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Cybersecurity Question of the Month: August

Posted by Fuel HQ on Aug 11, 2017 7:45:41 AM

Each month, we ask Fuel members to weigh in with their opinions on the Cybersecurity Question of the Month, and we’re sharing their answers here.

Michelle Malcher, security architect and Fuel vice president, shared her perspective on the most recent Cybersecurity Question of the Month.

According to Radware’s 2016-17 Global Application & Network Security report, by 2021 the cost to combat cybercrime will collectively cost organizations roughly $6 trillion. This figure is double the amount reported in 2015 and represents a growing cost of doing business for companies of all sizes.

For many, the ability to build effective countermeasures can be limited by a number of factors—such as having the right resources in place. However, another limitation is also knowing how to effectively separate fact from fiction. Many cyber security "myths" tend to still be prevalent for organizations today.

What are the most common cyber security myths that you have had to combat within your organization and what approaches have worked best?

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, cybersecurity question of the month, myth

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: June

Posted by Fuel HQ on Jul 7, 2017 3:29:06 PM

Each month, we ask Fuel members to weigh in with their opinions on the Cybersecurity Question of the Month, and we’re sharing their answers here.

Andy Kelly, a senior security architect, is a brand new member of Fuel. Andy shared his thoughts on the most recent Cybersecurity Question of the Month.

A new report from Cybersecurity Ventures estimates there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021, up from 1 million openings last year. In 2017, the U.S. employs nearly 780,000 people in cybersecurity positions, with approximately 350,000 current cybersecurity openings, according to CyberSeek, a project supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

With growth in cyber crimes hitting all industries and businesses of all sizes, companies need to start making investments in hiring new security talent and improving infrastructure.

How do you think organizations should approach closing the cybersecurity skills gap? What areas would you recommend cybersecurity professionals focus on as part of their continuing education efforts?

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, cybersecurity question of the month, myth

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: May

Posted by Fuel HQ on Jun 19, 2017 8:00:00 AM

Each month, we ask Fuel members to weign in with their opinions on the Cybersecurity Question of the Month, and we’re sharing their answers here.

Darrin Freeman, a network engineer, is a member of Fuel's Networking & Connectivity SIG. Darrin shared his thoughts on the most recent Cybersecurity Question of the Month.

Cybersecurity professionals are expecting ransomware to grow more aggressive in the coming years, including higher ransom payments and attempts to go beyond attacking data — by shutting down entire computer systems to utilities or factories. However, a key concern is that ransomware will start targeting critical infrastructure.

Too many important computer systems are also connected to the internet — when they shouldn’t be. Businesses are also failing to properly segregate their computers from other processes. When a ransomware infection hits, it has the potential to shut down the entire operation.

How do you think ransomware attacks will evolve further? What steps have you taken within your organization to formulate a recovery plan to avoid downtime?

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, cybersecurity question of the month, cybersecurity skills gap, skills shortage

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part Three

Posted by Fuel HQ on Jun 13, 2017 8:00:00 AM

Over the next few weeks, we will chronicle the process taken by Mario Perez, Fuel Board Member, Data Communications Specialist, as he prepares to take his Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) certification exam at Ignite ’17 in June. Mario will share his approach to prepping for this test, complete with study tips and lessons learned along the way.

Part Three: Study Tips

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Fuel Board of Directors, Hot Topic, Fuel Education, Palo Alto Networks, Ignite, PCNSE, certification

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part Two

Posted by Fuel HQ on May 22, 2017 8:00:00 AM

Part Two: Intense Learning

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Fuel Board of Directors, Hot Topic, Fuel Education, Palo Alto Networks, Ignite, PCNSE, certification

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part One

Posted by Fuel HQ on May 16, 2017 8:00:00 AM

Part One: Prep Work

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Fuel Board of Directors, Hot Topic, Fuel Education, Palo Alto Networks, Ignite, PCNSE, certification

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: April

Posted by Fuel HQ on May 15, 2017 8:00:00 AM

Each month, we ask Fuel members to weign in with their opinions on the Cybersecurity Question of the Month, and we’re sharing their answers here.

Phil De Meyer, a senior network administrator, and Paul Carter, an information security engineer, are members of Fuel’s Editorial Subcommittee under the Community Development Council. Paul and Phil shared their thoughts on the most recent Cybersecurity Question of the Month.

In the past, an IT perimeter for network security could be more easily defined and contained. Now, there are numerous devices that break traditional perimeter security including: applications that traverse through firewall policies; mobile devices; IP-enabled devices internal to the network; external devices that are allowed on the internal network 'temporarily;' wireless access points that are unknowingly deployed; and direct internet access from devices.

What are the limits of a ‘perimeter-oriented’ security posture? What approaches do you take to keep ever-changing networks secure?

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, threat prevention, threat intelligence, perimeter, cybersecurity question of the month

Inside the Fuel Virtual Test Lab

Posted by Fuel HQ on May 12, 2017 9:00:00 AM

It’s time to step inside a virtual playground. One that delivers a hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks virtual products, and the ability to put the capabilities of the Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) to the test, all within a self-led learning environment.

The Fuel Virtual Test Lab 8.0 is an open environment experience designed to help familiarize yourself with all the features of the PAN-OS 8.0 before you purchase or upgrade. With a basic environment setup — access to desktop clients, Linux servers and the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall — you are able to simulate scenarios in a sandbox environment.

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, NGFW, PAN-OS 8.0, Fuel Virtual Test Lab, next-generation security

In the Know: Network Connectivity Uncovered

Posted by Fuel HQ on Apr 28, 2017 1:06:59 PM

Effectively enabling your network comes down to your ability to address a range of different connectivity questions. For starters, with cabling, it’s a matter of dealing with long range, short range and twisted pair options. From there, it becomes a matter of dealing with pluggables — which goes beyond simply matching the speed, mode and fiber type.

As Fuel Member Ian P. Johnston, a security engineer and analyst, describes, “The ISO Seven Layer Networking Model is still essential to designing, maintaining, operating and troubleshooting networks. We can be thankful that Ethernet and IP now dominate layers 2 and 3, but getting the layer 1 fiber connections right seems to get harder by the month: Just as one gets used to LC and ST, along with the options for SFPs, SFP+s, LR, SR, SM, MM, etc. etc., something new like 40G or 100G comes along! Great news for data transfer, but more trouble for the engineer who's got to figure out the best connectivity options and create the BOM.”

We caught up with Chris Bihary, CEO and co-founder of Garland Technology, which provides network test access points (TAPs), to help address questions related to network connectivity. Bihary, along with Patrick Nixdorf, system engineer for Garland, will be presenting a webinar* on May 2 that addresses the basics of network connectivity, along with vendor-specific connectivity such as BiDi and MTP^®. This webinar will also dive into the unique environmental considerations within Industrial Ethernet and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) settings.

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Topics: Network Security, Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, garland, network connectivity, Webinar, network management

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: March

Posted by Fuel HQ on Apr 19, 2017 9:00:00 AM

Each month, we ask Fuel members to weign in with their opinions on the Cybersecurity Question of the Month, and we’re sharing their answers here.

Christopher Russell, a network security consultant and SIG member, and Paul Carter, an information security engineer and member of the Fuel Community Development Council, shared their thoughts on the following question: How can cybersecurity professionals leverage artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) frameworks to implement predictive security measures?

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Topics: Cybersecurity, Hot Topic, threat prevention, machine learning, threat intelligence

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: August

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: June

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: May

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part Three

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part Two

Education Ignite'd: My Path to Certification - Part One

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: April

Inside the Fuel Virtual Test Lab

In the Know: Network Connectivity Uncovered

Cybersecurity Question of the Month: March

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