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Most IT security professionals would agree that the key ingredient for safeguarding networks is "reducing the attack surface." Fewer avenues for breaches mean reduced risk and fewer incidents for an enterprise: Hackers can't attack what they can't see. Reducing attack surface is the key to securing your network, applications, and—most importantly—your data. Calling all servers . . . The "attack surface" comprises the sum of all exposed points through various vectors that an attacker could target to compromise a computing device or network. You can group the attack vectors into three main categories: the channel (a listening TCP/UDP port), assets (which include applications, services, webpages, files, executables, etc.), and access (user credentials). Below is a breakdown of the various attack vector options available to attackers. The channel —typically an exposed-to-the-internet communications protocol like TCP or UDP—allows all entities on the internet to communicate with each ot...

In every industry, Active Directory (AD) and Entra ID are the de facto standard identity directories . While cloud environments are becoming more prevalent, many industries' governing bodies require sensitive and private data and the applications utilized by them to remain on the premises. The hybrid combination of AD and Entra ID creates a complex web of identities in domains and forests that are often managed from separate consoles, creating a costly and risky administrative challenge. The complexity of hybrid environments often results in vulnerabilities that can put businesses at risk. These vulnerabilities take the form of privilege sprawl as a result of mergers, acquisitions, mobility within a company, and the resulting creation or addition of new identity accounts. Each individual identity account requires specific rights to access corporate resources. How those rights are allocated and protected is critical to an organization's security and productivity. Any gaps create s...

The #1 threat to technical work at scale is poor communication. Many engineers, data scientists, and other technical professionals I've worked with are brilliant when it comes to solving hard problems, but they often struggle with the softer side of their work–the people skills—which are critical to their success. Especially since it's only a matter of time before co-pilots take over the captain's seat of technical tasks.  Communication: Catalyst or Ceiling A study conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center found that 85% of job success comes from soft skills (such as people skills), whereas only 15% stems from hard skills (such as technical capabilities). Soft skills can distinguish you to help preserve or even further your career, but if they're not developed, they can create a ceiling over your growth. When you lack people skills, especially interpersonal communication, your projects suffer. This is especially true for cross-functio...

Coined in 2010 by Forrester Research , the term "zero trust" has long been hijacked by security vendors eager to take advantage of the hype that surrounds the concept. Today, it's so overused and misused that many see it as a meaningless buzzword—but that's far from the truth. In fact, its widespread misappropriation demonstrates the power of zero trust security. Why else would countless vendors try to capitalize on it? As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Zero trust is not a mere label. Rather, zero trust is an architecture—though you'll also hear of a zero trust methodology, framework, paradigm, and infrastructure—and it's based on the idea of zero implicit trust, meaning no one should be trusted by default. The key zero trust principle of least-privileged access says a user should be given access only to a specific IT resource the user is authorized to access, at the moment that user needs it, and nothing more. Hence the zero trust maxim,...

The software supply chain has become a prime target for cyberattacks, with incidents like SolarWinds and Log4j demonstrating the critical vulnerabilities inherent in today's development ecosystems. The growing reliance on open source software (OSS) amplifies this risk, with recent studies showing that up to 90% of modern applications rely on open source components. This article explores how organizations can mitigate software supply chain risks while continuing to leverage the innovation and flexibility of OSS. Why Software Supply Chains Are at Risk At its core, the supply chain relies on a complex web of contributors, libraries, and dependencies—each presenting a potential attack vector. Attackers exploit this complexity by injecting malicious code into trusted packages or targeting the infrastructure itself. Key risks include: Dependency Hell: Updating software is often so complex and fraught with technical risks that many developers avoid the process altogether, leaving them...

As data breaches and cyber threats become the norm rather than the exception, the imperative to fortify cybersecurity measures has become critical. Microsoft 365, the leading enterprise productivity platform, is at the heart of many organizations' daily operations — and therefore is a prime target for cyber-attackers. Ransomware remains one of the most aggressive cyber threats to organizations. A reported 76% of businesses have experienced at least one attack within the last year , the results of which yielded disrupted operations, substantial financial losses, and reputational damage. For SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365, the threat is even more pronounced due to the vast amounts of sensitive data processed and stored daily.  Below, we will investigate the cybersecurity landscape surrounding Microsoft 365. As we do so, we will examine the prevalence of ransomware threats and identify many commonly implemented and robust strategies that are proven to enhance cyber resilience an...

As I usually say: 'attackers are lazy'. In other words, they always follow the path of least resistance. As defenders catch up with their tactics, techniques, and procedures, the asymmetric gap between offensive and defensive capability shrinks, pushing attackers to shift their battlefield strategy, perpetuating a game that repeats over and over again. Take, for example, endpoint protection. For the last few years, endpoint protection, detection, and response have been the centerpiece of security strategies. As modern endpoint security products get better at anticipating threats based on AI-based engines, providing richer visibility and more contextual detection capabilities, attackers are pivoting away from them, looking for 'blind spots' in your architecture, leveraging vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in network devices, supply chains, and even firmware embedded deep within devices, areas where security visibility is limited. This trend is particularly significant due to the ...

Two years ago, who would have thought that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would transform how we interact with information? With the latest advancements in OpenAI and Anthropic models, breaking all limits with every new release, agents are inevitable. Last month, Anthropic released their "Computer agent," which can control a computer to perform actions based on user prompts. This raises some serious concerns: How does access control work? Imagine you have an army of agents, each specializing in a particular area. Would you be comfortable delegating all your access to these agents? Before getting to it, let's define what an AI Agent is. AWS defines an agent as "a software program that can interact with its environment, collect data, and use the data to perform self-determined tasks to meet predetermined goals." Few Facts About Agents Agents are "smart" computing units capable of performing tasks, but here are a few things to note: Humans are responsible for setting goals, and an a...

If you're like most people, your inbox overflows daily with a mix of important messages, random ads, and updates you didn't ask for. It's easy to miss what really matters. This inbox-overload mirrors what's happening in AppSec: security teams are overwhelmed with endless alerts and notifications, with only a handful pointing to actual risks. And while infrastructure and development environments have evolved radically in the past decade, AppSec tools haven't kept pace. The result? Outdated tools that can't sift out the noise, leaving teams struggling to focus on real threats amid a flood of alerts. As CEO of Backslash Security , I frequently hear from AppSec professionals who feel like they're stuck in reactive mode, juggling outdated tools that weren't designed for today's complex, cloud-native environments. These tools flood them with alerts, stretching their focus between routine notifications and the critical issues that could genuinely impact their applications. A few years ...