"Sextortion" scams represent some of cybercriminals' most brazen attempts to extract money from unwitting victims. These extortion techniques rely on fear and shame to get targets to pay up. Similar to individualized ransomware attacks, if the party refuses to pay the demand, public exposure will follow.As these attacks target individuals rather than companies, it is important for all employees to...

Each day, it seems that we hear of another healthcare organization being compromised by a cyber attack. It is clear that the healthcare industry is the new favorite target amongst cybercriminals. Fortunately, vigorous efforts are available to combat these threats. We recently spoke to Errol Weiss, Chief Security Officer at Health-ISAC. Errol spearheads the information sharing and analysis center,...

Zero Trust maturity might be one of the least understood security buzzwords of our era. The term “Zero Trust” was originally coined over a decade ago and described the principle of not assigning digital trust to any entity, ever, for free. It represented a fundamental paradigm shift from the trust-happy early internet days to the threat-filled cyber landscape we now know.Since then, companies have...

Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux), initially known for its perceived complexity in configuration and maintenance, has evolved into an indispensable security architecture across most Linux distributions. It empowers administrators to finely control the actions permitted to individual users, processes, and system daemons, thereby bolstering defense against potential security breaches. Through the...

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...

The Rolling Stones wanted to protect their space; we, as security practitioners, need to protect ours. Data 'castles' in the cloud are out there, and they're constantly under siege. By drawing inspiration from a band that embodied personal freedom, we can draw some – okay, very stretched - parallels to modern cloud security. Nonetheless, they work....

What is the greatest cyber risk in the world right now? Ransomware? Business Email Compromise? Maybe AI? Well, the last one is pretty close. According to the World Economic Forum, misinformation and disinformation are the most severe global risks of the next two years. In their Global Risks Report 2024, the WEF posited that the post-pandemic world...

The security industry is at a critical juncture. Capturing the state of affairs is a recent report released by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or ISC2. “A perfect storm” As they state in their Executive Summary, “Our study shows that a perfect storm of economic uncertainty, rapidly emerging technologies,...

It’s the small vines, not the large branches, that trip us up in the forest. Apparently, it’s no different in Healthcare. In November, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a Mitigation Guide aimed at the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector. In the midst of current hybrid cloud security challenges, hyper...

Boards of directors need to maintain an appropriate level of cyber expertise, incidents must be reported within 72 hours after determination, and all ransom payments made must be reported within a day. Those are just some of the changes made by The New York State Department of Financial Services to its Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial...

It's easy to rest on our laurels. Prevent a few breaches – or go long enough without one – and you start to feel invincible. While our efforts are certainly laudable, we can't get too comfortable.As defenders, we always need to be on the hunt for what we've missed and ways to do better. Here are ten common cybersecurity mistakes that crop up (and how...

Fortra’s Core Security recently released its 2023 Pen Testing Report, and there’s plenty to see. In this year’s report, IT decision-makers can learn what their peers are saying about why they pen test, how often they pen test, and whether or not they’re pen testing in-house, among other topics. Each year, Core Security collects and produces some...

Hey, did you get that sketchy email? You know, the one from that malicious hacker always trying to fool us into clicking on some malware? Boy, these criminals are relentless. Wait, what? You clicked on it? Uh-oh... A hypothetical scenario, but one that plays out every day in organizations across the globe. The truth is that it is a very real...

If you’re looking for job security, look no further: The cybersecurity sector can keep you gainfully employed for a very, very long time. There are an ever-growing number of ways in which someone with cybersecurity prowess can contribute, and as digital assets continue to develop and diversify, it’s safe to say they’ll always be kept on their toes. ...

They say character isn’t gained in a crisis; it’s displayed in one. By the time the disaster hits, the time for preparation has passed. But what if you could go through that earth-shattering event beforehand so when the time came, you’d be ready? Well, in security, you can. And it's not called cheating – it's called Red Teaming. It’s done...

While we all know the actual point of PCI is vastly more far-reaching, we can’t deny that the juggernaut of PCI DSS 4.0 compliance is getting past the auditors. However, there is a right way to do it that doesn’t just check the box – it creates the underlying business operations that enable you to pass an audit any day, at any time, with just the...

The EPA isn't mincing words when it comes to protecting public drinking water. Earlier this month they released a memorandum putting specifics into the general advice to maintain cybersecurity at public water systems (PWSs). Per the report, “[The] EPA clarifies with this memorandum that states must evaluate the cybersecurity of operational technology...

We seem to be fascinated by fraudsters, and recent documentaries prove this. The documentary landscape is populated with many fraud-centered stories, such as The Tinder Swindler, Fyre, The Con, Fake Heiress, The Inventor, and many others. Some have even been made into series, such as the story of Elisabeth Holmes in The Dropout, and the story of...

Legacy gas and coal plants are being aged out – and no one wants to pay enough to keep them going. With increased pressure from green energy laws and added competition from renewable sources, these monsters of Old Power are being shown the door. Considering they've predated and precipitated all Industrial Revolutions (except for this last one – that...

A truism about the free tools online is that if you aren’t paying for the service, then you are the product. Take your grocery store's “club” card program. You sign up and give them your name and phone number, and every time you shop, you swipe your card and get discounts on certain items. If you shop at the same store all the time, it makes...