E45, Here are 20 resources I use weekly to ramp up on Cyber Security. You should bookmark them too.

Hello Friends,

I have been in the industry for 16 years.

But Cyber Security has been a new area for me.

Sort of starting afresh.

But, For the past 3 years, I have been ramping up.

News, Studies, Reports- everything I can get to I welcome.

I have become a "C+" or a "C" student now.

A rather optimistic self-assessment score.

Here are the 20 resources that have helped me through this journey. If cyber security is of interest to you, these links may be worth bookmarking for future reading.

How often do I consume these?

20% of my reading time is among one of these reports or news or guides.

Excellent Reports

1.IBM's Reports

IBM publishes comprehensive security reports and guidelines.

For 2 years, I have read their "Cost of breach" report. Every time I visit their report, it sows a seed for a new idea or a new angle to take in my discussions with customers.

link -https://www.ibm.com/reports/threat-intelligence/

2. Guides from Red Canary

I have read works of Red Canary over some time. These are well-researched and comprehensive reports.

link - https://redcanary.com/resources/?type=guides

3. Verizon's business focused reported

Verizon publishes great business-focused reports. I found this out early last year. It should come as no surprise, as their services power tons of industries. They put the data in context and tell us what segments and industries are vulnerable to what threats. Their reports are powerful and juicy.

Link - https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/

4. Security whitepapers from SANS Institute

https://www.sans.org/white-papers/

Here are some good news aggregators to read about what is happening around the world.

I check these out weekly.

5. https://thecyberwire.com/

6. https://risky.biz/

7. https://www.cyberscoop.com/

8. https://thehackernews.com/

9. https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches

Blogs with the latest news and details from the world of cyber security.

10. https://krebsonsecurity.com/

11. https://www.schneier.com/

This one is a massive repository of news. Bruce, the author has written a bunch of books on hacking, cyber security, and other topics.

Security-focused Podcasts

12. Hacking Humans podcast

13. https://isc.sans.edu/podcast.html - daily 5 minutes news update

14.https://twit.tv/shows/security-now

15. https://defensivesecurity.org/category/podcast/

The best storytellers

Below are sites that are great storytellers. They deliver the news but their treatment is inspirational.

16. https://darknetdiaries.com/

Noteworthy story - how a penetration tester robbed a bank.

17. https://malicious.life/

18. https://www.recordedfuture.com/blog

19. Down the Security Rabithole http://podcast.wh1t3rabbit.net/

Too Deep

20. https://thisweekin4n6.com/2023/01/15/week-3-2023/

That's it.

What resources have you followed to learn more in this area?

Other key items that caught my attention

Nordic states are coming together to form a joint cybersecurity program and policy.

The states have been working together on a common strategy since 2016. the past two years of heightened threats and Russia's war in Ukraine have changed things. They have narrowed down their focus. All these countries are doubling their cyber security budgets for 2023 and forth.

Can 4 day work week become a reality?

Shopify has cut large meetings worldwide in a move to focus on work and cut down distractions. Here is another interesting report coming out from the 4-day week global. The 4-day workweek experiments in companies are showing excellent results. No productivity loss. A significant reduction in employee turnover. A higher happiness index among employees. How cool is that?

Is there ROI for Retailers in Metaverse investments?

Metaverse investments are gaining ground. Retail is what we breathed during my previous life. so, this is close to my heart. A ton of major retailers like Coke, Gucci, and Walmart are making investments. They are partnering with games and apps to get where the customers are. Metaverse investments are projected at $ 2.6 trillion. Here are some examples:

• Nikeland, Gucci Town on the game "Robolux"
• Ralph Lauren's clothing line on the game "Fortnight"
• Walmart's "Be your own model"

These are efforts to create

• be where the customers are.
• Reducing friction in the buying process.
• Making things easier.

A few years back I was seeing digital tryouts, virtual mirrors, and other apps for the retailer.

Meta verse tech will pave in that space big time.

But the big question remains,

is there enough ROI for retailers in the long term?

Microsoft makes Azure OpenAI Available as GA

Microsoft announced the GA of Azure OpenAI Service. this will soon include GPT 3.5, DALL E2, and Codex models. are we going to see a rapid acceleration in the next 2-5 years of Azure Cloud and Microsoft as a brand?

A cyberattack disrupts Royal Mail

A massive cyberattack disrupted Royal mail. Since then, It has been unable to dispatch export items to overseas destinations. The mail services are still disrupted. The causes, sources, and impact - are still under investigation. Royal mail's revenue is 13 Billion GBP and delivers over 8 billion letters and packages.

Cheers