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Cybersecurity strategy resources helping organizations proactively defend against evolving threats.
Cyber Tide Season 1, Episode 4: Mark Sangster & Robert Darling Recap How Their Field Experience Shaped Their Ability to Deal with Cyber Crises, Cyber Crime, & More
In episode four of Cyber Tide, Mark Sangster, Chief of Strategy at Adlumin, and Robert Darling, Founder at Flash-EM recap their experiences from RSAC 2023, how their experiences in the field have help shaped their abilities to deal with cyber crises, the scope of the problem of cybercrime, and more.
About the Cyber Tide Series
Dive beneath the surface of infamous cybersecurity attacks to learn the means and motives of cyber adversaries. In each episode, we invite an expert to reveal the contributing factors and costs of cyber incidents and how your firm can protect itself from business-disrupting cyberattacks.
3 Benefits of a Mobile-Friendly Security Operations Platform
By: Brittany Demendi, Corporate Communications Manager
In today’s increasingly mobile world, organizations must be able to access their security operations platform anywhere, anytime. Having 24/7 visibility into your environment on the go is a game changer. Specifically, Adlumin’s Security Operations Platform allows users to see the exact same view from any device as they would on their computer. This is essential to ensure everyone has complete visibility and is on the same page, keeping organizations secure and up to date with the latest threats regardless of where they’re located.
Having access to a security operations platform from a mobile device can provide several benefits:
- 24×7 Visibility to Your Environment:
- First, when cybersecurity professionals are on the go, they can easily access their organization’s security operations platform from their mobile device to view their environment, giving them visibility to potential security incidents while they are still happening. It can provide real-time updates on the latest security threats, allowing organizations to identify potential issues proactively.
- The Adlumin mobile-friendly Security Operations Platform tracks cybercriminal behavior. It can quickly identify when there is an attacker within an organization’s environment—ultimately learning what goes on within every phase of an attack.
- Take on a Proactive Security Strategy and Reduce Dwell Time:
- Second, accessing a security operations platform from a mobile device can help organizations stay ahead of the curve. This can drastically reduce the time it takes to mitigate potential threats, minimize the risk of compromised data, and take steps to prevent threats from becoming issues.
- Adlumin’s Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) capability analyzes gathered data and deploys automated responses for each specific threat brought to light. When cybersecurity professionals can access their security operations platform on the go, they can see any alert produced from the SOAR capability come through.
- Provide Flexibility and Agility:
- Finally, accessing a security operations platform from a mobile device can provide organizations with the flexibility and agility to respond quickly to any changes in the security environment. It can also provide organizations access to the latest security and compliance tools and technologies, allowing them to stay on top of the latest developments in the security space.
- Adlumin’s Security Operations Platform provides one-touch compliance reporting and monitoring from your mobile or tablet device for instant access. Security teams are being asked to use data-driven processes to improve their cybersecurity posture, so Adlumin’s reporting module produces reports based on live, accurate, and contextualized data.
One Platform, Multiple Views
Adlumin is launching a new user interface (UI) that enables users to view the same platform as its security analysts from any device, anytime. The streamlined design has improved navigation allowing users to quickly access the information they need to make informed decisions and act promptly against potential threats. What’s new?
- Mobile-Friendly Design: The new UI is fully responsive so that you can access your cybersecurity data anywhere, on any device.
- Improved Search Functionality: Search capabilities are updated, so you can quickly get answers to large and complex searches.
- Enhanced Reporting Capabilities: Reports include a new look and provide more insights and details.
- Simplified Navigation: The platform is reorganized to make it easier to find features.
With the rise of mobile devices, organizations need to have the ability to access their security operations platform from their mobile device while on the go. Doing so can provide organizations with the tools and information they need to identify, investigate, and respond to security threats quickly and effectively while staying up to date with the latest developments in the security space.
Learn more about how Adlumin’s Managed Detection and Response Services and Security Operations Platform can empower your team to illuminate threats, eliminate cyber risk, and command authority. Contact us today, schedule a demo, or sign-up for a free trial.
Cyber Tide Season 1, Episode 3: Three Lessons from Law Enforcement for Small to Medium-Sized Organizations
Adlumin co-hosts Mark Sangster, VP of Strategy, and Tim Evans, Co-founder and EVP, go below the headlines to learn from FBI veteran and EVP – CISO, John Caruthers at Triden Group.
John shares his experiences as a supervisory special agent focused on national cybersecurity, legal attaché to European police liaison, and his work supporting various businesses through cyberattacks. Sangster and Evans discuss his work in manufacturing, executive awareness training, and the lessons learned fighting state-sponsored actors.
About the Cyber Tide Series
Dive beneath the surface of infamous cybersecurity attacks to learn the means and motives of cyber adversaries. In each episode, we invite an expert to reveal the contributing factors and costs of cyber incidents and how your firm can protect itself from business-disrupting cyberattacks.
Listen to Cyber Tide Episode 3
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/38KfUQgj2fU
- Apple: https://apple.co/3DVeHgH
- Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3tj5J8d
Local-Level Threats: Cybersecurity Strategies for Regional Businesses
Register for Adlumin’s Upcoming Webinar:
Local-Level Threats: Cybersecurity Strategies for Regional Businesses
Date: February 16, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM- 1:30 PM Eastern
Attendee Link: https://adlumin.com/webinar/local-level-threats-cybersecurity-strategies-for-regional-businesses/
Securing your infrastructure is a challenge for any business in 2023. Between the uncertainty of the current economic landscape and the difficulty of maintaining on-premise and cloud hybrid environments, cybersecurity teams must factor in a lot of moving parts. For regional businesses, the problems are often exacerbated by less-developed security strategies, limited resources — and a higher volume of cyberattacks. To protect against these digital threats, regional organizations must explore the right cybersecurity solution for their specific needs.
Security solutions that work for an enterprise-scale business are not always what’s best for regional companies. Join cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts from Adlumin and ESG as they uncover threats regional businesses should be paying attention to and outline how to find a Security Operations vendor that fits your architecture. Reserve your spot.
Tune in to learn:
- What unique security challenges are plaguing regional-level organizations?
- How do you conduct an internal security audit and pinpoint your Security Operations Platform needs?
- What differentiates the Adlumin Platform?
- Why are transparency, MDR Services, and live reporting important?
Navigating Strong Personalities: Effective Leadership in Cyber Crisis Management
By: Mark Sangster, Chief of Strategy
In a cyber crisis, who makes the decisions: The senior person? The technical expert? The self-appointed hero? When it comes to effective crisis leadership, removing emotion is critical. This guide identifies six personalities that emerge during a cyber crisis and how to harness challenging styles.
You’ll learn about the following personalities:
- The Hero
- The Martyr
- The Hinderer
- The Hoarder
- The Captain
Harness Each Personality
Everyone metabolizes stress differently. To be the most effective leader during a cyber crisis, it is important to learn how to navigate the pitfalls of the human element. Quickly identifying learning types helps team leaders and executives assign specific members to the incident response team and assign responsibilities and tasks.
Download The Ultimate Guide to Managing Strong Personalities During a Cyber Crisis to learn how to manage these personalities properly.
The “Impossible Landing”: Piloting Through a Cyber Crisis
The events of the United Airlines Flight 232 crash landing improved how flight crews work together in catastrophic incidents, providing valuable parallels for how we protect our businesses. Learn how the flight crew used experimentation and teamwork to steer the plane to safety and how these lessons can improve cybersecurity practices today.
Full Threat Lifecycle Management Model Applications
Learn about the industrialization of cybercrime, top cybersecurity challenges, the impact of MDR/XDR architecture, and the benefits of adopting the NIST framework in this paper. Download now to gain valuable insights into the current threat landscape and how to protect your organization.
Raising Awareness Through Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM)
By: Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
It’s October, so we are officially kicking off Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM). The annual initiative, driven by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of prioritizing cybersecurity. This year’s overarching theme is “See Yourself in Cyber,” encouraging us all to see the roles we play in cybersecurity actively.
Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest hot topics inside and outside technology circles over the last two years. From securing learning devices due to a rise in digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to coping with the fallout of high-profile breaches of national infrastructure such as the Colonial Pipeline, there is a seemingly endless news cycle dedicated to cybersecurity mishaps and concerns.
And with this onslaught of negative news, it can be easy for everyday individuals to become overwhelmed and feel powerless in the face of the “insurmountable” threats posed by cybersecurity. But in actuality, nothing could be further from the truth.
With all the jargon typically thrown around in cybersecurity, there is a longstanding misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to professionals. Moreover, there is a prevailing sense among the public that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. In fact, everyday people have a huge role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation. For example, according to IBM, 95% of breaches have human error as a main cause. Therefore, everyday day technology users are very much the first line of defense when it comes to thwarting cybercrime. Unfortunately, though, many individuals are not aware of some of the best practices for boosting cybersecurity and how easy they are to use.
With that, here are a few key best practices that everyday people can implement today to enhance their own cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone.
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Watch Out for Phishing
Phishing – when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. In fact, 80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics, and other suspicious characteristics can be a telltale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” In addition, if you think you have spotted a phishing attempt, report the incident so that internal IT teams and service providers can remediate the situation and prevent others from possibly becoming victims.
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Update Your Passwords and Use a Password Manager
Having unique, long, and complex passwords is one of the best ways to boost your cybersecurity immediately. Yet, only 43% of the public say that they “always” or “very often” use strong passwords. Password cracking is one of the go-to tactics that cybercriminals turn to in order to access sensitive information. And if you are a “password repeater,” once a cybercriminal has hacked one of your accounts, they can easily do the same across all of your accounts.One of the biggest reasons that individuals repeat passwords is that it can be tough to remember all of the passwords you have. Fortunately, by using a password manager, individuals can securely store all of their unique passwords in one place. Meaning people only have to remember one password. In addition, password managers are incredibly easy to use and can automatically plug in stored passwords when you visit a site.
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Enable MFA
Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) – which prompts a user to input a second set of verifying information such as a secure code sent to a mobile device or to sign in via an authenticator app – is a hugely effective measure that anyone can use to reduce the chances of a cybersecurity breach drastically. In fact, according to Microsoft, MFA is 99.9 percent effective in preventing breaches. Therefore, it is a must for any individual that is looking to secure their devices and accounts.
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Activate Automatic Updates
Making sure devices are always up to date with the most recent versions is essential to preventing cybersecurity issues from cropping up. Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort, and updates are hugely important in helping to address vulnerabilities that have been uncovered as well as in providing ongoing maintenance. Therefore, instead of trying to remember to check for updates or closing out of update notifications, enable automatic update installations whenever possible.
Social Media and Cybersecurity: What’s the Relationship Status?
It’s clear. Social media and cybersecurity have quite a relationship. We often expose essential parts of our lives on the web, down to the tiniest details. As a result, we should know how social media and cybersecurity mingle. Previously, we’ve discussed the impact social media has had on cybersecurity and the power of misinformation. But now that some time has passed, you may be wondering: what’s the update? What does the relationship look like now? Well, hold on to your seats. After massive shifts like data privacy updates and other emerging trends- this will be a whirlwind.
According to Statusbrew, “over the past 12 months, the number of active social media users increased by more than 400 million, an addition of 9.9% for the total number to reach 4.55 billion.” Shocking? Not exactly, but a great reminder that social media is one of the most popular forms of communication around the world today. Although most social media platforms have security settings, cybercriminals find ways to access sensitive information. This sensitive information can include your passwords, bank account details, email addresses, or anything that they can use to steal your identity. For that very reason, social media and cybersecurity need each other now, more than ever. Let’s explore:
Significant Changes Call for Cybersecurity
Social media platforms are constantly changing their policies and algorithms, and with new updates come new security risks. Social media platforms must rely on cybersecurity protocols and best practices to mitigate risk. Let’s look at Facebook’s plans to transform into Meta as a popular example:
In 2021, Facebook announced that it would change its name and rebrand itself to — Meta. Meta will be based around Virtual Reality (VR) and augmented reality. Although the social media platform’s structure will stay the same, the new rebrand raises possible concerns about privacy and security. This presents the possibility of data such as usernames, email addresses, and other sensitive information being mishandled or breached by bad actors attempting to break into this new space. Subsequently, the power of cybersecurity comes into play at this moment.
Significant changes in cyberspace are bound to call for shifting priorities and ensuring that user safety and security come first. Social media platforms must roll out privacy and security settings that outline how user data will be utilized and protected. Meta’s new privacy policy can be found here.
What Role Do You Play?
Like all relationships, social media and cybersecurity face challenges. However, throughout it all, they rely on one another to keep individuals safe. As the popularity of social networking sites among businesses worldwide increases, cybercrime will take a bigger bite out of companies unprepared for battle. Whether you are an organization using social media to help generate brand awareness or an individual using social media to keep up with friends, you must be aware of your responsibilities concerning security. A few of those responsibilities include:
- Use two-step authentication to enter and protect all accounts.
- Keep your passwords updated regularly; refrain from repeating the same password across multiple accounts.
- Manage your privacy settings.
- Use precaution on all platforms; if something looks suspicious, report it.
Keeping the relationship between social media and cybersecurity healthy is not an easy job that can be done quickly. It will require help from us all by using these social platforms directly as they are intended.
Two Peas, One Pod
As long as the Internet of Things is around, bad actors will continue to pose a massive threat to businesses and personal lives. Social media’s intent is to provide access to one another by sharing our personal information and experiences, making it the primary target for hackers.
To sum up the ongoing status of this relationship, social networking sites will always need cybersecurity to protect shared experiences and information. Cybersecurity will always need social media as a channel to communicate the importance of navigating the cyberworld safely.
If you’re interested in learning more about this evolving relationship, check out a recent blog post: Cybersecurity’s Latest Battle: The Rise of Misinformation on Social Media.