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Monitoring Applications vs. Operating Systems: Why It Matters

In today’s dynamic IT environments, securing and maintaining the integrity of your systems is critical. Fortra’s Tripwire Enterprise is a robust tool designed to help organizations ensure compliance and security by continuously monitoring the configuration and behavior of their IT assets.When deploying Tripwire, a common question arises: should you prioritize monitoring applications, operating...
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VERT Threat Alert: February 2025 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s February 2025 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1143 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2025-21391A vulnerability in Windows Storage could lead to elevation of privilege, however, it is important to note that this would not give complete access to the file...
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What Is a Security Operations Center (SOC)?

Data breaches continue to cost organizations millions of dollars each year, with costs rising steadily. According to IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach has surged to $4.88 million globally, reflecting the increasing complexity and sophistication of cyberattacks. In the United States, this figure is even higher, averaging $9.8 million per breach, and the...
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New Law Could Mean Prison for Reporting Data Leaks

The Turkish government is proposing a controversial new cybersecurity law that could make it a criminal act to report on data breaches. The new legislation proposes penalties for various cybersecurity-related offences. But they key one which has people concerned is this:"Those who carry out activities aimed at targeting institutions or individuals by creating the perception that there has been a...
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VERT Threat Alert: January 2025 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s January 2025 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1139 as soon as coverage is completed.In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2025-21333The first of three Hyper-V vulnerabilities this month is a heap-based buffer overflow that leads to privilege escalation to SYSTEM. Microsoft has reported this...
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Advice for Exponential Organizations: Intersecting Agile and Incident Response

While Exponential Organizations (ExOs) are transforming industries beyond the tech space, that doesn’t mean that they are not susceptible to an increasing number of cyber threats. As ExOs harness innovative and cutting-edge technologies to drive transformative growth, the ability to respond effectively and proactively to cyber incidents becomes increasingly vital. Recent statistics from the 2024...
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VERT Threat Alert: December 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s December 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1136 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2024-49138The only vulnerability that has been publicly disclosed and exploited this month is CVE-2024-49138, a vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System...
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VERT Threat Alert: November 2024 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s November 2024 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1132 as soon as coverage is completed. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEsCVE-2024-43451A vulnerability that allows for NTLMv2 hash disclosure has been both publicly disclosed and actively exploited. According to Microsoft, only minimal...
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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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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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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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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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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...
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Insider Threats Maintain a Rising Trend

“When the cat’s away, the mouse will play,” the old adage goes. Filings to anti-fraud non-profit Cifas would support that claim, as Insider Threat Database (ITD) reports rose by 14% this past year and are largely attributable to hard-to-monitor work-from-home employees mixed with “increasing financial pressures.” The report details further incidents...