In cybersecurity, an attack vector is a path or means by which an attacker can gain unauthorized access to a computer or network to deliver a payload or malicious outcome. Attack vectors allow attackers to exploit system vulnerabilities, install different types of malware and launch cyber attacks. Attack vectors can also be exploited to gain access to sensitive data, personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive information that would result in a data breach.

Helping to define and examine the top perceived cloud security threats of the day, the ‘Egregious Eleven’ is the most recent iteration in an evolving set of summary reports published by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). It follows on from the ‘Treacherous Twelve,’ which they defined for us in 2016, and the ‘Notorious Nine,’ which they presented in 2013.

Do Files Matter? As Chief Customer Officer of Egnyte, I get to meet many of our customers and influencers. This is immensely invigorating for two reasons – it helps me get our POV out to the market in an old school, door to door sort of way but more importantly, keeps me on an arc of continuous learning to shape our approach to the market. While this process has played out well over the last several years I have simply run out of time to meet everyone as Egnyte grows.

We all know about the type of attacker who leverages their technical expertise to infiltrate protected computer systems and compromise sensitive data. This breed of malicious actor makes news all the time, prompting us to counter their exploits by investing in new technologies that will bolster our network defenses. However, there is another type of attacker who uses different tactics to skirt our tools and solutions.

Privileged access management (PAM) consists of strategies and technologies for exerting control over the elevated (“privileged”) access and permissions for users, accounts, processes and systems across an IT environment. By implementing an appropriate level of privileged access controls, PAM helps organizations condense their organization’s attack surface and prevent, or at least mitigate, the damage arising from external attacks as well as from insider wrongdoing or negligence.

When companies are investigating the weak points in their cyber defenses, they must look beyond their IT infrastructure. In most cases, an organization’s biggest security vulnerability does not stem from the machines on its network, but from people on the payroll. And because this is common knowledge to threat actors, social engineering attacks that target employees generally constitute a bigger threat to businesses than cyber campaigns that directly attack computer systems.