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.