Articles by 'Steve Gold'

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

I recently became a fan of “Black Mirror” and especially the above named episode. In this episode, the story revolves around a young man named Kenny who becomes the victim of a malicious hacker group. Kenny's life takes a dark turn when he is caught in a web of cybercrime after his computer is compromised and he is blackmailed through his browser and email client. Infection and Surveillance: Kenny's computer is infected with malware that allows the hacker group to monitor his online activiti... read more.

• January 30, 2024

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

In Episode 18 of Season 5 of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” the USS Enterprise becomes ensnared in a time loop, a phenomenon that causes the ship to repeatedly experience the same sequence of events. This time loop not only endangers the ship, but also poses a severe threat to the crew's safety and the ship's mission The character Data, played by Brent Spiner, is an android with a positronic brain that enables him to retain memories in ways that the rest of the crew cannot. As the time loop... read more.

• January 23, 2024

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

In the film "The Dark Knight," the character of Batman (played by Christian Bale) uses an advanced surveillance system called the "Bat-Sonar." This technology enables him to turn every cell phone in Gotham City into a high-frequency microphone, creating a real-time audio surveillance network. Batman activates this system to locate the Joker and gather vital information to prevent his destructive plans. Batman's Bat-Sonar provides real-time information that allows him to respond swiftly to emerging threats.... read more.

• January 16, 2024

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

“This is the way” is part of the Mandalorian creed. In the popular Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” we follow a lone bounty hunter known as Din Djarin. Din Djarin wears a helmet and adheres to a strict code of conduct as a member of the Mandalorian. Much like Din Djarin's helmet, which protects his identity and records his journey, an audit log collects data and records every event within an organization's digital assets. Every action taken within the digital environment is logge... read more.

• January 09, 2024

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

PC Load Letter. The “Check Engine” light of the HP LaserJet II, III, and IV models. This message was supposed to mean Paper Cassette Load Letter and indicate that there was no letter sized paper in the Paper Cassette. What it actually meant was both everything and nothing. It could’ve meant that the manual paper tray was open, empty, had the wrong paper, or like all electronics, needed to be rebooted. This “error message” became very popular in the movie Office Space. Office S... read more.

• January 03, 2024

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

If you’re a Mandy Patinkin fan like I am, you can quote many lines from The Princess Bride and have watched the acclaimed series Homeland, where he played CIA Director, Saul Berenson. In Season 7 of Homeland, Saul Berenson’s phone gets hacked because it is running outdated software. This scenario highlights several key points relevant to the importance of regular updates and patches. Exploitation of Vulnerabilities: The show demonstrates how hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in s... read more.

• December 19, 2023

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

So how does a round trip flight to Mars, with an extended layover for one lucky astronaut, relate to establishing a remediation process around vulnerabilities? Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, finds himself stranded on Mars after his crew mistakenly believes he died during a severe storm and leaves the planet without him. The movie follows Watney as he faces numerous challenges and risks associated with survival on Mars. His approach to these challenges can be likened to a risk-based remediation strategy... read more.

• December 12, 2023

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

Always! I was going to continue to use movie or television references to highlight the importance of this CIS Safeguard but realistically, there isn’t one. There are plenty of examples where the lack of an effective Vulnerability Management Process caused a breach. Here are just a few: Equifax (2017): One of the most notable breaches in recent history. Equifax, a major credit reporting agency, suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people. The breach occurred du... read more.

• November 15, 2023

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

This line from “The Fugitive” portrays Dr. Richard Kimble (played by Harrison Ford), a vascular surgeon who was wrongly convicted of his wife's murder. After escaping custody, he set out to prove his innocence while being pursued by Deputy Marshall, Samuel Gerard (played by Tommy Lee Jones). In a face-to-face standoff, Richard says, “I didn’t kill my wife.” Deputy Gerard responds with, “I don’t care.” One of the best responses to that line, in my humble opinio... read more.

• November 07, 2023

By Steve Gold, Posted in Security

One of my favorite movies is WarGames. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading immediately cause I’m going to spoil it for you. In the movie, David Lightman (played by Mathew Broderick) uses a technique called wardialing, where his computer dials every phone number in a given area to find a modem at the other end. David discovers a modem for a military supercomputer aka WOPR (War Operation Plan Response, because everything needs an acronym). Once he's connected, he relies on easily guessable passw... read more.

• October 31, 2023