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Journey to OSCP - 10 Things You Need to Know

"OSCP is not about clearing the exam. It’s all about working deeply on labs." --Ramkisan Mohan (Check out his detailed guide to OSCP Preparation) I began my OSCP journey in the late fall of 2018. So far, I've rooted 23+ machines in the PWK labs, and I am still plugging away, hoping to get as many as possible, learn as much as possible and, of course...
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What’s Going on at Infosecurity 2019: Tripwire Edition

It seems like only yesterday that we were packing up the Tripwire stand after another fantastic year at Infosec and here I am (literally) counting down the days until the doors open for Infosecurity Europe 2019! The Tripwire team is always excited to get on the show floor and have great conversations with clients and partners, meet new people and of...
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One Year Later: First GDPR Execution Overview Reveals There’s Still Work to Do

It’s been nearly a year since the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became enforceable. In that span of time, news outlets have reported various stories largely concerning the regulation and its penalties scheme. In January 2019, for instance, the world learned that France’s data protection regulator CNIL had fined Google 50 million euros for "lack of transparency,...
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A Simple Data Breach Guide (Interpreting GDPR)

Perhaps it’s too melodramatic to claim that the debate over how to define a data breach "rages on" because we haven’t seen bodies flying out of windows yet, but it is a serious question with genuine financial ramifications now that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its accompanying fines for mishandling data have arrived to save (and...
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Magecart Used Same Skimmer against Two Web-Based Suppliers

Magecart threat actors used the same skimmer against two web-based suppliers to try to steal users' payment card information. As discovered by security researcher Willem de Groot, the first attack occurred at 15:56:42 GMT on 10 May when bad actors injected the skimmer into the bottom of a script used by enterprise content management system CloudCMS....
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6 Common Compliance Conundrums to Know About

Cyber security assessment initiatives and frameworks abound in the US government, the most important being the Federal Information Systems Management Act (FISMA) passed in 2002. The law’s broad scope included a mandate to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), charging it to create methods and standards to assess and optimize...
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What Is DevOps Maturity, and How Does It Relate to DevOps Security?

By now, many organizations have turned to DevOps as part of their ongoing digital transformations. This process has not been the same for any two companies. Indeed, organizations have embraced DevOps at their own place, and they’ve invested varying levels of time and budget into their nascent deployments. Such variety has helped shape organizations’...
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Cyber Security + Compliance Controls: What Does It All Mean, Rick?

I'm sure you have all seen the Rickie Fowler commercial where the interviewer rants about all of the confusing financial terms involved with getting a mortgage. If not, you can find it below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YqNTWOldY Confusion in Cyber Security Throughout my career, I have worked with hundreds of organizations. Regardless of the...
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A Beginner’s Guide to PCI Compliance

PCI DSS, or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, is the set of requirements for organizations who process card payments. Sounds simple enough, right? But PCI compliance can pose a major challenge to organizations if they’re not equipped with the proper knowledge and tools. Let’s take a quick look at the basics of PCI compliance, what...
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Six Myths People Still Believe About GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018, and by the letter of the law, virtually every business in the UK needs to comply with it. However, there are still some misconceptions surrounding the law and what it means to organisations. This can lead to difficult situations where mistakes can be made. Here are six myths...
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Establishing Information Security in Project Management

A person recently asked me if it was possible to implement ISO 27001 using a specific project management software product. They used the tool in the past to define project plans and make project reviews. While I told them this is entirely possible, the truth is one can implement ISO 27001 even without a project plan or any specific tools. But should...
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High-rolling hacker jailed after launching malware attacks via websites

A British man has been jailed for over six years after exploiting ad networks on pornographic websites to spread malware onto innocent users' computers. 24-year-old Zain Qaiser made massive profits from victims in over 20 countries around the world through a criminal scheme which involved malware and blackmail. According to the National Crime Agency...
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The Risk of Credential Stuffing to the Smart Home

As technology advances and the costs of connecting electronic components to the internet decreases, the lower the cost of having an internet connected smart home is. Sensors placed throughout a house and integrated into home appliances can provide homeowners the advantages of monitoring and managing functions of the home remotely. According to...
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How to Evade Detection: Hiding in the Registry

MITRE Corporation’s ATT&CK framework is a living, curated repository of adversarial tactics and techniques based on observations from actual attacks on enterprise networks. It’s a valuable trove of information for security analysts, threat hunters and incident response teams. Today, I’m going to look at a particular method for evading detection, often...
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Vulnerability Management: Myths, Misconceptions and Mitigating Risk

Vulnerability Management is a much-talked-about practice in the IT security industry. Whether it is the debate on vulnerability scoring, how to implement a suitable vulnerability management program based on your own resources or even trying to convince leadership a vulnerability management solution alone won't solve all your cybersecurity issues,...
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Unsecured databases found leaking half a billion resumes on the net

Barely a day goes by anymore without another report of sensitive data being left accessible to anyone on Elasticsearch servers or MongoDB databases that have not been properly configured. Today is no different. As ZDNet reports, researchers have discovered several exposed servers that belong to Chinese recruitment firms. Security experts Devin...
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If the Data Breach Doesn't Kill Your Business, the Fine Might

When you hear about a data breach in the news, it's usually related to a major company or social media network that has been targeted. The erroneous conclusion would be that the hackers only focus on exploiting security flaws in large organizations, but the opposite is true. The reality is that cybercrime is deadly to small businesses, with 60% closing operations within six months of an attack....