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Security Awareness

Develop a strong security mindset with articles focused on security awareness principles, social engineering defense, safe browsing habits, password hygiene, and recognizing manipulation tactics used by attackers targeting human vulnerabilities.

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Incident Response Plan Template

Incident Response Plan Template: Build Yours in 2022

When Colonial Pipeline got hit with ransomware in May 2021, they paid $4.4 million within hours. Their CEO later told a Senate committee the company had an incident response plan — but executing it under pressure exposed gaps nobody anticipated. If a company running critical U.S. infrastructure can stumble,

Carl B. Johnson Feb 10, 2022 8 min read
Incident Response

How to Respond to a Cyberattack: A Step-by-Step Plan

In May 2021, Colonial Pipeline paid a $4.4 million ransom after a single compromised password shut down fuel distribution across the U.S. East Coast. The attack didn't just expose a vulnerability in critical infrastructure — it exposed a truth most organizations ignore: the speed and quality of

Carl B. Johnson Feb 10, 2022 7 min read
Zero Trust Security Model

Zero Trust Security Model: A Practical Guide for 2022

In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the Colonial Pipeline and triggered fuel shortages across the U.S. East Coast. The attackers used a legacy VPN account with no multi-factor authentication — a textbook example of what happens when an organization trusts its perimeter instead of verifying every access

Carl B. Johnson Jan 15, 2022 7 min read
Zero Trust

What Is Zero Trust? A Practical Guide for 2022

In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the Colonial Pipeline and triggered fuel shortages across the eastern United States. The attackers used a legacy VPN account that had no multi-factor authentication. One credential. No additional verification. That's all it took to paralyze critical infrastructure. If you&

Carl B. Johnson Jan 15, 2022 7 min read
Securing Remote Employees

Securing Remote Employees: A Practical Guide for 2022

In July 2021, a ransomware attack on Kaseya's VSA software cascaded through managed service providers and hit up to 1,500 businesses — many of them small companies with remote workers connecting through poorly secured endpoints. The REvil gang demanded $70 million. That single incident crystallized what I'

Carl B. Johnson Jan 15, 2022 8 min read
Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy Cybersecurity: Your First Defense

The Policy Nobody Reads Until It's Too Late In December 2020, a SolarWinds employee reportedly used the password "solarwinds123" on a critical server — a credential so weak it became a punchline at Congressional hearings. But here's the question nobody asked loudly enough: did SolarWinds

Carl B. Johnson Jan 06, 2022 8 min read
Shadow IT Risks

Shadow IT Risks: The Threats Hiding in Your Network

Your Employees Are Building a Second Network — And You Can't See It In March 2021, a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server sent security teams scrambling. But here's what didn't make the headlines: many organizations discovered Exchange instances they didn't even know existed.

Carl B. Johnson Dec 23, 2021 8 min read
Cyber Hygiene

What Is Cyber Hygiene? The Basics That Stop 85% of Attacks

In March 2021, a single compromised password led to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that shut down fuel delivery across the U.S. East Coast. The account didn't even have multi-factor authentication enabled. That's not a sophisticated nation-state exploit — that's a basic cyber hygiene

Carl B. Johnson Nov 28, 2021 7 min read
Cyber Hygiene Checklist

Cyber Hygiene Checklist: 12 Steps That Actually Work

When Colonial Pipeline paid $4.4 million in ransom in May 2021, investigators traced the initial compromise back to a single compromised VPN credential — one that didn't have multi-factor authentication enabled. That's not a sophisticated nation-state exploit. That's a basic hygiene failure. And it

Carl B. Johnson Nov 28, 2021 6 min read