9 free cybersecurity whitepapers you should read
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations face constant cyber threats that can compromise their sensitive data, disrupt operations, and damage their reputation. Staying informed about the latest cyberattacks and understanding effective protection methods is crucial.
This list of free cybersecurity whitepapers that don’t require registration covers a wide range of common cyber risks (ransomware, DDoS attacks, social network account hijacking). It explores the possible risks that could originate from new technologies such as generative AI (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs).
MS-ISAC guide to DDoS attacks
The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) has created a guide to shed light on denial of service (DoS) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. A DoS attack aims to overwhelm a system and hinder its intended users’ access, while a DDoS attack involves multiple sources working together towards the same goal.
These attacks deplete network, application, or system resources, leading to issues such as network slowdowns, application crashes, and server failures. The MS-ISAC guide examines various techniques employed by cyber threat actors (CTAs) to execute successful DDoS attacks. The guide also provides recommendations for defending against these types of attacks.
Ransomware missteps that can cost you
Ransomware has become one of the most concerning types of attacks. To be able to effectively tackle these attacks, IT professionals and managed services providers need to be prepared to respond quickly and appropriately.
The first step towards readiness lies in acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the primary issues and possible pitfalls that can significantly impact the outcome.
This whitepaper from N-able gives insights on one of the most common and disastrous type of attack and what are the frequent mistakes organizations do when trying to limit the damaging effects.
The five ICS cybersecurity critical controls
To establish a robust and successful security program for industrial control systems (ICS) or operational technology (OT), a combination of five cybersecurity controls can be employed.
This SANS whitepaper points out these controls, empowering organizations to customize and implement them according to their specific environment and risk factors.
Rather than being overly prescriptive, these controls prioritize outcomes, ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Moreover, they are informed by intelligence-driven insights derived from the analysis of recent breaches and cyberattacks in industrial companies worldwide.
How to identify the cybersecurity skills needed in the technical teams in your organization
To keep an organization safe from information security threats, it is essential to understand cybersecurity skills gaps within your IT and InfoSec teams. To enhance your company’s protection, it is crucial to pinpoint these deficiencies and give importance to skills according to specific job roles.
This whitepaper from Offensive Security concentrates on optimal methods for nurturing internal cybersecurity talent within your technical teams, such as IT, information security, DevOps, or engineering.
Generative AI and ChatGPT enterprise risks
The increasing use of GenAI and LLMs in enterprises has prompted CISOs to assess the associated risks. While GenAI offers numerous benefits in improving various daily tasks, it also introduces security risks that organizations need to address.
This whitepaper from Team8 aims to provide information on these risks and recommended best practices for security teams and CISOs, as well as encourage community involvement and awareness on the subject.
Redefining browser isolation security
Traditional methods of data security and threat protection are inadequate in the face of evolving applications, users, and devices that extend beyond the corporate perimeter.
Legacy security approaches struggle to adapt to the hybrid work model, leading to visibility issues, conflicting configurations, and increased risks. To address these challenges, organizations need to update their risk mitigation strategies.
Remote browser isolation (RBI) technology offers a promising solution by separating internet browsing from local browsers and devices. However, traditional RBI approaches have limitations such as high costs, performance issues, and security vulnerabilities caused by deployment gaps.
This Cloudflare whitepaper examines the causes and consequences of these challenges, and shows how to approach browser isolation to tackle these common issues.
S1 deload stealer: Exploring the economics of social network account hijacking
Social networks have become an essential part of our lives, but they have also been exploited by criminals. Threat actors have been using legitimate social media accounts to engage in illegal activities, such as extortion and manipulating public opinion for influencing elections.
Financially motivated groups have also employed malvertising and spam campaigns, as well as operated automated content-sharing platforms, to increase revenue or sell compromised accounts to other malicious individuals.
This whitepaper from Bitdefender highlights an ongoing malware distribution campaign that takes advantage of social media by hijacking users’ Facebook and YouTube accounts.
Building a budget for an insider threat program
To gain support from top-level executives when planning to implement a purpose-built insider threat solution, the value of the solution needs to be linked not just to reducing risks but also to providing additional business benefits.
The business case should show how an insider threat program can result in immediate cost savings, allow security resources to be allocated to other important projects in the future, and ultimately promote collaboration, productivity, and innovation.
This Code42 whitepaper provides a strategy for security teams to create a convincing business case.
The case for threat intelligence to defend against advanced persistent threats
Organizations are encountering an increasingly serious challenge posed by advanced persistent threats (APTs). Those responsible for managing business risk recognize that it is impossible to completely prevent such threats. Instead, the focus is on implementing defensive measures and utilizing threat intelligence to improve the chances of detecting attacks and reducing risk to an acceptable level.
Rather than fixating on the inevitability of being hacked, the emphasis is placed on minimizing the occurrence of attacks and efficiently identifying and responding to them, to mitigate their impact on the business.
This Cyberstash whitepaper examines the effectiveness and cost associated with threat intelligence in enhancing the security industry’s defensive capabilities against APTs.