Task and project management is a must-have skill in the technology industry, especially for tech leaders. Most are handling multiple projects and demands on their time, so it’s important to be able to prioritize and get everything done. As some of the top professionals in the field, the members of Forbes Technology Council have spent years cultivating […]
For the first time in National Football League history, draft day is going remote and online. Social media will play a big part in that transition, and teams have to work in that world securely. In recent years, the NFL turned the day its teams pick their stars of tomorrow into as big an event as […]
Chris Ward speaks with Quentin Rhoads-Herrera of CRITICALSTART to discuss cybersecurity in a time of a pandemic. In our current time of crisis, it’s a sad fact that there are many taking advantage of distracted governments, businesses, and individuals. With the majority of workforces in the Western world currently working from home, often on insecure […]
A hacker could provide entertainment value by disrupting the virtual NFL draft that begins Thursday. Desperation for any sports entertainment shouldn’t make us forget that these things are boring. The few moments of suspense as picks and trades are announced are drowned out by incessant chatter by talking heads and nonstop loops of player highlights. […]
The tax deadline came and went and now is the time when scammers see confusion and opportunity. “It’s like Christmas for scammers right now. This is as good as it’ll ever get for them,” said Rob Davis, the founder and CEO of Critical Start, a cybersecurity firm. He told Channel 2 Anchor Wendy Corona with a […]
Zoom’s biggest challenge isn’t just fixing its security blunders — it’s doing so while maintaining what makes it so popular in the first place. Zoom has become nearly synonymous with office meetings and socializing as people around the world have adapted to life at home amid the Coronavirus outbreak. That has put the roughly 9-year-old […]
In the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have witnessed a surge in telecommuting as more companies transition to remote work. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen a spike in web traffic (including a record-setting number of Zoom calls) as companies make the switch. Initially, there was even concern that this massive onslaught in web traffic […]
For Quentin Rhoads-Herrera, this was not a typical security test. A big municipal government in the U.S. had just handed him the source code for software the city uses to manage contracts and track infrastructure projects. He unpacked the code, sifted through it, and found more than a dozen previously undisclosed vulnerabilities, or zero-days, that a hacker could […]
When it comes to protecting computers and information systems from cyber attack, artificial intelligence and machine learning can help — but they’re no cure-all for a growing problem. Notwithstanding the current excitement over AI and its increasing ability to best humans on numerous fronts, it’s no magic bullet for shoring up cybersecurity, says Randy Watkins, […]
In addition to helping doctors provide care, technologists are helping researchers find a vaccine for the coronavirus. White hat hackers are using crowdsourced simulations to understand how the virus behaves. The red team at CRITICALSTART found that the company’s password cracker Cthulhu can be used to run computer simulations that mimic the same complex protein […]
Jordan Mauriello, SVP of Managed Security, shares his thoughts with Steve Gruber of the Steve Gruber Podcast on election security and the vulnerabilities associated with polling places in light of the coming 2020 elections. Full Video Transcript: SG: It is six states going to the polls today, and critical states. Bernie Sanders would like nothing […]
As organizations find themselves short on budget and talent, security automation that supplements the work of security experts can reduce discovery costs. It’s no secret: cybercrime is skyrocketing. Security breaches in the last five years grew by 67 percent for public and private sector organizations, according to Accenture and Ponemon Institute’s 2019 “Cost of Cybercrime Study,” […]
A recent survey by computer security firm CRITICALSTART showed 66 percent of Super Tuesday voters said they fear the elections aren’t secure — with many believing one of the campaigns would seek to influence the election and others concerned a foreign power, like Russia, might try to interfere. Jordan Mauriello, CRITICALSTART Senior Vice President of Managed […]
In an increasingly connected and digital world, no company or industry is safe from the growing threat posed by malicious online actors. How can companies attempt to manage this? Rob Davis of CRITICALSTART provides some advice for businesses. For many firms, as cyberattacks are increasing in number and sophistication, there are still countless hours wasted […]
A data breach is an incident in which a victim’s sensitive information is accessed without permission. According to a recent article by FOX Business, the main causes of data breaches are the lack of employee cybersecurity training, the tendency for vulnerable users’ to click on malicious links, unsecured and out-of-date company computer networks, and weak passwords without multifactor authentication. […]
Two-thirds of voting-age adults in Super Tuesday states believe the election is vulnerable to foreign interference, a poll by cybersecurity company CRITICALSTART discovered. While most believe their states are trying to address the problem, about half the respondents said they feel more confident with in-person paper ballots, and those who believe their state is secure are […]
How many times have you typed in the wrong URL? If you’re like us, it happens a lot — but typing the wrong address in your browser and hitting enter can cost you big time. We all use sites like YouTube and Google, but now, more than ever, criminals are using fake URLs that […]
New Survey: 66% of Super Tuesday Voters Fear Elections Aren’t Secure With less than one week to go before voters in 13 states cast their Presidential Primary Ballots, two-thirds of voting-age adults in Super Tuesday states do not believe their state’s election is secure from hacking or other technological threats. 44% believe one of the […]
CRITICALSTART has been named to CRN’s MSP 500 list for 2020, in the Security 100 category. CRN’s Managed Service Provider 500 list recognizes the top technology providers and consultants whose forward-thinking approach to providing managed services is changing the landscape of the IT channel. This annual list honors solution providers who bring innovative approaches to […]
CRITICALSTART CEO, Rob Davis, discusses the security of digital versus paper voting in the 2020 elections in his February 16th interview with FOX5 News – KVVU. Full Video Transcripts: They are reminding people there are three more days to vote ahead of the caucus and the Dems says that, so far, over 11,800 […]
Cryptojacking is so 2019. Ransomware is reemerging as the top cybercrime of choice, with attacks expected to increase in 2020. The pivot back to ransomware can largely be attributed to the attacker’s ability to contextualize the malware and weaponize it in targeted attacks. These enhanced capabilities are exacerbated by the ease of access through ransomware […]
The Life of Data, the fuel for AI: Security Recent surveys, studies, forecasts and other quantitative assessments of the progress of AI highlight anxiety about AI eliminating jobs, the competition for AI talent, questions about employees AI preparedness, and data quality, literacy, privacy, and security. 70% of cybersecurity professionals investigate more than 10 security alerts […]
How can enterprises and IT professionals combat the increasing IT security threats without feeling burnt out? With the number of security attacks that enterprises are facing, it’s no wonder why some IT security professionals are feeling burnt out. In addition to an overall increase in attacks, dealing with security alerts require lengthy investigations. This is […]
Hackers linked to Iran are probing American companies for vulnerabilities, cybersecurity researchers and U.S. government officials say. The warnings suggest that the next phase of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, following the Jan. 3 killing of a top Iranian general in an American drone strike, is likely to play out in cyberspace. The Iranian regime […]
Automation is helpful in reducing the time to investigate alerts. Cybersecurity providers are being bombarded with alerts, many of which turn out to be false positives, creating challenges for the industry. That’s according to CRITICALSTART‘s latest report, The Impact of Security Alert Overload. MSSPs, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers and Security Operations Center (SOC) […]
As the shortage of security professionals grows, most organizations struggle to attract and retain the talent necessary to mitigate risk. Though analysis efficiency in investigating security alerts is improving with automation advancements, organizations still face an overwhelming number of false positives generated by activity that is not malicious. When managing false positives, there are three […]
Technology is ever-changing, and it’s important for every business to keep up with new gadgets and trends. That’s why many businesses look to their chief technology officers for guidance on creating a tech strategy that serves their company. When hiring a CTO for your business, you’ll want to look for someone with the right knowledge […]
Cyberattacks, already seen as the top risk of doing business by executives, are likely to receive renewed attention — and spending — as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate. Last weekend, a group claiming to be Iranian hackers defaced a federal government library website with a violent image depicting President Donald Trump. The White House and […]
With an exclusively remote tech team, there may be fewer opportunities for team building. However, with a bit of extra effort, it’s possible to build extraordinary camaraderie within a remote group. Forbes Technology Council surveyed Randy Watkins, CTO for CRITICALSTART, and 13 other council members for their best tips for tech executives looking to build […]
The endpoint security market has evolved over the last decade from a “one agent to rule them all” approach, to “best of breed,” to today’s “Platformula” model. The evolution of endpoint security companies has driven innovation in machine learning (ML), user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), root-cause analysis (RCA), and managed detection and response (MDR). […]
CRITICALSTART CTO, Randy Watkins, was recently tapped for membership in the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives. Watkins was selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well […]
The news just keeps getting better for CRITICALSTART! The Tech Tribune staff compiled a list of the very best tech startups in Plano, Texas and recognized CRITICALSTART as one of the best, ranked #3 out of the top 10. As part of its research into the top tech companies, The Tech Tribune team considered several factors, […]
Plano-based cybersecurity software company CRITICALSTART was created in response to a number of cyberattacks on businesses and government organizations at the beginning of the decade and to address what founder and CEO Rob Davis saw was lacking in the marketplace. Now, nearly seven years after its launch, CRITICALSTART is focused on staying ahead of trends in […]
Breaches are increasing – a proactive approach to data protection can help you safeguard your organization’s data. 2019 has not been a good year for healthcare data. HIPAA’s Healthcare Data Breach Report, says the first six months of the year saw 9,652,575 Americans exposed to breaches. Factoring in the American Medical Collection Agency data breach […]
We’ve always known CRITICALSTART is a great place to work, and now we have additional proof. The Dallas Business Journal recently honored CRITCALSTART as one of the top 100 workplaces in North Texas, ranking 5th overall in the mid-sized company category. Employee engagement and satisfaction played a primary role in the award criteria. CRITICALSTART scored a 94.10 […]
“Security is really the art of handling risk” – Randy Watkins, CTO of CRITICALSTART. It’s clear that managed security services providers (MSSPs) have a ripe opportunity to step into the gap and help small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) meet the daunting challenge of preserving the privacy and security of sensitive data. CRITICALSTART is […]
Ransomware attacks are not going away. Security researchers have repeatedly warned the public sector about their data vulnerabilities. Yet they continue to get hammered by cyberattacks launched by hackers demanding ransom for their hijacked systems. Callie Guenther, CYBERSOC Data Scientist for CRITICALSTART, outlines the step organizations can take to help stave off an attack, protect […]
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are being heralded as a way to solve a wide range of problems in different industries and applications, such as reducing street traffic, improving online shopping, making life easier with voice-activated digital assistants, and more. Jordan Mauriello, Senior Vice President of Managed Services at CRITICALSTART, discusses the real […]
The subject of password strength and complexity requirements has been discussed and debated ad nauseam in the security industry. It’s a subject as old as information security and will not be going away any time soon. Cory Mathews, Offensive Security Technical Lead for CRITICALSTART‘s TEAMARES, outlines the importance of proper password management and the steps you can […]
With the evolution of cybersecurity over the last decade, it’s easy to forget what security is; the art of dealing with risk. The flood of funding into the space has created a host of marketing buzzwords that pollute the board room and pull the attention from the “why?” of security. What is the reason cybersecurity […]
