During discussions with clients about their approach to managing IT services, many organizations refer to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) practices as a key component of their approach. This is not surprising, as the ITIL framework provides a practical methodology for IT management, enabling the use of technology to align with...

Hardening in Cybersecurity Cybersecurity hardening is a comprehensive approach to keeping your organization safe from intruders, and mitigating risk. By reducing your attack surface, vulnerability is reduced in tandem. Hardening (or system hardening) considers all flaws and entry points potentially targeted by attackers to compromise your system....

Cybersecurity is no longer the exclusive domain of computers, servers, and handheld devices. As wireless connectivity grows, it makes many daily activities more convenient, but it also means that cars may be vulnerable to cyberattacks. Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric vehicles are starting to dominate the auto market, but they often carry...

How big is Ransomware? The San Francisco 49ers, confirmed a ransomware attack, Cisco was attacked by the Yanluowang ransomware gang, and Entrust was attacked by Lockbit. And that’s just a handful of ransomware accounts noted in 2022. On the surface, ransomware is relatively easy for any criminal to perpetrate, however, those who develop this...

When did you last have a light-bulb moment? For me, it was very recent. I was working with a client, supporting them in their latest Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) annual compliance assessment, and, in discussion with the Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), I had a sudden urge to challenge something we’ve all, always, believed to...

From its inception, the automotive industry has been shaped by innovation and disruption. In recent years, these transformations have taken shape in rapid digitization, ever-growing Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure, and advanced connectivity. These shifts have redirected the automotive industry, meeting and surpassing customer expectations for what...

The world of security advisories is disjointed, with disparate systems holding critical documentation in various formats. To make matters more challenging, despite living in a digital-first era, most of these documents are not legible for machines and must be parsed, reviewed, or referenced by humans. As system administrators contend with a rapidly...

A Rootkit is a malicious program composed of malware that is created to provide prolonged root-level or privileged-level access to a computer. It remains hidden in the computer system while maintaining control of the system remotely. Rootkits have the ability to steal data, eavesdrop, change system configurations, create permanent backdoors, deactivate...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s March 2023 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1046 on Wednesday, March 15th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-24880 Up first this month is a publicly disclosed and exploited vulnerability impacting Windows SmartScreen. SmartScreen...

APIs will continue to drive business and accelerate digital transformation this year to the extent that nearly no other technology can; according to the 19th Developer Economics survey by Slashdata, almost 90% of all developers use APIs. This makes them a target for attackers who aren’t afraid to engage in any tactic, especially tried-and-true methods...

I logged into one of my online accounts today, and the entire interface was different. At first, I checked to make sure that I was actually on the correct site. Once I confirmed that, I just accepted that the company who runs the software made changes that would improve the performance and functionality of the software. Once I logged in, I noticed that...

Is your security tool an island? Does it do its singular task with little more to offer than what it says on the package? Too many security offerings behave as singular entities, forcing you to constantly perform task switching to complete a job. If you are using a robust tool, then you may not be taking full advantage of its capabilities. Many...

Malware as a Service is the unlawful lease of software and hardware from the Dark Web to carry out cyber attacks. The threat actors who use this service are provided with botnet services and technical support by the MaaS owners. This service opens doors to anyone with minimal computer skills to use and distribute pre-made malware. The data that is...

Tripwire's February 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft. First on the patch priority list this month is a patch for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint that resolves a security feature bypass vulnerability. Next are patches for Microsoft Edge that resolve 15 vulnerabilities, including remote code execution...

Security threat actors are becoming smarter, and their attacks more devious. Staying ahead of cybercriminals and vulnerabilities is the only way to defeat the attackers at their own game. If you want to protect your organization from cyber threats, then you need to think like an attacker.  Operational security, also known as OPSEC, is a discipline that...

Governments play a key role in the continued operation of society.  While getting a speeding ticket or paying taxes may not be anyone’s favorite thing to do, they contribute to the government’s ability to protect its citizens while maintaining its infrastructure and services.  Cybersecurity is critical for all organizations and government agencies, as...

As governments and organizations standardize and harmonize their responses to better mitigate the increasing number of cyber-attacks, so do cybercriminals. In Europe, security decision-makers and businesses face similar attack techniques as their global counterparts. While the methodologies employed are identical because they all rely on the same...

Application dependencies occur when technology components, applications, and servers depend on each other to provide a business solution or service. Developers have a specific technology stack in mind when building solutions. This can typically include operating systems, database engines, and development frameworks (such as .Net or Java), as well as...

The owner of a Russian penetration-testing company has been found guilty of being part of an elaborate scheme that netted $90 million after stealing SEC earning reports. For nearly three years, 42-year-old Vladislav Klyushin - the owner of Moscow-based cybersecurity firm M-13 - and his co-conspirators had hacked into two US-based filing agents used by...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s February 2023 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1042 on Wednesday, February 15th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-21823 The first vulnerability in the list this week is CVE-2023-21823, a vulnerability in Windows Graphic Component...