More organizations are turning their eyes to edge computing as cloud adoption reaches new heights. Experts predict there will be 55 billion edge devices by 2022 as latency and resilience demands grow and 5G makes these networks possible. While this growth is impressive, it raises several security concerns. Edge computing expands attack surfaces, and data centers lack the resources of traditional cloud infrastructure.

Zero trust is everywhere, and it will change the way we undertake security. Just as zero trust concepts are shaping the data center and our networks, they will shape cloud environments, as well. Many of the challenges of cloud security arose because we moved workloads to the cloud with no clear idea of how to secure them. Zero trust provides exactly those ideas.

The cybersecurity market offers excellent solutions and services to combat the threats that are exploited by cybercriminals. However, are these tools enough to fully protect an organization? It is clear that human error is a strong attack vector for many popular cybercrimes, so the best way to augment any security program is to create a cyber-aware workforce. After all, with the correct training and education, the front-line staff can become one of the most effective allies in preventing an attack.

This blog contains a discussion about stress, trauma, and domestic violence. This may be difficult for some readers, and given the alarming figures around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), trauma, and early life experiences (ACEs), this will likely concern at least a small population of readers. Please take care of yourself when reading this and break off from reading if you feel the need to.

Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, recently published the 2021 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) report. The report, which is Europol’s flagship strategic product that provides a law enforcement focused assessment of evolving threats and key developments in the area of cybercrime, highlights the expansion of the cyber threat landscape due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated digitization.

Protecting our critical infrastructure against the threat of ransomware remains a top priority for both the private sector and the federal government. In fact, a recent survey from Tripwire found that security professionals in both sectors still identify ransomware as a top security concern. More than half (53%) of respondents in that study said they were most concerned about ransomware, for instance.

The CISO’s role is never static. Over the last two decades, it has evolved beyond technical IT security. CISOs are now central to their organization when it comes to risk, compliance and governance. And this comes at a time when businesses are undergoing rapid change in the face of changing threats. In the past, the CISO or head of IT security has been an inward-facing role, ensuring compliance and keeping data secure. But that has changed, with cybersecurity teams more business oriented.

It’s that time of year that the usual happens. Christmas crackers with bad jokes. Holiday specials on TV (constantly). And cyber specialists like me make predictions about the year to come. With the help of insights from Gartner and my own views on what we are likely to see in 2022, I think I can help you with a couple of these. Firstly, it’s worth knowing that Gartner’s predictions come from Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Americas, which ran virtually in October 2021.

In a previous blog post, I discussed the different applications of integrity for Zero Trust and provided four use cases highlighting integrity in action. The reality is that many organizations can’t realize any of this on their own. But they don’t need to. They can work with a company like Tripwire as a partner on their Zero Trust journey. Let’s explore how they can do this below.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) views securing the supply chain and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) as one critical pillar in protecting national security. Dedicated security requirements exist for the protection of federal information systems as well as classified information based on the NIST 800-53 standard. However, several years ago, a gap was identified in the security requirements for the protection of non-federal systems and controlled unclassified information (CUI).

If you enter the term “Purdue Model” into your favorite search engine, the resulting images will vary considerably. There’s almost no better way to stir up an Operational Technology (OT) security conversation than to begin debating what belongs on Level 1 or Level 3 of the model. You might even find some diagrams place operator Human-Machine Interfaces at Level 3. Notably, the original 1990 publication defines “operator’s console” as a Level 1 entity.

The role of the modern CISO is more than understanding the technical side of the business. In fact, the role consists of even more than understanding the business side of the business. When I spoke with Ian Thornton-Trump, he was able to shed light on how important effective communication and team-building are to the overall success of a modern CISO. His insights can be valuable to any person currently in a CISO position and also to anyone looking to embark on the path to becoming a successful CISO.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released its fifth annual review of the state of cybersecurity in the United Kingdom. The report is presented under five headings including an analysis of and response “The Threat,” advice for resilience, advances in threat detection and prevention technology, improving the cybersecurity ecosystem, and global leadership. The overarching message of the report is to provide safety for all online activities of all UK citizens.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is inviting security researchers to uncover vulnerabilities and hack into its systems, in an attempt to better protect itself from malicious attacks.

When it comes to cybersecurity governance and management, there is no “one size fits all” approach. Today’s CISOs have a far wider range of responsibilities than their predecessors as heads of IT security. The CISO role is no longer purely technical, focused on hardware and endpoint protection and on operations within the organisational perimeter. Today’s CISO is as likely to be involved with software security, cloud applications, security awareness, and user training.

On December 9th 2021, Apache published a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) for Apache Log4j being referred to as “Log4Shell.” This vulnerability has been classified as “Critical” with a CVSS score of 10, allowing for Remote Code Execution with system-level privileges. If you are currently working to identify instances of this vulnerability, Tripwire can help.

In September 2021, Tripwire released its annual report to examine the actions taken by the U.S. federal government to improve cybersecurity. The report also looks at non-government organizations so that we may catch a glimpse of the differing views and approaches of each, which makes for interesting (and revealing) insights.

It seems that the most popular topics in cybersecurity for the last year has been zero trust as well as the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). These developments are good, as they signal some positive motion towards better overall security. Some of the current risks are worth noting, with a forward glance to protecting specific industries such as oil and gas production plants.

Cybersecurity is such a broad subject that many times, an organization can become stifled when trying to develop a full cybersecurity program. Some organizations that have already put a cybersecurity program in place can also unpleasantly discover gaps in their efforts, making the entire venture seem moot. One way to effectively get started, as well as to prevent gaps, is to build a good foundation upon which a cybersecurity program can grow and mature.

Tripwire recently conducted a series of surveys and interviews to understand IT professionals who manage security for their company. The cybersecurity landscape is constantly changing, new challenges are rapidly emerging, and new threats have surfaced, especially throughout the pandemic. We were curious to know some of the struggles that security professionals experience as a part of their job.

Phishing attempts over text messages are becoming more prevalent. I received an SMS text message that contained a phishing attempt for a Canadian Bank. The message implied that I have received a new notification with this bank and I should visit the provided link. I usually do not click on any links, but I decided to see what would happen when I navigated to the page.

The Australian government is looking to pass the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020, an overhaul which is aimed to help Australian businesses fend off cyberattacks. The Bill expands the business sectors that were previously defined as critical infrastructure by adding, amongst others, Food and Grocery, Finance and Banking, Universities, Communications, Defense, Energy, and Transportation to the list.

Take a glance on social media on any given day, and we’ll hear from commentators stating how there is a (cyber) skills gap and that it must be addressed if we are to meet the challenges we are all increasingly facing. Let’s be clear about something before we continue. If we are saying that there is a skills gap, then there are organizations out there that are ready to hire cybersecurity professionals now.

Users who do not have the appropriate security awareness training are considered a weak link in the security of an enterprise. These untrained users are easier to exploit than finding a flaw or vulnerability in the equipment that an enterprise uses to secure its network. Attackers could convince unsuspecting users into unintentionally providing access to the enterprise network or exposing sensitive information.

According to Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the country faces a grave and growing threat as society becomes more digitally connected and criminals more sophisticated. The BSI said threat levels have reached red alarm levels.

One of the most daunting problems in cybersecurity has always been security metrics. In business, practically nothing matters in the absence of the ability to measure actionable results. Profit and loss are the drivers of all businesses. Even non-profit based businesses use metrics to plot their mission and meet their goals.

When was the last time you thought about all of the devices running on your network? Think of your home network and how deceptively simple it appears. A full inventory of that network would probably surprise you, as it would show all of the devices that you may have forgotten about as well as a few of the neighbor’s devices that are piggy-backing off of your Wi-Fi. This visibility is often shocking to many people.

In 2020, just under half the UK workforce worked from home at least some of the time, according to the Office of National Statistics. In the United States, a survey by Upwork found that over a quarter of professionals expect to work fully remotely within the next five years. Working from home has been propelled into the mainstream by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the resulting lockdowns and restrictions on traveling to work.

Finland’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-FI) has issued a warning about malicious SMS messages that have been spammed out to mobile users, directing iPhone owners to phishing sites and Android users to download malware. The messages are written in Finnish but without the customary accented characters. In some instances, the messages pose as a notification that the user has received a voicemail message, or a communication from their mobile network provider.

Because it encompasses the lazy days of summer, Q3 is often a slower roll in the world of privacy — and July and August did not disappoint. Those of us following the privacy space got a much-needed break. However, as August wrapped up, Washington resumed its busy state of affairs, Europe returned to business as usual, and it quickly became clear that the privacy space had had lost no momentum.

Networks form a critical core for our modern-day society and businesses. People, processes, and technologies should be in place for monitoring, detecting, logging, and preventing malicious activities that occur when an enterprise experiences an attack within or against their networks.