Why Regular Security Audits Are Crucial For Business

 In Todays constatly evolving cyber threat landscape, it's no longer enough for organizations to install firewalls and antivirus software and call it a day. Cyberattacks are growing more complex, regulations are tightening, and even one security gap can lead to major data b reaches or legal consequences. That's why regular security audits have become an essential part of modern cybersecurity strategy.

A security audit is a comprehensive review and evaluations of an organizations IT infrastructure, policies, and procedures to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and non-compliance issues. It can include reviewing firewalls, access controls, data protection protocols, employee practices, and much more.

Why do Security Audits Matter:

1. Uncover Hidden Vulnerabilities:
   Cybercriminals are always probing for weaknesses. A thorough audit can catch vulnerabilities—like outdated software, exposed ports, or overly permissive access rights—before attackers do.

2. Ensure Regulatory Compliance:
   Many industries must follow strict laws regarding data protection. Regular audits help demonstrate compliance with frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, or HIPAA, helping you avoid fines and legal issues.

3. Prevent Data Breaches:
   According to IBM’s 2023 Data Breach Report, the average cost of a breach is over $4.45 million. Audits can identify areas of risk and provide the guidance needed to improve defenses and protect sensitive customer data.

4. Boost Customer and Stakeholder Trust:
   When clients know your company takes security seriously—through certifications or audit reports—it builds trust and credibility.

5. Improve Internal Processes:
   Security audits don’t just reveal flaws—they can help streamline processes, improve employee training, and promote a proactive security culture across departments.

Source: https://auditboard.com/blog/what-is-security-audit

Multi-Factor Authentication is non longer optional

 MFA has become a must have for personal and business cybersecurity. This post can explain why passwords alone are no longer secure, how MFA works, and why every major platform is pushing users to enable it. 

Passwords are the weakest link in security. They're often reused, easily guessed, or stolen through phishing scams. In many recent high-profile beaches, like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack or celebrity Icloud leaks, compromised login credentials were the root cause. 

In the workplace, MFA is especially critical, Employees often access sensitive systems and cloud services remotely. Without MFA, one Weak password could compromise an entire business network. That's why agencies like CISA recommend that all business enforce MFA across all users, especially for administrator accounts, VPNs, email, and cloud apps.

Enabling MFA takes only a few minutes, but can save you from months of damage control after a cyberattack. Whether you are securing personal emails or a corporate network, MFA is one of the easiest and most effective steps you can take. 

So don't wait until it happens to you, secure your account today with MFA.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/MFA

- Joshua Xiong

How Safe is Public Wi-fi

 According to Forbes Advisor, public Wi-Fi especially open networks without passwords poses significant threats. In fact, nearly "40% of users have had their information compromised" on such networks. Attackers exploit weaknesses like man-in-the-middle interceptions, rogue hotspots, and eavesdropping, letting them capture credentials, financial data, or private messages transmitted over insecure connections.

Public hotspots also often use captive portals, which are pop-up login pages, that may include trackers or third party scrips collecting data even before users agree to terms. The infrastructure itself, such as when your device connects to an encrypted Wi-Fi but travels over an unencrypted wired network, adds another layer of exposure.

I believe sharing this with you guys will provide significant and show you the risks of public Wi-Fi's and how it may impact your life and even your device that you are using. A few tips to stay safe in public is trying to us VPN to encrypt your traffic, avoid sensitive activities on public Wi-Fi, Disable Auto connection and filesharing on public networks. These are a few tips to stay safe on public networks.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/public-wifi-risks/

Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

The article from TechTarget explains what Internet of Things (IoT) devices are and why they've become such a major part of our ever day lives. At the most basic level, an IoT device is any physical object that connects to the internet to collect or exchange data. These aren't traditional computers or smartphones, instead they include things like smart thermostats, wearable fitness trackers, connected appliances, or even industrial sensors in factories. The key idea is that these devices add connectivity and intelligence to ever day objects.

This article also breaks down how these devices work. Most IoT devices rely on sensors to collect real world data, like temperature, motion, or location. Which they then send to other systems over wireless networks such as wi-fi, Bluetooth, or cellular. Some devices use gateways or edge computing to process data locally before sending it to the cloud. IoT ecosystems are build from layers: the hardware, the network, and the backend systems that analyze and act on the data.

One of the biggest concerns raised in the article is security and privacy. Since IoT devices are often small and not always updated regularly, they can become easy targets for cyberattacks. Many also collect sensitive personal data, raising issues around how that information is stored and protected. The article emphasizes the importance of strong security practices, like using encryption, secure authentication, and regular firmware updates, especially as IoT devices continue to grow in number and importance.

 Source: https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/IoT-device

Zero Trust Architecture (week 2)

     I decided to write about Zero Trust Architecture(ZTA) as it represents a fundamental shift from traditional perimeter-based defenses to a security model premised on a "neve trust, always verify." introduced by Forrester analyst John Kindervag in 2010, ZTA demands that every access request, whether it originates inside or outside the network, be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated before granting the least-privilege access to resources. At its core, ZTA relies on three technical pillars, which are robust identity authentication to confirm its legitimacy of users and devices, fine grained access control to limit permissions strictly to what's necessary, and dynamic trust assessment to adapt policies in real time based on contextual signals.

    Despite its promise, the adoption of ZTA faces several challenges. Many organizations remain unaware of ZTA's benefits and struggle to retrofit legacy systems designed for static perimeters. Encryption and proprietary protocols can obscure critical telemetry, complicating trust evaluations, while the cost and complexity of implementing continuous, machine driven policy updates can deter resource constrained teams. Looking ahead, future trends include tighter integration with AI-powered analytics for adaptive trust scoring, standardization around frameworks such as NIST's ZTA guidelines, and expanded support for emerging environments like IoT and edge computing. Efforts that will be crucial for scaling Zero Trust from pilot projects to enterprise wise deployments.

Implementing ZTA in the real world also reveals valuable lessons about the challenges and paths forward. Organizations often struggle to retrofit legacy systems into a zero trust framework, hindered by limited visibility into encrypted traffic, incomplete understanding of ZTA's benefits, and the upfront cost of continuous monitoring and policy orchestration.

Here is the resource document I read:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2022/6476274

Cybersecurity Ethics

     Cybersecurity Ethics has become increasingly critical as the digital landscape evolves and cyber threats grow as well. Ethics in this field serves as a foundational guidepost, defining right and wrong actions to protect individuals and organizations from harm. Considering phishing, which is one of the oldest cybercrimes dating back to 1990s, which in the document i read said to cause over $4 billion in loses in 2020, underscoring the high stakes at play. Ethical principles distinguish cybersecurity professionals from malicious actors, while hackers exploit vulnerabilities to steal or corrupt data, ethical practitioners use the same skill to fortify defenses and safeguard sensitive information.

    Navigating the ethical landscape requires balancing powerful tools with strong moral responsibility. While hat hacking, for example, involves using privileged access to probe systems for vulnerabilities., but only with explicit authorization and strict adherence to agreed upon rules of engagement. Professional must also guard privacy, preventing unauthorized access that can lead to identity theft or reputational damage, and protect property, safeguarding both digital assets and critical infrastructure from disruptive attacks. Decisions about resource allocation, such as whether to deploy a time consuming, costly patch, demands a clear ethical framework to prioritize actions that serve the greater good of stake holds. Prompt transparency and disclosure of vulnerabilities, ideally within 72 hours of discovery, helps coordinate a collective response and empowers affected parties to mitigate their own risks. Cultivating a robust ethical culture, through well defined codes of conduct, continuous education, and leadership commitments. This ensures cybersecurity professionals can uphold integrity and public trusts as they confront problems and challenges that are constantly growing and changing.

Here is the resource I used:

https://www.augusta.edu/online/blog/cybersecurity-ethics