I was watching a panelist discussion post-mortem discussing firsthand knowledge of 25 major ransomware-style breaches. One of the panelists was an award-winning, ex-NSA offensive hacker. One item that was stressed as a common theme across many breaches was credential theft being the number one way bad people get into the network.

Tech Tidbit – Online Credential Theft

Weekly Tech Tidbit – I challenge you to prove your backups work
“None shall pass” -The Black Knight “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” Today I would like to challenge you to “test two aspects of your network backups. Most of you have never done this because yPreview (opens in a new tab)ou are “too busy putting out fires”. It is summer.

Weekly Tech Tidbit – The attack of the Smart TVs
A few years ago, in a Tech Talk I talked about a major college that suffered a complete network lockout due to a soda machine that introduced malware into the network that sought out all the default passwords on their devices and locked out an estimated 5,000 devices that each had to be manually […]

Tech Tidbit – The pain of changing passwords
“Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anyone else use it and change it every six months” -Clifford Stoll Password security is always on our minds. The NYS Comptroller’s Office technology audits love to list this in audit reports as an area that needs improvement.

Microsoft releases an out of band patch for Domain Controllers addressing authentication issues
I wanted to update you on the Microsoft authentication issues caused by the May patches. Microsoft has released an “out of band” update for the on-going Microsoft authentication issues stemming from the May Microsoft Domain Controller patches.

Tech Tidbit – My Achilles Heel – Closing your District’s Vulnerability Gaps
“Legends state that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for one heel because when his mother Thetis dipped him in the River Styx as an infant, she held him by one of his heels. Alluding to these legends, the term “Achilles’ heel” has come to mean a point of weakness, especially in […]

CSI’s Cybersecurity Event Session – Cisco Umbrella and Duo – Recording Available
Please join us for CSI’s Cybersecurity Event, Session Three! We will continue to build the list of actions you can take to better protect your district from the current threat landscape. Speaker: Justin Pennock, Cisco Cybersecurity Sales Specialist Session Description: Go on the offensive and join us for a demo on Cisco Umbrella […]

Securing Active Directory Part 4 – Recording Available
Over the first three Securing Active Directory webinars, we have covered a lot of ground. If you haven’t watched them, I would encourage you to do so as they are every bit as relevant today as they were when we did them over the last couple of years.

Your Technology “To-Do’s” for Summer ’21 – Recording Available
Would you like a more organized, hardened environment considering today’s threat landscape? What actions can you take to foster better outcomes for the district should you be audited? What should you do in the interim if you can’t get the funding you need to properly secure your district? The good news is there are […]

Weekly Tech Tidbit – When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” – FedEx As many of you know, Bob and I have been doing this for a while – 41 years in fact. And through all those years, every day is new and fun. Thanks for your support and friendship and trust through all those years.