TL;DR - Just like a relationship, a security program needs honesty, maintenance, and timely conflict resolution...or it will collapse under neglect. Success expert Brendon Burchard said that avoidance is the best short-term strategy to escape conflict, and the best long-term strategy to ensure suffering. I've seen it countless times over the years...companies that keep kicking security problems down the road. That is, until one day, those problems explode into things ...
Continue Reading...Harvard Business Review (HBR) just published a great piece that covers the challenges associated with information security tools and highlights many of the reasons that security programs often fail. Here’s the essence of the piece: Despite spending billions on tools, most organizations are seeing modest results. Nearly half the tools companies invest in go unused. Sound familiar? It gets better. Or worse. The article highlights various reasons why tools fail to ...
Continue Reading...Security incidents are a case of when not if. Whether it’s ransomware, information theft, denial of service - you name it, you need a structured and practical approach to incident response without the fluff and vendor noise. Is TechTarget asked me to put such a guide together a few years back...but, don't worry, it's every bit as relevant today since most things with security haven't changed in decades. Sure, the ...
Continue Reading...I’ve known Charles Cresson Wood for a long time, both as a trusted business colleague and a friend. You may know him as the creator of the original masterpiece on information security policies over two decades ago: Information Security Policies Made Easy. Charles and I have worked together on a few projects over the years, and what’s always stood out to me is his ability to tie together security, legal, ...
Continue Reading...Not long ago, I performed what I call a security operations review where I asked various questions about how IT and security are managed within an organization I was working with. One of the topics was on patching and vulnerability management. I got a lot of good information, including specific details on how Windows, macOS, and even third-party patches are taken care of. Everything sounded great and I expected to ...
Continue Reading...Just over 17 years ago, on 9/11, we witnessed what it was like dealing with something that had never occurred. I remember thinking at the time and it still rings true – it's hard to protect against something that's never happened. Little to no clues, as far as we know...massive destruction on a scale we never expected. That's the tricky thing about terrorist threats and, on a much smaller scale, ...
Continue Reading...Here's some of my latest content...this time on running a well-oiled information security program. Enjoy!Core reasons why information security programs failHow to stick to your IT security planIt takes more than resolve to manage an effective security programThe one thing that criminal hackers have on their side that you don't Setting and achieving realistic information security program goals for 2016Waiting until the last minute to implement long-term security measuresIT turnover ...
Continue Reading...Ready to make some changes to your information security program for 2016? You need to read these pieces I've recently written: Setting and achieving realistic information security program goals for 2016 Information security's chicken and egg problem (formerly published at toolbox.com) Security's gaping hole - policy enforcement (formerly published at toolbox.com) Four reasons people aren't buying what you're selling in IT (formerly published at toolbox.com) When security policies are bad ...
Continue Reading...Slow going on the posts lately - too busy writing for other websites! :-) So, here's some of my latest for you - this time on the subject of information security management and running an effective security program:Information security is not stagnant but dynamicThe mishandling sensitive data: Do you really know what you don’t know?Security Decision-Making: When Decisions Are Based on Fear Rather Than FactState of the Network study: How ...
Continue Reading...There's a lot going on in the world of healthcare, including HIPAA compliance. This applies not only to healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the like but also any business and subcontractor that does business in this space.If you or someone you know falls under this umbrella, here are a few things I've written over the past several months that can help: What Security Professionals Need to Know about HIPAA‘Yes, HIPAA ...
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