The Security Shit Show

Ever met someone who’s seems negative all the time? The person who always has something negative to add to a conversation? These people are common, so common we have a nickname for them; “Negative Nelly”. You could be having the best day, then along comes Nelly. He/she shits on your parade and leaves you feeling gloomy. You don’t like Nelly, you don’t like talking to Nelly, and you certainly don’t like hanging out with Nelly.We’re Nelly. The information security industry is Nelly. Don’t agree? How often do you read positive news about our industry versus negative news? Some recent headlines:Online marketing company exposes 38+ million US citizen records.Chinese professor on sensitive projects in US jailed for espionage.Google removes Android app that was used to spy on protesters.WordPress websites attacked via File Manager plugin vulnerability.Vulcan Cyber study finds serious problems with vulnerability management.We can’t help it, we're Nelly.In our defense, this is the nature o…

Shit, we’re late posting this one! Imagine three guys all pointing fingers at each other. That’s sort of it… No, not really. This is the Shit Show for crying out loud!
Anyway, here’s Chris’ episode 16 LinkedIn post…This evening on the Security Shit Show we’re going to open the Pandora’s box labeled 5G and see what’s what with the technology, implementations, countries involved AND all the conspiracy theories surrounding it.With the ever-guiding lights provided by Evan Francen, Ryan Cloutier, CISSP and Rachel Arnold we’ll see what we can come up with to dispel the rumors of brain frying, Covid-19 inducing, plant and bird killing technology.We’ll address some of the actual challenges WITH 5G, thanks to some great conversations the other week with Paul Ferrillo and Dr. Rob Spalding, Brig Gen, USAF (Ret)We might even go down the rabbit hole of Body Area Networks, and how we can induce communication within the body… and NO that’s not a 5G thing, but it’s a reality we’re working on…I’m sure …

Think you're having a private conversation, think again your TV, toaster, thermostat, smart speakers and phones are all listening to you all the time. You're most embarrassing and mundane moments are being listened to by quality control agents all around the globe. Cyber criminals are combing through your chat logs, so they can craft the perfect phishing attack. Smart cameras and webcams are allowing predators access to your home and children. Nation states are listening so they can learn how best to sway your thinking and manipulate you.Why does this matter to you, 3rd party companies are monetizing your personal information and nation-states are weaponizing it against you and your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.Business are having confidential conversations around these spying devices potentially allowing trade secrets and sensitive information to leak.We are sharing sensitive medical information with our doctors via iPads, laptops and smartphones, are you sure…

Thank you to everyone who tuned in for this past Thursday's (8/13) show! The title of the show was "Shut Up Brain! I'm Fine." It was an episode filled with real talk about a deep topic, mental health. If you missed any of it, the episode blog post is here and the recorded show is here.There were (at least) two follow-up items from the show:The slide deck. We had numerous people ask us for a copy. Ask and you shall receive! Download it here.The invitation to take the Mental Health First Aid class with us. During the show, Evan promised to pay for the first ten (10) people who were willing to take the class. We didn't expect people to take us up on the offer so quick, but the ten spaces are already filled. Don't let this stop you though! It's only $80 to take the class and it's 100% worth the money. We highly encourage you to check it out here.We hope you enjoy our show. It's a place where people can discuss tough topics and challenges facing our inf…

Really? Who’s got all their shit together all the time? Simple. Nobody does.
NOTE: Mental health is a topic that hits home with all three of us on the Shit Show, so this is gonna get personal.Let’s get real. Mental health is a real and significant issue. We convince ourselves of the lie, nobody cares and you’re alone. This is bullshit. People do care and you are NOT alone! Some facts:19.1% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2018 (47.6 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.4.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2018 (11.4 million people). This represents 1 in 25 adults.16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people)3.7% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2018 (9.2 million people)It’s not a race or sexual-preference thing. The annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group:Non-Hispanic Asian: 14.7%Non-Hispanic white: 20.4%…

Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries….Until recently, if I wanted to insult you I HAD to do it to your face, or from the parapet of the nearest castle and hope that you didn’t punch my lights out OR lay siege to my domain.However…These days, anyone with a phone, computer or Internet access can quickly become an armchair critic, troll or anonymous heckler in the digital crowd.To the point where it moves from annoying TO personal and threatening etc.And, as a society, as an industry and as humans we’re ill prepared to deal with this issue. It’s NOT going away, and it affects many of us, so what DO we do about it?Alas, our topic for Episode 13, LIVE on Thursday night (8/6) @ 10pm EDT!