Varun Haran

Managing Director, Asia & Middle East, ISMG

Haran has been a technology journalist in the Indian market for over six years, covering the enterprise technology segment and specializing in information security. He has driven multiple industry events such as the India Computer Security Conferences (ICSC) and the first edition of the Ground Zero Summit 2013 during his stint at UBM. Prior to joining ISMG, Haran was first a reporter with TechTarget writing for SearchSecurity and SearchCIO; and later, correspondent with InformationWeek, where he covered enterprise technology-related topics for the CIO and IT practitioner.

How IT-OT Convergence Affects the Threat Landscape

Varun Haran • May 7, 2023

IT-OT convergence has created interconnection between components that were historically separate and have different maturity levels. But attacks on OT can have a kinetic impact that can lead to very grim scenarios, said Ashish Thapar, vice president and head of cybersecurity consulting at NTT.

The Global War of Good Versus Bad

Varun Haran • May 7, 2023

This is the time and place in which geopolitical interests, hacktivism, espionage and all of the crime syndicates are coming together, and we're amateurs showing up at that gunfight with a knife, said Jeff Multz, senior vice president of sales in North America at Radware.

Selecting the Right MDR Strategy

Varun Haran • April 28, 2023

As threats continue to increase in frequency and sophistication, managed detection and response or MDR is becoming an increasingly important component of any organization's cybersecurity strategy and can help organizations overcome a major challenge facing security teams - the skills shortage.

Tips on Ransomware Defense Strategies

Varun Haran • March 19, 2020

Healthcare institutions and nonprofits are suffering badly from ransomware attacks, says Caleb Barlow, CEO of CynergisTek, who offers insights on shoring up defenses.

API-Centric Automated Attacks on the Rise

Varun Haran • March 25, 2019

CloudEntity CEO Nathaniel Coffing shares insight on building foundational API security in a zero-trust world.

The Need to Look Beyond Endpoint Security

Varun Haran • July 3, 2018

With endpoint security, the fundamental concept was always to detect and prevent. Mature security strategies today are increasingly looking at response and remediation as well to complete the cycle, says Shrenik Bhayani of Kaspersky Lab.

Analysis: Verizon's Breach Report 2018

Varun Haran • April 13, 2018

Verizon's latest Data Breach Investigations Report shows that half of data breaches in 2017 worldwide were orchestrated by organized cybercriminal groups, says Verizon's Ashish Thapar, who offers an in-depth analysis of the findings.

Understanding the Malware-as-a-Service Commodity Market

Varun Haran • October 27, 2017

Malware is widely available in an "as-a-service" model on the cybercriminal underground to anyone with criminal intent and a bit of money, says John Shier, senior security adviser at Sophos, who explains exactly how the model works in this in-depth interview.

Sizing Up the Ransomware Threat Landscape

Varun Haran • September 11, 2017

To prepare for more ransomware attacks, organizations need to follow a consistent model of connected, synchronized security, says Sophos' Sunil Sharma, managing director for India and SAARC.

The Ransomware Threat After WannaCry and NotPetya

Varun Haran • July 4, 2017

Ransomware attacks are increasingly using multiple proven techniques to spread quickly and achieve the maximum impact before being thwarted. They are going to get bigger and target other platforms in the future, warns Justin Peters at Sophos APAC.

How PayPal Protects Billions of Transactions

Varun Haran • June 23, 2017

In an in-depth interview, Guru Bhat, head of engineering at PayPal, describes how the online payments provider has used a mix of sophisticated automation, including machine learning, and human insight to maintain a fraud loss rate of just 0.32 percent.

WannaCry Highlights India's Patching Challenge

Varun Haran • May 18, 2017

Lessons India has learned in the aftermath of the global WannaCry ransomware epidemic include the need to overcome poor patching hygiene, widespread use of unlicensed software and a reactive security posture.

WannaCry Shows India Needs Better Incident Reporting

Varun Haran • May 15, 2017

Determining the impact in India of the WannaCry worldwide ransomware epidemic is challenging because so few organizations routinely report security incidents, says Shree Parthasarathy of Deloitte India, who hopes the incident will serve as a catalyst for enhanced cybersecurity.

Verizon's New Data Breach Report: An Analysis

Varun Haran • April 28, 2017

In an in-depth interview, Verizon's Ashish Thapar analyzes the results of the company's latest Data Breach Investigations Report, noting, for example, the spread of cyberespionage in several sectors worldwide. He also shares insights on effective mitigation strategies.

Ransomware: The Latest Tactics

Varun Haran • April 20, 2017

The ransomware epidemic can be compared to the earlier heyday of viruses, albeit it is costing enterprises and individuals serious money. Charanjit Sodhi of Nomura Services takes a deep dive into the tactics used today and how enterprises can effectively counter them.