Profile of Curtis Franklin

Security Editor

News & Commentary Posts: 159

Curtis Franklin, Jr. has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has contributed to a number of technology-industry publications including Dark Reading, InformationWeek Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from enterprise security to mobile enterprise computing and wireless networking. Curtis is the author of hundreds of articles, the co-author of three books (including Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center), and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. When not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in amateur radio (KG4GWA), scuba diving, stand-up paddleboarding, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

Articles by Curtis Franklin

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What Will Cybersecurity's 'New Normal' Look Like?

6/19/2020
The coronavirus pandemic has forced changes for much of the business world, cybersecurity included. What can we expect going forward?
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A Necessary Security Slowdown

1/5/2018
The key to being more secure might well lie in the ability to slow down just a bit.
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Friday Haiku: Open Books

1/5/2018
The year opens with a huge vulnerability. Of course there's a haiku to explain it all.
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Cybersecurity on the Attack: Security Now Poll Results

1/4/2018
The readers of Security Now have weighed in on the idea of cybersecurity teams going on the offense against hackers. Hackers might want to start worrying.
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New Intel Vulnerability Hits Almost Everyone

1/3/2018
A vulnerability in the way that Intel CPUs deal with memory could leave everyone using an Intel-based computer open to attack.
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Welcome to 2018 in IT Security

1/2/2018
It's a new year filled with new threats in IT security. Rejoice!
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Cloud Security Is a Shared Responsibility

12/26/2017
In the answer to a question from a recent webinar, editor Curtis Franklin looks at who's responsible for data security in the cloud.
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Breach Reveals Data on All US Households

12/20/2017
Information on every US household has now been stolen. What does that mean for IT security?
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Security for the Broken Business

12/18/2017
What is the IT security's responsibility when the business itself is intrinsically secure? The first step may be to point out the obvious.
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Wearables Bring Privacy & Security Headaches to the Enterprise

12/1/2017
A new generation of wearables is creating a new level of vulnerability for business networks.
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Identity Issues: A Friday Haiku

12/1/2017
Identity matters; the real question is how to figure out who you really are.
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Major Apple Flaw Found, Fixed & Still Dangerous

11/29/2017
A vulnerability in MacOS High Sierra could leave Macs open and vulnerable in the world of the Internet.
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Aporeto Launches Zero Trust Security Solution

11/28/2017
A new security approach from Aporeto assumes that your network security is leaky as a sieve.
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McAfee Buys SkyHigh Networks for CASB Functions

11/27/2017
McAfee has announced that it is purchasing CASB pioneer Skyhigh Networks to bring cloud security to the endpoint security giant.
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Security Executives Respond to Uber Breach News

11/22/2017
The news from Uber is rippling across the business landscape. Executives and leaders have a variety of responses to the breach and its aftermath. Here's a roundup of some of those reactions.
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It's Inevitable: You've Been Hacked

11/20/2017
If your personal information is available on the Internet, you should assume that a hacker has it.
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Quad9 Brings Secure DNS to the Masses

11/17/2017
An industry alliance has introduced Quad9, a free DNS service that can protect users from phishing, bots and malware websites.
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Friday Haiku: A Shopping Chill

11/17/2017
A cautionary note for the season in this week's Friday Haiku.
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Barracuda Launches Next-Gen Cloud Firewalls

11/17/2017
A new set of features makes Barracuda's newest firewalls 'cloud-generation' services.
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iPhone's Facial Recognition Shows Cracks

11/15/2017
A research firm says that it has successfully spoofed the facial recognition technology used in Apple's flagship iPhone X.
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SOCs Become Service Targets

11/13/2017
MSSPs are becoming SOCaaS providers. Is it a natural evolution or a short-lived phenomenon in the as-a-service world?
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Cybersecurity Skills Gap Hits Across the Board

11/13/2017
The massive shortfall in cybersecurity professionals is having an impact on organizations of all types and sizes.
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New Research: Phishing Is Worse Than You Thought

11/10/2017
A new report led by Google researchers shows that phishing attacks are incredibly effective at stealing useful credentials from users.
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No Lock-Pick Required: The Friday Haiku

11/10/2017
Why pick a lock when keys are so common?
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Security Must Stand Up to Bullying, Harassment

11/9/2017
Today's IT security is about much more than data loss. It's time for the security group to embrace its role in protecting the people within the organization.
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Developers Lack Confidence in Application Security

11/8/2017
A new survey says that developers aren't confident that their applications are secure – but they find solace in obscurity.
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GPS Comes Under Spoofing Attack

11/7/2017
A spoofing attack leaves ships reported at airports and captains answering alarms from every system.
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A Blockchain Platform: The Security Now Bloqchain Science Interview

11/6/2017
You can't so much as go to a coffee shop today without hearing the word 'blockchain.' Hearing about a useful blockchain is less common, but putting the distributed ledger technology to good use is the idea behind Bloqchain.
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Friday Haiku: Snow-Capped Mountains

11/3/2017
How much ID theft is coming this season?
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Synopsys Swallows Black Duck in $565M Deal

11/3/2017
Black Duck has become part of Synopsys in a deal that brings open source expertise to the Synopsys software integrity platform.
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New Ransomware Attack Targets Japan

11/2/2017
ONI is the latest ransomware attack, but this time encrypted files are just the beginning.
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WannaCry Was an Avoidable Mess for NHS

11/1/2017
A new report says that the UK's NHS could have avoided WannaCry entirely. Is it possible to secure a network from the ravages of bottom-line focused management?
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Ted Schlein: Interview With a Capitalist

10/31/2017
Ted Schlein is a partner with the most storied venture capital fund in Silicon Valley. When Ted talks about cybersecurity, people listen.
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Ted Schlein Hates Passwords

10/27/2017
He hates user names, too, and thinks we should get rid of them. In a keynote address at Networking the Future in Tampa, Fla., he discussed why.
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Is Your Security Military-Grade?

10/26/2017
Simple civilian security won't cut it for most businesses. It's time to take your cybersecurity mil-spec.
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Bad Rabbit Breeds Ransomware Fears

10/25/2017
A new breed of ransomware has hit Russia and Eastern Europe. Bad Rabbit could hop the Atlantic and wreak havoc on North American systems.
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A New BotNet Is Growing: Are You Already Part of Its Army?

10/24/2017
The IoT_Reaper botnet is new and growing. Are your IoT devices already part of a criminal system that will cripple the Internet?
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CNCF Adopts 2 Container Security Projects

10/24/2017
A pair of new open source container security projects find a home at the CNCF. Enterprise Cloud News' Scott Ferguson reports the details.
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You Must Know Blockchain

10/23/2017
Even if you're not planning to use it any time soon, the signs are clear: You must know the technology of blockchain.
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Financial Institutions Lack Confidence in Their Own Defenses

10/20/2017
Financial institutions are fighting fraud with tools that aren't completely up to the task, according to the results of a new survey out this week.
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How Can You Beat the Widespread ROCA?

10/19/2017
ROCA is a vulnerability hitting millions of devices. How can you tell if yours are affected – and what can you do if they are?
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Necurs Malware Wants a Selfie With Your Desktop

10/18/2017
Necurs has returned and this time it's carrying a payload that takes a picture of your desktop.
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McAfee Brings AI to Security With New Products

10/18/2017
McAfee has announced new products at MPOWER – products that bring AI and machine learning to security analytics.
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KRACK Attack: How Enterprises Can Protect Their WiFi

10/17/2017
A flaw in the WPA2 protocol means that most WiFi networks worldwide are open to successful attack.
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HONEST Poll Results: How Much Should You Encrypt?

10/16/2017
What is the 'Goldilocks Zone' when it comes to encryption? Security Now community members speak out in our latest poll.
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Risk & Reality Take Different Paths in Cybersecurity

10/13/2017
A new study by Barracuda shows once again that the reality and perception of cyberrisks are two very different things.
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Final Decision in Dreamhost Battle With DOJ

10/11/2017
In the legal battle between the Department of Justice and Dreamhost, a resolution and a victory.
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How Companies Avoid Doing Business With Sanctioned Entities

10/10/2017
Last year, 60 million companies changed owners worldwide. That turnover makes it incredibly difficult to avoid doing business with entities (e.g., Russia and Iran) or individuals (e.g., drug dealers or terrorists) sanctioned by the US government. In this video, Bureau van Dijk's Anders Rodenberg explains the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) '50% rule' and how companies can ensure they're in compliance with it.
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Friday Haiku: Waves in the Harbor

10/6/2017
Do calm winds aloft mean peaceful waves at anchor?
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Gartner Says Real Security Starts With a Mission

10/6/2017
Security for the digital organization starts with a mission that has executive support; the process from mission to execution is step-by-step.
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Yahoo Breach News Just Gets Worse

10/4/2017
It turns out that more than 3 billion accounts were compromised in the Yahoo breach originally disclosed last year.
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Gartner Lists Security Trends for 2018

10/3/2017
A session at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo laid out security trends for the coming year.
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Gartner Analysts See AI Augmenting Security

10/2/2017
Gartner analysts don't think AI will replace humans in security; instead it will be a critical piece of a better security infrastructure.
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Gartner Symposium Opens in Orlando

10/2/2017
Gartner Symposium ITXpo is opening today in Orlando. Security Now is there to bring you the latest from the analysts and consultants at one of the most influential firms in the IT industry.
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Friday Haiku: The Quantum Future

9/29/2017
The Friday Haiku reflects on a week in Orlando's heat.
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Authentication Tackles Forests at Microsoft Ignite

9/29/2017
Authentication is an issue on a personal computer. It's a complex problem in AD forest management.
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Three Reasons Facial Recognition Will Win

9/27/2017
Facial recognition technology is coming to a device near you. Here are three reasons it's inevitable.
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Microsoft Ignite: 9 Things to Know

9/26/2017
Microsoft's largest annual conference, Ignite, is underway in Orlando, Fla. Security Now is there – and here's what we're seeing.
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Splunk Ups Machine IQ in Software Updates

9/26/2017
Splunk has increased machine intelligence and analytics capabilities in a series of software updates.
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Microsoft's Nadella Shares the Future at Ignite

9/25/2017
Satya Nadella's keynote address can be boiled down to four phrases or words. Here's what you need to know to get ready for the Microsoft future.
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Encryption: 6 Ways to Make It Matter

9/25/2017
A Security Now special report provides best practice notes for encryption in the enterprise.
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Right & Wrong Lessons From the Equifax Breach

9/22/2017
There are lots of lessons to learn from the Equifax breach. Just make sure you're learning the right ones.
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Friday Haiku: Gem or Not?

9/22/2017
How will CISOs respond to the pressure of recent breaches? The Friday haiku asks the question.
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A New, Invisible Threat Jumps the Air Gap

9/21/2017
The infrared capabilities of security cameras provide a new way for attackers to reach systems that have no connection to the Internet.
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CISOs Under Fire: New Poll Shows Progress & Peril

9/20/2017
A new report by F5 and Ponemon looks at the state of the CISO in modern enterprises.
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Survey Finds Companies Don't Know Cloud Security

9/20/2017
Companies are worried about security in the public cloud, but a new survey shows they don't understand the basics.
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Intent-Based Security Is New Path for Vendors

9/19/2017
A growing number of security and networking vendors are talking about intent-based security as a next-gen solution.
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Protect DNS: A Conversation With Dave Dufour of Webroot

9/15/2017
DNS is vulnerable and must be protected. An interview with Dave Dufour explains the vulnerabilities and some of the protection.
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Friday Haiku: No Safety in Bluetooth

9/15/2017
Bluetooth's vulnerability might be the biggest security story of the year.
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AWS Elasticsearch Servers Host Malware

9/14/2017
Two strains of POS malware have been using Elasticsearch servers on AWS as hiding places.
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BlueBorne Threatens 5 Billion Bluetooth Devices

9/13/2017
More than 5 billion devices are vulnerable to a set of eight Bluetooth flaws, even if they aren't in discoverable mode.
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Equifax Breach Won't Be the Last or Worst

9/13/2017
The Equifax breach shows that a major change in personal records is required, according to a senior Gartner analyst.
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Friday Haiku: A Cat 5 Credit Hack

9/8/2017
An Equifax hack is an ill wind for the credit world.
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SANS Study Says Reputation Is a Cyber-Casualty

9/7/2017
The latest security study says that you've probably been attacked and your reputation has taken the biggest hit.
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BroadSoft Error Exposes TWC PII on AWS S3

9/6/2017
A mis-configured Amazon Web Storage (AWS) instance has once again exposed millions of private customer records to the public Internet. Is it time for companies to re-think the way they're building their AWS buckets?
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Qadium Gets $40M Series B for Internet Visibility

9/5/2017
Qadium indexes every device on the public Internet, a technology that's attracted some big-time Silicon Valley investors.
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Friday Haiku: I Authenticate, Therefore, I Am

9/1/2017
Are we more than our authentication factors?
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New Malware Builder Makes Hacking Easier

9/1/2017
A free new builder for trojans makes it easier than ever to be a criminal hacker.
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Millions of Email Addresses Exposed in Latest Malware Database

8/30/2017
A database housed in the Netherlands is found to contain hundreds of millions of hacked email addresses.
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Automation Deserves Skepticism

8/29/2017
While automation might be the next great tech wave, let's take some time to consider it.
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Black Hats Win: Results From the Latest SecurityNow.com Poll

8/28/2017
The hat you wear as a security researcher matters, say those who took the latest SecurityNow.com poll. And the most effective hat color is black.
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DDoS Trends Show Big Impact From Fewer Servers

8/25/2017
A change in control networks means that this quarter saw DDoS attacks from fewer endpoints, each having a bigger impact.
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Friday Haiku: Fear the Zombie Server

8/25/2017
DDoS attacks are lurking in armies of zombie servers.
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DoJ Narrows Scope of DreamHost Warrant

8/23/2017
The Department of Justice has scaled back the demands of a search warrant served to web hosting provider DreamHost.
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Delaware Requires Data Security in New Law

8/23/2017
Delaware has become the latest state requiring companies to protect private data.
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New SaaS Service Offers Order for Access

8/22/2017
One Identity's new SaaS offering, Starling IARI, analyzes user access and roles to secure enterprise networks.
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Voice of Security Radio: Building Secure Applications

8/22/2017
In too many companies, security vulnerabilities start at the application. Join us for this week's episode to hear how to make your applications more secure.
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Amazon S3 Errors Hit Home Again

8/21/2017
Another S3 data release shows the critical importance of correctly configuring the cloud storage service.
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Finding Tools for DevSecOps

8/18/2017
Finding the right tools can be the start of the right path toward DevSecOps. Here's how to start the hunt.
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Questions of Colors

8/18/2017
A Friday Haiku asks about the color of your hat.
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Rackspace Strengthens Its Managed Security Story

8/17/2017
Rackspace is adding features and functions to its managed security offerings. Is it all a company needs?
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Voice of Security Radio: Finding Flaws in the IoT

8/15/2017
Can we crowdsource our way to IoT security? Join editor Curt Franklin and Bugcrowd's Casey Ellis as they talk about the possibilities.
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DevSecOps: Security in the Process

8/15/2017
Can building security into the process make everything more secure? Proponents of DevSecOps say 'Yes.'
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Obscurity Hampers Security: The Latest Survey

8/11/2017
Lack of visibility is the number one obstacle to security, according to a new study released this week.
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Friday Haiku: On the Path

8/11/2017
This week's Friday Haiku looks beyond agile.
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Defining DevOps for the Enterprise

8/9/2017
Is there anything in the DevOps methodology that makes it impossible to use for secure development? To get the answer, first you have to define DevOps.
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Voice of Security Radio: In the Name (Server) of Security

8/8/2017
Join Curt Franklin and his guest, Cricket Liu of Infoblox, as they talk about DNS's role in security.
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HONEST Poll Results: When Should You Pay the Ransom?

8/7/2017
When ransomware hits, when should you just pay up? The Security Now community has spoken.
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WannaCry Hero in FBI Custody

8/7/2017
Marcus Hutchins, the researcher who killed WannaCry, was arrested last week in Las Vegas. Should his arrest send a chill over the researcher community?
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The Friday Haiku: Old-Fashioned Security

8/4/2017
A Friday InfoSec haiku.
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Profile of Curtis Franklin