Cyber Security

For those of you who like a bit of humor, the people at HouseSpecial films has created an awesome 70 second short video which they never intended it to be the perfect Hacker example. However, it does explain in video form what Hackers do for the world.

Those who are digging around for vulnerabilities are there to protect you from the "Bad Actors" who seek to cause harm and profit from holding your data hostage. However, there are "Big Nasties" that get away from them from time to time. They sometimes split off into other types of malware, and it's then hard to know which piece to track. Rest assured that the Hackers are going to track, and get in front of the one that could do the most harm.

The question is: "What are you going to do when they stop the malware, but there was a bit of harm done during the process?"

The answer is: "Invest in Cyber Security Professionals before a Bad Actor strikes. They will give you a Security Analysis Report with Remediation items, and then you should be prepared to follow their advice."

Cyber Security Terminology

As for an industry, we are not even sure when it comes to Cyber Security (aka cybersecurity, Cyber security) terms in general. Although there is the possibility that the industry changed the acceptable semantics mid-stream and expects the media and the rest of the world to catch up; figuring out who caused the confusion is not more important than everyone understanding the language of security. There is a distinct benefit to knowing what Security terms mean to you, and what those same terms mean to your security team. In fact, it is critical for success.

Here are a few of many terms you should be clear about with your security team:

• Hacker - an expert who tries to gain unauthorized access into a network or computer systems with intent. Now the "..with intent" part of this description is where the gray area comes in. There are hackers in the wild that will break into a business' network not to do harm, but to show the business where they are vulnerable to a bad actor. But, yes, that Hacker does expect the offering of a monitory reward for their effort. When it doesn't come - they might not tell you how they gained access.

Pppsssttt, whatever you do, do not be rude if ever contacted about a "reward". It is your right to feel whatever you feel. It is a mistake to be rude to the one with all of the cards - they might get loose lips.

• Malware - Malware is a slang term used for malicious software. Malware is software that is used to interrupt or disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, or gain access to files or programs.

• Bad Actor - An individual or code that intends to cause harm or control data elements in your network; storage devices; email servers; or in RAM.

The reason there is not a reference to a person is that you might not be protecting against a person, but a piece of code or an infected piece of equipment (router, virtual switch, etc). This is a commonly accepted way of describing a bad "something".

Additional Content Coming Soon!

Call to discuss your need, or email Belinda Mobley: belinda@belindamobley.com
(Certified Information Security Manager (CISM))