Best Practices to Prevent Supply Chain Cyber Attacks

Hardware & Software Supply Chain Cyber Attacks Pose Significant Threats Due to globalization and outsourcing, enterprise supply chains are more intricate than ever. Most products are no longer manufactured by a single entity. Materials, components, and even final products pass through multiple hands before ending up in the hands of end users. Additionally, most companies… Read More

The 12 Biggest Cloud Security Threats Facing Your Organization

New CSA Report Reveals the Top 12 Cloud Security Threats in 2018 Cloud computing has opened up a world of opportunities for businesses, but it has also resulted in new cyber security threats. Some of these mirror the threats organizations have been combating on premises for years, while others are unique to the cloud. What… Read More

Employees Are Biggest Threat to Healthcare Data Security

Two new reports illustrate the threat of employee carelessness and maliciousness to healthcare data security Healthcare data security is under attack from the inside. While insider threats – due to employee error, carelessness, or malicious intent – are a problem in every industry, they are a particular pox on healthcare data security. Two recent reports… Read More

#MeToo Prompts Employers to Review their Anti-Harassment Policies

Comprehensive anti-harassment policies are even more important in light of #MeToo movement The #MeToo movement, which was birthed in the wake of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, has shined a spotlight on the epidemic of sexual harassment and discrimination in the U.S. According to a nationwide survey by Stop Street Harassment, a… Read More

Thousands of Websites Infected in Massive Cryptojacking Attack

Hackers installed cryptojacking malware by compromising a popular browser extension Thousands of websites, including government sites in the United States, the U.K., and Australia, were ensnared in an international cryptojacking scheme, The Register reports: The affected sites all use a fairly popular plugin called Browsealoud, made by Brit biz Texthelp, which reads out webpages for… Read More

GSA Proposes Changes to Federal Contractor Cyber Security Rules

Stronger GSA Federal Contractor Cyber Security Rules Are Coming The General Services Administration (GSA) is planning to tighten up federal contractor cyber security requirements regarding sensitive non-classified data, according to a Federal Register Notice dated January 12. The rules would cover internal contractor systems, external contractor systems, cloud systems, and mobile systems. Technically, the proposed… Read More

5 Best Practices for Complying with SEC, NFA FINRA Cyber Security Standards

Complying with SEC, NFA FINRA Cyber Security Standards  Both the SEC, NFA and FINRA have indicated that they will put heavy emphasis on cyber security enforcement throughout 2018. While FINRA is explicit – among other things, it publishes a cyber security checklist and a detailed report on best practices – the SEC’s guidance is far… Read More

5 Reasons Why Your Enterprise Should Put IRM Before GRC

Gartner Is Shifting Its Focus Toward IRM, and You Should, Too Over the summer, Gartner announced that it was moving its focus away from GRC and launching a new Magic Quadrant for integrated risk management, or IRM: IRM enables simplification, automation and integration of strategic, operational and IT risk management processes and data. IRM goes… Read More

GDPR Compliance Means Transforming Your Data Governance

Data Governance Is at the Core of GDPR Compliance Organizations have until May 25, 2018, to comply with the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Arguably the most comprehensive, far-reaching data privacy law passed to date, the GDPR grants European consumers numerous new data privacy rights and places new data governance responsibilities on organizations.… Read More

Unencrypted Retail POS System Cited in Forever 21 Breach

Forever 21 Breach Disclosed on the Cusp of the Holiday Shopping Season Clothing retailer Forever 21 suffered a POS system breach in an undisclosed number of stores from March to October 2017, the company announced last week. The Forever 21 breach was discovered by a third party and involved hackers taking advantage of POS systems… Read More

Social Media Security and the Trump Twitter Account Incident

Social Media Security Matters; Just Look at the Trump Twitter Account Debacle The recent Trump Twitter account incident – where the president’s Twitter feed was deactivated for 11 minutes – was fodder for many late-night television jokes. All kidding aside, though, enterprise social media security is serious business. A social media presence is an integral… Read More

Why Cloud Service Providers Should Consider FedRAMP Certification

FedRAMP Certification Can Help Grow Your Cloud Service Business The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) was designed to support the federal government’s “cloud-first” initiative by making it easier for federal agencies to contract with cloud providers. Like FISMA, DFARS, CJIS, and HIPAA, FedRAMP’s security controls are based on NIST 800-53. If your cloud… Read More

Cyber Risk Management Lessons Companies Need to Learn Right Now

Don’t want your company to be the next Yahoo, Equifax, Deloitte, or SEC? Don’t ignore cyber risk management. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the U.S., which is quite fitting right now, being as barely a day is going by without yet another disclosure of a massive hack, and Americans are far more… Read More

SEC, NFA Hack: Wall Street’s Top Regulator Breached

The SEC, NFA hack has pitched the international finance world into turmoil as Wall Street’s top regulator admits to not having secured its own systems. Move over, Equifax; the SEC, NFA hack may have just stolen your thunder. Less than two weeks after Equifax disclosed that it had been breached, compromising the personal information of… Read More

Equifax Breach Compromises Half of U.S. Population

The Equifax breach isn’t the largest data breach, but it is one of the most troubling because of its massive scope, the nature of the information stolen, and the absolutely awful way in which it has been handled. While Hurricane Irma dominated the national news late last week, a man-made disaster unfolded in the background… Read More

HBO Hack Underscores the Growing Threat of Digital IP Theft

HBO Hack Targeted Valuable Intellectual Property and Company Secrets Corporate espionage and the theft of intellectual property and company secrets have gone cyber. The latest victim is cable network HBO and its flagship series Game of Thrones. The HBO hack, perpetrated by a hacker or group calling themselves “Mr. Smith,” may involve as much as… Read More

DFARS Compliance Deadline Approaching for DoD Contractors

Department of Defense contractors and their subcontractors have until December 31 to obtain DFARS compliance Third-party data breaches are a serious problem, especially when highly sensitive data is involved – and our nation’s infrastructure, including our defense systems, are built and maintained by third-party government contractors. Recognizing this, the U.S. Department of Defense is requiring… Read More

Third-Party Breaches: How Secure are Your Vendors?

Verizon, Trump Hotels, and the RNC are Among the Recent Victims of Third-Party Breaches Even if your own cyber security is up to snuff, your organization could be at risk of third-party breaches if your business partners are not as diligent as you are. Verizon just learned this lesson the hard way after one of… Read More

Cyber Cooperation Is Crucial in the Era of NotPetya

The NotPetya attacks weren’t as bad as WannaCry; they were worse, and we all need to start cooperating to prevent the next attack. It’s looking more and more like last week’s NotPetya malware attacks, which infected computers around the world but hit Ukraine particularly hard, were designed to cause widespread damage and disruption, not make… Read More

Will Cryptocurrency Regulation Attempts Do More Harm Than Good?

White-Hat Hackers Are Already Being Caught in the Cryptocurrency Regulation Net Cryptocurrencies have long been associated with cyber crime. The cryptocurrency Bitcoin was the de facto currency of the notorious online black market Silk Road, it remains the preferred payment method on the Dark Net, and the majority of ransomware attacks, including WannaCry, demand payment… Read More

U.S. Federal Task Force Urges Proactive Healthcare Cyber Security

The Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Task Force’s report on healthcare cyber security echoes a similar study on medical device security issued by Synopsys and the Ponemon Institute. On the heels of a damning study by Synopsys and the Ponemon Institute, which provides a blow-by-blow accounting of the many problems with medical device security, a federal task… Read More

Four Takeaways from the WannaCry Ransomware Attacks

Four Important Lessons from the WannaCry Ransomware Attacks The recent WannaCry ransomware attacks put cyber security on the front page of every newspaper in the world. Now, everyone knows what ransomware is and how destructive it can be, but will anything change? Following are four critical lessons that both organizations and individuals should take away… Read More

Phishing for Dollars: Email Scams Costing Companies Billions

Why Your Employees Keep Clicking on Phishing Emails, and How You Can Stop It The 2017 Verizon Data Breach Report is out, and it’s full of great news – if you’re a hacker. The study, which examined over 1,900 breaches and more than 42,000 attempts in 84 countries, showed that cyberespionage and ransomware are on… Read More