Cybersecurity Simplified

In the cybersecurity war, there are no rules. The enemy has upped their game with more frequent and destructive attacks. What can you do? Take your cybersecurity defense to the next level. Stay ahead of evolving threats with vulnerability management. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll talk about how to go from reactive to adaptive strategies with our guest, vulnerability management expert Cristian Sandescu, Founder and CEO of CODA Intelligence. Stay tuned.

Cyberthreats are not only increasing but evolving. Keeping up is more than a full-time job. That’s why many business owners and IT leaders turn to cybersecurity experts. Should they be looking for MSPs or MSSPs? What’s the difference? Today’s guest has some deep thoughts about this and other pressing cybersecurity questions. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we'll chat with Mr.MSP himself, Charles Weaver, CEO of the MSP Alliance. Stay tuned.

Living on the edge means taking on risk, and that’s exactly what today’s special guest has done when it comes to network security.

Instead of accepting the risks, he’s faced them head on to make living (and working) on the network edge safer for all of us.

Stay tuned. In this special edition of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll meet John Peterson, the inventor of the ZTEdge zero trust security platform.

In our last episode, we talked about why cybersecurity prevention is back in style.

With remote work and mobile devices pushing critical workloads to the edge of the corporate network, Zero-Trust Access is now the holy grail.

But it’s easier said than done.

In this special edition of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll talk about how High Wire is tackling the growing challenge of defending a vanishing perimeter with the Overwatch Prevention Suite.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – this tried-and-true advice was the guiding principle behind cybersecurity for years.

But when the likelihood of being breached became all but certain, cybersecurity pros shifted their focus to threat detection and response.

With the increasing success of cyberattacks, prevention is back in style.

In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss what’s behind the renewed emphasis on prevention and Zero-Trust Access.

Cybersecurity is a growing national security and economic security imperative for the U.S. government. And the FBI is on the front lines as the lead federal agency investigating cyber-attacks. The bureau works to unmask cybercriminals, wherever they are. In this special edition of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll open up the FBI files on cybersecurity with an exclusive interview with an FBI agent.

Build or buy. Insource or outsource. DIY or DIFY. This debate is one business leaders have over many functions – from marketing to accounting to HR. When it comes to cybersecurity, the decision is infinitely more critical.  You need highly specialized expertise and expensive technology, running 24/7 to stay ahead of an evolving and persistent threat. In this special edition of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll ask a tenured IT MSP to weigh in why outsourcing cybersecurity is a no-brainer.

With Solarwinds, Colonial Pipeline and a rash of other alarming breaches, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity regulation is ramping up. In May, President Biden signed an Executive Order “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” And, now there are more than 130 bills making their way through Congress. That’s only taking into account what’s going on at the Federal level. States also are getting in on the action. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss some of the new and proposed rules and how they may impact your cybersecurity strategies.

Cybercriminals are getting rich by literally holding corporate data and networks hostage. These so-called ransomware attacks are on the rise because they work. They’re hard to detect and almost impossible to stop. In 2021 Ransomware damages worldwide are projected to be $20 billion. That’s 57 times more than they were in 2015, says Cybersecurity Ventures. The research firm says that number will grow to $265 billion by 2031, with a new attack every 2 seconds. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’re excited to talk about how to stop ransomware in its tracks with our latest solution, the Overwatch Ransomware Kill Switch.

Good help is hard to find. That’s especially true in cybersecurity. We need 3 million cybersecurity professionals to close the talent gap, according to the 2020 Cybersecurity Workforce Study conducted by (ISC)2 . The shortage means security skills are in high demand, creating opportunities for those who are willing to learn. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll talk about how to skill up to become a security analyst and start your journey to job security in cybersecurity. We have a Cybersecurity Simplified listener, Max Dore, joining us in this conversation.

Cloud-enabled anywhere work has been a boon to businesses of all sizes -- improving productivity and, frankly, keeping companies up and running during COVID.

It’s also been a bonanza for cybercriminals, extending their attack surface to a greater number of endpoints – beyond servers and workstations to laptops, tablets, smartphones and even IoT devices.

What can you do to extend security protection far and wide? In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss the case for EDR -- endpoint detection and response.

Way back in Episode 3, we talked about how Extended Detection and Response (aka XDR) finds and fixes security issues across your environment – from endpoints and servers to networks and cloud infrastructure.

To get this kind of end-to-end protection, many XDR vendors rip and replace your existing – often expensive –  security tools with their own.

But there’s a way to avoid forklift upgrades and vendor lock-in. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll show you how to unlock end-to-end security with Open XDR.

“Set it and forget it” security solutions don’t work today if they ever really did. There are many reasons why, but it boils down to this: Cybercriminals don’t sleep.

They’re working day and night find creative way to compromise your systems or steal your data. That means you need to be vigilant 24/7 – detecting and remediating ever-changing threats.

If that’s not in your wheelhouse, no worries. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss the case for managed security services.

Fixing software bugs is critical to keeping bad actors out. It’s a continuous process called Patch Management. While its purpose is to keep systems up to date, the practice itself has not kept up with the times. Businesses have moved apps and infrastructure to the cloud, but patch management remains on-premises. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss why it’s time for a Patch Management Makeover.

To pay or not to pay – that is the question when it comes to ransomware. Is it better to hold your ground and discourage future data hostage situations or pay up and cut your losses? Recently, some cyber insurance companies have switched sides in the debate, refusing to reimburse ransomware payments to cybercriminals. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss this trend and what it means for the future of cybersecurity risk strategies.

You see it in the headlines every day— ransomware attacks disrupting businesses and the economy in a broader sense. The Colonial Pipeline attack certainly got the attention of The White House and our current administration after the attack forced the company to shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline, triggering widespread fuel shortages in the Southeast. 2020 was a bad year for ransomware attacks. 2021 is already shaping out to be way worse.

The success of working from home during lockdown has caused companies to rethink “the office,” allowing both in-office and at-home work on a permanent basis. But this new hybrid workplace presents cybersecurity challenges. Not only do companies need to secure headquarters, data center and branch offices, they now need to safeguard dozens, hundreds or even thousands of endpoints used by employees working remotely. In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll discuss why the New Hybrid Workplace is the Next Security Headache and what to do about it.

Cybersecurity is an IT issue, to be managed by the IT department. Right? 

Our guest on Cybersecurity Simplified, Mark Porter, CEO at High Wire Networks, will explain that’s only half true. 

In fact, Cybersecurity impacts the entire business – not only that it’s IT infrastructure works, but operational uptime, the privacy of its customer data, compliance with regulations, ability to collect revenue – even the company reputation.

Mark Porter will explain why Cybersecurity is Not Just an IT Problem, It’s a Business Problem.

When we think about automation, images of displaced factory workers often spring to mind. But automation also can be a good thing, helping people to do their jobs better and faster.

That’s the case in security operations. In fact, automation is critical to keeping up with exponentially rising treats and helping analysts respond faster.

In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ve invited a Security Operations expert to tell us how automation is the new weapon in the war on cybercrime.

The SolarWinds breach has been the big security news lately. 

It’s making headlines for many reasons:

• It’s one of the most stealthy attacks – going undetected for months
• It targeted U.S. government agencies — like the Pentagon and more – and major tech companies Microsoft, Cisco and Intel.
• Plus, it’s one of the biggest who-dun-its – no one is certain who’s to blame.

In this episode of Cybersecurity Simplified, we’ll get past the headlines and break down the SolarWinds Security breach.