EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

From digital transformations to devastating cyber downfalls, 2019 has seen it all. Some cyber security blockbuster stories have caused us to stagger in disbelief, but all have taught us something important about our evolving digital world. Join us in looking back on this past year’s most prominent stories. Prescient discoveries have been made, new strategies launched, and bold thinking delivered mind-boggling results. Below, you’ll find CyberTalk’s top 10 most eerie, improbable, interesting, significant and sensational articles of the year

10. Title: How good are hackers at their game? This good. Description: A CNN tech reporter found that his fun and light-hearted social media posts could be used against him. A Tweet about a furniture company, and Instagram hotel check-ins unlocked much more than he had ever imagined possible. This story is nothing short of sensational, and you’ll want to read the rest. Click here for the full story.

9. Title: Forget crowbars, hackers can break in with laser beams. Description: Your cat isn’t the only one that’s obsessed with laser beams. The researchers are too, and they’ve demonstrated that hackers have the potential for amazing criminal success by skillfully leveraging them to hack into digital infrastructure. See what’s on the horizon. Lasers might begin to drive you as crazy as they’re driving your cat. Click here for the full story.

8. Title: CISOs: Energizing employees, curtailing threats, and winning at cyber security. Description: Achieving a 100% compliance rate, and making cyber security stick among your organization’s employees requires more than just preaching and the occasional workshop. This article highlights how CISOs are turning to creative tactics to spread cyber security awareness. A little cheesy? Yes, but highly effective? Also yes. Find out if their methods could work for you. Click here for the full story.

7. Title: Think twice before charging your phone on the road. Description: For business travelers with limited baggage space, trimming the number of items crammed into a suitcase is imperative. Chargers and charging cables consume space and add weight. Despite the temptation to leave the chargers at home and to maximize use of public charging stations, think twice before you commit. Read this eerie story to find out why. Click here for the full story.

6. Title: As the perimeter dissolves, block threats with Zero Trust. Description: The concept of Zero Trust is catching on, and organizations are racing to harvest its benefits. Strict identity verification and access control are easy mechanisms to implement and will help you gain an upper hand over the hackers. This is one of our favorites. See what Zero Trust can do for your organization. Click here for the full story.

5. Title: 20 minutes or less and hackers can weaponize your biometrics. Description: International white-hat researchers recently identified a vulnerability that allows them to access a phone’s contents in a mere 20 minutes. What are the implications? Is anyone doing anything about it? This article inspires more questions than it answers, and at its core, provides us with a window into the future. Click here for the full story.

4. Title: Does your leadership style match your desired business outcome? Description: The best leaders know how to gain sustained levels of high output from their team members. Do you have the right strategy for maximizing productivity and spurring success? These bold leadership tips might help you catch a glimpse of what you’ve been missing all along. Click here for the full story.

3. Title: Why not prevention? Description: Springing into detection mode is a default mechanism for many of us. However, a strategy that prioritizes prevention may deliver greater value than your prior game plan. This thoughtful and entertaining piece simply presents fresh ideas that can stem the leaks in your security architecture. Click here for the full story.

2. Title: Payoffs tradeoffs and the evolving CISO role. Description: As technology has changed and evolved, so too has the CISO role. Some companies are abandoning the role, but others are imbuing it with more responsibility and esteem than ever before. Find out what’s happening. Click here for the full story.

1. Title: How one Texas county beat ransomware. Description: These days, the notion of an organization circumventing a ransomware attack sounds like a minor miracle. Discover what happened in this county, and how they stopped the hackers in their tracks. This is the most impressive piece of news that CyberTalk has covered all year. Click here for the full story.

If you liked these stories, expect more exclusive reporting and specially curated stories tailored for the executive audience, in 2020. See you again soon! And share this site with like-minded individuals and colleagues.