It’s 2 A.M. on a Tuesday morning and I awake to my phone chirping. Quickly looking at it, I realize it’s a text from one of my city’s prime contractors who provides our security services. As I roll over and make the phone call, I realize we have an issue that will require me to … Read more
Security professionals are a quiet bunch. It’s rare for them to publicly discuss known vulnerabilities used to attack targeted organizations. There are many reasons for this reticence. For one, a professionally laconic demeanor is standard issue in a group for whom operational security is a way of life. For another, today’s victim may very well … Read more
As an industry, cybersecurity encompasses everything from government programs to healthcare, from power plants to automobiles. It touches nearly every aspect of our lives. Cybersecurity no longer is a separate industry but one that permeates every other industry. Previously the only defensive posture we had to take was with our military, business, or intellectual property, … Read more
Federal employees play a huge part in keeping our country running safely and efficiently, from gathering intelligence to protecting our borders to running our national parks. That said, they are also an increasing source of concern for IT security departments. In December 2014, market research firm Market Connections, in conjunction with SolarWinds, conducted a survey1 … Read more
San Antonio may not be the first city you think of when you think cybersecurity, but it might be time to start. The Alamo City has a long history of cybersecurity innovation and development, being the birthplace of the first analog computer used for gas pipelines in 1955, the first protocol for the Internet of … Read more
Industry buzzwords are a dime a dozen, but few survive the passage of time. A term that popped into our lexicon in approximately 2006, according to Google Trends, and has been gaining traction in 2014, is the “Internet of Things,” or “IoT.” “Internet of Things” and “Internet of Everything” are terms that have been given … Read more
As 2015 starts, there is no shortage of articles, posts, and interviews projecting the year ahead for cybersecurity trends, attack scenarios, and countermeasures. I have reviewed numerous materials (from McAfee Labs, Trend Micro, FireEye, Websense Security Labs, Symantec, etc.) highlighting similar themes around critical infrastructure, mobile device attacks, and the evolution of hacking in general. … Read more
Greetings, Welcome to the Spring 2015 issue of the United States Cybersecurity Magazine! We are honored to be able to continue raising the level of awareness of cybercriminality and bringing solutions to the forefront to educate and protect the United States of America’s government, private sector, and citizens. We would like to thank each and … Read more
Security reference architectures come in many flavors including industry-based, technology-based and enterprise-specific. When looking for some directional guidance when designing a cybersecurity solution, a cybersecurity professional can leverage the security reference architecture. The cybersecurity solution design may take the form of prevention and/or remediation of a particular prioritized risk found within the risk register. For … Read more
Cybersecurity is an industry that is quickly emerging in the new “Creative Economy” and community colleges are stepping in to prepare the workforce of the future. Just as we have seen in the past, as the economy shifts and workforce needs change, the approach to education and training also must evolve. In this new economic … Read more
