Author: Bethany Kozal

Tales From the Road: Establishing a Common Language Using NIST

Getting a wastewater utility’s OT and IT departments on the same page to address vulnerabilities they didn’t know they had. Wastewater utilities are among some of the most targeted industries for cyber attacks, and the implications can be devastating as operational interruptions or shut-downs could directly affect public health.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does… Read more »

Tales From the Road: Red Team Assessment Services to the Rescue

Organizations with security maturity can greatly benefit from annual red team assessments to keep up with the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. Major organizations that hold detailed and private information are prime targets for malicious attackers, regardless of industry. Bad actors will find ways to break through physical and cyber barriers to obtain and sell personal… Read more »

Tales From the Road: If Your Networks Can Talk to Each Other, You’ve Got Gaps

Industrial control systems have a big job to do for a single facility’s OT environment – but if you’re operating multiple facilities spread across the U.S. or the world, those systems have a far larger workload, and the security risks inherent in their function get larger too.  What no critical infrastructure or industrial corporation wants… Read more »

Tales From the Road: An External Pen Test Reveals the Dangers of the Dark Web

An external penetration testing engagement with a healthcare organization revealed the importance of simple security measures against the darkest of intent. A recent external pen test engagement with a longtime client of ours, a prominent healthcare organization, proved the importance of well-performed reconnaissance and information gathering. A data breach can be devastating, and many individuals’… Read more »

Tales From the Road: How Social Engineering Penetration Testing Proved to be A Fruitful Method of Attack

During an engagement with a financial services client, DirectDefense relied upon social engineering (and other tactics) to penetrate their physical offices and wireless networks. Performing a combination of physical and wireless penetration testing is always a unique experience for DirectDefense consultants. From location to business type, our team has experienced and learned a lot over… Read more »

Tales From the Road: An Ongoing Hardware Assessment in a High-Risk Environment

Never underestimate the abilities of people with too much time on their hands and a pension for malicious activity. Hardware and software security assessments are a key component of maintaining the safety, security, and compliance of any device type, almost regardless of the environment in which they are used. But when the environment is a… Read more »

A person holding a Google Chromecast remote and pointing it to a TV screen.

We Uncovered a Chain of Chromecast Vulnerabilities – Here’s Why It Matters.

What We Did, and What You Should Know Before Installing a Custom OS A DirectDefense security researcher, Nolen Johnson, joined two other researchers to exploit three Chromecast vulnerabilities present in the Chromecast with Google TV (CCwGTV) 1080P.  The team developed a chain of three exploits that ultimately allowed an individual to run a custom OS/unsigned… Read more »

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