𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥!

Posted on 22/11/202322/11/2023 by admin

Ever watched a play where actors flawlessly recite lines, embody characters, and captivate you with their performance?

It’s mesmerizing, right?

But what you don’t see are the countless rehearsals, the forgotten lines, and the tripping over props.

All of that happens behind the scenes.

By the time they’re on stage, they’ve mastered their act.

Enter the world of tests and trials in cybersecurity!

Annoying?

Absolutely.

As vexing as an actor forgetting lines for the tenth time.

But oh, so necessary.

Because when the actual cyber threats try to Gatecrash our systems, we want to be ready, not left fumbling for our lines or our defences.

Sure, in our ‘rehearsals’, things can go awry.

Unexpected glitches pop up, simulations may unveil problems we never considered.

A little chaos here, a little mayhem there.

But isn’t that the point?

To stumble, fall, and rise before the final act?

So, the next time a cybersecurity drill feels like a bothersome rehearsal, remember this: better a hiccup in practice than a disaster during the live show.

After all, in the grand theatre of cybersecurity, we’re aiming for a standing ovation, not stage fright!

Where to start your Business Security / Cybersecurity Journey

Posted on 23/12/202201/12/2022 by Roger Smith

Start

Time

3-hour program

What is done

Audit on assets and risk management.

What you get

Report on where your organisation is in relation to business security
Roadmap to implement basic changes to your business organisation
A number of process, procedure and policy templates
A number of Plans templates

Tools we use

Care-app diagnostic tool
Questionnaire similar to basic SWOT
Proprietary diagnostic tools
Open-source intelligence gathering tools

What do you need to do

Implement changes
Discuss with management
Implement proactive responses to cybersecurity

Is there recovery from ransomware?

Posted on 20/01/202220/01/2022 by admin

That really does depend on you.

A ransomware attack can happen to anyone, at any time and on any systems.

If you think it will not happen to me then you could have a problem.

Ransomware is the scourge of cybercrime.

It can be enacted by people who have no technical knowledge and are just following a script and system that was downloaded from the internet.

It can be enacted by sending a couple of thousand email to a list of people that they purchased on the internet.

It can be enacted by targeting a group of internet addresses that they thought would be lucrative.

There use to be a thing called “security by obscurity” where you can hide on the internet and we’re relatively secure.

That capability is no longer a viable defence strategy.

If you think you will never be targeted, too small or have nothing worth stealing and you do have a cyber event there is little chance of you being able to recover.

But

If you have a different attitude.

If you think the opposite.

Then there is a chance that you will not be a victim.

If you think that you could be a target then you are already thinking about your response.

You are already thinking proactive.

You are ready to think of contingencies.

Even if you do have a ransomware attack then you already know and your team already knows what to do because you have thought about it.

You have plans, processes, procedures and policies in place.

If you have tested them and improved on them then that makes it even more possible that you will survive.

The old adage expects the best but plan for the worst is prevalent today against the cybercriminal.

Why didn’t I insure my bike?

Posted on 28/10/202128/10/2021 by admin

When I was in the Navy, I was based at Garden Island in Western Australia on and off for 5 years.

In that time I was relatively fit and I represented the Navy in a number of sports.

I would pedal to work (20Km each way) at least 4 days a week.

On a good day 40 minutes from the front door to the office.

90 minutes on the way home because you had to stop at the pub to get the goss

If you know the island you know that there is one problem.

No matter what direction you were going morning, afternoon or even if you had the luxury of knocking off early, you ran into the wind

On the causeway, the easterly and the sea breeze were always in your face.

Both of them could get up to 40Km per hour.

The only consolation was the flatness around the area.

One day my bike was stolen.

Taken out of the backyard.

It wasn’t until it was gone did I realize what it was doing in my life, apart from keeping me fit.

I didn’t have to drive so the wife could have the car to ferry the kids and do all of the other stuff she needed to do.

I didn’t have to drive so there was always extra money in the budget for everything we needed.

I could no longer come and go as I pleased, I now had to fit in with everyone else.

I could no longer go to the pub on the way home.

In fact, apart from the initial cost, the bike had cost me nothing.

This is what is happening in the digital world.

We do not know or understand the heavy lifting that our digital devices and services are doing for us.

That is until they are gone.

When they are gone, we realize that the business, organisation, association or ourselves have taken them for granted.

They were doing everything.

So an accidental loss, a cyber event or an insider will cause havoc unless you have stood back and thought:

What If?

What if we turn it all off?

Now what!

That “what if” makes you proactive.

It builds in resilience.

It is the first step to increased revenue, improved capability and scalability.

Have you looked at the business and thought WHAT IF????

Cybersecurity for the C suite executive (CEO, CFO,COO)

Posted on 19/09/202119/09/2021 by admin

Cybersecurity for the C suite executive (CEO, CFO, COO).

Lets look at the facts!

No matter the size, shape or industry of an organisation.

No one is fully prepared for a full-on, bare knuckles, cyber ninja assault.

We are not talking about a random attack.

An attack that is being perpetrated against your organisation with Metasploit and a new copy of Kali.

This attack is from Mr. Creepy!

He knows what he is doing.

He knows what he is after.

But, more importantly, he also knows how to get it.

He has studied your organisation for months to find your weaknesses.

He has the skills and resources (very important) to break in and steal your crown jewels.

These are the people who give my industry grey hairs and stress lines.

Thinking that there is no way that you would be targeted by a professional is a grave mistake.

Because It no longer needs to be a professional!

They are quite happy to train others in the required skills.

They are quite happy to sell others their expertise.

They are quite happy to tell others where they are going wrong.

They have created capabilities and skills that they have incorporated into something to sell.

This increases the capability of the inexperienced cybercriminal immensely.

Want to avoid being on the radar as a prime target then YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING.

Here is something to start with.

Cybersecurity checklist

#nonprofits #ExecutivesAndManagement #AccountingAndAccountants #ProfessionalWomen #ceo #CareMIT #cybersecurity #infosec

How to avoid being a target of script kiddies!

Posted on 03/11/202003/11/2020 by Roger Smith

There is a huge difference between a cyber attack generated by a script kiddy running an automated system and one where you are being targeted by a dedicated hacker.

For one, if you are targeted by a dedicated hacker then you already know that you have something worth protecting and you have, hopefully, done something about it.

The biggest problems with cyber attacks on the internet are that 95% of them are coming from an automated system controlled or managed by trainees (script kiddies).

Automated systems have three reasons they are used:

They are easy to get.
They are easy to use.
They are easy to make money out of.

They are easy to get!

There are a number of ways for anyone to get hold of an automated system. They can download an operating system that has an automated system running on it. Kali, Parrot OS or Black-arch are all very good examples but there are others.

Designed as penetration testing tools, these systems have all of the requirements that they need to target organisations, multinationals, or anyone connected to the digital world.

Before you ask, yes it is all legal and above board as long as you are not targeting someone else.

To make these systems more effective they allow them to either download additional components from GitHub or design and program your own applications.

They are easy to use!

The old saying that whenever anything is free you are the product rings true with these systems as well. The creators of these systems keep track of people using them and incorporate any updates into their own releases.

To set up one of these systems all you need is a computer. Once you have administrator access to a computer you can download a virtual environment (VMware if you have some money or Virtual Box for free) and you can then install these operating systems as a virtual operating system.

You can even run the operating system on a microcomputer (Raspberry Pi) for under $100.

Once set up you now have access to the tools and capabilities that, if used correctly, can rival someone who has been in the industry for years. Almost like a novice woodworker creating a dovetail joint on their first try without knowledge of what to do.

No training, just using other people’s knowledge.

In addition, and a bigger issue, what they do not know can be learned or discovered by simply searching google.

The capability and effectiveness of these systems allow them to set up the automated attack and target a huge number of vulnerable systems based on blocks of internet-based addresses.

Simply they can find out if there is a targetable vulnerability just by using facets of the automated systems.

They are easy to make money out of!

These free operating systems have the capability of making money.

To make serious money, though, you need to work with partners. Working with partners can be both beneficial as well as detrimental to their own security.

When it comes to making money it is either through selling information on the dark web, selling cryptovirus decryption keys to vulnerable people or selling access to compromised systems to leverage other attacks.

How to avoid being a target of script kiddies.

To avoid being a victim you need to implement some protective strategies.

You need to apply the CareMIT business security methodology to the organisation but to start at the basics this is what you need to do:

Patch and update everything – operating systems, application and to really be secure remove anything that you do not use from the system. This is applied to computers, websites, servers, and smart devices.
Disable macros – do not allow macros to run on the computers
Use complex, unique and more than 12 characters for every site, service or system in the digital world
Use 2 factor or multi-factor authentication. If you manage websites or other cloud-based services make sure the third level of security is in place – captcha
Only allow good applications to run on the system. This is called application whitelisting and only approved applications are allowed to run. There are some anti-virus systems that allow you to do this.
The last one is critical to your sanity – DO A BACKUP. All the bad guys have to do is win once. A backup ensures that if and when they win they have not really won.

At the basic level, the users of these automated systems are just as vulnerable as the people that they are targeting. A severe case of “user beware”, because if you do not configure the system correctly you are just as vulnerable as your targets.

At the most fundamental level, we all know that most people between 13 and 30 have a limited ethical attitude and good and bad is debatable.

That’s why we have the proliferation of these systems.

Secure your business!

Get proactive!

Do the scorecard!

Read your report!

Linkto scorecard https://caremit.scoreapp.com

#ceo #ExecutivesAndManagement #ProfessionalWomen #CareMIT #cybersecurity #infosec

Why you need a new breed of Business security

Posted on 18/08/201903/11/2020 by Roger Smith

Introduction

In the last 20 years, there has been a slow change in how the business approaches the management of the ICT component.

As business and technology changes there have been significant changes in the management process of these systems. The more complex and costly the systems the more dedicated the support has to be. We have gone from onsite support from staff (I know computers) to off-site support from a service provider.

SME’s no longer have the resources available to manage their ICT and a new breed of company has been slowly taking more and more control over these parts of your business.

Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Originally these organisations were known as ICT or IT companies. They were usually run out of hardware and software stores and were more focused on those areas.

It was eventually realized that just managing the hardware and software of small and medium business and not for profit organisations was not enough. When technology broke, the most organisation still could not afford a technician to come to the site and an IT company need to make their resources go further.

The managed service provider did a number of additional things:

They had systems that remotely monitored and managed (RMM) the technology within the organisation. This allowed them to give feedback to the clients in the way of comprehensive reports on their network
They had helpdesk capability to fix issues as they arose from the RMM systems or issues that arose from the users.
They started to become proactive, not reactive.
In a number of ways they even became vendor managers. They looked after their clients from the internet down to the user.

Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)

The business has changed and the requirements for ICT support have changed, the MSP needed to do more.

To be competitive and to be more productive they started adding on services. These services included if not delivered by the MSP:

off site backup,
managed firewall,
web application firewalls,
web site management,
managed Anti Virus and many more.

In most cases, they were a bolt-on action to the MSP requirements and were supplied to maximize profit and reduce cost. In a large number of situations, the customer was not getting value for money because the MSP was tied to a specific vendor.

In the last 5 – 10 years, the bigger the perceived problem with security was the more clients were going to purchase systems from their trusted advised – their MSP. Once again increasing profits by reducing costs.

Any MSSP that does this is actually exposing their clients to huge problems. Most of the service level agreements (SLA) reduce this down to “all care no responsibility”

Managed Business security service provider (MBSSP)

SME’s and NFP organisations needed to approach business security in today’s business world from a new direction.

Business security has to be approached from the top down. Management and board members HAVE to get involved. Your MSP or MSSP who is not recommending risk management and cybersecurity frameworks is in fact doing a huge disservice to your organisation.

Risk management and a risk management process looks at all of the risks to the organisations and allows you to think and work through the process and deliver strategies to protect the organisation. It includes the ICT and technology area but there is so much more that has to be incorporated into a risk management plan.

The second part is a cybersecurity framework. A framework does a number of things:

It focuses management on the required tasks to secure the organisation.
It removes knee jerk reactions to perceived threats.
The more you implement the framework the more secure your organisation.
It has to be done with the involvement of all areas of the organisation from management down and from coal face up.
It can be managed with reduced costs, expertise and time constraints

Most frameworks have a baseline requirement. When you start to implement the framework you have to know how secure you are before you can start to improve. The baseline also allows you to look at priorities within the organisation.

Conclusion

If your organisation is still using an MSP or an MSSP to manage your security without looking at the risk components or without implementing a cybersecurity framework (we recommend the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework) then you need to rethink your business security requirements.

Talk to an organisation that is focused on MBSSP capability.