Data is the lifeblood of modern organizations, and while watertight data protection policies are undeniably crucial, the need for robust data destruction methods has never been more pressing. Ultimately, all parties and vendors in your supply chain trust you to maintain the integrity of their data. Once that data is no longer needed, transparency about...

Cloud computing offers indisputable benefits, but with the caveat that it can quickly become a disorganized jumble unless adequately managed. It’s common for the average organization to use dozens of cloud instances, solutions, and resources scattered across multiple platforms. Such off-premises services quickly accumulate to accommodate the company’s...

Much has been made of cyber resilience in recent years. And with good reason: failing to bounce back quickly from a security event can have dramatic financial consequences. In early 2023, Royal Mail took several days to recover from a Lockbit cyberattack, losing upwards of £10 million in the process. However, for all the talk about resilience, the industry seems to be overlooking one of its...

In early April this year, the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) released its Cybersecurity Breaches Survey 2024. It provides a comprehensive overview of the UK's cybersecurity landscape, exploring the different cyberattacks and cybercrimes businesses, charities, and private sector educational instructions face, the impacts on...

When you think of the cybersecurity "CIA" triad of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, which one of those is most important to your organization? While the answer may vary by season for your organization, there is no argument that they are all equally vital sides of that CIA triangle, and each deserves the correct level of care and attention. ...

“When the cat’s away, the mouse will play,” the old adage goes. Filings to anti-fraud non-profit Cifas would support that claim, as Insider Threat Database (ITD) reports rose by 14% this past year and are largely attributable to hard-to-monitor work-from-home employees mixed with “increasing financial pressures.” The report details further incidents of...

In the first installment of our series on cyber resilience, we discussed what being a resilient organization means. In this installment, we'll explore why organizations need to consider how to become resilient, who's responsible for achieving this, and the processes organizations must have to prioritize actions and effectively spend their budgets. Why...

From more broad laws like GDPR to industry-specific regulations like HIPAA, most organizations today must comply with some kind of data protection guideline. Some businesses may even have to comply with numerous data protection regulations. As such, compliance with data protection regulations has become increasingly complicated.  National Institute of...

Security configurations are an often ignored but essential factor in any organization’s security posture: any tool, program, or solution can be vulnerable to cyberattacks or other security incidents if the settings are not configured correctly. Staying on top of all of these security configurations can be a daunting responsibility for security or IT...

Let’s start the second quarter of the year with boosting our security posture by adopting two-factor authentication methods on our accounts to make them more secure. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an identity and access management security method that requires two forms of identification to access resources and data. The first factor you provide is...

In today's digital landscape, it is important for organizations to depend upon the tools they use for cybersecurity. Large businesses can employ many security solutions, practices, and policies that must combine to create a robust and layered security strategy. While many of these tools are important and necessary, organizations often don't use them to...

I’ll start this one with an apology – I’ve been watching a lot of the TV show The Bear (which I’d highly recommend!) and thus been thinking a lot about kitchen processes and the challenges of making everything come together nicely (both in life and in a recipe). If you are unfamiliar with the show, it is a comedy-drama about a chef who manages his...

Thanks to the burgeoning supply chain, a host of IoT and work-from-home devices, and an expanding cloud presence, organizations are constantly ingesting new hardware into their IT environments. With each new line of code comes a fresh chance for a hidden vulnerability. With each unfound weakness, attackers gain one more opportunity to gain a foothold...

Security and compliance are often tightly intertwined. The main difference is that sometimes, security can outpace compliance efforts. While it is easy to infer that a more secure system exceeds a compliance requirement, an auditor should not be expected to deduce the state of a system; the evidence needs to be clear. There are many factors that can...

What Is a Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS)? A host-based intrusion detection system, or HIDS, is a network application that monitors suspicious and malicious behavior, both internally and externally. The HIDS’ job is to flag any unusual patterns of behavior that could signify a breach. By bringing this activity to the team’s attention, the...

Protecting sensitive data and other assets requires an organization to be adaptable and stay informed on things like the digital landscape and threat trends. While some aspects of security are within an organization’s control, it can be extremely difficult to manage all of the risks and vulnerabilities that are likely to arise. Security configuration...

In the intricate realm of cybersecurity, the relentless surge of cyber threats demands a constant reassessment of defensive strategies. Amidst this dynamic landscape, a subtle yet indispensable player takes center stage — Security Configuration Management (SCM). This blog embarks on an insightful journey into the critical role played by SCM in the...