New report features novel research and
insights to help security professionals outsmart and outmaneuver
cybercriminals
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ:
AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers
and protects business online, today announced the release of the
Defenders' Guide 2025: Fortify the Future of Your Defense. This
first-of-its-kind State of the Internet (SOTI) report delivers
practical research, including new findings on risk scoring, VPN
abuse, and advanced malware techniques to help organizations
strengthen their cybersecurity posture. For CISOs, it integrates
the security-in-depth framework with proactive measures to help
form a firm foundation for research-driven cybersecurity
strategies.
"This guide stands as a reminder of the importance for CISOs to
incorporate research into their overall cyber strategy. Leveraging
leading-edge technical analyses of attacks to inform people,
process, and technology enables organizations to mitigate risk
within an increasingly complex digital landscape. This approach can
ultimately reduce costs by optimizing our security investments and
reducing the risk of costly incidents," said Boaz Gelbord, Senior Vice President and Chief
Security Officer at Akamai. "In essence, a research-driven strategy
enables security teams to calibrate their program to the latest
developments and build a pragmatic and relevant program to their
threat landscape."
The report offers security practitioners insights from
cybersecurity experts and data scientists who are working on the
front lines to combat threats on a daily basis. The Defenders'
Guide takes a different approach than conventional reports,
delivering actionable intelligence rather than abstract trends.
"The cybersecurity industry has traditionally published major
threat reports to serve CISOs and leaders of cybersecurity — and
that's important. What's equally important is an annual report for
first-line defenders. The Defenders' Guide is exactly that — and
it's the first of its kind in the industry. It gives defenders a
comprehensive, centralized resource that consolidates new findings
and best practices to stay ahead of emerging threats," said
Mitch Mayne, head of Cybersecurity
Research at Akamai. "By synthesizing top-tier research, we not only
empower cyber defenders with crucial insights, we also enable them
to more efficiently allocate their limited time and resources
toward the most impactful advancements in the field."
Key highlights from the Defenders' Guide 2025:
Risk management
- A new risk scoring model quantifies organizational
vulnerabilities by evaluating application importance, network
complexity, and likelihood of compromise. Recommendations include
endpoint impact analysis, segmentation strategies, and methods for
mitigating both internal and external risks.
- Malware metamorphosis provides insights into botnet
families like NoaBot and RedTail by highlighting advanced tactics
such as peer-to-peer architectures and fileless malware. The report
offers practical steps for mitigating these threats, including
patch management and employee training.
Network architecture
- New VPN abuse research reveals vulnerabilities
in VPN appliances exploited by advanced threat actors. Solutions
include adopting secure LDAP protocols, custom encryption, and
firmware updates.
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) research demonstrates
the critical need for layered defenses to address vulnerabilities
in user input processing.
Host security
- Analysis of six Kubernetes vulnerabilities from
2023–2024 outlines the risks of command injection attacks. The
report emphasizes proactive patching and vigilance against emerging
threats in containerized environments.
Access the full report
The Defenders' Guide 2025
is a vital resource for organizations that aim to stay ahead in an
increasingly complex digital landscape. To access the in-depth
research and strategies, download the full report.
About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and
cloud computing company that powers and protects business online.
Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat
intelligence, and global operations team provide defense-in-depth
to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai's
full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and
affordability on the world's most distributed platform. Global
enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading
reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business
with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or
follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.
Contacts
Akamai PR
AkamaiPR@akamai.com
Investor
relations
IR-InvestorRelations@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.
