Businesses undergoing ISO certification are probably aware of the 27000 series and its focus on comprehensive cybersecurity. What many organizations don’t know, however, is that the series itself provides guidelines for risk managers to better implement Information Security Management Systems (the core process of ISO 27001) following best risk management practices.
The analysis in this article is consistent with my research to date and I thought it worth sharing. I would suggest however that given the input from one of the largest audit firms creates a scenario that I refer to as the “Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone” and should be objectively consumed. It is quite ironic… Read More
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
When the Cyber Czar’s and CISO’s get a seat at the big table, in a normal chair, rather than a high chair, global society will not gain traction towards appropriate information security. We will continue to be reactive and not proactive.
The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) elections for international leadership positions has now opened. I’m running for a Director position and I’m asking ISSA members to please vote for me. As a career security professional, ISSA Hall of Fame and Fellow recipient, I have received so much value from this not-for-profit, international organization of information security professionals… Read More
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
For anyone who has purchased my book, Governance Documentation and Information Technology Security Policies Demystified, you now have full access to premium content that supports the book available for free download. To have access to this content, do the following:
I have been inducted into the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) as a Fellow. ISSA participation has been a keystone component in my personal enrichment as a career security practitioner. As a global organization, membership has brought me closer to the world’s best and brightest in the business which has value difficult to quantify. I… Read More
Much to my delight, I have been inducted into the Information Systems Security Association Fellow Program as a Senior Member. ISSA participation has been a keystone element in my personal development as a security practitioner. I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition.
International collaboration between countries in cybersecurity isn’t unheard of, but it involves several miles of red tape and regulations. That’s why many countries seek parity in their security frameworks. One such parity that Canadian officials are seeking is between their own CP-CSC and the CMMC model for handling CUI.
While typically not mandatory outside financial sectors, SOC 2 is a reliable security compliance model that any organization can follow. This can be seen in its security assessments, which include a robust list of “Common Criteria,” or broad areas of focus that any secure organization should follow. The recent revision of these criteria in 2023… Read More
The ongoing rise of state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) has increased scrutiny of federal and state IT systems security systems. The latest version of CMMC includes a high-maturity level specifically designed to address these threats, which relies primarily on advanced security controls listed in NIST Special Publication 800-172.
The complex relationships between government agencies, third-party vendors, and managed service providers form a challenging web of connections that comprise the DoD digital supply chain. Both NIST 800-171 and CMMC address these at various points, expecting providers to adhere to complex security requirements. These requirements can become so complex that they may turn to Managed… Read More
We’ve regularly written about maintaining security and compliance with third-party vendors. While vendors and managed service providers are a crucial part of digital economies, it’s up to the client businesses to ensure they work with vendors that meet their needs. Following previous discussions of third-party vendor security under standards like SOC 2 and HIPAA, we’re… Read More
Security Control Assessor-Validator (SCA-V) services are a core part of many compliance frameworks, and any agency proposing to offer these services will often provide a common set of expertise, certifications, and knowledge to support their customers. Here, we’re covering the basics of SCA services and what you should look for when signing on with a… Read More
With all the focus on network security, SaaS compliance, and big data protection, it’s sometimes very easy to forget that the most vulnerable parts of any given system are often those tied to the user. These devices (endpoints) are where these users do most of their work and where a lack of security best practices… Read More
One of the fastest-growing security attack surfaces is the Application Programming Interface (API). These functions allow programmers to tap into distributed services like data retrieval or social media broadcasting, vastly expanding the interoperability of different software tools. Accordingly, because API access often requires connecting to or using sensitive data, this presents significant security risks. We’re… Read More
StateRAMP is based on the FedRAMP standard, which means that it uses a similar set of documents and requirements to assess and authorize cloud service providers. One of the key documents of both StateRAMP and FedRAMP is the System Security Plan (SSP), which represents the provider’s security controls, compliance perimeter, and capabilities. In Revision 5,… Read More
Companies can only monitor some of the pieces of software that their employees use. It’s inevitable, then, that those employees will start to kludge together their solutions through personal software or freeware from the Internet. This is such a problem that Splunk recently rated shadow IT as one of the top 50 threats to cybersecurity… Read More
It’s a fact of contemporary professional life that data, people, and secure systems are all remote, interconnected, and vulnerable to evolving security threats. The challenge is that it isn’t enough to lock everything down in areas like federal security, healthcare IT infrastructure, or other sensitive areas. The solution for the past few decades has been… Read More
There’s recently been a push within FedRAMP towards modernizing the framework to meet modern security challenges and better align federal security standards across agencies and technologies. Part of this push is standardizing how security controls are measured and assessed, and the most recent blog from FedRAMP mentions a new standard–OSCAL. Here, we will discuss OSCAL,… Read More
The advent of non-human identities–encompassing service accounts, application IDs, machine identities, and more–has reshaped the cybersecurity landscape, introducing a new dimension of vulnerabilities and attack vectors. While helpful, these digital entities are an increasingly vulnerable spot where attackers focus resources. This article will cover this relatively new attack vector, how hackers leverage new technology to… Read More
A new report shines a light on some unfortunate news in the world of federal cybersecurity. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), only three of 23 federal agencies have reached their expected logging requirements as dictated by Executive Order 14028. In this article, we’re talking about this executive order and what it calls… Read More
The cybersecurity landscape isn’t getting any easier for any business, large or small. With high-profile cyber attacks making headlines, from ransomware attacks crippling global infrastructure to data breaches compromising millions of users’ personal information, the stakes for major corporations have never been higher. While offering unprecedented opportunities, the digital realm also presents a minefield of… Read More