Telecom
Sophos Launches Identity Threat Detection and Response to Combat Rising Credential-Based Cyberattacks
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced the launch of Sophos Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR).
This new solution for Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR continuously monitors customer environments for identity risks and misconfigurations and scans the dark web for compromised credentials.
It enables organizations to detect and respond to identity-based attacks rapidly and identify risky user behavior that could pose a threat to their business.
This launch is a significant milestone building on the Secureworks acquisition, broadening Sophos’ portfolio and is the first Secureworks solution that has been fully integrated into the Sophos Central platform, further enabling comprehensive security operations outcomes for its 600,000 customers.
Sophos ITDR addresses identity-based attacks, one of the fastest-growing threat vectors globally. Sophos X-Ops observed a 106 percent increase in stolen credentials for sale on the dark web between June 2024 and June 2025, underscoring the growing risk.
The Sophos Active Adversary Report further found that compromised credentials were the number-one root cause of attacks across MDR and incident response cases for the second year in a row, with 56 percent of incidents involving attackers logging into external remote services with valid accounts.
“Cloud and remote work have expanded the identity attack surface and created new opportunities for attackers,” said Rob Harrison, SVP, Product Management, Sophos. “Complex identity and access management systems with constantly changing settings and policies create gaps that attackers target. Sophos ITDR helps close those gaps by giving customers faster visibility into identity risks, monitoring for compromised credentials, and integrating with Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR for rapid, analyst-led response.”
Sophos ITDR uncovers identity risks and is designed to protect and detect against all known MITRE ATT&CK Credential Access techniques with detection rules for all of the techniques The solution performs more than 80 cloud identity posture checks, monitors for compromised credentials on the dark web, and uses AI-driven detections to identify identity-based attacks such as kerberoasting, privilege escalation, account takeover, brute force, and lateral movement. Response playbooks within Sophos ITDR, enable automated remediation actions, including account lock, password reset, multi-factor authentication refresh, and session revocation.
Key Features and Benefits in Sophos ITDR
· Identity Catalog: Gain complete visibility across all identities across systems to reduce blind spots.
· Identity Posture Dashboard: Get a single, prioritized view of identity risks, including compromised credentials on the dark web, to act faster.
· Continuous Assessments: Strengthen security posture with ongoing detection of misconfigurations, dormant accounts, vulnerabilities, and MFA gaps.
· Compromised Credential Monitoring: Protect users by detecting and alerting when stolen credentials surface in breach databases.
· Dark Web Intelligence: Stay ahead of attackers with proactive monitoring of underground markets for leaked credentials.
· User Behavior Analytics (UEBA): Spot insider threats and anomalous activity early to prevent account takeover and lateral movement.
· Advanced Identity Detections: Detect sophisticated identity attacks such as kerberoasting, account compromise, stolen credentials, password spray, brute force, and impossible travel.
· Identity Response Actions: Take immediate action on identity threats with integrated response actions to disable accounts, reset user sessions, reset passwords, or mark users as compromised in Microsoft Entra ID.
The Sophos ITDR solution integrates with Sophos XDR and Sophos MDR, automatically generating cases when identity-based threats or high-risk findings arise. With Sophos MDR, Sophos security analysts then investigate and take response actions on behalf of customers, accelerating remediation and reducing risk.
“Sophos ITDR has improved visibility into our identity risks and streamlined how we manage them,” said an Information Security Director at a financial services firm. “Having identity risk data available within Sophos XDR is a game changer for strengthening our overall security posture.”
“Identity has become the new frontline of cyber defense, and Sophos ITDR delivers the visibility and automation needed to stay ahead of attackers. By covering the full spectrum of identities from users to service accounts and applications, it closes blind spots, strengthens our overall security posture, and provides clear remediation actions that help my team address risks quickly and effectively,” said a CISO at a financial services firm.
Sophos partners can access enablement materials and sales resources via the Sophos Partner Portal.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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