Service Organization Control (SOC) audits exist to demonstrate a business or other organization’s readiness in areas like cybersecurity, risk management, data management and other areas. These certifications, especially from SOC 2 audits,  are highly sought-after because they show how dedicated your organization is to the safety and security of user data. These audits, conducted by certified SOC auditors, are intended to be a thorough and rigorous examination of your capabilities and how they promote guiding principles of security, privacy and confidentiality. 

Because of the licensing and authorization structure of the SOC auditing ecosystem, however, it is sometimes difficult to understand the capabilities of an auditor. Even now, some firms advertise SOC 2 audits that take as little as 2-4 weeks! 

This article attempts to dispel the myth of a rapid SOC 2 audit, and why working with trained and dedicated security firms supports better cybersecurity practices. 

Read More

Beginning in 2019, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) began releasing their Risk and Vulnerability Assessment report. This report compiled several months of testing, audits and remediation efforts carried out on behalf of federal entities. Their assessments of these stakeholders helped them identify common attack vectors, the effectiveness of these attack vectors and how IT systems were responding to these attacks. 

Recently, CISA released their report for FY 2020. While some of the information in the report is insightful and informative, much of it is also becoming unfortunate common knowledge.  

Read More

July 5th saw a major attack on Managed Service Providers (MSPs), including Kaseya services. MSPs like Kesaya often offer their cloud-based services to several clients in multiple sectors, and Kesaya is no exception. In fact, Kesaya offers specific managed IT resources for healthcare clients, although no information has been released about any affected organizations. 

The combination of increased reliance on MSPs and the sensitive nature of healthcare providers make ransomware attacks a real threat, one that your dedicated IT team must consider as part of your cybersecurity and compliance strategy. 

Read More