In response to reports of a state-sponsored North Korean group's involvement in the SWIFT member bank attacks, Adam Laub, Sr. Vice President, Product Marketing, STEALTHbits Technologies, says:
This latest event is just another example of how handcuffed everyone involved in the equation actually is. Nation-states are fighting a cyber war against each other, as well as against private institutions. The nation-states can barely defend themselves against each other, so what chance do private institutions really have? Furthermore, what other option do nation-states really have but to launch attacks against each other if no one could ever be brought to justice in the first place? The best anyone can do – nation-states, private institutions, and the hackers themselves – is to fortify. Perimeter defenses are obviously penetrable, so the focus needs to go on protecting the data, privileged credentials, and the end users from themselves. Educating end users on how to recognize and avoid the most common entry points of compromise like phishing and other social engineering tactics would go a long way towards making these types of events much less prevalent.