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What's New with the TSA’s Oil and Gas Security Directives?

In recent years, the security of the United States' critical infrastructure has become a pressing concern, particularly in the oil and gas sector, due to its pivotal role in the nation's economy and energy supply. Recognizing this, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implements several new directives in July each year aimed at enhancing the security and resilience of vital energy...
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Cybersecurity at Ports Gets a Boost with New Bipartisan Bill

Cybersecurity's role in geopolitics is growing more significant by the day. In a world of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, governments worldwide are recognizing the impact digital attacks can have on national security, trade, and infrastructure.This has never been more evident than with the recent introduction of the Protecting Investments in Our Ports Act by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R...
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Advanced Tips for Leveraging the NIST Cybersecurity Framework for Compliance

Depending on the industry, location, and business operations of your organization, you may have any number of cybersecurity regulations to comply with. Keeping track of each law that affects your organization and the various requirements associated with them can be overwhelming, but the consequences of noncompliance are often far worse.While diligent adherence to regulatory requirements is not a...
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The Role of the NIST CSF in Cyber Resilience

Resilience is one of the hottest topics of the moment, but for good reason. For most organizations, suffering a cyberattack is a matter of when, not if. Attackers are, lamentably, always one step ahead of defenders and, as such, responding to an attack and maintaining business operations have become arguably more important than protecting an organization in the first place. The NIST Cybersecurity...
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VERT Threat Alert: October 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s October 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1127 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2024-43573A vulnerability in the Windows MSHTML Platform has seen active exploitation attacks against a spoofing vulnerability. Based on the CWE that Microsoft selected...
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Tripwire Patch Priority Index for September 2024

Tripwire's September 2024 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft.First on the list are patches for Microsoft Excel, Visio, and Publisher that resolve remote code execution, elevation of privilege, and security feature bypass vulnerabilities.Next are patches that affect components of the core Windows operating system. These patches resolve over 35...
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CISA Warns of Hackers Targeting Industrial Systems with "Unsophisticated Methods" Amid Lebanon Water Hack Claims

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned that malicious hackers continue to be capable of compromising industrial control systems (ICS) and other operational technology (OT) using "unsophisticated methods" - suggesting that much more still needs to be done to secure them properly.In an advisory posted on CISA's website yesterday, the agency said that internet...
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The Latest Email Scams: Key Trends to Look Out For

Amid the numerous instruments that have augmented our digital communication and commerce experiences over time, email remains a staple for everything, from confirming purchases to life-changing events like the authorization of financial aid.It comes as no surprise that email scams have been a mainstay of cyberattacks since the earliest days of online correspondence. Worse yet, their scope and...
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Aligning Your Cybersecurity Strategy with the NIST CSF 2.0

So, you're considering integrating the NIST CSF 2.0 (National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework) into your cybersecurity practices. Congratulations! You've taken the first step toward improving your organization's cybersecurity posture.However, you may need clarification about the best approach to aligning your cybersecurity practices with the NIST CSF. This process can...
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Common Phishing Attacks and How to Protect Against Them

Phishing is a malicious attempt to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal data. These attacks are typically carried out by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in electronic communications. Phishing can take many forms and has evolved to become more sophisticated, making it imperative for individuals and...
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VERT Threat Alert: September 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s September 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1123 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2024-38217Windows uses the Mark of the Web (MoTW) to identify files downloaded from the Internet. This is done by setting the NTFS Zone.Identifier alternate Data...
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Tripwire Patch Priority Index for August 2024

Tripwire's August 2024 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft, Adobe and Google.First on the list are patches for Microsoft Edge and Google Chromium that resolve 12 vulnerabilities, including information disclosure, remote code execution, and memory corruption vulnerabilities.Up next are patches for Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Visio, Excel, Project,...
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Global Cyber Insurance Premiums Decline Despite Ransomware Surge

Cyber insurance has a strange past: AIG first took cyber insurance to market in 1997 despite a total lack of actuarial data to inform premiums or policies. Essentially, the industry ran on guesswork. Even today, the cyber insurance market is remarkably unpredictable compared to long-established insurance policies such as those for housing or health.Typically, when cybercrime – or, more...
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Understanding Managed Service Providers (MSPs): Choosing the Right Provider

The demand for robust security, transparency, and accountability is at an all-time high, and many businesses are relying on managed service providers (MSPs) to manage their IT infrastructure, ensure data security, or provide seamless operational support. Concurrently, MSPs must continuously innovate and differentiate their offerings to meet the growing needs of businesses.The wide range of MSPs...
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Exploring the Impact of NIST SP 800-53 on Federal IT Systems

NIST SP 800-53 is a framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that provides guidelines and best practices for securing federal information systems and protecting the privacy of individuals whose information these systems handle.The Special Publication has gone by several different names. NIST initially released Special Publication 800-53 in 2005 under the...
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Updates and Evolution of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework: What’s New?

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is a widely used set of guidelines for mitigating organizational cybersecurity risks. It contains recommendations and standards to help organizations identify and detect cyberattacks and advice on how to respond, prevent, and recover from cybersecurity incidents.Since Version 1.0’s...
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VERT Threat Alert: August 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s August 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1119 as soon as coverage is completed.In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2024-38178CVE-2024-38178 describes a vulnerability in the Microsoft Edge scripting engine when run in Internet Explorer Mode. On top of requiring Edge be running in...
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Tripwire Patch Priority Index for July 2024

Tripwire's July 2024 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft.First on the list are patches for Microsoft Office and Outlook that resolve remote code execution and spoofing vulnerabilities.Next are patches that affect components of the core Windows operating system. These patches resolve over 65 vulnerabilities, including elevation of privilege,...
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Re-Extortion: How Ransomware Gangs Re-Victimize Victims

Ransomware has evolved significantly since its inception. Initially, these attacks were relatively simple: malware would encrypt a victim's files, and the attacker would demand a ransom for the decryption key. However, as cybersecurity measures improved, so did ransomware gangs' tactics.Modern ransomware attacks often involve sophisticated techniques such as data exfiltration, where attackers...
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The Dual Impact of AI on Power Grids: Efficiency and Vulnerability

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising solution to modernize power grids. The technology, alongside other upgrades like Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, could make energy infrastructure more reliable and sustainable. However, AI power grids also pose significant cybersecurity risks.Attacks against critical infrastructure are becoming more common. As energy authorities ramp...