Introduction For the longest time within the cybersecurity industry, we have had Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) whose role is to set the strategic direction for Information Security within an organisation. But what are the stepping stones to becoming a CISO? In the past, this has been a difficult question to answer, but typically the...

I recently spoke at a Fortra Webinar about CIS and MITRE. More specifically, I discussed the intersection between the CIS Critical Security Controls, CIS Benchmarks, and MITRE ATT&CK. In this post, I won't go into deep details about the core background, but there are plenty of excellent references available online, including our breakdown of the...

A few years back, data was constrained to the on-premise infrastructure. Data management, governance, and protection were fairly uncomplicated in this enclosed environment. The emergence of cloud computing and multi-cloud infrastructures has not only introduced more complexity in data management and governance, but it has also increased security...

In our increasingly digital world, global communications and financial interactions are nigh inescapable for anyone in any industry or walk of life. The infrastructure in place for international transactions is complex and layered, containing moving parts that work in tandem to make things like transferring money nearly seamless. Many of those...

We're all familiar with tech support scams - where the unwary are tricked into granting remote access to their computers by fraudsters, in the belief that the "tech support person" will fix a non-existent "problem" (such as a "virus infection") or make a refund after claiming that there has been fraudulent activity detected on an account. It's not...

Human error is a major contributing factor to company data breaches. More than 340 million people may already have been affected by a data breach in the first four months of 2023. With cybercrime rates soaring around the world, it’s clearly an area where investment and expertise are required. While updating laptops with the latest antimalware...

Not too long ago, I watched an automobile commercial on television in which the manufacturer placed a huge emphasis on integrity, going on to define the lines of the automobile. I was impressed by this advertisement, so much so that I started looking at all vehicles in a new way. I would walk around the vehicle and look to ensure the spaces between...

As business operations evolve, the challenge of securely moving data within the cloud is one of elevated concern. Transferring sensitive information to it is another. Many are caught between what worked in on-prem technologies and what is needed in cloud-based architectures. Others have sidestepped the security challenges by implementing a Managed...

Cybersecurity professionals seem to always be in the mode of learning. For me, this involves a lot of online training. With all that's available, it is easy to become immersed in a topic. Every so often, during a course, I'll look back to my early experiences in learning and consider how different things are. Yet many things seem to also remain the...

Remote work has shifted the mindset away from the old style of employment, showing up to the office every day. However, it seems that more businesses are starting to grab back some of the traditional practice of showing up to the office. The timing is probably helping, as the northern hemisphere is starting to warm up, making the commute to an...

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...

Any organization or agency that receives federal tax information (FTI) is now required to prove that their data protection policies meet IRS 1075 compliance standards. That means federal, state, county and local entities – as well as the contractors they employ – all fall within this scope. What is IRS 1075? IRS 1075 lays out a framework of...

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of a contractor operating a California town's wastewater treatment facility, alleging that he remotely turned off critical systems and could have endangered public health and safety. 53-year-old Rambler Gallor of Tracy, California, held a full-time position at a Massachusetts company that was...

With the evolution of technology, network activities have increased excessively. Many day-to-day tasks are intertwined with the internet to function. On one level of the infamous OSI model, the data exchanged between devices is broken down into smaller units and transmitted in the network in the form of packets. These packets contain information that is useful for investigators and network...

There’s nothing that makes you feel older than realizing how much of your life you have dedicated to a single topic. At what point do you consider yourself an expert? After more than 17 years in vulnerability management, I’m starting to come around to the idea that I might be an expert in the field. Although, the main reason I feel that way is...

Cybersecurity liability insurance has progressed dramatically since the first bona fide policies emerged in the late 1990s. Some of the greatest changes that have occurred in recent years include insurance companies no longer insuring against state-sponsored attacks or ransomware events. The insurers do not want to become part of a cyber-war. In...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s July 2023 Security Updates, which include a new release notes format. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1064 on Wednesday, July 12th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-32046 A vulnerability in MSHTML could allow an attacker to execute code in the...

Have you heard of the NIS Directive? The full name is quite a mouthful, "DIRECTIVE (EU) 2022/2555 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 14 December 2022 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union". The informal name has been shortened to the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive. The aim of the...

It’s no secret that we’re (still) in an international cyber talent crisis, and that skilled workers are in high demand. We conducted research into the top ten highest paying jobs in cybersecurity to find out just what kind of opportunities awaited those who entered the field. Here are the types of jobs companies are willing to pay (the most) for...