Incident Response

So, what is it we do?

16:09 18 April in analysis, cloud security, consultancy, Cyber security, Incident Response, Management, monitoring, security monitoring, security operations, small business, staff awareness, training by robp

So, what is it you do? I’m often asked by people outside the cyber security industry what is it, in fact, that I do. A reasonable question, and my usual answer is ‘stuff, for people’. Partly that is a hangover from the government days, and partly because consultancy is...

Five cyber security tips for a start-up

17:12 03 April in cloud security, Cyber security, Incident Response, Management, monitoring, Password manager, Patching, Privacy, staff awareness by robp

So you’re a start-up and you’re worried about security. Well, caring about cyber security is a good thing, and doing so right at the beginning means you can start right now and ensure you maintain the good practice as you grow. Retro-fitting good security is...

Security Monitoring Services

18:01 15 March in analysis, attack, cloud security, consultancy, Cyber security, Incident Response, Management, monitoring, security operations, small business, Threats by robp

If you follow me on twitter, or read the blog here, you’ll know that I am very keen on security monitoring. Effective security monitoring means that you can spot bad stuff when it happens and take action promptly to remediate the problem, and importantly, limit...

Ransomware Malware Cyber Crime Illustration

Protecting against Ransomware

10:21 01 October in attack, Cyber security, hack, Incident Response, phishing, security operations, staff awareness, Threats, training by robp

Ransomware is a particularly unpleasant, and very prevalent, form of cyber criminality. It’s called ransomware because you, the victim, are literally held to ransom. All files stored on your computer are encrypted, and the criminals will only provide the key to decrypt when you pay...

What to do following the British Airways Breach

14:21 16 September in analysis, attack, Cyber security, hack, Incident Response, monitoring, security monitoring, Threats by robp

If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the news in the last couple of weeks, you’ll be aware that British Airways had a significant and embarrassing problem with their website. You can read about it here, with quotes from me! I, and most...

Getting the Most Out of Wireshark

09:55 18 July in analysis, Cyber security, Incident Response, security operations by Jag

What is Wireshark and who uses it? As described on wireshark.org "Wireshark is the world’s foremost and widely-used network protocol analyzer. It lets you see what’s happening on your network at a microscopic level and is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many commercial and...

Industrial complex at night, brightly lit

Are cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated?

14:36 04 July in Cyber security, Espionage, hack, Incident Response by robp

If you read cyber security related stories in the news, or receive any kind of sales or marketing brochures from cyber security companies, you will doubtless hear that cyber attacks are becoming more 'sophisticated'. Additionally any company that ever has to publicly admit to being hacked...

Jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces revealing the word security

So you’re in charge of cyber security, part the 2nd

16:08 06 May in Cyber security, Incident Response, Management, phishing, small business by robp

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post giving some advice on what you should do first if you find yourself in charge of cyber security at your organisation. You can read it here. I thought I'd follow up on that post, with some...

Data Network on a Corporate System as Art in blue, yellow and red

Data breaches in the news

17:54 29 April in Cyber security, hack, Incident Response, Management by robp

Data breaches have been in the news a lot recently. We've had the Panama Papers, which have caused so many unflattering headlines for many of our clearly above board and honest guv'nor world leaders. A large amount of data apparently from Qatar National Bank turned...

Did hackers disrupt the Ukrainian power grid, and Swedish airspace?

10:44 14 April in cloud security, Cyber security, cyber warfare, hack, Incident Response by robp

The idea of disruptive hacking has long been a favourite of the media and certain talking heads. The idea that a dedicated team with laptops could take out the power and other critical services across a whole country is one that captures the imagination, and...