The hottest Security Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Get a Microsoft 365 Copilot security teardown without hours of documentation review

Deploy Securely • 39 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Security Privacy Data Governance AI Governance Data Management
  1. Microsoft 365 Copilot provides detailed data residency and retention controls favored by enterprises in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
  2. Be cautious of insider threats with Copilot as it allows access to considerable organizational data, potentially leading to inadvertent policy violations.
  3. Consider the complexities of Copilot's retention policies, especially in relation to existing settings and the use of Bing for web searches.

That time I broke login at Box

Basta’s Notes • 204 implied HN points • 19 May 23
🕹 Technology Coding Software Development System Architecture Security
  1. Reusing code can be beneficial, but be cautious of reusing business logic as it can lead to unexpected dependencies.
  2. When rewriting code, consider extending existing functionality rather than reusing entire systems to prevent potential issues.
  3. Make sure to thoroughly understand the business logic behind the code to avoid unintended consequences, especially when dealing with complex systems.

Belarus Security Update – 15 – 21 January 2024

Ukraine Conflict Monitor • 39 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Belarus Military Security Russia Ukraine
  1. The posture of the Belarusian Armed Forces remained unchanged over the past week.
  2. Military-political developments in Belarus focused on upcoming strategic military documents like the military doctrine and national security concept.
  3. Belarusian military officials had active engagements, including readiness inspections, international meetings, and training events.

LG ThinQ API, Boomi + Rivery, McDonald's Delivery Flaw

The API Changelog • 3 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
🕹 Technology APIs Software Innovation Security Funding
  1. LG has opened its ThinQ API for developers, allowing for smarter home tech integration. This helps create innovative and connected home solutions.
  2. Boomi is set to buy Rivery to improve data management and integration. This will make it easier for companies to handle their data effectively.
  3. A serious security flaw was discovered in McDonald's delivery app, potentially allowing free orders. McDonald's acted quickly to fix the issue, showing their dedication to online safety.
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What if Trump Wins?

Comment is Freed • 66 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Defense International relations Security
  1. There is a growing concern about the international situation, specifically due to challenges in Ukraine, militarization in Russia, and tensions with Iran and China.
  2. There is a debate about increasing defense spending in the UK to address urgent security needs, but economic conditions and political decisions are factors affecting this.
  3. Europe is considering how to cope with the potential return of Donald Trump to power after the next US presidential elections, with uncertainties around polls, legal cases, and candidate health.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 15: Securing AI Endpoints

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Security
  1. AI endpoints are crucial interfaces for users to interact with AI systems, but they pose security risks like data breaches and cyberattacks.
  2. Developers and security professionals need to focus on secure code, secure data, and secure access to protect AI endpoints effectively.
  3. Implementing best practices like using secure development methods, authenticating users securely, and safeguarding data storage are essential to ensure AI endpoint security.

Demystifying API Gateways: What They Are & Why They Matter

Engineering At Scale • 75 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology APIs Microservices Architecture Security Performance
  1. API Gateway acts as an intermediary in microservices, handling client requests, and routing them to the appropriate microservices, simplifying communication for clients.
  2. API Gateway enhances security by authenticating and authorizing requests, provides rate-limiting to prevent attacks, and improves performance through caching and protocol conversion.
  3. Downsides of API Gateways include increased latency due to an extra hop, potential single point of failure, and added complexity to the system architecture.

The Three Tenets for AI Security and How to Audit Activity Logs

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 10 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Data Access
  1. AI security involves three main tenets: secure code, secure data, and secure access. It is crucial for security professionals to ensure AI systems are designed, developed, and maintained following these principles.
  2. To achieve secure code, monitor and update AI systems regularly, validate and verify their performance, and adhere to secure development practices and tools.
  3. When auditing activity logs, focus on detecting cyberthreats, troubleshooting and resolving issues, and optimizing performance. It involves collecting, analyzing, visualizing, and reporting on the activities within the AI system.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 14: Securing On-prem LLMs

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 09 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Machine Learning Privacy
  1. On-prem LLMs offer privacy benefits by keeping data and texts secure from unauthorized access or leaks.
  2. On-prem LLMs enhance security by reducing cyber attack risks due to not relying on external components or services.
  3. On-prem LLMs improve performance by utilizing an organization's own hardware and software resources for efficient language generation.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Rare Domains Seen in Cloud Logs with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Security Cloud Computing Data Analysis Threat intelligence Automation
  1. Rare or malicious domains in cloud logs can be used by attackers for phishing, malware delivery, data exfiltration, and command and control.
  2. Detection and analysis of rare domains in cloud logs can help identify threats like phishing attacks, malware delivery, data exfiltration, and command and control activities.
  3. Microsoft Sentinel offers features like built-in hunting queries, automation rules, and playbooks to help detect, enrich, validate, and respond to rare domains in cloud logs.

Why the Bitcoin Security Model Is Broken

Dan Hughes • 4 HN points • 26 Jul 24
🔮 Crypto Bitcoin Blockchain Mining Security Economics
  1. Bitcoin's security model relies on rising prices and transaction fees, which may not be sustainable long-term. If prices stop rising, it could lead to less funding for network security.
  2. The network can only handle a limited number of transactions due to the current block size limit, which affects how much miners earn from fees.
  3. To keep Bitcoin secure, the block size may need to be increased gradually. This way, more transactions can be processed, helping to fund the security budget effectively.

Putin's Refugee Weapon

Diane Francis • 339 implied HN points • 04 Mar 22
🌍 World Politics Conflict Refugees Diplomacy Security Human Rights
  1. Ukraine and Russia agreed on temporary cease-fires to help refugees escape. This is a good humanitarian move but may also play into Putin's strategies.
  2. The cease-fires allow refugees to seek safety while allowing Russia to continue its attacks elsewhere.
  3. There's concern that these safe corridors could distract from the broader violence happening in Ukraine.

TechLetters #157 Data Protection of Privacy Sandbox PAA; Fake security reviews using ChatGPT; Satellite internet access cut in Ukraine during military operations; China criticises U.S. tech sanctions

Lukasz Olejnik on Cyber, Privacy and Tech Policy Critique • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Security Privacy Technology Policy
  1. Security bug reports gone awry, leading to nonsensical content created with ChatGPT.
  2. Satellite internet access cut in Ukraine during military operations.
  3. Google phasing out 3rd-party cookies for data protection in Chrome browser.

Think Like a Detection Engineer, Pt. 1: Logging

Detection at Scale • 199 implied HN points • 18 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Security Data Management Monitoring Infrastructure
  1. Detection Engineers build systems to validate security controls and detect suspicious behaviors with code to protect organizations.
  2. Security data comes from different layers like infrastructure, hosts, networks, applications, and databases, each providing unique context for monitoring.
  3. When collecting logs for security monitoring, consider tradeoffs like the value of data for detection, latency to get data into SIEM, and cost of obtaining and retaining data.

Frankly Speaking - The rise of the technical security leader

Frankly Speaking • 203 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Security Cloud API Innovation Leadership
  1. Establishing a foundational security strategy integrated into the engineering process is crucial for tech companies.
  2. The rise of security engineering leaders will be inevitable for growth companies of all sizes.
  3. Strong security design and fast iteration processes require a security engineering team rather than a traditional risk-focused security organization.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 12: Red Teaming Strategies for Safeguarding Large Language Models and Their Applications

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity Machine Learning
  1. Red teaming is crucial for identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening the defenses of AI systems like large language models.
  2. Large language models, while powerful, are not immune to vulnerabilities such as manipulation by malicious actors or amplification of biases.
  3. Effective red teaming involves systematic approaches like threat modeling and penetration testing, and collaboration between red and blue teams is key for a comprehensive defense strategy in AI security.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 11: Threat Modeling AI/ML Systems

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Machine Learning Data Poisoning
  1. Threat modeling is crucial for identifying and mitigating security threats in AI/ML systems by adopting the perspective of an attacker and uncovering vulnerabilities.
  2. Key considerations in threat modeling for AI/ML systems include data poisoning, adversarial perturbation, model extraction, and membership inference attacks.
  3. To protect AI/ML systems, organizations should implement mitigation strategies like robust data validation, adversarial training, access controls, and privacy-preserving techniques.

Vlad's Euro War

Diane Francis • 379 implied HN points • 11 Nov 21
🌍 World Politics Geopolitics War International relations Security
  1. Russia has been in conflict with Europe for seven years, but this is often overlooked. It’s important to recognize how long this issue has been ongoing.
  2. Vladimir Putin uses different types of warfare, including hybrid and traditional methods. This strategy aims to weaken the European Union and its member states.
  3. The importance of Remembrance Day highlights the need to remember all wars and their impacts. We should not forget the ongoing challenges posed by Russia towards Europe.

How SMS Fraud Works and How to Guard Against It

Mindful Musings • 206 HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Security Fraud Engineering Data Protection API
  1. Understanding how SMS fraud works involves premium phone numbers, gaming for profit, and exploiting vulnerabilities in services.
  2. Protecting against SMS fraud can involve measures like obfuscating endpoints, blocking sketchy IPs, and implementing rate-limiting on SMS sending.
  3. Twilio has the potential to offer SMS fraud protection using data on fraudulent numbers and carriers.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 10: Challenges of Enhancing AI Language Models with External Knowledge

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 12 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Machine Learning Software Data Privacy
  1. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) enhances AI language models by combining them with external knowledge sources, improving the quality and accuracy of generated responses.
  2. RAG offers benefits such as access to current information, increased contextual understanding, and reduced risk of incorrect data, but it also comes with challenges like data integration and semantic relevance.
  3. The future of RAG includes developments like fine-grained relevance ranking, domain-specific knowledge bases, real-time updates, and ethical considerations to ensure responsible use.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 12 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Security Cloud Computing Data Analytics Automation Threat Detection
  1. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are stealthy and sophisticated cyberattacks that aim to gain unauthorized access and remain undetected for prolonged periods, typically orchestrated by skilled threat actors like nation-state groups or cybercrime syndicates.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel provides a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that offers intelligent security analytics, threat intelligence, and the ability to collect and analyze data at scale.
  3. To combat APTs effectively, organizations can utilize Microsoft Sentinel to connect data sources, use workbooks for monitoring, analytics rules for correlating alerts into incidents, playbooks for automating common tasks, and hunting queries for proactively searching for threats.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate a DNS Spoofing Attack with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Security Cloud Computing Cybersecurity Threat Detection Automation
  1. DNS spoofing, also known as DNS cache poisoning, can lead to serious consequences like compromising credentials and exposing confidential information.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM solution that offers benefits like intelligent security analytics, scalability, and cost reduction compared to legacy solutions.
  3. To detect and mitigate DNS spoofing attacks using Microsoft Sentinel, you can leverage features like built-in connectors, workbooks for monitoring data, analytics rules, playbooks for automated workflows, and custom logic creation.

I AM AI

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Ethics Security Training
  1. President Biden made headlines by saying 'I am AI', creating confusion and criticism, despite NVIDIA previously using the phrase for marketing.
  2. The statement 'I am AI' is viewed as clever and may spark important discussions about artificial intelligence's impact on society and responsibility.
  3. Humans are connected to the creation and control of AI, emphasizing that the responsibility lies with us to shape AI's future.

Using Kali Linux and Hydra for Attack Testing and Alert Generation

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Security Operating Systems Ethical Hacking
  1. Hydra is a powerful open-source tool used for cracking passwords in various network services like telnet, FTP, HTTP, etc.
  2. Kali Linux is a specialized operating system designed for penetration testing and comes pre-installed with tools like Hydra.
  3. It is crucial to use tools like Hydra ethically and with proper authorization to perform effective security assessments and improve system security.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 6: Ensuring Trust and Ethical Practices

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Security Transparency Governance
  1. Responsible AI requires prioritizing ethical practices to avoid risks and gain trust from users and stakeholders.
  2. Irresponsible AI practices can lead to unfair bias, lack of transparency, privacy concerns, and negative social impacts.
  3. Organizations can implement responsible AI by prioritizing human-centeredness, fairness, transparency, privacy, accountability, continuous monitoring, and collaborative engagement.

Must Learn AI Security Compendium 5: The Rise of AI in the IT Sector

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI IT Security Productivity Ethics
  1. Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the IT sector, with the rise of models like ChatGPT expanding its potential applications.
  2. AI enhances productivity by speeding up tasks that would otherwise take hours, like code generation using PowerShell scripting with generative AI.
  3. AI fosters creativity and innovation, such as in content creation and marketing, and requires ethical considerations for responsible development.

Permissions Required to Migrate to the New Simplified Pricing Model in Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Security Software Microsoft Sentinel Pricing
  1. To migrate to the new simplified pricing model in Microsoft Sentinel, you need specific permissions like "Microsoft.OperationsManagement/solutions/write" on the "SecurityInsights(<workspace name>)" solution resource.
  2. Support is considering updating documentation or the built-in role for easier migration to the new pricing model.
  3. Stay updated on resolving the permission issue by following the provided links to Microsoft Security Insights show and joining the MSI Show Discord Server.

Must Learn AI Security Part 9: Hyperparameter Attacks Against AI

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 07 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Machine Learning Cybersecurity Data
  1. A hyperparameter attack against AI manipulates crucial adjustable settings of an algorithm to influence the machine learning model's performance and behavior
  2. Different types of hyperparameter attacks can target aspects like performance, biases, vulnerability to adversarial examples, transferability, and resource consumption
  3. Mitigating hyperparameter attacks involves securing data access, monitoring hyperparameter changes, testing robustness, updating models, and following responsible AI practices

Properly Setting Up the New MDTI Solution for Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Security Software Microsoft
  1. The Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence solution requires careful setup, even though the process may seem straightforward at first.
  2. Proper RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) settings are crucial for successful configuration of the solution within Microsoft Sentinel.
  3. Follow a particular order of installation and configuration steps to ensure the Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence Solution works smoothly.