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Wondering what to expect as you go through your first SOC 2 Audit?  This post covers each step of the process.  At every step, keep in mind that the entire goal of the SOC 2 audit is to measure how well your organization handles its business processes, users, data (proprietary, customer, etc.). A SOC 2 security audit can help your company demonstrate it has applied the best control mechanism to assure security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of client data. This then generates trust and confidence from inquiring vendors and prospective customers.

It is no secret that many protests have erupted after the death last month of George Floyd. However, a lesser-known fact is that a significant amount of online protesting has also emerged. This blog aims to focus on how protestors and various social organizations are using hacking as a vehicle to accomplish their objectives. The term ‘hacktivist” is used to describe cyber threat actors who are politically motivated.

Whether or not companies want to admit it, every company is in the cybersecurity industry. This even applies to organizations like manufacturing who are not historically associated with technology. Unfortunately, in the age of digital transformation, many companies believe that simply allocating a couple of bucks to purchase “state of the art” security tools is enough to fend off threat actors. In an analysis conducted by the well respected FireEye Mandiant Security Validation team, it was uncovered that 53% of successful intrusions remain undetected despite having several security products. The research indicates that the majority of organizations need an overhaul of their cybersecurity strategy. In a previous article, we examined how the saturated vendor market has encouraged organizations to hastily purchase tools without really considering their organization’s specific need and thus, giving them a false sense of security. However, this blog seeks to expose why high ticketed solutions are unable to effectively detect and prevent the growing number of cyber-attacks.

In a global survey commissioned by Barracuda, a prominent security company, 46% of global businesses have encountered at least one cyber scare since adopting a remote workforce as a result of the stay at home orders from COVID-19. While the security scares vary in severity, they all present a diverse range of new risks, threats, and challenges for organizations. These elements are only expected to increase as cybercriminals seize the situation to make a profit or nation-states try to gather intel.

This past week the US National Surveillance Agency (NSA) joined up with Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to issue an information packet on how to detect and mitigate web shell malware. Web shell malware is a type of malicious code that executes arbitrary instructions on a targeted web server. It is becoming such a large growing cybersecurity problem that government agencies like the NSA and ASD released a 17-page guidance on how to approach it.

A much-echoed rule in cybersecurity is that anything connected to the internet has the potential to be hacked. Despite office printers not looking like standard computers, they are no exception to this rule and still vulnerable to hacking. Last year a Russian hacker group infiltrated several organizations through unsecured printers. This resulted in silent spying and exfiltrating of company print jobs.

According to the second quarterly AppRiver Cyberthreat Index for Business Survey, more than 55 percent of executives at small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) admitted they would pay ransomware attackers in order to recover their stolen data. For larger SMB’s, employing 150-250 employees, this number surges to 74 percent. In recent years, launching ransomware attacks has become a lucrative vocation for cybercriminals. While the number of attacks on the public sector has decreased in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the private sector has remained largely unaffected.

Last week the FBI’s charlotte office warned social media users to pay close attention to the information they share online and “carefully consider the possible negative impact of sharing too much personal information online.” This alert comes at a time when many people are confined to their homes and consequently taken up social media to pass time during the period of social isolation.

In a market where security and IT vendors are heavily saturated it is increasingly becoming difficult to determine which vendors truly have sound security solutions. Moreover, from the vendor perspective, how can they distinguish themselves from their competition? One approach both parties can take is following the risk based approach to cybersecurity recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST) 8170.