Ice Road

By cliangNo Comments
This is seasonal - only happened a short while during winter time when lake or river is frozen with thickness that can support vehicles riding on it. What is the insight? We face a lot of changes in business environment, make adoption to stay competitiveness while deploying cost-effective protection measures against new threats. Examples are continuous digitization or disruptive technologies that business cannot escape from except cope with these. As standard practice, conduct a comprehensive risk assessment with the right Subject Matter Expert to guide thru the stakeholders to reimagine the new targeting operating model to understand threats and consequence and this decide level of risk acceptance. As always, we have to take risks. Here in the ice road, the risk contributors are the load of the vehicle, vehicle fitness, weather condition at time of crossing and the skillset of the vehicle driver. The prime objective (business outcome) is to stay alive crossing the ice road with the load to reach the destination. ...
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Isolation #2

By cliangNo Comments
In pandemic disease era, facemask is a effective means to protect being infected via airborne transmission. This is usually voluntary but in extreme situation, facemask is mandated by authority for presence in the public. Facemask serves two-folded protection: (a) protecting an individual from infected or (b) containing an infected individual from spreading the disease. In cyber world, similar protection philosophy applies. A device has platform protection (like host firewall) from being attacked by compromised device in the network, or limits its attack to other network neighborhood, if compromised. Further peer isolation in the network, usually enforced in wireless network, will enhance this protection. When formulating protection, we need to think in all perspectives. ...
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Design & Build #3

By cliangNo Comments
Earlier, I talked about similar. When conducting a comprehensive assessment of a facility, we should not just look at the cyber aspects but also the reliability and safety of the facility. Those exposed pipelines could be essential supply of human nessasities or dischargs of waste. If they are physically damaged (intentionally or unintentionally), these facilities will be disrupted therefore affecting normal live or even life. Physical security is also importantly in protecting the cyber components of facilities. ...
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Emergency vs Privacy

By cliangNo Comments
It is common to leave contact information in passport, contact card in wallet such that under emergency situation, others could notify your family member or significant half. This will be helpful if you are travelling alone, or aged. But how do we eliminate scam? Our contact information (email, phone number) is perhaps widely shared when register for web service as 2-step authentication, product registration for warranty, leave as call back for inquiry results, or our friends' devices carrying our contacts are compromised. There is a little trick to beat against scammer by establishing a one-way trust. Put a preset phase in the emergency contact card. Pre-arrange this with your contact(s) the caller must quote this preset phase to prove the contact info is obtained from this emergency contact card but not elsewhere. ...
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Bag Tag

By cliangNo Comments
It is common practice to tag your checked bag or even hand carried bag with a tag. How are you going to fill the info there? In old days, mobile communication device is rare. If you cannot find the bag at baggage claim area, you rely on transportation service provider to contact you and deliver the bag per the stated address even though you report them about lost bag. Therefore, you have to provide the accurate address and contact information. Now, the scenario is reversed. If you cannot find your checked bag, you contact the transportation service provider to locate the lost bag with ticket number assigned at check in and tell them where to send to and how to reach you. Therefore, the bag tag shall only serve an identification means and avoid putting too much privacy information (address, contact number, email) there. In addition, the tag attached to the checked bag has RFiD to track its routing through out the entire...
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Renewable Energy

By cliangNo Comments
It is one of the decarbonization means. Investment involves initial plant setup and then recurring operating cost. There is no need for fuel except resources to manage the plant properly. The entire ecosystem will need site survey, i.e. how many days with sufficient wind are there in a year and the strength, physical security from sabotage of the plant and then digital security against cyber attack - bring down the grid, damage the equipment, scheduled plant maintenance. This shall best have a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) exercise that include everything that most cybersecurity practitioners are only focusing on cybersecurity, or technical controls. If they do, they are incompetent for the job. ...
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Administrative Control #2

By cliangNo Comments
SSSS (or 4S) is Smart Site Safety System. It consists of server, workstation, mobile network, end point devices (CCTV, smart watch, RFiD helmet, other sensors) to monitor construction site and workforce situation for safety hazards alert. For client project involving civil works, equipment installation etc, contractor will bring their own 4S to ensure and compliance with safety rules and regulations. 4S is not a project deliverable but a tool during construction. I see some cybersecurity practitioners have incorrect understanding. They demand contractor 4S compliance with own organization cybersecurity policies. No doubt 4S might capture client site specific condition, coincidental inclusion of personnel other than contractor workforce causing privacy concerns. We must not forget there are administrative controls in the contractual obligation to comply with laws & regulation plus non-disclosure agreement. We shall not bother the how's in technical aspects. Otherwise, this is overkilled. This something like you walk into a mall, using the ATM - there are CCTV everywhere but you won't question...
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Risk Taking #2

By cliangNo Comments
Each one is fully responsible for the consequence by own act no matter in physical or cyber worlds. In physical world, the worst consequence is fatality if waring sign is ignored. In cyber world, it could be files are locked by ransomware, identity theft leading to financial loss or criminal offence if abused by threat actor. The hard part is there won't be obvious warning sign because attacks are stealthy or via deepfake. Education, situation awareness are the essential elements to secure the human aspect. ...
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The Forgotten Place #5

By cliangNo Comments
It is self-explanatory. There are similar faults posted previously. Risk of consequence must be understood before deploying information automation tool. If the display is for information of the mall, failure does not matter much and at most the reputation of the management office. But if the display shows real time high value trading, failure will cause substantial direct and indirect financial impacts. Direct is the loss of opportunity to conduct transaction by the users of the display. Indirect could be claims thru litigation by users of the display causing their direct loss due to this failure. Technically, multi-displays are deployed for resilience. From policy perspective, users must sign usage agreement to undertake consequence due to machine failure and disclaim the service provide for any direct or indirect losses. ...
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