In my 25+ year cyber security career, I have watched the demand for compliance auditing grow.  In a world where the need to carry cash is diminishing, the need for securing digital data, such as credit cards, is vital.  How do businesses go about protecting their clients’ credit data?  More importantly, how do we as customers know that our credit card data is being protected?  The answer is PCI.

Recently, we explored the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 (Allergic to Bees? Don’t Get Stung by the OWASP Top 10) by looking at what it is and why it matters.  Then we took a closer look at one area of the Top 10 – Security Misconfiguration. Next in line for a deeper dive is Security Logging and Monitoring Failures.  This particular category is in place to help detect, escalate, and respond to active breaches.

Auto dealers may face penalties for not meeting requirements established by amendments to the FTC’s Safeguard Rule.  In 2021, the FTC amended its Safeguard Rule, originally created in 2003, to help protect the security of customer information.  The Safeguard Rule applies to any non-banking financial institution. 

Security Misconfiguration

Last week we touched on the basics of the Open Web Application Security Project® (OWASP) and why it should be used as a source of information for keeping your web applications secure.  This week we are going to touch on one particular vulnerability from the OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks - Security Misconfiguration.

I sat in the parking lot watching employees walk in the corporate office.  Ready with my five dozen donuts, I waited until the perfect moment to see if I could infiltrate.  It’s like the start of a great superhero movie - except starring Kevin James and not Christian Bale.

I had been hired by the company for a physical social engineering assessment.  Only a few people (stakeholders and managers) within the company knew that this was occurring that day.  The goal was to see if I could gain entry into the building unnoticed and once in, what I could access.

OWASP - is it something we don’t want to get stung by, or is it here to protect us?  In cybersecurity, we’ve all heard the term, but what is it really?

There are many frameworks and security models to refer to when working to secure your organization.  Sometimes it can prove to be overwhelming.  Today I’m going to talk about three action items that will make a significant difference in your overall security posture.  Keeping in mind that there is no silver bullet to securing an organization, these three will certainly gain a great return.

People carry less cash in their wallets than they used to.  Even when going to the ice cream stand in the middle of summer, a debit or credit card is swiped instead of cash being tendered.  The reason for this is simple - it’s easier to swipe a card than it is to carry a load of cash in your wallet.  This has become an extremely convenient option over the years when making purchases.  However, as is often the case, convenience comes with risk.

Ransomware – The What, Where, and Why

Everyone has heard stories by now of an organization getting hit by ransomware.  From individuals to small and enterprise-level organizations, it can pop up anywhere and cause havoc.  What is it?  Where does it come from? Why isn’t it going away?  Today we’re going to break it down.

Not a single day goes by that we don’t either hear the word security or read the word security.  See?  You’ve already read it twice!  The internet is full of so much noise that it sometimes can be hard to filter out information that pertains to you and your organization, as well as what is credible.  Today I thought I’d take a moment to give you some great sources for security news.  These are sources that are very accurate and trustworthy.

Humans are the smartest beings on earth.  So why is it that they are the number one cause for breaches that cost millions of dollars?  It’s because they are kind.

Because of the kindness of human beings, they are easily manipulated by bad actors to give up private information or even hold a door.  This is the foundation of Social Engineering.

Let’s face it.  Security is expensive.  Many organizations think of security as an unwanted expense when budgeting for the next fiscal year.  However, no matter what industry an organization is in, security IS its business too.

Let’s face it.  If you haven’t had a security incident within your organization, you will.  Are you prepared?  An IRP is a plan or playbook that needs to be established and practiced on a normal basis.  When a breach happens, this is your playbook of who, how, and what steps to take to protect your organization and minimize impact. Let’s break down the steps of an Incident Response Plan (IRP). 

Your company has been proactive in having a penetration test performed and you have the report in hand - so now what do we do with it?

If you are an organization with digital assets to protect, you’ve most likely heard the term Penetration Testing, also known as Pen Testing.  Penetration testing is the process used to find vulnerabilities and leverage them to hack an organization.

Secure your Organization with the NIST Blueprint

Breaches are at all time high.  Over 50 billion devices are connected to the internet.  Some of them are secure, and some of them are not.  Which category does your organization fall into?