Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

HSM stands for hardware security module. HSMs are hardware devices. They can be quite small and plugged into the main board of a computer, or they sit side by side in a server rack. They store sensitive data such as private keys. HSMs do not allow you to read that sensitive data back; instead, they expose only cryptographic operations like signing of certificates or encrypting data. This provides stronger protections for storing private keys compared to disks or databases.

Healthcare organizations still seem to think that blocking all access to unapproved cloud storage or cloud collaboration tools means that they’re preventing leakage of sensitive information. But as the old saying goes, “Data flows like water.” Eventually, it’s going to find the holes and escape. Even if a healthcare IT system has water-tight data controls, that’s not the only goal within the organization—and not even the most important one.

Continuing on our exciting and informative webinar series, last week Appknox hosted a webinar on 'Building Org-Wide Software Security Practices'. Organized in association with Xoxoday, the leading technology platform helping businesses manage incentives, rewards, incentives and loyalty programs, I had an amazing discussion regarding various aspects of security when it comes to org-wide business initiatives and so much more with Mr Srivatsan Mohan (VP, Xoxoday).

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing concern for today’s digitally-focused businesses. Every connected device you own can add another security concern to your list. If it collects and stores personal information and data, you’ve just added another attractive target for criminals to access your network. In fact, 57% of IoT devices are vulnerable to medium or high-severity attacks.

Every once in a while, an industry term will get overused by marketing to the point of becoming a cliche. I think “Zero Trust” may have reached this threshold. In some ways, I understand why this is happening. Security perimeters have become obsolete as people use mobile devices and cloud applications to work from anywhere.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a layer of security to logins that is essential to prevent unwanted access. This verification process uses a second device (owned by the user) as an additional identity verification element to which a token is sent (or generated) that certifies access veracity. The most secure MFA systems use applications to generate temporary codes, but many still rely on sending text messages to mobile phones (OTP).

This summer, I was fortunate enough to get an internship at Teleport. Being part of the co-op program at the University of Waterloo, I have worked at many different companies before, and this internship will be my fourth placement as I finish my first term of the third year. The project that I was assigned to was an interesting one.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have recently published a joint advisory providing details on the top 30 vulnerabilities routinely exploited by malicious cyber actors in 2020 and those widely exploited in 2021 so far.