• 21 May 2013

    The next time you’re feeling bullied…

    Ever have a psychopathic executive (in IT or otherwise) try to force you to do something you simply can't support, railroad you down the wrong path, or attempt to make you feel inferior? You're not alone - I see and hear about this a LOT. There are many people pretending to be leaders who are simply insecure in their jobs so they try to flex their muscle to put up ...

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  • 18 May 2013

    Web security answers are changing – a frustrating, challenging, and humbling journey

    In reading one of Brian Tracy's books, Brian discusses a story of Albert Einstein and an exam he gave to his graduate physics class at Princeton University. After the exam, Dr. Einstein was approached by a student who asked: "Dr. Einstein, wasn't that the same exam that you gave to this physics class last year?" Dr. Einstein replied "Yes, it was the same exam as last year." The student then ...

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  • 02 May 2013

    Is your approach to application security based in reality?

    I know I say this a lot here - I've been so busy writing that I've been remiss in posting my actual content. So...I've got some content on web and mobile application security and penetration testing this time around.You see, there are so many researchers, theories, and academic approaches to web and mobile security that it's simply overwhelming. Much of it doesn't apply to what businesses really need to be ...

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  • 26 Apr 2013

    Clueless in the cloud – think before you act

    A recent Network World piece about an RSA 2013 panel that covered cloud forensics and whether or not your cloud providers will be able to come through for you in the event of a lawsuit or breach bringing some critical pitfalls of cloud computing.  Two things are certain:If you're lucky enough for your business to be around for the long haul, odds are that it'll ultimately be hit with a ...

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  • 23 Apr 2013

    Wednesday (early) morning’s webcast: State of Cyber Security 2013

    ISACA and TechTarget are putting it on...It starts tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 7:45am ET.Several thousand people will be in attendance...it's the largest crowd I've ever spoken to.It'll be engaging. It'll be informative. You'll hear what I really think about Obama's Cybersecurity mandates. You can't miss it.I'll be kicking things off with the keynote...then I'll be followed by some true information security experts:Theresa M. Grafenstine, Inspector General U.S. House of RepresentativesDr. ...

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  • 06 Apr 2013

    Must-have Thunderbird to Outlook conversion tool

    I recently decided to convert my Thunderbird email to Outlook and didn't have a lot of luck finding a tool that actually worked. Maybe it's because I have a pretty complex Thunderbird configuration with emails dating back to my first messages I sent/received using Netscape Mail (remember that from the 1990s?) .I came across a tool that was a perfect fit what I needed: Aid4Mail Professional by Fookes Software. It ...

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  • 03 Apr 2013

    Regardless of the subject, people see what they want to see

    Here's a great quote by Jay Abraham that resonates with IT, information security, politics - you name it:"An amazing thing, the human brain. Capable of understanding incredibly complex and intricate concepts. Yet at times unable to recognize the obvious and simple."...

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  • 28 Mar 2013

    The idiocy of gun control summarized in a single graphic

    I reference "heads in sand" quite often regarding information security but no subject better summarizes this concept than people's willingness to let the government tell them when and where they can defend themselves and their families from criminal thugs. This graphic (source unknown) says it all:Ask anyone who's against self-defense, personal responsibility, and free will if they'd consider putting a sign in their yard or on their door that says ...

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  • 25 Mar 2013

    Default to F.U.D. and everything’ll be okay

    If you can't convince them, confuse them. That's what Harry Truman once said and it reminds me of many IT and information security professionals. They struggle to communicate effectively so they just take the lawyer route and attempt to make things even more confusing...and we wonder why many people outside of IT don't take us very seriously....

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  • 07 Mar 2013

    Got Compliance? Here’s my way of reducing your pain just a bit.

    It's been a while and the content is stacking up, so here's the first of many upcoming posts on new content I've written. This time up, it's a set of tips I've written for Ben Cole at SearchCompliance.com about that dreaded subject...you guessed it....compliance.Enjoy!Considering a career in compliance? Heed these warnings firstAudits, maintenance crucial to business continuity policy successControl, visibility essential to records management and complianceBeware the perils of organization-wide ...

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