Administration | Branden R. Williams, Business Security Specialist

January 2012 Roundup standard

What was popular in January? We’re already one month down in this new year and most of us have our sites set on RSA Conference in three weeks. Let’s talk infosec! Here are the five most popular posts from last month: Myth Busting with Ben Tomhave and Corporate Responsibility with Ben Tomhave took the top two spots this month. Ben Tomhave and I got into a fun discussion over Twitter that ended up going in two directions. First, can merchants self-assess, negating the need for a QSA-lead merchant assessment? Intelligence Driven Security. The latest Security for Business Innovation Council report is out, and one key indicator is that we have tuned our systems to support compliance, not security. Read this ...

Herding Cats: Persona You (January 2012) standard

Have you checked out ISSA Connect yet? The next issue is up there with my column, Persona You. You can also download the November and December issues. I didn’t post them here as I have been tied up with a few other things! What does your online persona look like? This month’s column talks about the state of privacy in which we exist. Just last month we had a flurry of activity around CarrierIQ and the specific implementations for various carriers. Now you can see a little more into some of the other issues that can come along with your online persona. If you are a member, log into ISSA Connect and join the discussion! Interact with great professionals globally ...

2011, A Year in Review standard

2011 is in the books, and we’re looking ahead to what promises to be an interesting year for everyone. Economic uncertainty promotes crime, and more of our assets are migrating to an electronic medium every day. We saw big breaches. BIG breaches. Hactivisim and state sponsored cyber-warfare lead the pack on the biggest and most devastating breaches of 2011. This year we talked about PCI DSS as we normally do, but later in the year we made a decided shift in our focus to security—something I hope anyone dealing with PCI DSS has already done. I think you all liked the shift as well, considering the top four were written in the last half of the year. Here are the ...

November 2011 Roundup standard

What was popular in November? It looks like retail is having a good time, and we added jobs and reduced unemployment while a major airline declared bankruptcy. Here are the five most popular posts from last month: Attack the Humans First. For the second month in a row, this one took the top spot! The attackers are changing, and we’re not changing fast enough to combat them. Check out this post that goes through the human element of information security. Where is your Chaos Monkey? This one is in the top five for the second month in a row as well. Netflix has one, where’s yours? PCI DSS Feedback Period Begins Today! Everyone has an opinion about PCI DSS, so ...

Herding Cats: Build Security In (October 2011) standard

Have you checked out ISSA Connect yet? The next issue is up there with my column, Build Security In. I’ve been on a kick lately talking to people about built-in security. Humans make too many mistakes to rely on a bolt-on mentality for security, and building it in is one great way to add in a fail-safe wall for protection. If you are a member, log into ISSA Connect and join the discussion! Interact with great professionals globally as well as the authors that you enjoy reading every month. If you are not a member, sign up today! Possibly Related Posts: Top Posts from 2015 October 2015 Roundup September 2015 Roundup August 2015 Roundup June-July 2015 Roundup

September 2011 Roundup standard

What was popular in September? The PCI Community Meeting in Scottsdale was one big highlight! I spent a week in AZ dealing with all manner of PCI-related topics. And we also saw Oracle’s CSO go out on a limb she probably shouldn’t have, especially in light of the MySQL defacement that happened last week. Be sure to check out all my “Conversation” interviews! Here are the five most popular posts from last month: PCI Community Meeting Day 1 Observations. This month is all about PCI, and specifically the community meeting and things leading up to and following. What was Day 1 like? Check this post for a preview of the social-media heavy meeting! PCI Community Meeting 2011, That’s A Wrap. ...

August 2011 Roundup standard

What was popular in August? I had some fun with Visa’s TIP program, and in fact, just made a final post on the topic (for now) yesterday. Merchants in the middle of technology upgrades have some decisions to make on what they deploy and how they choose to process payments. We also saw our first (that I have a record of) public revocation of a QSA’s status. Here are the five most popular posts from last month: PCI Coucil Revokes QSA Status (Finally?) It had to happen SOME time. With QSA popularity at an all time low, it looks like the Council finally took action against a QSA. See the details here, including some instructions on what to do if ...

July 2011 Roundup standard

What was popular in July? It was an Apple friendly month with more iCloud discussions, Lion, replacing my iPhone, and polls about a stricter PCI DSS. We also saw some mobile payment applications make their way back onto the PA-DSS approved application list, and a flurry of discussion around social media, mostly centered on Google+. Here are the five most popular posts from last month: Security Tips for Non Techies. What is it that you do again? The truly brilliant among us can take our complex jobs and describe them to non-techies in words they understand. But how do you explain the WHY and HOW in simple terms? Don’t fret, DHS did it for you. Learn more here! Audience Participation: ...

Herding Cats July, Breaches Can’t Happen to Us standard

Have you checked out ISSA Connect yet? The next issue is up there with my column, Breaches Can’t Happen to Us. This one was fun for me as it follows a common theme you can expect from Ol’ Brando, the business end of security. Most security professionals have not had any sort of business training, or with some I have met, really give a flying futon about business. Before you go ask for more money in your budget, you should read this article. If you are a member, log into ISSA Connect and join the discussion! Interact with great professionals globally as well as the authors that you enjoy reading every month. If you are not a member, sign up ...

June 2011 Roundup standard

What was popular in June? It was iCloud, PCI Council fun with mobile payments and the updated prioritized approach document, and an older post that surfaced in the top five again this month around the quality of QSAs. Here are the five most popular posts from last month: iCloud Security Questions. WWDC unveiled some pretty cool new things from the overlords at Apple, but one of the most interesting to me was the unveiling of the iCloud service. Check my thoughts on some of the security concerns that must be addressed before you consider wide adoption. Updated Prioritized Approach. You cannot cookie-cutter PCI DSS, but if you see it as a crazy daunting task and are at a loss when ...

Categories ArchivesAdministration