February 24, 2022, Russia began its large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, one of its neighboring countries. Many international organizations, like Apple and Volkswagen, have taken a stance by applying sanctions against Russia in hopes of encouraging Russia’s President, Vladimir…

By: Christopher Salone, CISA CCSFP, MBA This past year proved to be a year of rapid development for the cybersecurity and IT landscape. As new threats emerged, others continued to develop and evolve. Throughout the year, the FFIEC, in an effort to help its institutions combat these threats, issued…

Overview Typically, the two primary goals of a company’s Payment Card Industry (PCI) governance program are to meet the intent of applicable controls and reduce the scope of PCI Data Security Standards (DSS) requirements enforced on the company’s environment. However, many companies do…

Our workplaces have become more mobile than ever before, largely due to advancements in technology being used by businesses for communication and collaboration. The circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic have expedited this movement by forcing most businesses and organizations out of their…

What is a SOC 1 Report A SOC 1 report, also known as the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) 18, focuses on a service organization’s controls that are likely to be relevant to an audit of a user entity’s (customer’s) financial statements. SOC 1 reports cover a…

Since the regulation came into effect in March 2019, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) continues to strengthen the way that it enforces the Cybersecurity Regulation 23 NYCRR Part 500. With 23 distinct sections of the regulation, DFS requires a comprehensive cybersecurity…

As you were enjoying a cup of coffee the morning of December 18, 2020, you might have been arranging your Holiday plans or ordering a last-minute gift for a loved one. Or, perhaps, you’re part of the banking industry, and as part of your morning routine, you peruse various news outlets and…

On April 2, 2021, it was confirmed that a malicious user published the phone numbers and personal data of hundreds of millions of Facebook users for free online. The information, spanning from users across the globe, includes phone numbers, user IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and some email…

An updated cybersecurity law that the IT organization (along with other college/university departments) will need to continue to integrate into its compliance programs, policies, and controls is the recent changes to New York’s General Business Law 899-aa and 899-bb (aka SHIELD Act). The…

The year 2020 will be forever remembered for the impacts of how the global pandemic forced the adoption of innovative production, logistics, and workforce solutions. Many best practices emerged from the experiences of COVID-19, we continue to learn that these new methods can pay significant…

In our increasingly digital world, individual’s personal information resides on hundreds, if not thousands, of servers across the globe resulting in a huge rise in identity theft. Defined as “the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person to use their…

With many still reeling from the aftermath of the SolarWinds hack, enough dust has settled that we’ve started to ask the important questions: How did this happen? What can we do to prevent this in the future? And will it happen again? The good news is that this cyber attack is incredibly…