FedRAMP, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, is a way for cloud service providers to undergo auditing, scrutiny, and testing to validate their security. This security encompasses primarily information security but also user authorization and authentication, physical security, and more.

Regardless of whether your environment is on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid, new data makes it clear that users are the top cybersecurity concern, and we cover what you can do about it. According to Netwrix’s 2024 Hybrid Security Trends Report, 79% of organizations experience one or more security incidents in the last 12 months. This is a 16% increase from the previous year, demonstrating that attacks are not subsiding one bit and that they are increasingly successful.

The security solutions landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace, with significant acquisitions reshaping the market. Notably, Palo Alto Networks has acquired IBM's QRadar product line, and Exabeam and LogRhythm have announced their merger. These moves echo Cisco's previous acquisition of Splunk, highlighting a trend where major players like AWS, Microsoft, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike are consolidating their positions in the SIEM and security analytics space.

There’s one quote from the 2024 RSA conference that I can’t stop thinking about, even though it was originally uttered by Kobe Bryant. Here’s the quote.

The simultaneous proliferation of outsourcing and increased interconnectedness of modern businesses has caused the third-party risk management (TPRM) landscape to evolve significantly over the last few years. Establishing a robust TPRM program is no longer just about managing risk across your organization’s third-party ecosystem or gaining an edge over your competitors.

Whereas traditional hacking exploits weaknesses in software or hardware, social engineering exploits weaknesses in the human psyche. By preying on people’s habits, fears, or complacency, attackers can gain access to almost any system, no matter how sensitive or well-protected. The ubiquity of personal mobile devices in the workplace has only exacerbated the threat.

With the recent announcement of OpenAI’s ChatGPT desktop application for macOS, users gain access to LLM workflows outside of their browser. ChatGPT’s broad adoption by employees across industries, and around the world, has put employers, compliance, and security teams into high gear as they seek to balance the gains made in productivity with the potential risks of how these tools are being used.

Despite growing security investments in prevention, detection and response to threats, users are still making uninformed mistakes and causing breaches. One of the basic tenets of KnowBe4 is that your users provide the organization with an opportunity to have a material (and hopefully positive) impact on a cyber attack. They are the ones clicking malicious links, opening unknown attachments, providing company credentials on impersonated websites and falling for social engineering scams of all kinds.

How protecting your organization from costly social engineering cyberattacks starts with effective prevention.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are used by businesses to secure remote access to systems and encrypt employees’ internet traffic. However, while VPNs add some level of protection for distributed workforces, they aren’t enough to keep your business and employees safe from common cyber threats since they make internal tracking of users complex, lack adequate protection and don’t scale in a remote work environment.