According to the 2020 Verizon DBIR, (Data Breach Investigations Report) there were 3,950 confirmed breaches in 2020. The onset of the COVID pandemic resulted in a drastic increase in exploitable vulnerabilities, phishing attempts, ransomware campaigns, and remote compromise attempts.

Crises and disasters are unavoidable; especially, from the perspective of information security professionals, whose adage is to "assume you've already been hacked." It would be naïve to assume that any network was impervious to adversarial campaigns. The difference between a cybersecurity novice and a leader isn't whether they can infallibly prevent incidents; rather, the distinction lies in how they respond to crises, mitigate impacts, remediate compromises, and incorporate lessons into their risk assessment, policies, and response plans.

An organization's personnel can be the strongest or weakest element of any security strategy. In times of national crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, tensions can run high, and conventionally manageable stresses can accumulate and degrade focus, performance, and mental bandwidth.

Cybersecurity attacks have been a part of the national security conversation since the beginning of the technological age. However, with a significant changes in 2020, we have seen more intrusions in the first half of 2020 than throughout all of 2019 (as reported by NETSCOUT). A new wave of highly sophisticated attacks has evolved with fear tactics and the change of work environments from offices to work from home. 

Election day has come, and it has gone, with a few states still counting votes, the projected President-elect is Joseph R. Biden, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris making history as the first African and Asian American women to be elected to higher office. However, just because the election is over does not mean that the task of securing the U.S. elections infrastructure stops; in fact, the work must continue. 

With election day upon us, and with millions already mailing in their ballot or taking advantage of early voting, it is safe to say this election will be like no other. However, this record-breaking turnout does not slow down bad actors from Iran and Russia from interfering in the upcoming election. According to a recent announcement from the FBI, both Iran and Russia have obtained US voter information.

If your business sells products or provides services to the Department of Defense (DoD), then you should know about the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. 

With just days remaining until Election Day, election security and mail-in voting have played a significant role in this presidential race. Currently, eighteen states and D.C. have started to ease and expand access to vote by mail due to the pandemic. This expansion allows concerned voters to avoid being exposed to the virus at polling places and still allows citizens to exercise their democratic rights. However, the question on every election official's mind across the country is how the United States post office will handle the expected influx in mail-in ballots?

“The best virtual experience in cybersecurity” is fast approaching. On October 14-15, the Institute for Critical Infrastructure (ICIT) – the only think tank dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity – hosts its 2020 fall virtual briefing. Co-chaired by DLT, this year’s theme is: “A Secure Roadmap for the Future.” 

DLT Solutions recently sat down for an interview with Joyce Hunter, executive director for strategy and process at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure and Technology (ICIT), the nation’s leading cybersecurity think tank. On the table for discussion was how ICIT is cultivating a “cybersecurity renaissance” – including promoting the role of women in cybersecurity. We also talked to Hunter about how government agencies can compete more effectively for cybersecurity talent and nurture the next generation of cyber warriors.