Content, Content

Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) News: 27 April 2021

Each business day, MSSP Alert broadcasts a quick lineup of news, analysis and chatter from across the managed security services provider ecosystem.

  • The Content: Written for MSSPs, SOC as a Service (SOCaaS), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and MSP security providers — and those who need to partner up with such companies.
  • Frequency and Format: Every business morning. Typically one or two sentences for each item below.
  • Reaching Our Inbox: Send news, tips and rumors to [email protected].

A. Today’s MSSP and Cybersecurity News Alerts

1. Supply Chain Security: The CISA and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) have released Defending Against Software Supply Chain Attacks, a guide that helps IT departments, MSSPs and MSPs to protect organizations from SolarWinds Orion-type attacks.

2. Funding: Cigent Technology has raised $7.6 million in Series A funding. Key investors include In-Q-Tel, CyberJunction, WestWave Capital, and several prominent individual investors participating. The funding enables Cigent to commercialize and bring to market Cigent Data Defense. The cybersecurity platform protects companies and individuals from ransomware, data theft, and malicious insider attacks, Cigent says.

3. Expanded Cybersecurity Services: Milton Security, a provider of Threat Hunting as a Service, XDR & MDR (MxDR) SOC Services, plans to provide a "new range of Expert Services to meet client demand for enhanced security capability." Milton Security's Expert Services will now include the following:

  • Offensive security services, including penetration testing and application security testing
  • Current State of Security, including regulatory frameworks and security controls assessments
  • Executive Security Services, including virtual CISO, program assessments, and security roadmaps

4. Apple iPhone Privacy: Apple is following through on its pledge to crack down on Facebook and other snoopy apps that secretly shadow people on their iPhones in order to target more advertising at users. The new privacy feature, dubbed “App Tracking Transparency,” rolled out April 26, 2021, as part of an update to the operating system powering the iPhone and iPad. The anti-tracking shield included in iOS 14.5 arrives after a seven-month delay during which Apple and Facebook attacked each other’s business models and motives for decisions that affect billions of people around the world. Source: Associated Press, April 26, 2021.

5. Apple Patches macOS Vulnerability: Apple confirmed to TechCrunch that the just-released macOS 11.3 software update patches a security vulnerability that reportedly could have allowed a hacker to remotely access a user's sensitive data by tricking a user into opening a spoofed document, macRumors reports.

6. Hackers Attack Washington, D.C., Police Department: Emerging details are here.

B. Cybersecurity Partnerships, Strategic Alliances and Integrations

1. Talent: Optiv Security, a security solutions integrator and Top 250 MSSP, has announced three key executive appointments:

  • Heather Allen Strbiak, chief human resources officer;
  • Heather Rim, chief marketing officer; and
  • Ahmed Shah, senior vice president alliances and ecosystems.

2. Integration - Security Awareness and SOAR: SecurityAdvisor's integrated content pack is now available on the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR Marketplace, a security orchestration marketplace.

3. Partner Program: ZeroFOX, a provider of External Threat Intelligence and Protection, today announced the launch of the ZeroFOX Global Partner Program -- which represents a "strategic pivot to a partner-first strategy," the company says.

4. Partnership - Security Operations Centers (SOCs): IBM and HCL Technologies are partnering to "help unify and streamline threat management for clients via a modernized security operation center (SOC) platform." HCL's Cybersecurity Fusion Centers will be designed to take advantage of IBM's Cloud Pak for Security, to help create a unified security platform to connect security teams, tools and processes across the threat lifecycle, the companies say. HCL and IBM have a longstanding business relationship.

5. Distribution - Zero Trust Networking: Synnex has agreed to distribute Fudo Security's privileged access management (PAM) and Zero Trust cybersecurity solutions.

C. MSSP and Cybersecurity Virtual Events and Conference Calendar

  1. RSA Conference 2021 (May 17-21, Virtual Conference)
  2. VMware Carbon Black Connect 2021 (June 3, Virtual Conference)
  3. Proofpoint Protect 2021 (June 8-9, Virtual Conference)
  4. Sumo Logic Modern SOC Summit 2021 (June 8-9, Virtual Conference)
  5. Zscaler Zenith Live 2021 (June 15-16, Virtual Conference)
  6. ConnectWise IT Nation Secure 2021 (June 21-23, Orlando, Florida)
  7. BonusMSSP Alert’s complete event calendar
Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.