I got my first computer back in the mid-80’s, a few years after I started playing and programming in the back half of elementary school. It was a shiny new Commodore 64 a friend of my Mom’s gave me – we weren’t financially lucky enough to afford one ourselves.
A key aspect of business today is the extended enterprise. That’s a fancy way of saying no organization does it alone anymore. They have upstream suppliers who help produce whatever it is they produce. They have downstream distribution channels that help them sell whatever needs to be sold. They outsource business processes to third parties who can handle them better and more cheaply. With the advent of advanced communication and collaboration tools, teams work on projects even if they don’t…
I have bunch of random research thoughts I am working on. I think they are building into a cohesive whole but cannot make any promises. I’m branding these forming ideas as my “research scratchpad”, and will appreciate any feedback.
We spent a bulk of this series defining the major use cases for Continuous Security Monitoring, taking a journey through Attacks, Change Control, and Compliance. We know that many of you tend to be people of action, who want to just get going. But without a proper plan and definition for what you are trying to achieve with your security monitoring initiative, you will just end up with a lot of shiny expensive shelfware.
I remember back in my 20s, when I though my success and wealth were assured. I was a high-flying analyst during the Internet bubble and made a bunch of coin. Then I lost a bunch of coin as the bubble deflated. Then I started a software company, which was sold off for the cash on our balance sheet. Then I chased a few hot startups that got less hot once I got there. None had a happy ending.
Okay, I’m just throwing this one out there because the research is far from complete but I really want to hear what other people think.
Let’s wrap up our use case discussions for Continuous Security Monitoring by digging into how CSM can contribute to your compliance efforts. We know the way we staged these use cases (first attack, then change control) is bass-ackwards from how most folks implement monitoring. Compliance is typically the first use cases implemented, mostly because PCI-DSS mandates it. Regardless of how you adopt the technology, what you want to do is make sure whatever monitoring infrastructure you put in place…
We see continuing confusion regarding the CISO duties in many organizations. When I saw this opinion piece in SC Mag by an experienced CISO (David Nathans) with both commercial and defense sector experience, I figured we might finally get some clarification. Yeah, I should have known better.
We now resume our series on Continuous Security Monitoring. We have dug into the Attack Use Case so it’s time to cover the next most popular use case for security monitoring: Change Control. We will keep the same format as before; digging into what you are trying to do, what data is required to do it, and then how this information can and should guide your prioritization of operational activities.
Silent Circle is shutting down their email service:
However, we have reconsidered this position. We’ve been thinking about this for some time, whether it was a good idea at all. Today, another secure email provider, Lavabit, shut down their system lest they “be complicit in crimes against the American people.” We see the writing the wall, and we have decided that it is best for us to shut down Silent Mail now. We have not received subpoenas, warrants, security letters, or anything else by any…