Wireless installations are often seen as an easy replacement for cables, particularly in situations where running wires or fiber optics is impractical or too costly. While wireless solutions can be convenient, even the simplest application of a wireless networking standard can come with challenges that need careful planning and troubleshooting. This article provides insight into the planning and deployment of a successful wireless installation.
Weaponising Social Media
The psychology behind the misinformation was mostly covered last time, so we’re going to look more at the mechanics that enable them. We’ll take a look at fake social media accounts, botnets, and automated amplification to exploit social media algorithms.
Keeping Your Edge: Listen in Totality
Someone said this quote to me a long time ago and it really resonated. It was one of those things where the more I thought about what it actually meant, the more insight I gained from just those few short words. The quote itself originated from the American poet, Maya Angeolu. And while it’s very unlikely social media was on her mind, or even a thing, when she drafted it, I think it’s very fitting on how it plays into society today.
The One Percent
Cybersecurity provider NTT Security reports that five countries are the most common sources to 50 percent of global cyberattacks (Figure 2). Akamai states that two-thirds of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyberattacks originate in ten countries. Symantec, another provider, adds 13 more countries for a total of 23 countries, which are homes to the worst cyber offenders and who are responsible for two-thirds of all malicious internet activity.
Social Media Engineering
Take just one example the conspiracy theories around 5G were quickly re-tailored to incorporate Bill Gates and George Soros as targets, and were effective enough that there were arson attacks against 5G infrastructure. In other words, a few memes and videos, along with the use of these techniques (whether deliberate, or accidental, but there is strong evidence of deliberate action) were enough to cause homegrown domestic terrorism attacks on UK soil.
Ways to See the Threat Before it Happens
Threat modelling is widely in use, whether knowingly or not, across every walk of life – and has been used since time immemorial to prioritise security defences. The only difference between the well-known risk assessments carried out by everyone and threat modelling in cyber security is the attempt to document and systemise it. I am hoping that this idea of formal threat modelling will be a useful tool for you to use in your future arsenal of available resources as a CP operator.
AlertEnterprise Reveals First-Ever Guardian AI Chatbot Powered by OpenAI ChatGPT
AlertEnterprise has unveiled its first-ever Guardian AI Chatbot powered by OpenAI ChatGPT. The chatbot will make its global debut at the ASIS Europe and ISC West trade events. Built on OpenAI’s GPT-3 platform, the Guardian AI Chatbot aims to provide security operators with instant access to critical physical access and security insights through quick questions and prompts.
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence is the information we obtain on a target or threat in order to locate them, gain information on their operations and to predict their future actions. Accurate intelligence is essential not only in security and counter-insurgency operations but also in the corporate world where companies need to know what their competitors are developing and planning.
Global Situation Report – November 2021
Each issue our global geopolitical partner, Stratfor, provides an in-depth analysis of global incidents via in-house experts, cutting edge technology and through a comprehensive globally sourced network. Here is your summary from the last 30 days.
Online Health Check for Protectors
As security professionals you may be an attack vector to your client if you do not maintain basic online security controls. At the very least you should be in a position to provide basic advice to your clients in order to help them stay secure.
Social Media Policies
Anyone who works for you and has their work title/position linked to your company represents your brand and is responsible for your reputation. They can also be a liability for you and may become the weak link of your company and their online activities are such that your competitors can use it against you.
Crisis Management and Social Media
Effective crisis management invariably involves social media, whether the organization is a large multi-national or a small hometown business. When a crisis erupts, the effective use of social media should be seen as a key priority to counteract the crisis.
Ransomware, Insurance, and Backups
Most people are not aware of the real impact and threat of ransomware campaigns going on almost constantly. While I’m sure everyone knows of the ransomware attack on the Colonial pipeline and the more recent similar attack on JBS, these are only the latest and most visible in a continuous stream of attacks. These are just the tip of the iceberg. The true scale is hidden not only by the media but also by a reluctance to talk about the problem.
Technology as a Standalone Security Solution – Are We Fooling Ourselves?
Is technology effective as a security solution or is it simply being misused? In this article, Ivor Terret shares his philosophy of the four pillars of effective and practical security and how they can only work together in conjunction – not as silos.
How anonymous are your conversations, really?
Maybe you’re a close protection officer, trying to arrange a safe route through a dangerous location, or a surveillance specialist trying to communicate with others in your team.
Perhaps you just don’t trust the local government. Whatever the situation, it’ll almost certainly be easier to focus on the task at hand if you aren’t worrying about whether your messages were possibly subject to being intercepted.
Cyber Security and Humans
Over 2020 cyber security and technology have only soared in terms of profile and importance, with talk about threats to remote working from technology, difficulties, and some dramatic outages. Logistics, enabled largely by technology, have been essential to keep things moving and give people support and normality.
Stalkers and Super Fans – When Does Being A Fan Go Too Far?
Have you ever noticed how we throw around words nonchalantly, without a giving a second thought as to their perceived meaning?
How many of us use the word “fan” on a daily basis, possibly without realizing that the word is derived from the word “fanatic”. Webster’s Dictionary defines a fanatic as a person who is extremely enthusiastic about, and devoted to, some interest or activity. In the entertainment world, fans are a necessity, because if there are no fans, there is no one to buy the tickets, the music, the books, movies, or the merchandise. In essence, without fans, there is no celebrity. Fans are however, not limited to the typical entertainment realm of musicians and actors, politicians, company executives, news personalities, and even private citizens can also attract their own set of fans in today’s society.
Hiding from OSINT
It often comes as a surprise just how much is available, and the nefarious uses it can be put to. OSINT can be applied towards defensive purposes, but we will be looking only at malicious purposes. One of the biggest challenges of OSINT is not merely recognising it as a threat, but encouraging the behavioural change needed to protect against it widely enough. It is not enough simply for a principal to stop posting Instagram pictures of their travels in order to hide them – their colleagues, friends, family, and employees also need to be aware of the need to take care with information which could be misused.
Industry News
We cast our eye over the main stories impacting the security industry. Here’s what’s appeared on the radar since the last issue.
How to be Cyber Safe When on Public WiFi
Connecting your device to the World Wide Web isn’t an issue when you’re at your place. It’s relatively safe, simple to do, and free of crowded traffic. When you leave the safety of your home to a public area, the story changes. When you connect to public Wi-Fi in different places, making certain you can still connect with people, read online news, and work remotely, are you aware of the risks?
