Cloud storage has become an essential part of both personal and business data management. From saving family photos to managing sensitive corporate documents, cloud solutions offer convenience, scalability, and accessibility. However, with this increasing reliance on cloud services comes a critical question: Are cloud storage solutions 100% secure when it comes to cybersecurity?

The short answer is no—no system connected to the internet is ever entirely secure. But that doesn’t mean cloud storage is unsafe. In fact, most major cloud providers offer robust security features that make them safer than many on-premise systems. Still, understanding the limitations and risks is key to using cloud storage wisely.

The Security Advantages of Cloud Storage

Cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Dropbox have made massive investments in security infrastructure. Some of the built-in advantages include:

• Encryption: Data is usually encrypted both in transit (as it moves across the internet) and at rest (while stored on servers). This means even if data is intercepted, it’s unreadable without the encryption keys.

• Redundancy and Backup: Cloud providers typically store data across multiple data centers and create backups to prevent data loss due to hardware failure or natural disasters.

• Access Controls: Most services offer multi-factor authentication (MFA), access management policies, and permission settings that help control who can view or edit files.

• Constant Monitoring: Leading providers employ cybersecurity professionals who monitor systems 24/7 to detect and respond to threats quickly.

Potential Security Risks

Despite these protections, cloud storage is not immune to cybersecurity threats. Some of the main vulnerabilities include:

•Human Error: Misconfigured settings, such as accidentally setting a folder to “public,” can expose sensitive data to the world. Many of the most publicized breaches were caused not by hacking, but by user mistakes.

• Account Compromise: If an attacker gains access to a user’s credentials through phishing, password reuse, or malware, they can access and potentially download or delete cloud data.

• Insider Threats: Employees or contractors with legitimate access to cloud systems can misuse their privileges, whether maliciously or accidentally.

• Service Outages or Breaches: While rare, cloud providers themselves are not completely immune to attacks or system failures. If a provider is breached, large volumes of user data could be at risk.

Shared Responsibility Model

A key concept in cloud security is the shared responsibility model. Cloud providers are responsible for securing the infrastructure (data centers, hardware, software), but users are responsible for securing their data and access points.

This means it’s up to individuals and organizations to:

•    Use strong, unique passwords and enable MFA

•    Regularly review permissions and access logs

•    Keep backups of critical data

•    Be vigilant against phishing and social engineering attacks

So, Is Cloud Storage Safe?

Cloud storage is generally very secure when used correctly, and in many cases, it’s safer than local storage solutions like USB drives or personal servers. However, no system is completely foolproof. Security depends not only on the provider’s technology but also on how users configure and manage their access.

For businesses handling sensitive data—such as healthcare records, financial information, or intellectual property—extra precautions like end-to-end encryption, data classification, and regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) are essential.

Final Thoughts

Cloud storage is a powerful and mostly secure tool in the modern digital ecosystem. While it offers many layers of protection, 100% security is a myth in any internet-connected environment. The best defense is a combination of trusted providers, good security practices, and ongoing vigilance.

In the cloud, convenience and security can go hand-in-hand—but only if both users and providers do their part.

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Traditional vulnerability and application security tools are failing in cloud-native environments. It’s not that these tools aren’t good at what they do. The fact is, they weren’t designed for the particular challenges presented by dynamic cloud environments. These tools rely on static snapshots – a container image at a specific point in time, for example. This makes it nearly impossible for these tools to consistently track ephemeral assets. As a result, security teams are overwhelmed by noise without clear risk prioritization or ownership visibility.

The challenge 

Consider the dynamic nature of cloud-native environments with their complex ephemeral asset infrastructures. These assets are moving targets that can disappear entirely from one version to the next. Security teams struggle to keep track of vulnerabilities, and so they turn to tooling to solve the problem. However, since scanning tools are limited to point-in-time snapshots, they cannot continuously track ephemeral assets across versions. 

This often leads to the use of numerous scanning tools which only adds to the challenge. Multiple, disparate reports result in fragmented and partial visibility and a lack of ownership continuity. Security teams end up wasting time triaging ephemeral findings that lack clear ownership or prioritization. Meanwhile, exploitation occurs faster than organizations can respond. 

Here are five key considerations for effective vulnerability management (VM) in cloud environments: 

1.  Dynamic Environments Require Continuous Discovery 

Cloud infrastructure—particularly in containerized or serverless settings—can quickly spin up, change, and terminate. Traditional moment-in-time scanning often overlooks these transient assets making it impossible for security teams to keep track of vulnerabilities. Without durable visibility across versions, these invisible risks become blind spots that attackers exploit. 

Teams should implement VM solutions that automatically discover and assess assets, ensuring new instances or containers don’t slip through the cracks. Consolidate vulnerability data from various sources into a single system for streamlined analysis and reporting. Continuous asset tracking, risk mapping, and deduplication strengthen security workflows. 

2.  Integrate VM into DevOps 

Cloud-native vulnerability management requires continuous, automated, and context-aware practices. Cloud ecosystems evolve rapidly. To keep up, security teams must integrate VM into DevOps pipelines which helps identify issues early and prevents insecure code from reaching production. At the same time, automating patch deployment and ticket creation reduces manual overhead and increases remediation. 

3.  Contextual Prioritization 

Cloud vulnerabilities vary significantly in their potential impact. For example, misconfigurations in cloud environments can present more significant risks than typical software vulnerabilities. Understanding these context-specific factors is critical to remediation efforts. Security teams should deploy VM tools that incorporate threat intelligence and business context to better assess and prioritize urgent issues.

4.  Compliance & Regulatory Requirements 

Compliance with industry regulations often requires proof of continuous scanning and remediation. A strong VM program that tracks cloud and infrastructure assets across deployments, deduplicates findings, and assigns ownership can help prioritize urgent vulnerabilities and fast-track remediation to meet compliance requirements. A single, unified VM solution can also automate reporting and alleviate time-intensive and duplicative processes. 

5. Scalability 

Scaling VM programs is not about deploying more tools. Instead, organizations should employ automated processes, risk-based prioritization, and integration with native cloud security services for efficient and scalable scanning. Take it one step further and make use of cloud-native vulnerability and exposure management solutions that consolidate cloud and application data in one unified platform to streamline and accelerate VM.

Cloud-native services and applications are among the fastest-growing attack surfaces, but their ephemeral, fast-changing nature introduces new security challenges. However, traditional scanning tools are not the answer. By integrating continuous discovery, risk-based prioritization, and automated remediation workflows, security teams can modernize their cloud VM programs and stay ahead of fast-moving threats. 

 

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In this digital age, photos have become one of the most shared and stored types of content online. Whether it’s a picture shared on social media, an image saved to a cloud service, or even photos attached to an email, our personal images are all over the internet. While the convenience of online photo storage can’t be overstated, it also raises significant privacy concerns that many users might overlook. Let’s take a closer look at how photos stored online can potentially compromise your privacy and what you can do to protect your data.

1. Data Breaches and Hacks

One of the most obvious risks associated with online photo storage is the possibility of a data breach or hack. Cloud services, social media platforms, and photo storage apps all store vast amounts of personal information, and while many of these platforms have advanced security measures in place, they are still vulnerable to attacks. In fact, many high-profile hacks have resulted in the exposure of millions of personal images.

For example, in 2019, it was reported that a vulnerability in a popular cloud storage service exposed millions of photos, many of which were private and contained sensitive personal information. If hackers gain access to these platforms, your photos could be stolen, leaked, or used maliciously.

2. Facial Recognition and Tracking

As facial recognition technology becomes more sophisticated, photos you upload online can be used to track your movements and behaviors. Companies like Facebook and Google already use facial recognition technology to identify people in photos automatically. While this might seem harmless, the technology can also be exploited for surveillance purposes.

In some countries, authorities use facial recognition to monitor citizens’ activities. If your photos are stored on platforms that utilize this technology, it could make it easier for your identity to be tracked and monitored without your knowledge or consent. This poses a significant privacy risk, especially when combined with location data that may be embedded in your photos.

3. Metadata and Geolocation Risks

When you take a photo with your smartphone, metadata (such as the time, date, and GPS coordinates) is often automatically attached to the image. This metadata can be incredibly useful for photographers and app developers, but it can also be a privacy nightmare if the photo is uploaded without being stripped of this data.

For example, if you share a vacation photo on social media or cloud storage without removing the GPS coordinates, anyone who views the image can pinpoint your exact location. This can potentially expose sensitive information about where you live, work, or spend time. In some cases, geotagging can be used to track your routine or even determine when you’re away from home, increasing the risk of burglary or other malicious activity.

4. Third-Party Access

Many online platforms and services provide third-party developers with access to the images stored on their platforms. For example, when you allow apps to sync with your cloud storage or social media accounts, those apps often gain access to your photos for purposes such as automatic tagging, photo editing, or content sharing.

While some third-party apps and services may offer legitimate features, they could also have questionable privacy practices. Data could be shared without your consent, sold to marketers, or even used for unintended purposes. It’s essential to review the privacy policies of any app or service that accesses your photos and to adjust settings to limit what third parties can see or use.

5. Inadvertent Sharing

We’ve all been in a situation where we accidentally share a photo we didn’t mean to. Whether it’s a social media post, an email attachment, or an unprotected cloud folder, photos can easily be shared with a wider audience than intended. If a photo you uploaded privately to a service is mistakenly made public, it could cause significant privacy issues.

Some social media platforms and cloud services have “default” privacy settings that allow users to share content with a broader audience than they realize. For instance, many platforms automatically set new accounts to “public,” making anything you upload visible to everyone unless you adjust the settings. This puts your personal photos at risk of being viewed, downloaded, or even copied by anyone.

6. Lack of Control Over Stored Photos

When you store photos on third-party platforms, you essentially give up some degree of control over those images. Even if you delete a photo from your account, it may not actually be erased from the platform’s servers immediately or ever. Many cloud services retain copies of deleted content for a period, sometimes for backup or legal reasons, making it difficult to completely erase a photo from their systems.

Additionally, companies may change their policies or business practices over time. If a service goes bankrupt, is acquired, or undergoes a policy shift, your photos could end up in places you never intended or lose protection they once had.

How to Protect Your Photos and Privacy

Given these concerns, it’s crucial to take steps to protect your photos and privacy when storing images online:

• Use Encrypted Cloud Services: Choose cloud storage platforms that offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only you can access your photos.

• Regularly Review Privacy Settings: Whether on social media, cloud storage, or apps, make sure you know and adjust the privacy settings. Limit who can see your photos and who can access them.

• Remove Metadata: Before uploading photos, strip the metadata, particularly location data, from the image to prevent accidental exposure of personal information.

•Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Use 2FA to add an extra layer of security to your online accounts, making it harder for hackers to access your data.

• Be Cautious with Third-Party Apps: Only grant trusted apps access to your photos and always check what permissions they require before granting access.

• Backup and Delete: If you don’t need a photo, delete it. And for photos that are important but not immediately necessary, consider storing them on a private offline backup device.

Conclusion

While storing photos online offers incredible convenience, it also comes with privacy risks that should not be ignored. From potential data breaches to unwanted facial recognition, the digital footprint your photos leave can expose much more about you than you might realize. By taking proactive steps to secure your photos and control who can access them, you can mitigate many of the privacy concerns associated with online storage. Always remember, with great convenience comes great responsibility when it comes to safeguarding your personal information.

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Healthcare leaders are facing a mounting security crisis: More than two-thirds of healthcare organizations experienced ransomware attacks in 2024. Five of the top 10 ransomware attacks last year involved healthcare, and recovery costs averaged more than $2.5 million per incident. 

This resurgence of ransomware attacks on the industry is partly thanks to the spread of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), eliminating the need for advanced technical expertise to carry out attacks. Healthcare continues to be an attractive target due to its critical nature: when patient lives are at stake, health systems are more likely to pay the ransom to restore operations as quickly as possible.

Cybercriminals value patient data, such as medical histories, Social Security numbers, insurance details, and financial records. Often sold on the dark web, this data is more valuable than standard credit card information because of its usefulness in a wide range of fraudulent activities, such as identity theft, insurance fraud, and even blackmail.

While the increasing digitization of healthcare supports obvious benefits like efficiency and improved care, it unfortunately also creates more opportunities for cybercriminals. Many organizations still use legacy systems with significant security risks. Connected devices such as MRI machines, ventilators, and heart monitors often lack standard security controls or have critical software vulnerabilities that make them attractive entry points. Third-party vendors offering services related to billing, data storage, or other operations may also have cybersecurity gaps that ransomware attackers can exploit to gain access to healthcare systems.

Beyond the cost and the threat to data, ransomware attacks severely compromise healthcare systems’ ability to treat patients. Downtime and loss of access to critical information have profound and far-reaching effects on patient care and safety. The impact of a ransomware attack can include:

• Delayed or canceled treatments. When systems are unavailable, hospitals may struggle to access patient records, schedule procedures, or conduct diagnostic tests, leading to delays in urgent care. An attack on Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago affected a wide range of operations, from prescription refills to scheduling, causing significant backlogs.
• Diverted emergency services. Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut was forced to send emergency care patients to other hospitals for more than two weeks after an attack rendered its systems inoperable.
• Ripple effects across the healthcare ecosystem. The impact of ransomware extends beyond the affected facility to nearby hospitals and providers, overwhelming resources and negatively affecting patient care. One study found stroke code activations doubled, cardiac arrests increased by 81%, and EMS arrivals increased by 35.2% at nearby hospitals after a ransomware attack.
• Financial impacts. An outage caused by ransomware at Change Healthcare, which provides revenue and payment cycle management services, prevented healthcare organizations from receiving insurance reimbursements. Unable to pay for operational expenses, many smaller practices faced potential closure — affecting not only the healthcare professionals and staff, but their patients and communities as well.

Given these devastating outcomes, you would think healthcare systems would waste no time bolstering their defenses. Yet the industry still lags behind others when it comes to implementing robust cybersecurity measures that can proactively fend off attacks or mitigate damage from ransomware. More than half of healthcare organizations report allocating less than 10% of their IT budget to cybersecurity.

Bolstering healthcare cybersecurity for evolving threats

 It’s time for healthcare leaders to start treating ransomware like what it is: a threat to patient safety and public health. Here are five strategic recommendations for proactively strengthening organizational resilience, securing data, and reducing disruptions caused by ransomware attacks.

1. Undertake regular risk assessments. Organizations should conduct comprehensive investigations at least annually to identify and address weaknesses in their technology infrastructure and procedures. These should include penetration testing and other real-world exercises to uncover opportunities that automated tools might miss. 
2. Strengthen defenses. Advanced cybersecurity tools and services can identify ransomware attacks via real-time monitoring and AI-based intelligence, which can quickly recognize unusual activities or behaviors. They can also automatically take action to contain or address threats, preventing significant damage before IT teams can step in.
3. Train staff. Some of the most common entry points in security incidents are employees, who are targeted via phishing attempts or ploys to gain access to their credentials. In a fast-paced, high-pressure environment like a hospital, workers are even more vulnerable to phishing. Regular cybersecurity training helps them recognize up-to-date social engineering tactics and reinforces security awareness as a part of their job.
4. Ensure backups are secure. Your system could be hit with ransomware at any time, so take steps to back up systems and data. 95% of healthcare organizations hit by ransomware in 2023 said that the attackers also attempted to compromise their backups, so follow the 3-2-1 rule: keep at least three copies of data on two types of media, with one copy stored offsite or in a secure cloud environment. Offline or air-gapped backups ensure there is always a clean copy for recovery. It’s also essential to regularly test backups and restoration processes to ensure data hasn’t been compromised, minimize downtime, and facilitate rapid recovery in a crisis.
5. Implement access controls. Limiting remote access to systems, unless multi-factor authentication (MFA) is in place, helps prevent incursions from unauthorized users. Role-based access controls (RBAC) ensure users can only access systems and functions that are necessary for their job functions, so even if ransomware attackers gain access with employee credentials, the damage they can do is limited. Overall, healthcare organizations should implement a zero trust approach that continuously verifies all requests.

The ever-increasing sophistication of ransomware groups, and their relentless focus on exploiting vulnerabilities in healthcare systems, adds to the urgency of this issue. In the interconnected environment of modern healthcare, a single cyber incident can cascade to affect not just one healthcare system but organizations in an entire region.

Cybersecurity has become as critical to patient outcomes as medical equipment. Investing in solutions that proactively defend healthcare networks from intrusion, minimize potential damage, and ensure clean backups for operational continuity can help ensure healthcare organizations stay online and functional even in the face of accelerating cyber threats.

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Tamra Durfee, vCISO, Fortified Health Security, is an experienced CISO with over 25 years in information security, compliance, regulatory risk, strategy, innovation, and technology transformation. For the past 8 years, she has specialized in healthcare cybersecurity and building risk-based medical device information security programs. She is a presenter at HIMSS, CHIME, CHA, and a healthcare security contributor to Healthcare IT News. Tamra holds certifications as a Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO), Certified Digital Healthcare Executive (CDH-E), GIAC Security Leadership Certification, Certified Professional in Healthcare Information Management Systems (CPHIMS), and IBM Certified Solutions Architect. 

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In our hyperconnected world, mobile devices are no longer a convenience but central to how businesses operate and communicate. As organizations increasingly embrace mobility and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, a hidden risk is quietly growing within the apps we rely on every day: mobile data leaks.

While many assume that breaches occur from malicious hacking attempts, a far more overlooked threat is the unintentional exposure of sensitive data due to misconfigured cloud services or weak cryptographic practices. This is not a hypothetical concern. In 2024 alone, over 1.7 billion individuals were impacted by personal data compromises, marking a 312% increase from the previous year. The financial toll? An estimated $280 billion.

Zimperium’s zLabs research team analyzed over 54,000 work-related mobile apps used by enterprise device fleets. Their findings reveal a disturbing reality that cloud misconfigurations and cryptographic flaws are widespread and, more importantly, preventable.

What Is a Mobile Data Leak?

A data leak occurs when sensitive information becomes unintentionally accessible to unauthorized individuals, often due to poor design, misconfiguration, or oversight in app development. Data breaches usually stem from deliberate, external attacks, and one of the main vehicles for these types of threats is attackers exploiting vulnerabilities that produce data leaks. 

Mobile apps that store data in the cloud or perform cryptographic operations are particularly opportunistic for such leaks. With mobile devices acting as both personal and business tools, the line between consumer and corporate data is increasingly blurred. This makes the implications of a mobile data leak even more severe, especially when it comes to personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, intellectual property, and corporate credentials.

Cloud Misconfigurations: Convenience With a Cost

Cloud services are widely adopted in mobile app development for their scalability and ease of use, but this convenience comes with a cost. Of the apps analyzed, 62% leveraged some form of cloud integration. Alarmingly, dozens of these were found to use cloud storage services without proper protection.

For example, over 100 Android apps were discovered with unprotected or misconfigured cloud storage. In several cases, entire file directories were accessible without authentication, some even ranked among the top 1,000 most downloaded apps. This means a malicious actor wouldn’t need sophisticated tools or insider knowledge, just a web browser and patience, to access sensitive enterprise data.

Additionally, 10 apps had exposed hardcoded AWS credentials, effectively handing attackers the keys to access or even manipulate data. These types of exposures not only compromise confidentiality but could also enable attackers to delete or encrypt data for ransom, simulating the impact of a ransomware attack without deploying malware.

Even major corporations are not immune. A recent case involving one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers saw over 260,000 customer records exposed due to a simple cloud misconfiguration. It is evident that mobile security must be embedded from the ground up, not implemented after the fact.

Cryptography: A False Sense of Security (if done wrong)

Encryption is often viewed as a silver bullet for data protection, but not all encryption is implemented equal. zLabs’ research revealed that 88% of all analyzed apps, and nearly half of the top 100, use cryptographic methods that fail to meet industry best practices.

Common pitfalls include:

• Hardcoded cryptographic keys
• Outdated algorithms like MD2
• Predictable random number generators
• Reuse of the same encryption keys across multiple operations

These flaws could render encryption useless because if attackers can guess, retrieve, or reverse-engineer cryptographic keys, the data becomes exposed regardless of how well it is stored or transmitted. In some cases, cryptographic weaknesses open the door to deeper attacks on enterprise infrastructure, such as man in the middle attacks.

The Organizational Cost

The repercussions of mobile data leaks extend far beyond technical headaches as enterprises can face legal liability, reputational damage, and significant financial loss. Regulatory frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and others demand stringent data protection measures, and failing to comply can lead to detrimental penalties.The average cost of a data breach has risen to nearly $5 million per incident, with cloud misconfigurations and compromised credentials ranking among the most frequent root causes. These issues are not just IT problems, they are inherent business risks.

What Can Organizations Do?

Mobile data security begins with visibility, so it’s critical that organizations first understand the behavior of the apps operating within their environments. While they may not control third-party code, they can certainly control which apps are allowed on employee devices and under what conditions.

A proactive strategy includes cloud security checks to identify misconfigured or public-facing cloud storage, monitor for exposed credentials and API keys, and assess the security of integrated cloud services. This helps reduce the risk of unauthorized data access or leaks through cloud platforms.

Implementing cryptographic best practices is also essential. Organizations should validate that apps use modern, strong encryption algorithms and ensure proper key management by avoiding hardcoded keys. Additionally, it’s important to watch for weak or predictable random number generation that could compromise security.

Finally, third-party component vetting plays a crucial role. This involves evaluating the security of embedded SDKs and libraries, as well as tracking and responding to known vulnerabilities in third-party code. By staying vigilant and selective with the software components used, organizations can strengthen their mobile security posture.

Ultimately, security teams must adopt a mindset of continuous monitoring and risk assessment. Mobile threat defense solutions and app vetting tools are essential for ensuring that employees’ devices don’t become backdoors into enterprise systems.

Mobile devices and apps are here to stay since they are powerful, portable, and indispensable to modern business. But with their ubiquity comes responsibility as data doesn’t leak on its own with poor security practices letting it slip through the cracks. As organizations embrace the flexibility of mobile work, they must also adopt rigorous standards for app security.

 

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Leading cybersecurity provider CISO Global (NASDAQ: CISO) is entering a new phase of growth, pivoting toward high-margin, recurring-revenue software offerings that complement its managed and professional services. According to a recent Zacks report, the company has launched multiple proprietary software platforms, including its AI-driven Argo Security Management platform, and expects significant revenue growth driven by recurring software sales. After restructuring its go-to-market strategy and consolidating 20+ acquisitions, CISO Global projects improved margins and a more scalable revenue model in 2025.

Strategic Pivot: From Services to Software-Led Security

At the core of CISO Global’s recent announcements is a fundamental business model shift. For years, the company grew rapidly through more than 25 acquisitions, assembling a diversified portfolio of managed services, incident response, and consulting capabilities. But services alone are notoriously hard to scale. The move to develop proprietary platforms like Argo signals a deliberate step toward SaaS-driven margins and recurring revenue stability.

Argo, CISO’s flagship security management platform, appears to be central to this transition. It leverages AI to streamline threat detection and response workflows, likely integrating telemetry from customers’ existing security stacks. While details are limited, the platform’s focus on centralized visibility and orchestration suggests it may function similarly to extended detection and response (XDR) models—but tailored for mid-market clients without large SecOps teams.

Notably, CISO Global reported $57.4 million in revenue in 2023, with over 50% tied to managed and recurring offerings. This is important. The company isn’t just launching software; it’s converting existing service relationships into subscription-based platform engagements. That gives it a built-in upsell path, reducing customer acquisition costs and deepening account stickiness—both critical for margin expansion.

The report also signals a clear shift in leadership focus. CEO David Jemmett has stepped into a new role as Chief Strategy Officer, making room for new executives better suited to scale this next chapter. Strategic realignments like this often hint at a company preparing to be measured not just on top-line growth, but on operational metrics like gross margin, customer retention, and ARR growth rate.

Zooming Out: Industry Trends and Competitive Pressure

CISO Global’s evolution is part of a larger movement across the cybersecurity landscape: MSSPs and consulting-heavy vendors are increasingly building or acquiring software IP to escape the margin squeeze of labor-intensive services. We’ve seen this before—Palo Alto Networks transitioned from appliances to cloud-delivered security, and Mandiant (pre- and post-Google) has flirted with similar hybrid models mixing IR with platform technology.

The recurring revenue model CISO is targeting is more than just a financial goal—it’s a response to customer demand. In the wake of SaaS sprawl, security leaders are looking for fewer vendors who can offer toolchain consolidation, streamlined dashboards, and built-in threat intelligence. Platforms like Argo potentially offer mid-sized enterprises a way to get “just enough” of an XDR/SIEM/SOAR experience without hiring a squad of engineers to manage it.

The timing is also aligned with significant external pressures. The SEC’s cybersecurity disclosure rules, effective as of late 2023, are pushing boards and executives to demand more continuous, auditable visibility into their risk posture. That visibility can’t be delivered through consulting alone—it needs centralized, always-on platforms. Regulatory scrutiny has effectively created a commercial tailwind for vendors with dashboardable, metrics-driven solutions.

Also worth noting: CISO Global’s increased investment in recurring software comes at a time when investor expectations are shifting. The report highlights that gross margins on software sales can reach 70–80%, compared to services margins that often cap out around 30–40%. As cybersecurity valuations compress across public markets, investors are rewarding companies that prioritize durable, high-margin revenue streams over raw top-line growth.

A Strategic Move with Tactical Consequences

For cybersecurity leaders watching this space, the lesson isn’t just about following CISO Global’s trajectory—it’s about understanding the broader shift in what buyers are asking for and what vendors are trying to become. As more providers launch hybrid models—bundling consulting with proprietary platforms—CISOs need to sharpen their scrutiny. Are you buying expert hands, or just renting access to another dashboard?

Security buyers should also ask tough questions about integration, data portability, and lock-in. A platform like Argo may offer real value in visibility and orchestration, but only if it plays well with your existing stack and doesn’t become another silo. And for vendors, the takeaway is clear: if you’re services-heavy today, the pressure is on to deliver software that not only generates revenue, but demonstrably reduces customer risk.

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As businesses continue to migrate operations and data to the cloud, securing cloud environments has become more critical than ever. Cloud security threats are dynamic and complex, making proactive mitigation tactics essential to protect sensitive data, ensure compliance, and maintain business continuity. Below are ten proven tactics organizations should employ to mitigate cyber threats existing in the cloud environments.

1. Implement Strong Identity and Access Management (IAM)

IAM is the first line of defense in cloud security. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA), enforce least privilege principles, and regularly audit user roles and permissions. Centralized IAM helps ensure that only the right individuals have access to the right resources.

2. Encrypt Data at Rest and in Transit

Data should always be encrypted—whether it’s being stored or transmitted. Use strong encryption protocols such as AES-256 and TLS 1.2/1.3. Ensure encryption keys are managed securely, preferably through hardware security modules (HSMs) or a key management service (KMS).

3. Conduct Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing

Regular audits and penetration tests help identify vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. These assessments should include code reviews, infrastructure scans, and configuration checks across all cloud services.

4. Enable Continuous Monitoring and Logging

Monitoring tools should be in place to detect anomalies and potential breaches in real time. Services like AWS CloudTrail, Azure Monitor, or Google Cloud’s Operations Suite offer robust visibility into activities across your cloud infrastructure.

5. Harden Cloud Configurations

Misconfigured cloud resources are one of the most common causes of breaches. Use automated tools like AWS Config, Azure Security Center, or open-source solutions like ScoutSuite to continuously validate and harden your environment against insecure settings.

6. Apply the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)

Ensure users and applications have only the access they need. This minimizes the risk of lateral movement in case an account is compromised. Implement granular access controls and isolate critical workloads whenever possible.

7. Regularly Patch and Update Systems

Outdated software and unpatched vulnerabilities are easy targets for attackers. Automate patch management and ensure all components—from VMs to containers and third-party applications—are up to date.

8. Use Firewalls and Network Segmentation

Network security remains vital. Use cloud-native firewalls, security groups, and network access control lists (ACLs) to filter traffic. Segment networks by environment (e.g., dev, test, prod) and by application type to limit the blast radius of potential attacks.

9. Implement a Strong Incident Response Plan

Have a well-documented and tested incident response (IR) plan specific to cloud services. This plan should define roles, communication protocols, and procedures for identifying, containing, and recovering from a breach.

10. Educate and Train Your Workforce

Human error is a persistent risk. Regular training and awareness programs can prevent phishing, social engineering, and accidental misconfigurations. Include cloud security best practices in onboarding and ongoing education.

Conclusion

Cloud security is a shared responsibility between providers and customers. By applying these ten mitigation tactics, organizations can significantly reduce their exposure to threats and maintain a strong cloud security posture. As technology evolves, staying informed and agile is just as important as any tool or policy.

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School systems may not immediately come to mind as targets for cybersecurity attacks. However, threat actors have increasingly turned their attention to them, recognizing that the extensive digital infrastructure supporting schools contains a wealth of sensitive information that can be stolen or exploited for financial gain.

It was reported earlier this year that hackers stole private data of over 700,000 current and former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students in a ransomware attack, subsequently posting it on the Dark Web. Exploiting a vulnerability in a technology vendor’s software that  CPS was using to share data, hackers accessed a server and compromised information from the district and over 60 other organizations nationwide. The stolen data included students’ names, birth dates, genders, and CPS student ID numbers.

There was also the PowerSchool breach that is currently on track to become one of the biggest breaches of the year. The company stated that hackers used compromised credentials to breach its customer support portal, further allowing access to the company’s school information system, which houses sensitive information such as student records, grades, attendance, and enrollment. 

Teachers, administrators, students, and even parents/guardians urgently need to reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack, no matter the time of year. With the right tools, skills, and awareness, school districts can strengthen their cybersecurity posture and remain well-protected from the evolving threat landscape.

Much like the business sector, the education system has integrated digital infrastructure to support day-to-day activities and administrative duties. Students rely on computers to complete and submit assignments, teachers use them to manage their students’ progress, and administrators depend on them for communication, analytics, and record-keeping. This reliance on technology has resulted in school districts accumulating a massive reserve of personal and sensitive information, including phone numbers, email addresses, social security numbers, and even medical records and credit card information—all of which can be exploited by threat actors.

Many high-ranking members within the education system fail to realize what a treasure trove the data within their systems could turn out to be to a cybercriminal. As a result, many school districts lack the necessary cybersecurity infrastructure, training programs, and general awareness to stay protected against attacks. This vulnerability has led threat actors to target schools, hoping to exploit under-protected systems and easily hijack valuable data.

School districts with inadequate cybersecurity measures and training programs are much more vulnerable to sophisticated network attacks or software exploits. However, the lack of cyber defense training among both students and staff poses an even greater risk for successful social engineering or phishing exploits. As a result, attacks are easier to execute, allowing threat actors to hijack private credentials or attach viruses, malware, or ransomware to seemingly innocent communications.

While summer vacation is approaching and the semester will be coming to a close soon, it is  imperative that school districts integrate a new wave of cybersecurity operations into their systems to avoid these issues as they could arise at any time. Simultaneously, threat actors are likely to target school infrastructure and unsuspecting users in hopes of an easy payday. With this in mind, schools should take proactive steps to safeguard against cyber threats, both through robust cybersecurity infrastructure and comprehensive, ongoing school-wide training.

First, school districts must implement fundamental cybersecurity measures as a baseline level of protection. This includes next-gen, AI-powered email security solutions, advanced threat detection and response, endpoint security, patch management, as well as strong passwords backed with multi-factor authentication (MFA). Phishing resistant MFA is also highly useful for all official school accounts.

Secondly, school districts must ensure that all private and sensitive information is securely backed up with immutable storage. In the event of a breach or a ransomware attack, or if systems become compromised, districts can be reassured that stored data isn’t lost. Properly storing data also prevents threat actors from extorting school districts, as they have access to backed-up data even if the original versions are rendered inaccessible.

Lastly, it is critical to foster a student body and administration that is knowledgeable about cybersecurity best practices. Through regular training and thorough awareness programs, school districts can create a “human firewall” that significantly reduces the likelihood of a successful attack.

To build an effective human firewall, school districts can adopt the ‘mindset-skillset-toolset’ triad:

• Mindset – Raise awareness among students and staff about growing cyber threats
• Skillset – Combine awareness training with simulations for workers and students
• Toolset – Incorporate tools that support secure behavior by employees and students

This approach should be applied holistically, but it’s important to note that specific demographics require tailored approaches to training. Key differences to consider include:

• Students, teachers, and administrators use devices and accounts for specific purposes, with some handling more sensitive information than others.
• Faculty and administrators, who regularly use school devices, likely have the most up-to-date software and protection from private Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. However, their contact information is often publicly available on school websites, making them particularly high-risk targets.
• Parents and guardians are less likely to use school devices but should be educated about cyber risks to help their children understand potential dangers and serve as a resource if suspicious activity occurs. 
• School districts need to implement age-appropriate training that teachers and parents/guardians can ensure is closely followed both in class and at home, with the sophistication of training gradually increasing for older age groups.

School systems may be at a higher risk of cyber attacks than ever before, but they are not powerless to prevent threat actors from disrupting their activities. By implementing robust security infrastructure, fostering awareness, and providing regular training, school systems can ensure that their students and staff are prepared to mitigate any potential cyber threats at any point throughout the school year.

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Daniel Blank, COO at Hornetsecurity

Daniel Blank has over 15 years of experience selling complex IT products, and 13 years of various managerial positions in the cloud security environment. Daniel joined Hornetsecurity in 2010 as Key Account Manager, quickly becoming Director of Sales, and finally assuming the role of COO in 2014. Today, Daniel is responsible for Sales, Presales/ Education, and Human Resources at Hornetsecurity.

 

The post Strengthening Cybersecurity in the Vulnerable Educational System first appeared on Cybersecurity Insiders.

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In today’s world, more employees work from home, coffee shops, or satellite offices than ever before. While remote access tools like VPNs have kept us connected, they’re increasingly easy for network gatekeepers to spot—and sometimes block or slow down. Enter stealth tunnels: an innovative way to disguise secure connections so they glide past firewalls and inspection tools unnoticed. In this article, we’ll explain what makes stealth tunnels different, why they matter, and how businesses can use them to keep their remote workers safe, productive, and uninterrupted.

In this deep dive, we’ll explore how stealth tunnels work, why they outperform legacy Virtual Private Network (VPN)s, and how enterprises can deploy them securely at scale.

Why Traditional VPNs Aren’t Enough

Imagine you’re trying to drive into a city through one of its main gates. A standard VPN is like a marked delivery truck: the guards know exactly what it is and can choose to let it through, inspect it, or stop it altogether. That’s because traditional VPNs use well-known ports and protocols—digital “signatures” that deep-packet inspection (DPI) tools and firewalls easily recognize.

When a business firewall sees VPN traffic, it can slow it down or block it outright, interrupting video conferences, halting large file transfers, or preventing access to critical systems. For employees in high-security environments—financial traders, healthcare technicians, or field engineers—these interruptions mean lost time, missed opportunities, and mounting frustration.

Stealth vs. Legacy VPN: A Feature Comparison

What Makes a Tunnel “Stealth”

Stealth tunnels wrap VPN traffic inside a form that looks, to the network’s gatekeepers, like harmless web browsing or random data. Think of it as putting our delivery truck inside an unmarked van that looks like any other car on the road. 

The key techniques include:

HTTPS Wrapping: The VPN connection is hidden inside a standard web-secure (HTTPS) session. Since almost all websites use HTTPS these days, this traffic simply blends in with normal browsing.

Port Hopping & Padding: Instead of listening on one fixed port, the tunnel randomly changes its port every few minutes. Network tools can’t easily predict which port to watch. Adding a bit of “padding”—small dummy data packets—further disguises the true nature of the traffic.

Handshake Obfuscation: Most VPNs follow a predictable “handshake” when connecting. Stealth tunnels randomize the timing and structure of this handshake so it doesn’t match known VPN patterns

Combined, these methods make the encrypted tunnel look like any other benign data flow, effectively slipping past DPI and firewall scrutiny.

Benefits of Stealth Tunnels

Uninterrupted Productivity

Because network tools can’t identify stealth tunnels, remote workers enjoy smoother video calls, faster file transfers, and reliable access to enterprise applications—no matter where they connect from.

Better Security

Stealth tunnels still use strong encryption under the hood. Even if someone tried to intercept the data, they’d see only scrambled bits inside a standard web stream.

Resilience Against Censorship & Throttling

In regions where VPNs are blocked or heavily slowed down, stealth tunnels can maintain connectivity by masquerading as regular web traffic. This is critical for global teams working in restrictive environments.

Explaining with Example: 

1.Traditional VPN: You launch your VPN client, which opens a connection on UDP port 1194. The café’s network equipment spots this, slows it down by 80%, and you struggle through a choppy video call.

2.Stealth Tunnel: You toggle “Stealth Mode” in your remote-access app. Your traffic is wrapped inside HTTPS on port 443, then jumps ports and adds padding. The café’s equipment treats it like normal web traffic—your call remains crystal clear.

How Businesses Can Deploy Stealth Tunnels

1. Choose a Stealth-Ready Solution

Look for remote-access platforms that offer an easy “stealth mode” switch. This often relies on the widely supported Wire Guard or OpenVPN technologies under the hood, enhanced with obfuscation modules.

2. Setup Stealth Gateways

Deploy one or more servers—called stealth gateways—in locations your users can reach, such as cloud regions or branch offices. These gateways unwrap the disguised traffic and forward it to your corporate network.

3. Roll Out Stealth Clients

Install or update the client apps on user devices (laptops, tablets, phones). A single toggle in the app enables all obfuscation features—no manual port configuration or scripting required.

4. Monitor and Rotate

Regularly update handshake parameters, encryption keys, and port ranges. A central management console can automate this, ensuring the tunnels remain undiscoverable over time.

Looking Ahead

As DPI and network monitoring tools become more powerful, stealth tunnels will continue to evolve. Future enhancements may include machine-learning to adapt obfuscation on the fly, quantum-safe encryption for extra peace of mind, and deeper integration with software-defined networks. Businesses that adopt stealth-capable remote access today will gain a crucial edge—keeping their distributed workforces connected, productive, and secure, no matter where they roam.

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About the Author

Vikram Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Fibmesh, a trailblazer in software-defined mesh networks and secure remote-access solutions. With an experience in network engineering and a passion for democratizing connectivity, he leads the development of next-generation systems that empower organizations to build their own secure, adaptive infrastructures.

 

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“This World Password Day is a timely reminder that strong passwords are more than just a best practice, they are critical to safeguarding our personal and professional digital lives. In a world where our data is stored, processed, and accessed online, the strength and security of our credentials can determine whether we remain protected or become vulnerable to cyber threats.

Strong passwords serve as the frontline defence against unauthorised access. They protect not only emails and personal files, but also critical infrastructure, cloud platforms, and autonomous systems that run in the background, such as service accounts, APIs, and automated workflows. As these digital agents increasingly interact without human oversight, securing their credentials becomes just as vital as protecting user logins.

Using complex, unique passwords—blending uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols—significantly reduces the risk of brute-force attacks. However, password strength alone is not enough. Each credential should be unique and managed carefully, especially for software accounts with elevated privileges or persistent access.

Weak password practices can lead to devastating consequences: data breaches, identity theft, financial loss, and reputational harm. For organisations, compromised credentials—especially those tied to automation or backend systems can trigger widespread service disruptions, intellectual property theft, and costly compliance violations.

Organisations must adopt a layered approach to password security to combat these risks. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), enforcing password complexity and rotation policies, and using secure credential management solutions to protect both human and machine accounts. Regular security training, audits, and awareness campaigns ensure that employees understand the stakes and uphold best practices.

Ultimately, securing our digital world means protecting every entry point—human or machine—with diligence and care.”

 

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