Meet the Candidate for Your ISSA International Board of Directors – Michael Peters

Elections for the 2012 International Board of Directors are now going on! I am a candidate for the two-year term and I would appreciate your vote as an ISSA member in good standing. There are 13 candidates vying for 5 director positions. About Me I have been an independent information security consultant, executive, researcher, author, and… Read More

PCI – The Supermassive Small Merchant Black Hole

Existing in the commerce galaxy, the vast majority of merchants are doing “traveling” or business without proper safety controls or rather, information security controls in place. While I know of no single solution or silver bullet that can be purchased or leveraged to ensure absolute information security, there are many ways your store and customer… Read More

MENA ISC 2012 – The Security Trifecta™ – Day 2

The second day of MENA ISC 2012 was action packed with many great presentations. I had many engaging conversations with quite a few delegates. Discussing The Security Trifecta was of course a favorite topic of mine. What really matters was the overarching theme that was delivered by many speakers was in getting control of information… Read More

My comments about Virtuport and MENA ISC 2012.

Several exceptional facets of MENA ISC 2012 became quite apparent to me during my attendance and participation in the Middle East North Africa Information Security Conference. First, what a truly impressive assembly of international security experts and delegates. People attending were engaged, inquisitive, and very collaborative which is a vital component in mastering the global… Read More

MENA ISC 2012 – The Security Trifecta™

It’s off to Amman Jordan today to spend the week at the Middle East North Africa Information Security Conference (MENA ISC 2012) where I’ll be presenting The Security Trifecta: Information Security by the Numbers. The concept is an accessible and highly sustainable pragmatic approach toward achieving enterprise security; both physical and digital. The Security Trifecta… Read More

Macon State College – School of Information Technology

I had the pleasure of being invited to Macon State College for an information security presentation to a great group of students and professors. We had a lively discussion about the three facets of The Security Trifecta: Governance, Technology, and Vigilance. One of the things I enjoy most are the creative minds that represent the… Read More

1 MILLION PLUS VIEWS!

I’m excited to announce that the Holistic Operational Readiness Security Evaluation (HORSE) project wiki has surpassed the 1 million mark in page views by subscribers like you. If you don’t know what the HORSE Project is, browse on over to the site and see why it is one of the best, freely available authorities in… Read More

Consumer Reality Check – Lifting the Veil on PCI DSS

I read an article entitled “Global Payments has some explaining to do” (Source: CSO) today and there were some interesting points made by Bill Brenner, managing editor of CSO. He asked specifically, “How on Earth were they designated PCI compliant in the first place? What were the specific actions they took to improve security and… Read More

CrossView CISO Publishes New Security Series

In the March 2012 edition of the CrossView Wire, among the many progressive features is news coverage about my latest book Governance Documentation and Information Technology Security Policies Demystified. CrossView is a premier provider of cross-channel commerce solutions and services that enable a smarter, more personalized shopping experience. Their software unifies the Web, stores, call… Read More

Privacy Policy

General Terms Lazarus Alliance, LLC (“Lazarus Alliance, LLC” or “we”) understands that your privacy is important to you. Lazarus Alliance, LLC is committed to protecting the privacy of your personally-identifiable information as you use this Site. The scope of Lazarus Alliance, LLC’s commitment is described in this Privacy Policy. By submitting information, you agree to… Read More

The Security Trifecta™: an introduction.

  I was reading a news article this morning about another security debacle at NASA involving the theft of a laptop containing the command and control codes for some high-tech toys like the International Space Station. The thing that amazed me the most was not that NASA would be a high value target, but that… Read More

Failure to Communicate: Pending US Congressional Orwellian Bills Threaten the Internet

In the spirit of the holiday season, three wise men, actually law professors, following an analysis, are warning that the proposed intellectual property PROTECT IP (Source: PROTECT IP) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) (Source SOPA) legislation, currently working their way through Congress, will damage the world’s DNS system, cripple attempts to get better… Read More

Books by Michael D. Peters

Securing the C Level: Getting, Keeping or Reclaiming that Executive Title ISBN-13: 978-1467968829 ISBN-10: 146796882X ISBN-eBook: 978-1-62112-227-2 Want the E-PUB E-Book version instantly? Get it here: [wp_eStore:product_id:1:end] Now on Amazon and other book store locations! In the news! PR NewsChannel Homepage CBS Marketwatch CBS Chicago Daily Herald – Suburban Chicago Business Insider WLS Chicago TV… Read More

Are You Alert?

The world is full of information and it is becoming more transparent and more accessible to more people every day. This technological paradigm shift enables the individual and the organizational entities to discover more about another person or item of interest or even themselves. It becomes increasingly important to, where possible, control your digital spin.… Read More

Uninsured – Underinsured Information Highway Motorists

On the information freeway, the vast majority of the population is driving ninety miles per hour (144 KPH) without insurance; this includes business entities as well. In the United States, as in many other countries as well, the law dictates that a person possess a minimum level of automobile insurance to protect the financial stability… Read More

Weekly Digest for November 17th

mdpeters posted 9 items. Identity theft North Carolina Identity Theft Protection Act of 2005 Security Freeze Fraud North Carolina Identity Theft Protection Act of 2005 Personally identifiable information Credit card fraud North Carolina Identity Theft Protection Act of 2005 Identity theft mdpeters posted User:Olylia1949.

Shot Down in Flames! – That ROI for security or litigation is in jeopardy.

  The Return on Investment, aka ROI, is an essential financial measurement for any business venture and one that must be positive, or at least neutral, in order to demonstrate the viability of the proposition being examined. There are certain essential business functions however that does not provide a return on your investment; and two… Read More

Would you buy a car without seat belts?

Recent headlines said, “Network ransacked in huge brute-force attack” (Source: The Register) and “Hackers break SSL encryption used by millions of sites” (Source: Huffington Post) among many other security and privacy news that fill the news outlets every time I look and listen. The problem is not some new phenomenon, but one that continues to… Read More

FTC Proposes Significant Changes to the Online Collection of Information from Children rule

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) released on September 15, 2011, its long-awaited proposed amendments to its rule implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA Rule”). They are accepting comments until November 28, 2011. The Commission is proposing modifications to the COPPA Rule in three key facets:

Easiest way to breach a bank? Just hold-em-mop!

On July 29, 2011, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a $7,500 settlement with Belmont Savings Bank following a May 2011 data breach involving the names, Social Security numbers and account numbers of more than 13,000 Massachusetts residents.  The bank has stated that it has no evidence of unauthorized access to or use of consumers’… Read More

Expanding Security Breach Notification Requirements in California

A new amendment to California’s security breach notification law will raise the stakes for businesses required to give notice of a data security breach affecting California residents. California Senate Bill 24 (“SB 24”), signed by Governor Brown on August 31, 2011, imposes detailed new requirements for the content of security breach notices. Significantly, SB 24… Read More