October Newsletter

This Month in Cyber News

• GCC’s -fstack-protector fails to guard dynamic stack allocations on ARM64
• Spyware Can Infect Your Devices From The Ads You See Online
• The GitHub Security Lab’s journey to disclosing 500 CVEs in open source projects
• 38TB of Data Accidentally Exposed by Microsoft AI Researchers 
• Cisco to acquire Splunk in $28B mega deal
• Over 12,000 Juniper Firewalls Found Vulnerable to Recently Disclosed RCE Vulnerability
• Hackers breached International Criminal Court’s systems last week 

• Attack-Defense Online Lab – A massive online resource. Attack defense hosts over 2000+ unique lab exercises on topics spanning from recon, exploitation, post-exploitation, data exfiltration, web applications, traffic analysis, CVEs, network components, infrastructure attacks, privilege escalation, forensics, and more. New labs are added weekly!
• TryHackMe | Red Teaming Career Learning Path – Recently TryHackMe launched a new learning path for those who are subscribed to the service. This collection will teach you the basic fundamentals of red teaming as well as introduce you to a number of exploitations.
• Future Learn | Cybercrime Prevention and Protection – Investigate cybersecurity protocol and procedures, and examine the challenges faced when trying to protect online environments.

Workplace Strategy Tips – Confidence/Lost Confidence

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden

• It’s not easy to be constantly positive; in fact, it’s safe to say that it’s impossible; we are all human and fallible and sometimes our confidence in ourselves and our work can falter.  The work environment is full of challenges; some of them are well within our means to overcome and achieving a good result can boost our confidence and give us a sense of importance in a company. However, sometimes some of those challenges may seem a little daunting and make us feel nervous and worried.

• Most of us look for a job that we hope will be fulfilling and enjoyable which shows that our self-belief in what we do is important to us.  It is therefore incumbent for line-managers and heads of department to ensure that the mental health of their employees does not affect their performance.  If someone in the workplace is struggling with a given piece of work, they should feel able to share their views honestly and ask for the appropriate help and support.
• So, if you do feel a lack of confidence, it is best to acknowledge this and share it with someone who can help you cope better. In this instance, honesty not only helps you, but benefits the company you work for.
• Try not to set impossibly high standards for yourself; some things are unachievable and that’s okay and normal. If something goes wrong or is beyond your capabilities, accept it and move on; we can only do what our abilities and training allow us.  Confidence is not a constant trait, it’s something that changes from day-to-day. Sometimes we will be praised for our achievements and at others we may feel disappointed that something hasn’t gone as well as we would have liked.
• So don’t be self-critical, be open about things you struggle with and seek advice and help. Be kind to yourself and assertive when you need to be and above all, don’t worry!

– Alex Jones

UK Cyber Security Forum, October 2023, All Rights Reserved