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 […]
Adoption of zero-trust and micro-segmentation as core design principles can help improve the security posture of your network and the attached systems. However, it is important to understand how we got to our current state to understand how these principles can help us. Chris Yates, Senior Security Architect at CRITICALSTART, discusses the keys to adoption […]
Enterprise CIOs, CSOs, and VPs of security need business outcomes and a positive ROI from their MSSP. One way to achieve this level of trust is with radical transparency with zero trust, as it gives in-house security teams the ability to view details around their security events, triage decisions and analyst notes to help them […]
CRITICALSTART and Microsoft recently announced a collaboration that will see the Texas-based MSSP offer a managed detection and response service for Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP). In addition to that deal, CRITICALSTART accepted a $40 million minority investment from Sagemount, a growth equity firm. The money will help fuel CRITICALSTART’s U.S. expansion – new field offices in […]
A Plano cybersecurity firm will open offices in Los Angeles and New York in a national expansion fueled by its first outside investment. CRITICALSTART said it’s raised $40 million from New York private equity firm Sagemount to accelerate its expansion. The company’s software detects and investigates computer security alerts. It’s the latest Dallas-Fort Worth technology […]
CRITICALSTART is looking beyond itself to fuel fresh growth. The Plano cybersecurity company raised $40 million in its first outside investment, it said in a statement on Wednesday. The funding will help the company bolster its sales and marketing in North America and potentially Europe, according to Rob Davis, CRITICALSTART‘s chief executive. In addition, there […]
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week that travelers’ images and personal data such as driver’s license info were compromised in a breach. While the threat of identity theft is very real, the real-world implications of one or more data breaches like this one will likely far exceed this expectation. “It does no good to […]
CRITICALSTART, a Top 100 MSSP with managed detection and response (MDR) cybersecurity services, has raised $40 million to expand nationwide across the United States. The funding involves a minority investment from Sagemount, a growth equity firm. Among the Plano, Texas-based company’s latest moves: Opening field service offices in New York City and Los Angeles, California to support […]
Nearly two years after the Equifax breach, the fallout is far from over. As detailed in the 96-page Senate Committee on Investigations report, serious flaws in the financial systems’ consumer data security framework were exposed. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a vocal critic of Wall Street and its many entities, echoes the Reuters report, stating that Equifax […]
The role of data in today’s business world cannot be overstated. Competitive intelligence is inextricably linked to the speed at which valuable data can be consumed and analyzed to yield important business insights. While the artificial intelligence and machine learning industry are on an upward trajectory, limiting factors such as data storage and networking bottlenecks […]
You’ve purchased a next-generation firewall. You understand the why, but how do you make the most of your investment? What’s next? When it comes to next-generation firewall technology, determining the best implementation methodology can be a bit daunting, from trying to determine which features to enable first or how to enable new capabilities without impacting […]
In an era of fake news and constant misinformation, Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp hoaxes have become a prime vector for malicious actors to take information from users who are willingly handing it over in the hopes of gaining goods or services in return. Gone are the days of the Nigerian Prince emails, welcome to the new age of […]
CRITICALSTART is the fastest growing MDR service in North America, and we are expanding our service offerings and integrations with new technologies that increase our capabilities for our customers. CRITICALSTART has partnered with Microsoft to build a strong integration between Windows Defender ATP and our ZTAP Security Orchestration Automation and Response MDR service. WDATP solution […]
Cisco has issued security alerts for 30 vulnerabilities across a range of its products and services, with three being ranked as critical and remotely exploitable. Some 20 different Cisco products contain a vulnerable version of the Apache Struts 2 framework that is currently under active exploitation by miscreants dropping cryptocurrency miner malware on exposed systems. READ MORE Featured in iTnews […]
Cisco published on Wednesday 30 security advisories on vulnerabilities identified in its products. Half of them are for high and critical severity bugs. Only three alerts refer to security problems with critical impact; among them is the recently disclosed remote code execution vulnerability in Apache Struts, for which several proof-of-concept exploits exist. Cisco notes that not all of its products that […]
Two high-severity vulnerabilities have been disclosed in Cisco’s security platform that could allow an attacker to gain administrative privileges – and take full control of the impacted machine. The glitches, disclosed Wednesday, affect two parts of Cisco Umbrella, a secure internet gateway that acts as a cloud-delivered security service for corporate networks. Specifically, the Cisco […]
Cisco has issued a security advisory to customers detailing a swathe of critical and highly-rated vulnerabilities which have been resolved. The security advisory documents three critical vulnerabilities, 19 bugs rated “important,” and a number of medium-severity security flaws. One of the most serious bugs is a vulnerability impacting Apache Struts 2, which was publicly disclosed in August together with […]
All companies today are exposed to intense cyber-attacks. And yet the vast majority simply do not have the capability to effectively defend their networks. That’s where managed security services providers, or MSSPs, come in. MSSPs monitor and manage cybersecurity systems as a contracted service. This can include spam filtering, malware detection, firewalls upkeep, vulnerability […]
Cisco informed customers on Wednesday that patches are available for over a dozen critical and high severity vulnerabilities affecting the company’s RV series, SD-WAN, Umbrella, and other products. Patches are also available for serious privilege escalation and information disclosure bugs in WebEx, a DoS flaw in Prime Access Registrar, a privilege escalation in Data Center […]
In the IT industry, shattering the status quo is the status quo. While big vendors generate their share of ground-breaking products, startups are a major driver of innovation and are changing the rules of the game. CRN shines a light on some of the most exciting new channel-focused vendors helping create new solutions for business […]
Today, the number of cyberattacks is on the rise. According to a 2017 report from Accenture, there are more than 130 large-scale, targeted breaches in the U.S. per year, and the number is growing by 27 percent annually. As a result, distributed enterprise IT environments are facing more complex threat landscapes. Threat actors and hackers are […]
