Blockchain Press Releases
Picus Security analysis of 14m attack simulations reveals organizations only prevent 6 out of every 10 attacks

Blue Report highlights four ‘impossible trade-offs’ security teams make with threat exposure management
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Picus Security, the pioneer of Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technology, has released The Blue Report 2023. Based on an analysis of more than 14 million cyber attacks simulated by The PicusPlatform*, the report highlights four ‘impossible trade-offs’ limiting modern security teams’ ability to manage their organization’s threat exposure.
“Like a short blanket that covers either someone’s head or feet, not both, security teams can only dedicate their time, money, and resources to so many problems at once,” said Picus Co-founder and VP of Picus Labs, Dr Suleyman Ozarslan. “They deploy their budgets and resources to cover one exposed spot, but this leaves other areas out in the cold. The Blue Report shines a light on these impossible trade-offs and how they hinder organizations’ readiness to defend themselves against the latest threats.”
According to the report, security teams make four trade-offs in deciding:
Which attacks to prioritize
Picus’ Blue Report data shows that, on average, organizations’ security controls (such as next-gen firewalls and intrusion prevention solutions) only prevent 6 out of every 10 attacks. However, some attack types are prevented far more effectively than others. For instance, organizations can prevent 73% of malware downloads but only 18% of data exfiltration attacks.
Organizations also prevent complex, multi-stage attacks less than half the time. This is particularly concerning given the findings of The Red Report 2023, a previous research study by Picus, which found that over a third of malware samples exhibit 20 or more attacker tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).
The Blue Report also reveals wide variations in organizations’ ability to prevent specific threats. For example, over a third of organizations can prevent Black Basta and BianLian ransomware attacks but only 17% can prevent Mount Locker. This is despite Mount Locker’s emergence in 2021 before the other two malware attacks.
Which vulnerabilities to remediate
The Blue Report also reveals the limitations of security teams’ approach to managing common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs). Analysis of the simulated attacks shows that the list of top 10 CVEs to which they remain most exposed includes mainly critical and high risk vulnerabilities as well as CVEs that have been known for years. Some CVEs discovered in 2019 remain a threat to more than 80% of organizations.
Whether to optimize prevention or detection controls
Generally speaking, the better an organization is at preventing threats, the weaker it is at detecting them, and vice versa. For instance, globally healthcare is the least effective sector at preventing attacks but is twice as successful as the average organization when it comes to detecting them. North American organizations are almost twice as successful at preventing attacks as they are at triggering alerts to detect attacks in progress.
What to log and alert on
Organizations leveraging security event and incident management (SIEM) solutions also face decisions about how much to invest in attack detection. In most cases, organizations routinely prioritize logging over alerting but do neither very well. Simulation data shows that, on average, organizations log 4 out of 10 attacks but only generate alerts for 2 in 10 attacks.
“Since preventing and detecting every threat is practically impossible, security teams will always have to prioritize some aspects of security more than others,” said Dr Ozarslan. “Fortunately, there is an approach that can help them improve their performance. By adopting a more unified approach that incorporates insights from attack simulations combined with attack surface and vulnerability data, security teams can allocate resources efficiently and effectively to address their most critical exposures. As a result, they can simultaneously improve their ability to prevent and detect attacks, rather than making trade-offs between them, and sleep better at night.”
Picus Security will discuss the findings of The Blue Report at Black Hat USA 2023 in Las Vegas on August 9th and 10th. Visit booth #2700 to learn more and discover the benefits of using attack simulations to reduce threat exposure.
Notes
* Picus Labs analyzed over 14 million attack simulations executed by The Picus Complete Security Validation Platform between January and June 2023.
About Picus Security
Picus Security helps security teams of all sizes to continuously validate and enhance organizations’ cyber resilience. Our Complete Security Validation Platform simulates real-world threats to automatically evaluate the effectiveness of security controls, identify high-risk attack paths to critical assets, and optimize threat prevention and detection capabilities.
As the pioneer of Breach and Attack Simulation, we specialize in supplying the actionable insights our customers need to be threat-centric and proactive.
Picus has been named a ‘Cool Vendor’ by Gartner and is recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a leader in the BAS market.
Frost Radar™:: Breach and Attack Simulation 2022, Frost & Sullivan
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Blockchain Press Releases
Friend.Tech and Base Anti-Phishing Boosted By CoolWallet’s Web3 SmartScan
TAIPEI, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Base’s new killer DApp, the decentralized social network Friend.tech, is breaking transaction records with record adoption, but is being targeted by hackers and scammers through phishing attacks.To raise awareness of the importance of hardware wallet protection and promote its powerful Web3 SmartScan transaction screener, CoolWallet has launched a Web3 Guardian competition.
Coinbase’s new Ethereum layer-2 chain, Base, has become a favorite for DApp developers and early investors due to its outstanding performance and the innovative projects it attracts. One DApp in particular, the decentralized social media platform Friend.tech, has driven the bulk of its growth in recent weeks. helping Base repeatedly reach new transaction volume highs despite difficult market conditions.
Friend.tech’s rapid rise has garnered widespread attention- according to the latest data, the daily active user (DAU) count of friend.tech have surpassed the million mark, with its transaction volume consistently hitting new records and its total value locked (TVL) now surpassing $35 million.
However, with any crypto trends comes new security risks, in this case a familiar foe, phishing attacks. This type of social engineering attacks dominate crypto thefts, which by June 2023 had already hit the $650 million mark across the Web3 sector. This month alone has already seen successful attacks targeting high-profile victims Mark Cuban and Vitalik Buterin and stealing millions in the process.
As a result, Base and Friend.tech users are urged to use a reputable hardware wallet to secure their tech digital assets by protecting their private keys and screening transactions.
In response, hardware wallet maker CoolWallet, which natively supports the Base ecosystem, has launched an anti-phishing campaign titled Web3 Guardian Competition to create awareness and promote its unique defense capabilities such as CoolWallet SmartScan, which proactively screens all Web3 transactions and flags malicious behavior or smart contract vulnerabilities before users are exploited.
How Friend.tech works
Friend.tech has garnered a cult following among crypto enthusiasts as one of the first decentralized social networks to be built on the Base blockchain. It’s powered by blockchain and smart contracts, where users must buy “shares” of another person in order to chat with them. Its tagline is “Your network is your net worth”.
To use Friend.tech, users must first sign up with their Twitter (X) account, create a profile and then start trading shares of other users who have also signed up. A user’s share price is determined by factors like their popularity, reputation, and overall demand.
Buying shares of another user gives you access to them, allowing you to message them directly and chat. The more shares you buy, the higher a priority your messages will be.
Friend.tech recommends hardware wallet protection
With crypto phishing attacks claiming even high-profile victims such as Vitalik Buterin and Mark Cuban as victims in recent weeks, it’s no surprise that Friend.tech also places great emphasis on asset security.
It therefore recommends that users utilize a hardware wallet for enhanced protection against threats like phishing sites. Storing assets offline makes them less accessible to online hackers, thus offering greater security.
CoolWallet’s SmartScan Flags Web3 Phishing Threats
CoolWallet (established in 2014) has since the launch of its CoolWallet Pro flagship model in 2021 pivoted strongly to securing Web3 assets, which requires users to interact with DeFi protocols that could potentially drain their accounts if they authorize the wrong transaction.
CoolWallet Pro in particular makes for an ideal Friend.tech hardware wallet as it’s one of the first cold wallets to support the Base network, and boasts several elite security features, such as:
- an EAL6+ secure element
- biometric verification (both on phone and device)
- tamper proof and waterproof design
Importantly, its CoolWallet App comes with real-time Web3 transaction analysis scanning called Web3 SmartScan.
While cold storage is as safe as can be, the biggest vulnerability remains human error or a lapse in judgment, where the user is tricked into authorizing a bad transaction or revealing their recovery seed or private key to a bad actor.
CoolWallet’s SmartScan, available on its CoolWallet App, provides Web3-native protection against phishing attempts. It automatically screens transactions and flags attempted phishing, suspicious transactions and smart contract vulnerabilities. This makes using cold storage even safer to use, and elevates CoolWallet above other hardware wallet brands.
Web3 Guardian Competition- Secure Your Crypto for the Next Bull Run!
To promote Web3 asset protection among blockchain users and help them safeguard their crypto portfolio with SmartScan until the next bull run, CoolWallet is launching a global new competition aimed at enhancing user security awareness with generous rewards to participating users.
For more details, please visit their website’s event page or X (Twitter) account
About Base:
Base is a secure, low-cost, builder-friendly Ethereum L2 built to bring the next billion users on chain.
About Friend.tech:
Friend.tech is an emerging DApp focused on social interactions and cryptographic asset management. It provides users with a secure and efficient blockchain platform. The platform currently operates on the Base chain and is continuously expanding its features and user base.
About CoolWallet
CoolWallet is a pioneering Web3 hardware wallet brand established in 2014 by CoolBitX that offers users the comfort of convenient and fully portable cold storage of all digital assets, including DeFi and NFT crypto assets.
CoolWallet Pro is a flagship Web3 hardware wallet that boasts a wafer-thin smart card form factor, an EAL6+ secure element, military-grade Bluetooth encryption, and a tamper proof and water-resistant exterior, while its custom CoolWallet App offers users a choice of DeFi marketplaces, DApp support and real-time transaction screening.
CONTACT: Domo Zhuang, [email protected]
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Blockchain Press Releases
Webb Unveils Tangle Network Testnet, Pioneering the Future of Private, Decentralized Applications
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Webb announced the launch of its much-anticipated Tangle Network Testnet, setting the stage for a new era of private and decentralized applications.
About Webb
Led by founder Drew Stone, Webb is the premier cross-chain zero-knowledge messaging layer, committed to revolutionizing blockchain privacy. Backed by industry giants like Polychain, Lemniscap, and Commonwealth Labs, Webb introduces a suite of tools aimed at advancing zero-knowledge (ZK) and multi-party computation (MPC) applications across multiple blockchains.
The Challenge and Our Solution
Blockchain networks today face significant hurdles: limited interoperability, scaling difficulties, centralized control, and privacy concerns. Webb’s Tangle Network, built on the powerful Substrate framework, is designed to tackle these challenges by offering a next-generation blockchain platform.
Why Tangle Network?
Our vision is to make it easier for developers to create secure, private zero-knowledge (ZK) and multi-party computation (MPC)-based decentralized applications. Tangle Network simplifies:
- Proof Generation: Delegate computational tasks to our validators.
- Trusted Setups: Tangle Network manages complex ceremonies for you.
- Secure Signing: Utilize our threshold signing for cross-chain operations.
By removing these barriers, we massively improve the time to launch for ZK and MPC-based decentralized applications.
Noteworthy Features
- Unparalleled speed, security, and scalability via Substrate.
- Decentralized control through Distributed Key Generation (DKG).
- Advanced protocols for zero-knowledge applications.
- Cross-chain compatibility with IBC and XCM.
- Easy migration of existing apps through Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) support.
- Smooth, forkless upgrades.
What’s Next?
The Testnet launch kicks off with an in-depth whitepaper, followed by a series of engagement events during the testnet phase. Our mainnet is scheduled for a Q1/Q2 2024 launch, featuring hackathons, workshops, and a targeted grant program to accelerate the adoption of privacy-focused applications.
Testnet Quick Links
- Whitepaper: Read here.
- Get Started: PolkadotApps for Tangle Network
- Documentation: docs.webb.tools
Get Involved
- Developers: Start building on Tangle today. Learn More
- Validators and Relayers: Help secure and maintain the network. Learn More
- Join the Community: Follow us on Twitter or join our Discord.
Contact Us
For media inquiries, partnerships, or more information, email us at [email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/webb-unveils-tangle-network-testnet-pioneering-the-future-of-private-decentralized-applications-301940846.html
Blockchain Press Releases
ChainUp Celebrates 6th Anniversary, Charting Blockchain Innovations beyond Digital Assets
SINGAPORE, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — ChainUp, a Singapore-based trailblazer and global leader in the blockchain industry, marked its sixth anniversary celebration with more than 500 business partners at Ce La Vi Singapore. During the celebration, ChainUp Founder and CEO, Sailor Zhong reflected on the journey, “Six years in the blockchain industry showcases our resilience, innovation, and forward-looking approach. As we look to the future, we are committed to shaping a digital asset environment that is reliable, transparent, and unparalleled. ChainUp aims to champion blockchain solutions beyond the applications of digital assets and bridge the gap between digital asset markets and traditional finance (TradFi) to increase effectiveness and market efficiency.”
The DEX Renaissance
As decentralized finance (DeFi) comes into prominence and focused on returning control to users, one of the sectors impacted by DeFi are the exchanges where cryptocurrencies are traded. Data from CoinMarketCap reveals that trading volumes on Decentralized exchanges (DEX) reached $1.2 trillion in 2022, indicating a 340% YoY growth. However, factors such as poor user experience impeded the rate of adoption of DEX. Recognizing this trend, ChainUp has updated its white-labeled DEX solution, incorporating advanced features, strengthening its security, improving its liquidity and aims to provide a decentralized trading experience that is on par with commonly-used centralized exchanges (CEX).
Bridging TradFi and Digital Assets Market
The traditional financial sector has been progressing very cautiously on digital assets. As more institutions lean into RWA tokenization, they unlock unparalleled liquidity in a borderless trading environment. Amidst this evolution, ChainUp’s RWA solutions emerge as an industry pioneer, offering robust tokenization protocols, seamless integration, and enhanced security, bridging the gap between TradFi and the digital future with unmatched finesse.
Minimizing Risk and Maximizing Security
ChainUp’s MPC Wallet revolutionizes crypto security by integrating MPC technology with advanced hardware isolation, ensuring utmost safety and encryption on data. The wallet offers dynamic key-refreshing mechanisms, chain-agnostic compatibility, and eliminates single-point vulnerabilities. With efficient multi-address management and 24/7 expert support, users enjoy full asset control, scalability, and cost-efficiency, all under one roof.
Compliance: The Guiding Principle
Navigating global regulations in the blockchain sector can be complex. ChainUp’s KYT subsidiary, Trustformer, offers peace of mind for enterprises tackling compliance-related challenges. ChainUp’s advanced solutions in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CFT) show their commitment to a more secure blockchain environment.
For detailed insights into ChainUp’s innovative solutions, please visit: https://www.chainup.com?channel=pr&type=article
About ChainUp
Headquartered in Singapore, ChainUp is a global leading end-to-end blockchain technology solutions provider covering infrastructure development and ecosystem support. Built on the mission to empower businesses through blockchain technology, ChainUp’s innovative and all-around compliant solutions include digital asset exchange, KYT, NFT trading, wallet, liquidity, Web3.0 infrastructure, digital asset custody, security token offerings and more. Established in 2017, ChainUp has offices around the world, serving more than 1,000 clients in 30 countries, reaching over 60 million end-users.
CONTACT: Jacelynn Pang, [email protected]
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