Building a vulnerability management (VM) program from the ground up is no small feat. It requires technical expertise, organizational buy-in, and a clear roadmap. In recent months, I’ve been working with a client who had to discard their legacy approach and start afresh. We came to realize just how many components have to come together to get a decent start on a VM project while also showing value...

QR codes have revolutionized digital interactions, offering quick access to websites and services and adding a layer of security to many apps. These quick and seemingly innocent codes are everywhere — however, their widespread use has made them a prime target for scammers. The corruption QR codes leaves everyone vulnerable. However, there are simple methods to protect against this threat.What Is ...

In early December 2024, the UK's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) released its eighth Annual Review. While the report's primary focus is to recap the NCSC's activities over the past year, it also offers invaluable insights into how the UK thinks about and plans to act on cybersecurity. In this article, we'll look at a few of its key takeaways.UK in "A Contest for Cyberspace"The overarching...

Creating an enterprise security-first culture is one of the most impactful things a CISO can do to protect their organization. Sure, high-tech solutions and fancy tools are important, but they are largely ineffective when staff are unable or unwilling to play their part in preventing, identifying, and reporting security incidents.However, in the quest to develop a positive cybersecurity culture,...

A California man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that saw over 50 individuals and organisations lose millions of dollars.59-year-old Allen Giltman, of Irvine, California, pleaded guilty to charges that he and his co-conspirators built a network of fraudulent websites impersonating legitimate financial institutions.According to a US Department...

The cyber threat to critical infrastructure has never been greater. The growing sophistication of cybercriminals, deteriorating geopolitical relations, and the convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) have created unprecedented risks for critical infrastructure organizations. Fortunately, resources are available to help these organizations protect themselves.In...

Tripwire's January 2025 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft.First on the list are patches for the Microsoft office platform, including Word, Access, Visio, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook. These patches resolve 13 issues such as remote code execution and security feature bypass vulnerabilities.Next are patches that affect components of the core Windows...

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...

It’s been a tough year for the healthcare sector. Throughout 2024, cybercriminals have unleashed a barrage of attacks on a vast number of healthcare organizations - with disconcerting levels of success. FBI research revealed that healthcare is now the US’s most targeted industry.The attack on Change Healthcare, a United Health-owned health tech company, for example, disrupted operations at...

Small businesses may think they don’t need to implement cybersecurity training programs because larger enterprises with more revenue are more profitable for bad actors. However, small businesses lacking essential security measures are prime targets due to the ease of access and fewer resources for investigation and remediation. While cybersecurity solutions can be an indispensable part of a robust...

Investment scams are a growing problem. Modern cybercriminals are increasingly using this technique to swindle money out of unsuspecting victims. It’s easy to understand why: investment scams are remarkably effective. Research from Barclays even found that they accounted for a staggering 33% of all money lost to scammers in 2023.It’s clear then that many people don’t know how to identify an...

In the early part of 2024, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) released the latest version of the well-respected Critical Security Controls (CSC). The new version, 8.1, adds contours to the prior versions, making it more comprehensive and timely in today’s challenging cybersecurity environment.The CIS CSC has been a valued source of guidance for many organizations since its initial release in...

Can you imagine a modern working world without Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications? Productivity, communication, and project management solutions have transformed the modern workplace, enabling hybrid and remote working, helping to cut costs, and offering unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Without them, the business world would grind to a halt.But these...

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed new rules requiring those under its jurisdiction to follow specific cyber risk management (CRM) requirements, report cybersecurity incidents in a certain timeframe, and address physical security concerns.This is positive news for the transportation industry, as hundreds of attacks have been leveled against the sector. These attacks have...

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...

Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts have it rough. Modern security tools generate an extraordinary number of alerts, attackers are more sophisticated than ever, and IT infrastructures are unprecedentedly complex. As a result, analysts are overwhelmed with workload and alerts, making it near-impossible to make intelligent, informed decisions. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) is...

Recently, I looked at Microsoft’s assigned CVSS v3.1 scores for Patch Tuesday vulnerabilities alongside the Microsoft assigned severity ratings. I wanted to revisit these numbers and see just how closely CVSS aligns with Microsoft’s opinion of severity.Disclaimer: I’m aware that CVSS v4.0 exists. However, Microsoft has not yet adopted it, and I wanted an apples-to-apples comparison.What Is CVSS v3...

What is the Medusa ransomware?Medusa is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platform that first came to prominence in 2023. The ransomware impacts organisations running Windows, predominantly exploiting vulnerable and unpatched systems and hijacking accounts through initial access brokers.Initial access brokers?Initial access brokers (IABs) specialise in gaining unauthorised access to the networks of...

NASA is about to introduce new requirements for its contractors. These requirements will dramatically improve the cybersecurity of spacecraft and the US’ resilience to cyber threats. But what do these requirements mean for spacecraft manufacturers? What challenges will they face? And what will they need to do to comply? Keep reading to find out. Understanding the Cyber Space ThreatWhile NASA has...

The energy sector is the cornerstone of modern infrastructure, powering essential services and supporting the daily operations of economies worldwide. However, it also faces unique cybersecurity challenges, particularly in complying with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) standards.Cyber threats keep growing in sophistication and...