Is Cloud Computing Really Secure? A Pragmatic Approach Considering Cloud Computing? So, you are making plans to move into cloud computing and are considering your options offered by the plethora of providers out there but you have questions and concerns. Congratulations! The bottom line up front is yes, cloud computing can be very secure. You… Read More
Cyber Forensics Protect the Innocent
Cyber Forensics Protect the Innocent It is always rewarding when cyber security and cyber forensics protect the innocent. Monique Vivien Macias of KPNX 12 News Phoenix discusses with Lazarus Alliance and Continuum GRC’s CEO Michael Peters how cyber forensics has become such a vital resource in law enforcement’s toolkit. Christopher Thomas McKenna, the former Chaparral High School… Read More
The Proverbial Identity Theft Bus Will Run You Over!
The Proverbial Identity Theft Bus Will Run You Over! Think about a time when you had a single credit card lost or stolen and how much of a pain that experience was. Now imagine if your entire wallet was lost or stolen and the exponential magnitude of pain in the patootie that would be for… Read More
2015 State-by-State Data Breach Charts
2015 State-by-State Data Breach Charts The following standard definitions of Personal Information and Breach of Security (based on the definition commonly used by most states) are used for ease of reference, and any variations from the common definition are noted: Personal Information: An individual’s first name or first initial and last name plus one or… Read More
Low-Hanging Fruit Anyone? Why cyber-criminals are looking for you.
Cyber-crime is largely a crime of opportunity. Just like a burglar cases the neighborhood looking for easy pickings. Cyber-criminals case the Internet looking for victims who make it easier to steal from them, the companies they lead or belong to. By adhering to the Security Trifecta® and implementing a proactive cyber security strategy based in… Read More
Vicariously Leeching: beware of third-party crashers
A disturbing trend is emerging within the service provider space of cloud services in the form of deceptive spin doctoring and outright deceptions in plain site. If you are a consumer of any of the plethora of services available and seeking to potentially enlist the services of the myriad of contending vendors, it behooves you to… Read More
The Locksmith: Combating Crime Within Corporate Anywhere
Around about the time I was wrapping up my tenure as CISO for Colonial Bank back in 2009, I was reflecting on the lessons learned from being part of a company whose corporate soul was ripe with criminal intent. From a historical perspective, Colonial Bank became the largest bank failure of 2009 because of a $2,900,000,000.00 (Yes,… Read More
The Death of Privacy: A Tale of Collusion and Corruption
In our technically advancing world, our personal privacy expectations must be reconsidered, re-conceived and redefined. We all expose ourselves through swipes, transactions, likes and tweets. Through handsets, television sets and mindsets, we voluntarily add our behavioral attributes to the associated handlers of our digital DNA almost entirely without consideration for personal privacy. We will review… Read More
Privacy Piracy Host, Mari Frank, Esq. Interviews Michael Peters
PRIVACY PIRACY HOST, MARI FRANK, ESQ. INTERVIEWS MICHAEL PETERS MONDAY AUGUST 25TH, 2014, AT 8AM PACIFIC TIME ON KUCI 88.9 FM IN IRVINE AND STREAMING ON WWW.KUCI.ORG MICHAEL PETERS will discuss the following topics and more! Lazarus Alliance Information Security Biggest Threat to our Global Community Don’t miss this fascinating interview with MICHAEL PETERS ! Here’s some background information about this… Read More
Devil’s Due Diligence: Why your ignorance is not bliss!
Congratulations! Felicitaciones! Mazel Tov! Gratulerer! You have been offered a new job! What a relief it’s been since your prospective employer has been putting you through the meat grinder for months. You’ve had a string of interviews that have left you exhausted and nearly breathless given you’ve been nearly holding your breath and sitting ridged… Read More
The New Social Security: When Social Media Meets Social Engineering
The convergence is upon us all; this influx of technology intermingled with information infused now in every possible facet of our business and personal lives. We live in the presence of infinite possibilities through technology. Business is being propelled into new trajectories never before possible. Out social spheres and human interpersonal interactions have all been… Read More
Too Many Targets! Why Target isn’t the only retailer poised for a breach.
Unless you have been living without a source for current news this week, you undoubtedly have heard the bad news about Target Corporation and how hackers breached the technological defenses and stole credit-card data for roughly 40 million customers. The media frenzy focused on Target Corporation has already spawned a dozen class-action lawsuits against the… Read More
Survival Guidance! Resource for SSAE 16 SOC 2 Readiness Audits
Survival Guidance! MichaelPeters.org and LazarusAlliance.com is making our auditor’s resource for assessing the procedural and technical controls free. This is a resource based on the SSAE 16 SOC 2 framework you may freely use to conduct your organization’s readiness audits. Your results are private and the output is sent to you without charge. It’s just… Read More
Survival Guidance! Resource for SSAE 16 SOC 1 Readiness Audits
Survival Guidance! MichaelPeters.org and LazarusAlliance.com is making our auditor’s resource for assessing the procedural and technical controls free. This is a resource based on the SSAE 16 SOC 1 framework you may freely use to conduct your organization’s readiness audits. Your results are private and the output is sent to you without charge. It’s just… Read More
Survival Guidance! FedRAMP and FISMA Resource for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems and Organizations
Survival Guidance! MichaelPeters.org and LazarusAlliance.com is making our auditor’s resource for assessing the security controls in federal information systems and organizations free. This is a resource based on the NIST 800-53A framework you may freely use to conduct your organization’s FedRAMP, HIPAA or best practice based security audits. Your results are private and the output… Read More
A Decade of SOX: Knowledge is your friend; Ignorance is your enemy
We are well past a decade now living with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. As one might expect, corporations, employees and auditors alike have become acclimated to the requirements so much so that the process is routine. The upside to this is that people supporting a SOX audit are pretty comfortable with the expectations and requirements.… Read More
The Truth about ID Theft: No fear mongering, no snake oil, just simple advice.
After years of advising corporations, investment firms and being directly involved with helping people understand what identity theft is and making recommendations on how they might thwart criminals from turning them into victims. I decided to revisit the topic and share a simple checklist approach to prevent identity theft. With just a few simple steps… Read More
In Harm’s Way: The CISO’s Dangerous Tour of Duty
I’ve been in the corporate chief information security officer’s (CISO) executive chair long enough to realize that the traditional hierarchical model of information security reporting up through the technology department has a fatal flaw. This hazard is directly associated with the inherent conflict of duties that exists by the very nature of the position. For… Read More
The Security Trifecta – Governance Made Easy: CISO Executive Summit Keynote
The CISO Executive Summit 2013 – Minneapolis I enjoyed delivering the closing keynote at the CISO Executive Summit this year and getting the opportunity to collaborate, strategize and even in some cases, commiserate with my information security comrades from across the industry. The good folks at Evanta organized the event with direction from the event’s… Read More
Reasonable Duty of Care: Data Security and Privacy
You’ve see it in the news all too frequently now in our technologically interconnected world; companies are being breached seemingly at-will by hackers, malicious insiders, competing company entities, and nation states. The terrible truth is that companies and consumers are losing the battle. The cost of these breaches is rising as consumers are beginning to… Read More
PenTest Magazine: The Security Trifecta – IT Security Governance Demystified
PenTest Magazine just released their latest issue and my article, The Security Trifecta – IT Security Governance Demystified is included. You may find it here and also directly from the publisher here. Enjoy!
Updated: Privacy Concerns: Survey Says!
For those of you concerned about personal privacy and consumer protections, I posted an article back in September 2012 with analysis concerning mobility privacy and security concerns I had and you should too. There was some survey results and I also opened up a FCC complaint to initiate an investigation into my concerns. The article… Read More
Re-post: Your Employee Is an Online Celebrity. Now What Do You Do?
Mixing social media and on-the-job duties can be a win-win. Or not. I wanted to share an excellent article concerning an emerging issue in the workplace concerning employees with strong personal brands and potential conflicts with corporate needs and expectations. The original article is here: Personally, I considered it an excellent thought-provoking article! It points… Read More
Information Security By the Numbers
The Security Trifecta is a comprehensive and innovative approach to holistic security, risk, governance and privacy coverage for the enterprise. Because the methodology is universally applicable and ultimately sustainable, it has become the perfect model for any size organization regardless of business concentration. In fact, the more critical, the more regulated, the more sensitive the… Read More