Channel Brief: HP Wolf Security Finds Hardware Threats Increasing, Gradient Launches MSP Pricing Tool

Welcome to another week, folks!

First of all, for those of you at Black Hat, BSides and DEF CON this week, you can check out all the CyberRisk Alliance coverage at scworld.com/blackhat.

A new HP Wolf Security survey found that, despite all the attention on software supply chain security, the physical supply chain is also increasingly a target for bad actors. Businesses should also focus on device hardware and firmware integrity, the survey suggested, as attacks on hardware supply chains and device tampering expected to increase.

Censys last week announced the launch of its Community Forum, an online platform for security pros to gather and talk threat hunting, ASM and everything else security related. Check it out!

Gradient released an MSP pricing benchmark assessment to help MSPs price their services, Provoke Solutions has named former Meta superstar Harper Carroll as a strategic advisor and SecurityScorecard is teaming up with G2 to provide security 'grades' to vendors on the platform.

As always, drop me a line at [email protected] if you have news to share or want to say hi!

Grab your coffee. Here's what you need to know today.

Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Censys Launches Digital Cybersecurity Community: Censys last week announced the launch of its Community Forum, an online platform for security professionals to discuss threat hunting, attack surface management, general security expertise and more. The goal of this digital community is to foster a collaborative environment for security teams to network, share industry knowledge and learn internet scanning best practices. The space provides over 70,000 members with free resources and data-driven security solutions through a centralized, accessible platform.

2. Gradient Releases MSP Pricing Tool: Last week, MSP Gradient released its MSP Pricing Benchmark Assessment, which will help IT service providers to price their products appropriately, as Channel Futures reported. The tool will compare the resale prices, costs and adoption rates of a company's products against data from 1,000 other MSPs — data that accounts for more than $7 billion in revenue. The software aims to help address any uncertainties that other MSPs may face around pricing since there can often be a lack of guidance for what is a reasonable price and what isn't, Channel Futures said.

3. Provoke Appoints New Strategic Advisor: Provoke Solutions, a leading provider of innovative AI-driven solutions, proudly announces the appointment of Harper Carroll as strategic advisor. Carroll is a rising star in the artificial intelligence and machine learning community following her tenure at Meta, where she spearheaded groundbreaking projects in misinformation mitigation and augmented reality. As a software engineer and educator, Carroll excels in demystifying complex AI and ML concepts for a broad audience. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science with a specialization in AI from Stanford University. Her professional journey includes pivotal roles at Meta, where she developed an emotional wellbeing product for AR devices and built a machine learning system to detect and mitigate misinformation and protect vulnerable communities, which was applied globally.

4. SecurityScorecard Teams up With G2 on Vendor Security Ratings: SecurityScorecard today announced a partnership with software marketplace G2 through which SecurityScorecard cybersecurity ratings will be featured directly in G2 product profiles. A simple A-F letter grade will measure a vendor’s security posture so B2B buyers can quickly make security assessments. It's not clear what factors are used to 'grade' vendors; in a statement about the partnership, SecurityScorecard mentioned its "... groundbreaking breach prediction, powered by advanced AI capabilities and data from 15,000 historical breaches ... [a]n 'F grade' means a company is 14 times more likely to experience a breach."

5. Attackers Targeting Physical Supply Chains, Too: HP, Inc. today released the findings of a global survey highlighting the growing concern over nation-state threat actors targeting physical supply chains and tampering with device hardware and firmware integrity. The HP Wolf Security study of 800 IT and security decision-makers (ITSDMs) responsible for device security highlighted the need for businesses to focus on device hardware and firmware integrity, with attacks on hardware supply chains and device tampering expected to increase.