Robert Wood

With an increase in consumer banking done online post-pandemic, and the current geopolitical situation, it’s important for the Public and Private sectors to share threat intelligence to stop bad actors and Secure the Internet.

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SUMMARY: The NSA's Cybersecurity Collaboration Center offers free, proactive cybersecurity support to businesses and federal partners to combat advanced cyber threats. MAIN POINTS: - The CCC provides free threat intelligence and cybersecurity services to private companies with DOD contracts. - Services include threat analysis, mitigation guidance, and direct incident response assistance from NSA experts. - Small and medium-sized businesses can access high-level cybersecurity resources typically reserved for national security. TAKEAWAYS: - CCC aims to bolster public-private cybersecurity cooperation. - Over 1,000 industry partners have enrolled in CCC services. - CCC processes 70 million DNS queries daily, blocking billions of malicious activities. Bailey Bickley #ccc #nsa #dibservices #dib

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New from Jen Easterly, Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, addressing this year's Cyber Storm exercise. I'm grateful some our Gate 15 team and orgs we support were able to participate in this significant national exercise. "Cyber threat actors continue to infiltrate critical #infrastructure networks with increased sophistication, persistence, and malicious intent. While some actors remain financially motivated, others such as nation-state actors aligned with the People’s Republic of #China, aim to compromise U.S. critical infrastructure networks to potentially disrupt critical services in the event of a geopolitical conflict. Organizations need to be prepared to respond and remain resilient in the face of these challenging threats, and exercises, such as #CyberStorm, serve as a critical tool to enhance preparedness. A few weeks ago, approximately one hundred exercise planners convened at CISA headquarters for the ninth iteration of the national cyber exercise, Cyber Storm. The planners, representing private industry, federal, state, and international government partners, managed an exercise that spanned across the globe to simulate a coordinated #cyberattack targeting critical infrastructure. What sets Cyber Storm apart from other cyber exercises is the depth and breadth of the exercise. We hosted over 2,200 participants from 300 organizations from more than 80 private sector companies, 35 federal departments and agencies, 11 states, and nine partner countries… Cyber Storm gave the participants an opportunity to exercise organizational response plans and capabilities, foster relationships with counterparts, and improve organizational and national cyber readiness and resilience. Participating organizations worked directly with CISA and coordinating bodies such as Sector Risk Management Agencies and Information Sharing and Analysis Centers to understand roles and capabilities during a cyberattack…" https://lnkd.in/emBig_j3 #cybersecurity #gate15 #cisa #preparedness #resilience

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ICYMI: Office of Inspector General Report in Brief from the Alabama Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMISs) and Eligibility and Enrollment (E&E) systems security audit. The scope of the audit was limited to external facing systems and a phishing exercise (GoPhish). https://lnkd.in/emGaGWQa The OIG audit reports are always good to get a glimpse of the focus of these security audits. The response to recommendations can also be helpful for orgs struggling with some of the same issues (Starting on page 14). Key Takeaways 1) Vulnerability Management: Existing tools were not effective in detecting system flaws. 2) Software Development: Issues were not remediated prior to deploying on production systems. 3) Phishing was not successful (0 opened emails......) #healthcare #hipaa #cybersecurity #hhs #riskmanagement #risktolerance #riskassessment #criticalinfrastructure #hitrust #criticalcontrols #penetrationtesting #vulnerabilityassessment #vulnerabilitymanagement

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This breach at #GlobeLife serves as a reminder that security isn't a one-time setup — it's a continuous process. Regular audits of access permissions and user identity management are essential. Orgs have to continuously evaluate their security posture to address vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

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New Post: #CISA and @FBI Release Secure by Design Alert to Urge Manufacturers to Eliminate Directory #Traversal Vulnerabilities - https://lnkd.in/dAir6seU CISA and FBI Release Secure by Design Alert to Urge Manufacturers to Eliminate Directory Traversal Vulnerabilities 05/02/2024 02:00 PM EDT Today, CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint Secure by Design Alert, Eliminating Directory Traversal Vulnerabilities in Software. This Alert was crafted in response to recent well-publicized threat actor campaigns that exploited directory traversal vulnerabilities in software (e.g., CVE-2024-1708, CVE-2024-20345) to compromise users of the software—impacting critical infrastructure sectors, including the Healthcare and Public Health Sector. Additionally, this Alert highlights the prevalence, and continued threat actor exploitation of, directory traversal defects. Currently, CISA has listed 55 directory traversal vulnerabilities in our Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Approaches to avoid directory traversal vulnerabilities are known, yet threat actors continue to exploit these vulnerabilities which have impacted the operation of critical services, including hospital and school operations. CISA and the FBI urge software manufacturer executives to require their organizations to conduct formal testing to determine their products’ susceptibility to directory traversal vulnerabilities. For more information on recommended principles and best practices to achieve this goal, visit CISA’s Secure by Design page. To catch up on the publications in this series, visit Secure by Design Alerts. Robert Williams#News247WorldPress

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Recent shifts within The NIST NVD operations have raised alarms among researchers and practitioners. ⚠️ These changes have led to delays in vulnerability analysis and a noticeable decline in enriching CVEs with critical data such as CPEs, CVSS scores, CWEs, and references. This creates significant hurdles for organizations striving to effectively identify and prioritize vulnerabilities. 💡 Meet DeviceTotal, a transformative solution reshaping this vulnerable pyramid. Our AI-powered technology propels vulnerability management into a new era, offering substantial enhancements in accuracy, speed, and automation. 🚀 DeviceTotal sources security information directly from vendors, ensuring data is updated well before it reaches the NVD. This proactive approach empowers organizations with timely insights, enabling swift and informed actions to mitigate threats. 💪 On top of that, DeviceTotal provides actionable insights for every threat, offering precise indications for available updates, mitigation options, workarounds, End-of-Life alerts, and more.  And the best part? No agents, no installations—just swift value delivered directly to your organization. Don't let your vulnerability management strategy crumble—elevate it with DeviceTotal. Experience the difference today. #VulnerabilityManagement #CyberSecurity #DeviceTotal #cybersecurity #infosecurity #riskmanagement #vulnerabilitymanagement #nationalsecurity (cartoon copyright by XKCD.com)

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Update on the #CMMC timeline!  During the April The Cyber AB Town hall, Matthew Travis pointed out that CFR 48, the procurement side of the rule, was returned to the DoD and not accepted for release for public comment. The rule was originally expected out for public comment in March 2024; however since it was returned to the DoD on Apr 8 the timeline is unclear. Matt speculated that it could be a simple clerical error that could be quickly addressed enabling the rule to be released for public comment in May 2024. Public comments for CFR 32, the CMMC Program rule, are being adjudicated by the DoD. CFR 32 is still expected to be released in fall of 2024. This rule establishes the CMMC Program and authorizes assessments to begin. Therefore, it is likely that assessments can begin prior to being mandated in contracts. This will give the DoD additional fuel for including CMMC in more contracts once CFR 48 is finalized since organization will have plenty of time to get ready. Will your organization be ready for an CMMC assessment in time to beat the rush to ensure you can bid on contracts when CFR 48 is finalized?

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This Kiteworks article provides a comprehensive guide to navigating the complex landscape of sensitive content communication risk within the context of NIST CSF 2.0. It's crucial for organizations to understand and mitigate these risks effectively, especially considering the ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. Well worth a read for any organization serious about safeguarding sensitive information in today's digital age. NIST CSF 2.0: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Sensitive Content Communications Risk 👉 Learn more: https://gag.gl/BSKceP #cybersecurity #compliance #NIST #NISTCSF #CybersecurityFramework

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An excerpt from my book, " Stop The Cyber Bleeding " Ch. 6: As C-suite and board members, your role is to lead your organization through the three steps of ECRM: identifying cyber risks, determining risk tolerance, and managing risks. To prepare for this, focus on building strategic objectives around governance, people, processes, technology, and engagement. This lays the foundation for a strong cyber-risk-aware culture, essential for successful ECRM implementation. Purchase here https://a.co/d/jhvtDAt #ECRM #CyberRisks #StopTheCyberBleeding

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CMMC Level 2 Assessment Objective: Alternative Work Sites PRACTICE: Organizations must enforce safeguarding measures for containing controlled unclassified information (CUI) at alternative work sites. ASSESSMENT: Alternative work sites may include government facilities or the private residences of employees. Organizations must define and implement safeguards to account for protection of CUI beyond the enterprise perimeter. Safeguards may include physical protections, such as locked file drawers, as well as electronic protections such as encryption, audit logging, and proper access controls. Be prepared! Your assessor could ask to: 🔍 EXAMINE a list of safeguards required for alternative work sites 🗣 INTERVIEW personnel approving use of alternative work sites 📝 TEST organizational processes for security at alternative work sites (CMMC Assessment Guide: Level 2 Version 2.11, page 186) #CMMC #DoD #cybersecurity #NIST #InformationSecurity

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If you are following along on the CUI program home game, you know that the CUI program was created to apply a consistent set of requirements across the entire Executive Branch of the federal government which define what is sensitive, unclassified information and how that information should be safeguarded and disseminated. These requirements are defined in 32 CFR 2002, which was published in 2016. When the United States Department of Defense first created DoDI 5200.48 back in 2016 (DoDI 5200.48 defines DoD's implementation of the CUI program), 32 CFR 2002 was pretty new and, understandably, the early version of 5200.48 had some inconsistencies. DoD released an updated version of DoDI 5200.48 about a year and a half ago, and it addressed some of those inconsistencies. DoD recently released an updated policy memo which makes some additional changes to 5200.48. https://lnkd.in/gmsySBBq Those changes have, unfortunately, created a bit of added confusion about when CUI can be disseminated to authorized holders, and especially when: a) the disseminator is a government contractor; and b) the authorized holders are not US persons. The CMMC Information Institute put together the flowchart, below, to try to help walk government contractors through when CUI can be disseminated to someone who is not a US person (or, really, anytime). Hopefully it is helpful!

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Here's some good news for Defense Contractors: the National Security Agency is offering real help in the form of their NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. I'm very excited about the NSA's 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 offering in particular. Essentially the NSA hosts a DNS server that your organization uses to resolve internet addresses. If a URL goes to a bad place, the NSA's DNS server refuses to resolve its address and the user gets an error message that the site is down instead of downloading a virus. This breaks many attack chains in an elegant manner. Because this service is a government offering, if you are working toward CMMC compliance, this service doesn't need to be CMMC certified or FedRAMP Authorized. It counts as a Specialized Asset - Government Property. We can trust that the government will keep it secure for us. Find out more, and sign up for services, at nsa.gov/ccc #cmmc Kieri Solutions - Authorized C3PAO

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Yet another report from Forescout Research - Vedere Labs. This time we looked into exploited vulnerabilities, the catalogues available and the impacted devices! Have a read. https://lnkd.in/griGMznV

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Vintage OSINT tool : How it started - How its going https://lnkd.in/eFEdSdtU

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Organizations globally experience the same classification issues, which are highlighted in the US DoD Inspector General report - Janusnet has the solution for the report's key recommendation: “In coordination with the Office of the DoD Chief Information Officer and DoD Component Heads, develop and implement a DoD‑wide solution for automatically populating documents and emails with the required markings based on a set of selection criteria.” Janusnet enables organizations to mark #CUI and implement the requirements of the United States Department of Defense CUI program

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#SEC finalized amendments for S-P, designed to protect PII. RIAs, BDs and more must, (1) have a written incident response plan (IRP) and (2) develop procedures to notify people whose PII was improperly accessed. To quote the SEC, "The basic idea for covered firms is if you’ve got a breach, then you’ve got to notify. That’s good for investors.”" 18-24 months to implement. #ria #rias #cybersecurity

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This breach at #GlobeLife serves as a reminder that security isn't a one-time setup — it's a continuous process. Regular audits of access permissions and user identity management are essential. Orgs have to continuously evaluate their security posture to address vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

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