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Nisos
Executive PII Exposure: Why You Need Ongoing Monitoring

Exposed personal data is fueling executive impersonation, fraud, and social engineering. Here's what enterprise leaders need to know...

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Open Bullet 2 is an open-source tool built for credential stuffing attacks, automated attempts to gain access to user accounts using stolen credentials from data breaches. It supports both website and mobile application targets and has become a staple in the fraud ecosystem due to its flexibility, extensibility, and active

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Vulnerability management (VM) is the continuous process of finding, evaluating, listing, reporting, and providing AI-driven patch recommendations for security vulnerabilities across an organization’s inventory. In practice, this means regularly scanning IT assets for known vulnerabilities, prioritizing which ones to fix first, and providing customised recommendations based on the vulnerabilities found before attackers can exploit them. […]

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From Risk to ROI: How Security Maturity Drives Business Value
madhav
Tue, 08/12/2025 - 04:30

Cyber threats are like moving targets—constantly evolving and increasingly pervasive. In a hyper-connected world, no individual, industry, or organization is immune. The threat landscape presents a serious and persistent challenge for governments, businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals alike.

Many organizations ensure resilience and elevate their security maturity by adopting a structured framework for guidance. A leading standard, the NIST 2.0 Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), offers a comprehensive, scalable approach to building a proactive cybersecurity program. By following this framework, organizations can effectively address evolving cyber threats and adapt to the dynamic regulatory landscape. Additionally, the framework provides a phased strategy for implementing data security, prioritizing three key objectives: compliance, risk management, and security.

Improving security maturity pays off

Let’s start with three high-impact reasons why advancing security maturity drives real business value:

Compliance: 57% better outcomes

Security maturity models help organizations align with relevant standards and regulations. This matters: According to the 2025 Thales Data Threat Report, 78% of enterprises that failed compliance audits also suffered a breach—compared to just 21% of those that passed. Over the past five years, the likelihood of a breach dropped by 50% for organizations that consistently passed their compliance audits.

Faster response: 25.9% cost savings

A mature security posture enables faster threat detection and response. The difference is measurable: breaches contained under 200 days cost $3.87 million on average, compared to $5.01 million for longer incidents—a 24% savings. Those organizations who detected the breach internally also observed nearly $1 million savings on breach costs compared to those disclosed by an attacker. Speed matters for minimizing financial damage, reducing downtime, and maintaining business continuity.

Trust: 30-40 points higher

Consumer trust in digital services is declining, with 82% abandoning brands because of concerns about data privacy and security. The Thales Digital Trust Index found 64% of consumers said their brand confidence would significantly increase if innovative, advanced technologies were being used to protect sensitive data.

Beyond these benefits, let’s tackle a core challenge: Which comes first—compliance, risk, or data security?

Which comes first: Compliance, risk, or data security?

These three benefits—compliance, faster response, and trust—show why advancing security maturity leads to stronger business outcomes. But they also surface a common organizational dilemma: Where should the security journey begin, with compliance, risk, or data security?

COMPLIANCE: A foundational requirement

For many organizations, business continuity mandates that the security journey start with compliance. While achieving compliance is a necessary first step, it is not a long-term strategy on its own. Compliance-driven efforts tend to be reactive, intermittent, and narrowly focused. They aim to meet requirements rather than anticipate future threats, which can create a false sense of security.

Compliance is especially critical in healthcare organizations. They handle sensitive patient data and rely on interconnected systems, making them particularly vulnerable to breaches and disruption. Healthcare compliance involves implementing data security measures to protect sensitive patient information (PHI) and adhering to regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

A compliance-first example: Healthcare and HIPAA

A healthcare organization, seeking to avoid fines, legal liability, and reputational damage, starts by aligning with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Its security strategy includes encrypting all protected health information (PHI) in motion and at rest, limiting access to authorized personnel, logging all access to patient records, and performing regular audits.

To meeting specific compliance requirements, organizations must manage sensitive data effectively. This includes protecting data from unauthorized access, breaches, and other security threats. To safeguard data against cyber threats such as breaches, ransomware, unauthorized access, and maintain compliance, organizations should implement robust data security measures. These measures include encryption and access controls, maintain strong data governance practices, and automate compliance reporting.

RISK: Raising the bar with risk-first thinking

At more advanced security maturity levels, organizations shift from merely reacting to regulations to proactively managing actual risk. A risk-first approach prioritizes security efforts based on the actual risks that vulnerabilities pose to the organization. It focuses on addressing security gaps that present the greatest threat to critical assets and business objectives. This prioritization considers both the likelihood of exploitation and the potential business impact, enabling organizations to effectively allocate resources for the most critical vulnerabilities.

A risk-based approach provides a more proactive stance and adjusts to evolving threats and business needs. Compliance becomes a pillar of a wider-reaching risk-first strategy versus a sole security approach. However, many sectors are slow to adopt a risk-based approach because of their lower levels of security maturity. Many cyber threats are directed at vulnerable industries due to outdated security tooling, low visibility to risk exposures, and security gaps as they transition to the cloud. In general, the financial sector and manufacturing industries are recognized as the most vulnerable and must prioritize cybersecurity based on the high value of their data and the potential for significant disruption.

A risk-first example: Manufacturing and IP protection

A global manufacturer conducts a risk assessment, identifying its proprietary designs and trade secrets (CAD files, R&D data) as high-value digital assets—and a likely target for industrial espionage. It must prioritize protecting these assets and allocate security resources to mitigate threats and their potential impact on the business.

Ideally, the manufacturer should leverage modern data security tools that include data access monitoring, risk analytics, risk prioritization, and threat detection. A focus on risk—not just regulation alone—drives this strategy for business growth and competitive advantage.

SECURITY: The pinnacle of maturity: A data-first mindset

The highest level of security maturity is a data-first or security-first approach. Here, the strategy focuses on safeguarding data, prioritizing the protection of sensitive data. To do so, organizations must establish an understanding of data flows—including data at rest and in transit—and their respective risks.

This mindset starts in the design phase. Security controls are built in from the beginning, applying “secure by design” and “secure by default” principles. Data security builds robust controls that can adapt to the evolving threat landscape, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for real-time threat detection and rapid response.

A data security-first example: Financial services and sensitive data protection

To better safeguard customer data, a financial services organization prioritized the protection of sensitive data throughout its lifecycle instead of focusing solely on perimeter defenses. It starts with data discovery and classification, identifying where sensitive data lives, how it flows, and who accesses it. Security controls manage sensitive data based on those factors.

The organization uses secure data handling tools, such as encryption, access controls, and data masking via a unified data security platform that combines data discovery, policy definition, and policy enforcement across data silos and data types. Real-time, AI-powered tools help detect and prevent cyber threats and improve organizational responsiveness. A well-defined, continuously tested incident response plan ensures preparedness.

To remain resilient, data security can be implemented in a phased approach to meet top organizational needs, such as:

1. Decrease the likelihood and impact of security incidents. A mature security program, built on strong risk management and continuous improvement, significantly lowers the chances of data breaches and other costly cyberattacks.

2. Minimize financial losses and legal liabilities. Investing in robust security can help
organizations avoid the heavy costs associated stemming from data breaches, regulatory fines, and legal repercussions.

3. Optimize security spending. Maturity models help prioritize security investments, ensuring resources are allocated to address the most significant risks and generate the best ROI.

The bottom line

For organizations just starting their cybersecurity journey, compliance is often the first milestone—and rightly so. But compliance alone isn’t enough to stay secure in a threat landscape that moves faster than the regulations that govern it.

And, consumer trust in digital services is declining, causing customer defections. The adoption of emerging security technologies significantly boosts consumer confidence, sustaining customer loyalty and the revenue from it, contributing to positive, bottom-line results.

Mature organizations recognize this. They go beyond compliance and embrace security-first approaches that are proactive, adaptive, and built to scale with complexity. These strategies don’t just align with regulatory requirements—they anticipate and neutralize real threats before they materialize, building resilience, saving money, and earning trust.

Simply put, security maturity isn’t just about reducing risk—it’s about unlocking ROI via stronger, smarter business outcomes.

Read more about Thales Data Security solutions to accelerate your compliance initiatives, gain control over your risk, and secure sensitive data to improve operational resilience, visibility, and control:

• CipherTrust Data Security Platform: Encryption, tokenization, key management, and data discovery, all in one platform.
• Data Security Posture Management (DSPM): Visualize and protect sensitive data across

Data Security

Lynne Murray | Director of Product Marketing for Data Security
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Is Your Strategy Robust Enough to Keep Pace With Emerging Cyber Threats in Secret Management? The stakes for organizations across industries like healthcare, financial services, and travel are higher than ever. Non-Human Identities (NHIs) and Secrets Management form a critical part of a holistic cybersecurity strategy, offering much-needed end-to-end protection. These methodologies provide a lifeline, […]

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Why is Secure NHI Management Critical for Successful Team Empowerment? How often does secure Non-Human Identity (NHI) management come to mind? Considering the increasing reliance on cloud-based solutions across industries, including healthcare, finance, and travel, it’s clear that cybersecurity should play a significant part in empowering teams. For DevOps and SOC teams, especially, the task […]

The post Empower Teams with Effective IAM Strategies appeared first on Entro.

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Why is Scaling Secrets Security Crucial for Large Enterprises? Large enterprises hold vast amounts of sensitive information, such as customer data and intellectual property, securely stored within their corporate networks. These organizations often use machine identities, or Non-Human Identities (NHIs), to manage this data. But, how well are these NHIs and their secrets being managed, […]

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DataDome’s server-side behavioral detection blocked over 214 million malicious requests from a single IP targeting a global travel platform without downtime or disruption.

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Creator/Author/Presenter: Vlad Iliushin

Our deep appreciation to Security BSides - San Francisco and the Creators, Authors and Presenters for publishing their BSidesSF 2025 video content on YouTube. Originating from the conference’s events held at the lauded CityView / AMC Metreon - certainly a venue like no other; and via the organization's YouTube channel.

Additionally, the organization is welcoming volunteers for the BSidesSF Volunteer Force, as well as their Program Team & Operations roles. See their succinct BSidesSF 'Work With Us' page, in which, the appropriate information is to be had!

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via the cosmic humor & dry-as-the-desert wit of Randall Munroe, creator of XKCD

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Discover EKS Pod Identity Association—the modern, secure way to grant AWS permissions without the operational overhead of OIDC providers. No more duplicated IAM roles across clusters, no more trust policy updates every time you scale.

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Creator/Author/Presenter: Jordan Mecom

Our deep appreciation to Security BSides - San Francisco and the Creators/Authors/Presenters for publishing their BSidesSF 2025 video content on YouTube. Originating from the conference’s events held at the lauded CityView / AMC Metreon - certainly a venue like no other; and via the organization's YouTube channel.

Additionally, the organization is welcoming volunteers for the BSidesSF Volunteer Force, as well as their Program Team & Operations roles. See their succinct BSidesSF 'Work With Us' page, in which, the appropriate information is to be had!

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The post BSidesSF 2025: Confidential Computing: Protecting Customer Data In The Cloud appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Most apps check user trust once during login—then ignore security changes for hours or days. OpenID CAEP changes this by enabling real-time communication between security systems. When a user's context changes, every connected app knows instantly. Here's how it works.

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A New Breed of Cyber Threat A new ransomware strain is making waves, not just for its technical prowess but also for the mystery behind its name: BERT Ransomware. As businesses and individuals race to defend themselves against increasingly complex attacks, BERT stands out for blending classic ransomware tactics with modern evasion techniques. But what […]

The post BERT Ransomware first appeared on StrongBox IT.

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Cary, United States, 11th August 2025, CyberNewsWire

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 In Nigeria, scammers who specialize in Romance Scams and BEC are called "Yahoo Boys."  In Ghana, the term for the same activity is "Sakawa."  Several Ghanaian headlines are talking about this case with headlines such as "Multimillion dollar Sakawa" or "Sakawa Chairman Busted" or "Sakawa Kingpin Bows to Extradition!" 

On 08AUG2025 the US Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York announced the extradition of four Ghanaian scammers who stole more than $100 Million via Romance Scams and Business Email Compromise. 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghanaian-nationals-extradited-roles-criminal-organization-stole-more-100-million

The names likely are not well known in the US, but the first two are creating a stir in some parts of Ghana: Isaac Boateng, Inusah Ahmed, Derrick Van Yeboah, and Patrick Kwame Asare.

Inusah Ahmed, also known as Pascal, and "Agony" is the owner of the PAC Academy Football Club in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Ghana Soccer quotes one source as saying "Pascal was not just the owner; he was the heart and soul of PAC Academy.  This is a huge blow!" 

https://ghanasoccernet.com/pac-academy-fc-faces-uncertain-future-amid-owner-inusah-ahmed-pascals-arrest-over-alleged-internet-fraud

Isaac Kofi Oduro Boateng, better known as "Kofi Boat," claims to be the owner of ICEFOOD, a frozen food company specializing in chicken and fish in Ghana. But he is better known as the "godfather" of singer Shatta Wale.  

Kofi Boat

Shatta, whose real name is Charles Nii Armah, was featured on the Beyonce track "Already" on her 2019 Lion King album.  Last week he had his 2019 Lamborghini Urus seized by the government of Ghana, after the FBI informed them it was purchased with stolen funds.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq687q927r7o Ghana and the City of Lexington BEC

The source of those Lambo funds was Nana Kwabena Amuah, another Ghanian, who performed a $3.9 Million Business Email Compromise against the city of Lexington, Kentucky. When Amuah was arrested in 2023, he posted bail and four days later was arrested attempting to flee to Canada on an Amtrak train. 

In an unusual court document, 58 victims of Amuah's BEC crimes are listed with complete street address and the amount of money stolen.  Victims are identified in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.  Collectively they were tricked into sending $4,743,443 to Amuah and his co-conspirator, Shimea Maret McDonald.  McDonald had opened a shell company, Gretson Company LLC, and had bank accounts at many major banks in that name that were used to receive the funds. 

Victim Restitution Worksheet (1-20 of 58)

There were others arrested in this ring, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who was recruited into "Sakawa" by a Nigerian computer programmer, Sapphire Egemasi, who the Nigerian media calls a "Tech Queen." Nigerian blogger Linda Ikeji (who I've followed for many years) shared this photo of Sapphire: 

https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2025/6/fbi-arrests-nigerian-tech-queen-sapphire-egemasi-over-alleged-fraud-in-us-2.html

Samuel Kwadwo Osei ("Tuga"), Derick Nii Ashitey, Chinemezu Sapphire Egemasi, and Fred Brobbey Awuah were all charged in the same ring as McDonald and Amuah. 

Osei laundered funds through his BofA account in the name "Lasko Company LLC."
Ashitey operated from the United Kingdom. Sapphire operated from Nigeria, while Awuah resided in the Netherlands. 

Another Boateng? Dada Joe Remix  Perhaps the first linked case in this string of Ghana-related arrests comes from the 27MAY2025 arrest of  Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng, who was extradited to Arizona for ties to a romance scam case.  In Ghana, he is known as "Dada Joe Remix" and claims to be involved in oil and gas as well as real estate. According to "Pulse Ghana" he is "rumoured to be the man behind Shatta Bandle, Ghanian self-acclaimed billionaire and richest man in Africa."  A Ghanian "prophet" Abusua is now claiming that Dada Joe was formerly "his small boy." Abusua claims that he took him into the bush for three months to teach him how to invoke spiritual powers to help him have success in his frauds.  https://x.com/StateDeptDSS/status/1940078310156865950

Are Ghana's "Elite" panicking? 

My favorite paragraph in the Pulse story "Accra socialite Dada Joe Remix nabbed in alleged FBI sting"  reads:  "Since news of the arrest broke, panic has reportedly gripped Accra’s elite social circles. Several prominent figures allegedly involved in cryptocurrency, forex trading, and high-end real estate have gone underground. Phones have reportedly been switched off, luxury homes have fallen silent, flights are rumoured to be hastily booked, and inner circles – including partners, baby mamas, and close associates – are allegedly being coached on what to say should they be questioned."

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Why is Machine Identity Security Essential? Do you find that businesses underestimate the significance of machine identity security? When innovation accelerates and we move our activities more to the cloud, securing machine identities, or non-human identities (NHIs), has become a growing focus among cybersecurity professionals. With widespread adoption of cloud services, financial services, healthcare, travel, […]

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What comes to mind when we think of compliance in cybersecurity? For many, it’s a focus on human identities: creating secure passwords, providing access control, and educating employees on security best practices. However, there’s a growing recognition that to truly ensure cloud security compliance, we must also turn our attention to Non-Human Identities (NHIs). The […]

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Creator/Author/Presenter: Jordan Mecom

Our deep appreciation to Security BSides - San Francisco and the Creators/Authors/Presenters for publishing their BSidesSF 2025 video content on YouTube. Originating from the conference’s events held at the lauded CityView / AMC Metreon - certainly a venue like no other; and via the organization's YouTube channel.

Additionally, the organization is welcoming volunteers for the BSidesSF Volunteer Force, as well as their Program Team & Operations roles. See their succinct BSidesSF 'Work With Us' page, in which, the appropriate information is to be had!

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