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In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, safeguarding your organization against cyberattacks is more critical than ever. Traditional penetration testing (pentesting), while effective, often falls short due to its high costs, resource requirements, and infrequent implementation. Automated internal and external network pentesting is a game-changing solution, empowering organizations to stay ahead of attackers with cost-effective, frequent, and thorough security assessments. Strengthen Your Defenses: The Role of Internal and External Pentests  Effective cybersecurity requires addressing threats from both inside and outside your organization. Automated solutions streamline this process, enabling IT teams to implement a holistic and proactive defense strategy. Internal Pentesting: Securing the Core Internal pentesting simulates an attacker operating within your network, exposing vulnerabilities such as insider threats, compromised credentials, or breaches through physical or ...

Cybercriminals know that privileged accounts are the keys to your kingdom. One compromised account can lead to stolen data, disrupted operations, and massive business losses. Even top organizations struggle to secure privileged accounts. Why? Traditional Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions often fall short, leaving: Blind spots that limit full visibility. Complex deployment processes. Manual account discovery that's time-consuming. Weak enforcement of least privilege access. Gaps that let admins bypass controls. These flaws leave critical vulnerabilities that attackers exploit daily. But it doesn't have to be this way. In our webinar, " Preventing Privilege Escalation: Effective PAS Practices for Today's Threat Landscape , " we'll show you how to secure your privileged accounts and stay ahead of threats. What you'll gain: Close Security Gaps : Learn to find and fix vulnerabilities in your privileged accounts. Actionable Insights : Discover proven PAS strategies ...

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...

Many organizations struggle with password policies that look strong on paper but fail in practice because they're too rigid to follow, too vague to enforce, or disconnected from real security needs. Some are so tedious and complex that employees post passwords on sticky notes under keyboards, monitors, or desk drawers. Others set rules so loose they may as well not exist. And many simply copy generic standards that don't address their specific security challenges. Creating a password policy that works to protect your organization in the real world requires a careful balance: it must be strict enough to protect your systems, flexible enough for daily work, and precise enough to be enforced consistently. Let's explore five strategies for building a password policy that works in the real world. 1. Build compliant password practices Is your organization in a regulated industry like healthcare, government, agriculture, or financial services? If so, one of your top priorities...

Privileged access management (PAM) plays a pivotal role in building a strong security strategy. PAM empowers you to significantly reduce cybersecurity risks, gain tighter control over privileged access, achieve regulatory compliance, and reduce the burden on your IT team.  As an established provider of a PAM solution , we've witnessed firsthand how PAM transforms organizational security. In this article, we aim to show you how PAM can secure your company in real, impactful ways.  1. Enforcing the principle of least privilege Giving users just enough access to perform their duties is fundamental to maintaining a robust security posture. PAM solutions enable you to grant minimum permissions to employees essential for their work, helping you prevent privilege misuse and potential security incidents. For example, with PAM, you can securely grant access to sensitive payment systems exclusively for your finance department. When you enforce the principle of least privilege at t...

IT leaders know the drill—regulators and cyber insurers demand regular network penetration testing to keep the bad guys out. But here's the thing: hackers don't wait around for compliance schedules. Most companies approach network penetration testing on a set schedule, with the most common frequency being twice a year (29%), followed by three to four times per year (23%) and once per year (20%), according to the Kaseya Cybersecurity Survey Report 2024 . Compliance-focused testing can catch vulnerabilities that exist at the exact time of testing, but it's not enough to stay ahead of attackers in a meaningful way. Why More Frequent Testing Makes Sense When companies test more often, they're not just checking a box for compliance—they're actually protecting their networks. The Kaseya survey also points out that the top drivers for network penetration testing are: Cybersecurity Control and Validation (34%) – ensuring the security controls work and vulnerabilities are minimized. Re...

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun revolutionizing Identity Access Management (IAM), reshaping how cybersecurity is approached in this crucial field. Leveraging AI in IAM is about tapping into its analytical capabilities to monitor access patterns and identify anomalies that could signal a potential security breach. The focus has expanded beyond merely managing human identities — now, autonomous systems, APIs, and connected devices also fall within the realm of AI-driven IAM, creating a dynamic security ecosystem that adapts and evolves in response to sophisticated cyber threats. The Role of AI and Machine Learning in IAM AI and machine learning (ML) are creating a more robust, proactive IAM system that continuously learns from the environment to enhance security. Let's explore how AI impacts key IAM components: Intelligent Monitoring and Anomaly Detection AI enables continuous monitoring of both human and non-human identities , including APIs, service acc...

Cyber threats are intensifying, and cybersecurity has become critical to business operations. As security budgets grow, CEOs and boardrooms are demanding concrete evidence that cybersecurity initiatives deliver value beyond regulation compliance. Just like you wouldn't buy a car without knowing it was first put through a crash test, security systems must also be validated to confirm their value. There is an increasing shift towards security validation as it allows cyber practitioners to safely use real exploits in production environments to accurately assess the efficiency of their security systems and identify critical areas of exposure, at scale. We met with Shawn Baird, Associate Director of Offensive Security & Red Teaming at DTCC, to discuss how to effectively communicate the business value of his Security Validation practices and tools to his upper management. Here is a drill down into how Shawn made room for security validation platforms within his already tight budget an...

We've all heard a million times: growing demand for robust cybersecurity in the face of rising cyber threats is undeniable. Globally small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks but often lack the resources for full-time Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). This gap is driving the rise of the virtual CISO (vCISO) model, offering a cost-effective solution, and giving SMBs access to strategic security leadership.  For MSPs and MSSPs this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Over 94% of service providers recognize the increasing need for vCISO services, yet, over 25% of providers report lacking the cybersecurity and compliance expertise needed to offer vCISO services.  This gap is exactly why the vCISO Academy was created —to empower service providers with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in this evolving landscape.  The vCISO Academy is a free, professional learning platform designed to equip ...

Meta has been fined 21.62 billion won ($15.67 million) by South Korea's data privacy watchdog for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with advertisers without their consent. The country's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said Meta gathered information such as religious affiliations, political views, and same-sex marital status of about 980,000 domestic Facebook users and shared it with 4,000 advertisers. "Specifically, it was found that behavioral information, such as the pages that users 'liked' on Facebook and the ads they clicked on, was analyzed to create and operate advertising topics related to sensitive information," the PIPC said in a press statement. These topics categorized users as following a certain religion, identifying them as a gay or transgender person, or being a defector from North Korea, it added.  T...

Zero Trust security changes how organizations handle security by doing away with implicit trust while continuously analyzing and validating access requests. Contrary to perimeter-based security, users within an environment are not automatically trusted upon gaining access. Zero Trust security encourages continuous monitoring of every device and user, which ensures sustained protection after successful user authentication. Why companies adopt Zero Trust security Companies adopt Zero Trust security to protect against complex and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. This addresses the limitations of traditional, perimeter-based security models, which include no east-west traffic security, the implicit trust of insiders, and lack of adequate visibility.  Traditional vs. Zero Trust security Zero Trust security upgrades an organization's security posture by offering: Improved security posture : Organizations can improve their security posture by continuously gathering data on...

Navigating the complexities of compliance frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, or GDPR can be daunting. Luckily, Intruder simplifies the process by helping you address the key vulnerability management criteria these frameworks demand, making your compliance journey much smoother. Read on to understand how to meet the requirements of each framework to keep your customer data safe. How Intruder supports your compliance goals Intruder's continuous vulnerability scanning and automated reporting help you meet the security requirements of multiple frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, Cyber Essentials, and GDPR. Here are three core ways Intruder can support you: 1. Making vulnerability management easy Security can be complicated, but your tools shouldn't be. Intruder's always-on platform brings together multiple powerful scanning engines, delivering comprehensive protection that goes beyond traditional vulnerability management. Covering application, cloud, internal, and netwo...

Sherlock Holmes is famous for his incredible ability to sort through mounds of information; he removes the irrelevant and exposes the hidden truth. His philosophy is plain yet brilliant: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Rather than following every lead, Holmes focuses on the details that are needed to move him to the solution. In cybersecurity, exposure validation mirrors Holmes' approach: Security teams are usually presented with an overwhelming list of vulnerabilities, yet not every vulnerability presents a real threat. Just as Holmes discards irrelevant clues, security teams must eliminate exposures that are unlikely to be exploited or do not pose significant risks. Exposure validation (sometimes called Adversarial Exposure Validation) enables teams to concentrate on the most significant issues and minimize distractions. Similar to Holmes' deductive reasoning, validation of exposures directs organizations towa...