Two positive steps were taken last month to limit the damage caused by phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks when a joint action by UK and EU law enforcement agencies compromised the infrastructure of the phishing-as-a-service operation LabHost and a major BEC operator was convicted in US Federal Court. While law enforcement operations are integral to defeating cybercrime, disrupting one or two adversary groups does not minimize the threat.

Critical infrastructure facilities operated by the private and public sectors face a complex and continuously growing web of security threats that are compounded by the increasing convergence of information and operational technology (OT) in this area.

Searching for a quality-managed detection and response (MDR) service provider can be daunting, with dozens of vendors to choose from. However, in its 2023 Gartner Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services, Gartner confronts the challenge head-on.

This is Part 13 in my ongoing project to cover 30 cybersecurity topics in 30 weekly blog posts. The full series can be found here. If you search recent cybersecurity news it's easy to find the threats that keep your CISO awake at night. While there are many, a short list is: However, it's quite a bit harder to find articles discussing defenses against these attacks, so let me help out by offering a select set of security best practices that, if properly deployed, should help your CISO sleep at night.

The US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) earlier this month gave a stark warning to the Senate Armed Services Committee detailing the cyberthreats arrayed against the US and the world from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

It has always been clear, even before the Colonial Pipeline attack, that the energy sector is a prime target for not only criminal threat groups, but also nation-state actors. After all, halting fuel and energy supplies can quickly bring a region to a halt and thus require the highest level of cyber and physical security possible.

Trustwave SpiderLabs’ latest report, the 2024 Public Sector Threat Landscape: Trustwave Threat Intelligence Briefing and Mitigation Strategies details the security issues facing public sector security teams as they try to strike a balance between supplying needed services and deploying the cybersecurity necessary to protect data placed in their charge. The need for the highest level of security has never been greater.

Trustwave SpiderLabs’ 2024 Public Sector Threat Landscape: Trustwave Threat Intelligence Briefing and Mitigation Strategies report details the security issues facing public sector security teams as they try to strike a balance between supplying needed services and deploying the cybersecurity necessary to protect data placed in their charge. The need for the highest level of security has never been greater.

This is Part 12 in my ongoing project to cover 30 cybersecurity topics in 30 weekly blog posts.

The Canadian, US, and UK governments issued a series of recommendations in their just-released security alert Defending OT Operations Against Ongoing Pro-Russia Hacktivist Activity, which mirror my own insights on the important topic. The alert notes that all three governments are aware of pro-Russia hacktivists targeting and compromising small-scale OT systems in North American and European Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS), Dams, Energy, and Food and Agriculture sectors.