Penetration testing is becoming increasingly popular as organizations are beginning to embrace the need for stronger cybersecurity. But there are still too many businesses that don’t fully understand the benefits of regular security testing. Pen testing is vital for any kind of organization with an IT system or website. A recent survey of penetration testers revealed that 88 percent of those questioned said they could infiltrate organizations and steal data within 12 hours.

Whoever said “crime doesn’t pay” hasn’t been following the growth of cybercrime across the globe. A thriving underground economy has evolved over the past decade to become a massive industry. Estimates in the Web of Profit research paper show cybercriminal revenues worldwide of at least $1.5 trillion – equal to the GDP of Russia. If cybercrime was a country, it would have the 13th highest GDP in the world…

Here at The State of Security, we cover everything from breaking stories about new cyberthreats to step-by-step guides on passing your next compliance audit. But today, we’d like to offer a straight-forward roundup of the Tripwire product suite. Get to know the basics of Tripwire’s core solutions for FIM, SCM, VM and more. Without further ado…

Amazon’s new security issue, which came to light just days before one of its biggest sale events of the year, is making recent headlines. And whilst it probably won’t stop the online retail giant from achieving a profitable Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, it certainly will make many users stop and think.

The term “cyber hygiene” pops up frequently in articles, blogs and discussions about cybersecurity. But what does it really mean? Some say it is an ill-defined set of practices for individuals to follow (or ignore). Others say it is a measure of an organization’s overall commitment to security. Still others – and I am among them – think of “cyber hygiene” as simple, readily available technologies and practices for cybersecurity.

The end of November is a busy time in the United States. On Thanksgiving, friends and family gather together to give thanks for good food, good company and good fortune. Once they’ve put away the leftovers, many Americans don their coats, head to the malls and wait in line all night. For what? Black Friday, the commencement of the Christmas shopping season.

Nowadays, high-profile security breaches continue to dominate the media headlines. This trend places an increasing number of businesses at risk. They are growing in amount and complexity while malicious hackers are actively developing new and more sophisticated forms of attacks every single day.

As noted previously—and as we all know—an organization cannot be secure until the entire workforce is engaged in reducing cyber risks. Each member of the group has the power to harm or to help, since each one has access to information systems, handles sensitive data and makes decisions every day which maintain, erode or strengthen the human “attack surface” of the organization.

Flaws in code lines, file system and data input methods make up the core security vulnerability of any application. This is what we address through secure coding practices. Secure coding guidelines stand out as the last battling army before the enemy line of security risks and threats.

Organizations in the United Kingdom’s public sector face several challenges in terms of their digital security. Today, these companies must meet an increasing number of regulatory compliance obligations. GDPR likely sits near the top of UK public sector organizations’ list of responsibilities given the penalties they could incur should they fail to adequately protect EU citizens’ personal data.