Importance of Identity Security

Thanks to Google Cloud Security for their latest alert on Scattered Spider, who have pivoted their advanced social engineering and MFA-bypass attacks from retail to U.S. insurance firms—now specifically targeting IT support and help desk teams. This wave of intrusions highlights how attackers exploit not just credentials, but also gaps in identity governance and privileged access. For security teams, the key takeaways are: 🚩 Rigorous access controls: Limit how much access IT support and call center personnel have, especially to sensitive systems. 🚩 Effective privilege management: Quickly identify and reduce unnecessary, lingering, or excessive permissions that enable lateral movement post-compromise. 🚩 Monitor privilege escalation paths: Visibility into who can reset credentials or escalate access is critical for breaking the attack chain. 🚩 Support security awareness: Continuously educate support teams on verification and social engineering resistance. We must modernize our identity security approach to continuously validate effective permissions and monitor privilege boundaries—not just roles—to help contain the impact if attackers get in. This is crucial as social engineering and identity attacks become more sophisticated and sector-focused. https://lnkd.in/enYu5AFj #Cybersecurity #InfoSec #IdentitySecurity #ThreatIntel #LeastPrivilege

Agents talking MCP will be exploited. Not because securing protocols is hard — that's simple — but bad implementation is inevitable. When we talk about security, it’s extremely important to remind ourselves: human error is what we need to prevent. You can have secure protocols, but you have to implement them properly, in a foolproof way. If identities in your infrastructure are spoofed, the LLM is exposed. And the spoofing doesn't have to happen on the LLM side! Someone could pretend to be a CEO of your company, for example, but phishing is just one of many forms of an identity attack. An attacker could pretend to be a database, too. That means the LLM can be tricked into sending valuable data, thinking it's part of your company's infrastructure. Access is then granted when it shouldn't be. That's the importance of standardization and implementing a strong, unified identity that can’t be spoofed. When you have all your identities in one place, you get a single source of truth. You can apply access policies across all your identities — cloud, servers, Kubernetes, microservices, remote desktops, databases, etc. Your infrastructure is ready for new technologies to be layered in. By treating all identities the same in the same place, you won't need to buy a new solution for each technology. They are brought into a single source of truth.

Why IAM Should Be Your #1 Security Priority? As a former CISO, here's what kept me up at night. Identity and Access Management isn't just another security control, it's the foundation of your entire security strategy. Think about it! • It's your first line of defense against unauthorized access • Most major breaches start with compromised credentials • Without solid IAM, compliance becomes impossible • Remote work security depends on it Here odd the bottom line, you can recover from many security missteps, but IAM failures can bring your entire organization to its knees. In today's digital landscape, it's not just a security tool, it's a business imperative. #INTERNALTHREATS #IAM #Leadership #CISO #authentication #CIO DearCIOs Abe CISOs, What are your thoughts on prioritizing IAM in your security strategy? 🤔

Our digital identities are the new perimeter to our business. In today's cloud-first world, these identities are the primary gateway to our systems and data—making identity management more crucial than ever. Prevents Unauthorized Access: Identity management ensures only authorized users have access to sensitive resources, protecting your critical data from both internal and external threats. Cost-Effective Protection: A single data breach can be catastrophic. Investing in robust identity management saves you from financial losses and reputational damage. Continuous Vigilance: Identity management isn't a one-time setup. Regular monitoring and updates keep your defenses strong against evolving threats. The takeaway? Proactive identity management is essential for a resilient cybersecurity strategy. Treat it like a vital part of your overall security health—ongoing, preventive, and relentless.

🚨 Silk Typhoon: A New Threat to the IT Supply Chain 🚨 Microsoft has just released a critical report on Silk Typhoon, a sophisticated nation-state threat actor targeting IT service providers and their supply chains. The group, linked to China, is leveraging stolen credentials and living-off-the-land techniques to maintain persistent access while evading detection. This attack underscores a growing trend: threat actors are increasingly bypassing direct attacks on enterprises and instead compromising their trusted vendors and service providers. 🔥 Key Takeaways for Cybersecurity Teams: 🔹 Third-Party Risk Is Your Risk – Attackers are exploiting weak links in the IT supply chain. Vet your vendors and enforce strict security requirements. 🔹 Identity Is the New Battleground – Silk Typhoon is relying on compromised credentials. Implement strong MFA, passwordless authentication, and continuous monitoring for anomalies. 🔹 Assume Breach and Hunt – These attacks focus on stealth. Conduct proactive threat hunting and implement behavioral analytics to detect lateral movement. 🔹 Zero Trust Is a Must – If your organization still relies on perimeter-based security, it’s time to enforce least privilege and network segmentation. As supply chain attacks become more frequent and sophisticated, cybersecurity leaders must double down on identity security, threat detection, and third-party risk management. 🔗 Read the full Microsoft report here: Microsoft Blog https://lnkd.in/gziuYebq Concerned about your supply chain security? Contact Vistrada to chat with one of our vCISOs for a consultation on how to protect your organization. www.vistrada.com Let’s discuss—what strategies are you implementing to mitigate supply chain risks? 👇 #CyberSecurity #ThreatIntel #SupplyChainSecurity #ZeroTrust #vCISO #Vistrada