Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most high-profile technology developments in recent history. It would appear that there is no end to what AI can do. Fom driverless cars, dictation tools, translator apps, predictive analytics and application tracking, as well as retail tools such as smart shelves and carts to apps that help people with...

Earlier this year, I wrote about what’s new in Version 8 of the Center for Internet Security’s Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls). An international consortium of security professionals first created the CIS Controls back in 2008. Since then, the security community has continued to update the CIS Controls to keep pace with the evolution of...

As we enter 2022, it’s important that organizations invest in cybersecurity for their operational technology (OT) systems. Why? One of the reasons is that Industry 4.0 can sometimes introduce more risk for OT. This is evident in several Industry 4.0 market trends. For example, there’s digital twin infrastructure. That’s where you make a digital...

Data is among the most valuable assets that need to be safeguarded at all costs. But in the digitally-driven business world, cybercrimes are prevalent, making data protection and data privacy a main focal point. The increasing use of technology and the growing exposure to evolving cyber threats have dramatically changed the data security and privacy...

Collecting Credentials Many of us are fond of collecting things, but not everyone is excited about Collections #1-5. In 2019, these Collections, composed of ca. 932 GB of data containing billions of email addresses and their passwords, made their way around the Internet. These collections weren't breaches but compilations of emails and passwords...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s January 2022 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-981 on Wednesday, January 12th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2022-21919 This vulnerability was a bypass to CVE-2021-34484, released by the same researcher, Abdelhamid Naceri. The...

In this episode, Curtis Dukes, executive vice president and general manager of the Center for Internet Security (CIS), explains the need for their Community Defense Model. He also details their process for designing their models as a non-profit organization. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2d6L3efAWhvAyu3qT0jcVb?si=b012c0db7ac74dd0 Spotify:...

Tripwire's December 2021 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Apache, Ubuntu Linux Kernel, and Microsoft.First on the patch priority list this month are patches for Apache Log4j2 vulnerabilities, most importantly for the Log4j2 "LogShell" remote code execution vulnerability. There are many attack vectors via various...

Companies today face increasing pressure to implement strong cybersecurity controls. While the U.S. has no comprehensive cybersecurity law, many organizations still fall under state, international, or industry regulations. Two of the most prominent controlling publications are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the ISO 27701 standard...

One of the biggest problems with the IT / OT convergence in critical infrastructure is that much of the legacy hardware cannot simply be patched to an acceptable compliance level. Recently, Sean Tufts, the practice director for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Internet of Things (IoT) security at Optiv, offered his perspectives on where the...

IT environments have always been considered the forefront when it comes to cybersecurity, and OT environments have been the forefront when it comes to physical security. As more and more cyber threats are taking place, and with an increasing number recently focused on OT environments, everyone seems to be concerned with how to upscale and secure...

The cybersecurity market offers excellent solutions and services to combat the threats that are exploited by cybercriminals. However, are these tools enough to fully protect an organization? It is clear that human error is a strong attack vector for many popular cybercrimes, so the best way to augment any security program is to create a cyber-aware...

This blog contains a discussion about stress, trauma, and domestic violence. This may be difficult for some readers, and given the alarming figures around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), trauma, and early life experiences (ACEs), this will likely concern at least a small population of readers. Please take care of yourself when reading this...

It's that time of year that the usual happens. Christmas crackers with bad jokes. Holiday specials on TV (constantly). And cyber specialists like me make predictions about the year to come. With the help of insights from Gartner and my own views on what we are likely to see in 2022, I think I can help you with a couple of these. Firstly, it's worth...

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) views securing the supply chain and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) as one critical pillar in protecting national security. Dedicated security requirements exist for the protection of federal information systems as well as classified information based on the NIST 800-53 standard. However, several years...

It seems that the most popular topics in cybersecurity for the last year have been zero trust as well as the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). These developments are good, as they signal some positive motion towards better overall security. Some of the current risks are worth noting, with a forward glance to...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s December 2021 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-978 on Wednesday, December 15th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2021-43890 Up first this month is a vulnerability in the Windows AppX Installer that could allow spoofing. This...

Cybersecurity is such a broad subject that many times, an organization can become stifled when trying to develop a full cybersecurity program. Some organizations that have already put a cybersecurity program in place can also unpleasantly discover gaps in their efforts, making the entire venture seem moot. One way to effectively get started, as well...

Phishing attempts over text messages are becoming more prevalent. I received an SMS text message that contained a phishing attempt for a Canadian Bank. The message implied that I have received a new notification with this bank and I should visit the provided link. I usually do not click on any links, but I decided to see what would happen when I...