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Kaspersky Expands its Cyber Immune Offering for Internet of Things Protection with new IoT Secure Gateway 1000

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Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 is the company’s latest Cyber Immune product for organisations embracing digital transformation, helping them to accelerate business value from new streams of industrial data.

The gateway connects IoT devices and controllers with business applications and cloud platforms. It then ensures the security of these interactions and the data transferring through them due to the secure KasperskyOS in the gateway’s core and its network attack protection capabilities.

Customers operating smart city systems, including utilities, street lighting and road infrastructure, or in manufacturing or energy production and distribution projects, get a secure IoT system and visibility across all connected devices. The solution is being presented at GITEX Global in Dubai, UAE this week as a pilot project.

IoT is continuing to penetrate businesses: according to Gartner, 61% of organisations already show a high level of IoT maturity. According to Kaspersky telemetry, from January to September 2022, there were 67,000 infected IoT across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

These devices were responsible for 11 million attacks. There was a spike in attacks coming from the region in the third quarter of 2022: from July to September the number of attacks increased sevenfold – by 659%.

Given the increase in the number of outgoing attacks, the spike could be explained by the deployment of new bulletproof hosts by cybercriminals to increase their botnet size. Presumably this has been done in Turkey, which has the region’s largest share of outgoing attacks.

Given the diversity of IoT devices and their related cybersecurity risks (https://zd.net/3MoHbTX), the need for their protection is clear, especially when it comes to smart cities or critical infrastructure. Traditional measures are not sufficient for IoT protection, making it crucial that specialised security solutions are implemented.

A reliable shield from network attacks and gateway threats

The new Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 is a hardware appliance with firmware based on KasperskyOS and Advantech UTX-3117 device. It ensures the security of the entire IoT system at the gateway level thanks to its secure-by-design approach and built-in protection capabilities.

It provides industry with protection from network attacks, as well as DDoS or Man-in-the-Middle attempts, through a firewall that uses the principle of Default Deny. This only allows preapproved network interactions to pass through the gateway.

Additionally, the Intrusion Detection and Prevention module (IDS/IPS) detects and blocks malicious activities.

The gateway is made immune to most attacks by KasperskyOS, which sits at its core. The operating system features a microkernel which minimises the risk of vulnerabilities and decreases the attack surface through just a few thousand lines of code.

The minimal number of trusted components in the operating system, security domain isolation, scanning of inter-process communications and the Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) architecture ensure that most types of attacks are not able to affect the gateway’s functions.

Its security goals were defined at its inception, making Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 secure-by-design.

Furthermore, secure boot and update technologies ensure the authenticity and integrity of the gateway’s firmware and updates. The secure boot blocks firmware from loading if it is damaged or altered without authorisation. Secure update guarantees that only correct updates from trusted sources will be uploaded to the device.

A convenient tool for IoT device visibility and security management

Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 helps network administrators maintain visibility and control over the network. It shows all devices connected to the network and detects and classifies new ones within a minute of connecting. The interface provides IT or OT teams with necessary details about devices, including type, vendor and operating system.

This product is managed through Kaspersky Security Center, where all security events can be viewed. The gateway supports Syslog and MQTT protocols, which permit all security events to be transmitted to external systems, such as SIEM or cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, Siemens MindSphere, AWS, IBM Bluemix and others.

Kaspersky Security Center also facilitates unified administration of Kaspersky enterprise products, such as those for endpoint and cloud protection. Customers can completely protect their IoT suite, from the gateway to the cloud, and manage it through one centralised administration console.

“With this new gateway, Kaspersky expands its portfolio for IoT infrastructure protection. In 2021, we launched Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 100, dedicated to Industrial IoT and safe data delivery from manufacturing to business applications.

“The next generation of gateways delivers more IoT security and management functions important for industries and operations with increased security requirements, such as smart cities, transportation networks, video surveillance and critical infrastructure.

“The Cyber Immunity approach embodied in the firmware ensures that most threats cannot affect the security status of a device or the whole IoT system of the enterprise,” comments Andrey Suvorov, Head of KasperskyOS Business Unit at Kaspersky.

Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 will be available in Middle East as a pilot project. The Kaspersky team will consider the possibility of enabling test implementations with interested customers on a case-by-case basis.


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Presidents Mahama, Tinubu Honor Dr. Mike Adenuga on 72nd Birthday

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Presidents John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria have celebrated the Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.

In congratulatory messages, both leaders praised Dr. Adenuga’s outstanding contributions to the economic development and growth of both Ghana and Nigeria. They commended his remarkable entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and commitment to excellence.

President Mahama described Dr. Adenuga’s life as “a shining example of vision, resilience, and extraordinary accomplishment.” He noted that through his entrepreneurial endeavors, Dr. Adenuga has not only built enduring businesses but also contributed significantly to the socio-economic advancement of the African continent.

He noted that Dr. Adenuga’s leadership and philanthropic endeavour remain a beacon of inspiration for generations across Africa.

Also President Tinubu stated that Dr. Adenuga’s humility and diligence have enabled him to succeed in various sectors, including banking, telecommunications, oil, and gas. He praised Dr. Adenuga’s innovative approach to business, citing Globacom’s pioneering per-second billing, which expanded telephony and digital access to millions of Nigerians.

“In addition, Conoil has proven that an indigenous firm can compete with international oil companies, fostering energy independence and security for our country.” He added.

President Tinubu who expressed the gratitude of Nigerians to Dr. Adenuga for his immense contributions to the country’s progress and prosperity, also commended him for extending his investments to other African countries and Europe, “a bold effort which earned you well-deserved honours as Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) and Ghana’s Companion of the Star of Ghana”.

 


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Firm Warns Against AI Password Generation @ World Password Day

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Most online services and apps require the user to create a password. Chances are many of those passwords are not being used daily and due to this overabundance, there’s a high probability that many of the passwords are being reused.

Poor password management is compounded by a reliance on common combinations of names, dictionary words and numerals. Not only are these passwords relatively easy to decipher, but if a cybercriminal gains access to a password on one site, that could result in access to a plethora of other sites.

People are urged to create unique, random passwords to counter the vulnerability posed by using the same password multiple times. However, password creation and management can be an arduous task.

To tackle the burden of password creation and management, people might be tempted to use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Llama or DeepSeek to generate their passwords.

The appeal is clear. Rather than struggling to come up with a strong password, users can simply ask AI, “Generate a secure password” and get an instant result.

AI produces strings that look random, which helps avoid the human tendency to create predictable, dictionary-based passwords. But appearances can be deceptive, AI-generated passwords may not be as secure as they appear.

Alexey Antonov, Data Science Team Lead at Kaspersky, tested this by generating 1,000 passwords using some of the more prominent and trusted LLMs including ChatGPT (from OpenAI), Llama (model from Meta group), DeepSeek (newcomer from China).

“All of the models are aware that a good password consists of at least 12 characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. They report this when generating passwords,” says Antonov.

“In practice, though, the algorithms often neglected to insert a special character or digits into the password: 26% of passwords for ChatGPT, 32% for Llama and 29% for DeepSeek. While DeepSeek and Llama sometimes generated passwords shorter than 12 characters.”

In 2024, Alexey Antonov developed a machine learning algorithm to test password strength and found that almost 60% of passwords can be cracked in under an hour using modern GPUs or cloud-based cracking tools.

When applied to AI-generated passwords, the results were alarming, they were far less secure than they appeared: 88% of DeepSeek and 87% of Llama generated passwords were not strong enough to withstand attack from sophisticated cyber criminals. While ChatGPT did a little better with 33% of passwords not strong enough to pass the Kaspersky test.

“The problem is LLMs don’t create true randomness. Instead, they mimic patterns from existing data, making their outputs predictable to attackers who understand how these models work,” notes Antonov.

 


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NBS Unveils Crowd-Sourcing Initiative for Accurate Statistical Data

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National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has introduced a crowd-sourcing initiative aimed at providing more accurate statistical information and data to policymakers and the general public.

NBS Unveils Crowd-Sourcing Initiative for Accurate Statistical Data

According to a statement issued by Folorunso Alesanmi, head of Public Relations, the initiative, which commenced several months ago, involves compiling daily price data from a wide range of sources.

These include open markets, supermarkets, neighbourhood shops, bulk and discount stores, street outlets, and large retail shops.

Data collection has been conducted across all 36 States, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and every senatorial district.

However, the Bureau clarified that price data gathered through crowd-sourcing differs from the data used in computing the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

While CPI data is collected at specific, pre-determined outlets during the second and third weeks of each month, crowd-sourced price data is gathered randomly from different respondents daily.

By leveraging the power of crowd-sourcing, the Bureau has been able to gather a vast amount of data that offers a more nuanced picture of price trends in the economy.

“We are thrilled to release our first price data compiled through crowd-sourcing. This initiative represents a major step forward in our efforts to harness the power of technology and innovation to improve the quality and timeliness of our statistical data,” said Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician-General of the Federation and NBS CEO.

The newly released data offers insights into the prices of essential food items commonly consumed by Nigerians, such as local rice, white beans, white maize, garri, yam, and more. It provides a daily snapshot of food costs.

The NBS plans to update this data on a daily basis, offering entrepreneurs, policymakers, and researchers a valuable tool for monitoring price fluctuations and making informed decisions.

The data is accessible to the public through a dedicated dashboard, where users can view, analyze, and download it in real-time—enhancing transparency and accessibility.

“To this end, the agency has implemented a range of quality control measures, including data validation and verification processes, to ensure that the data is reliable and trustworthy,” the statement added.

The release of this crowd-sourced price data underscores the NBS’s commitment to innovation and collaboration.

By working with citizens and embracing technology, the Bureau aims to provide more timely and accurate statistics to drive economic growth and development


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