The proliferation of ever-increasing connection facilitated by technology means that the threats posed to information security by malicious online actors simultaneously become more serious. Often referred to in the parlance of public- and private-sector infosec as “black-hat hackers,” according to Wired magazine, these cyber criminals not only access privileged and private information but use it to commit or facilitate fraud on a massive scale, steal money directly, and sell secrets to the highest bidder on the black market. Those aren’t the only hackers, however. There are also “white-hat hackers” whose intentions are more ethical. More than a few have been […]

The desire to continue one’s education after attaining a bachelor’s degree – or resume it after earning real-world work experience – is fairly common. And in the field of cybersecurity, it can be quite beneficial to climbing the career ladder. It’s also relatively common, though, to think it isn’t feasible to return to school for any number of reasons – cost and convenience standing out prominently among them. Those working full-time may fear that they won’t have the time to complete their studies appropriately or they might fall back on their professional responsibilities while doing so. Fortunately, the rise of […]

The average person accesses dozens of password-protected websites per day, from banking sites to social networks. The actual number of logins usually goes unnoticed because mobile devices, internet browsers, and our many IoT (Internet of Things) devices connect automatically with saved usernames and passwords. One of the greatest threats to cyber security is the theft of passwords. The business world is understandably concerned with password security because sensitive business data is only as secure as its weakest link. A weak or compromised password can wreak havoc on a business in a matter of hours. Private information can be stolen, customer […]

The state of the cyber security field, for both the public and private sectors, remains uncertain. Almost every advancement in the arena of firewalls and malware countermeasures is met with a corresponding move by hackers, cyberterrorists and other malicious actors in the digital space, much like the ongoing push-pull dynamic between law enforcement and high-level players in the illicit drug trade. Skilled information security (or “infosec”) professionals work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals, but the frequently equivalent determination on the other side of the law means that it’s never clear how long IT and infosec personnel will […]