MY TAKE: Why it’s now crucial to preserve PKI, digital certificates as the core of Internet security
For decades, the cornerstone of IT security has been Public Key Infrastructure, or PKI, a system that allows you to encrypt and sign data, issuing digital certificates that authenticate the identity of users. Related: How PKI could secure the Internet of Things If that sounds too complicated to grasp, take ... Read More
GUEST ESSAY: Addressing DNS, domain names and Certificates to improve security postures
In 2019, we’ve seen a surge in domain name service (DNS) hijacking attempts and have relayed warnings from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, U.K.’s Cybersecurity Centre, ICANN, and other notable security experts. Although, the topic has gained popularity amongst CIOs and CISOs, most companies are still overlooking important security ... Read More
Last Watchdog’s IoT and ‘zero trust’ coverage win MVP awards from Information Management Today
I’m privileged to share news that two Last Watchdog articles were recognized in the 2019 Information Management Today MVP Awards. My primer on the going forward privacy and security implications of IoT — What Everyone Should Know About the Promise and Pitfalls of the Internet of Things — won second ... Read More
SHARED INTEL: How ‘memory attacks’ and ‘firmware spoilage’ circumvent perimeter defenses
What does Chinese tech giant Huawei have in common with the precocious kid next door who knows how to hack his favorite video game? Related: Ransomware remains a scourge The former has been accused of placing hidden backdoors in the firmware of equipment distributed to smaller telecom companies all across ... Read More
BEST PRACTICES: Resurgence of encrypted thumb drives shows value of offline backups — in the field
Encrypted flash drives, essentially secure storage on a stick, are a proven technology that has been readily available for at least 15 years. A few years back, it seemed like they would fade into obsolescence, swept aside by the wave of streaming services and cloud storage. Related: Can Europe’s GDPR ... Read More
SHARED INTEL: What can be done — today — to keep quantum computing from killing encryption
There’s little doubt that the shift to quantum computing will open new horizons of digital commerce. But it’s also plain as day that the mainstreaming of quantum processing power will profoundly exacerbate cybersecurity exposures. Related: The ‘post quantum crytpo’ race is on This isn’t coming as any surprise to IT ... Read More
NEW TECH: Silverfort deploys ‘multi-factor authentication’ to lock down ‘machine identities’
From the start, two-factor authentication, or 2FA, established itself as a simple, effective way to verify identities with more certainty. Related: A primer on IoT security risks The big hitch with 2FA, and what it evolved into – multi-factor authentication, or MFA – has always been balancing user convenience and ... Read More
MY TAKE: How blockchain technology came to seed the next great techno-industrial revolution
Some 20 years ago, the founders of Amazon and Google essentially set the course for how the internet would come to dominate the way we live. Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google did more than anyone else to actualize digital commerce as we’re experiencing ... Read More
NEW TECH: Can an ‘operational system of record’ alleviate rising knowledge worker frustrations?
An undercurrent of discontent is spreading amongst knowledge workers in enterprises across the United States and Europe. Related: Phishing-proof busy employees White collar employees today have amazingly capable communications and collaboration tools at their beck and call. Yet the majority feel unsatisfied with narrow daily assignments and increasingly disconnected from ... Read More
SHARED INTEL: APIs hook up new web and mobile apps — and break attack vectors wide open
If your daily screen time is split between a laptop browser and a smartphone, you may have noticed that a few browser web pages are beginning to match the slickness of their mobile apps. Related: The case for a microservices firewall Netflix and Airbnb are prime examples of companies moving ... Read More
