News
Secureworks Launches MDR Solution for OT and IT

Secureworks has announced two new offerings to unify the way industrial organizations prevent, detect, and respond to threats across the OT and IT landscapes.
- Taegis XDR for OT – Secureworks award-winning XDR platform that combines intelligence from OT with security telemetry across the IT landscape into a single unified threat prevention, detection, and response platform. The platform is for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) who want to deliver Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions, and for organizations that manage their own SOCs.
- Taegis ManagedXDR for OT – Secureworks MDR offering that empowers industrial organizations, such as manufacturers, to secure both OT and IT environments with a team of security experts detecting, investigating, and responding to threats 24×7.
The convergence of OT and IT in the industrial sector brings technological and economic benefits, but also increases risk. The more OT systems are digitally connected, the larger the overall attack surface becomes, making OT an increasingly attractive target for threat actors. This, combined with a global cybersecurity talent shortage numbering in the millions, has led to unprecedented levels of cyberattacks impacting the industrial sector.
According to Gartner, manufacturing companies are now among the most targeted for cyberattacks, comprising 23% of all attacks. Secureworks Counter Threat Unit data shows that approximately 22% of Secureworks’ emergency incident response engagements between April 2022 and April 2023 were in the manufacturing industry alone. Manufacturing made up 20% of all ransomware-based incident response engagements that Secureworks remediated in the same period. Gartner also predicts that by 2025, 70% of asset-intensive organizations will have converged their security functions across both enterprise and operational environments. Yet, in industrial environments overall, OT is often managed differently from IT with no centralized visibility across both.
“As OT and IT systems infrastructure becomes more interdependent and connected, the risks from threats traversing these environments are rapidly escalating,” said Dave Gruber, Principal Analyst with Enterprise Security Group. “Security operations teams need visibility into the combined OT/IT environment to detect, investigate, and respond to these complex threats. Secureworks’ move to offer a specialized OT security solution by leveraging its own, proven Taegis XDR platform highlights the importance of this increasing threat.”
“Industrial organizations will continue to be challenged by an expanding attack surface and evolving threat landscape. Their risks include unplanned shutdowns, financial losses, and harm to human populations that rely on critical services,” said Kyle Falkenhagen, Chief Product Officer, Secureworks. “And the potential costs are staggering. For example, manufacturers lose an average of $148 per second of unplanned downtime – almost $9,000 per minute. As a managed solution that unifies threat prevention, detection, and the response of OT and IT into a single platform, Secureworks helps organizations with OT environments reduce cyber risks and enhance their security postures as they complete their digital transformations,” Falkenhagen concluded.
Industrial organizations can reduce risk by bringing Taegis XDR’s threat monitoring, detection, investigation, and response capabilities across both OT and IT environments, eliminating the visibility challenges often associated with OT and IT systems. Taegis XDR is already used by five of the top 20 manufacturers in the world. Now, with the first integrated MDR solution for OT and IT, organizations can unify their security monitoring and visibility strategies under a single platform, while gaining the benefits of a fully managed security solution using Taegis ManagedXDR.
The solution includes:
- 24×7 threat monitoring with unlimited access to security experts in 90 seconds or less, collaborative design of OT and IT response processes, customizable rules and playbooks, quarterly expert security reviews, monthly threat hunting, onboarding support, and access to proactive services (including incident response planning and adversarial testing).
- Taegis XDR platform, a SaaS security platform that processes more than 640 billion events daily across more than 2,000 customers to enable superior detection and response. The Taegis platform integrates feeds from third-party tools that are normalized and analyzed, along with Secureworks own proprietary data and global threat intelligence curated by the Counter Threat Unit.
- Secureworks Taegis endpoint agent and the Secureworks Taegis iSensor IDS/IPS device for monitoring IT and OT traffic.
- Integrations with leading OT solutions.
- Hundreds of out-of-the-box integrations across different technology solutions including Google, Mimecast, AWS, Microsoft, and Netskope among others.
- Access to a full suite of proactive security testing services to raise cyber resiliency across OT and IT environments.
Secureworks brings the power of Taegis XDR to OT environments by delivering:
- Superior threat detection and unmatched response across OT and IT environments through the Taegis XDR platform. Taegis XDR uses advanced analytics and machine learning to discover stealthy threats while automatically prioritizing the most serious threats. The platform includes more than 700,000 curated threat indicators and 20,000 curated countermeasures. Designed as an open platform, Taegis continuously interprets telemetry from proprietary and third-party sources while providing the best support for environments with endpoint solutions from different providers.
- Vast insights into threats targeting industrial environments. The Secureworks Counter Threat Unit research team analyzes and uncovers new threats targeting industrial environments, from manufacturers to critical infrastructure services, using over 20 years of defending organizations all over the world. Threat insights are developed by elite threat researchers tracking over 175 active threat groups, findings from over 3,000 incident response and testing engagements each year, and a diversity of attack data from Taegis.
Cyber Security
Positive Technologies Reports 80% of Middle East Cyberattacks Compromise Confidential Data

A new study by cybersecurity firm Positive Technologies has shed light on the evolving cyber threat landscape in the Middle East, revealing that a staggering 80% of successful cyberattacks in the region lead to the breach of confidential information. The research, examining the impact of digital transformation, organized cybercrime, and the underground market, highlights the increasing exposure of Middle Eastern nations to sophisticated cyber threats.
The study found that one in three successful cyberattacks were attributed to Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups, which predominantly target government institutions and critical infrastructure. While the rapid adoption of new IT solutions is driving efficiency, it simultaneously expands the attack surface for malicious actors.
Cybercriminals in the region heavily utilize social engineering tactics (61% of cases) and malware (51%), often employing a combination of both. Remote Access Trojans (RATs) emerged as a primary weapon in 27% of malware-based attacks, indicating a common objective of gaining long-term access to compromised systems.
The analysis revealed that credentials and trade secrets (29% each) were the most sought-after data, followed by personal information (20%). This stolen data is frequently leveraged for blackmail or sold on the dark web. Beyond data theft, 38% of attacks resulted in the disruption of core business operations, posing significant risks to critical sectors like healthcare, transportation, and government services.
APT groups are identified as the most formidable threat actors due to their substantial resources and advanced technical capabilities. In 2024, they accounted for 32% of recorded attacks, with a clear focus on government and critical infrastructure. Their activities often extend beyond traditional cybercrime, encompassing cyberespionage and even cyberwarfare aimed at undermining trust and demonstrating digital dominance.
Dark web analysis further revealed that government organizations were the most frequently mentioned targets (34%), followed by the industrial sector (20%). Hacktivist activity was also prominent, with ideologically motivated actors often sharing stolen databases freely, exacerbating the cybercrime landscape.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar, all leaders in digital transformation, were the most frequently cited countries on the dark web in connection with stolen data. Experts suggest that the prevalence of advertisements for selling data from these nations underscores the challenges of securing rapidly expanding digital environments, which cybercriminals are quick to exploit.
Positive Technologies analyst Alexey Lukash said, “In the near future, we expect cyberthreats in the Middle East to grow both in scale and sophistication. As digital transformation efforts expand, so does the attack surface, creating more opportunities for hackers of all skill levels. Governments in the region need to focus on protecting critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and government systems. The consequences of successful attacks in these areas could have far-reaching implications for national security and sovereignty.”
To help organizations build stronger defenses against cyberthreats, Positive Technologies recommends implementing modern security measures. These include vulnerability management systems to automate asset management, as well as identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities. Positive Technologies also suggests using network traffic analysis tools to monitor network activity and detect cyberattacks. Another critical layer of protection involves securing applications. Such solutions are designed to identify vulnerabilities in applications, detect suspicious activity, and take immediate action to prevent attacks.
Positive Technologies emphasizes the need for a comprehensive, result-driven approach to cybersecurity. This strategy is designed to prevent attackers from disrupting critical business processes. Scalable and flexible, it can be tailored to individual organizations, entire industries, or even large-scale digital ecosystems like nations or international alliances. The goal is to deliver clear, measurable results in cybersecurity—not just to meet compliance standards or rely on isolated technical fixes.
Channel Talk
Qualys Partners with Teksalah, the First Middle Eastern MSP in its mROC Alliance

Qualys has announced the expansion of its invite-only managed Risk Operations Center (mROC) Partner Alliance with seven new global partners, including Teksalah from the Middle East. This marks a significant step forward in Qualys’ mission to build a robust Risk Operations Center (ROC) ecosystem—making business-aligned cyber risk management more accessible, actionable, and measurable for organizations worldwide.
Built on the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Management Platform, the ROC framework consolidates risk signals across an organization’s digital footprint into a single pane of glass. It enables Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), cyber risk quantification, and risk remediation, empowering CISOs to translate cyber risk into business terms, ensure audit readiness, and build long-term resilience.
The mROC Partner Alliance equips partners to drive growth by delivering enhanced Qualys-powered ROC services that transform how enterprises measure, manage, and reduce cyber risk. The expanded roster of partners brings world-class expertise to help organizations overcome common cybersecurity challenges such as fragmented tools, disjointed risk response, and limited visibility—enabling a proactive approach to managing cyber risk at scale.
“When we introduced the concept of the Risk Operations Center, we knew it had the potential to redefine how organizations manage cyber risk,” said Sumedh Thakar, president and CEO of Qualys. “Today, with the launch of our inaugural global mROC partners, we’re delivering on that vision. This is a major milestone in building a thriving ROC ecosystem—one that helps businesses around the world take control of cyber risk with clarity, speed, and measurable impact.”
mROC Partners, through a comprehensive suite of risk service offerings, play a critical role in Qualys’ mission to make cyber risk management easier to adopt, more practical to implement, and more impactful for organizations globally. This innovative group of mROC partners has been thoroughly trained and enabled to operate a ROC powered by Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management (ETM), delivering comprehensive managed risk services. By aggregating and analyzing risk signals from both Qualys and third-party tools, they offer their clients a holistic, business-aligned view of their risk exposure.
“The Teksalah and Qualys partnership is built on a shared vision — to embed a holistic risk-based, proactive approach at the core of enterprise cybersecurity. Through our powerful platforms, intelligent tools, and proven services—covering real-time risk monitoring to effective remediation—we are enabling organizations to manage risk with precision and drive secure innovation. Together, we are transforming our client’s cybersecurity from a control function into a catalyst for business growth and resilience,” commented Murali Konasani, CEO, Teksalah.
Africa Focus
CyberKnight Sets Up South Africa Entity

CyberKnight, a prominent regional cybersecurity advisory and value-added distributor, today announced the establishment of its local entity in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company has also appointed Wade Gomes as Country Manager for the SAADC (Southern African Development Community) region. This move underscores CyberKnight’s dedication to supporting the burgeoning Southern African market, where cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a top priority for organisations across various sectors.
“Wade Gomes’ appointment marks an important milestone for CyberKnight in Southern Africa. His deep industry knowledge, decades of experience and leadership will be instrumental as we expand our presence and work closely with our partners and customers,” said Yaadhna Singh Gounden, Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our goal is to enable organisations to navigate the complexities of today’s cybersecurity landscape with confidence, leveraging best-in-class solutions and proven frameworks.”
South Africa’s ongoing digital transformation, coupled with the rising sophistication of cyber threats, has driven a greater emphasis on implementing strong security solutions and adhering to regulatory compliance. The region’s cybersecurity market is characterised by a significant demand for advanced technologies, particularly in areas like cloud security, AI-powered threat detection, and managed security services. As businesses embrace digitalisation, they encounter new vulnerabilities, necessitating scalable and innovative solutions to safeguard sensitive data and ensure uninterrupted operations. The collaborative efforts between government, businesses, and technology providers to bridge skills gaps and strengthen defenses highlight the significant growth potential in the region.
“I’m excited to be part of CyberKnight’s journey in Southern Africa. The region is at a critical point in its cybersecurity evolution, and there’s a real opportunity to make a lasting impact, by combining local expertise with global experience. I’m honored and excited to lead this mission locally, with a goal to transform South Africa into one of CyberKnight’s hubs and a center of excellence, by helping customers stay ahead of threats while maximising the value of their cybersecurity investments,” added Wade Gomes, Country Manager at CyberKnight.
CyberKnight’s establishment in South Africa signifies its complete coverage across the African continent. The company brings its Zero Trust Security philosophy and a portfolio of leading global cybersecurity vendors to assist enterprise and government organisations throughout Africa in managing risk and enhancing resilience as they navigate evolving regulations and threats.
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