Sense of Security

By cliangNo Comments
This is largely based on preception and trust. How do I trust if the infrastructure or system is secure? We need to look at these core elements: Any regulatory mandate in this industry sector? Pick public transportation as example, mandatory insurance coverage, regular inspection for license renewal, periodic operator training, compliance with safety regulations etc.How well is the service provider doing among peers? Let's say, the type and severity or incidents of this provider in past years among others, rating from customer reviews and comments.How does the service provider demonstrate what has been done to secure? Common examples are personal data handling transparency via the published privacy policy, alert end user on login from other rare locations, security tips in their official portal, committed service level pledge. All the above are applied in both the physical and cyber worlds. ...
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Distance

By cliangNo Comments
Keeping social distance is recommended to avoid virus infection of COVID-19 attack. Similarly, cyber distance takes the same concept to minimize or slow down cyber attack. The cyber distance is done by incorporating perimeters at multiple layers in network and applications. Don't forget the human awareness and usage behavior are the added layers too. ...
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Risk Taking

By cliangNo Comments
We can't have 100% secure solution in the course of business. We need to evalate risk and reduce to acceptable level to achieve our mission. The hard part is an objective assessment of risk with predicted likelihood and the associated value tied with the consequence. The decision support is to review the business outcome values vs the cost to reduce the likelihood. For cyber risk, it is more challenging since when new threats are uncovered, they become immediate impacts. The frequency cannot be predicted using traditional approach. At worst, be prepared bad thing happens with reasonable efforts to recover instead to prevent any KNOWN threats, because there are so many unknowns beyond imagination. ...
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Policy #5

By cliangNo Comments
If you are asked to formulate corporate cybersecurity policies, here are some advices: Identify key stake holders that will be affected by the to-be directivesGet support from senior management to setup a task force with the representatives from stake holdersEstablish ground rules for all members such that the policy context is consistency because the members are from different background with different interestsThe organization business environment and priorities must be clearly understood because the policies are to apply optimal controls to protect the businessThe policies must be achievable (otherwise immediately causing non-compliance or requiring permanent exception)Must also be enforceable or else just a document in the bookshelfReview if the stated measures will really make the system/infrastructure more secure or just copying academic template?Avoid ambiguity, make the context precise in the way precise generic and precise specific; Sound contradicting?Example: only organization devices are allowed to connect to the organization networkPrecise specific: organization devices ... not BYOD, not business partners'Precise generic: devices … could...
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When Security System Fails

By cliangNo Comments
Security function of the business or physical process is protected by security system. Specific security system for the latter is the SIS (Safety Instrumented System). When security system fails, its intended function fails too. It could be lost of view, view being manipulated, sub-standard product produced, high value asset damage, environment pollution and most seriously human fatality. When assessing business impacts, we must not forget to assess the entire ecosystem including these auxiliary systems. ...
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Broken Process

By cliangNo Comments
Secure process by design should be secure if operated according to prescribed scenarios. Passenger screening for human and hand-carried items before entering the departure zone deploys multiple means: Administrative: limited quantity of fluid and no sharp objects, Technical enforcement: human and bags scanning to detect violation If everything goes into departure zone thru this process, then exception can be picked up and assure the policy mandate. But what about supplies to the shops inside the zone? Do these go thru similar process? If not, it's backdoor and a broken process....
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Deception

By cliangNo Comments
Everything on earth has good or evil perspectives, same for deception in cyber world. We heard a lot about phishing or scam that is the evil side of deception. However, there is the need for good deception in the cyber space.  To understand how threat actors penetrate or launch attacks, honeypots are established to let them take the bait.  Honeypots can be vulnerable web sites, decoy email address or decoy social network identity that are under monitoring. For vulnerable systems, researchers are able to understand the behaviors and TTP of threat actors from reconnaissance, access, ex-filtrate data, cover the track. Effective counter-measures can be developed in the cyber kill chain. For phishing, researchers are able to spot if new exploits are deployed in content rich email or attachment to masquerade the malicious attempts then alert the community. Scams from social network could also be traced to inform law enforcement agency to take down the malicious identities....
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Remove, Lock, Take

By cliangNo Comments
We have lots of digital assets on the road, cell phone, notebook, removable storage media etc. There are stringent controls to secure the information inside these containers such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, location awareness, MDM, forced full tunnel VPN. Careless end users might just defeat all these controls if they are unaware they are the biggest threat in protecting information. These simple steps could help to secure: Remove your login session, i.e. logout without waiting the inactivity time out Lock your screen even if you are just turn around your head Take with you the digital asset and don't leave it unattended ...
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If Not Us, Who?

By cliangNo Comments
This blog is part 2 of 2. Most of the time, people expect cybersecurity practitioners are experts to deal with cybersecurity matters.  Yes, they are and take the lead but this is only a small part of the game. For a holistic cybersecurity posture, every one plays an important role in the entire jigsaw.  This is because we are all living in the world flooding with information.  This is highly integrated into our daily life.  Every one has the responsibility to secure information in the cyber space not just as an individual but also helps the counterparts that interacted with. So if not us, it's every one....
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If Not Now, When?

By cliangNo Comments
It has been used in S4x13 theme. This blog is part 1 of 2. Most often, security technology sales send security alerts to top management to demonstrate their value preposition. Top management is likely forward this "intel" to cybersecurity management team simply with "Please handle" to relieve their obligations from getting intel but do nothing. Cybersecurity management team obtains this directive, then drives the ICT/ICS workforce to apply the recommended work around (change system configuration, apply security patch) and compiles a dashboard for reporting completion status. The ICT/ICS workforce dare not to say no but to accommodate such executive order at extra work load from routine work. This isn't an effective cybersecuruty management. The proper means is to assess the threat, current protection and business consequence. The "Now, Next, Never" in S4x19 best describes the correct attitude. So, if not now, could be next or even never....
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