Exploring Information Security - Exploring Information Security

Derek (@dth0m) has a lot of experience with SIEM and can be found on Linkedin participating in discussions on the technology. I had the opportunity to hang out with Derek at DerbyCon in 2015 and I came away impressed with his knowledge of SIEM. He seemed to be very passionate about the subject and that showed in this interview. We discuss: How to pronounce SIEM; what it is; how to use it; the biggest challenge; how to tune; and more.

Wolfgang has presented at many conference on the topic of threat modeling. He suggests using a much similar method of threat modeling that involves threat paths, instead of other methods such as a threat tree or kill chain. You can find him taking long walks and naps on Twitter (@jwgoerlich) and participating in several MiSec projects and events. In this interview Wolfgang covers: what threat modeling is; what needs to be done to get started; who should perform it; resources; and the lifecycle of a threat model.

Justin is a security and privacy research currently working on a project titled, "Mackerel: A Progressive School of Cryptographic Thought." You can find him on Twitter (@JustinTroutman) discussing ways in which crypto can be made easier for the masses. In the interview Justin talks about: what cryptography is; why everyone should care; some of its applications; and how to get started with cryptography.

Rafal Los is the Director of Solutions Research at Accuvant. He produces the Down The Security Rabbithole podcast and writes the Following the Wh1t3 Rabbit security blog. On several occasions he's tackled the CISO role within an organization on both his podcast and blog. I would highly recommend both if you're in the infosec field or looking to get into it. In the interview Rafal talks about: what a CISO is; the role of a CISO; the skills; and different types of CISOs.

Summary:

In this episode, Timothy De Block sits down with cybersecurity expert Bob Lord to discuss the dangerous impact of "Hacklore"—obsolete, excessive, and fear-based cybersecurity advice. They explore how bombarding everyday users with spy-thriller scenarios (like juice jacking and evil baristas) leads to security fatigue and inaction. Instead, they advocate for shifting the burden of security away from the user and onto tech companies, while narrowing consumer advice down to the absolute basics: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), password managers, and credit freezes.

Key Topics Discussed

The Origins of Hacklore: Bob Lord started the Hacklore website after a CISO friend emailed him a "trifecta" of problematic security advice concerning public Wi-Fi, juice jacking, and restaurant QR codes. The initiative serves as an expert-backed resource to debunk common myths and promote better, actionable security guidance.

Rethinking Security Advice: Providing users with excessive or overly complex advice often results in them ignoring it entirely. Security advice needs to be constantly reevaluated to ensure it addresses actual, common crimes rather than unlikely scenarios like an "evil barista" intercepting data.

Shifting the Security Burden: The responsibility for digital safety should move away from the end-user and toward internet service providers and tech companies. Companies must adopt "secure by design" practices, such as requiring password changes upon installation or shipping routers with unique default passwords.

The Power of MFA: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is essential for protecting vulnerable populations, such as seniors who are frequently targeted by organized fraud. Even SMS-based MFA is far better than having no MFA at all, as it degrades most common attacks according to a Microsoft study.

The Hidden Benefit of Password Managers: A major, underappreciated benefit of password managers is their built-in phishing resistance. If a user is tricked into visiting an imposter website, the password manager will not fill in the credentials, effectively stopping the attack in its tracks.

Freezing Credit: Implementing a credit freeze is another highly recommended, fundamental security measure. This action builds directly on the basic security practices promoted by the Hacklore initiative.

Learning from Near Misses: At the upcoming RSA conference, Bob Lord will discuss the concept of cyber security "near misses". He advocates that the cybersecurity field should learn from incidents that almost went wrong, similar to the safety approach used in the aviation sector.

Memorable Insights

Sharing obsolete security advice can be considered an "act of harm" because it distracts people from effective measures and can create a fatalistic mindset that no security action will help.

Since most people will only dedicate a few minutes a year to security, recommendations must be strictly limited to what is truly feasible for them to implement.

Getting a friend or family member to make just one security change, like enabling MFA on their primary email account, is considered a significant victory.

Resources Mentioned

Hacklore Initiative: A non-commercial website aimed at replacing obsolete cybersecurity advice with expert-backed guidance (hacklore.org).

Hacklore on Bluesky: Follow the movement and join the conversation at @hacklore.bsky.social.

"How effective is multifactor authentication at deterring cyberattacks?": The Microsoft research paper (arXiv:2305.00945) referenced by Bob Lord detailing the real-world efficacy of MFA: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00945.

Bob Lord's Updated Cyber Guidance for Small Businesses: Originally written during his time at CISA, Bob has updated this practical security guide on his personal blog: Read on Medium.

Methods of Delivery vs. Intrusion (The Hacklore Edition): A blog post explaining why the security industry shouldn't over-index on flashy threats like parking meter QR codes: Read on Medium.

PSA: Elevator (un)safety: In addition to his popular seatbelt analogy, Bob explores the concept of built-in safety in this blog post about elevators: Read on Medium.