche Botnets für ihre Überlastungsattacken einsetzen. Die Grundlage hierfür bieten die anhaltende Zunahme der Cloud-Nutzung und das wachsende Internet of Things (IoT).
DDoS: An Underestimated Threat
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have become more common, more powerful, and more useful to attackers. Here's how to fight back.
Why Cyber-Risk Is a C-Suite Issue
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Organizations realize the scale of cyber-risk but lack counter-actions to build resilience.
Cybercrime: AI's Growing Threat
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them.Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726. Cyberecurity incidents expected to rise by nearly 70% and cost $5 trillion annually by 2024. These days, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly commonplace.
Most Organizations Lack Cyber Resilience
Despite increasing threats, many organizations continue to run with only token cybersecurity and resilience. According to Ernst & Young's Global Information Security Survey 2018-19, over half of organizations fail to make organizational protection a key part of their strategic plans. After soliciting the opinions of approximately 1,400 C-suite leaders, EY concludes that larger firms are somewhat more prone to fall short in this area than smaller ones (58% versus 54%).
Financial Sector Under Siege
The old take-the-money-and-run approach has been replaced by siege tactics such as DDOS attacks and land-and-expand campaigns with multiple points of persistence and increased dwell time. Banks have long been the favorite targets of thieves and gangsters like John Dillinger, back in the 1930s. But increasingly, modern banking isn't conducted on Main Street. It's online and global, and the transactions never stop. But just as banking is changing, so is crime.
FBI: Cybercrime Losses Doubled in 2018
The world has embraced digital technology, but cybercrime is putting a serious dent in corporate finances, the FBI finds. Last year, according to the FBI's "2018 Internet Crime Report," reported damages from cybercrime nearly doubled to $2.7 billion, and roughly half of that amount stemmed from business email schemes that zeroed in on wire transfer payments.
DDoS-Angriffe kosten Firmen Geld und Vertrauen
Cyberkriminelle werden auf verschiedensten Wegen aktiv, um ihre Gewinne jedes Jahr weiter steigern zu können. DDoS-Attacken gehören zu der alltäglichen Gefahr für Unternehmen, sowohl in Deutschland als auch weltweit. Die Vorfälle des vergangenen Jahres zeigen, wie groß die Schäden sein können und worauf sich Unternehmen auch in Zukunft einstellen müssen.
More than half of British businesses witnessed cyber-attacks in 2019
The number of UK firms reporting a cyber-attack has increased, though most businesses admit they are ill-prepared for a breach, according to research from Hiscox (LSE: HSX), an insurance provider and underwriter at Lloyd’s of London. A week hardly passes without news of a major cyber incident, and there have been great adverse effects associated with most of them.
Protecting the digital economy
Our tech-addicted society has become much more vulnerable to cyberattacks, requiring CEOs to put security at the forefront of their agenda. By Marc Wilczek Contributor, CIO | Mikhail Sedov / Getty Images The internet has turned into the data highway that fuels the digital economy. But, more and more, people and organizations are becoming more wary of a technology that was once heralded as the new face of capitalism and global knowledge-sharing.
Digital Transformation Exposes Operational Technology & Critical Infrastructure
The convergence of OT and IP-based IT networks makes society more vulnerable, requiring CISOs to rethink defense. Thanks to technology advances in operational technology (OT) and critical infrastructure, physical and cyber systems can now be combined and leveraged in new ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago. These new capabilities provide the ability to control and optimize a broad range of operational infrastructure based on changing demand or other requirements.
Benefiting from Data Privacy Investments
GDPR-ready companies experience lower overall costs associated with data breaches, research finds. Millions of people continue to be flummoxed and frustrated by the much-publicized leaks of their personal information from the likes of Marriott, Facebook, and Equifax, to cite three recent examples.
Under Attack: Over Half of SMBs Breached Last Year
Many small and midsize businesses work faster and harder than large enterprises, but they're just as vulnerable to cybercrime. Today, every company, large or small, that does business online is prey for cybercriminals. Unfortunately, the smaller ones (with fewer than 250 employees) and midmarket firms (250 to 499 employees) are often the first to be hit. Moreover, they can serve as springboards for larger hacking campaigns.
Europol pursues users of DDoS-for-hire service, Webstresser: comment from security vendor, Link11
Europol pursues users of DDoS-for-hire service, Webstresser: comment from security vendor, Link11 Here’s comment from cloud anti-DDoS vendor Link11, responding to the news of Europol’s actions in pursuing users of the DDoS-for-hire service Webstresser, which was taken down in April 2018 (link here: https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsr...). In the UK, several webstresser.org users have been visited by the police who seized over 60 personal electronic devices for analysis.
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