BotNet News

The cyber threat landscape continues to evolve. From ransomware to AI-driven threats, attackers are able to exploit businesses through a variety of attacks. The impact can be severe. Cyberattacks cost business a staggering amount in the form of financial losses, customer data loss, and damage to reputation. As such, it’s important for security teams to stay up-to-date with cyberthreat news and research so they can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.

Journalists are frequently the targets of digital intimidation tactics, including doxing campaigns (a method that involves publishing journalists’ contact information online), as well as other forms of cyberattacks, such as denial-of-service attacks and malware. These threats, in turn, can have critical detrimental effects on the mental health of journalists and their ability to conduct investigative journalism in the public interest.

Despite the growing awareness of digital security threats, journalistic practices and policies often fail to take these concerns into account. This can be due to a range of factors, including journalistic beats and employment status (e.g. staff vs freelance) and cultural and institutional influences, such as fear of scaring off sources or the impact of such measures on audience interactivity and engagement.

As such, CNTI is working with the media industry to develop a set of recommendations on how journalism should be approached in terms of digital security and how it can be improved. These recommendations include collaborative training and education, cultural buy-in, as well as organizational and legislative policy changes.