6 01732 759725 NEWS continued... Once inserted into a system, the floppy disk would hijack AUTOEXE. BAT and alter it to count the number of reboots of the system. Once the counter reached 90, the programme would prompt the user to renew a licence to continue using the system. Reflecting on how ransomware has evolved since 1989, Kevin Curran, Professor of Cybersecurity at Ulster University and senior member of IEEE, the professional home for the engineering and technology community, said: “Whilst threat actors have changed their tactics, their motives remain the same – money and disruption. With the earlier forms of ransomware, the impact was downtime or unavailable data. Now, there are far more aggressive strains; double or even triple-extortion tactics. “Cybercrime has steadily become an industry where some groups have cybercrime units typical of any large legitimate business, such as partner networks, associates, resellers and vendors, even dedicated call centres which are typically used to help with requests from ransomware victims. Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) is more prominent now, where threat actors offer franchises – predeveloped ransomware or malware in the form of ‘pay-for-use’ – or training.” He added: “Ransomware groups are constantly refining their methods to enhance their effectiveness and reach. The question is no longer ‘if’ an organisation will be targeted, but when. Organisations must adopt a ‘secure-by-design’ methodology and follow advice from authorities like the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure they adopt the most robust cybersecurity measures to mitigate these risks.” www.ieee-ukandireland.org … Freshwave plans for continued growth with new credit facility Connectivity infrastructure-as-aservice provider Freshwave has secured a committed credit facility of up to £100m from Guggenheim Investments as it looks to build on and maintain a CAGR of more than 30% over the last five years. As a pioneer of a multi-operator ‘enterprise pays’ model for indoor mobile connectivity, Freshwave provides small cells, distributed antenna systems and Wi-Fi to thousands of buildings across the UK, including skyscrapers, stadiums, hospitals and central and local government buildings. It also builds masts on behalf of UK mobile network operators and supports hundreds of outdoor mobile networks. The new credit facility from the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners, building on the significant investment already made by DigitalBridge, will enable Freshwave to exploit opportunities in an addressable digital infrastructure market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 20%+. Freshwave CEO Simon Frumkin said: “Over the past five years, we have gone from strength to strength, and we don’t see this slowing down. Edge connectivity is key to enabling edge computing and artificial intelligence applications which will transform how organisations operate. This credit facility will help fund Freshwave’s continued expansion and reflects confidence in both the strength of our business and the neutral host model as a catalyst for faster growth in the digital infrastructure market.” www.freshwavegroup.com … Wireless on site Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions and reseller partner Misco are installing Cradlepoint E300-5G routers at more than 80 Bloor Homes sites to provide sales and construction teams with immediate, reliable and flexible cellular connectivity for everything from customer calls to the uploading of images for building regulation certificates. The deployment has reduced the workload of Bloor Homes’ IT team by minimising connectivity problems and enabling remote troubleshooting of IT issues. www.ericsson.com In praise of paper The paper industry is hitting back against its critics with the launch of two new PR campaigns designed to change people’s perceptions of print. Love Paper, a global campaign by Two Sides to promote the attractiveness and sustainability of print, paper and paper packaging, has announced the launch of Love Paper Week, running from February 3-7, while the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) has developed a national print research and advocacy project, A New Narrative for Print, recently endorsed by Ricoh. Josh Birch, Campaign Manager for Two Sides UK, said: “We encourage all printers, paper merchants, packaging manufacturers and all those who operate within the sector to support Love Paper Week and use the materials available to inform their clients, customers and consumers more widely about why paper is such a sustainable, effective and attractive medium.” Commenting on Ricoh’s support of A New Narrative for Print, Tim Carter, Commercial Print Director at Ricoh UK Graphic Communications, said: “We are really proud to be part of this exciting project. Print still remains unique in terms of its resilience, its permanence and trust. Ricoh continues to advocate, innovate and invest in print as we believe it will remain an important part of the communication mix in the future.” www.ricoh.com www.lovepaper.org/lovepaperweek Simon Frumkin
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