On the latest episode of the Security Soapbox podcast, I spoke with Ramy Houssaini, Chief Cyber and Technology Risk Officer at BNP Paribas, about the challenges Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) face in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Change happens quickly in the cloud, and many organizations are faced with the issue of evolving their security strategy at the same pace. This ends up leaving sensitive apps and data vulnerable to cyberattacks.

SAST is one of the matured security testing methods. In the SAST, the source code is examined from the inside out while components are in a static position. It performs scanning in-house code and design to identify flaws that are reflective of weaknesses, and that could invite security vulnerabilities. The scans performed by SAST tools are dependent upon prior identification of rules that specify coding errors to examine and address.

Mobile forensics is recovering digital evidence from mobile devices using accepted methods. A lot of information can be discovered by analyzing a criminal’s phone. That’s why mobile forensics and digital forensics as a whole are becoming valuable assets for law enforcement and intelligence agencies worldwide. In 2021, there were 15 billion operating mobile devices worldwide. That’s nearly two per person. The amount of data stored across these devices is astounding.

Here at Lookout we have a long tradition of supporting the cybersecurity requirements of all levels of government in the U.S. This is why I’m thrilled to announce that we have received a Level 2 certification, the highest tier of authorization, from the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP).

Apple recently announced a new feature in its upcoming iOS and iPadOS called Lockdown Mode. The aim is to protect users such as corporate executives, government officials, journalists, activists and other users that are likely targets of sophisticated surveillanceware. The goal of Lockdown Mode is to restrict certain device capabilities that spyware has exploited in the past in order to reduce the attack surface on Apple devices.

Organizations that develop mobile apps need to be aware of the potential cyber security threats. These threats can lead to the loss of users' private data, which can have serious repercussions for industries like fintech, healthcare, ecommerce, etc. In order to prevent these malicious practices, Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), a security testing tool, has been introduced. It helps to weed out specific vulnerabilities in web applications whenever they run in the production phase.

Social media is both a boon and a bane. While it has connected billions of people, made them more accessible, and created more possibilities for the end-users. There's no doubt that it has also made them more susceptible to security threats and vulnerabilities. According to We Are Social, there are around 4.62 billion active social media users worldwide. This is precisely the very reason why cyber criminals love social media as well.