Issue: Summer 2024

From the Summer 2024 Issue

From the Editor-in-Chief

Author(s):

Adam Firestone, Editor-in-Chief , United States Cybersecurity Magazine

Hello, I’m writing this letter four days after the attempted assassination of an American presidential candidate.  Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but political violence in America still shocks me.  That being said, what didn’t shock me was how social media platforms blew up in the aftermath.  Within hours partisans on both sides of the divide … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

From the Publisher

Author(s):

Karen Austin, CEO, United States Cybersecurity Magazine

Greetings! Welcome to the Summer 2024 issue of the United States Cybersecurity Magazine!  As always, we’d like to take a moment to thank our supporters, members, sponsors, contributors and everyone else who makes the magazine possible.  All of us here at the United States Cybersecurity Magazine remain committed to bringing you, our readers, the best … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

The Human Factor: Users as Security Sensors

Author(s):

Phillip R. Hasse, President/CEO, Contextual IT Solutions

the Human Factor

If there is any consensus within IT security, it is that the security provided is often ineffective in preventing or detecting unauthorized activity. Attackers’ agility often exceeds the defenders’ ability to adapt to changing tactics and technologies. Typically, the response is to provide faster machines and more capable software. It’s like a high-stakes chess game … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

Exploring the Differences Between Bug Hunters and Pentesters

Author(s):

Aditya Agrawal, Core Lead Pentester, Cobalt

Exploring The Differences Between Bug Hunters and Pentesters

In the following, we’ll talk about how to transition from a Bug Hunter to a Pentester. It’s important to note that this content is intended to be an objective comparison with a real person’s experiences. These professions have individual pros/cons that add value to the security industry as a whole.  It’s not uncommon to meet … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

DevSecOps 2026: Working Beyond the Organization

Author(s):

Devin Price, Senior Application Security Analyst , NowSecure

By 2026, what will the landscape of DevSecOps look like? How can organizations prepare for this future in the present? Before we can speculate on the future of DevSecOps, we must first consider how it came to be. Before DevSecOps, there was simply DevOps. The goal of DevOps was to allow the development and operations teams within an organization to work together as one cohesive unit, instead of two separate entities. The combination of these teams resulted in a decrease of time for both continuous integration and deployment (Rajapakse, Zahedi, Babar, & Shen, 2021). From the . . .

From the Summer 2024 Issue

Data Privacy: Regulations, Risks & Practicing Good Cybersecurity Hygiene

Author(s):

Mathew Scott, MCFE, Vice President, Equipment Consulting, J.S. Held

Introduction In a world that revolves around the collection and use of various forms of data, continuously assuring the  privacy of data being collected and stored is a major factor in cybersecurity hygiene, i.e. habitual practices for ensuring the safe handling of critical data and for securing networks. Managing the privacy of one’s data includes … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

Digital Pandemics: Are They Now A Thing?

Author(s):

Mark Cunningham-Dickie, Senior Incident Responder, Quorum Cyber

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a pandemic as an “outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents).” The recent COVID-19 outbreak is an example of a pandemic with which the world is now unfortunately familiar. If the word “disease” is exchanged with the term “ransomware attack,” then the … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

Cybersecurity and Nonprofits

Author(s):

Henry J. Sienkiewicz, Faculty, Georgetown University

Rick Smith, Vice President - IT Strategy, American Bankers Association

While all companies with an online profile are at risk, nonprofit organizations face significant challenges. Not only are they increasingly targeted by cybercriminals due to their valuable donor data, storage of financial information, and stance on specific political issues, but nonprofits often lack the resources and expertise to adequately protect their online systems and data. … Read more

From the Summer 2024 Issue

Increasingly, Companies Aren’t Allowed to Pay Ransoms, and This is a Good Thing

Author(s):

Alex Haynes, CISO , IBS Software

Ransom Payments

In the evolving landscape of cyber threats, the dilemma of whether or not to pay ransomware actors remains a contentious issue. As cybercriminals continue to leverage ransomware attacks to extort money from organizations, the responses from victims, cyber insurance companies, and government cyber emergency response teams (CERTs) have progressively shifted away from acquiescence to a … Read more