J2SECOPS WEEKLY NEWS:

This week in the J2 CSC, What can be worse than a false sense of security? Bad Hygiene, the Zuckerbot Privacy Malfunction Protocol and Precision Agriculture.

What a week we have had, and as a scholar and a humble consumer of wisdom and knowledge some days I become a bit overwhelmed by the sheer scale of destruction that I observe on a daily basis. Which brings me back to the now infamous quote by Robert Oppenheimer, after he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon during the Trinity nuclear tests on July 16, 1945. He was famously quoted from the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavat-Gita: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad-Gita, and to my mind also the most misunderstood.

From my very humble and limited understanding; Krishna is stating that you have to simply do your duty as a warrior. Considering the two pole opposites, Peace and War. Within peace time you wouldn't have to do this, but when you are at war you have to. In the larger scheme of things, we are at War (under assault) and have been for quite some time; We are witnessing destruction on a massive scale and have a choice to make: either be on the side-lines or get into the fight! So within Destruction there is renewal, Information Security and Cybersecurity / Defence, whatever you want to call it, for the most part has failed, and the logical conclusion is to break it down (Destroy) and start again, reset you prejudices so that the renewal can begin!

With this in mind, enjoy our roundup of stories for this week…

What is Worse than security?

What are account takeovers (ATOs) and why do we care? How can you decipher between fact or fiction? With Security Vendors and Service Partners promising solutions. Getting it right matters. So here they are, plain and simple, so you can make the best decisions for your company, employees and customers, the six most popular ATO approaches on the market and reasons why ATOs are successful even with them in place.

1. Multi-Factor Authentication
   Usability -
   It’s about how many people would we drive out if we force them to use additional security.
2. Password Managers
   Password Reuse -
   It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that passwords are widely re-used among multiple sites and applications and guess your current version of your password.
3. 90-Day Password Rotations
   Password Compromise -
   Frequent password changes only inconvenience attackers, probably not enough to offset the inconvenience to users.
4. Behavior or Heuristics-Based Solutions
   Compromised Detection -
   Detection of Compromised accounts and action upon the compromise without delay.
5. Deep & Dark Web Scanners, Crawlers and Scrapers
   For Our Eyes Only -
   Scanners, therefore, only pick up redacted samples of what threat actors use to advertise their products publicly.
6. Corporate Policy
   General Policy Statements expected to solve Specific Requirements -
   Implementing policies, it becomes clear that threat lurk between the lines for companies to monitor their employees’ exposure due to password reuse between personal and employee accounts.

Six Reasons for a False Sense of Security - ATOs |  SpyCloud

To err is Human to make the same mistakes is just bad Hygiene

My frustration has no bounds while questing to update home routers, trying to find the right firmware is probably the major reason my hair is not a thick and lush as it once was, so without delay, here are the five commonly-forgotten security best practices.

The Biggest “Small” Personal Digital Security Mistakes | Lesley Carhart, Full Spectrum Cyber-Warrior Princess (hacks4pancakes)

The Zuckerbot Malfunction Protocol and WhatsApp with privacy at Facebook?

With the ongoing Zuckerbot privacy malfunctions, the co-founder of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, is leaving Facebook; and trust me this is a loss of one of the strongest advocates for privacy inside Facebook.
Apparently this is due to the ongoing Rock'em Sock'em Robots Clash within the parent company over WhatApp’s strategy and Facebook’s attempts to use its personal data and weaken its encryption.

WhatsApp co-founder to quit in loss of privacy advocate at Facebook | David Ingram

Precision Agriculture and AI

While looking at emerging application of the Digital Transformation Paradigm, I found this really interesting perspective and though you might enjoy this huge opportunity in a cause that is very close to my heart: “Food Waste”.
As human populations increase, utilizing every centimetre of arable land and conserving resources is paramount to meet demand and for sustainable agriculture systems and as automation isn’t new to the agriculture industry, the use of drones to make farm production more precise is still in its infancy.

Why Precision Agriculture Will Change How Food Is Produced | Jennifer Kite-Powell