Careers in Cyber

Does this sound familiar?  You keep seeing headlines about cyber security, about information security, usually when there’s been a loss of passwords or data, sometimes about large fines being levied on companies for poor practice. You’ve heard that there are lots of vacancies in the world of cyber and would like to look at a … Continue reading Careers in Cyber

V is for …

VPN A virtual private network (VPN) is a form of network connection between two points which is encrypted. This helps protect the network traffic from being intercepted by others, and helps to keep the message secure. It’s a really good idea to use a VPN if you’re away from home eg in cafes or using … Continue reading V is for …

Social Engineering and Human Nature

I’m often asked, particularly by new entrants into cyber, what books they should read, and what podcasts they should listen to. The list of both is endless, but I thought I’d share some titles with you. Before we start though, a word about my relationship with books… I’m a passionate reader, and a compulsive purchaser … Continue reading Social Engineering and Human Nature

S is for …

Smishing This is very similar in concept to phishing, but instead of email being used to deliver malicious code or links to malicious website, SMS text messages are used. The messages often look as though they’ve come from someone you know and / or trust, but they have typically been spoofed to make you think they … Continue reading S is for …

R is for …

Red Team Just as penetration testers try to get access to an organisation electronically, red teams try to get physical access to the organisation. They use a combination of Open Source Intelligence gathering and social engineering to get access. These teams are typically engaged by senior management to test processes such as visitor registration, tailgating, signing in, … Continue reading R is for …

O is for …

On-premise This term is used to describe equipment which is physically located in your offices. The alternative would be a third party hosted service such as those offered by cloud hosting providers. Open Source Intelligence The internet is full of many sources of information, many of which are free. This is known as Open Source … Continue reading O is for …

Ghost in the Wires

Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and William L Simon is perhaps the seminal work on social engineering by one of the industry’s most famous exponents. Mitnick attained a certain amount of notoriety by going on the run for two years before finally being apprehended by the FBI, but I think that his biggest claim … Continue reading Ghost in the Wires