Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

January 2024

HISCOX Cyber Readiness Report Shines Light on Commercial Cybersecurity

One of the most important concerns for organizations of all sizes is protection against cyberattacks and other digital threats to security. These dangers can prove a major setback for a company, and many even pose an existential threat. In order to effectively prevent cybersecurity incidents and protect sensitive data and other vital assets, organizations must be prepared for the possibility of an attack.

What Are the Top 7 DDoS Mitigation Tactics for Energy Grids?

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks occur when adversaries overwhelm a connected target’s resources, aiming to make it unavailable. Learning the best strategies to protect from DDoS attacks is critical to energy grid cybersecurity. A well-planned DDoS attack on the grid could halt essential services, cause substantial disruptions to households and businesses, and prove incredibly costly. However, people can strengthen utilities’ cybersecurity with some best practices.

Why the OWASP API Security Top 10 is Essential for Every Business

In an era where digital transformation dictates the pace of business growth, APIs have become the cornerstone of modern enterprise architecture. APIs are not just technical tools; they are vital assets that drive business processes, enhance customer experiences, and open new avenues for innovation. However, with great power comes great responsibility, especially in terms of security. OWASP API Security Top 10 offers a roadmap to safeguard these essential tools against evolving cyber threats.

NCSC Warns That AI is Already Being Used by Ransomware Gangs

In a newly published report, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that malicious attackers are already taking advantage of artificial intelligence and that the volume and impact of threats - including ransomware - will increase in the next two years. The NCSC, which is part of GCHQ - the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency, assesses that AI has enabled relatively unskilled hackers to "carry out more effective access and information gathering operations...

Four Takeaways from the McKinsey AI Report

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic of discussion this year among tech and cybersecurity professionals and the wider public. With the recent advent and rapid advancement of a number of publicly available generative AI tools—ChatGPT, Dall-E, and others—the subject of AI is at the top of many minds. Organizations and individuals alike have adopted these tools for a wide range of business and personal functions.

WaterISAC: 15 Security Fundamentals You Need to Know

2023 saw two concerning attacks on public water systems, highlighting the fragility and risk to utility systems. In Pennsylvania, malicious hackers breached the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa system the night after Thanksgiving. The criminals were making a political statement: the technology used to manage water pressure was developed by Israel, and the criminals used this opportunity to choose a side in the ongoing conflict.

Cultivating a Cybersecurity Culture

When I attend a networking event and ask a business owner, “Who’s responsible for Information Security?” The usual reply is “IT”. But in today’s hyper-connected world, where digital landscapes are constantly evolving, and data breaches and cyberattacks are becoming alarmingly common, organizations must recognise that information security is not solely the responsibility of the IT department.

Resolving Top Security Misconfigurations: What you need to know

One of the most common factors that can lead to cybersecurity incidents is a security misconfiguration in software or application settings. The default settings that come with the implementation of these tools and solutions are often not configured securely, and many organizations do not invest the time and resources into ensuring that they are.

US Agencies Issue Cybersecurity Guide in Response to Cybercriminals Targeting Water Systems

US federal agencies have teamed up to release a cybersecurity best practice guidance for the water and wastewater sector (WWS). The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have published the guide in an attempt to promote cybersecurity resilience and improve incident response in the WWS sector.

5 Things to Consider Before Buying a File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) Solution

Imagine you’re on the tail end of installing a 100-line script. It’s five o’clock, and you’re ready to head out early for once. You run the startup script on a new server, and then – the fated error message. Something isn’t working, and only after painstakingly reviewing 67 lines of code do you realize you had the IP address wrong. This could have been prevented.

What is the Windows Security Account Manager (SAM)?

To most people, the process of logging into a Microsoft Windows machine is a simple process of entering a username and a password. However, for a cybersecurity professional, the process is a carefully orchestrated mechanism. Unfortunately, throughout the history of the various Windows operating system versions, criminals have also sought ways to disrupt this process in order to breach a network. The primary target of these attacks is the Security Account Manager (SAM).

The 2023 Global Cybercrime Report: A look at the key takeaways

In the digital-first era, the internet is not simply a luxury; it's a fundamental part of our daily lives. From business growth to personal connections, its impact is profound. However, this interconnectedness comes with a price: the rise of cybercrime. Exploring the 2023 Global Cybercrime Report, we uncover which countries face the highest risk and how this pervasive issue affects us all, no matter where we connect from.

Why Therapists need Data Protection and Cybersecurity

Did you know the New-Age Therapeutic sector is unregulated? If that surprises you, then you’re not alone. I was a little surprised, too. Yes, there are various professional bodies a practitioner can join, and there are courses they can attend, but they aren’t forced to.

Expert Insight for Securing Your Critical Infrastructure

At Tripwire's recent Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group, we had the opportunity to speak with the Manager of Gas Measurement, Controls, & Cybersecurity at a large energy company. More specifically, we focused on SCADA and field assets of gas Operational Technology. The experience at the management level of such an organization provided a wealth of knowledge for the attendees.

Critical flaw found in WordPress plugin used on over 300,000 websites

A WordPress plugin used on over 300,000 websites has been found to contain vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to seize control. Security researchers at Wordfence found two critical flaws in the POST SMTP Mailer plugin. The first flaw made it possible for attackers to reset the plugin's authentication API key and view sensitive logs (including password reset emails) on the affected website. A malicious hacker exploiting the flaw could access the key after triggering a password reset.

An Introduction to AWS Security

Cloud providers are becoming a core part of IT infrastructure. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's biggest cloud provider, is used by millions of organizations worldwide and is commonly used to run sensitive and mission-critical workloads. This makes it critical for IT and security professionals to understand the basics of AWS security and take measures to protect their data and workloads.

The Evolution of Anomaly Detection and the Importance of Configuration Monitoring in Cybersecurity

Back in 1992, when I was more concerned about my acne breakouts and being selected for the Junior cricket team, a freshman at Purdue University was studying the impact of the 1988 Morris Worm event and how it brought about unwarranted changes on Unix systems as it propagated across the network, resulting in the first Denial of Service (DoS) attack. He quickly realised that it was hard to know when a system was infected and what had changed, and by the time the change was picked up, it was often too late.

Know Thyself and Thy Network

The shifting sands of IT make the adage "you never know it all" ever more true as time goes by. I recall days when it felt like you could click through every major directory of Yahoo and know a little something about everything. I was a young man with a voracious reading appetite and an active imagination – both of which were thoroughly outpaced by the growth of the internet and my own developing maturity.

Non-repudiation: Your Virtual Shield in Cybersecurity

In the digital world, where countless users communicate, share data, and engage in diverse activities, determining the origin and actions behind these interactions can be quite challenging. This is where non-repudiation steps in. Coupling other security factors, such as delivery proof, identity verification, and a digital signature, creates non-repudiation. This guarantees that the parties involved in the transmission are unable to renounce the execution of an action.

How to Reduce Your Attack Surface

An attack surface is the total number of channels, pathways, or areas that threat actors can utilize to gain unauthorized access to networks. The result is that they can obtain private information or carry out a cyber-attack. An attack surface comprises the organizational assets a threat actor can exploit to gain unauthorized access. Attack surfaces include systems that are directly involved in mission-critical operations, as well as those that provide peripheral services or access to important data.

How Does PCI DSS 4.0 Affect Web Application Firewalls?

The payment industry is bracing for the transition to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) 4.0, heralding significant changes in cybersecurity practices. As we approach the implementation of this revised standard, a critical focal point emerges: the role and new mandate of web application firewalls (WAFs) in ensuring compliance.

Cryptocurrency wallet CEO loses $125,000 in wallet-draining scam

Anyone can get scammed. If you think you're somehow immune to being scammed, then, in my opinion, you're a prime target for being scammed. No one is too big, too clever, too security-savvy to avoid being duped because it's only human to make a mistake and screw up. And that certainly seems to be the case with Bill Lou.

Is Cybercrime Only Going to Get Worse?

At the turn of the millennium, few people were worried about cybercrime. The Good Friday Agreement had just come into effect, the US expelled a Russian diplomat for spying, and the threat of the Y2K bug loomed. ILOVEYOU, the computer worm that catapulted cybercrime into the public consciousness, was still five months away. Today, things couldn't be more different.

CI/CD Security: Advanced Best Practices to Secure Your Pipelines

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) security has become crucial to modern software development practices. As the speed of software development increases with DevOps and Agile methodologies, there is a growing need to ensure the integrity of software across the entire development pipeline.

What Is the Future and Technology of Zero Trust?

In the dynamic realm of cybersecurity, the future of Zero Trust unfolds with promises and challenges. In the second part of the Zero Trust series, we explore the insights from industry experts, contemplate the intersection of trust and security, and chart a course for the evolving landscape of digital defense.