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PCI Compliance is Only the Beginning of Security

The recent string of breaches at prominent retailers such as Target and Neiman Marcus demonstrated that too many organizations still falsely equate PCI compliance with comprehensive security. Fully compliant organizations are being hit with attacks that compromise payment card data on a regular basis.
Blog

How “Smash and Grab” Compromises IBM i

During an audit a few years ago, I revealed to the client’s security team that corporate payroll information on every employee, including the CEO, was being archived in an output queue (called PAYROLL) for weeks at a time. Due to poor configuration, this information was accessible to every employee.
Blog

PCI Compliance Takeaways from the Target Data Breach

Smack in the middle of the holiday shopping season, Target was hit with a malware attack that infiltrated its point-of-sale systems and enabled the theft of credit card numbers and personally identifiable information from more than 70 million shoppers.
Blog

What is the Value of SIEM?

As is often the case in the technology industry, the details surrounding security information and event management can be a little unclear. While vendors may offer solutions of varying complexity, there is still a basic idea behind most SIEM products…
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What to Know about the New NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Compiled with significant input from the private sector, the Cybersecurity Framework isn’t a prescriptive compliance document and instead gives companies significant leeway in how they use it to inform their security strategies. As a relatively new source of guidance, its implications for regulated industries aren’t clear yet.
Article

The Modern Alternative to Authority Adoption

There are several considerations with authority adoption. Each is important but can usually be accommodated. But what is the effect if the program owner has the same or less privileges than the user that called the program?
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Stay on Top of Security with Security Scan

Security and compliance adherence has elevated in criticality over the past few years and has now taken its rightful place as a primary IT initiative, alongside virtualization and disaster preparedness. The necessity for better data protection has landed front-and-center in the public eye following some of the largest data breaches on record.
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The Road To Security Starts with a Security Scan

Sometimes, there are known vulnerabilities that clearly need to be mitigated as soon as possible—such as application users running with *ALLOBJ special authority. But, often there isn’t a thorough understanding of what’s wrong with a server’s configuration or what should be addressed first.
Blog

Your Biggest Challenge to IBM i User Onboarding

As companies bounce back from recession and place a stronger emphasis on digitally-driven innovations, IT departments are finally receiving the funds they need to hire qualified, new colleagues who can lighten the workload. However, the first order of business will be getting these recent hires up to speed.
Blog

Your Biggest Threat Since Edward Snowden

When Edward Snowden leaked the details of the National Security Agency’s PRISM program to the media, it resulted in a large public outcry and lot of unwanted attention. This doesn’t mean that system administrators should treat all of their contractors as the next Snowden, but it highlights the importance of ensuring that contractors, as well as employees, are sufficiently monitored and aware of how they are allowed to use company data.
Blog

What's the Difference Between a Profile Swap and Adopted Authority?

Image Many organizations have the requirement to reduce the number of profiles to which special authorities—especially *ALLOBJ specially authority—have been assigned. In many cases, the excess capabilities can simply be removed because they aren't required for the person to perform their job functions. *SAVSYS special authority is a...
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iSeries Penetration Testing

Simple penetration tests help determine if a policy breach will be prevented and ensure that interested parties receive alert notifications. Failed tests might be indicative of a problem with product activation, or an incorrect or outdated Exit Point Manager IBM i rule set.
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Monitor, Capture, and Send Log Events With Powertech SIEM Agent for IBM i

In recent years, regulatory initiatives like Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, PCI, and GLBA have placed increased emphasis on the need to monitor and secure sensitive information. For example, The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard dictates one of the most stringent requirements of all—logs must be reviewed daily, and a minimum of three months of logs must be available for analysis.