Stories by Mathias Thurman

Who's calling, please?

Some security weaknesses can't be found with a scan or a vulnerability assessment of the infrastructure. As a security manager, you have to keep your eyes open for things that aren't as secure as they should be, based on any evidence that comes your way. That happened to me a few weeks ago, in just about the best way possible. We were able to take steps to tighten security in a particular area after an incident that could have been damaging but actually wasn't. I wish all our security lessons could be so benign.

Mathias Thurman | 16 Jan | Read more

Security Manager's Journal: Virtual machines, real mess

It started out as a simple call to the help desk from an engineer at one of our major development centers: Phone calls were being dropped. Soon, similar complaints were coming in from other engineers, as well as from sales associates, who said the inability to maintain phone calls was making it difficult to close deals.

Mathias Thurman | 22 Apr | Read more

Security Manager's Journal: Time to tweak the security policies

Every fall, I conduct a policy review. I think it's a good idea to have this on my calendar, because no policy, no matter how well crafted, is meant to last for all time. New standards arise and old ones are modified, making some policies deficient. Or a security incident, an audit or some business reality that was previously unacknowledged emerges to demonstrate how a policy falls short.

Mathias Thurman | 18 Nov | Read more