Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

October 2022

LinkedIn's new security features fight scammers, deepfakes, and malicious hackers

LinkedIn says it is beefing up its security in an attempt to better protect its user base from fraudulent activity such as profiles that use AI-generated deepfake photos, and messages that may contain unwanted or harmful content. The new features, which are being rolled out globally over the next several weeks, have been previewed in a blog post by LinkedIn's Vice President of product management, Oscar Rodriguez.

New Canadian Cyberattack Data Says 80% of SMBs Are Vulnerable

If you were to take a look at the cybersecurity news cycle, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s only large enterprises with expansive customer bases and budgets that are the most vulnerable to attacks. But that’s not entirely true. Even if it’s at a much smaller scale, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) still have stores of sensitive information that’s appealing to bad actors — and they’re often much less equipped to protect that data.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: CU in Cyber

If you're in the cybersecurity sector, you'll know that October is “Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” a time when cybersecurity specialists everywhere push hard to get the message out that cybersecurity is important. Each year, there is a different theme, and for 2022, the theme is "See Yourself in Cyber." According to the CISA website, the theme is meant to demonstrate that "while cybersecurity may seem like a complex subject, ultimately, it's really all about people.

What the industry wants to improve on NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework was meant to be a dynamic document that is continuously revised, enhanced, and updated. These upgrades allow the Framework to keep up with technological and threat developments, incorporate lessons learned, and transform best practices into standard procedures. NIST created the Framework in 2014 and updated it with CSF 1.1 in April 2018.

Why Law Firms Should Use Integrity Monitoring to Maintain Confidentiality

Law firms owe their clients several types of duties, such as the duty of care, duty to provide competent representation, as well as other ethical responsibilities. Their duties even extend to former clients and must be upheld long after they no longer have a formal attorney-client relationship. More specifically, lawyers have a duty to not disclose any information about a client or prospective client, unless that individual consents, or an exception is dictated by law.

CISO Interview Series: Professor Richard Benham

In the cybersecurity profession, some names stick out among the great creators and contributors. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Richard Benham about the role of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Professor Richard Benham is known globally as a pioneer in the world of Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Cyber Warfare.

Place your budgets on the right cybersecurity for your business

As budgets start to tighten for countless businesses concerned about the potential financial winter that many are predicting, security teams across the world are reviewing where best to place their investment to ensure they get the best “bang for their buck”. With that in mind, now might be time to explore some key areas where I see organisations spending wisely to deliver great results on a budget.

Shifting Left with SAST, DAST, and SCA: Advanced Best Practices

In the past, teams incorporated security testing far after the development stage of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Security testing would influence whether the application would to proceed to production, or get passed back to the developers for remediation. This process caused delays while teams worked on remediation or, worse yet, it increased security risks when teams released software without applying the necessary security measures.

Integrity Monitoring Use Cases: Compliance

The IT ecosystems of enterprises are highly dynamic. Typically, organizations react to this volatility by investing in asset discovery and Security Configuration Management (SCM). These core controls enable businesses to compile an inventory of authorized devices and monitor the configurations of those assets. In addition to managing changes to their infrastructure, organizations must also keep an eye on the changes made to essential files.

An Introduction to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP)

Cybersecurity funding in corporate environments has always been a source of anxiety for those who seek to keep organizations safe. When we examine the cybersecurity readiness of many state, local, and territorial governments, this funding struggle is taken to new heights of scarcity. Fortunately, a new program has been created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve this shortfall, and better protect municipalities in the United States.

Vulnerability Scanning vs. Penetration Testing

One of the most important parts of a solid security program involves testing to see where your weaknesses lie. Continual improvement cannot be achieved without continual review. However, many people confuse the importance of vulnerability scanning with penetration testing. As a means of protecting an enterprise, one can never take precedence over, or replace the other. Both are equally important, and in some cases, they are suggested, if not outright directed by many standards and regulations.

Stop blaming employees for cybersecurity breaches

When companies drive a wedge between their workforce and their security culture, not only do they reduce best practices, but they also increase stress and jeopardise secure behaviours. We need to stop blaming employees for cybersecurity breaches and look at the real reasons that data is compromised. Furthermore, as long as there are humans at work, there will be human error at work. It is natural, and never 100% avoidable!

The Importance of Passive Asset Discovery

Asset discovery is the ability to provide visibility of all devices located within an organization with limited or no human interaction. Most organizations often attempt to manually create a list of their assets in a shared document, such as a spreadsheet, or a small database, making changes whenever a new device is either added or removed. This process is deceptively manageable when organizations are relatively small and not that complex.

How Is IT/OT Convergence Transforming Smart Manufacturing?

For most modern businesses, there’s a divide between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). The difference between these equally integral facets of digital manufacturing is a subject currently under debate. Ultimately, information technology deals with information and data. In contrast, operational technology handles the physical processes necessary to use that information.

Complying with the Egypt Financial Cybersecurity Framework: What you Should Know

Which cybersecurity framework is the best one to use for an organization? This is one of the most frequently asked questions when embarking on the cybersecurity journey. Often, the answer falls quite unsatisfyingly along the explanatory lines about how there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and how there are advantages and disadvantages to each.

4 tips to achieve Data Compliance

Data compliance is a crucial and essential factor in organizations that should be carefully followed for data management. Data compliance is more than maintaining relevant standards and regulations and ensuring that the data is secured. The substantial amount of data that is processed and used in organizations must be managed properly. All phases of data access, usage, modification, and storage should be governed by correct policies, protocols, and standards.

The State of Security: Poland

Poland is getting ready for the upcoming Presidential elections in August 2023 amidst a turbulent geopolitical and economic environment. The war in Ukraine has placed the country in the epicenter of the events, becoming home to more than 3.5 million refugees. The unprecedented energy crisis with prices soaring every day threaten to destabilize local economy. Besides those two important factors, cyber threats are also shaping the future of Poland.

CISA orders federal agencies to catalog their networks, and scan for bugs

You always want to know what is attached to your network. And whether it could be vulnerable or not. In any organisation it’s normal for different devices, on- or off-prem, wired or wireless, to be constantly added or removed – and this can present an opportunity for malicious hackers to take advantage of improperly secured systems. In many cases, organizations have no idea about how many assets they have, let alone where they are all located.

What to Know about APIs, the "On-Ramps to the Digital World"

An application programming interface, or API, is a defined process that allows data to be shared between applications or programs. Each API consists of a set of rules that dictates how communication occurs between a client and a server or external program. The required request format, the authentication process, and the encryption of data all have set guidelines so that the API knows what information to share and when and how to share it.

See Yourself in Cyber: 4 Steps to Stay Safe

As threats to technology and private information become more frequent, the President of the United States and Congress have proclaimed October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This initiative aims to assist people in protecting themselves online. Government and business are working together to increase cybersecurity awareness on a national and worldwide level under the direction of the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Foundational Activities for Secure Software Development

The Broadway Tower in Worcestershire, England is a famous structure. It’s inspiring, beautiful, and at 62 feet high, like other similar buildings, it’s a folly. While it looks grand inside and out, it serves no purpose than to be a decoration. It’s all too easy to buy a set of policies and procedures, change the company name and some other details, then present it as an application development and security program.

UK Construction: Cybersecurity Experts Defend Joint Ventures

After years of falling behind, the construction industry has realised the importance of its data. Construction-related businesses invested a remarkable 188% more in cybersecurity in 2018–19. Data leaks and cyberattacks have jolted sectors worldwide, affecting everyone. 55% of UK businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2019 alone, and the average damage resulting from breaches is £176,000.