{"id":2502,"date":"2016-09-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/2016\/09\/11\/fromreply-totodatemessage-idlist-idlist-unsubscribesendercontent-typemime-version-imail3dpaulgdavis-commail174-atl61-mcsv-net-2\/"},"modified":"2021-12-30T11:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T11:41:28","slug":"fromreply-totodatemessage-idlist-idlist-unsubscribesendercontent-typemime-version-imail3dpaulgdavis-commail174-atl61-mcsv-net-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/2016\/09\/11\/fromreply-totodatemessage-idlist-idlist-unsubscribesendercontent-typemime-version-imail3dpaulgdavis-commail174-atl61-mcsv-net-2\/","title":{"rendered":"From:Reply-To:To:Date:Message-ID:List-ID:List-Unsubscribe:Sender:Content-Type:MIME-Version; i=mail=3Dpaulgdavis.com@mail174.atl61.mcsv.net;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[From the desk of Paul G Davis &#8211; his opinion and no-one else&#8217;s, apart from those of the authors of the articles.]<br \/>\nAnd so, now the news<\/p>\n<p>* Stop calling it a ransomware &#8220;attack&#8221;<br \/>\n* Security in the retail sector on the rise<br \/>\n* Hacked companies still prioritize innovation over cybersecurity<br \/>\n* Massive Delta outage highlights need for quality data center power, backup plans<br \/>\n* \u200bHomeland Security shares initiatives for securing government services from emerging cyber threats<br \/>\n* Australia to regulate bitcoin under counter-terrorism finance laws<br \/>\n* What next for cyber resilience?<br \/>\n* FERC Takes Action on Cybersecurity in Response to Ukrainian Cyber Attacks<br \/>\n* Healthcare cybersecurity market flooded with solutions<br \/>\n* Cyber checklist is dead, long-live the new A-130<br \/>\n* Threat Modeling in the Enterprise, Part 1: Understanding the Basics<\/p>\n<p>Stop calling it a ransomware &#8220;attack&#8221;<br \/>\nI dislike the term &#8220;ransomware attack.&#8221; Why, you ask.<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s a matter of perception.<br \/>\nThe word &#8220;attack&#8221; indicates specific intent against a particular individual or group.<br \/>\nAn attack means someone (or something) is targeted.<br \/>\nBut I&#8217;m hesitant to use the terms &#8220;attack&#8221; and &#8220;targeted&#8221; when discussing ransomware.<br \/>\nCalling a ransomware infection an &#8220;attack&#8221; focuses blame on an enemy.<br \/>\nI consider this mindset dangerously close to fear mongering.<br \/>\nRansomware is distributed on a large scale.<br \/>\nCriminal groups generally use two methods to distribute malware: malicious spam (malspam) and exploit kit (EK) campaigns.<br \/>\nThese are most often large-scale operations that attempt to reach as many potential victims as possible.<br \/>\nYes, those relatively few infections often have major consequences, but they&#8217;re not the result of narrowly-defined attacks.<br \/>\nThey&#8217;re the result of large-scale campaigns.<br \/>\nThe important part isn&#8217;t necessarily who is infected.<br \/>\nThe important part is that enough people with enough resources are infected to make it profitable for the criminals.<br \/>\nWe tell ourselves we must know our enemy so we can better protect our network.<br \/>\nHowever, I think we put too much focus on the enemy and not enough focus on ourselves.<br \/>\nIs everyone in your organization following best security practices.<br \/>\nIs security a truly essential part of your corporate culture.<br \/>\nIs security a primary concern when establishing or upgrading your network architecture, or does cost outweigh the best security measures.<br \/>\nMost organizations have problems in these areas.<br \/>\nWe convince ourselves there are certain weaknesses we must live with.<br \/>\nSure, call it a ransomware incident.<br \/>\nJust don&#8217;t call it a ransomware attack.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=cdde3e1c6f&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Security in the retail sector on the rise<br \/>\nLONDON\u2014Across the globe, retail spaces will purchase more physical security measures, such as cameras and EAS (electric article surveillance) systems, and the Americas will be a strong region in the forecast period from 2016 to 2020, according to a July 28 report from research firm Technavio.<br \/>\n\u201cWe see the retail sector becoming one of the top three physical security [vertical markets],\u201d Amrita Choudhury, Technavio research analyst, told Security Systems News.<br \/>\nThe retail market, government and the hospitality industry, will be the largest vertical markets globally, she said.<br \/>\nFor the combined Americas region, including North and South America, the market value is \u201caround $2.09 billion for 2016, and by 2020 it\u2019s going to be around $2.69 billion, and the CAGR will be 6.38 percent,\u201d Choudhury said.<br \/>\nChoudhury couldn\u2019t provide data on individual territories, but said, \u201cthe U.S. is definitely a big player in this market.\u201d<br \/>\nThe Americas made up about 47 percent of the total market in 2015, Choudhury said, and that percentage will drop slightly\u2014down to around 46.3 percent by 2020.<br \/>\nThe Americas market is still growing, but other regions, such as Asia\/Pacific, are growing at a faster rate.<br \/>\nDropping prices for security products, such as high-end cameras, is another factor driving growth in the retail sector, she said.<br \/>\nSome retailers would prefer to use the analog cameras they have, instead purchasing an IP camera, Choudhury said, which could be a challenge for the market.<br \/>\nAxis, Bosch, Checkpoint, Honeywell, and Tyco are the top five vendors in this market, Choudhury said.<br \/>\nOther vendors include AxxonSoft, Hikvision Digital, Panasonic, Salient Systems, Siemens, she said.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=65c08f91b8&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Hacked companies still prioritize innovation over cybersecurity<br \/>\nEight out of 10 executives surveyed acknowledge that their companies had been compromised by cyber attacks in the past two years, according to a new study by KPMG.<br \/>\nYet less than half of the 403 CIOs, CISOs and CTOs the firm surveyed said that they had invested in information security in the past year.<br \/>\nThe notion that hacked companies are underinvesting in cybersecurity defies logic until you understand that most CIOs are told to prioritize innovation over risk mitigation.<br \/>\nCompanies grappling with digital transformations are racing to find their own Pokemon Go.<br \/>\nCEOs laser focused on growing the business are loath to slow down to reduce risk.<br \/>\nUltimately, cybersecurity fails to become the imperative that it should be.<br \/>\nUnderinvestment in cybersecurity means less spending on talent and safeguards to protect companies from emerging threats, including business email compromises and ransomware, in which hackers hijack corporate networks and demand money to relinquish control.<br \/>\nIn a June survey, security firm Malwarebytes found that 41 percent of U.S. businesses had encountered between one to five ransomware attacks in the previous 12 months.<br \/>\nSuch attacks threaten to have devastating impact on company brands and, ultimately, bottom lines.<br \/>\nBell points to a lack of oversight or governance over how CIOs are allocating their budgets.<br \/>\nBell says that cybersecurity has traditionally been aligned with IT infrastructure but he suggests companies link it to innovation.<br \/>\nIdeally, CIOs, chief digital officers and their CISO partners will work to layer in protection as new solutions are baked rather than bolted on after the minimum viable product is launched.<br \/>\nBell says his research uncovered a &#8220;cyber-awareness maturity curve&#8221; between sectors such as financial services and tech firms and retail and automobile makers.<br \/>\nThis is somewhat alarming given retailers&#8217; emphasis on mobile and personalized shopping and automotive manufacturers\u2019 focus on building connected cars that increasingly rely on automated driver assistance technologies.<br \/>\nBell found that banks and technology companies are relatively on their game with regard to bolstering their cyber postures, with 66 percent and 62 percent, respectively, reporting that they had invested in information security.<br \/>\nThat compares to 45 percent of retailers and 32 percent of automotive manufacturers that claimed to have invested.<br \/>\nOf companies surveyed, 69 percent reported having a cybersecurity leader, such as a CISO, in place.<br \/>\n5 percent of both banks and technology companies said they had a CISO or some other position of its ilk compared to 58 percent and 45 percent of retail and automotive companies who fessed up to having a cyber leader.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=92a15a5bbe&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Massive Delta outage highlights need for quality data center power, backup plans<br \/>\nAbout 60% of organizations are moving to a recovery time objective of four hours or less, Witty said.<br \/>\nDoing so successfully involves extensive planning.<br \/>\nFirst, determine what business operations are mission critical.<br \/>\nThen, consider factors that impact recovery time requirements, such as revenue loss, safety, and brand reputation, and build your recovery infrastructure accordingly.<br \/>\nAs more companies outsource data operations, a key consideration should be the third party&#8217;s ability to meet your recovery requirements, she added.<br \/>\nCrisis management practices, such as the procedures Delta used to notify management and deal with customer fallout, usually get exercised every quarter. &#8220;The more you practice your crisis management procedure and communicating with your workforce, customers, suppliers, and partners, the better off you are,&#8221; Witty said. &#8220;A plan that hasn&#8217;t been exercised is not a workable plan.&#8221;<br \/>\nThe 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers<br \/>\n&#8211; Delta experienced a massive networked service stoppage Monday morning after a power outage in Atlanta, which offers a lesson in disaster preparedness and recovery for other businesses and data centers.<br \/>\n&#8211; About 57% of small and mid-sized businesses have no recovery plan in the event of a network outage, data loss, or other IT disaster, but these plans are key for mitigating natural and manmade disasters and keeping business operations running smoothly.<br \/>\n&#8211; Companies should build crisis management and proper communication into all new projects and management changes to ensure consistency.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=529f1eef55&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>\u200bHomeland Security shares initiatives for securing government services from emerging cyber threats<br \/>\n\u201cThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a very involved cybersecurity mission,\u201d he says. \u201cWe do three things in the cybersecurity realm.<br \/>\nFirst of all, we work across our federal government with 125 different departments and agencies to better prepare to defend their network.<br \/>\nWe also work with state, local and territorial governments.<br \/>\nWe have over 300,000 different government entities across our 54 states and territories that include counties and municipalities.<br \/>\nFinally, our role in cyber is not complete without working with the communications sector to make sure that the pipes, the different mechanisms for ensuring ones and zeroes up operating for our public\u201d.<br \/>\nTouhill says DHS shares information with over 200 CERTs around the world.<br \/>\nOne of the focus areas for DHS is raising the bar for all partners and agencies across the government according to Touhill.<br \/>\nThis includes the ability to detect, react and prevent cyber events.<br \/>\nThe analysis conducted by DHS has identified 16 critical pieces of infrastructure. 95% of those are held in the private sector.<br \/>\nTouhill called these a kind of cyber \u201cneighbourhood watch\u201d with lots of information sharing including machine-to-machine exchange of data such as IP addresses, hashes and numeric information.<br \/>\nAn important element of that response is declassifying information as quickly as possible and making it available to the private sector so they are in a position to pre-emptively act to the changing threat environment.<br \/>\nOne of the barriers to information sharing, says Touhill, comes when victims are identified.<br \/>\nThe focus, he says, is on sharing everything he can about the assailant and the attack.<br \/>\nWhen the victims are identified, \u201cthat\u2019s when information sharing dries up,\u201d says Touhill.<br \/>\nHe also noted that cyber-risk management needs to move from the server room into the board room \u2013 something we\u2019ve been hearing for the last few years.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=c7c9f2d27d&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Australia to regulate bitcoin under counter-terrorism finance laws<br \/>\nJakarta: Australia is moving to become one of the first countries to regulate e-currencies such as bitcoin under its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.<br \/>\nThe statutory review of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act, which Mr Keenan tabled in Parliament on April 29, recommends the act be amended to regulate activities relating to digital currency.<br \/>\nIt also recommends the definition of e-currency be broadened to include digital currencies such as bitcoin that are not backed by a physical asset.<br \/>\n&#8220;While digital currencies have undoubted legitimate uses, the transfer of convertible digital currencies can occur without passing through the formal financial sector,&#8221; it says.<br \/>\nIn 2014, Canada became the first country to regulate bitcoin and other virtual currencies under its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.<br \/>\nLast month a Florida judge dismissed a money-laundering case involving an alleged illegal sale of bitcoins on the grounds the digital currency was not real money under the laws of the state.<br \/>\nIn 2014 the Australian Tax Office designated bitcoin as an &#8220;intangible asset&#8221; rather than a currency, making it subject to GST.<br \/>\nThis led to several bitcoin start-ups leaving Australia.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=9fd6926911&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>What next for cyber resilience?<br \/>\nThe World Economic Forum lists cyber attacks as among the top five risks in terms of a combination of probability and impact.<br \/>\nAnd in 2015, PWC reported that cyber risk is the top concern for insurers in Australia.<br \/>\nIn addition to detection problems, a further difficulty in measuring the incidence of cyber crime is that due to the sensitive reputational issues surrounding a data breach or cyber attack, many cyber attacks go unreported: As Una Jagose, acting head of New Zealand\u2019s Government Communications Security Bureau recently said, it is concerning that in a recent survey of major businesses in Australia, 43% of respondents said they did not report cyber incidents as they saw no benefit in doing so.<br \/>\nIt can be inferred that published data are probably a significant underestimate of the true prevalence and cost of cyber events.<br \/>\nThe Australian Government recommends four key mitigations for businesses, which it says may reduce vulnerability to cyber attack by up to 80%:<br \/>\nApplication \u2018white-listing\u2019: Allow only a defined list of applications to run on a network.<br \/>\nPatching system vulnerabilities: Computer system vendors constantly release operating system versions containing new patches to address vulnerabilities as they are discovered.<br \/>\nPatching application vulnerabilities: Similarly, applications like Java, PDF viewers, Microsoft Office release patches which should be installed.<br \/>\nRestricting administrative privileges to operating systems in accordance with the user\u2019s duties.<br \/>\nLawyers play a key role in cyber resilience, which should enable them to participate actively, not merely after cyber events, but also in helping to increase the cyber resilience of the Australasian business community, and also cyber security \u2013 at least in relation to non-IT aspects of cyber security.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=6ece1df5fe&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>FERC Takes Action on Cybersecurity in Response to Ukrainian Cyber Attacks<br \/>\nThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (\u201cFERC\u201d) issued a Notice of Inquiry (\u201cNOI\u201d) and Final Rule at the end of July to address several urgent cybersecurity issues affecting the bulk electric system.<br \/>\nFERC is taking these actions in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats to our power grid, including in response to an actual cyber-attack against Ukraine\u2019s electricity system last year.<br \/>\nIn the NOI, the Commission seeks comments on possible modifications to the Critical Infrastructure Protection (\u201cCIP\u201d) Reliability Standards developed and managed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (\u201cNERC\u201d) pursuant to Section 215 of the Federal Power Act.<br \/>\nThese modifications would require isolation between the Internet and certain critical cyber systems in control centers performing transmission operator functions \u201cthrough use of physical (hardware) or logical (software) means.\u201d The modifications would also require the use of application whitelisting for the same critical systems in all control centers.<br \/>\nApplication whitelisting is a security practice in which only specifically authorized applications are able to execute on a particular computer.<br \/>\nIn the Final Rule (deemed Order No. 829), the Commission directs NERC to develop a new or modified Reliability Standard concerning \u201csupply chain risk management for industrial control system hardware, software, and computing and networking services associated with bulk electric system operations.\u201d While the Final Rule provides NERC with flexibility as to how to meet FERC\u2019s requirements, its new or modified Reliability Standard must meet certain minimum criteria.<br \/>\nThis includes the creation of a plan by jurisdictional electric utilities addressing four security objectives: (1) software integrity and authenticity, (2) vendor remote access, (3) information system planning, and (4) vendor risk management and procurement controls.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=9c90449b05&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Healthcare cybersecurity market flooded with solutions<br \/>\nNew analysis from Frost &#038; Sullivan, US Hospital Cybersecurity Market: 2015-2021, finds that healthcare organizations are struggling to respond to an alarming increase in the incidence of data breaches and cyber attacks.<br \/>\nThe industry has an urgent need to deploy new solutions and new approaches to address cybersecurity risks arising from the recent widespread digitization of health data via EHRs and the increase in the exchange of these data across dispersed care settings and computer endpoints.<br \/>\nVendors serving the hospital cybersecurity market face a highly dynamic environment that offers many challenges and opportunities over the next five to six years.<br \/>\nFrost &#038; Sullivan predicts that the total market for cybersecurity solutions deployed by US hospitals will grow at a CAGR of 13.6 percent between 2016 and 2021.<br \/>\n\u201cGoing forward, all health IT vendors serving the hospital market\u2014and not just vendors of IT security solutions but application vendors as well\u2014must recognize that the increased threat environment demands strong, baked-in security features,\u201d said Fabozzi. \u201cTo ensure this capability, vendors need to innovate to survive, building or buying advanced functionality and next generation capabilities as the market moves from protecting the walled garden to protecting a vast connected perimeter.\u201d<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage1.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=6e1be8d99e&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Cyber checklist is dead, long-live the new A-130<br \/>\nThe requirement to reevaluate the security of IT systems every three years has been flushed from the governmentwide policy that for so long stood in front of agencies and inspector generals moving toward a continuous monitoring approach.<br \/>\nThe Office of Management and Budget July 28 issued the update to Circular A-130.<br \/>\n\u201cThe revised circular also emphasizes and clarifies the role of both privacy and security in the federal information lifecycle.<br \/>\nImportantly, the revised circular represents a shift from viewing security and privacy requirements as compliance exercises to understanding security and privacy as crucial components of a comprehensive, strategic, and continuous risk-based program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The termination of the requirement to authorize IT systems every three years also finally puts to rest the challenges faced by agencies and auditors around the need to follow the existing policy of every three-year cyber reviews of IT systems while the reality of technology requires constant reviews.<br \/>\n\u201cAgencies still must comply with all parts of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and that like asking agencies to comply with an encyclopedia,\u201d he said. \u201cIf OMB, the IGs and the Government Accountability Office all read this in the same way that lets agencies made risk-based decisions, then it\u2019s an important change.<br \/>\nBut if auditors read this to mean agencies still must meet all parts of SP-800-53, then it continues to be a checklist exercise, and A-130 is just a statement of good intentions to move away from checklist.\u201d<br \/>\nForman said the lack of specific direction about who is in charge is the biggest concern he has about A-130.<br \/>\nHe said the document talks a lot about bringing people together, but doesn\u2019t clearly define the process for who has the final say or who is in charge.<br \/>\nIn the circular, agencies can ask the OMB director for a waiver from meeting the requirements of certain sections of the policy.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=ae90d46d8e&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Threat Modeling in the Enterprise, Part 1: Understanding the Basics<br \/>\nThere are several widely used definitions for threat modeling.<br \/>\nI prefer the one provided by Adam Shostack in his brilliant book, \u201cThreat Modeling: Designing for Security.\u201d He said, \u201cThreat modeling is the use of abstractions to aid in thinking about risks.\u201d<br \/>\nThreat modeling can help you generate a list of prioritized threats applicable to the system you are analyzing.<br \/>\nIt can also inform the risk management process.<br \/>\nIn addition to this obvious benefit, there are some not-so-obvious advantages you can draw from threat modeling.<br \/>\nIn our practice, we often find that the clients are trying to implement commonly prescribed security controls without taking into account the specific enterprise context.<br \/>\nPenetration testing, for example, is a commonly misunderstood and prescribed assurance activity that will add little value in certain enterprise contexts.<br \/>\nUltimately, threat modeling output supports the enterprise risk assessment initiative.<br \/>\nA well-developed threat model informs the control selection process and puts it in the context of the system-specific threats.<br \/>\nThreat modeling provides solid ground to build a better understanding of the possible attack vectors.<br \/>\nWhile no threat model is complete, it can be a good foundation for planning and executing different assurance activities (such as vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, etc.) if devised properly.<br \/>\nDevising a threat model of your enterprise system can be daunting.<br \/>\nHere are some tips to save yourself some pain.<br \/>\nEstablish a work group composed of subject-matter experts \u2014 experienced people that design, use, support and manage the system.<br \/>\nThreat modeling a complex system is a time-consuming exercise and requires a lot of planning and coordination.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t get disheartened; remember that your work group probably includes people with no formal threat modeling training, and they likely have their own workloads and operational priorities outside of the threat modeling effort.<br \/>\nGive everyone enough time to consider the discussion and support wherever necessary with the appropriate amount of guidance.<br \/>\nKeep your eyes on the scope, because it could very easily creep.<br \/>\nMake sure that you have the level of detail you want to address in advance.<br \/>\nIf you have reached it, do not go further.<br \/>\nModerate the work group discussions accordingly to save time and keep all participants focused.<br \/>\nThere are different ways to build your threat model, and there is no magic, one-size-fits-all solution.<br \/>\nI would encourage you to follow your common sense and trust your experience.<br \/>\nNo one else knows your environment and its peculiarities better than you do.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage2.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=33a79effa5&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>* Best practices in cyber vulnerability assessment<br \/>\n* Are Healthcare CISOs Suffering from Cybersecurity Solution Fatigue? An Expert Probes Some of the Issues<br \/>\n* Will Faster Payments Mean Faster Fraud?<br \/>\n* Accenture : Data theft, malware infection big threat to digital businesses<br \/>\n* Ponemon Institute: External Cyber Attacks Cost Enterprises $3.5M\/year, 79% of Businesses Lack Comprehensive Strategies to Manage these Risks<br \/>\n* 2016 Malware Levels Now Stand at Nearly Four Times 2015 Totals<br \/>\n* Twitter Hacking and Social Media\u2019s Risk to Executive Security<br \/>\n* Beyond Data: Why CISOs Must Pay Attention To Physical Security<br \/>\n* $2.7 Million HIPAA Penalty for Two Smaller Breaches<br \/>\n* Using compliance as a tool for change<br \/>\n* In the Breach War, File Protection Is Just as Important as Data<br \/>\n* Data security and breach notification in Finland<br \/>\n* ISO compliance in the cloud: Why should you care, and what do you need to know?<br \/>\n* Federal Privacy Commissioner Provides Submission on New Data Breach Notification and Reporting Regulations<br \/>\n* Breach notification reporting can be complicated without proper skills, tools<br \/>\n* Banks must do better on cyber security: KPMG<br \/>\n* Australia gets one-quarter of a minister for national infosec<br \/>\n* The Case for Continuous Security Monitoring<br \/>\n* Arbor Networks Releases Global DDoS Attack Data for 1H 2016<br \/>\n* 5 Best Practices for Outsourcing Cybersecurity<br \/>\n* Most CISOs and CIOs need better resources to mitigate threats<\/p>\n<p>Best practices in cyber vulnerability assessment<br \/>\nHere are the best practices for cyber vulnerability assessment.<br \/>\nFirst and foremost you should have a very clear understanding of why you need a cyber vulnerability assessment.<br \/>\nResearch other companies in your industry.<br \/>\nTo know exactly which parts of your business structure need an assessment, you need to research your company\u2019s processes with a focus on the systems that are critical to keeping your business running.<br \/>\nOnce you\u2019ve identified the systems that need an assessment, you should rank them according to both their importance to your overall business model and to the sensitivity of the information they contain.<br \/>\nNow that you know exactly which systems and software need an assessment and how they rank in terms of priority, you should make sure you\u2019re aware of the security systems you already have in place.<br \/>\nf you\u2019ve completely mapped out both your vulnerabilities and your already-in-place security, and your inter-departmental security task force is in agreement on what\u2019s needed, you\u2019re ready to perform your vulnerability scans.<br \/>\nf you did your homework on what you needed to assess and also on the vulnerability assessment tool you chose, then you should fully trust the results of your cyber vulnerability assessment and act on them.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t wait.<br \/>\nDon\u2019t second guess.<br \/>\nThe assessment will produce recommendations for remediation that you should act on right now.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage1.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=217dab6362&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Are Healthcare CISOs Suffering from Cybersecurity Solution Fatigue? An Expert Probes Some of the Issues<br \/>\nA recent Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology report provided some intriguing thoughts about the pressure facing chief information security officers (CISOs) to keep their organizations secure and how they are combating information and vendor solution overload.<br \/>\n\u201cDue to the plague of APTs, malware, ransomware and other malicious initiatives by invisible adversaries, few C-level executive positions are as critical as the CISO,\u201d Scott writes.<br \/>\nIn a recent report, James Scott, a senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), a Washington, D.C.-based cybersecurity think tank, points out that a well-informed CISO can improve the engagement of the C-suite and improve the cyber posture of the organization.<br \/>\nWhile the report offers a cross-industry perspective of the CISO role and the challenge of vendor solution overload, the report author does spend moments focusing on healthcare organizations, specifically in a section detailing how CISOs can assess the return on investment of cybersecurity solutions.<br \/>\nThe report provides an interesting perspective about the need for CISOs to ignore the hype surrounding \u201csilver bullet\u201d solutions in order find the most effective cybersecurity solutions and strategies for their particular organizations, but at the same time, the report author also highlights the part that the vendor community plays in this problem.<br \/>\n\u201cIn many cases, CISOs operate under the unrealistic expectation that they should be able to prevent every breach with a finite budget.<br \/>\nThey are expected to have enough technical expertise to develop a strategy to protect the business and enough business acumen to convince the board to adopt that strategy because it aligns with the goals of the organization,\u201d he writes.<br \/>\nAnd, he asserts that modern CISOs tend to function more as Chief Information Risk Officers, managing the risk to data and technology.<br \/>\nAccording to the ICIT report, there is rapid burnout among CISOs, as the average turnover rate is 17 months.<br \/>\n\u201cVendor attempts to offer silver bullet solutions undermine the community at large and poisons the vendor-customer relationship.<br \/>\nThe culture promoting these inadequate solutions distracts CISOs, technical personnel and solution developers from the risks and threats in the threat landscape and it distracts them from designing the right solutions to address the market needs.\u201d<br \/>\nIn the report, the author offers strategic recommendations for calculating a cybersecurity solution\u2019s ROI and uses a healthcare organization as an example.<br \/>\nThe ROI of security solutions can be equated to the fiscal component of the impact that the organization would assume if an adversary exploited the vulnerability that the solution addresses, the author writes.<br \/>\nThe report concludes with statistics sourced from the Economist Intelligence Unit that indicates proactive CISO-led strategies can cut the success rate of cyber-breaches by more than 50 percent, hacking successes by 60 percent and ransomware infections by 47 percent.<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=1af4b297d4&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Will Faster Payments Mean Faster Fraud?<br \/>\nCrowe contends that to ensure global payments interoperability, faster payments are a necessity.<br \/>\nThe U.S. will soon be at a competitive disadvantage if it does not enable faster payments, she argues.<br \/>\nParry says the most fundamental risk to payments is poor identity management.<br \/>\nAnd it&#8217;s a legitimate concern.<br \/>\nAfter all, poor identity management apparently enabled hackers to steal $81 million from the central bank of Bangladesh in February, as part of a fraudulent transaction that was approved by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.<br \/>\nAnd in a real-time or near-real-time environment, once the money is gone, it&#8217;s gone.<br \/>\nUnlike in the United Kingdom, Australia and other economically advanced parts of the world, faster payments are not the norm in the U.S.<br \/>\nCrowe declined to touch the interchange issue. &#8220;Cost is not the No. 1 worry for the Fed when it comes to faster payments,&#8221; she noted during the summit.<br \/>\nThe top concern, she says, is &#8220;a faster process that is still secure for business.&#8221;<br \/>\nThe Secure Payments Task Force&#8217;s goals differ from the goals of the Faster Payments Task Force.<br \/>\nAnd the Secure Payments Task Force has identified four areas that must be addressed to ensure the ongoing security of the payments system in the U.S. going forward.<br \/>\nFaster payments will be part of that, but not all.&#8221;<br \/>\nLink: http:\/\/paulgdavis.us3.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=45bf3caf699abf9904ddc00e3&#038;id=5546e3be25&#038;e=20056c7556<\/p>\n<p>Accenture : Data theft, malware infection big threat to digital businesses<br \/>\nThe new report from Accenture and HfS Research say that 69 percent of respondents experienced an attempted or successful theft or corruption of data by insiders during the prior 12 months, with media and technology organizations reporting the highest rate (77 percent).<br \/>\nThis insider risk will continue to be an issue, with security professionals&#8217; concerns over insider theft of corporate information alone rising by nearly two-thirds over the coming 12 to 18 months.<br \/>\nThe survey, &#8220;The State of Cyber security and Digital Trust 2016&#8242;&#8221;, was conducted by HfS Research on behalf of Accenture.<br \/>\nMore than 200 C-level security executives and other IT professionals were polled across a range of geographies and vertical industry sectors.<br \/>\nThe survey examined the current and future state of cyber security within the enterprise and the recommended steps to enable digital trust throughout the extended ecosystem.<br \/>\nThe findings indicate that there are significant gaps between talent supply and demand, a disconnect between security teams and management expectations, and considerable disparity between budget needs and actual budget realities.<br \/>\nDespite having advanced technology solutions, nearly half of all respondents (48 percent) indicate they are either strongly or critically concerned about insider data theft and malware infections (42 percent) in the next 12 to 18 months.<br \/>\nWhen asked about current funding and staffing levels some42 percent of respondents said they need more budget f<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[From the desk of Paul G Davis &#8211; his opinion and no-one else&#8217;s, apart from those of the authors of the articles.] And so, now the news * Stop calling it a ransomware &#8220;attack&#8221; * Security in the retail sector on the rise * Hacked companies still prioritize innovation over&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4989,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502\/revisions\/4989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybersecurityinstitute.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}