These ransomware tricks fool the most hardened security pro
Cybercriminals use these methods to pull the wool over unsuspecting victims.
Ryan Francis | 30 Sep | Read more
Stories by Ryan Francis
What you need to do to stop data from leaving with exiting employees
In some instances it is inadvertent that an employee takes files with them when they leave a job. But in most cases, it is done to get an advantage at their next job. Here is what you should do before they leave the premises.
Ryan Francis | 25 Aug | Read more
How to block phishers when they come a knockin’
If you lockdown your network, cybercriminals will move on to find more low hanging fruit.
Ryan Francis | 10 Aug | Read more
Open source security is not as big of a concern as it once was
Some shops are willing to go away from proprietary software for even the most precious data.
Ryan Francis | 19 Feb | Read more
What CSOs should do on their first days
It used to be common for new chief security officers to come in with guns blazing. The security personality stereotype was a machismo type who wanted to be seen as the hero in saving the company’s network from all the villains trying to get in.
Ryan Francis | 14 Dec | Read more
In Pictures: Seven best practices for Cloud security
Learn how to protect yourself in the Cloud from the next vulnerability and/or wide scale attack.
Ryan Francis | 27 May | Read more
In Pictures: The things end users do that drive IT teams crazy
To protect users from public embarrassment their identities have been withheld in these true stories of failures to follow security protocol.
Ryan Francis | 31 Mar | Read more
In Pictures: Worst data breaches of 2014
We used 1 million records exposed as our floor in creating this list. Starting with a number that big says a lot about the state of data security.
Ryan Francis | 30 Mar | Read more
Millions of records compromised in these data breaches
We used 1 million records exposed as our floor in creating this list. Starting with a number that big says a lot about the state of data security.
Ryan Francis | 27 Mar | Read more
In Pictures: 7 critical things to cover in your disaster-recovery plan
As always, you never know when a disaster will strike, so better to have a checklist on hand so that panic doesn’t set in when the network goes down.
Ryan Francis | 06 Feb | Read more
In Pictures: 8 Christmas gifts that will need to be secured
After employees unwrap their holiday gifts, many will want to bring them in to use for work. Remote employees may use personal devices at home to access corporate data. Here are eight popular products found under the tree, and advice for securing each
Ryan Francis | 15 Jan | Read more
Monster snow: How Buffalo-area businesses kept things going in the storm
Despite the warnings of heavy snow, David Thiemecke's company Algonquin Studios was involved with an event last week to talk about the growth of hacking. With a party-like atmosphere, which included a dee-jay playing music while techies networked over hors d'oeuvres and beer, the snow hit Buffalo just as the event began.
Ryan Francis | 26 Nov | Read more
Why bug bounty hunters love the thrill of the chase
Bounty hunters in the law enforcement field are often thought of as these long haired, wild men who will do whatever it takes to track down the person who has run afoul of the law. Bug bounty hunters perhaps have the same passion for tracking down code-based flaws, but you would be hard pressed to pick them out of a lineup.
Ryan Francis | 13 Nov | Read more
Hurricane fails to stir Bacardi's business continuity plan
As Hurricane Gonzalo bore down on Bermuda recently, IT Security Services Manager Ronald W. Stan had spirits maker Bacardi prepared for the worst. The 152-year-old company was not shaken by the Category 2 storm, despite tens of thousands on the island without power.
Ryan Francis | 31 Oct | Read more
In Pictures: 9 employee insiders who breached security
These disgruntled employees show what can happen when an employer wrongs them.
Ryan Francis | 08 Oct | Read more