More than a third of organizations suffered a serious cloud security incident in 2021. According to a survey of 300 cloud professionals covered by BetaNews, 36% of those respondents said that their organizations had suffered a severe cloud security data leak or breach in the past 12 months. Looking forward, eight in 10 survey participants said they were worried that they were vulnerable to a data breach related to a cloud misconfiguration.
My time at NERC had me involved with quite a few projects over my seven-year career there. I was involved with CIP compliance audits, investigations, auditor training, and many advisory sessions. Typically, I was advising entities across North America on different tactics, techniques, and insight from best practices I have seen. I wanted to share a few of the dos and don’ts during my experience out in the field.
Cybersecurity has, since its inception, been a corporate-based problem. Whether it is a public, or private corporation, these entities were the primary targets of most cybercrime. In recent years, the industrial sector has increasingly become the target of attack for malicious actors. The reasons include newly internet-connected devices that were once air-gapped, and the immaturity of cybersecurity in many of these plants.
Apple says that it protected many millions of users from being defrauded to the tune of nearly $1.5 billion dollars in the last year, by policing its official App Store. According to a newly published report by Apple, over 1.6 million risky and untrustworthy apps and app updates were stopped in their tracks due to the company’s fraud prevention analysis.
There has been a lot of talk recently about cyber resilience. There is no doubt that the ability to bounce back from a security event is important, however, all of the resiliency banter seems to be happening at the peril of sound risk management processes. It is safe to say that the path to resilience is paved with risk management.
Recall the last time that you stood on the shore, enjoying the briny breeze that gently caressed your skin, and the sounds and smells of the sea. You may have noticed in the distance a large sailing vessel. Have you ever considered all the moving parts that contribute to these “floating cities”? Beyond the logistics of setting out to sea, a ship contains an impressive array of communication devices and capabilities.
Cybersecurity awareness, protection, and prevention is all-encompassing. In addition to implementing the right tools and resources, and hiring skilled professionals with the right cybersecurity education and experience, organizations should be aware of the latest CVEs.
Cloud adoption continues to soar. More than two-thirds of small to mid-sized businesses intend to increase their use of cloud technologies over the next few years. While the cloud comes with many security benefits, it also carries unique concerns. As the cloud becomes increasingly central to business operations, cloud security should be a priority. Businesses must ensure this security from the ground up, not add it in later as an afterthought.
The lack of healthcare cybersecurity is one of the most significant threats to the sanctity of the global healthcare industry. This is made evident by the fact that in 2020 more than 18 million patient records were affected by successful cyber-attacks on the U.S. healthcare system. Health professionals should not take this issue lightly, as financial assets and intellectual property are at risk.
Do you recall one of the first really fun chemistry experiment you performed as a child? If your school followed the usual curriculum, then you probably made a model volcano and then added some baking soda to the opening, followed by the addition of vinegar. A variation of this experiment was to add the ingredients to a plastic bottle, then stretch a balloon over the mouth of the bottle to watch the balloon inflate with carbon dioxide gas.
