Month

Links page

Module coverage

#90
Nov

Social engineering

Exploiting the people who use information and IT systems.

#89
Oct

Security standards

A new module expounding on the benefits of adopting both international best practice security standards and in-house technical standards.

#88
Sept

Wi-fi security

Securing wireless LANs and other wireless network connections.

#87
Aug

 A new module all about appreciating the value of, and protecting,
trade secrets and other sensitive proprietary information against
industrial espionage and related threats.  [Free PDF newsletter ]

#86
Jul

Human factors

 Human elements of information security - security culture, awareness, policies, procedures, roles & responsibilities and compliance ...

#85
Jun

Incident management

 With the best will in the world, incidents will happen.
Responding effectively and efficiently is the key.

#84
May

Identity theft

 If someone can become your virtual clone, imagine all the mischief they might cause in your name.  Imagine too just how difficult it would be to prove that you are the original and they are the clone ...

#83
Apr

Network and Internet security

 Widespread Internet connectivity has revolutionized business but created substantial security issues with LANs, remote network users and WWW

#82
Mar

Malware

 Find out what’s hot in the world of malware threats and defenses.

#81
Feb

Cryptography

 All about the art and science of secret writing,
a fundamental confidentiality, authenticity and integrity control

#80
Jan 2010

Secure software development

 If ‘software engineering’ is truly an engineering science, just
why is so much software horrendously flawed and insecure?

#79
Dec

Physical security

 Physical protection for tangible information assets and
the associated information processing services and supplies

#78
Nov

Social networking

 Focuses on social networking, social media, Web 2.0 and other social engineering threats.

#77
Oct

Securing business relationships

 Since commercial relationships with third parties necessarily involve exchanging information, information security risks should be considered.

#76
Sep

Privacy

 Confidentiality issues for individuals, namely privacy and protection of  personal information. 

#75
Aug

Email/messaging and office security

 There are numerous information security risks in the typical office/workplace, ranging from physical security to email, IM and other forms of messaging, phones and FAXes.

#74
July

Digital forensics

 How do real-world forensic investigators examine computer systems, networks, cellphones and data for clues?  (see also June 2010)

#73
June

Bugs!

 About those security vulnerabilities built-in to software through programming errors and design flaws.

#72
May

Change & config management

 Security requires that changes to IT systems, networks etc. plus information handling procedures, are tested and approved.

#71
Apr

Network security

 From logon to logoff, staff are dependent on networks but do they even consider, let alone fulfill their information security obligations?.
(updated April 2010)

#70
Mar

SCADA

 Securing industrial control systems and embedded systems is important to protect critical both national and corporate infrastructures.

#69
Feb

Malware

 Viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits and so forth represent one of the oldest security threats (updated March 2010)

#68
Jan 2009

Hacking

 Explore IT’s dark side with a look at hackers, crackers And All That.  Ethical issues get a mention alongside issues such as full disclosure, cybercriminals, cyberterrorism and more.

#67
Dec

Gizmos

 The security issues associated with portable IT devices (“gizmos”) and teleworking have become a serious challenge.

#66
Nov

Social engineering

 Find out why it’s not such a bright idea to publish loads of personal information on MySpace or Linkedin (updated November 2009)

#65
Oct

Ethics

 Ethics and morals remain an important means of control in many situations, though employees sometimes need a little guidance ...

#64
Sep

Email security

Email does double service as a business and
personal communications tool.  (Updated August 2009)

#63
Aug

Information security governance

Covers the information security aspects of governance and its relationship to both IT governance and corporate governance.

#62
July

Infosec risk management

Find out what’s involved in identifying, evaluating, mitigating and monitoring information security risks in the modern enterprise.

#61
June

Phishing &
identity theft

Integrates user authentication and identity theft, touching on integrity and trust, email security, malware and more. (Updated May 2010)

#60
May

Trust, integrity
& fraud

To what extent do, or should, we trust the information, data and IT systems, plus the people who use and manage them?  What can be done to make them more trustworthy?

#59
Apr

IT audit

IT auditors assess risks and controls affecting an organization’s information assets.  Find out what they actually do thins month and perhaps get ahead of the next audit.

#58
Mar

Malware

Hackers are finding ever more devious ways to subvert systems using rootkits and Trojans, while viruses, worms etc. remain significant risks (updated March 2010)

#57
Feb

Contingency planning

When all else fails, contingency plans (Plan B) are what we fall back on.  The module also covers resilience, business continuity and disaster recovery planning

#56
Jan 2008

Office security

Brand new awareness module covering security issues in the typical office (not security for Microsoft Office) (updated August 2009)

#55
Dec

Social engineering

Manipulating people to access information assets without proper authority (updated November 2009)

#54
Nov

Security compliance

An ever-increasing raft of rules and regulations impinge on information security.  Find out why compliance is such an important issue.

#53
Oct

Physical security

Concerns controls to protect the IT systems and other information assets against physical harm or theft

#52
Sept

Email security

Security risks associated with the use of email and indeed other forms of personal messaging (updated August 2010)

#51
Aug

Trade secrets

From competitive intelligence through industrial espionage to information warfare, trade secrets are seriously under threat  

#50
July

Authentication

Known to most of us as usernames and passwords (updated May 2010)

#49
June

Privacy & data protection

Keeping personal information private is more important than ever in these days of identity theft and similar attacks

#48
May

Insider threat

Security threats posed by trusted insiders: employees, consultants etc.

#47
April

Network security

Network security risks from outsiders and insiders including issues with private LANs and remote network users  (updated April 2010)

#46
March

Viruses

... or malware, as the security geeks would have it
(updated March 2010)

#45
Feb

Database security

New topic: confidentiality, integrity and availability issues relating to database design/management

#44
Jan 2007

Intellectual Property Rights

IPR issues include software licenses and piracy, trademarks, patents,
non-disclosure agreements, Digital Rights Management and more

#43
Dec

Social engineering

Exploiting gullible employees (updated November 2009)

#42
Nov

Roles & responsibilities

Security roles and responsibilities are far more than just a SOX issue

#41
Oct

Incident response

Responding promptly and efficiently to information security incidents requires preparation and procedures (updated June 2010)

#40
Sept

Mobile security

An updated module covering information security for road warriors and home workers (updated December 2008)

#39
Aug

Identity theft

Stealing - or rather cloning - someone’s identity (updated May 2010)

#38
July

Availability

Resilience and DR are vital controls to maintain availability of critical IT systems and services (updated February 2008)

#37
June

Email security

Information security issues associated with the use of electronic mail (updated August 2009)

#36
May

Security-SDLC integration

Covers integration of information security activities into the Software Development Life Cycle from cradle-to-grave (updated Jan 2010)

#35
April

Keeping secrets

Shhhh, can you keep a secret?  Confidentiality
for personal and proprietary information (see also Aug 2010)

#34

March

Malware

Malicious software (updated March 2010)

#33
Feb

Bugs!

Software often fails to meet the requirements, including (all too often) information security (updated June 2009)

#32
Jan 2006

3^rd party security

Information security aspects of relationships with third parties such as suppliers, business partners and customers (updated October 2009)

#31
Dec

Social engineering

Tricking and manipulating employees  (updated November 2009)

#30
Nov

Secure development

How should information security be integrated into the systems development lifecycle?  (updated May 2006)

#29
Oct

IT Operations

IT Ops keep things running smoothly in IT but how do they secure the IT infrastructure in fact? (updated July 2008) 

#28
Sept

Authentication

About logging on and checking claimed identities (updated May 2010)

#27
Aug

Change management

Managing and controlling system configurations,
applying patches etc. (updated May 2009)

#26 & 26+
July

Crisis management

Bonus module on crisis management inspired by the emergency services’ exemplary response to the London bombing this month

Hacking

Hackers or rather crackers are the bête noire of information security but is the threat real? (updated January 2009)

#25
June

Email security

Information security issues associated with electronic mail
(updated June 2007)

#24
May

Risk management

Methods for analyzing/assessing, monitoring, minimizing and reporting security risks (updated July 2008)

#23
April

IT governance

Management oversight, direction & control with an emphasis on information, IT, risk and SOX (see also November 2006 module)

#22
March

Malware

Viruses, worms, Trojans And All That (updated March 2010)

#21
Feb

Information security management

How should a best-practice information security function be structured?  What does the Information Security Manager actually do?
(updated July 2008)

#20
Jan 2005

IT auditing

Independent audits characterize risks affecting an organization’s information assets and recommend control improvements
(updated April 2007)

#19
Dec

Infosec laws, regs & standards

Laws, regulations and standards defining obligations and best practice for IT and information security (updated November 2007)

#18
Nov

Physical & environmental security

Security and services for the computer suite: physical access controls, UPS, air conditioning etc. (updated October 2007)

#17
Oct

Incident management

Procedures to deal effectively with information security breaches (updated June 2010)

#16
Sept

Accountability & responsibility

Specifically covers accountability & responsibility for IT and information security (updated November 2006)

#15
Aug

Social engineering

Hoodwinking employees can be a much easier route in than
hacking well-secured IT systems (updated November 2009)

#14
July

Wireless networking

Special issue in response to the rapid spread of
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, public hotspots and so on (updated April 2009)

#13
June

Contingency planning

Planning for the unpredictable, preparing the organization to recover efficiently from disasters (updated February 2008)

#12
May

Personal data & privacy

Protection of personal data and privacy, including legal issues such as Data Protection and HIPAA (updated September 2009)

#11
April

email security

Securing the design and use of electronic mail and other
messaging systems (updated August 2009)

#10
March

IT-related fraud

Information security controls to tackle IT-related fraud, embezzlement and misrepresentation (updated May 2008)

#9
Feb

Internet/web security

Identity theft, hacking, eCommerce ... so much to cover, we’re spoilt for choice (updated April 2010)

#8
Jan 2004

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

Software licensing and piracy, trademarks, patents, nondisclosure agreements etc.  (updated January 2007)

#7
Dec

Ownership of information assets

Accountability and responsibility for information assets, information security classification (updated November 2006)

#6
Nov

Portable computing & teleworking

Security issues with portable PCs, PDAs, wireless LANs, VPNs, dial-up etc. for road warriors and home workers (updated December 2008)

#5
Oct

Integrity

Integrity (completeness and accuracy) of data and systems, plus personal integrity (updated May 2008)

#4
Sept

Availability

Contingency planning, denial of service attacks and software quality assurance (updated February 2008)

#3
Aug

Confidentiality

Covers access control, secrecy, privacy, encryption and identity theft (updated in many other modules)

#2
July

Malware

Malicious software, or rather viruses etc. written and released by malicious programmers (updated March 2010)

#1

June 2003

Security awareness and general infosec links

This website and the NoticeBored service was launched with two pages of basic information security links and security awareness links