Security | Life | Cynicism
Last week was a bank holiday Friday in the UK - and that's my excuse for not sending a newsletter out last week. Yes, it's a lame excuse - but on the flip side, none of you emailed me to ask why I hadn't sent an email. I mean, what if I'd injured myself while doing a stunt and was in agonising pain, unable to send this newsletter? I see this is a one-sided relationship, that's cool... at least I know where I stand now.
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Security | Life | Cynicism
- (ISC)2 are geniuses I tell you! They sure know how to make waves! And last week was no exception, when they proudly announced that the CISSP is comparable a Masters degree in the UK. Of course, that's not to say CISSP = Masters, but why let facts get in the way of a good old-fashioned bit of outrage. I won't go into details here, but my colleague Erich and I spoke about it in our weekly chat.
- Norway's state-owned Wealth fund had a series of unfortunate events which led to criminals making off with $10m. Details are light at the moment, but apparently the criminals were able to get into the email and monitor communications for a period of time. This allowed them to become familiar with the types of messages which are sent and who the influential people were. Allowing them to craft a BEC email that let them walk away with the money.
- Interpol declares "Anti-ransomware day" - well, that's all you needed to say then.
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Security | Life | Cynicism
- Five principles to follow when saying 'no'
Observing that we often agree to requests for help or involvement not out of genuine interest but because of a sense of guilt, obligation or fear of reprisal, Harvard Professor Robin Bernstein offers five principles to follow when saying 'no':
1. Nominate a substitute: often the request does not depend on your unique talents. Declining but suggesting an alternative person to approach can leave the requestor feeling grateful rather than disappointed while encouraging them to refocus their efforts. Ideally, you should recommend someone for whom the opportunity could be useful (e.g. provide a career boost) and that you trust to perform well.
2. Don't give a reason: this can lead to judgement (e.g. the requester may question your commitment to your profession) or bargaining ('well if you're busy that week, how about the next week, or the next?' etc).
3. But do explain if the reason is unassailable and will put an end to the conversation.
4. Establish personal policies / limits: deciding ahead of time that you will only take-on so many obligations of a given type within a certain period (e.g. go to no more than four conferences per year) introduces a scarcity mindset and makes it easier to say no to requests that are not priorities.
5. Simply ignore inappropriate or unreasonable requests.
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Security | Life | Cynicism
- I made a video showcasing my 2020 WFH setup. Yes, it's every bit as exciting as it sounds.
- Host Unknown, in a bizarrely organised manner has been pumping out the podcast episodes. If you like to hear middle-aged, privileged, balding men talk about security and stuff, then you should check it out. I mean, after that sales pitch, you'd be crazy not to.
- And to end it all, we have John McAfee, with a sweary rant about COVID-19, that doesn't make much sense, while he's making a Martini. It's best you skip this video.
Stay secure my friends
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