Earnest Engineer

The NICE framework from a RACI point of view The NICE framework ( NIST SP 800-181 rev. 1) established a standard approach for describing cybersecurity work, in order to help stakeholders share a common language and ideally improve how to identify, recruit, develop and retain talent. It breaks down cybersecurity work role categories into: Oversight and Governance; Design and Development; Implementation and Operation; Protection and Defense; Investigation.  Which is very cybersecurity-centric and not related to common tools for project management within companies. Especially smaller enterprises that do not have dedicated people to mange and coordinate cybersecurity needs. A  RACI chart  is   a project management tool used to define and clarify roles and responsibilities within a project team.   It stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, and visually represents who is responsible for what, who is accountable for the outcome, who needs to be c...

Typescript is a statically typed language, that is a superset of JavaScript. I've had the discussions and debates about that aspect of the language. I am all for static typing. Any way my tools can help me be better is alright by me. So I avoid the ' any ' type designation and make sure I have guards on ' unknown ' types, as much as I can.  Any  does not carry any useful type information, while unknown does, and allows it to enforce type checking.  Anything can be assigned to a variable of type unknown , but an unknown value cannot be assigned to variables of other types without explicit type assertion or narrowing. Similarly, no operations are permitted on an unknown value until its type is refined. This behavior ensures type safety and prevents runtime errors. (Refined with help from google). I bring this up because I was arguing with the compiler recently because I'd assumed both made no use on any type information in any circumstance - because I haven't ...

From the  EU  MDCG 2019-16 Guidance on Cybersecurity for medical devices, December 2019 , this is the guidance on foreseeable risks.  Medical device manufacturers should ensure that a medical device is designed and manufactured in a way that ensures that the risks associated with reasonably foreseeable environmental conditions are removed or minimised. This may include the infield monitoring of the software’s vulnerabilities and the possibility to perform a device update (outside the context of a field safety corrective action) through, for example delivering patches to ensure the continued security of the device. During the risk management process, the manufacturer should foresee or evaluate the potential exploitation of those vulnerabilities that may be a result of reasonably foreseeable misuse. This, however, may depend on the specific situation. For example, using an unsecured memory-stick to enter data into a medical IT system can be considered “reasonably foreseeabl...

Secure Your Code with Threat Modeling As a software developer, security should be a top priority. By proactively identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities, you can significantly reduce the risk of breaches and data loss. What is Threat Modeling?   Threat modeling is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating security threats. It involves looking at your system from a hacker's perspective to uncover weaknesses and devise strategies to protect against attacks. See the  OWASP Cheat Sheet   Why is Threat Modeling Important? Proactive Security: By anticipating potential threats, you can take steps to prevent them. Risk Mitigation: Identify and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Regulatory Compliance: Adhere to industry standards and regulations. Enhanced Security Posture: Strengthen your overall security posture. How to Get Started with Threat Modeling   The Threat Modeling Manifesto provides a valuable framewor...

The following is a story that I think highlights the assumptions that get you into trouble online... https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/i-knew-you-were-trouble-ta456-targets-defense-contractor-alluring-social-media This is particularly scary since we found so much utility in online connections during the pandemic and out of necessity, started trusting more online. Please note the timeline for this breach - it was a long, slow process, a key factor in many 'cons'. "Build trust" is a key first step, once someone has identified you as a party. You think...you're convinced you know who your talking to, but if you don't triangulate the identity with some non-online, ideally in-person information, you shouldn't trust. And even if you do get what seems like real-life confirmations of identity, you must look at questioning motives, needs, and keeping danger at arms-length. Online includes email, texting (sms), application chatbots, voice communicati...

Examining the risks of IT hero culture This ISACA article examines a situation that is commonplace - since people often have an uneasy working relationship with technology, such that if one is able to help such a person out of a jam and save hours or more of work, for instance, then one is lauded as a hero in the eyes of the person saved.  This article presents how this model is sub-par, wearing on both the heroes and those counting on them, resulting in an unsustainable situation. This is directly related to the sorts of relationships that project and program managers have with cybersecurity: they bring in cybersecurity expertise to apply patches on-top of code and systems to perform 'cybersecurity' rather than making it a fundamental characteristic of the built system - from design through maintenance. Unfortunately we are in a time and world of persistent threats and supply chain vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity is an everyday, everybody, all-the-time activity, broken out of t...