Crucial Tech

Woke up this morning to the news that high-flying quantum cryptography company, Arqit, is being hit with fraud lawsuits in the UK and US throwing shade on the viability of its technology. In preparation for an article on the news for Cyber Protection Magazine I had a chat with Gerry Kennedy, CEO of Observatory Holdings, about the importance of the case not only for future standardization but to companies looking to keep data safe when quantum computing becomes a thing. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Much of the West has feared Russian aggression since the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962. Then it was their technologically superior military. Most recently it’s been their vaunted cyber warfare capabilities. This podcast episode is about the one positive coming out of the Ukraine war: the Russians are not as scary as we thought they were. Oh, they are still scary, but scary like a feral, rabid house cat, rather than a man-eating tiger. The genesis of this interview was a Linkedin post by Ian Thornton-Trump, who is something of a celebrity in the cybersecurity world. Ian is a certified IT professional with 25 years of experience in IT security and information technology. His post in Linked in, essentially said, “Russian cyber warfare? Meh.” That intrigued me so I sent him a private message and asked him to elaborate, and boy did he. So I invited him on the podcast. Turns out he’s a fan. Who knew? Be prepared to be encouraged. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast

This is the day you should not just THINK about backing up your data, but actually DO it. It really isn’t that hard. It can be done while you re getting a cup of coffee. It can be done automatically, and it can be done for free for most people. We spent a bit of time outlining all ways it can be done without muss or fuss. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

If you aren't a regular reader of Cyber Protection Magazine, shame on you. But this podcast might change your habits. We've created a list of secure messaging apps for you in the accompanying article with this podcast. And because we started with the article instead of the podcast, the details are there. But we decided to call Gerry Kennedy, CEO of Observatory Holdings and get a reality check on our qualifications for the list. He said we were on the right track but got into some detail. Gerry's company advises companies and insurance firms on how to mitigate liability and security is a big focus for them. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Cyber warfare has been an open secret for many years, but the conflict in Ukraine has brought it out into the open and includes more than government-sponsored hacking. Anonymous took out the broadcast network, Russia Today (RT) with a massive DDoS attack, and the Russian Duma and several military servers were similarly hit within the past 48 hours. Meanwhile, Ukrainian hackers aligned with Russia have been attacking the Ukrainian infrastructure, hoping to get on the payroll of the GRU. We talked with Dr. Pano Yannakogeorgos of NYU’s Center for Global Affairs about the relative preparedness of NATO countries for attacks from Russia and it's surrogates as well as the extent of guerrilla-type warfare from unaligned hackers on both sides. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

The security of our schools is always a concern. Many have been targeted by criminals with ransomware, so when a PR rep talked me into an interview on "What teachers need to know about cybersecurity?" I thought it was a good idea. That interview didn't work out but I remembered I knew a guy. Kyle Brumbaugh is the Director of Technology and Innovation at the Redwood City School District and has been an educator for decades. We had a great talk about how his district had prepared for the pandemic lockdown without actually knowing it was coming. More importantly, they took steps to make sure that the teachers didn't need to worry about security. It's a message of hope for the future. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Social Media companies have no real incentive to reduce the vitriol that fills their servers. The fact is that content that makes people angry is what drives engagement... and engagement means advertising revenue. It also makes a profitable hunting ground for cybercriminals. But that might not be the case over the next few years. Joe Basques and Lou Covey sit down to consider the sea change that is coming for social content. They look at the social media companies claim they are nothing more than telecommunication companies and court cases that may change how libel laws are applied. This conversation happened before the New York judge dismissed Sara Palin's libel suit against the New York Times, but in his dismissal, he set up an appeal that could go to the Supreme Court, exactly what Lou and Joe are predicting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Biometrics is something of a broad topic because it relates to any piece of information about you connected to your body that can be used to identify you. That includes fingerprints, DNA, eyes, voice, faces, and even medical and dental records. As a result, biometrics are a hub for personal security, identity theft and government surveillance. Protecting that stuff is kind of important. The problem is that companies tend to keep their data in just one or two places and that makes it attractive to criminals. The bigger it is the bigger the potential payday. Last October we talked about Upheaval's approach to decentralization and this week we are talking to Frances Zelazny of the startup Anonybit which takes a different approach to the problem but for biometrics alone. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Personal data isn’t just about your name, phone number, credit cards and social security numbers. It’s also about your online habits. All that stuff is recorded, filed and analyzed by various companies, including your employers. That data can identify who you are and are as much a part of your digital identity as your user name and password. In fact, that data might be more accurate than your password. But whether a company is employing that kind of protection is a question that needs asking. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

This was one of the scarier interviews I’ve done on this podcast. I’m talking with Paul Smith, country manager for Sweeft Digital, a UK agency helping companies manage their digital presence, including compliance with UK and Europe privacy regulations in the UK and Europe. He confirmed many of the concerns I have about the US versions of the GDPR, which do more to regulate whether users can stop companies from selling personal data than they do the companies collecting it. Bottom line is, each of us has to take care of ourselves. Our governments are not going to. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Welcome to the first episode of our fifth season and the first of 2022. Last year ended in a flurry of announcements, disasters, progress and new technology designed to keep us more secure and our last two interviews tied well into each other. We talked separately with Matt Morris, CISO at 1898 & Company, and Will Ruby, COO of FortifyIQ, and found that what Matt predicts is, in essence, the business model of Fortify IQ. So we glued them together. Patrick Boch handled the talk with Matt and Lou Covey spoke with Will at a live event, fully masked, in December (hence the muffled voices). Altogether we think this is a positive way to start the new season. Happy New Year. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

At the 58th annual Design Automation Conference in San Francisco, it seemed, at long last that the semiconductor industry is considering making their products secure, if only because they are being forced to. Standards organizations, not the least being the National Institute of Science and Technology, are creating mandatory minimums forcing hardware companies to force their chip suppliers to consider closing gaping holes before they go to manufacturing rather than create patches. At one of the technical sessions, your reporter asked a question that got the conversation going in a direction we all need to hear. And so we end our fourth season of Crucial Tech. See you in the new year. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

A few weeks ago we did a video demonstration of the Fletch.ai on the Cyber Protection Magazine Youtube channel, but wanted to share just the audio portion in this week's podcast because it's a solid tech gift for Christmas. Check it out. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

We interviewed Jen Caltrider of the Mozilla Foundation about the fifth annual Privacy Not Included list the foundation publishes annually and if you are thinking of buying some electronics as gifts or for yourself, you might think about referring to the list at www.privacynotincluded.org. Let us know if you ever consider privacy features when you are gift shopping. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

For the past five years, the Mozilla Foundation has published reviews of products rated on their relative privacy aspects. The least private products are labelled "Very, Very creepy. We interviewed Jen Caltrider, Mozilla's lead in their Privacy Not Included Division and found what makes a product or service creepy. Hint: the better the price, the creepier it becomes. This will be available on Spotify in video or on all other platforms in audio only. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

Quantum computing is one of those technologies that causes hyperbole, confusion, and concern. A lot of the discussion is not much more than wishful thinking or uninformed fear. For most people, it will not affect them in their lifetime. That’s not to say it isn’t something to completely ignore. We talked to Alan Grau, VP of business development for the startup company PQShield in this week’s episode of Crucial Tech to get an overview of where we are in quantum security and what their company has to offer. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

It is a rare thing when a company claims to be the first to do something and actually is the first. Rarer still is when that company is actually solving a significant problem with their product. Upheaval (upheaval.io) appears to be among those rarities with a data security platform that prevents data theft, intrusion and could solve the problem of social media privacy. This interview may be the most encouraging thing that has happened in data security in a long time and has earned them membership Cyber Protection Magazine’s “Holy Grail of Cybersecurity” rolls. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

The tech world sees marketing as a necessary “evil” and does it poorly. The cybersecurity industry sees it as a mystery but duplicates what the tech world does, so their efforts are generally poor and clueless. Good marketing explains the reason budgeting a particular product is a good idea and where that product is most useful. Mediocre marketing looks for the lowest hanging fruit when the ripest fruit is at the top of the tree. Journalists have to cut through mediocre marketing to make that reason clear to the customer. This is why I don’t like writing about product introductions. What is more interesting is the process of discovering why the product exists and who can best use it. That’s why I decided to take this interview with XM Cyber. They have good technology. They have mediocre marketing like pretty much everyone else in the tech world. I thought it might help to see how the sausage is made. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/

Had a fun conversation with Tim Callan, chief compliance officer at Sectigo on the un-fun topic of phishing, smishing and whether social media platforms even want to stop allowing criminals to scam their users. There is hope... just not from Facebook. See more at www.cyberprotection-magazine.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support

I've spent some long, frustrating hours trying to convince realtors to adopt proven technology. I can't imagine how difficult it must be, then, to convince them to practice good digital hygiene. David Moffat is trying to. We spent few minutes talking about how the industry's attitude can make everyone less safe. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crucialtech/support