Using security tools to monitor activities on IP based endpoints and the resulting changes that occur pose one of the most formidable challenges to security and regulatory compliance efforts, thanks to its potential to disrupt established security measures and protocols. Compliance frameworks, such as PCI DSS and NIST 800-53/SI-7, require organizations...

Energy efficiency and availability is a major concern for all countries and governments. The electric grid is a vital sector, and any malfunctions will create ripple effects on any nation’s economy. As the grid is heavily dependent on cyber-enabled technologies and a vast chain of suppliers, contractors, and partners, the ability to safeguard the...

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks occur when adversaries overwhelm a connected target’s resources, aiming to make it unavailable. Learning the best strategies to protect from DDoS attacks is critical to energy grid cybersecurity. A well-planned DDoS attack on the grid could halt essential services, cause substantial disruptions to households...

The financial services sector faces unprecedented cybersecurity challenges in today's digital age. With the industry being a prime target for cybercriminals, understanding and adhering to cybersecurity regulations has never been more crucial. This article delves into the labyrinth of cybersecurity regulations affecting financial services, underscoring...

Have you ever considered that even before you enjoy the first sip of your favorite morning beverage, you have probably interacted with at least half of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors that keep a nation running? In one way or another, the simple act of brewing a cup of tea would probably not be possible without interacting with water, energy,...

Today, almost every organization is engaged with a third-party vendor at some level when offering products or services. Take, for instance, an e-commerce business that may not be able to function properly unless multiple third-party integrations are involved, such as CRMs, payment gateways, live chat APIs, or a shipping gateway, to name a few. Though...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s February 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1093 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2024-21351 This CVE describes a bypass in the Windows SmartScreen Security Feature. At this point, these bypasses have...

Technology has recently been evolving at the speed of light. We have seen the onset of increased cyber threats across all industries. Gone are the times when threat actors had a specific goal and target. We now live in an age where robots collect, collate, and save information for a more opportune and profitable day. It is ever more important to...

The emergence of innovative Financial Technology (FinTech) has spearheaded rapid growth in the digital payments sector. In recent years, global payment revenues exceeded valuations of $2.2 trillion, with a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) expected in the next five years. There is no denying the convenience benefits that the digital...

2023 saw two concerning attacks on public water systems, highlighting the fragility and risk to utility systems. In Pennsylvania, malicious hackers breached the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa system the night after Thanksgiving. The criminals were making a political statement: the technology used to manage water pressure was developed by Israel,...

US federal agencies have teamed up to release a cybersecurity best practice guidance for the water and wastewater sector (WWS). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have published the guide in an attempt to promote cybersecurity...

  One of the most common factors that can lead to cybersecurity incidents is a security misconfiguration in software or application settings. The default settings that come with the implementation of these tools and solutions are often not configured securely, and many organizations do not invest the time and resources into ensuring that they are. ...

Imagine you’re on the tail end of installing a 100-line script. It’s five o’clock, and you’re ready to head out early for once. You run the startup script on a new server, and then – the fated error message. Something isn’t working, and only after painstakingly reviewing 67 lines of code do you realize you had the IP address wrong. This could have been...

Like every other industry, the healthcare sector is barely recognizable when compared to its state 20 years ago. It, too, has been transfigured by technology. While this has brought many impactful benefits, it has also introduced at least one major challenge: keeping sensitive patient information private. At the heart of this privacy challenge stands...

Cybersecurity in Mental Healthcare - The Overlooked Risk Did you know the New-Age Therapeutic sector is unregulated? If that surprises you, then you’re not alone. I was a little surprised, too. Yes, there are various professional bodies a practitioner can join, and there are courses they can attend, but they aren’t forced to.  It should be noted that...

At Tripwire's recent Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group, we had the opportunity to speak with the Manager of Gas Measurement, Controls, & Cybersecurity at a large energy company. More specifically, we focused on SCADA and field assets of gas Operational Technology. The experience at the management level of such an organization provided a wealth of...

The shifting sands of IT make the adage "you never know it all" ever more true as time goes by. I recall days when it felt like you could click through every major directory of Yahoo and know a little something about everything. I was a young man with a voracious reading appetite and an active imagination – both of which were thoroughly outpaced by the...

In the digital world, where countless users communicate, share data, and engage in diverse activities, determining the origin and actions behind these interactions can be quite challenging. This is where non-repudiation steps in. Coupling other security factors, such as delivery proof, identity verification, and a digital signature, creates non...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s January 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1088 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs There were no in-the-wild or disclosed CVEs included in the January Patch Tuesday drop. CVE Breakdown by Tag While...