Securosis Blog

Inflection

Rich · September 19, 2012

Hang with me as I channel my inner Kerouac (minus the drugs, plus the page breaks) and go all stream of consciousness. To call this post an “incomplete thought” would be more than a little generous.

How do I secure “big data”? A simple and common question. But one without a direct answer – simple or otherwise.

Our very own Gunnar Peterson is co-presenting what looks like an insanely awesome mobile application security class.

And with a name like The Mobile App Sec Triathlon you know I am interested.

In today’s news we see yet another zero-day Internet Explorer exploit being used in the wild.

And once again, soon after becoming public, an exploit was added to Metasploit. Well, sort of. While the in-the-wild attack only works against Windows XP, the Metasploit version works against Windows 7 and Vista. (Note that IE 10 isn’t affected).

For years security folks have grumbled about the role compliance has assumed in driving investment and resource allocation in security. It has all been about mandates and regulatory oversight, which drive a focus on protection, ostensibly to prevent data breaches. We have spent years in the proverbial wilderness focused entirely on the “C” (Confidentiality) and “I” (Integrity) aspects of the CIA triad, mostly neglecting the “A” (Availability). But that hasn’t worked out too well.

Friday Summary: September 14, 2012

Rich · September 13, 2012

Rich here.

Way way back in my earliest Gartner days one of my first speaking engagements was a series of three-city tours where I was paired up with an extremely experienced telecom analyst. I was still in my twenties, and probably wasn’t qualified to wash my privates – never mind advise anyone on their security strategy.

Incite 9/12/2012: Individuality

Mike Rothman · September 12, 2012

It seems like so long ago that I read the Opposites board books to the kids when they were toddlers. And it was. Today XX2 and the Boy turn 9. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has flown. Just yesterday I was emailing with an old colleague and I figured his youngest daughter must be in college by now. Turns out she graduated last year and is now in a PhD program. I’m no spring chicken anymore, that’s for sure.

Friday Summary: September 7, 2012

Adrian Lane · September 7, 2012

I thought 35 years later, Voyager 1 is heading for the stars was very cool. It brought back many memories of starting my career at Jet Propulsion Laboratories. Voyager had been in space for a decade when I started there, but these satellites were just starting to send the stunning images back from Saturn and Jupiter. Every morning people got into work early just to see what data was sent back from the night before. Friends were processing the images, doing error and color corrections, and we…

Incite 9/4/2012: Dealing with Dealers

Mike Rothman · September 5, 2012

Back in March I mentioned it was about time for a new set of wheels. Of course nothing happens quickly in my world, so it wasn’t until mid-June that I got serious about a new car. You’d figure a guy like me would relish the opportunity to sit across from a car salesperson and beat them into submission to get the best deal. I’m not the kind of guy to blink, and I’d just as soon walk out if I don’t get what I want. Turns out I’ve been there and done that, and despite living to tell the tale, I…

Friday Summary: August 31, 2012

Rich · August 30, 2012

Rich here.

Yesterday I published an article over at Macworld on the New Java exploits, and why Mac users likely aren’t at risk. As with many previous articles on Mac security, I’m getting really positive feedback. Heck, I have even had people tell me that I’m currently writing the best stuff out there on Apple security overall.