Cybersecurity
Inside the Industry’s first cybersecurity standard
July 27, 2021Paul Ragusa, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—The announcement in May of the Security Industry Cybersecurity Certification (SICC) – a new industry credential developed by the Security Industry Association (SIA) with support from PSA Security Network and Security Specifiers – is a “giant” step forward for the security industry.
To get a closer look into the industry’s first cybersecurity standard, Security Systems News reached out to some of the key players involved in its development to...
Cybersecurity is critical to our path forward
July 21, 2021Cory Harris, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—You’ve read the news. Cyberattacks have crippled the United States at such a rapid pace over the past year. Beginning with SolarWinds in 2020, hackers from other countries have penetrated IT systems of major companies and perpetrated ransomware attacks and data breaches that have devastated our nation’s critical infrastructure.
In May, Colonial Pipeline was the victim of a ransomware attack at the hands of cybercriminal group DarkSide in what was arguably the...
Cybersecurity guru Antoinette King launches consulting firm
July 2, 2021Cory Harris, Managing Editor
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—Antoinette King, PSP, DPPS, has certainly made her mark in the security industry for more than 20 years. Now, she is branching out on her own with a new venture focused on cybersecurity.
On July 1, 2021, King launched her own consulting firm, Credo Cyber Consulting LLC, with the goal of helping organizations understand how to tie their physical security and cybersecurity objectives to their mission.
“I started this journey in cybersecurity about three years ago...
New study links employee sentiment to security posture
June 29, 2021SSN Staff
MADISON, Wis.—Is there a direct link between employee sentiment and security posture? A new report from Infosec, a cybersecurity education company, reveals a significant variation of security culture by industry, department and organization size relative to employee perceptions and sentiments toward cybersecurity best practices and policies
The new report, Cybersecurity Culture —Quantified, found that a strong cybersecurity culture, an organization’s collective awareness, attitudes...
Genetec warns of cyber vulnerabilities of legacy systems
June 25, 2021SSN Staff
MONTRÉAL—“Legacy access control systems use outdated technology that leaves them vulnerable to cyber threats, and can cause damage beyond the door,” cautions Thibault Louvet, Director - Access Control Product Group at Genetec Inc. (“Genetec”), a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions.
According to a report from IBM and the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach is US$3.9...
Cybersecurity On The Editor's Desk
Have We Reached the Cyber Tipping Point?
June 9, 2021Paul Ragusa, Editor
The numbers are getting kind of crazy, people. And I am not just talking about the big national cyberattack stories that we are seeing, but also the personal stories that go on daily within our homes and organizations. Just in the last month, I have seen several colleagues (don’t worry I won’t name names) get their emails compromised to the point that they sent me a malicious file to open. And, let’s be honest, when a close industry friend sends you a document to check out,...
New York City Law Department hit by cyberattack
June 8, 2021SSN Staff
NEW YORK—The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is investigating yet another cyberattack, as the New York City Law Department’s computer network was forced to shut down over the weekend due to the work of hackers.
The city’s Cyber Command first detected the breach on Saturday, June 5, which forced officials to disable the Law Department’s computer the next day after it was determined that a cyberattack had taken place.
There is no indication at this point that private...
DOJ seizes $2.3 million in cryptocurrency paid by Colonial Pipeline to hackers
June 8, 2021SSN Staff
WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on June 7, 2021, that it seized 63.7 bitcoins currently valued at approximately $2.3 million, allegedly representing the proceeds of a May 8 ransom payment made by Colonial Pipeline to cybercriminal group DarkSide.
The DOJ’s announcement of the seizure of funds came just one month after Colonial Pipeline suffered a devastating ransomware attack on May 6 at the hands of DarkSide in what was arguably the largest cyberattack against...
DOJ to give ransomware attacks same level of priority as terrorism
June 4, 2021SSN Staff
WASHINGTON—Following a slew of cyberattacks that have crippled the nation’s critical infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memo to U.S. attorneys’ offices on June 3, 2021, to elevate ransomware attack investigations to the same level of priority as terrorism.
The memo, issued by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, directs U.S. prosecutors to report information on all ransomware investigations they are working on to the recently formed Ransomware and Digital...
DHS issues Security Directive in wake of Colonial Pipeline attack
May 27, 2021Cory Harris, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON—In the wake of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack that crippled the nation’s critical infrastructure earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a Security Directive on May 27, 2021, that will enable the Department to better identify, protect against and respond to threats to critical companies in the pipeline sector.
The Security Directive will require critical pipeline owners and operators...