An executive at a company whose name is synonymous with antivirus software raised eyebrows earlier this year when he pronounced the death of that form of system protection. Nevertheless, while the effectiveness of that software may have waned over the years, security experts say the pronouncement by Symantec's senior vice president for information security Brian Dye was premature.
John P. Mello Jr. | 16 Dec | Read more
In first nine months of 2014, after 1,922 confirmed incidents, criminals managed to compromise 904 million records. Many of the incidents reported in 2014 were record setting, including twenty of them that resulted in the compromise of more than a million records each.
Steve Ragan | 18 Nov | Read more
There is still time for any list of the "top information security issues of 2014" to be rendered obsolete. The holiday shopping season is just getting into high gear, after all, and everybody knows it was from late November to mid-December last year when the catastrophic Target breach occurred.
Taylor Armerding | 18 Nov | Read more
Relief is in sight for the beleaguered U.S. Payment Card Industry (PCI). By October 2015, chances are that America will no longer have the dubious distinction of leading the world in credit card fraud.
Taylor Armerding | 23 Sep | Read more
It sure feels like the bad guys are winning.
Taylor Armerding | 04 Sep | Read more
I made it back from DEFCON with both my phone and tablet intact, but I'm happy I didn't bring a light bulb. You see, if had brought a light bulb, and that light bulb was a smart LED bulb running Linux, it might be running someone else's software by now.
Jonathan Lampe | 28 Aug | Read more
Put simply, cybercrime, especially financial malware, has the potential to be quite the lucrative affair. That's only because the bad guys have the tools to make their work quick and easy, though. Cripple the automated processes presented by certain malware platforms, and suddenly the threats -- and the losses --aren't quite so serious.
Grant Hatchimonji | 20 Aug | Read more
I recently had the opportunity to speak with two representatives from the Netherlands-based security research firm Fox-IT--Maurits Lucas, InTELL Business Director, and Andy Chandler, VP of WW Sales & Marketing. Collectively, the two shared an in-depth story of cybergang warfare suitable for Hollywood.
Sean Martin | 12 Aug | Read more
One seemingly unshakeable truth about the online world since it began is this: The Internet never forgets. Once you post anything online, it is recoverable forever -- the claims of former IRS official Lois Lerner about "lost" emails notwithstanding. Even promises of photos disappearing after a few seconds have been shown to be bogus.
Taylor Armerding | 05 Aug | Read more
There is a fierce debate about whether GMOs - genetically modified organisms - with built-in resistance to pests, fungus, drought and other agricultural threats, are a good thing when it comes to our food supply.
Taylor Armerding | 25 Jul | Read more
The pace of change for Information Technology is challenging established notions of "What is IT?" and "What is Information Security in the modern age?" For one example, the "new" data center technologies such as virtualization, Software-Defined Networking (SDN), service-oriented delivery models, and cloud computing have radically changed the typical IT infrastructure from a defined set of assets owned and controlled by the organization to a constantly fluctuating roster of resources that can come and go from IT department visibility and control.
John N. Stewart | 18 Jun | Read more
It is almost summertime, and while the livin' supposedly gets a bit easier, it remains risky. As the vacation season approaches and everybody is planning travel, socializing with friends and family and relaxing, people in the "always connected" world should add one more item to their list: Don't relax when it comes to online security.
Taylor Armerding | 05 Jun | Read more
Given the current prevalence of mobile devices, especially smartphones, it comes as no surprise that they are becoming more and more entwined with everyday aspects of our lives. We don't just use them to make calls, to text, or to browse the internet anymore. We can use them to do just about anything, and that includes using them as a means to provide our credentials.
Grant Hatchimonji | 03 Jun | Read more
Signal-to-noise ratios are hard to manage. As a security professional, you want the threat data, you want the attack notifications and alerts, and you need intelligence. But, when there's too much coming in, those alerts and notifications fall to the wayside. They're easily dismissed and ignored.
Steve Ragan | 30 May | Read more
There is no shame in being breached by a cyber attack -- security experts are unanimous about that. Prevention, while a worthy part of a risk management strategy, will never be 100% successful, given the sophistication and overwhelming volume of attacks.
Taylor Armerding | 28 May | Read more