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Defending Against Ransom DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks have become an annoyance most companies assume they may have to deal with at some point. While frustrating, minor website disruptions from small-scale hacktivist campaigns rarely create substantial business impacts. However, a particularly insidious DDoS spinoff has emerged over the past decade – one aimed at blackmail.This evolutionary milestone stems from what's called Ransom DDoS ...
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CIS Control 17: Incident Response Management

We all know that it is a question of when you will be compromised and not if you will be compromised. It is unavoidable. The goal of CIS Control 17 is to ensure that you are set up for success when that inevitable breach occurs. If an organization is neither equipped nor prepared for that potential data breach, they are not likely to succeed in responding to the threat.Key TakeawaysOne takeaway...
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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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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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This Senate Bill Could Improve Voting Machine Security

The upcoming election has brought up conversations about the security of our voting infrastructure. While recent developments have somewhat shifted attention toward more visceral threats such as "death threats against county clerks, polling-place violence, and AI-fueled disinformation," the protection of voting machine security is still a pressing concern.Securing electronic voting infrastructure...
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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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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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Low-Hanging Fruits Vs. Those at the Top of the Tree: Cybersecurity Edition

Companies often go for high-end cybersecurity solutions because dealing with complex problems looks impressive. The appeal of fancy tech and advanced security challenges gives them a sense of achievement and a chance to show off their skills - and says they're serious about staying ahead of cyber crooks.However, this isn't always the best strategy. Many significant risks arise from simple...
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VERT Threat Alert: July 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s July 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1114 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2024-38112A vulnerability in the Windows MSHTML Platform could allow spoofing to occur. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires that the attacker convince...
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IoT Security Regulations: A Compliance Checklist – Part 2

In Part 1, the existing global regulations around IoT were introduced. In this part, the challenge of complying with these rules is examined.The IoT Security ChallengeSecuring the Internet of Things (IoT) presents complex challenges that stem primarily from the scale, heterogeneity, and distributed nature of IoT networks:Inconsistent security standards: One of the most pressing issues is the...
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7 Challenges in Scaling SOC Operations and How to Overcome Them

In the past four years, cyberattacks have more than doubled. Cybercriminals are leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate more sophisticated attacks. Geopolitical tumult has increased cyber risk. Couple these factors with a near-ubiquitous desire for businesses to expand their operations, and it’s easy to understand the need for scaling Security Operations...
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Gaining Network Transparency with Asset Discovery and Compliance for IT/OT

I recently came across the "Johari Window Model" and thought this would be a good way to gain inspiration to explain the conundrum faced by many cybersecurity customers. The table below shows us the breakdown of the stages that are applicable not just to IT and OT environments but also to other facets of our daily lives. This model can be applied...
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IoT Security Regulations: A Compliance Checklist – Part 1

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the global network of physical devices connected to the internet, capable of collecting and sharing data. IoT devices range from everyday household items to sophisticated industrial tools. By integrating sensors and communication hardware, IoT bridges the gap between the physical and digital worlds, enabling environments where smart devices operate...
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VERT Threat Alert: June 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s June 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1110 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-50868 The only disclosed vulnerability we have this month, is CVE-2023-50868, a DNSSEC protocol level vulnerability that can lead to denial of service. The...
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VERT Threat Alert: May 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s May 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1106 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2024-30040 Up first this month, we have a security feature bypass in MSHTML. More specifically, we have an Object...