Tag Archive for: Organizational

A Hacker’s Perspective For Building Proactive Organizational Defenses

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Anshu is the founder/CEO of CloudDefense.AI—a CNAPP that secures both applications and cloud infrastructure.

The ongoing happenings in cyberspace continually underscore the concerning fact that hackers are getting super smart with their tricks and launching sophisticated cyberattacks more often. Whether it’s crippling ransomware attacks or sneaky data breaches, cybercriminals are showing off their cleverness and adaptability like never before. Hacking techniques are evolving faster than our traditional security measures can keep up with.

This is the harsh reality of cloud security, where hackers exploit the very nature of the cloud—its openness, its dynamism—to gain an edge. But what if you could think like a hacker? What if you could see your publicly exposed infrastructure through their eyes, anticipate their moves, and shore up your defenses before they even struck?

That’s the power of understanding hacker recon. As the CEO of a cloud security company, I’ve learned that when it comes to implementing cybersecurity strategies, it’s not enough to merely react to threats. To stay ahead of the curve, we need to think like attackers, not just defenders. That said, here I discuss how to adopt the hacker’s perspective and use it to strengthen your cloud security posture.

Understanding What Hacker Recon Is

Think of hacker reconnaissance (recon) as detective work done before a cyberattack is launched. It’s when hackers gather information about their target, such as a company’s computer systems and networks. Through this, they’re trying to understand the layout of the digital front, looking for any security gaps, attack vectors or potential entry points that they can exploit later.

Simply put, the more information they uncover, the more smoothly their “operation” can go—just like any good detective needs solid clues to crack a case. So, next time you hear about a cyberattack, remember that it often starts with this information-gathering phase.

There are two main ways hackers do their recon:

• Passive recon involves gathering information without directly interacting with the target system. Hackers might use search engines, social media, public records and other…

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Making The Most Of A Penetration Test: The Organizational Perspective

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to grasp why cybercriminals prioritize attacks on organizations. These folks are notoriously keen on taking shortcuts, and the average enterprise environment is a goldmine of quick exploitation opportunities that range from ransomware extortion and data breaches, to industrial espionage and botnet activity.

Once a trespass has happened, hackers move laterally across the infrastructure to stretch the attack surface by plaguing multiple endpoints in one go. What’s particularly unsettling, they may maintain the foothold for months without being detected. In the aftermath of this, companies face downtime, loss of customer data, financial repercussions, and regulatory issues, let alone long-term reputational damages.

It comes as no surprise that proactive security is gathering steam today, wherein penetration testing (pentesting) is a Swiss Army knife strategy. In plain words, it’s about breaking bad for a while to simulate a real attacker’s actions. This offensive approach can be an eye-opening experience to enterprises in terms of their vulnerabilities and applicable fixes.

The internet is rife with information about penetration testing types and methodologies, so this article will zoom in on a few key aspects, including those that call forth confusion and misconceptions among organizations that decide to jump on the pentesting bandwagon.

Knowing the objectives is half the battle

Emphasis on the goals is a cornerstone of preparing for an offensive cyber stress test that will yield positive security dividends rather than being a waste of time and resources. This is first and foremost because the motivation defines the methods for conducting a pentest.

Risk mitigation is a common objective. The impulse to minimize the odds of a security incident is often fueled by a recent attack that wreaked havoc in the industry the company represents. The impetus for reducing risks may as well stem from corporate decision makers’ forward-thinking philosophy geared toward best security practices, which is a commendable route to take.

Compliance is another driving force throughout the penetration testing…

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A Key Factor in Organizational Data Security

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mobile-security

Smartphones have become an integral part of daily life, both personally and professionally. But their use is not risk-free.

One in three organizational data breaches are caused by a mobile device, so it is essential that all organizations develop a strong focus on mobile security.

Facial recognition or a strong pin might be enough to keep things safe from general threats, but it isn’t enough to keep mobile devices safe from cybercriminals trying to steal sensitive data.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

Mobile devices are responsible for over 70% of online fraud. According to Statista, there are about 15 billion mobile devices in the world and one in 36 mobile devices have a high-risk app (apps that have a high number of downloads, making them prime targets of hackers) installed on them. That means 450 million devices are potential victims of cyberattacks. Users must be cautious about the kind of information they have stored on their smartphones.

Mobile Security Under Attack

With the increasing number of remote workers, mobile security needs to be a top priority for corporate security teams. Employees now routinely access company data on smartphones through emails and business communication platforms.

Mobile devices are convenient to use on the go, but that means sensitive company data is always vulnerable to attack. Here are some of the biggest threats to mobile security that employees can avoid:

  • Unsecured/Public Wi-Fi Networks: Connecting to open, unsecured Wi-Fi networks is a bad idea. Doing so could allow anyone to spy on a user’s activity, so users must never access information such as company, banking or even credit card information on such networks.
  • Weak Passwords: Do not use easily remembered passwords or those with personal, easy guessable significance, especially if the mobile devices contain both business and personal accounts.
  • Data Leaks: When users download an app, they’re prompted to allow various device permissions which often send data to remote servers. This data is often shared with advertisers to analyze user behavior, making an easy target for cybercriminals.
  • Gaps in…

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