2025

Book

The Digital Grinch – Available January 31, 2025

As the holiday season fills homes with cheer and anticipation, a shadowy threat looms in the uncharted corners of cyberspace. Jim, a cunning and ruthless cybercriminal, has unleashed Operation Snowfall. He creates a nearly undetectable global scam targeting unsuspecting Christmas shoppers and exploiting the spirit of giving. His only goal is to create devastation, shatter dreams, empty bank accounts, and ruin holidays for hundreds of families.

January 15, 2025
Management / Security Operation Center

86,400 Seconds: Navigating the High-Stakes World of SOC Operations

In the relentless world of cybersecurity, each day provides precisely 86,400 seconds—a finite resource to detect, analyze, and respond to threats. For SOC analysts, every second is a battle against an adversary that never rests. The pressure is immense, the stakes are high, and the margin for error is razor-thin. From dissecting alerts and gathering critical data to executing swift countermeasures, the clock is always ticking.

Meeting stringent KPIs, such as resolving incidents within 15 minutes, demands a combination of technical expertise, precision, and efficiency. Automation emerges as a game-changer, streamlining workflows, reducing errors, and empowering analysts to focus on what truly matters: mitigating threats. Yet, even with advanced tools, the human element remains central. Effective SOC operations require collaboration across teams, thoughtful rotation schedules to prevent burnout, and a commitment to mental well-being. In this high-stakes arena, resilience—both human and technological—is the key to transforming challenges into opportunities.

January 11, 2025
Management / Security Operation Center

An intriguing job interview technique that will show the true strengths and weaknesses of a cybersecurity candidate

When evaluating candidates for SOC or CERT roles, focus not just on the correctness of their answers but on their reasoning and decision-making processes. Introduce scenario-based questions during the second round of interviews, when candidates are more at ease. Engage a cybersecurity SME to assess their responses, as they can accurately evaluate the technical and strategic depth required for these roles. This approach ensures you identify candidates with the critical thinking, situational awareness, and expertise needed for high-stakes cybersecurity environments.

January 5, 2025

2024

Management / Threat Intelligence

Why Choosing the Right CTI Platform is Just the Beginning

In the dynamic world of cybersecurity, building an effective CTI program requires more than just selecting the right platform. From navigating diverse data formats and scaling the platform for optimal performance to training the team and integrating advanced tools through APIs, every step presents unique challenges and opportunities. By adopting an agile mindset, leveraging automation, and embracing continuous learning, organizations can transform their CTI efforts into a proactive and scalable defense against evolving cyber threats.

November 17, 2024
Security Operation Center / Threat Intelligence

Enhancing Cyber Resilience Through Targeted CTI: Why Stakeholder Needs Matter

To build a truly effective Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) program, it’s essential to go beyond collecting data and focus on aligning insights with the specific needs of each stakeholder across the organization. Regularly assessing these needs allows CTI teams to deliver relevant, actionable intelligence that supports both immediate defense operations and strategic decision-making. By tailoring intelligence outputs to address the unique goals of teams like Security Operations, Risk Management, and Executive Leadership, the CTI program not only demonstrates its value but also strengthens the organization’s overall cyber resilience. This stakeholder-centric approach ensures that cybersecurity investments are maximized, defenses remain agile, and the CTI program actively contributes to business success.

November 10, 2024
Architecture / Security Operation Center / Vulnerability Management

From Legacy to Cloud-Native: How to Streamline Security Monitoring

To keep pace with the growing need for agility and flexibility, the IT industry has developed various approaches for deploying applications to the public. Traditional architecture allows you to build and manage the entire stack in-house, giving you complete control over the environment and configurations. Alternatively, modern architectures – like serverless, containerized, or microservices-based deployments – offer streamlined, scalable, and agile options that capitalize on the latest technologies.

October 27, 2024
Management

What is the likelihood of an enterprise-wide security incident?

Occasionally, when walking through the corridors where senior management resides, one might overhear conversations that include phrases like, “Where can we save money?” or “Cybersecurity is just a cost center—can we reduce these expenses?” On the surface, these are valid questions. After all, senior executives are tasked with ensuring the company’s profitability and keeping shareholders content. Cutting costs in areas that don’t directly generate revenue might seem like a logical step toward achieving those goals.

October 13, 2024
Management / Security Operation Center / Threat Intelligence

The MITRE ATT&CK Framework is powerful if …

When managing a Security Operation Center, you will likely be asked how many MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques you have covered. At first glance, this might seem straightforward, but the answer is more complex. The MITRE ATT&CK framework is an extensive knowledge base of adversary tactics, techniques, and cyberattack procedures. It provides an incredibly valuable threat detection, response, and mitigation resource.

October 6, 2024
Management / Threat Intelligence / Vulnerability Management

Running an effective and efficient Enterprise Vulnerability Management program

Running an effective and efficient Enterprise Vulnerability Management (EVM) program requires much more than simply conducting vulnerability and compliance scans. Relying solely on these scans and basing your reporting entirely on the findings can severely cripple the program’s effectiveness. In essence, this approach floods the organization with an endless list of vulnerabilities and tasks, creating more noise than actionable outcomes, which leads to inefficiencies, frustration, and even increased security risks.

September 29, 2024
Security Operation Center / Threat Intelligence

Increasing SOC’s effectiveness with well-defined use cases

The SOC is pivotal in protecting an organization’s digital assets, acting as the nerve center for detecting, investigating, and responding to cybersecurity threats. However, the SOC’s effectiveness is drastically improved with well-defined use cases to guide its operations. A use case provides the SOC with a focused, structured scenario or specific problem to address, ensuring its activities align with the organization’s unique threat landscape and security priorities.

September 15, 2024