Lohrmann on Cybersecurity

As we attempt to connect our government technology dots over the past few years, there are many enduring themes and disruptive topics that keep showing up. So what was hot in 2017 that will endure well into 2018 and beyond? Here’s my rundown of technology trends that both elected leaders and government CxOs keep talking about — with highlights from the joint NASCIO/PTI Technology Forecast for 2018.

The false missile alert that was sent out from emergency management personnel in Hawaii last week sparked an initial public panic, national outrage, global media coverage and numerous government investigations. Official inquiries are ongoing and many more reports are coming, but what do we know so far? Here are the details and some of the lessons that we can take away.

How can you enhance your security career prospects? What are the top cybersecurity certifications and why do they help? Are employers requiring security certifications? To answer these questions and much more on cybersecurity certifications, I turned to Jay Bavisi, who is a top global expert on cybersecurity certifications and the founder and president of the EC-Council Group.

What were the top cybersecurity blog posts in 2017? The numbers don’t lie, and the metrics tell us what topics readers liked, and shared, and commented on, and viewed the most in the past year. Here are the top cyberblogs, with special emphasis on how cybersecurity impacted technology infrastructure and government technology people, cyberstories, along with societal impacts.

How can we provide better security for Internet of Things (IoT) devices? Yevgeny Dibrov writes that cybersecurity can be improved solely with technology improvements. I disagree. Here’s why I believe removing people from IoT security is ‘mission impossible.’

What will happen in cyberspace in 2018? How will technology impact the real world over the next year? Once again, the cybersecurity industry is full of security predictions, cybersecurity trend reports, cyber forecasts, IT security analysis and red-hot security examples to allow everyone to try to connect the dots to the future. Here’s your annual security industry prediction roundup from the top cybersecurity experts, magazines, companies, analysts and more.

As 2017 draws to a close, the record-breaking hurricane season tops the list of stories that we will ponder for decades. Nevertheless, the new cyberstorms in 2017 were just as potent, striking at the heart of our financial system with more unprecedented data breaches, cyberextortion, CEO fraud and fake news that undermined trust in virtually every area of life. Here’s your year-end cybersecurity and infrastructure roundup of the top online stories — and one attempt to connect the dots.

By Jan. 1, 2018, government contractors who work for the Department of Defense (DoD) or the intelligence community are mandated to comply with a NIST special publication 800-171. In addition, these security guidelines from NIST provide a meaningful road map for other government organizations and contractors regarding cybersecurity protections. Here’s an exclusive expert interview that offers details to help.

Another major data breach stunned the world in November, but this incident was unique in several ways. What can we all learn from the Uber data breach? Here’s an industry roundup of security analysts’ lessons learned from Uber, as well as my top takeaways for all of us.

What's really going on with data breaches, hackers and cybersecurity? The online world is dramatically changing all around us, so how can we understand recent hacking events? Football can help, here's why.

How can you stay secure online (and offline) as you shop this holiday season? Whether at home or work, whether braving the mall crowds on Black Friday or surfing the Net on Cyber Monday, what should you watch out for? Here’s a roundup of some of the best advice I’ve seen from credible sources.

What actions do organizations need to take to prepare for cybersecurity incidents? The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has answers in Special Publication 800-184, titled: 'Guide for Cybersecurity Event Recovery.' Here’s an exclusive interview with one of the authors.