# AccorianStage > New Webinar – The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program | Date: 18th June 2025 | Time: 12:30 PM ET Register now True Security Starts Here One of 10 --- ## Pages - [HIE](https://www.accorian.in/hie/): Compliance & Security Services Built for HIEs Your Trusted Partner for End-to-End HITRUST Certification & Cybersecurity Advisory Health Information Exchanges... - [Webinars Test](https://www.accorian.in/webinars-test/) - [Webinars](https://www.accorian.in/webinars/): Webinars New Webinar – The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program | Date: 18th June 2025 | Time: 12:30... - [Multi-Compliance Bundle​](https://www.accorian.in/multi-compliance-bundle/): Multi-Compliance Bundle Many Standards. One Bundle. Zero Duplication. 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However, they... - [Posture Assessment](https://www.accorian.in/posture-assessment/): Cybersecurity Posture Assessment Stay Unmatched Against Cyber Threats with Comprehensive Assessments Stay Unmatched Against Cyber Threats with Comprehensive Assessments In... - [Cloud Security](https://www.accorian.in/cloud-security/): Cloud Security Safeguarding Your Digital Resources: Cloud Security Is Crucial for All Enterprises Cloud security encompasses the protection of data,... - [ISO 22301 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/iso-22301-certification/): ISO 22301 Certification (Business Continuity Management System) This certification is the international standard for a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS)... - [ISO 42001 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/iso-42001-certification/): ISO 42001 Certification (Artificial Intelligence Management System) The ISO 42001 certification is designed to manage Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems responsibly... - [ISO 27018 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27018-certification/): ISO 27018 Certification (Personally Identifiable Information) The ISO 27018 is a cloud-focused standard for securing confidential client public data on... - [ISO 27701 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27701-certification/): ISO 27701 Certification (Privacy Information Management System) This certification builds on the ISO 27001 framework focusing on privacy management, thereby... - [ISO 27017 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27017-certification/): ISO 27017 Certification (Security Controls for Cloud Services) ISO 27017 certification verifies that companies follow best practices for data protection... - [ISO 27001](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27001/): ISO 27001 Certification (Information Security Management System) The ISO 27001 standard helps safeguard the information confidentiality and integrity of an... - [Thank You](https://www.accorian.in/thank-you-speak-to-an-expert/): Thank you for reaching out. 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Connectivity and flexibility for equipment... - [Internal Network Penetration Testing](https://www.accorian.in/internal-network-penetration-testing/): Internal Network Penetration Testing In today’s dynamic cybersecurity landscape, safeguarding internal networks is more critical than ever. As cyber adversaries... - [External Network Penetration Testing](https://www.accorian.in/external-network-penetration-testing/): External Network Penetration Testing External networks function as the frontline defence against cyber threats, often the first point of entry... - [News](https://www.accorian.in/news/): News - [Leadership](https://www.accorian.in/leadership-team/): Leadership In-depth looks at our successful cybersecurity interventions and solutions. 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It helps organizations protect critical infrastructure and... - [Articles](https://www.accorian.in/articles-blogs/): Articles - [Home](https://www.accorian.in/): New Webinar – The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program | Date: 18th June 2025 | Time: 12:30 PM... --- ## Posts - [AI ROI: Beyond the Hype](https://www.accorian.in/ai-roi-beyond-the-hype/): As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in enterprise security and governance, the conversation is shifting from adoption to accountability. Organizations... - [Reimagining Data’s Right to Be Forgotten in the Era of AI](https://www.accorian.in/reimagining-datas-right-to-be-forgotten-in-the-era-of-ai/): The exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed how organizations collect, process, and derive insights from data. However, this... - [Need For AI Governance To Build Trust in Algorithms](https://www.accorian.in/need-for-ai-governance-to-build-trust-in-algorithms/): The Age of Algorithmic Authority Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transcended its experimental roots to become a foundational force in global... - [Elevating Cybersecurity Assurance to New Heights with HITRUST CSF v11.6.0](https://www.accorian.in/elevating-cybersecurity-assurance-to-new-heights-with-hitrust-csf-v11-6-0/): Why HITRUST CSF v11. 6. 0 Matters In an era where data breaches and regulatory scrutiny are escalating, organizations need... - [AI Versus Adversaries in Cybersecurity](https://www.accorian.in/ai-versus-adversaries-in-cybersecurity/): The Cybersecurity Arms Race In today’s digital battlefield, cyber threats are evolving faster than traditional defenses can respond. From polymorphic... - [Rethinking Cyber Defense in a Compliance-Driven World](https://www.accorian.in/rethinking-cyber-defense-in-a-compliance-driven-world/): The False Sense of Safety In an era of escalating cyber threats, regulatory compliance has become a cornerstone of enterprise... - [The Rise of Deepfake Threats](https://www.accorian.in/the-rise-of-deepfake-threats/): A New Era of Digital Deception In the age of AI-driven innovation, synthetic media, particularly deepfakes, has emerged as one... - [The Ultimate HITRUST Certification Checklist](https://www.accorian.in/the-ultimate-hitrust-certification-checklist/): Why HITRUST Certification Is No Longer Optional In today’s high-risk, high-regulation environment, cybersecurity isn’t just a technical concern but a... - [SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 vs HITRUST](https://www.accorian.in/soc-2-vs-iso-27001-vs-hitrust/): Why This Decision Matters More Than Ever In today’s hyper-regulated, breach-prone digital landscape, choosing the right cybersecurity framework isn’t just... - [Why HITRUST Is the Gold Standard for Healthcare Providers](https://www.accorian.in/why-hitrust-is-the-gold-standard-for-healthcare-providers/): In the healthcare sector, data security is not merely a regulatory obligation but a foundational pillar of patient trust, operational... - [Top 5 HITRUST Audit Mistakes & How to Avoid Them](https://www.accorian.in/top-5-hitrust-audit-mistakes-how-to-avoid-them/): Why HITRUST Audits Demand Precision Achieving HITRUST certification is a strategic milestone for organizations in healthcare, fintech, and other regulated... - [The Rise of Identity-Centric Security in IAM and Zero Trust Architecture](https://www.accorian.in/the-rise-of-identity-centric-security-in-iam-and-zero-trust-architecture/): The cybersecurity landscape has undergone a fundamental shift, and identity has emerged as the new perimeter, replacing traditional network boundaries... - [Why HIPAA Compliance is the Key to Securing RCM in Healthcare](https://www.accorian.in/why-hipaa-compliance-is-the-key-to-securing-rcm-in-healthcare/): In today’s healthcare environment, financial operations are inseparable from data security. While Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) forms the financial backbone... - [Why Business Email Compromise Is the Silent Killer of Corporate Finances?](https://www.accorian.in/why-business-email-compromise-is-the-silent-killer-of-corporate-finances/): Cyber insurance claims tied to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and other forms of cyber fraud are rising rapidly in today’s... - [Shadow AI: The Silent Risk Lurking in Your Enterprise](https://www.accorian.in/shadow-ai-the-silent-risk-lurking-in-your-enterprise/): In the race to adopt artificial intelligence, many organizations are sprinting ahead, sometimes without realizing who’s holding the baton. Enter... - [Can In-House AI Thrive Without Strong Governance](https://www.accorian.in/can-in-house-ai-thrive-without-strong-governance/): As enterprises rush to harness the power of artificial intelligence, many are opting to build AI models in-house, driven by... - [A Strategic Guide to NIST AI 100-1 Implementation](https://www.accorian.in/a-strategic-guide-to-nist-ai-100-1-implementation/): The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) demands robust frameworks that ensure systems remain trustworthy, ethically sound, and secure. The... - [Moving Beyond PDFs into the Era of Real-Time Compliance Reporting](https://www.accorian.in/moving-beyond-pdfs-into-the-era-of-real-time-compliance-reporting/): The cybersecurity landscape is evolving at an unprecedented speed. With regulatory requirements constantly shifting, organizations must adhere to frameworks such... - [Turning AI Hype into Enterprise-Grade Control and Compliance](https://www.accorian.in/turning-ai-hype-into-enterprise-grade-control-and-compliance/): AI adoption is accelerating across industries, driving innovation through automation and personalized experiences. Yet, as its influence expands, the risks... - [Why Exposure-Based SLOs Are Redefining Cyber Risk Management?](https://www.accorian.in/why-exposure-based-slos-are-redefining-cyber-risk-management/): In today’s hyperconnected world, patching isn’t just a technical task; it’s a strategic imperative. Yet many organizations still rely on... - [Who Can Predict Cyber Threats Better? EPSS or CVSS](https://www.accorian.in/who-can-predict-cyber-threats-better-epss-or-cvss/): In the current fast-paced threat environment, vulnerability management has shifted from simply identifying weaknesses to strategically prioritizing the risks that... - [Fast-Forward to 2027: Vulnerability Management, Re‑Engineered](https://www.accorian.in/fast-forward-to-2027-vulnerability-management-re-engineered/): By 2027, vulnerability management will have undergone a fundamental transformation—and for the better! The era of chasing static CVSS scores... - [How Is Penetration Testing Evolving to Secure AI Systems?](https://www.accorian.in/how-is-penetration-testing-evolving-to-secure-ai-systems/): As digital transformation accelerates, artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the frontlines of cybersecurity. In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, both... - [Cybersecurity ROI Reimagined Through Strategic Value](https://www.accorian.in/cybersecurity-roi-reimagined-through-strategic-value/): Cybersecurity has changed from being a technical requirement to a strategic business enabler in today’s digital-first environment. Organizations are redefining... - [Human Nature as a Cybersecurity Asset](https://www.accorian.in/human-nature-as-a-cybersecurity-asset/): In cybersecurity, the phrase “humans are the weakest link” isn’t just a cliché; it’s a strategic insight. But in 2025,... - [Why Zero Trust Is No Longer Optional?](https://www.accorian.in/why-zero-trust-is-no-longer-optional/): Traditional security approaches no longer meet the requirements of present-day network systems that rely significantly on cloud-based digital infrastructure. Modern... - [Using AI to get ahead of cyber attackers](https://www.accorian.in/using-ai-to-get-ahead-of-cyber-attackers/): Artificial intelligence has rapidly become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategy. AI’s role spans both offensive and defensive operations, reshaping... - [How to Read SOC 2 Reports](https://www.accorian.in/how-to-read-soc-2-reports/): A Practical Guide for Security Professionals If you work in governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), chances are you’ve encountered... - [AI - Are You Ahead of the Curve or Falling Behind?](https://www.accorian.in/ai-are-you-ahead-of-the-curve-or-falling-behind-2/): The buzz around AI isn’t just loud, it’s relentless. Boardrooms, LinkedIn discussions, and industry panels are all dominated by a... - [Is Your GenAI Model a Backdoor for Hackers?](https://www.accorian.in/is-your-genai-model-a-backdoor-for-hackers-2/): Would you trust an AI model that could be jailbroken in seconds or manipulated to leak sensitive data? As enterprises... - [How Prompt Engineering Uncovered Chatbot Security Gaps](https://www.accorian.in/how-prompt-engineering-uncovered-chatbot-security-gaps/): As AI chatbots continue to be integrated into mainstream applications across industries, the focus on functionality often overshadows a critical... - [The Quiet Crisis of Unsecured AI in Enterprises](https://www.accorian.in/the-quiet-crisis-of-unsecured-ai-in-enterprises/): In late April this year, HiddenLayer security researchers uncovered a “Policy Puppetry” prompt injection that could bypass safety measures across... - [Why CTEM Leads in Today’s Evolving Threat Landscape?](https://www.accorian.in/why-ctem-leads-in-todays-evolving-threat-landscape/): Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a comprehensive cybersecurity approach that mitigates an organization’s vulnerability to prevailing cyber threats and... - [How do you prepare for a Penetration test?](https://www.accorian.in/how-do-you-prepare-for-a-penetration-test/): Published on: 20th January 2020 A penetration test (Pen Test) is one of the best ways a company can test... - [WHY DO YOU NEED RED TEAMING?](https://www.accorian.in/why-do-you-need-red-teaming/): Published on: 8th December 2023 Over the past decade, companies have increasingly recognized the need to protect themselves against cybersecurity... - [Reflections From NULLCON 2025](https://www.accorian.in/reflections-from-nullcon-2025/): Supply Chain Security and India’s Rise in Cyber Defense The 15th edition of NULLCON, India’s largest cybersecurity conference, served as... - [Securing & Complying with Medical Device Security (Med Dev Sec)](https://www.accorian.in/securing-complying-with-medical-device-security-med-dev-sec/): “Imagine a hacker doesn’t have to enter a medical facility. All they have to do is break through a pacemaker”.... - [What’s Your Plan When Cybercriminals Come Knocking?](https://www.accorian.in/whats-your-plan-when-cybercriminals-come-knocking/): Cyber incidents have been globally ranked as one of the most important business risks in 2025. 38% of organizations worldwide... - [What Slack, Jira, and ArgoCD Revealed About Security Gaps?](https://www.accorian.in/what-slack-jira-and-argocd-revealed-about-security-gaps/): In cybersecurity, it’s not usually zero-day exploits that lead to a breach, but simple misconfigurations paired with misplaced trust in... - [What Security Leaders Must Know About the New Age of GRC?](https://www.accorian.in/what-security-leaders-must-know-about-the-new-age-of-grc/): In today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations face a critical dilemma in meeting governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) and regulatory... - [Are You Missing Out on Pivoting from ISO 27001 to ISO 42001?](https://www.accorian.in/how-iso-42001-enhances-ai-risk-governance-over-iso-27001/): Since organizations have started incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into crucial processes, a sound framework for managing the attendant risks is... - [How Does AI Enhance IoT Security in Healthcare?](https://www.accorian.in/how-does-ai-enhance-iot-security-in-healthcare/): Integrating IoT (Internet of Things) has transformed healthcare by enhancing patient care, streamlining operations, and improving outcomes using smart wearables... - [Cyber Threats in Online Marketing Ads You Can’t Ignore!](https://www.accorian.in/cyber-threats-in-online-marketing-ads-you-cant-ignore/): Digital Advertising is a cornerstone of contemporary marketing, allowing brands to address global audiences with accuracy and efficacy. 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It enables the seamless exchange of patient... - [Supply Chain Cybersecurity Risks Post SolarWinds Breach](https://www.accorian.in/supply-chain-cybersecurity-risks-post-solarwinds-breach/): The SolarWinds breach was a major cybersecurity attack where hackers embedded malicious code into the company’s Orion software updates, compromising... - [HIPAA Security rule changes for 2025](https://www.accorian.in/hipaa-security-rule-changes-for-2025/): The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice to modify the Health Insurance Portability and... - [Ideal Approach to Cybersecurity’s Internal and External Staffing](https://www.accorian.in/ideal-approach-to-cybersecuritys-internal-and-external-staffing/): Building and maintaining a protected security team is more crucial than ever in today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. I’ve had... - [How UCF Helps Secure PHI/PII Data (Unified Compliance Framework)](https://www.accorian.in/how-ucf-helps-secure-phi-pii-data-unified-compliance-framework/): With the rise in data breaches and new threats, the number of regulations governing organizations is growing rapidly. 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Learn how the Risk Management Framework NIST SP 800-39 can save the day. In today’s... - [Why TPRM (Third-Party Risk Management) is Essential for Your Business](https://www.accorian.in/why-tprm-third-party-risk-management-is-essential-for-your-business-2/): Third-Party Risk Management is the process of analyzing and controlling the risks present in your organization that are caused by... - [Protecting Data with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)](https://www.accorian.in/protecting-data-with-gdpr-general-data-protection-regulation/): Written By: Vineet Kushalappa & Vignesh M R || What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? The General Data... - [Protecting Data with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)](https://www.accorian.in/protecting-data-with-gdpr-general-data-protection-regulation-2/): What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? 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Projections indicate... - [CYBERSECURITY FOR MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS: Ensuring a Secure Transition](https://www.accorian.in/cybersecurity-for-mergers-acquisitions-ensuring-a-secure-transition/): Written By Virendra Upadhyay & Mrinal Durani II The growing concern regarding cyber threats is particularly alarming in today’s digital... - [Vendor Risk Management for Large Companies: Securing the Supply Chain with Compliance](https://www.accorian.in/vendor-risk-management-for-large-companies-securing-the-supply-chain-with-compliance/): Written By Vignesh M R II In today’s global business landscape, large corporations heavily rely on a vast network of vendors... - [Cyber Insurance for Your Business: A Complete Overview](https://www.accorian.in/cyber-insurance-for-your-business-a-complete-overview/): Written By Kanav Gupta II According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime will cost $8 trillion globally in 2023, equivalent to the... - [Open Source Software: Understanding and Ensuring Security](https://www.accorian.in/open-source-software-understanding-and-ensuring-security/): Written By Abhijeet Karve II The demand for innovative software solutions has thrived in today’s ever-changing dynamic world. 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Patient data, banking information, and other personal identifying information... - [Questions to Ask my SOC2 Auditor before Signing up for a SOC 2 Compliance Audit](https://www.accorian.in/questions-to-ask-your-auditor-before-signing-up-for-a-soc-2-compliance-audit/): Written By Om Hazela & Sarthak Makkar || Ideally You want to find a service provider to take you from... - [What is ISO 22301 Certification: The Business Continuity Management System Standard](https://www.accorian.in/what-is-iso-22301-certification-the-business-continuity-management-system-standard/): Written by Kiran Murthy | Naga Chinmai | Eishu Richhariya | What is ISO 22301 Certification? ISO 22301 Certification provides... - [What is ISO 22301 Certification: The Business Continuity Management System Standard](https://www.accorian.in/what-is-iso-22301-certification-the-business-continuity-management-system-standard-2/): What is ISO 22301 Certification? 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It helps you widen the scope... - [WHAT IS SOC 2 COMPLIANCE](https://www.accorian.in/what-is-soc2-compliance/): Everything you need to know about getting your SOC 2 Written by Om Hazela Accorian has aided 100s of companies... - [ISO 27001 AND ISO 27002 Correlation & Differences in the updated versions of 2022](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27001-and-iso-27002-correlation-amp-differences-in-the-updated-versions-of-2022/): (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022) Written by Kiran Murthy & Tathagat Katiyar II ISO 27001 – A Framework for Information... - [ISO 27001 AND ISO 27002 Correlation & Differences in the updated versions of 2022](https://www.accorian.in/iso-27001-and-iso-27002-correlation-differences-in-the-updated-versions-of-2022/): (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022) ISO 27001 – A Framework for Information Security Management Systems ISO 27001 is an ISMS... - [Compromising the Domain Controller using Multiple Misconfigurations](https://www.accorian.in/compromising-the-domain-controller-using-multiple-misconfigurations/): A story of how Security Misconfiguration led to Compromising the Domain Controller What is an Assured Breach? 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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act... - [Pre-Placement & hiring in times of Covid](https://www.accorian.in/pre-placement-hiring-in-times-of-covid/): Accorian at UPES, Dehradun Despite industry-wide hiring freezes as a result of COVID, Accorian has established its first university recruitment... - [A Cloak with holes: CSP Provided Security](https://www.accorian.in/a-cloak-with-holes-csp-provided-security/): The last 2-3 years have seen a spike in the adoption of cloud especially among organizations who had possibly never... - [The Privacy and security issues of expanding Telehealth](https://www.accorian.in/the-privacy-and-security-issues-of-expanding-telehealth/): Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic channels allowing long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice,... - [The Journey from HIPAA Compliance to HITRUST Certification](https://www.accorian.in/the-journey-from-hipaa-compliance-to-hitrust-certification/): In today’s complex technological world, there is always the danger of a hostile threat environment lurking around the corner, waiting... - [Adobe's Common Controls Framework of Industry-acclaimed security standards](https://www.accorian.in/adobe-common-controls-framework-of-industry-acclaimed-security-standards/): Today’s world is an ever-changing scenario with changes to the technology sector happening more frequently than ever due to emerging... - [Securing your O365](https://www.accorian.in/securing-your-o365/): E-mails are the most used productivity tool by employees. They are also a treasure trove of information and are a... - [Risk Management Framework – Managing & Measuring what matters](https://www.accorian.in/risk-management-framework-managing-measuring-what-matters/): A risk management program allows you to manage overall information security risk. It is an approach to identify, quantify, mitigate,... - [Data Privacy & Protection – Why you should be concerned](https://www.accorian.in/data-privacy-protection-why-you-should-be-concerned/): In the digital age data privacy & protection is a huge concern for company of all sizes. In part, because... - [Unsecured APIs – Underlying threat waiting to be realized](https://www.accorian.in/unsecured-apis-underlying-threat-waiting-to-be-realized/): APIs & Web Services are essential supporting building blocks for today’s applications. They’re not only the connective tissue between applications,... - [Cybersecurity in a time of Covid-19](https://www.accorian.in/cybersecurity-in-a-time-of-covid-19/): No one event has had the focus of the world at this scale in the last decade. As IT teams... - [1 Minute Guide to the Updated HITRUST Scoring & Metrics for 2020](https://www.accorian.in/1-minute-guide-to-the-updated-hitrust-scoring-metrics-for-2020/): At the start of the year, HITRUST released an updated methodology for scoring requirements. This will ensure that organizations focus... - [The role of the modern CTO with regards to Cybersecurity](https://www.accorian.in/the-role-of-the-modern-cto-with-regards-to-cybersecurity/): How the times have changed. 15 years ago, cyber-security consisted of making sure you had an anti-virus program running on... - [Insider Threats - Healthcare’s Crippling Reality](https://www.accorian.in/insider-threats-healthcares-crippling-reality/): We often learn about the latest security issues, threats, vulnerabilities, attacks, and ransoms every day. While much of the advertised... - [HITRUST just released Version 9.3 of the HITRUST CSF. How will that affect your company?](https://www.accorian.in/hitrust-just-released-version-9-3-of-the-hitrust-csf-how-will-that-affect-your-company/): On October 28, 2019, HITRUST announced the release of version 9. 3 of the HITRUST CSF information risk and compliance... - [Five Important Concerns of Cybersecurity Today](https://www.accorian.in/five-important-concerns-of-cybersecurity-today/): October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and it’s a reminder that we need to be vigilant about protecting our privacy and... - [Deepfake videos are everywhere. So how do we know what’s real?](https://www.accorian.in/deepfake-videos-are-everywhere-so-how-do-we-know-whats-real/): Remember the phrase “Seeing is believing? ” Deepfake videos have people second guessing what they are watching. Deepfakes are videos... - [Who should prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act?](https://www.accorian.in/who-should-prepare-for-the-california-consumer-privacy-act/): Any for-profit company that does business or has customers in California should prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).... - [Lessons from our recent HITRUST Community Extension Program.](https://www.accorian.in/lessons-from-our-recent-hitrust-community-extension-program/): On August 27, 2019, Accorian, facilitated a successful HITRUST Community Extension Program in New York city. Security and Technology professionals... - [Are we forgetting to “lock the front door” when we invest in Cybersecurity? Lessons from the Capital One and Equifax data breach.](https://www.accorian.in/are-we-forgetting-to-lock-the-front-door-when-we-invest-in-cybersecurity-lessons-from-the-capital-one-and-equifax-data-breach/): Like my high school coach always said, “Stick to your basics”. The Equifax and CapitalOne breaches reminds us that cyber-attacks... - [Should you be concerned about the security of FaceApp?](https://www.accorian.in/should-you-be-concerned-about-the-security-of-faceapp/): FaceApp, the AI-powered picture-editing program, is trending in social media. We’ve all seen the pictures of celebrities using FaceApp to... - [How can your company prevent a data breach through a third-party vendor?](https://www.accorian.in/how-can-your-company-prevent-a-data-breach-through-a-third-party-vendor/): Companies of all sizes are doing a good job beefing up their cybersecurity and that’s great. But... many are forgetting... - [Can you afford to stay in the dark about cybersecurity?](https://www.accorian.in/can-you-afford-to-stay-in-the-dark-about-cybersecurity/): Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) are often unsure of where they stand when it comes to cybersecurity. While larger companies... - [7 Ways to protect your Healthcare Data in 2019](https://www.accorian.in/7-ways-to-protect-your-healthcare-data-in-2019/): In 2018, 15 million patient records were breached during 503 healthcare cyber-attacks. That’s three times the amount of reported incidents... - [10 reasons why just buying a security product is not a strategy.](https://www.accorian.in/10-reasons-why-just-buying-a-security-product-is-not-a-strategy/): With the number of security breaches occurring right now there is a tremendous focus on cybersecurity in companies of all... - [How to Make Risk Assessments Work for Healthcare](https://www.accorian.in/how-to-make-risk-assessments-work-for-healthcare/): Risk assessments are the backbone to any good security and risk plan. Risk assessments test your current information system and... --- ## Case Study - [Over 1,000 Gaps Closed to Achieve HITRUST r2 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/over-1000-gaps-closed-to-achieve-hitrust-r2-certification/): In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, trust and compliance are paramount. A leading organization serving as the health information exchange... - [Streamlining Security Operations Across 50+ Countries](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/streamlining-security-operations-across-50-countries/): As cybersecurity and compliance expectations grow more complex, IT service providers are required to demonstrate a proactive and structured approach... - [Strengthening Chatbot Security Against Advanced Threats](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/strengthening-chatbot-security-against-advanced-threats/): A rapidly scaling FinTech organization offering AI-powered customer support partnered with Accorian to improve the security of a multi-tenant chatbot... - [AI-Powered HealthTech Firm Streamlines HITRUST i1 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/ai-powered-healthtech-firm-streamlines-hitrust-i1-certification/): A growing AI-driven healthcare technology provider partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security posture and achieve HITRUST i1 certification. The... - [Reinforcing Cyber Resilience for Cloud-Based Patient Data](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/reinforcing-cyber-resilience-for-cloud-based-patient-data/): A leading technology-driven healthcare company revolutionizing IVF practices sought to strengthen its data protection, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity frameworks. With... - [Strengthening Compliance Controls for a Finance SaaS Platform](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/strengthening-compliance-controls-for-a-finance-saas-platform/): This organization operated as an AI-driven finance intelligence platform, enabling financial teams to make faster and more informed decisions. Their... - [Fast-Tracking HITRUST i1 In A Complex AI Environment](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/fast-tracking-hitrust-i1-in-a-complex-ai-environment/): A leading healthcare technology provider specializing in AI-powered risk adjustment solutions partnered with Accorian to achieve HITRUST i1 certification. The... - [Telemedicine Provider Ensures Continuity Through Risk Readiness](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/telemedicine-provider-ensures-continuity-through-risk-readiness/): This specialized telemedicine provider delivers urgent and behavioral health services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other... - [How Our Client Achieved HITRUST Certification with Zero CAPs](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/how-our-client-achieved-hitrust-certification-with-zero-caps/): A leading healthcare technology company partnered with Accorian to achieve HITRUST certification and strengthen their security posture. As a company... - [Holistic Vulnerability Management Program for Risk Visibility & Threat Evaluation](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/holistic-vulnerability-management-program-for-risk-visibility-threat-evaluation/): This case study showcases how a fintech company partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security posture, enhance risk visibility, and... - [Revolutionizing Risk Management For A Telecom Leader](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/revolutionizing-risk-management-for-a-telecom-leader/): This telemedicine company partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security architecture and ensure uninterrupted business operations. The client aimed to... - [Fortifying Security with ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Compliance](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/fortifying-security-with-iso-27001-soc-2-compliance/): The client, a technology-driven healthcare IT organization, sought to enhance their security framework by achieving ISO 27001 certification and SOC... - [An Online IT Organization Needed A Formal Security Framework To Improve Their Posture](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/an-online-it-organization-needed-a-formal-security-framework-to-improve-their-posture/): This IT services company, lacked a formal security framework, leaving them vulnerable to risks and compliance challenges. Accorian proposed a... - [How Our Client Reduced Security Gaps by 62%](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/how-our-client-reduced-security-gaps-by-62/): A leading healthcare business process operation (BPO) that operates across five countries, with a staff of 35,000 employees, partnered with... - [Proactive Security and Compliance In Healthcare Data Protection](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/proactive-security-and-compliance-in-healthcare-data-protection/): Our client, a healthcare enterprise data platform provider, aimed to strengthen security and meet stakeholder expectations by achieving HITRUST e1... - [Strengthening Security & Compliance For A Healthcare Analytics Company](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/strengthening-security-compliance-for-a-healthcare-analytics-company/): Our client, a renowned healthcare analytics company, wanted to partner with us for improving their data security and compliance framework... - [Establishing operational requirements to support compliance with security commitments for a fertility tech company](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/establishing-operational-requirements-to-support-compliance-with-security-commitments-for-a-fertility-tech-company/): ISO 27001 – Here is how – we assisted a fertility tech company establish operational requirements that support compliance with... - [Re-engineering an outdated platform to increase functionality & scalability for a start-up](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/re-engineering-an-outdated-platform-to-increase-functionality-scalability-for-a-start-up/): Growing Start-up partners with Accorian to re-engineer an outdated platform to increase functionality and scalability Download - [Top 5 Red Team Scenarios To Understand True Security and Bolster Your Organization's Defenses](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/top-5-red-team-scenarios-to-understand-true-security-and-bolster-your-organizations-defenses/): Cybersecurity is an ongoing battle and organizations need proactive measures to stay ahead of evolving threats. Download - [The client is a SaaS platform that provides a unifed employee hub for businesses. The platform is leveraged by 100 companies operating in multiple geographic locations worldwide](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/the-client-is-a-saas-platform-that-provides-a-unifed-employee-hub-for-businesses-the-platform-is-leveraged-by-100-companies-operating-in-multiple-geographic-locations-worldwide/): Our client is a SaaS company in the service sector of health tech which is projected to reach $549. 7... - [An established digital marketing platform that empowers businesses with comprehensive tools to thrive in today's digital landscape](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/an-established-digital-marketing-platform-that-empowers-businesses-with-comprehensive-tools-to-thrive-in-todays-digital-landscape/): Our client has an established digital marketing platform. Download - [A global leader in power & energy boasting a portfolio of nearly 1,000 designed power plants & 2,500+ employees](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/a-global-leader-in-power-energy-boasting-a-portfolio-of-nearly-1000-designed-power-plants-2500-employees/): Our client is a global leader in power and energy, an industry which is expected to reach around USD 3.... - [This company continues to stay HITRUST certified and SOC 2 compliant with Accorian](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/hitrust-soc-2-iso-case-study/): HITRUST, SOC 2, & ISO 27001 To meet multiple compliance frameworks (HITRUST, ISO 27001, SOC 2) across various industries and... - [This is how we helped a B2B client improve their information security practices to control the availability of information, as well as enable confidentiality, and integrity that was critical to its business growth](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/iso-27001-case-study/): ISO 27001 To meet the growing demands of their services, The client had implemented sophisticated technology assets for business operations,... - [This B2B client in the Healthcare space needed to be able to scale vendor risk assessments with a trusted partner](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/vendor-risk-management-case-study/): VENDOR RISK ASSESSMENT The client needed to be able to scale vendor risk assessments within a short period and with... - [A leading Global e-retailer & rental platform company collaborated with Accorian's team of experts and achieved compliance in a timely manner](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/a-leading-global-e-retailer-rental-platform-company-collaborated-with-accorians-team-of-experts-and-achieved-compliance-in-a-timely-manner/): Service Brief GDPR is an EU regulation that gives EU citizens control over their personally identifiable information (PII) that a... - [A Leader in Investment Research wanted to look beyond plain vanilla security testing services & wanted to holistically understand their security flaws.](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/a-leader-in-investment-research-wanted-to-look-beyond-plain-vanilla-security-testing-services-wanted-to-holistically-understand-their-security-flaws/): Challenges Download - [A leading Fintech company partnered with Accorian to conduct a comprehensive security assessment to ensure attackers are kept at bay.](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/a-leading-fintech-company-partnered-with-accorian-to-conduct-a-comprehensive-security-assessment-to-ensure-attackers-are-kept-at-bay/): Service Brief Comprehensive Testing: Ensuring the right pre-requisites are captured & shared. As the APIs were very large & unique... - [A leading NJ large medical practice company called Accorain's team of experts to help them after a Ransomware attack.](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/a-leading-nj-large-medical-practice-company-called-accorains-team-of-experts-to-help-them-after-a-ransomware-attack/): Service Brief Our client’s systems were ransomware attacked through one of their open ports and applications. This then replicated internally... - [Here's how a Healthcare coaching company got HITRUST certified within 18 months of collaborating with Accorian.](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/learn-how-a-healthcare-coaching-company-got-hitrust-certified-within-18-months-of-starting-with-accorian/): Service Brief Our client’s rapid company expansion meant thattheir contract base was growing at an exponential rate. The client provides... - [Learn how a Northeast based large hospital chain achieved a comprehensive End to End Security Assessment within a short and strict timeline](https://www.accorian.in/case-studies/learn-how-a-northeast-based-large-hospital-chain-achieved-a-comprehensive-end-to-end-security-assessment-within-a-short-and-strict-timeline/): Service Brief Download --- ## News - [Celebrating Cybersecurity Day 2025 at Accorian](https://www.accorian.in/news/celebrating-cybersecurity-day-2025-at-accorian/): On October 3rd, Accorian marked Cybersecurity Day 2025 with an engaging and insightful session that brought together our teams to... - [Accorian x Cowbell – A Strategic Partnership for Smarter Cybersecurity](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-x-cowbell-a-strategic-partnership-for-smarter-cybersecurity/): We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Cowbell COMPaaS (Compliance-as-a-Service), a powerful collaboration between Cowbell and Accorian, delivered through Cowbell... - [Accorian x Tuskira - A Strategic Partnership for Smarter Cybersecurity](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-x-tuskira-a-strategic-partnership-for-smarter-cybersecurity/): We’re excited to announce our partnership with Tuskira AI, a cutting-edge cybersecurity intelligence platform revolutionizing the way enterprises assess, prioritize,... - [Accorian’s POV on the Evolving CMMC Landscape](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorians-pov-on-the-evolving-cmmc-landscape/): The Department of Defense’s strengthened Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements signal a pivotal shift for government contractors, particularly mid-sized... - [Premal Parikh, has been appointed as a member of the CREST Council for North America.](https://www.accorian.in/news/premal-parikh-has-been-appointed-as-a-member-of-the-crest-council-for-north-america/) - [Accorian won Cybersecurity Startup of the Year at the Economic Times Entrepreneur Summit & Awards](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-won-cybersecurity-startup-of-the-year-at-the-economic-times-entrepreneur-summit-awards/): We are honored to be named the Cybersecurity Startup of the Year at The Economic Times Entrepreneur Summit & Awards. - [Accorian featured in Forbes India's 200 Companies with Global Business Potential](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-featured-in-forbes-indias-200-companies-with-global-business-potential/) - [We Did It Again](https://www.accorian.in/news/we-did-it-again/) - [Accorian Joins Vanta’s Managed Service Provider Partner Program](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-joins-vantas-managed-service-provider-partner-program/): (11/06/24, East Brunswick) Accorian, announced today that it has joined Vanta, the leading trust management platform, Managed Service Provider (MSP)... - [Accorian Team Members Appointed to HITRUST Authorized External Assessor Council](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-team-members-appointed-to-hitrust-authorized-external-assessor-council/): Accorian Team Members Appointed to HITRUST Authorized External Assessor Council We are thrilled to announce that Sean Dowling, Stephanie Madhok,... - [Accorian Partners with Hexaview Technologies](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-partners-with-hexaview-technologies-2/): In a world where technology constantly evolves, the ever-looming specter of cyber threats has grown rapidly. Recent findings have unveiled... - [Accorian Welcomes Farooq Wahab, Director of Cybersecurity – vCISO Services, Canada](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-welcomes-farooq-wahab-director-of-cybersecurity-vciso-services-canada/): Accorian welcomes Farooq Wahab as our new Director of Cybersecurity – vCISO Services, Canada. With over 15 years of dynamic... - [ACCORIAN is now CREST Accredited](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-is-now-crest-accredited/): We super are thrilled to announce that ACCORIAN is now CREST Accredited. CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body... - [KPI Ninja Earns HITRUST r2 Certification for Information Security](https://www.accorian.in/news/kpi-ninja-earns-hitrust-r2-certification-for-information-security/): Congratulations to our client KPI Ninja by Health Catalyst on their HITRUST certification! The certification ensures KPI Ninja meets the... - [ACCORIAN Joins Civitas Networks for Health](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-joins-civitas-networks-for-health/): East Brunswick, NJ, May 12, 2022 – Accorian, today announced it has joined Civitas Networks for Health, the largest national... - [We are proud of our client, Novus Health Systems, for achieving HITRUST r2 certification. Congratulations.](https://www.accorian.in/news/we-are-proud-of-our-client-novus-health-systems-for-achieving-hitrust-r2-certification-congratulations/): “We are proud of our client, Novus Health Systems, for achieving HITRUST r2 certification. Congratulations. ” In today’s ever-changing threat... - [Kiran Murthy, VP and Head of Enterprise Accounts at Accorian, becomes the Newest Panel Member of ISO 27001 and Privacy Protection at the Standard Council of Canada](https://www.accorian.in/news/kiran-murthy-vp-and-head-of-enterprise-accounts-at-accorian-becomes-the-newest-panel-member-of-iso-27001-and-privacy-protection-at-the-standard-council-of-canada/): Accorian is proud to announce the appointment of Kiran Murthy to the Standard Council of Canada (SCC). The Standard Council... - [“Congratulations Coriell Life Sciences on their HITRUST Certification”](https://www.accorian.in/news/congratulations-coriell-life-sciences-on-their-hitrust-certification/): It is one of the hardest compliance certifications to get and Kevin Livelsberger and team made it look easy, not... - [TMRW Life Sciences Achieves Global ISO/IEC 27001 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/news/tmrw-life-sciences-achieves-global-iso-iec-27001-certification/): Accorian provides best-in-class cyber security and compliance service to innovative fertility leader raising the bar in technology within IVF (February... - [“Congratulations Inovaare Corporation on their HITRUST certification! Glad we could play a part in it.”](https://www.accorian.in/news/congratulations-inovaare-corporation-on-their-hitrust-certification-glad-we-could-play-a-part-in-it/): Inovaare Corporation, a compliance, and operations management software provider leading digital transformation within the healthcare industry, today announced its platform,... - [“Congratulations to our client FastTrack for getting HITRUST certified.”](https://www.accorian.in/news/congratulations-to-our-client-fasttrack-for-getting-hitrust-certified/): A total team effort involving our assessor team, along with the FastTrack team. FastTrack today announced that it has attained... - [BlueMatrix worked with Accorian and has achieved its ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Certification](https://www.accorian.in/news/bluematrix-worked-with-accorian-and-has-achieved-its-iso-iec-270012013-certification/): BlueMatrix worked with Accorian, a consultancy specializing in technology risk assessment and ISO 27001 readiness, to prepare for the audit... - [Esha IT Rebrands as Accorian](https://www.accorian.in/news/esha-it-rebrands-as-accorian/): Over the past few months, our team has been working on a new public face to reflect our growth as... - [Accorian welcomes new VP of Compliance Services, Sean Dowling](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-welcomes-new-vp-of-compliance-services-sean-dowling/): Accorian is proud to announce the addition of Sean Dowling as a VP of Compliance Services. Sean is a senior... - [Accorian Achieves HITRUST CSF Assessor Designation](https://www.accorian.in/news/accorian-achieves-hitrust-csf-assessor-designation/): Accorian a leading provider of cyber security services, today announced that it has been designated as a HITRUST CSF® Assessor... --- ## Threat Advisory - [Critical Chrome Zero-Day Alert – CVE-2025-5419 Actively Exploited](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-chrome-zero-day-alert-cve-2025-5419-actively-exploited/): Google has issued an out-of-band update to patch a high-severity zero-day vulnerability—CVE-2025-5419, currently being exploited in the wild. This flaw... - [Critical Langflow RCE Vulnerability (CVE-2025-3248) – Immediate Action Required](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-critical-langflow-rce-vulnerability-cve-2025-3248-immediate-action-required/): Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-3248, has been discovered in Langflow versions before 1. 3.... - [Critical Kubernetes Vulnerabilities Require Immediate Patching](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-critical-kubernetes-vulnerabilities-require-immediate-patching/): Description Recent research has revealed four significant remote code execution vulnerabilities in the Kubernetes Ingress Nginx Controller. Exploiting these issues... - [Apache Tomcat RCE Vulnerability (CVE-2025-24813)](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-apache-tomcat-rce-vulnerability-cve-2025-24813/): Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2025-24813) has been identified in Apache Tomcat, allowing attackers to fully compromise... - [Critical Wazuh Vulnerability (CVE-2025-24016) – Immediate Action Required!](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-critical-wazuh-vulnerability-cve-2025-24016-immediate-action-required/): Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2025-24016) with a CVSS score of 9. 9 has been discovered in... - [Code Injection Attack Targeting ASP.NET Applications](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-code-injection-attack-targeting-asp-net-applications/): Description ASP. NET Web Forms utilize ViewState to maintain page state between postbacks. ViewState data, stored as a hidden field,... - [Ransomware Campaign Targeting Amazon S3 Buckets](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-ransomware-campaign-targeting-amazon-s3-buckets/): Description A ransomware campaign conducted by the Codefinger group is actively targeting Amazon S3 buckets. Halcyon’s research highlights that the... - [DOOMSDAY CRITICAL LINUX BUG](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-doomsday-critical-linux-bug/): Description A severe vulnerability, CVE-2024-47176, has been discovered in the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS). It was made public on... - [Manufacturing Sector Vulnerable to RCE Flaw](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/manufacturing-sector-vulnerable-to-rce-flaw/): Description PTC, a leading software provider for critical manufacturing organizations, has recently addressed an RCE flaw tracked as CVE-2024-6071. The... - [Remote Code Execution Vulnerability CVE-2024-6387 in glibc-based Linux Systems](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/remote-code-execution-vulnerability-cve-2024-6387-in-glibc-based-linux-systems/): Description The Qualys Threat Research Unit issued an advisory for CVE-2024-6387 on July 1 regarding a vulnerability affecting glibc-based Linux... - [Snowflake Customers Hit With ‘Significant’ Data Theft In Attacks: Mandiant](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/snowflake-customers-hit-with-significant-data-theft-in-attacks-mandiant/): Description Mandiant researchers have identified a recent breach of the Snowflake Cloud Data Platform by the Uncategorized Threat Actor Group... - [CVE-2024-23897: Check Critical Jenkins Arbitrary File Leak Vulnerability Now!](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/cve-2024-23897-check-critical-jenkins-arbitrary-file-leak-vulnerability-now/): On 24 January 2024, the Jenkins team issued a security advisory disclosing a critical vulnerability that affects the Jenkins CI/CD tool. Jenkins... - [Log4j is back!!](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/log4j-is-back/): Two years after disclosing the Log4Shell vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228), a critical remote code execution (RCE) flaw in the open-source Java logging... - [Ransomware gangs are actively exploiting the Citrix Bleed vulnerability Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/ransomware-gangs-are-actively-exploiting-the-citrix-bleed-vulnerability-citrix-netscaler-adc-and-netscaler-gateway/): In a joint cybersecurity advisory, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other... - [WordPress - Critical Vulnerabilities in WS_FTP Server Expose High-Risk Exploitation](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/wordpress-critical-vulnerabilities-in-ws_ftp-server-expose-high-risk-exploitation/): Multiple exploitable flaws have been found in numerous versions of the WS_FTP Server, built by Progress Software. One of the... - [Critical Vulnerability in Ivanti’s Avalanche Enterprise MDM Solution](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/vulnerability-in-ivantis-avalanche-enterprise-mdm-solution/): Ivanti, a leading technology company that offers IT asset management, security, endpoint, and supply chain solutions has released patches for... - [Microsoft RCE & EOP Vulnerability in August Patch Release](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/microsoft-rce-eop-vulnerability-in-august-patch-release/): Microsoft addressed 74 CVEs in its August Patch Tuesday release, out of which 6 were rated “Critical” and 67 were... - [Critical Security Zero Day Vulnerabilities in Critix products - NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-security-zero-day-vulnerabilities-in-critix-products-netscaler-adc-and-netscaler-gateway/): Citrix, a leading technology company, has issued a warning to its customers about a critical-severity RCE vulnerability (CVE-2023-3519) in its... - [Critical Flaw Uncovered in WordPress Plugin Used by 30,000 Websites](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-flaw-uncovered-in-wordpress-plugin-used-by-30000-websites/): WordPress, the world’s most popular website builder has recently published a critical vulnerability in one of their plugins, Abandoned Cart... - [VMware discloses 3 high severity bugs in their network monitoring tool](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/vmware-high-severity-bugs/): VMware, a provider of virtualization and cloud computing services, has released security upgrades to address three vulnerabilities in the Aria... - [Outdated WordPress plugin abused to deploy backdoors.](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/outdated-wordpress-plugin-abused-to-deploy-backdoors/): WordPress is a popular open-sourced content management system (CMS). An outdated WordPress plugin known, Eval PHP enables site administrators to... - [Critical Zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-zero-day-vulnerability-in-microsoft-outlook/): Microsoft recently released a patch for a new privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2023-23397) that impacts all versions of Microsoft Outlook on... - [Exploit Publicly available for MS Word Remote Code Execution flaw](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/ms-word-remote-code-execution-flaw/): CVE-2023-21716, a heap corruption vulnerability that was patched by Microsoft as part of its February 2023 Patch Tuesday cycle, now... - [Critical Vulnerability found in Atlassian's Jira Service Management](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/atlassians-jira-service-management-critical-vulnerability/): A critical security flaw in Jira Service Management Server and Data Centre has been fixed by Atlassian. The flaw has... - [Git affected by remote code execution attacks](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/git-affected-by-remote-code-execution-attacks/): Recently, Git patched 2 critical vulnerabilities which could be used to launch remote code execution attacks. The issues have been... - [Redigo - The Redis backdoor Malware](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/redigo-the-redis-backdoor-malware/): A new Go-based malware, Redigo, is used in an attack targeting Redis servers. Threat actors are exploiting a critical vulnerability,... - [VMware warns of the public availability code for a critical vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/vmware-warns-of-the-public-availability-code-for-a-critical-vulnerability/): Last week, VMware has released security updates to address a critical remote code execution vulnerability in VMware Cloud Foundation. It... - [Zimbra Affected with a Zero-Day Vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/zimbra-affected-with-a-zero-day-vulnerability/): Recently, Zimbra released patches to address a vulnerability in their enterprise collaboration software that was being aggressively abused and that... - [Microsoft Patches Zero Day issue in October Patch](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/microsoft-patches-zero-day-issue-in-october-patch/): For the month of October, Microsoft fixed a total of 85 security flaws through its Patch Tuesday programme. Out of... - [Zero-Day RCE Vulnerability in Sophos Firewall](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/zero-day-rce-vulnerability-in-sophos-firewall/): Sophos has disclosed a critical zero-day vulnerability. The vulnerability is a code injection attack with a CVSS score of 9.... - [Malicious npm package disguised as the software tool Material Tailwind](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/malicious-npm-package-disguised-as-the-software-tool-material-tailwind/): Attempts by threat actors to distribute malicious code in open-source software repositories have once again been seen in the discovery... - [Atlassian Vulnerability CVE-2022-26134 Abused for More Critical Vulnerabilities](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/atlassian-vulnerability-cve-2022-26134-abused-for-more-critical-vulnerabilities/): On June 2nd, Atlassian released a security advisory for a critical remote code execution vulnerability that was discovered in Atlassian’s... - [CISA alerts about critical ManageEngine RCE vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/cisa-alerts-about-critical-manageengine-rce-vulnerability/): The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) now includes a Java deserialization vulnerability of critical severity that affects numerous Zoho... - [New zero-day vulnerability in WordPress Plugin](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/new-zero-day-vulnerability-in-wordpress-plugin/): Earlier this week WordPress alerted its users about a new zero-day vulnerability that was identified in the BackupBuddy extension. The... - [GitLab Critical Security Release](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/gitlab-critical-security-release/): Recently Gitlab issued a patch for a critical remote code execution vulnerability which impacts GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise... - [Twitter API Keys Exposed in Public](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/twitter-api-keys-exposed-in-public/): Hello, Recently some researchers discovered that over 3000 mobile applications are leaking Twitter API keys to the public which can... - [Critical Atlassian Confluence Vulnerability Under Active Exploitation](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-atlassian-confluence-vulnerability-under-active-exploitation/): Last week, Atlassian released a patch for a critical flaw in its Question for Confluence app for Confluence Server and... - [Microsoft released patch of zero-day vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/microsoft-released-patch-of-zero-day-vulnerability/): Microsoft officially patches the zero-day vulnerability known as Follina in the latest Patch Tuesday updates. Along with this, Microsoft also... - [Citrix patches Critical ADM vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/citrix-patches-critical-adm-vulnerability/): Citrix recently released a patch for a critical vulnerability in its Application Delivery Management (ADM) which is a web-based solution... - [Critical Flaw in Cisco Lets Attackers Bypass Authentication (002)](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/critical-flaw-in-cisco-lets-attackers-bypass-authentication-002/): 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗬 Cisco addressed a critical vulnerability which affected the Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) and Cisco Secure Email... - [Atlassian Zero-day Vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/atlassian-zero-day-vulnerability/): A critical remote code execution vulnerability was discovered in Atlassian’s Confluence Server and Data Centre products. The vulnerability has been... - [Microsoft Office Zero-day Vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/microsoft-office-zero-day-vulnerability/): Recently a new zero-day vulnerability has been detected in Microsoft Office that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code on... - [VMware multiple vulnerabilities](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/vmware-multiple-vulnerabilities/): The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an Emergency Directive regarding the active exploitation of multiple vulnerabilities in VMware... - [F5 Big IP critical vulnerability](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/f5-big-ip-critical-vulnerability/): Recently F5 released a security patch for a critical vulnerability found in their BIG-IP products which could allow an attacker... - [Git Vulnerabilities v2 (002)](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/git-vulnerabilities-v2-002/): Two new security vulnerabilities have recently been identified in Git. These vulnerabilities are only exploitable if Git is used on... - [Dell vulnerabilities](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/dell-vulnerabilities/): Hello, Dell recently announced five new security vulnerabilities in the firmware of their BIOS. The vulnerability if successfully exploited could... - [Spring4shell](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/spring4shell/): Hello, Spring has announced a new zero-day weaknesses in the Spring core java framework; an RCE (Remote Code Execution) on... - [Why disable auto forwarding feature - PT](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/why-disable-auto-forwarding-feature-pt/): We would like to shed light on this widely used feature across organizations that has some critical security risks associated... - [Disable the EMAIL AUTO-FORWARDING Feature](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/threat-advisory-disable-the-email-auto-forwarding-feature/): We would like to shed light on this widely used feature across organizations that has some critical security risks associated... - [Elementor Plugin vulnerable to Remote Code Execution](https://www.accorian.in/threat-advisory/elementor-plugin-vulnerable-to-remote-code-execution/): WordPress is the most widely used CMS and also the most infamous one. When it comes to being secure, it... --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages Compliance & Security Services Built for HIEs Your Trusted Partner for End-to-End HITRUST Certification & Cybersecurity AdvisoryHealth Information Exchanges (HIEs) are the backbone of patient data interoperability, but with that critical role comes immense responsibility for security and compliance. At Accorian, we help HIEs streamline and accelerate their HITRUST certification by addressing the unique technical and operational challenges they face. Speak To An Expert Download HIE Brochure HIE Importance Services Methodology Benefits About Accorian Our Expert FAQs Resources Importance Why Implement Security Frameworks? Request an HIE Risk Gap Assessment Establishes Trust Across the Healthcare Ecosystem Provides internal and external stakeholders with confidence that protected data is handled securely and various security requirements are met. Simplifies Compliance with Multiple Regulations Maps to HIPAA, NIST, CMS MARS-E, 42 CFR Part 2, and state-specific privacy laws and other frameworks to demonstrate due diligence. Enhances Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) Provides inheritable and valid security assurance tailored to various third-party relationships. Supports a Risk-Based, Scalable Security Program Parses security requirements across levels, allowing scaled implementation of controls. Promotes Operational Efficiency and Documentation Discipline Provides structured documentation and implementation standards, leading to better internal documentation and operational clarity. Differentiates the HIE as a Security Leader Adopting industry-recognized cybersecurity frameworks demonstrates a strong commitment to proactive, mature governance. This positions the HIE as a preferred and credible partner for data contributors, integrations, and collaborations, reinforcing its role as a reliable steward of public health information. Services Explicitly HIE Focused Services Our services are tailored for HIEs and... --- All Categories HIPAA HITRUST ISO ISO 27001 NIST PCI DSS Penetration Testing Red Teaming SOC 2 TPRM The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program From Reactive to Proactive Transforming Your TPRM for Enhanced Security How To Select The Right Security Framework When Adopting GenAI Mastering Vulnerability Management in 2025 Building Confidence in AI Security: A Guide to HITRUST AI Security Assessment From Pentesting to Red Teaming A Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity Navigating NIST CSF v2. 0 – All You Need to Know Mastering HITRUST Assessments: A Guide to e1, i1, & r2 for Your Organization Red Team Assessments To Expose Your Security Blind Spots Managing Multi-Compliance Security Programs with Ease CYBERSECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE DEMYSTIFIED Webinar – HITRUST e1 in a box Navigating the PCI DSS – Transition from v3. 2 to v4. 0 Gearing up for the New SEC Cybersecurity Disclosures HITRUST CERTIFICATION – To Fuel Your US Health Go-To-Market Strategy Pivoting to New Changes in ISO 27001:2022 What’s new in HITRUST 2023 : e1 / i1 / v11 CSF Best Practices for Managing Multiple Compliance Certifications PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT PENETRATION TEST What is New in HITRUST PCI DSS 4. 0 and its 64 NEW REQUIREMENTS NIST CSF – Measuring Your Cybersecurity Maturity Common Mistakes Made In HITRUST Validation HITRUST Certification for Indian Based Global Companies Changes in HITRUST for 2022 From HIPAA to HITRUST: the Path to Health Data Maturity SOC 2 vs. ISO 27001: Choosing your Security Standard HITRUST – Beyond the Basics by Accorian Incident... --- Webinars New Webinar - The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program | Date: 18th June 2025 | Time: 12:30 PM ET Register now All Categories HIPAA HITRUST ISO ISO 27001 NIST PCI DSS Penetration Testing Red Teaming SOC 2 TPRM The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program Transcript This session focused on helping organizations choose the right ISO standards for cloud security, privacy, and artificial intelligence governance. It explained the purpose and lifecycle of ISO standards, their global credibility, and why they are widely adopted to build trust, manage risk, and demonstrate regulatory due diligence. The discussion emphasized ISO 27001 as the foundational information security standard, with extensions such as ISO 27017 for cloud security, ISO 27018 for cloud privacy, ISO 27701 for privacy management, and ISO 42001 as the first certifiable AI governance standard. The session also introduced practical decision frameworks to help organizations prioritize ISO certifications based on industry, regulatory requirements, risk exposure, and available resources. Through real-world examples, it highlighted the value of an integrated, risk-based approach to ISO adoption—enabling organizations to streamline audits, reduce implementation complexity, and align security, privacy, and AI controls with business objectives. From Reactive to Proactive Transforming Your TPRM for Enhanced Security Transcript It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content... --- Multi-Compliance Bundle Many Standards. One Bundle. Zero Duplication. The frameworks you choose - SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST, should work for your growth, not against it. With our Multi-Compliance Bundle, you pick the standards that matter, and we unify them into one seamless program. Our experts streamline compliance by mapping overlapping controls, centralizing evidence, and accelerating certification, enabling you to win new customers, expand into new markets, and safeguard your business while staying focused on your core vision. Maximize your resources, accelerate certification, and simplify security compliance, without complexity, cost, or chaos. Speak To an Expert Proven Audit Success Our in-house GRC platform and advisory services have helped firms achieve attestation without delays. 1 OF 10 Accredited Companies Offering both audit and testing in-house, ensuring seamless coordination, consistent quality, and faster project delivery. Fully Transparent Pricing Not just audit ready, achieve SOC 2 attestation with transparent, upfront pricing—no hidden fees—ensuring a straightforward and transparent compliance journey. 175+ Security Experts An experienced team of cybersecurity, compliance, and risk professionals dedicated to delivering end-to-end security assurance. MCF Bundle Importance BenefitsIndustries About Accorian FAQs Resources MCF Bundle Bundled Approach - The Accorian Advantage Accorian’s Multi-Compliance Bundle, powered by GoRICO, offers a self-driven, all-in-one approach to compliance. Unlike tools that only automate controls, we provide expert advisory, a powerful GRC platform, and complete end-to-end support. With a flexible model, transparent pricing, and tailored solutions, we make multi-framework compliance seamless, ensuring real security, not just a checkbox. GoRICO – OUR PURPOSE-BUILT... --- Your trusted partner for HITRUST e1, i1 & r2 Certification Accorian is a HITRUST Authorized External Assessor with the largest number of HITRUST EA Council members from any organization. With 400+ assessments delivered, we help healthcare, SaaS, and faster, smarter, and with confidence. Request A Consultation Download HITRUST Readiness Guide Importance Types Comparison Challenges Process About Accorian Testimonials Resources Importance What is HITRUST and Why It Matters The HITRUST CSF® is a comprehensive framework that unifies multiple regulations and standards—including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, PCI, and GDPR—into a single, certifiable program. It is widely recognized across healthcare, SaaS, and third-party providers, offering assurance to clients and regulators that organizations meet best-in-class data security standards. By consolidating requirements, HITRUST also helps reduce redundant audits and simplifies overall compliance management. Here’s why it matters: Regulatory Compliance HITRUST harmonizes best practices from more than 50 standards, frameworks, and regulations to address all 19 domains of security and risk management of cyber threats. Risk Management Helps identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. Streamlined Processes Integrates multiple compliance requirements into a single framework. Enhanced Security Posture Strengthens overall security measures against data breaches. Stakeholder Confidence Meets key regulations related to ways and means of showcasing assurance to your healthcare clients. Predict threats before they strike. Run simulated attacks. Build and refine response playbooks. Our advanced analytics help you stay a step ahead—always. SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 vs HITRUST In today’s hyper-regulated, breach-prone digital landscape, choosing the right cybersecurity framework isn’t just a compliance checkbox; it’s a... --- Your trusted partner for HITRUST e1, i1 & r2 Certification Accorian is a HITRUST Authorized External Assessor with the largest number of HITRUST EA Council members from any organization. With 400+ assessments delivered, we help healthcare, SaaS, and faster, smarter, and with confidence. Request A Consultation Download HITRUST Readiness Guide Importance Types Comparison Challenges Process About Accorian Testimonials Resources Importance What is HITRUST and Why It Matters The HITRUST CSF® is a comprehensive framework that unifies multiple regulations and standards—including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, PCI, and GDPR—into a single, certifiable program. It is widely recognized across healthcare, SaaS, and third-party providers, offering assurance to clients and regulators that organizations meet best-in-class data security standards. By consolidating requirements, HITRUST also helps reduce redundant audits and simplifies overall compliance management. Here’s why it matters: Regulatory Compliance HITRUST harmonizes best practices from more than 50 standards, frameworks, and regulations to address all 19 domains of security and risk management of cyber threats. Risk Management Helps identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. Streamlined Processes Integrates multiple compliance requirements into a single framework. Enhanced Security Posture Strengthens overall security measures against data breaches. Stakeholder Confidence Meets key regulations related to ways and means of showcasing assurance to your healthcare clients. Predict threats before they strike. Run simulated attacks. Build and refine response playbooks. Our advanced analytics help you stay a step ahead—always. SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 vs HITRUST In today’s hyper-regulated, breach-prone digital landscape, choosing the right cybersecurity framework isn’t just a compliance checkbox; it’s a... --- Product Suite Security THE COST OF SILOED SECURITYINCREASED RISK OF BREACHES: 83% of organizations experienced more than one data breach+HIGHER COST OF BREACH: 2. 2M increased cost in not integrating AI in the security workflow+OPERATIONAL INEFFICIENCIES: 67% of security teams report spending more time managing tools than addressing* threatsBURNOUT AND TURNOVER: 65% of cybersecurity professionals report burnout, leading to high turnover*+ IBM COST OF DATA BREACH REPORT | *PONEMON INSTITUTE Speak To An Expert Importance Program Outcomes Key Differentiators Case Study About Accorian Our Expert Resources Importance Ever-Evolving Security Landscape 01 RAPID TECHNOLOGY CHANGES New technologies are adopted faster than ever, creating blind spots in security. 02 EVOLVING THREAT LANDSCAPE Attackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in real-time, leaving organizations reactive. 03 LIMITATIONS OF PERIODIC TESTING Annual or quarterly penetration tests are no longer enough to keep up with the pace of threats. 04 TOOL SPRAWL Organizations employ multiple security tools without integration, creating inefficiencies and visibility gaps. 05 SKILLSET CHALLENGE Finding and retaining skilled cybersecurity professionals is difficult due to scarcity and high costs. 06 THIRD-PARTY RISKS Vulnerabilities in vendors and supply chains expose organizations to significant threats. Program Accorian’s Product Security Program ONE PLATFORM. FULL VISIBILITY Continuous assessments with a unified, AI-powered dashboard that prioritizes risks and integrates with tools like WAF, DLP, and SIEM. SECURITY WITHOUT THE GAPS Identify and fix vulnerabilities across the product lifecycle. Embed security directly into your dev pipelines and use live threat intel to move from reactive to proactive. FOCUS WHERE IT MATTERS MOST... --- Download Vault All Category AMCF CMMC EU CRA GDPR HIPAA HITRUST ISO NIST PCI DSS Penetration Testing Red Teaming Securing AI SOC 1 SOC 2 SOC 2 Bundle TPRM vCISO 54th ISO Council Meeting Report Download Now Accorian 2025 Mid-Year Report on Vulnerabilities Download Now SOC 2 Bundle Brochure Download Now TPRM Brochure Download Now Client Implementation Process Download Now HIPAA Checklist Download Now Top 10 Network Vulnerabilities Download Now 10 Tips For Choosing The Right Penetration Testing Service Firm Download Now Top 10 Web Application Vulnerabilities Download Now PCI DSS Requirements Whitepaper - The Extensive Guide Download Now HIE Case Study Download Now Red Teaming Brochure Download Now NIST CSF 1. 1 vs 2. 0 Download Now SOC 2 Guide Download Now Top Gaps Found During
ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Assessments Download Now ISO 42001 for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS) Download Now Ideal AI Security Framework Brochure Download Now HITRUST Guide Download Now Ideal AI Security Framework Brochure Ideal AI Security Framework Brochure Download Now HITRUST Guide Download HITRUST Guide Download HITRUST Guide Red Teaming Brochure Download Red Teaming Brochure Download Red Teaming Brochure (function($){ $('#acctesti-filter'). on('change', function{ var selectedCat = $(this). val; $. ajax({ url: "https://www. accorian. in/wp-admin/admin-ajax. php", type: "POST", data: { action: "filter_download_vault", category: selectedCat }, beforeSend: function{ $('#download-vault-results'). html('Loading... '); }, success: function(response){ $('#download-vault-results'). html(response); } }); }); })(jQuery); --- Testimonials Select Category Common GoRICO Penetration Testing Securing AI SOC 2 We've partnered with Accorian since our early days and they were quite adept at navigating the complex risks tied to data exposure, privilege escalation and multi-tenancy in our AI-driven product. Their team immediately stood out— not just for their technical chops, but for how quickly they understood our context. Their solutions weren't generic, rather they dug deep and asked tough questions to help us see the bigger picture. Their AI Chatbot Penetration Testing was thorough and tested our guard rails to the limit. Thanks to their work, we’ve tightened our security posture significantly and feel a lot more confident scaling in this fast-changing threat environment. – Andy Sen, Co-Founder / CTO at Precanto We've been on this security journey with Accorian for the past year and a half and their team has seamlessly integrated as our dedicated security experts, serving as both our SOC 2 auditors and virtual CISO. The implementation of GoRICO and their thorough risk assessments have significantly strengthened our security operations. What really makes them special? They genuinely invest in our success. This isn't just a vendor relationship – they've proven themselves to be true strategic partners in our security mission. – Trudy Janse van Rensburg I sincerely appreciate your partnership with WellStack and for guiding us through the HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA risk assessment journey. The process was incredibly smooth, thanks to your timely guidance and dedication. Accorian went above and beyond... --- Select Category Common GoRICO Penetration Testing Securing AI SOC 2 We've partnered with Accorian since our early days and they were quite adept at navigating the complex risks tied to data exposure, privilege escalation and multi-tenancy in our AI-driven product. Their team immediately stood out— not just for their technical chops, but for how quickly they understood our context. Their solutions weren't generic, rather they dug deep and asked tough questions to help us see the bigger picture. Their AI Chatbot Penetration Testing was thorough and tested our guard rails to the limit. Thanks to their work, we’ve tightened our security posture significantly and feel a lot more confident scaling in this fast-changing threat environment. – Andy Sen, Co-Founder / CTO at Precanto We've been on this security journey with Accorian for the past year and a half and their team has seamlessly integrated as our dedicated security experts, serving as both our SOC 2 auditors and virtual CISO. The implementation of GoRICO and their thorough risk assessments have significantly strengthened our security operations. What really makes them special? They genuinely invest in our success. This isn't just a vendor relationship – they've proven themselves to be true strategic partners in our security mission. – Trudy Janse van Rensburg I sincerely appreciate your partnership with WellStack and for guiding us through the HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA risk assessment journey. The process was incredibly smooth, thanks to your timely guidance and dedication. Accorian went above and beyond to... --- HITRUST For AI Systems Secure and Responsible AI for HealthcareAs artificial intelligence becomes an enabler of today's healthcare operations, organizations need to make its adoption secure and accountable. Accorian provides start-to-finish Readiness and Certification Services for HITRUST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) and HITRUST AI Framework Certification. These leading-edge frameworks offer a defined, standard-driven basis for regulating the proper use of AI in healthcare settings. Our team of experts collaborates closely with healthcare organizations to evaluate, prioritize, and certify their AI systems against HITRUST's control requirements on AI, fueling trust, transparency, and regulatory compliance in each intelligent decision. Speak To An Expert HITRUST AI Services Process About Accorian Resources HITRUST AI Why do you need HITRUST AI As artificial intelligence becomes more ingrained in organizational processes, its secure, ethical, and compliant use is no longer a choice, particularly in healthcare and other heavily regulated industries. The HITRUST AI Framework provides a transparent and standardized methodology for mitigating AI-related risk, keeping pace with changing regulatory requirements and industry best practices. By embracing HITRUST AI, organizations can prove accountability, enhance stakeholder trust, and build trust in the integrity and governance of their AI systems. It is a crucial pillar to responsible AI deployment in settings where data protection and transparency are most important. Here are the key ways in which Accorian assists organizations navigate HITRUST AI with precision and confidence: AI Governance with Confidence: We use a structured framework based on ISO 42001, HITRUST CSF, and NIST AI RMF to align... --- EU CRA (EU Cyber Resilience Act) The EU CRA (EU Cyber Resilience Act) is a landmark regulation introduced by the European Commission that sets mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements (PDEs)—including both hardware and software. The goal is to ensure all digital products sold within the EU are secure by design, by default, and throughout their lifecycle. Set to be enforced by 2026 after a 24-month grace period, the CRA mandates secure design practices, robust vulnerability management, CE marking, and ongoing lifecycle support to enhance the security and resilience of connected products across the EU. Request Your EU CRA Readiness Assessment Industries Services Requirements Process About Accorian Our Expert Resources Download Process Industries Who Should Be Ready For The EU’s Cyber Resilience Act? Expected to come into full force by 2026, the CRA introduces a common cybersecurity baseline across the EU, requiring manufacturers, importers, and distributors to implement and maintain controls for secure development, vulnerability management, incident reporting, and product support for a minimum of five years. Whether you're developing smart devices, embedded software, or cloud-enabled platforms, if your product is used in the EU, you are likely in scope. Services Our EU CRA Compliance Services 01 CRA Readiness Assessment Evaluate which products, services, and components fall under CRA scopeMap your existing controls against Annex I and II requirementsIdentify critical products requiring Notified Body involvement 02 Secure Development & Lifecycle Support Align your SDLC with NIST SSDF and CRA Annex I controlsSupport for implementing SBOMs, secure updates, and... --- Finance Health Manufacturing Media MSPs Retail & eCommerce SaaS And Technology SLED VC & Private Equity Cloud Security Cloud Security GDPR ISO 22301 ISO 27001 ISO 31000 Managed TPRM NIST CSF PCI ASV PCI DSS Penetration Testing Posture Assessment Ransomware Assessment Red Team Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Cloud Security GDPR HIPAA HITRUST ISO 22301 Managed TPRM NIST CSF Penetration Testing Ransomware Assessment Red Team Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Cloud Security GDPR ISO 22301 ISO 27001 ISO 31000 Managed TPRM NIST CSF Penetration Testing Ransomware Assessment Red Team Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Cloud Security GDPR Managed TPRM NIST CSF PCI DSS Penetration Testing Posture Assessment Ransomware Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Cloud Security CMMC HITRUST ISO 22301 ISO 27001 ISO 31000 Managed TPRM NIST CSF PCI ASV PCI DSS Penetration Testing Posture Assessment Ransomware Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Cloud Security GDPR ISO 22301 ISO 27001 Managed TPRM NIST CSF PCI ASV Posture Assessment Ransomware Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security CMMC GDPR ISO 22301 ISO 27001 ISO 31000 Managed TPRM NIST CSF PCI ASV PCI DSS Penetration Testing Ransomware Assessment Red Team Assessment Risk Assessment Security Strategy SOC 2 vCISO & vSecurity Team Cloud Security Managed TPRM NIST CSF Penetration Testing Posture... --- Securing AI Think Like Hackers. React Like AI. With AI now embedded in business operations, organizations are facing new security and compliance risks that traditional cybersecurity strategies can’t fully address. The AI Security & Compliance Consulting arm at Accorian delivers expertized services and in-depth audits that address the distinctive threats associated with AI systems. Speak To An Expert Secure AI Importance Services Methodology About Accorian Our Experts Resources Secure AI Why Do You Need AI Security & Compliance AI systems create vulnerabilities that didn't exist in traditional IT environments. They learn and evolve, process vast amounts of sensitive data, and make autonomous decisions that can be difficult to predict or explain. Without proper security and compliance measures, organizations risk data breaches, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage from biased AI decisions. As regulators implement new AI-specific requirements worldwide, proactive AI security and compliance has become a business necessity. Importance The Importance of AI Security & Compliance Protection Against Sophisticated AI-Targeted Attacks AI solutions are subjected to novel threats such as adversarial attacks in which malicious inputs are used to lead the AI model to make faulty decisions, and model extraction attacks that try to steal intellectual property algorithms. These attacks are capable of violating not only data security but even the integrity of business decisions. Conventional security solutions are unable to counter these advanced threats because they target the learning mechanisms of the AI solution and not traditional vulnerabilities. Regulatory Compliance in an Evolving Landscape The regulatory landscape for AI is... --- Third Party AI Security Validation & Vendor Risk Assessment In today's digital landscape, AI solutions from external vendors are frequently integrated into critical operations. When sensitive data is handled and key decisions are influenced by these systems, security risks must be properly addressed. Through our validation service, vendor solutions are independently assessed against established standards tailored to your specific needs. Technical controls, governance practices, and operational procedures are all thoroughly evaluated, ensuring security is maintained across your entire AI ecosystem - from established providers to emerging startups. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Do You Need Third Party AI Security Validation and Vendor Risk Assessment? Check Your Best Options 01 Enhances Data Protection AI solutions generally need access to large amounts of data, frequently sensitive customer data or confidential business insight. If not properly validated, such systems can introduce unintended data protection risks through poor encryption, defective access controls, or insecure processing practices. 02 Reduces Supply Chain Security Risks Today's AI vendors often rely on complex technology supply chains including open-source components, cloud services, and third-party datasets. Each element in this chain represents a potential security vulnerability that must be assessed. 03 Mitigates Compliance Gaps Regulatory requirements for AI systems continue to evolve rapidly. Third-party validation helps identify compliance gaps before they result in regulatory actions, penalties, or reputational damage. 04 Resolves Integration Vulnerabilities The connections between vendor AI systems and your existing infrastructure create potential attack surfaces that require specialized security assessment. These integration... --- AI Security Governance As businesses across sectors scramble to incorporate AI into their operations, more are finding an unpalatable truth: left unchecked, AI can be a major liability. We’ve witnessed companies deal with everything from controversial algorithmic bias moments to catastrophic security exploits that leaked sensitive customer information. The zeal over the prospect of AI shouldn’t blind us to the very real danger that accompanies it. The good news? Organizations that take the time to establish thoughtful AI security governance from the start position themselves to harness AI’s transformative power while protecting what matters most—their reputation, their customers, and their bottom line. Speak To An Expert Secure AI Importance Strategy Roadmap Industry Resources Secure AI What is AI Security Governance? This framework covers all from the way you manage the data that trains your models through ensuring your AI systems are fair and transparent throughout their operational cycle. Compared to legacy IT governance, AI governance has the added challenge of having to deal with questions that hadn't arisen a decade ago: How do we ensure our models won't embed damaging biases? What is the implication when an attacker attempts to manipulate our AI system? How do we provide an explanation for automated decisions to regulators or impacted customers? Importance Benefits of AI Security Governance Check Your Best Options 01 Enhanced Risk Management and Threat Mitigation Instead of waiting for things to happen, efficient AI governance assists you in detecting probable problems ahead of time. Your teams will review risks such... --- AI Risk with ISO 23894 Assessing AI, Enabling Innovation ISO 23894 is a working standard that assists companies in deciphering the complex risk landscape that accompanies AI deployment. We’ve learnt that while ISO 31000 lays good risk management foundations, ISO 23894 applies those principles to adapt them for tackling the particular challenges our customers experience when engaging with AI systems. Famous for its practicality, the standard is flexibility-focused instead of imposing rigid compliance requirements. Speak To An Expert ISO 23894 Types Methodology About Accorian Resources ISO 23894 Why Do You Need ISO 23894? Why Do You Need ISO 23894? The rapid development of AI systems introduces special considerations that conventional risk management solutions frequently can't completely support. Adopting ISO 23894 is not just about risk mitigation—it's about enabling sustainable, trustworthy, and high-impact AI innovation. It helps organizations move forward with confidence in a rapidly evolving technological and regulatory landscape. Types Why Should You Adopt ISO 23894? Check Your Best ISO 23894 Options 01 Complexities Unique To AI Dynamic risk profiles that need to be constantly monitored and managed can be developed by machine learning models as they mature over time. 02 Expectations From Stakeholders Increased expectations from customers, users, and regulators about fairness, transparency, and accountability are raised during AI deployments. 03 Regulatory Landscape AI is being driven by the quickening pace of legal and regulatory change. 04 Reputational Stakes The damage to organizational reputation and stakeholder trust caused by AI failures can be substantial. 05 Future-Proofing The standard's adaptive... --- AI Risk Assessment Assessing AI, Enabling Innovation In the fast-changing tech environment of today, AI is an integral part of business operations in various industries. Although AI brings enormous advantages, it also presents novel security challenges that conventional risk models might not effectively address. Speak To An Expert Secure AI Types Methodology Outcomes About Accorian Resources Secure AI Why Do You Need AI Risk Assessment? The integration of AI systems presents unique security concerns that go beyond traditional IT security paradigms. Organizations need to respond to regulatory compliance by fulfilling new AI-specific standards, while establishing stakeholder trust by showing responsible AI practices. In-depth checks reveal potential weaknesses in AI models that may result in impaired data or biased results, neutralizing legal risk through documented due diligence. As more sensitive tasks and data are undertaken by AI systems, the security failure stakes rise in proportion. A proactive risk assessment strategy enables you to reap the rewards of AI innovation while ensuring proper protection in place. Types Types Of AI Risk Assessment Check Your Best AI Risk Assessment Options 01 ISO 23894 It provides guidelines and systematic principles for the management of risks for AI systems throughout their life cycle. It emphasizes a systematic approach towards the identification and control of risks. Who Should Get ISO 23894? 02 NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI-RMF) The AI-RMF offers a comprehensive methodology for addressing risks within AI systems through governance, mapping, measurement, and management processes. Who Should Get NIST AI RMF? 03 HITRUST Risk... --- NIST AI RMF The advancement of AI has made the monitoring and management of organizational risks a critical component of modern information systems. It plays a vital role in mitigating bias, ensuring data confidentiality, promoting ethical innovation, and upholding accountability throughout the AI lifecycle. Speak To An Expert NIST AI RMF Methodology Functions Applications Benefits About Accorian Resources NIST AI RMF Why Do You Need NIST AI RMF? Why Do You Need NIST AI RMF? Automated frameworks regulate legal and ethical standards through AI ethics evaluation automation. The absence of controls in AI systems allows technology to operate without restraint, which results in dangerous faults in self-driving vehicles, medical errors, and discriminatory biases that lead to unfair automated decision-making. The resolution of essential AI problems creates a base for dependable and precise AI systems. The correct implementation of AI systems leads to better control, which builds trust and credibility. Speak To An Expert Methodology Risk Management Program 01Scope The applicability of an AI risk assessment spans the entire life cycle of an AI system. It includes design, development, deployment, and operation. Regular assessments address changing security needs and major shifts comprehensively, which is why results are structural and thorough. 02Identification and response planning The procedure consists of recognizing and evaluating risks regarding bias and discrimination in automated processes, algorithms, and software applications. The diagnosis associates potential risks, for example, viruses or other threats to information systems, and determines the probability of nonfunctional and negative outcomes by choosing a strategy to... --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- DevSecOps DevSecOps integrates security practices into every phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This approach ensures that security is a shared responsibility among development, security, and operations teams, leading to faster delivery of secure software. Check Your Best DevSecOps Options Importance Approach Methodology Process About Accorian Resources Importance Why Do You Need DevSecOps? Catch Issues Early Integrate security checks into your pipelines so misconfigurations, vulnerable libraries, and container risks are identified pre-deployment. Deliver with Confidence Automated security gates let you ship features at pace, knowing you have blocked critical threats. Unify Teams & Policies Clear roles, streamlined approvals, and context-aware controls ensure security fits your unique culture. Stay Informed, Stay Ahead Real-time visibility into your security posture gives you the insights you need—without the noise. Build a Security-First Culture Hands-on training and shared accountability turn every developer into a security champion. Approach Accorian’s Proven Approach 01Initial Assessment Assess organization’sDevSecOps maturity level and needs across people, process, and technology Define roadmap based on the assessment results 02Implementation Support Create implementation plan based on the roadmap Identify tools and technologies Identify and recommend governance structure and process Improvements Advisory support during the implementation Provide trainings on secure coding practices 03Scale & Transition Onboard further applications Initiate transition to newly implemented process and tools 04Run (Optional) Secure Infrastructure assessments (On premise, Cloud) Vulnerability management IAM On going operational support Methodology Accorian’s Methodology Process Accorian’s DevSecOps Process About Accorian Why Choose Accorian? As a trusted cybersecurity partner, Accorian delivers end-to-end DevSecOps services that... --- AI Chatbot Penetration Testing AI chatbots differ significantly from traditional applications as they provide interactive and conversational experiences powered by advanced language models and seamless integrations. Unlike traditional app penetration testing, chatbot pentesting focuses on unique conversational flows, user interactions, and the complexities of language models. Comprehensive testing includes web interfaces, chatbot-specific interactions, large language model (LLM) components, and API-related assessments, ensuring thorough security coverage. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology Toolkit Resources Importance Why It Is Important To Pentest AI Chatbots? In the modern digital age, AI chatbots have become an indispensable part of numerous industries, processing sensitive user information and improving customer experience. Their growing adoption brings with it potential security issues that can be targeted by malicious actors. Penetration testing (pentesting) serves as a proactive measure to identify and address these weaknesses, ensuring the robustness and trustworthiness of AI chatbot systems. The need for pentesting AI chatbots is highlighted by the following major reasons: Schedule A Pentest 01 Widespread Adoption The global chatbot market is projected to surpass $1. 25 billion in the upcoming years. 02 Handling of Sensitive Data Chatbots often manage personal, financial, and healthcare information. 03 Rising Cybersecurity Threats Recently, there has been a significant increase in cyberattacks targeting AI-driven applications. 04 Compliance with Regulation Ensuring chatbots comply with data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA is crucial to avoid legal penalties. 05 User Trust and Satisfaction 70% of users are more likely to interact with a chatbot if they trust that their data... --- Secure Code Review In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, security is more than just an add-on, it is the foundation of innovation and trust. As cyber threats get more complex, every line of code must be protected from potential attacks. Through AI-driven analysis, advanced tools, and expert insights, our Secure Code Review Services assist you in proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities for comprehensive, and context-aware security. Our solution integrates with CI/CD and DevSecOps to ensure continuous protection across your development lifecycle—empowering confident digital transformation. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology Resources Importance Why Do We Need Secure Code Review? Cyber attackers are continuously evolving, finding novel ways to exploit vulnerabilities hidden deep within your code. Relying solely on automated tests or dynamic analysis can leave your applications exposed. A dedicated secure code review offers the following advantages: Speak To An Expert 01 Mitigate Sophisticated Threats Expose hidden backdoors, hard-coded credentials, and secret entry points that traditional testing might overlook. 02 Uncover Deep-Seated Vulnerabilities Identify subtle logic flaws, insecure coding practices, deprecated functions, and configuration oversights that could lead to data breaches. 03 SBOM Integration and Third-Party Component Analysis Leverage a comprehensive Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) to map all third-party libraries and dependencies, ensuring that any component vulnerable to known CVEs is promptly identified and addressed. 04 Custom Contextual Remediation Assistance Beyond detecting vulnerabilities, we provide tailored, context-aware remediation strategies that align with your application s architecture and operational requirements. 05 Hybrid Security Assurance By combining static code analysis with... --- SOC 1 Ensuring Financial Data IntegritySOC 1 Compliance is an audit framework under the System and Organization Controls (SOC) developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It assesses how effectively a service organization manages controls related to financial reporting. SOC 1 audits, performed by registered CPAs, evaluate both the design of controls (Type I) and their operational effectiveness over time (Type II). These audits follow recognized standards such as SSAE 18 in the United States and ISAE 3402 worldwide. Check Your Best SOC 1 Options SOC 1 Importance Types Stages Criteria Our Experts About Accorian Resources SOC 1 Why Do You Need SOC 1? SOC 1 compliance is strategically necessary for service organizations that deal with their clients' financial reporting. Your dedication to operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and dependability is demonstrated when an independent auditor certifies your financial controls using SOC 1. This not only makes you stand out in competitive markets but also increases trust with clients, investors, and auditors. In many cases, SOC 1 compliance is a contractual or regulatory requirement. Beyond fulfilling these commitments, it strengthens important business relationships by lowering operational and financial risks, expediting upcoming audits, and reaffirming your commitment to data security and integrity. SOC 1 enhances your reputation and credibility over time, and our experts can help make your compliance journey more seamless. Speak To An Expert Importance Importance of SOC 1 Attestation? Enhance Trust and Transparency Explain to clients and stakeholders the strength of your internal controls over financial... --- Webinars New Webinar - The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program | Date: 18th June 2025 | Time: 12:30 PM ET Register now All Categories HIPAA HITRUST ISO ISO 27001 NIST PCI DSS Penetration Testing Red Teaming SOC 2 TPRM The Hidden Costs of a Weak TPRM Program Transcript This session focused on helping organizations choose the right ISO standards for cloud security, privacy, and artificial intelligence governance. It explained the purpose and lifecycle of ISO standards, their global credibility, and why they are widely adopted to build trust, manage risk, and demonstrate regulatory due diligence. The discussion emphasized ISO 27001 as the foundational information security standard, with extensions such as ISO 27017 for cloud security, ISO 27018 for cloud privacy, ISO 27701 for privacy management, and ISO 42001 as the first certifiable AI governance standard. The session also introduced practical decision frameworks to help organizations prioritize ISO certifications based on industry, regulatory requirements, risk exposure, and available resources. Through real-world examples, it highlighted the value of an integrated, risk-based approach to ISO adoption—enabling organizations to streamline audits, reduce implementation complexity, and align security, privacy, and AI controls with business objectives. From Reactive to Proactive Transforming Your TPRM for Enhanced Security Transcript It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content... --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Future Opportunities Accountant New Jersey, USA Department:- Finance We are seeking a detail-oriented Staff Accountant to be based in Bengaluru to act as a liaison between our US office and the People team. This role will be responsible for key accounting functions, including bookkeeping, payroll, and managing US accounts. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills to provide consolidated reporting and effectively coordinate across teams. Apply Now Sales Associate East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA Department:- Sales We are seeking a proactive and results-driven Business Development Executive to drive lead generation, customer engagement, and strategic growth in the cybersecurity space. This role involves identifying and nurturing qualified sales opportunities, building strong client relationships, and collaborating closely with marketing and product teams to expand our market presence. Apply Now View Job Openings in India --- Departments All Departments General Compliance GoRICO IT Penetration Testing Roles All Roles Future Opportunities Team Lead & Security Consultant Bangalore, India Department:- Enterprise Accounts The Team Leader is responsible for leading a team of Security Consultants, managing team and professional development goals, ensuring on-time delivery of GRC projects, and providing expert guidance to team members on GRC-related matters. Apply Now Manager Bangalore, India The manager is responsible for leading and sustaining the team that drives the compliance strategy by working collaboratively with internal teams, SMEs, external customers, vendors, auditors and other stakeholders. He/she should be able to work collaboratively with other departments and stakeholders to achieve company-wide goals and satisfy the client. Apply Now Senior Security Compliance & Privacy Analyst Bangalore, India Department:- General Compliance The Senior Security Consultant & Privacy Analyst is responsible for monitoring and analyzing security events and incidents, ensuring on-time delivery of GRC projects, conduct risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities and threats. Your role is to ensure that organizations have effective security measures in place. By conducting risk assessments, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, developing incident response plans, ensuring compliance with standards, gathering threat intelligence, and developing cybersecurity strategies, security consultants and security analysts help organizations stay ahead of potential security threats. Apply Now Team Lead & Sr. Security Consultant Bangalore, India Department:- General Compliance The Team Lead and Sr. Security consultant is responsible for leading a team of Security Consultants, managing team and professional development goals, ensuring on-time delivery of GRC projects, and providing expert... --- NIST SP 800-171 NIST SP 800-171 : Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations NIST SP 800-171 is a specialized publication that outlines cybersecurity standards designed to regulate controlled unclassified information (CUI) within non-federal information systems and organizations. The stipulations apply to elements of non-federal systems that handle, store, or transmit CUI and those that offer protection for these components. Source: https://csrc. nist. gov/pubs/sp/800/171/r3/final Speak To An Expert NIST SP 800-171 Benefits Framework Resources NIST SP 800 - 171 What is NIST SP 800-171? What is NIST SP 800-171? NIST 171 (National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-171) provides a set of cybersecurity standards designed to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in non-federal systems and organizations. It outlines 14 control families, covering areas such as access control, incident response, and system security. Compliance with NIST 171 ensures that organizations handling sensitive data adhere to rigorous security practices. This standard is critical for contractors, subcontractors, and other entities working with federal agencies to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of CUI. NIST SP 800-171 plays a vital role in safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring adherence to legal standards, and securing a competitive advantage in the current security-focused business landscape. This framework delineates the security measures necessary to shield sensitive data from unauthorized access or exposure. Non-compliance with NIST SP 800-171 may result in significant repercussions, such as financial penalties, loss of contracts, and harm to an organization's reputation. Speak To An Expert Benefits Benefits of NIST SP 800-171 01... --- NIST AI 100-1 The NIST AI 100-1 is for the AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF), a globally recognized guideline for organizations to develop and implement AI systems responsibly and securely. By adopting the NIST AI 100-1, organizations can enhance the reliability of their AI systems and technologies, align with industry best practices, and foster greater confidence among stakeholders. Source: https://doi. org/10. 6028/NIST. AI. 100-1 Speak To An Expert NIST AI 100-1 Benefits Core Functions Steps Resources NIST AI 100-1 What is NIST AI 100-1? The NIST AI 100-1 refers to the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) 1. 0, published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in January 2023. The framework offers a structured approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with AI systems, emphasizing accountability, transparency, and responsible AI adoption while protecting individual rights and against potential harm. By standardizing AI risk management, the framework helps organizations navigate AI-related challenges, enhance system reliability, and foster public confidence in AI technologies. Speak To An Expert Benefits Benefits of NIST AI 100-1 01 Enhanced Trust By promoting responsible AI practices, organizations can foster stronger stakeholder relationships, including with customers, employees, regulators, and investors. When AI systems are explainable, transparent, and guided by ethical standards, stakeholders will be more inclined to trust AI-powered decisions and processes. 02 Competitive Edge Deploying AI in a trusted framework guarantees that the technology is not only innovative and efficient but also ethical. As consumers and businesses increasingly call for ethical... --- PCI DSS Data breaches inflicted a significant financial toll in 2022, averaging $4. 35 million in costs. These figures underscore the urgent need for robust data security measures, particularly within organizations handling payment card information. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a pivotal framework for fortifying data security, especially concerning payment cards. It comprises a set of well-recognized policies and procedures geared toward enhancing the security of credit, debit, and cash card transactions while safeguarding cardholders’ personal information. Under the governance of the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), which is a consortium comprising major credit card companies, PCI DSS has a central goal of reducing the risk of cybersecurity breaches concerning sensitive data and mitigating the potential for fraud within organizations that handle payment card information. This collection of standards holds vital importance for various entities, including service providers and merchants, involved in card data processing, storage, or transmission. Speak To An Expert Why Choose Accorian For Your PCI DSS Compliance? Accorian holds the prestigious distinction of having a team of highly Qualified PCI QSAs (Qualified Security Assessors) specializing in assessing PCI compliance, particularly emphasizing network infrastructure. We are also CREST accredited and an ASV (Approved Scan Vendor). Our PCI accreditations underline our expertise and credibility in cybersecurity and PCI DSS compliance. Our potential client industry includes sectors such as banking, financial services, credit unions, eCommerce, and SaaS that must adhere to payment card industry DSS requirements . Accorian is PCI QSA Our... --- Careers@ Accorian Create A Global Impact As An Accorianite! Join Our Team Locations About Us Values Offerings Milestone Educational Careers Resources Locations Our Presence About Us About Us We are an established cybersecurity advisory and consulting firm headquartered in New Jersey with regional offices in Canada, India, and UAE. In today’s dynamic digital world, we serve a global clientele, helping businesses of all sizes strategize cybersecurity initiatives, identify risks, develop solutions, program management, incident response, penetration testing, and achieve necessary compliance. Our team comprises of cybersecurity & IT industry veterans who’ve held leadership & CXO roles at large global enterprises there by enriching consistent mentorship culture of the organization. We focus on potential unicorns of the future in the Fintech, HealthTech, SaaS, and other industries. At Accorian, we strongly believe that, “We are, what we are, because of our People” and every Accorianite is our partner in growth. Values Our Culture At Accorian, we are driven by a set of core values. These values are the foundation of our culture, helping us foster an environment where both our team and clients thrive. We believe in building trust, pursuing excellence, and constantly growing together. Here’s what we stand for: Offerings We Can We Offer You Opportunity to work with global clients as a key cybersecurity partner. Work alongside a strong leadership team under consistent mentorship and coaching. Opportunity to learn and grow in the cyber security space through continuous training and certification programs. Hybrid Work Model Diversified Workforce Work-Place Flexibility Excellent... --- ISO 31000 Certification (A Comprehensive Risk Management Standard) ISO 31000 is a globally recognized standard that provides a robust framework for managing risks within organizations. It offers a structured and systematic approach to identifying, assessing, treating, and monitoring risks, ultimately leading to improved decision-making, enhanced resilience, and greater organizational success. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 31000? ISO 31000 helps organizations systematically identify, assess, and manage risks, leading to better decision-making, enhanced resilience, and alignment with strategic objectives. It fosters a proactive, risk-aware culture that improves stakeholder confidence and ensures long-term sustainability and compliance. Speak To An Expert 01 Methodically identify Methodically identify is structured and systematic process of recognizing risks, ensuring that potential threats and opportunities are identified through a thorough and organized approach. This helps in making informed decisions and managing uncertainties effectively. 02 Handle Risk Handle risk is process of assessing, evaluating, and implementing strategies to mitigate or exploit risks, ensuring that uncertainties are managed effectively to achieve organizational objectives. It involves proactively addressing risks to minimize their potential impact. 03 Decision Process Decision Process involves systematically evaluating risks and considering their potential impact to make informed choices that align with organizational objectives. It ensures that decisions are made with a clear understanding of uncertainties and risk management strategies. 04 Improved Resilience Improved resilience refers to an organization's ability to adapt and recover from disruptions by effectively managing risks, ensuring continuity of operations, and maintaining the capacity to... --- SOC 2 Bundle Take the Fast Track to Compliance with Accorian’s SOC 2 BundleSOC 2 compliance today is table stakes for doing business, but achieving it doesn’t need to be a complex and, fragmented process burdened by hidden fees, unreliable vendors, and unclear guidance. The Accorian SOC 2 Bundle, powered by GoRICO, and crafted by security experts, is a comprehensive solution designed to streamline your compliance journey and certification success. Our approach consolidates a powerful GRC platform and compliance requirements into one unified package, removing the typical barriers, hundreds of extensive hours, vendor coordination, and unexpected costs. With our offering, you can simplify compliance, optimize your resources, and make the most of your investment, allowing you to focus on what matters most: Speak To an Expert 100% Audit Success Our in-house GRC platform and advisory services have helped firms achieve attestation without delays. 250+ SOC 2 Clients last year With over 20 years of experience, our program simplifies SOC 2 compliance while you focus on growth. 100% Transparent Pricing Not just audit ready, achieve SOC 2 attestation with transparent, upfront pricing—no hidden fees—ensuring a straightforward and transparent compliance journey. 50% Reduction in Assessment Time The bundle is designed to get you attested for SOC 2 in < 8 weeks. SOC 2 Bundle Workflow BenefitsIndustries About Accorian Our Experts Resources SOC 2 Bundle What is included in theAccorian SOC 2 Bundle? What is included in the Accorian SOC 2 Bundle? GoRICO – OUR IN-HOUSE GRC PLATFORM Gain seamless control over your... --- Partner With Accorian Partner With Accorian Accorian is a leading cybersecurity and compliance service provider trusted by organizations across industries such as healthtech, BFSI, and technology. Our mission is to protect businesses with cutting-edge solutions in compliance, penetration testing, red teaming, and PCI compliance. Get In Touch! Partner Types Benefits Resources Partner Why Partner With Accorian? By partnering with Accorian, you gain access to: A proven track record of delivering results. A collaborative team committed to empowering partners. Competitive margins and growth opportunities in the cybersecurity space. Be a part of elite vCISOs to get industry updates and trends firsthand. Join Our Network of Partners! Types Partner Types 01Referral Partners / Independent Consultants (ICs) Generate revenue by referring Accorian’s solutions to your network. Earn commissions on every closed deal. What you get being a Referral/IC partner with Accorian - Industry leading Incentives Expansive portfolio of services Global reputation and expertise (INC 5000, Forbes 200, Other accolades of Accorian to be mentioned) Be on the elite list of our vCISO communities. 02Resellers Expand your portfolio by offering Accorian’s services alongside your existing offerings. Add value and grow your customer base. What you get being a Reseller - High incentive structures & robust reseller support Comprehensive cybersecurity offerings Trusted expertise in complex sectors - HealthTech, Fintech, SaaS, and more Co-marketing activities to help you attract and retain customers 03Managed Service Providers (MSPs) Integrate Accorian’s services into your managed solutions to deliver comprehensive cybersecurity and compliance support to your clients. What do you... --- HITRUST Assessment Types e1 , i1 , r2Protecting Patients and Sensitive Healthcare InformationHITRUST CSF offers a robust, risk-based certifiable framework that enables healthcare service providers of all types, sizes, and complexities to seamlessly integrate compliance with a broad spectrum of regulations, standards, and best practices. HITRUST assessments are designed to enhance mitigation against evolving threats. Request A Consultation Download Your Guide HITRUST Services Importance Types Methodology Our Experts About Accorian Resources Download Guide HITRUST Services Accorian’s HITRUST Services Accorian’s HITRUST Services At Accorian, we specialize in guiding healthcare organizations through the HITRUST certification process. Our services include: Gap Analysis: We conduct a thorough review to identify current compliance gaps and provide actionable recommendations. Framework Implementation: Our team assists in implementing the HITRUST CSF controls tailored to your organization’s specific needs. Preparation for Certification: We help organizations prepare for the HITRUST certification process, ensuring all requirements are met for a smooth evaluation. HITRUST CSF Validation: We perform comprehensive HITRUST CSF audits to evaluate your compliance status for certification. Training and Awareness: We provide training programs to educate staff on HITRUST standards and best practices for data protection. With the recent release of HITRUST's e1 and i1 versions, organizations can enhance their defenses against evolving cyber threats while accelerating the journey to higher levels of assurance. Partner with Accorian to strengthen your compliance efforts and safeguard sensitive healthcare information effectively. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Should You Adopt HITRUST? Regulatory Compliance HITRUST harmonizes best practices from more than 50 standards, frameworks,... --- Penetration Testing Penetration testing is an authorized, simulated attack conducted on systems to assess security. In this process, penetration testers employ tools, techniques, and procedures typically used by malicious actors to identify and demonstrate the potential business impact stemming from vulnerabilities within the system. Furthermore, while scrutinizing different system roles, they ascertain whether a system exhibits the resilience required to withstand attacks from both authenticated and unauthenticated systems. Schedule a Pentest Penetration Testing Services Methodology About Accorian Our Experts Resources Download Tips Penetration Testing Why Do You Need Penetration Testing? Why Do You Need Penetration Testing? Penetration testing extends beyond detecting common vulnerabilities through automated methods, as it also identifies more intricate security issues, such as business logic flaws and complex workflow issues. OBJECTIVES: Detecting vulnerabilities and validating security controls Meeting regulatory requirements Reducing attack surface and informed about the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape Protecting your organization's defenses against security breaches Speak To An Expert Services Our Penetration Testing Services Speak To An Expert 01 Red Teaming Assessment Our skilled Red Teamers simulate real-world attack scenarios to expose and exploit vulnerabilities, assess detection, and respond capabilities. Furthermore, they advise on strengthening defenses to safeguard assets against evolving threats. Learn More 02 Application & API Penetration Testing Our certified experts meticulously assess applications and APIs to uncover vulnerabilities and threats like authorization, workflow flaws, misconfigurations, etc. Thus, mitigating the risk across diverse programming languages and software ecosystems. Learn More 03 Phishing/Email Social Engineering Our comprehensive cybersecurity strategy aims to target deceptive... --- Privacy Policy Accorian (“Accorian”, “us”, “we”, or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of those who visit our website https://www. accorian. com/ (“Site”). This privacy policy will inform you about the personal data that we may collect from you through the Site, and how we may use that data. 1. Information We Collect Like many websites, we collect statistical data on the usage of our Site. This information includes data such as websites and pages visited, time spent on each page, and demographic information. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within Accorian to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a subject area. Tracking user behavior includes tracking mouse movements, time on page, link clicks, form completions and number of pages visited. This information is aggregated and does not personally identify any individual user. We use “cookies” to help us to personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The cookie will tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize a web page, or register with... --- Staffing Build Your Dream Team with AccorianThe employees are at the heart of a business organization and drive its growth. However, firms often face a tremendous challenge in recruiting, training, and retaining skilled candidates. Our recruitment team links the greatest and most diversified individuals with the appropriate positions in your organization. Speak To An Expert Staffing Our Approach Benefits Skill Sets Our Experts About Accorian Resources Staffing Why Do You Need Staffing? Why Do You Need Staffing? We specialize in assisting companies of all sizes in locating highly qualified personnel. Our worldwide recruitment team has expertise in finding and associating technology and cyber-world professionals in permanent, contract, and contract-to-hire roles across the world. Speak To An Expert Talent Management We can help you optimize and secure the most fundamental and variable aspect of your success: your employees. Accorian has a highly skilled team of professionals across numerous domains and industries. This has given us a great edge in terms of grasping the needs and concerns of real-world workplaces. It is a major aspect in our ability to provide you with highly qualified employees. Our Primary Objective We seek out the finest talent in the field and hire individuals that are well-rounded in terms of experience, soft skills, and teamwork. Personalized Talent Management Our goal is to discover someone just perfect for the open positions on your team. We use a complex recruiting process to locate the best people for full-time, contract, and contract-to-hire positions. Our Approach Our Approach When it... --- Risk Assessment Strengthening Security Through Risk AssessmentsA Security Risk Assessment helps organizations identify, analyze, and prioritize risks across people, processes, and technology while evaluating the effectiveness of existing policies & controls. It enables CXOs and security leaders to understand their security posture, align risks within acceptable ranges, and avoid surprises in an evolving security landscape. Accorian has a proven methodology to identify your vendors, categorize criticality and assess risks associated with them. Leveraging our platform GoRICO we can quickly help managed your vendor risk. Speak To An Expert Risk Assessment Types Methodology About Accorian Our Experts Resources Risk Assessment Why Do You Need Risk Assessment? Why Do You Need Risk Assessment? Risk assessments are an essential part of risk management, providing a comprehensive view of potential threats and vulnerabilities in an organization. They empower organizations to proactively address evolving risks and maintain a robust security posture. Conducted annually, these assessments are mandatory under standards like HITRUST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. By driving compliance and fortifying security measures, they establish a strong foundation for effective risk mitigation and long-term operational resilience. Request a Consultation Types Types of Risk Assessment 01 Enterprise Risk Assessment This comprehensive assessment identifies and evaluates risks that could impact the entire organization, including financial, operational, strategic, and compliance risks. It helps organizations understand their risk exposure and prioritize mitigation efforts at the enterprise level. 02 HIPAA Risk Assessment Focused on healthcare organizations, this assessment ensures compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability... --- Accorian’s Multi Compliance Framework (AMCF) Streamline Compliance Management with anIntegrated FrameworkStreamline Compliance Management with an Integrated FrameworkStaying compliant is challenging, but managing multiple frameworks is even harder. Research shows nearly 70% of service organizations handle at least six compliance frameworks, often facing overlapping standards, siloed processes, and limited resources. This leads to compliance overload and audit fatigue. Speak To An Expert AMCF Importance Components Services Framework Our Expert About Accorian Resources AMCF Why do You Need AMCF? The implementation of Accorian’s Multi Compliance Framework (AMCF) streamlines this complexity by unifying and standardizing controls from various regulations within a centralized framework. This strategy minimizes redundancies, improves risk mitigation, reduces audit expenditures, maximizes resource utilization, and enhances brand credibility, ultimately streamlining and optimizing compliance procedures. Speak To An Expert Security Standards Security Frameworks Privacy Regulations & many others Importance The Importance of AMCF Balancing Multiple Frameworks Ensuring adherence to various compliance frameworks while staying updated with evolving standards and new versions. Achieving Readiness Across Stages Achieving Readiness Across Stages Effectively navigating different levels of readiness to achieve and maintain comprehensive compliance. Combatting Audit Fatigue Streamlining processes to reduce the strain of working with multiple audit firms for distinct standards. Optimizing GRC Management Holistically managing Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) programs by focusing on key metrics that drive meaningful results. Components AMCF Components Framework of ControlsIt comprises a meticulously organized collection of controls derived from diverse regulations, standards, and industry best practices. Unified Control Mapping and Compliance AlignmentThe harmonization database, built on AMCF,... --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- HITRUST Protection of patient and other sensitive healthcare information is a top priority for all healthcare organizations, which entails compliance with a growing range of regulations. Staying on top of all the relevant standards can be daunting for stakeholders across a broad array of healthcare service organizations, associates, and vendors. HITRUST recently released the e1 and i1 versions, to enhance mitigation against evolving cyber threats and to speed up the transition to higher levels of assurance. The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) strives to address such problems by:Offering an integrated security strategyIntroducing a mechanism to certify compliance with HIPAA security criteria to a third-party assessorHITRUST provides a comprehensive, risk-based certifiable framework that helps healthcare service providers of all types, sizes, and complexity integrate compliance with a wide range of regulations, standards, and best practices. Speak to a expert Download Guide Why Choose Accorian? We specialize in aiding organizations of various sizes in the healthcare industry We are a full-service cybersecurity and compliance service providers We have years of experience providing security compliance, information security implementation, and testing services. As an authorized HITRUST CSF Assessor, our qualified security professionals can get you started with successfully scoping for your assessment and facilitating the process to reduce the cost, time, and resources. HITRUST’s CSF HITRUST developed and maintains the Common Security Framework (CSF), which provides a mechanism for standardizing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability(HIPAA) compliance and coordinating it with other national and international data security standards in addition to numerous state laws. The... --- HIPAA HIPAA compliance necessitates the secure management of electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), ensuring its safe handling, and conducting regular risk assessments as part of a formal Risk Management Program. Covered Entities (CEs) and Business Associates (BAs) are both required to establish and adhere to appropriate policies and procedures to meet regulatory requirements. Request A Quote HIPAA Importance Checklist Methodology About Accorian Our Experts Resources HIPAA Why Do You Need HIPAA? The healthcare sector encounters ongoing cybersecurity challenges, driven by the substantial value of electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). Without robust cybersecurity measures and effective risk management, organizations face potential penalties, reputational damage, and patient data security issues. Importance The Importance of HIPAA Compliance Talk to an Expert 01 Avoids Legal & Financial Penalties Non-compliance can result in severe fines, legal actions, and reputational damage, making adherence to HIPAA regulations essential for Covered Entities (CEs) and Business Associates (BAs). 02 Protects Patient Privacy & Data Security HIPAA compliance ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Protected Health Information (PHI), preventing unauthorized access, breaches, and identity theft. Checklist Accorian’s HIPAA Compliance Checklist Has your organization identified and documented where all protected health information (PHI) and electronic PHI (ePHI) is created, processed, stored and transmitted? Has your organization conducted a Security Risk Assessment as required by the HIPAA Security Rule? Have you developed a Risk Management Program for your organization? Does your organization have current Policies and Procedures around the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules? Have all workforce members been... --- GDPR Secure Your Business with GDPR ComplianceThe General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to revolutionize corporate attitudes towards data privacy and security. Since its enforcement in the EU, companies have been more constrained in their use of customers' personal data compared to previous practices. Enhancing data security, privacy & management standards in handling and processing customer data has been a longstanding necessity. Speak To An Expert GDPR Services About Accorian Our Expert Resources GDPR Why Do You Need GDPR? GDPR Compliance Is A Must For Businesses In EuropeGDPR compliance is essential to avoid penalties and obligations that could profoundly impact their operations. The regulation is applicable to all companies, irrespective of their location, that store, process, or handle the personal data of EU citizens. GDPR compliance goes beyond simply displaying a cookie notice on your website. European citizens possess the right to request their personal data in a transparent and comprehensible manner, along with details on data processing, its purposes, and whether it has been shared with third parties. Services Our GDPR Services Speak To An Expert 01 GDPR Readiness Assessments We evaluate your organization’s current GDPR compliance status, identifying areas of improvement and providing actionable recommendations to enhance readiness. 02 Data Protection Impact Assessment We evaluate the implications of your data processing operations on privacy, aiding in risk assessment and ensuring GDPR adherence when managing personal data. 03 Privacy Architect Evaluations and Advice We provide expert assessments and advice on configuring privacy frameworks and systems to ensure compliance with... --- CMMC The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), established by the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD), standardizes cybersecurity readiness within its Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Stemming from NIST 800-171, this framework enhances the protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI), mitigating risks associated with intellectual property theft. CMMC adopts a stratified approach to delineate cybersecurity tiers, necessitating independent assessments to validate adherence, and obliges contractors to fortify both digital and physical CUI assets. Speak To An Expert CMMC Services Methodology About Accorian Our Expert Resources CMMC Why Do You Need CMMC? CMMC Certification: A Mandatory Requirement by 2026The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is essential for organizations working with the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and ensure a secure defense supply chain. As a mandatory requirement for DoD contracts, CMMC strengthens cybersecurity resilience, mitigates risks from cyber threats, and enhances trust between contractors and the government. Achieving CMMC compliance not only ensures eligibility for DoD contracts but also demonstrates a commitment to cybersecurity best practices, reducing vulnerabilities across the defense industrial base (DIB). Speak To An Expert Services Our CMMC Services We assist DoD contractors across the United States in navigating the challenges of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). With a tried-and-true approach to managing complex, long-term projects—comparable to our multi-framework engagements—we ensure seamless compliance while enhancing your security infrastructure. We offer: 01 CMMC 2. 0 Compliance Assessment We aim to meet the Department of Defense's enhanced cybersecurity... --- HITRUST i1 As an annual assessment, the HITRUST i1 Assessment is intended to help organizations meet the evolving threat landscape. This threat-adaptive assessment helps organizations meet their current threats, such as transitioning phishing and ransomware, by constantly updating its requirements to those challenges. While this document should be regarded as more of a necessity than an assessment, the i1 Assessment does make every effort to proactively adjust to current cyber threats, thus enhancing organizational security. The changing control set is not static; it necessitates an annual revaluation of the i1 certification. Speak To An Expert HITRUST i1 Importance Comparison Resources HITRUST i1 What is HITRUST i1? The HITRUST i1 certification is not as robust as the r2, however, it provides a good level of assurance to the organizations that have established security practices, but do not require an extensive r2 assessment. It fills the certification gap for organizations at lower risk levels and is more economical in terms of time and resources:Thorough Assessment: The i1 measures controls in 19 domains with 182 requirements, some of which are also included in NIST SP 800-171 and the HIPAA Security Rule. These controls apply to all organizations of every size and industry, and evaluation is limited to only implementation. Threat-Adaptive: HITRUST i1 updates its requirements every three months to accommodate emerging threats like ransomware and phishing attacks. It remains aligned with the cybersecurity standards set by industries. Certifiable and Renewable: The i1 is an assessable certification and must be verified by a third-party... --- HITRUST e1 The HITRUST e1 1-year Validated Assessment includes more efficiency and more flexibility into the series of certification options with HITRUST. Targeted at startups and low-risk or less complex organizations, e1 seeks to build a baseline level of cyber security. This e1 graded assessment focuses on 44 minimum security controls, which serve as a basic level. These controls can be enabled by organizations as a step towards more elaborate i1 or r2 certifications. Speak To An Expert HITRUST e1 Importance Comparison Resources HITRUST e1 What is the HITRUST e1 Assessment? The HITRUST e1 Assessment is a foundational 1-year validated assessment designed to demonstrate essential cybersecurity hygiene. It includes 44 key security requirements, providing a streamlined way for organizations to showcase a baseline level of cybersecurity maturity to third parties. The assessment process involves:Self-assessment of the 44 requirements, with guidance from a HITRUST Authorized External Assessor as needed. Validation of submitted evidence by the External Assessor. HITRUST Quality Assurance (QA) review to determine certification eligibility. Successful completion results in a HITRUST e1 Certification, signifying adherence to essential cybersecurity controls. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Should You Get e1 HITRUST Certified? Speak To An Expert 01 Establishes a Firm Ground for Cybersecurity Intertwines basic controls which have been sourced from HITRUST with other security frameworks and guidelines used by organizations. 02 Aligns with Regulatory Compliance Aligns with key regulatory frameworks by incorporating essential cybersecurity controls derived from NIST CSF and industry best practices. 03 Improves the Level of Effectiveness Enables... --- HITRUST r2 The 2-year Validated Assessment of HITRUST r2 has the best level of security and compliance verification possible. This is perfect for organizations that must comply with regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, NIST CSF or many others. The r2 enables numerous control adjustments that correspond to certain risk factors. It is the most comprehensive HITRUST certification and serves as the standard for ensuring advanced cybersecurity and compliance. Speak To An Expert HITRUST r2 Importance Comparison Resources HITRUST r2 What is HITRUST r2? The HITRUST Risk-Based, 2-year (r2) Validated Assessment incorporates the following key elements:Variable Control Scope: The number of control requirement statements ranges from 198 to 2,000, with an average of 360 per assessment. This variation is influenced by inherent risk factors and optional inclusion of additional authoritative sources. Broad Regulatory Coverage: r2 assessments can be customized to provide assurances for multiple standards and regulations, including HIPAA, NIST CSF, PCI DSS, GDPR, and more. Risk-Based Tailoring: The assessment adjusts based on the organization’s inherent risk factors, such as the use of wireless networks or accessibility of systems via the internet. Furthermore, HITRUST confirms that a well-scoped r2 assessment aligns with numerous frameworks and standards, including NIST SP 800-53, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP, FISMA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, and over 30 other recognized frameworks and authoritative sources. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Should You Get i1 HITRUST Certified? Speak To An Expert 01 Maintains Extensive Cybersecurity Works with well-established authorities to implement appropriate security measures with utmost skills and... --- vCISO The cybercrime epidemic is threatening, with a 15% annual growth rate. With the rise of sophisticated threats and the growth of cybercrime, a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in senior management is required for organizations. CISO as a service provides organizations with on-demand access to experienced security expertise, eliminating the need for a full-time employee. vCISO services assist organizations with the resources and knowledge they require to protect themselves from cyber threats without incurring the high costs associated with a full-time employee. Speak To An Expert vCISO Importance Benefits Methodology Our Experts About Accorian Resources vCISO Who is a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer? Who is a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer? A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) is an external security advisor and expert whose responsibilities vary depending on an organization’s business requirements. They are responsible for ensuring critical systems and sensitive data protected from cybercriminals. Speak To An Expert Importance Importance of a vCISO Diverse Industry Experience Hiring a vCISO with diverse industry experience provides a broader perspective on security issues. A Team - Not an Individual A CISO often needs to rely on third parties or external teams for insight and expertise. The vCISO’s team-based approach provides all the necessary expertise and resources to achieveyour goals. Streamline Processes with Our GRC GoRICO Tool GoRICO, our purpose-built GRC tool is a proven process for strengthening compliance requirements and enabling growth opportunities for your business. Enhances Security Posture & Roadmap A vCISO helps establish an internal cyber... --- Ransomware Assessment A Rising Cyber Threat Holding Data Hostage Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their devices or networks until a ransom payment is made. Typically, it is propagated through phishing emails and compromised web pages. Moreover, cyber threats have become more advanced with the rise of new strategies, such as double extortion, where attackers encrypt the data and then threaten to release it to the public domain. Request Assessment Ransomware Assessment Methodology Industries Our Expert About Accorian Resources Ransomware Assessment Why Do You Need Ransomware Assessment? It may have been around for years, but has only recently gained real traction with hackers. Its strength lies in encryption technology, which covertly locks sensitive data and demands payment through cryptocurrency to release it. Notably, losses associated with ransomware amounted to approximately twenty billion dollars, excluding indirect costs such as loss of reputation. Furthermore, it’s estimated to reach beyond 260 million by the next decade. Meanwhile, ransomware attacks have increased rapidly, with experts predicting that 37% of organizations and businesses will be affected in the near future. Speak To An Expert Methodology Accorian’s Proven Approach The strategy we have developed covers the most important aspects for your company to ensure readiness against ransomware: 01Policies, Procedures and Control Review We will check whether your security policies set regarding patch management, incident response, endpoint protection, permissions, and back-ups are practical and effective to help shield your data from exposure. 02Employee Education and Prevention Ransomware is usually delivered to users... --- Focus On Your Business While We Focus On Your Security info@accorian. com +1-732-443-3468 Ready To Start? Full Name Company Email Company Name Enter Your Message Corporate Head Office6 Alvin Ct, East Brunswick, NJ 08816, USA Get Directions Bangalore, IndiaGround Floor, 11, Brigade Terraces, Cambridge Rd, Halasuru, Udani Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008, India Get Directions Pune, IndiaKapil Complex, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra, 411045, India Get Directions Dubai, UAEOpposite National Flour Mills Al Gubaiba Road, Dubai, UAE Get Directions --- SOC 2 The average cost of a data breach has risen by 15. 3%, reaching $4. 45 million. SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is an AICPA compliance methodology that assesses how firms handle customer data based on five trust service criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. SOC 2 is intended for cloud-based and technology organizations, and it uses third-party audits to demonstrate a commitment to data security and operational excellence. Accorian specializes in SOC 2 compliance, with skilled auditors conducting thorough assessments, identifying gaps, and installing essential controls. Our Type 1 and Type 2 SOC 2 reports assure strong security measures, increasing market value and giving clients a competitive advantage by ensuring suitable controls is in place to secure data and systems. Check Your Best SOC 2 Options SOC 2 Importance Types Methodology Criteria Framework Our Experts About Accorian Resources SOC 2 Why Do You Need SOC 2? The SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) reports play a vital role in demonstrating an organization’s compliance with the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These reports assure clients and stakeholders that the organization has implemented adequate controls to safeguard the Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy of their systems and data. Hence serving as an important tool to showcase the organization’s commitment to protecting sensitive information and meeting regulatory requirements. Speak To An Expert Importance Importance of SOC 2 Attestation? Table Stakes As security takes center stage for... --- Phishing/Email Social Engineering Unmasking Phishing & Social Engineering: The Ultimate Deception Phishing and social engineering are more than just cyber threats, they are psychological manipulations designed to exploit human trust. Attackers don’t just hack systems, they hack people, tricking employees into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links or granting unauthorized access. With evolving tactics like spear phishing, deepfake voice scams, and business email compromise (BEC) no organization is immune. The key to defense isn’t just technology, its awareness, training, and proactive security measures. By integrating real world phishing simulations, behavioral analytics, and adaptive security strategies, companies can turn their biggest vulnerability human error into their strongest defense. Schedule A Pentest Phishing & Email Social Engineering Importance Methodology Resources Phishing & Email Social Engineering Why You Need Phishing & Email Social Engineering? Phishing attacks take advantage of human vulnerabilities, deceiving victims into clicking malicious links, sharing credentials, or downloading malware. This can lead to financial loss, identity theft, reputational damage, and even legal trouble. Beyond immediate harm, phishing can serve as a gateway to larger cyber-attacks, including data breaches and network infiltration. In today’s digital world, the consequences extend far beyond money eroding trust, credibility, and business continuity. Recognizing these threats is key to strengthening defenses and fostering a culture of vigilance against evolving cyber risks. Accorian Phishing capabilities aim to test employes and teams with tailored realistic and interactive content:Spear PhishingFile Attacks (Word, Macro, PDF, Java)Custom page creatingCredential Harvesting Speak To An Expert Importance Why Do We Need Phishing/Email Social... --- Phishing/Vishing/Social Engineering Unmasking Phishing & Social Engineering: The Ultimate Deception Phishing and social engineering are more than just cyber threats, they are psychological manipulations designed to exploit human trust. Attackers don’t just hack systems, they hack people, tricking employees into revealing sensitive information, clicking malicious links or granting unauthorized access. With evolving tactics like spear phishing, deepfake voice scams, and business email compromise (BEC) no organization is immune. The key to defense isn’t just technology, its awareness, training, and proactive security measures. By integrating real world phishing simulations, behavioral analytics, and adaptive security strategies, companies can turn their biggest vulnerability human error into their strongest defense. Schedule A Pentest Phishing/Vishing/Social Engineering Importance Methodology Resources Phishing/Vishing/Social Engineering Why You Need Phishing/Vishing/Social Engineering? Phishing attacks take advantage of human vulnerabilities, deceiving victims into clicking malicious links, sharing credentials, or downloading malware. This can lead to financial loss, identity theft, reputational damage, and even legal trouble. Beyond immediate harm, phishing can serve as a gateway to larger cyber-attacks, including data breaches and network infiltration. In today’s digital world, the consequences extend far beyond money eroding trust, credibility, and business continuity. Recognizing these threats is key to strengthening defenses and fostering a culture of vigilance against evolving cyber risks. Accorian Phishing capabilities aim to test employes and teams with tailored realistic and interactive content:Spear PhishingFile Attacks (Word, Macro, PDF, Java)Custom page creatingCredential Harvesting Speak To An Expert Importance Why Do We Need Phishing/Vishing/Social Engineering? Schedule A Pentest 01 Awareness Through controlled social engineering attacks,... --- Application & API Penetration Testing In today's digital landscape, web applications are essential for businesses of all sizes. However, they are also an entry point into an organization's infrastructure for malicious actors. Application penetration testing is a crucial security practice that helps identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in applications and their related systems, including web applications, mobile applications, and application programming interfaces (API). Speak To An Expert Application Penetration Testing Importance Types Benefits Case Study Resources Application & API Penetration Testing What is Application Penetration Testing? Penetration testing on an application is a form of simulated cyberattack against the system to identify vulnerabilities and exploitable flaws that malicious actors might leverage. Application penetration testing enables one to identify security weaknesses, insecure design, and permission misconfiguration in an application ahead of time, followed by such flaws being fixed before actual attackers exploit those to cause data breaches or other security incidents. This helps in enhancing overall security posture and mitigating potential risks associated with an application. Speak To An Expert Importance Why is Application Penetration Testing important? 01 Proactive Defense By identifying vulnerabilities before attackers do, organizations can mitigate risks and enhance their overall security posture. 02 Regulatory Compliance Many industries require regular penetration testing as part of compliance with standards such as HITRUST, PCI DSS, SOC, HIPAA, and GDPR. Failure to meet these requirements can result in hefty penalties and reputational damage. 03 Building Customer Trust Demonstrating a commitment to security through regular testing can enhance... --- Cybersecurity Posture Assessment Stay Unmatched Against Cyber Threats withComprehensive AssessmentsStay Unmatched Against Cyber Threats with Comprehensive AssessmentsIn today’s ever-changing cybersecurity landscape, organizations must take a strategic approach to protect their critical resources, including people, processes, technology, and physical security. With over 236 million ransomware incidents reported globally in the first six months of the previous reporting period, it’s evident that effective Posture Assessment is crucial. Request Assessment Posture Assessment Importance Methodology Assessment Services Our Experts About Accorian Resources Posture Assessment Why Do You NeedPosture Assessment? Why Do You Need Posture Assessment? Posture Assessment involves a thorough review of an organization’s cybersecurity readiness, focusing on current process, people, privacy & technology. This evaluation looks closely at security controls, policies, processes, and infrastructure to ensure they align with the organization’s goals. By identifying weaknesses and strengthening protective measures, Posture Assessment helps businesses reduce risks and build a stronger cybersecurity stance against ongoing threats. Speak To An Expert Importance The Importance of Posture Assessment Conducting a posture assessment helps organizations identify vulnerabilities within their systems. By reviewing network configurations, system architectures, applications, privacy and processes, companies can uncover potential areas that attackers may target. Proactive Risk Management In the rapidly evolving landscape of cyber threats, it is crucial to take a proactive approach. A posture assessment helps organizations find and reduce risks before they can be exploited, while enhancing their overall security posture. Tailored Security Solutions Every organization has unique security needs. A posture assessment customizes security enhancements to fit those specific needs,... --- Cloud Security Safeguarding Your Digital Resources: Cloud Security Is Crucial for All EnterprisesCloud security encompasses the protection of data, applications, and the foundational infrastructure, which consists of configurations, regulations, and controls. Although the cloud offers numerous opportunities for enhancing services, security, and compliance issues remain the primary barriers to its adoption. By implementing a robust cloud security strategy, organizations can operate securely and more efficiently within hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Request Assessment Cloud Security Importance Services Domain Model Our Experts About Accorian Resources Cloud Security Why Do You Need Cloud Security? Why Do You Need Cloud Security? The implementation of robust cloud security protocols is essential in a landscape where more than 96% of organizations depend on cloud technologies. Implementing these strategies reduces the risks linked to hybrid and multi-cloud settings, ensures adherence to changing regulations, and protects sensitive information from possible breaches. Robust cloud security not only defends the organization but also enhances the confidence of stakeholders and customers. By emphasizing security, businesses can pursue innovation with assurance, optimize their operations, and maximize the benefits of their cloud investments. Speak To An Expert Importance The Importance of a Strong Cloud Security Plan With more cybercriminals focusing on cloud systems, having a strong cloud security strategy is crucial. This plan is important for protecting your company's reputation and keeping its important data safe. Emphasize Security Integrate security protocols into your cloud strategy from the outset to protect your key assets. Recognize Shared Responsibility Be aware of the security obligations that... --- ISO 22301 Certification (Business Continuity Management System) This certification is the international standard for a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) that aids businesses in anticipating, responding to, and recovering from disruptive incidents. The ISO 22301 standard attests to a company’s readiness to react to abnormal circumstances, reducing downtime and enhancing operational adaptability. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 22301? ISO 22301 is a globally accepted standard that aids organizations in establishing a resilient Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). By achieving ISO 22301 certification, businesses can effectively mitigate disruptions and ensure swift recovery. Discover the compelling reasons to adopt ISO 22301 for fortifying business continuity and protecting your operations: Speak To An Expert 01 Improves Resilience ISO 22301 establishes a robust Business Continuity Management System (BCMS), enhancing the organization’s capability to recover from incidents. This standard ensures continuous operations, reduces downtime, and protects the organization’s reputation. 02 Enhances Customer Satisfaction Customers value reliability in service delivery. Achieving ISO 22301 certification demonstrates a commitment to dependability, fostering confidence, and improving customer satisfaction. 03 Cost Savings By actively identifying and addressing potential disruptions, ISO 22301 minimizes costly interruptions, leading to greater cost efficiency. It also enhances the effectiveness of business continuity insurance through more accurate assessments of possible damages. 04 Rapid Recovery With a clearly defined BCMS mandated by ISO 22301, the organization can swiftly respond to incidents, minimizing operational disruptions and expediting the return to normal business activities. 05 Enhances Stakeholder Trust Certification... --- ISO 42001 Certification (Artificial Intelligence Management System) The ISO 42001 certification is designed to manage Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems responsibly and ethically. This standard provides guidelines for creating and deploying an AI management system (AIMS) that increases clarity, fosters trust, and helps organizations gain a competitive advantage in the ever-changing technology sector. Accorian enhances this framework by offering ISO Certification services, supported by a team of over 30 ISO 42001 auditors and implementors, ensuring that organizations can effectively align their AI management practices with international standards. Speak To An Expert AIMS Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources AIMS What is an Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS)? An Artificial Intelligence Management System comprises of interconnected components within an organization. Its purpose is to formulate policies, objectives, and processes aimed at responsibly developing, delivering, and utilizing Al systems. Besides outlining requisites, the AIMS framework offers direction for creating, executing, sustaining, and progressively refining an Al management system within an organizational framework. The purpose of AIMS is to provide an integrated approach to managing the various aspects of Al applications in an organization, from risk assessment to effective treatment of these risks. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 42001? ISO 42001 certification can help organizations ensure responsible AI development and implementation, enhance customer trust, and cultivate an ethical AI culture. It provides a foundation for transparent, accountable, and trustworthy AI, reducing the possibility of bias and discrimination in AI systems. It also helps organizations demonstrate commitment to ethical AI principles.... --- ISO 27018 Certification (Personally Identifiable Information) The ISO 27018 is a cloud-focused standard for securing confidential client public data on the cloud. An accreditation of this type clearly shows an organization’s commitment to robust security procedures. This offers clear guidelines for cloud service providers handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII). It helps in gaining confidence and assurance, which is a crucial step in safeguarding cloud data. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 27018? ISO 27018 empowers organizations to safeguard personal data and foster trust by adhering to an established standard for cloud data protection. This framework enables businesses to strengthen the security of personally identifiable information (PII) in the cloud while demonstrating a commitment to data protection regulations. Explore the essential reasons to adopt ISO 27018 for securing personal data in the cloud and ensuring compliance with privacy standards: Speak To An Expert 01 Builds Trust Obtaining ISO 27018 certification demonstrates a commitment to data privacy, fostering trust among clients and business partners in the organization’s data management practices. 02 Increases Privacy ISO 27018 provides guidance on adopting secure controls to protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the cloud. This reduces the likelihood of data breaches and unauthorized access. 03 Advantages of Adherence Many global data protection laws emphasize robust data security protocols. Compliance with ISO 27018 mitigates the risk of fines and legal issues. 04 Enhances Cloud Security ISO 27018 enables organizations to assess the security posture of cloud service providers,... --- ISO 27701 Certification (Privacy Information Management System) This certification builds on the ISO 27001 framework focusing on privacy management, thereby demonstrating the organization's commitment to data privacy. This globally acknowledged standard guides and improves the ongoing security measures to create, implement, and maintain a robust Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). This certification provides a competitive edge and builds stakeholder confidence by adequately handling personal information. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 27701? Organizations can achieve the highest level of privacy protection for their customers and demonstrate a strong commitment to data security through ISO 27701 certification. This standard enhances the management of privacy information, empowering organizations to elevate their data protection capabilities. Discover the key reasons to adopt ISO 27701 for effectively managing privacy information and strengthening your organization’s data security framework: Speak To An Expert 01 Improves Data Privacy Strategy ISO 27701 focuses on safeguarding personal data, emphasizing its significance. Developing a comprehensive Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) based on ISO 27701 enables businesses to effectively mitigate risks associated with data breaches and threats to personal information handling. 02 Increases Client Confidence Adopting an established standard like ISO 27701 demonstrates a commitment to data privacy protection, significantly boosting client trust, and enhancing the business’s compliance with industry standards. 03 Simplifies Compliance ISO 27701 makes navigating various data protection laws, such as the CCPA and GDPR more manageable. By adhering to its fundamental principles, organizations gain a systematic approach to data... --- ISO 27017 Certification (Security Controls for Cloud Services) ISO 27017 certification verifies that companies follow best practices for data protection and cloud security for the provider and the user. It helps businesses establish effective security practices and management processes, protecting data stored in the cloud. Speak To An Expert Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 27017? ISO 27017 offers a recognized framework for establishing robust cloud security, enhancing client trust, and minimizing the risks of data breaches. Safeguarding customer data in the cloud is essential for organizations, and this standard provides a comprehensive set of controls designed to protect sensitive information stored in cloud environments. It clearly delineates the responsibilities of both cloud service providers and their customers regarding information security. By adhering to this framework, organizations demonstrate their commitment to strong cloud security, fostering trust among clients and partners. Understand why you should adopt ISO 27017 to strengthen cloud security and protect your organization’s data assets: Speak To An Expert 01 Enhances Cloud Security ISO 27017 provides a specific framework for securing data in the cloud, outlining controls for both cloud service providers and users to ensure shared responsibility for robust cloud security. 02 Increases Customer Trust Achieving ISO 27017 compliance allows businesses to demonstrate their commitment to industry best practices for cloud information security, fostering customer trust, and providing a competitive edge. 03 Reduces Risk of Data Breaches The standard outlines controls that help mitigate risks associated with cloud storage, such as unauthorized... --- ISO 27001 Certification (Information Security Management System) The ISO 27001 standard helps safeguard the information confidentiality and integrity of an organization. This widely accepted standard assists in setting up a strong Information Security Management System (ISMS) that enables risk reduction and builds confidence among clients as well as associates. Accorian, backed by a team of 75+ seasoned ISO auditors and implementors, streamlines the journey to ISO certification through unmatched expertise. Speak To An Expert ISO 27001 Importance Methodology About Accorian Resources ISO 27001 What is an ISO 27001 Certification? ISO 27001 is one of the most recognized standards for information security management. It takes a risk-based approach to safeguard data, processes, and technology by establishing an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and continuously improving it. The ISO 27001 certification shows an organization’s commitment to proper data confidentiality, integrity, availability, etc. The framework helps organizations secure critical assets, validate against legal obligations, and tailor security controls based on organizational threats. It also defines documentation, management responsibility, internal audits, continuous improvement, and corrective and preventive action. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO 27001? Organizations can sustain their information assets' confidentiality, integrity, and availability with ISO 27001 certification, which uses a methodical strategy to recognize, evaluate, and resolve security risks. This internationally acclaimed information security management system gives organizations a competitive advantage and helps them stay ahead in data security. Here are some of the key reasons why you should adopt ISO 27001: Speak To An Expert 01 Enhances... --- Thank you for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to submit your query! Please expect a response from our experts within 24 hours to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you would like to schedule a call at your convenience, feel free to do so using our Calendar. For your reference, our resource center offers a wealth of free podcasts, webinars, blogs, and case studies. You might find them helpful while you wait for our experts to connect with you. Go To Homepage --- PCI DSS Data breaches usually cost an average of $4. 35 million, highlighting the critical need for organizations to adopt PCI DSS - a global framework for securing payment, card transactions, and cardholder data, managed by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a key framework that not only secures payment card transactions but also protects cardholders’ data. Managed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), it outlines policies designed to reduce cybersecurity risks and fraud. Moreover, compliance is essential for any organization that processes, stores, or transmits payment card information. Request Assessment QSA ASV Methodology Our Experts About Accorian Resources QSA Accorian is PCI QSA Our certified QSAs play a pivotal role in safeguarding cardholder data. Through on-site and remote assessments of security controls, we not only evaluate compliance but also provide valuable insights and recommendations for improvement. Additionally, we support the development and implementation of essential security policies and procedures. Know More About PCI QSA ASV Accorian is PCI ASV As an ASV, we conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, helping organizations not only identify risks but also fortify their security measures. In doing so, we meticulously define the scope of PCI compliance by evaluating critical components like firewalls, routers, and switches. Furthermore, this assessment identifies programs, subnets, and network segments responsible for handling cardholder data. Know More About PCI ASV Transition PCI DSS Transition From v3. 2 to v4 In March 2022, the... --- PCI ASV Accorian is a Payment Card Industry Approved ScanningVendor (PCI ASV). Accorian is a Payment Card Industry Approved Scanning Vendor (PCI ASV). The PCI SSC (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council) is a global organization that works to make sure cardholder data is safe all over the world. This applies to everyone globally. An Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) is an organization with a set of security services and tools to conduct external vulnerability scanning services to validate adherence with the external scanning requirements of PCI DSS. Request A Scan PCI DSS PCI ASV Criteria Process Our Experts About Accorian Resources PCI DSS What is PCI DSS? Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) are rules set by the PCI Security Standard Council (PCI SSC) about how things should be done. This rule applies to everyone who stores, processes, or sends data about cardholders. PCI DSS has become a global standard managed and updated by the PCI SSC to ensure proper implementation and compliance. The precise requirements may differ depending on how involved an entity is in the payment process. Know More About PCI DSS PCI ASV Who is a PCI ASV? A PCI ASV would ensure compliance for organizations by checking on regular vulnerability scans to risk threats in the external-facing systems thus minimizing the risk of data breaches and protecting cardholder information. ASVs assist with proactive threat management, which makes it easier to validate, pass audits, averts expensive fines, and penalties. In addition, most of the acquiring... --- Threat Advisory Select CategoryAll IndustriesRansomware document. getElementById("threat-advisory-category-select"). addEventListener("change", function { if (this. value) { window. location. href = "https://www. accorian. in/threat-advisory-categories/" + this. value + "/"; } }); --- Wireless Network Security Assessment Wireless networks are an absolute necessity of the contemporary business environment. Connectivity and flexibility for equipment and staff represent a boon but security risks involved with it result in a high price to pay. Wireless networks provide one of the necessary doorways to vital information or internal systems. Accorian realizes exactly the urgency of the need to secure your wireless communication channels. Speak To An Expert Importance Benefits Methodology Resources Wireless Network What is Wireless Network Security Assessment? Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Importance Why Do You Need Wireless Network Security Assessment? Why Do You Need Wireless Network Security Assessment? Schedule A Pentest 01 Identifying Weaknesses As part of our assessment, we conduct a detailed analysis to identify weak points across your wireless network. We test parameters such as encryption protocols, authentication mechanisms, access controls, and network segmentation in detail. This helps organizations understand potential security gaps in their systems and take proactive measures to mitigate associated risks. 02 Protection of Sensitive Data Transfer and storage protocols, along with encryption protocols are also tested to ensure that data flows smoothly and is... --- Internal Network Penetration Testing In today's dynamic cybersecurity landscape, safeguarding internal networks is more critical than ever. As cyber adversaries devise new tactics and exploit vulnerabilities, conducting regular penetration testing has become a crucial proactive measure to identify and address potential security risks. At Accorian, our team of experts provide comprehensive and efficient internal network penetration testing services, helping your organization maintain operational integrity and protect sensitive data and critical assets from internal threats. Schedule A Pentest Internal Network Importance Why Accorian Resources Internal Network What is Internal Network Penetration Testing? At its core, internal network PT is an intricate and essential security measure that scrutinizes the robustness of an organization’s internal network. Unlike external tests that focus on the security of externally facing systems, internal network PT simulates attacks from within the organization’s network. This rigorous evaluation aims to pinpoint vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weaknesses that could compromise the organization’s security posture from within. Moreover, internal network penetration testing enables a comprehensive understanding of the organization’s ability to identify, mitigate, and respond to internal security threats. Speak To An Expert Importance Why Do We Need Internal Network Penetration Testing? An Internal network PT serves as a vital proactive security measure, helping organizations identify and address vulnerabilities, assess defence mechanisms, and mitigate insider threats. Here are the key benefits: Schedule A Pentest 01 Vulnerability Detection Internal network penetration testing helps organizations stay one step ahead by identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their internal systems, applications, and network infrastructure before malicious actors... --- External Network Penetration Testing External networks function as the frontline defence against cyber threats, often the first point of entry for adversaries looking for vulnerabilities to enter the internal network. At Accorian, we prioritize your organization’s security in the digital landscape by conducting External Network Penetration test, which provides a crucial defense against such threats. Speak To An Expert External Network Importance Components Process Case Study About Accorian Resources External Network What is External Network Penetration Testing? In an environment where cyber threats continuously adapt, the external perimeter serves as the first line of defense against these risks. It is often the initial entry point for adversaries seeking vulnerabilities to exploit within the internal network. External network penetration testing mimics real-world attacks on your organization’s external network landscape. This proactive approach enables the detection of weaknesses in your external network perimeter, helping to maintain a secure perimeter against potential intrusions and attacks. Importance Why Choose Accorian For External Network Penetration Testing? Why Choose Accorian For External Network Penetration Testing? 01 Risk Mitigation Our proactive technique enables us to pick out and address vulnerabilities before they pose vast dangers. 02 Compliance We ensure your adherence to industry standards and guidelines, supplying you with self-belief on your protection posture. 03 Incident Preparedness Our thorough checks prepare you to navigate and mitigate potential security incidents with confidence. 04 Reputation and Trust By partnering with us, you display a steadfast commitment to security, fostering trust, and confidence among your stakeholders. Components Critical Components Robust... --- News Select CategoryAccorian’s POVHITRUSTISOISO 27001PartnershipvCISO document. getElementById("news-category-select"). addEventListener("change", function { if (this. value) { window. location. href = "https://www. accorian. in/news-category/" + this. value + "/"; } }); --- Leadership In-depth looks at our successful cybersecurity interventions and solutions. Meet Our Management Team Premal Parikh Founder & CEO Healthy Living Resources Aaditya Uthappa Co-Founder & COO Healthy Living Resources Shalin Kadakia VP of Sales & Operations Healthy Living Resources Piyali Bhattacharjee Head Of People Healthy Living Resources Cybersecurity Leadership Sean Dowling Vice President & Head of HITRUST Services Healthy Living Resources Kiran Murthy Vice President & Head of Enterprise Accounts Healthy Living Resources OM Hazela Vice President & Head of General Compliance Services & CISO Healthy Living Resources Ashritha Alva Vice President & Head of Penetration Testing Services Healthy Living Resources Penetration Testing Muhammed Noushad Director of Security Testing Services Download Resume Sanket Solanki Senior Manager of Penetration Testing Services Download Resume Compliance Services Andrea Britt Senior Director & Principal Consultant Download Resume Stephanie Madhok Director & Principal Consultant Download Resume Susheel Bhurke Director & Principal Consultant Download Resume Adarsh Hirenallur Director & Principal Consultant Download Resume Vigneswar Ravi Director & Principal Consultant Download Resume Sales James Brown Director of Sales at Accorian Download Resume Staffing Ankit Naidu Senior Recruiter Download Resume Pushpendra Singh Senior Recruiter Download Resume Finance Shefali Kadakia Manager of Accounts Payable Download Resume Neha Parikh Manager Accounts Receivable Download Resume --- Case Study Select CategoryGDPRGoRICOHIPAAHITRUSTHITRUST i1HITRUST r2Incident ResponseISOISO 27001Penetration TestingRed TeamingRisk AssessmentSecuring AISOC 2vCISO document. getElementById("case-studies-category-select"). addEventListener("change", function { if (this. value) { window. location. href = "https://www. accorian. in/case-studies-categories/" + this. value + "/"; } }); --- Podcast Forbes India https://youtu. be/__TC4JnBJgw INC5000 - Founder's POV https://youtu. be/h6DlvZ4fs8Mhttps://youtu. be/gjDLsfkd3iwhttps://youtu. be/qARnfZnATZUhttps://youtu. be/Fjl3D3crV-4 HITRUST https://youtu. be/7KrcSqpNXzkhttps://youtu. be/SxK8UE75M-shttps://youtu. be/q4ECdmW9fm0https://youtu. be/y9H7wS3UauIhttps://youtu. be/oN5LPALdwfMhttps://youtu. be/uhY7W2SFHpIhttps://youtu. be/wDE0nRzNdU8https://youtu. be/0nT1Dp3tSdY --- ISO Certifications ISO security standard offers a systematic framework for aligning your organization with internationally recognized standards, enhancing credibility, and demonstrating a commitment to excellence. By achieving ISO certifications, your organization simplifies compliance and showcases its dedication to quality, security, and operational efficiency. ISO certifications offer a globally recognized framework to organizations that: Enhance your credibility, trustworthiness, and competitive edge in the market Identify and manage risks while promoting continuous improvement Assist in meeting regulatory and legal requirements specific to your industry Streamline processes and improve overall efficiency and performance Speak to an Expert Importance Types Methodology Our Experts About Accorian Resources Importance Why Should You Adopt ISO? Strengthen Data Security & Ensure Regulatory Compliance Bolster defenses against data breaches, mitigating associated expenses and ensuring adherence to security and privacy regulations to avoid penalties. Improve Market Position & Retain Customers Elevates your business as a formidable competitor, securing a larger customer base while strengthening customer loyalty and fostering long-term relationships. Protect Intellectual Property & Reputation Protects your intellectual property, brand integrity, and professional standing within the industry, ensuring a robust defense system against potential threats. Enhance Operational Efficiency & Reduce Costs Streamlines processes to save time and cost, improving overall operational efficiency. Attract Top Talent & Build Excellence Draws top-tier, security-conscious personnel, enhancing the company's security posture and fostering a cultureof excellence. Types Types of ISO Certifications Let Our Experts Suggest The Ideal ISO 01 ISO 27001 Certification The ISO 27001 standard helps safeguard information confidentiality and integrity of an... --- Red Teaming Red Teaming is a comprehensive security assessment where ethical hackers aim to uncover potential security gaps, demonstrating how attackers combine unrelated exploits to access sensitive data and critical assets. These highly skilled security professionals take on the role of attackers to assess the effectiveness of an organization’s defensive measures. Following the assessment, the team provides recommendations and plans to bolster the organization’s security posture, ensuring it remains resilient in the face of evolving threats. Request a Consultation Red Teaming Importance Methodology Scenarios About Accorian Our Experts Resources Download Guide Red Teaming Why Do You Need Red Teaming? Why Do You Need Red Teaming? At its core, Red Teaming is more than just a security assessment; it's a simulation of real-world cyber-attacks aimed at identifying weaknesses in an organization's defenses. Unlike conventional penetration testing, which is defined by its scope, Red Teaming adopts a holistic approach by emulating the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by real-world attackers. This realistic simulation provides invaluable insights into an organization's security posture, helping to uncover vulnerabilities that may go undetected through traditional means. Importance Why Should You Invest in Red Teaming If You Are Already Doing Penetration Testing? The answer lies in the dynamic nature of cyber threats and the need for proactive defence measures. In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, cyber adversaries are constantly innovating and adapting their tactics to bypass conventional security controls. Request a Red Teaming 01 Realistic Threat Simulation By mimicking the tactics of actual adversaries, Red Teaming... --- Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) TPRM is the systematic process of identifying, assessing, and managing risks associated with an organization’s relationships with third-party vendors, suppliers, contractors, or service providers. These external entities often have access to sensitive information and critical systems or perform pivotal functions on behalf of the organization. Hence, understanding and mitigating potential risks arising from these partnerships are imperative for maintaining operational resilience and safeguarding the organization’s reputation. Accorian has a proven track record as a leading cybersecurity and compliance firm, helping organizations navigate their information security journey. With personalized questionnaires for effective scoring and reporting, our TPRM services streamline vendor risk assessments throughout the whole vendor lifecycle. Speak To An Expert Benefits Methodology About Accorian Our Experts Resources Benefits Why Do You Need TPRM Request a free consultation 01 Reduces Financial Risk Engaging with third-party vendors or service providers inherently entails financial risks. For instance, if a vendor encounters financial instability, undergoes bankruptcy proceedings, or fails to fulfill contractual obligations, the organization can have severe financial repercussions. Therefore, organizations must employ a Third-Party Risk Management framework to mitigate these risks. 02 Enhances Data Security Third-party relationships often involve sharing sensitive data or intellectual property. A vendor breach of confidentiality can result in adverse consequences such as data exposure, intellectual property theft, or violations of confidentiality agreements. Implementing rigorous TPRM enables organizations to thoroughly assess a vendor’s data security measures and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. 03 Safeguards Reputation A third-party vendor’s actions or misconduct can substantially... --- Red Teaming Assessment Red Teaming is a comprehensive security assessment where ethical hackers aim to uncover potential security gaps, demonstrating how attackers combine unrelated exploits to access sensitive data and critical assets. These highly skilled security professionals take on the role of attackers to assess the effectiveness of an organization’s defensive measures. Following the assessment, the team provides recommendations and plans to bolster the organization’s security posture, ensuring it remains resilient in the face of evolving threats. Request a Consultation Red Teaming Importance Methodology Scenarios About Accorian Our Experts Resources Download Guide Red Teaming Why Do You Need Red Teaming? Why Do You Need Red Teaming? At its core, Red Teaming is more than just a security assessment; it's a simulation of real-world cyber-attacks aimed at identifying weaknesses in an organization's defenses. Unlike conventional penetration testing, which is defined by its scope, Red Teaming adopts a holistic approach by emulating the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by real-world attackers. This realistic simulation provides invaluable insights into an organization's security posture, helping to uncover vulnerabilities that may go undetected through traditional means. Importance Why Should You Invest in Red Teaming If You Are Already Doing Penetration Testing? The answer lies in the dynamic nature of cyber threats and the need for proactive defence measures. In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, cyber adversaries are constantly innovating and adapting their tactics to bypass conventional security controls. Request a Red Teaming Assessment 01 Realistic Threat Simulation By mimicking the tactics of actual adversaries,... --- NIST SP 800-37 The NIST SP 800-37 Risk Management Framework (RMF) is a comprehensive, structured approach to managing risks that are associated with the operation and use of federal information systems. The framework was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in response to the increasing need for cybersecurity solutions that can address the evolving challenges faced by federal agencies. Source: What is NIST SP 800-37 Risk Management Framework? – Advanced Security Speak To An Expert NIST 800-37 Methodology Resources NIST SP 800-37 What is NIST 800-37? The main objective of NIST SP 800-37 is to offer a risk management framework that allows organizations to effectively assess and manage risks associated with their information systems and data throughout the system’s life cycle. It is a flexible framework which can be tailored based on the business requirements & objectives of the organization. Speak To An Expert Implementation Methodology The NIST SP 800-37 outlines a systematic and structured approach to risk management, which includes the following key steps: Categorize Information SystemClassifying the information system and its data into different risk levels according to the information’s value and possible impact will help you understand the system’s sensitivity and criticality. Select Security ControlsSelecting appropriate security controls from NIST Special Publication 800-53, “Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations,” based on the identified risk levels and the organization’s security requirements. Assess Security ControlsUsing security assessments and testing to determine how well the established security controls mitigate the risks that have... --- NIST SP 800-53 NIST SP 800-53 is an information security standard that provides a catalog of security controls for federal information systems and organizations operating under government contracts. It outlines a set of security and privacy controls for organizations to protect their information systems from threats and vulnerabilities. Source: What is NIST SP 800-53? ( Ultimate Guide) | MetricStream Speak To An Expert NIST 800-53 Importance Framework Resources NIST SP 800-53 What is NIST 800-53? NIST SP 800-53 offers a catalogue of controls designed to ensure the security and resilience of federal information systems. These controls encompass operational, technical, and managerial safeguards that are essential for maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and security of these systems. Speak To An Expert Importance Benefits of NIST SP 800-53 Speak To An Expert 01 Enhanced Security Comprehensive controls to address emerging cybersecurity threats. 02 Regulatory Compliance Simplifies meeting requirements for frameworks like FedRAMP, CMMC, and HIPAA. 03 Trust Building Demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding client and organizational data. All Framework Controls The framework controls are broken into 3 classes based on impact –low, moderate, and high – and split into 18 different families, which are as follows: Access Control Audit and Accountability Awareness and Training Configuration Management Contingency Planning Identification & Authentication Incident Response Maintenance Media Protection Personnel Security Physical & Environmental Protection Planning Program Management Risk Assessment Security Assessment & Authorization System & Communications Protection System & Information Integrity System & Services Acquisition Implementation of Framework Assessment and Gap AnalysisStarts with a thorough... --- NIST CSF 2. 0 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2. 0 provides guidance to industry, government agencies, and other organizations to manage cybersecurity risks. It offers a taxonomy of high-level cybersecurity outcomes that can be used by any organization — regardless of its size, sector, or maturity — to better understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate its cybersecurity efforts. The CSF does not prescribe how outcomes should be achieved. Rather, it links to online resources that provide additional guidance on practices and controls that could be used to achieve those outcomes. This document describes CSF 2. 0, its components, and some of the many ways that it can be used. Source: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2. 0 Speak To An Expert NIST CSF 2. 0 Services Differences Benefits Resources NIST CSF 2. 0 What is NIST CSF 2. 0? NIST CSF 2. 0 extends its guidance to organizations of all sizes, whereas the original framework mainly targeted critical infrastructure companies, such as energy companies, banks, and hospitals. The updated framework aims to help industries, government agencies, and other organizations better manage cybersecurity risks, providing broader and more inclusive protection across diverse sectors. Speak To An Expert Services Main Components In Framework The NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2. 0 includes three main components: CSF Core, CSF Organization Profiles, and CSF Implementation Tiers. Speak To An Expert 01 CSF Core The CSF Core elements include a hierarchical structure of functions, categories, and subcategories that define each outcome in detail. 02 CSF Organizational Profiles... --- NIST SP 800-30 NIST SP 800-30 is a Special Publication that provides guidance for conducting risk assessments of federal information systems and organizations. It amplifies the guidance provided in Special Publication 800-39. The purpose of NIST SP 800-30 is to translate cyber risk in a way that can be understood by the Board and CEO. It helps risk assessment teams analyze and report risks to company leaders. Source: https://www. nist. gov/publications/guide-conducting-risk-assessments Speak To An Expert NIST 800-30 Methodology Resources NIST 800-30 What is NIST 800-30? Special Publication 800-30 aims to offer guidance for performing risk assessments on federal information systems and organizations, building upon the recommendations in Special Publication 800-39. These risk assessments are conducted across various levels of the risk management hierarchy and form a crucial part of the overall risk management process. NIST 800-30 was originally designed for federal agencies, but it is now widely used by private companies, contractors, and state governments. They equip senior leaders and executives with the necessary information to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions in response to identified risks. Speak To An Expert Risk Assessment Methodology Prepare for Risk AssessmentThis phase involves scoping of the risk assessment, identifying restraints associated with the assessment, and identifying the information sources to use for the risk assessment. Conduct Risk AssessmentThis phase includes the steps below: Determine how and where sensitive data is created, transmitted, and stored Identify the sources of threat, which is also known as Threat Modelling Determine Vulnerabilities and Predisposing Conditions associated... --- NIST The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a trusted guide for managing cybersecurity risks. It helps organizations protect critical infrastructure and comply with emerging security laws and standards. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is an optional framework composed of standards, recommendations, and best practices for managing cybersecurity-related risk. The primary objective of the NIST Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Framework is to “Improve Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. ” Check Your Best NIST Options NIST Importance Types Methodology Our Experts About Accorian Resources NIST Why Do You Need NIST? The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is designed to assist organizations in enhancing their cybersecurity by providing clear guidance, actionable steps, and established best practices. It supports both government and private entities in safeguarding their critical assets. Originally developed for critical infrastructure sectors, the CSF has been widely adopted across various industries. Federal agencies are encouraged to integrate the CSF with existing NIST security and privacy risk management standards to strengthen their cybersecurity risk management programs. Speak To An Expert Key Components of the Cybersecurity Framework The Framework CoreA set of cybersecurity activities, outcomes, and informative references that are common across critical infrastructure sectors. The Framework ProfileA Framework Profile enables you to establish a roadmap for reducing cyber security risk that is well aligned with organizational goals and legal/regulatory requirements. The Framework Implementation TiersProvides a mechanism for organizations to view and understand their maturity and approach to managing cybersecurity risk in comparison with the best practices defined in the Framework. Industries Impacted by the NIST CSF Entities like... --- Articles Select CategoryMost PopularAIGDPRGeneralGoRICOHIPAAHITRUSTISONISTPCI ASVPCI DSSPenetration TestingRed TeamingRisk AssessmentSOC 2TPRMvCISO document. getElementById("category-select"). addEventListener("change", function { if (this. value) { document. getElementById("category-search-form"). submit; } }); --- --- ## Posts As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in enterprise security and governance, the conversation is shifting from adoption to accountability. Organizations are no longer asking “Should we use AI? ” but “Is it delivering measurable value? ” In cybersecurity and compliance, where stakes are high and risks are evolving, calculating AI’s return on investment (ROI) requires more than cost savings; it demands a nuanced understanding of risk reduction, operational efficiency, and regulatory resilience. The Current Landscape: AI Adoption in 2025Recent industry data highlights the growing footprint of AI in security and compliance:AI in cybersecurity is projected to reach $134 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 23. 6%. Over 60% of enterprises now use AI for threat detection, incident response, or compliance monitoring. AI-driven security operations centers (SOCs) report up to 70% faster threat triage, and a 25–40% reduction in false positives. Organizations using AI for compliance monitoring experience 20–30% fewer audit findings and faster alignment with evolving regulations. These figures suggest that AI is not just hype; it’s delivering tangible outcomes. But how do we measure those outcomes rigorously? Rethinking ROI: From Cost to CapabilityTraditional ROI models focus on financial metrics such as cost reduction, revenue growth, and payback period. In cybersecurity and compliance, however, AI’s value often lies in non-financial outcomes:1. Risk Mitigation: AI reduces exposure to cyber threats and regulatory penalties by enabling faster detection, automated response, and predictive analytics. Key Metrics:Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)Number of incidents preventedReduction in breach-related costsExample: A financial... --- The exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed how organizations collect, process, and derive insights from data. However, this transformation has introduced significant friction with established privacy rights, particularly the Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF), enshrined in Article 17 of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Originally conceived to allow individuals to request the erasure of personal data from search engines and databases, RTBF now faces a formidable adversary: AI systems that learn from, embed, and replicate personal data in ways that are opaque, persistent, and difficult to reverse. This article explores the legal, technical, and ethical challenges of enforcing RTBF in the age of AI and what organizations can do to stay compliant and responsible. 1. The Legal Foundation: What Is the Right to Be Forgotten? The RTBF grants individuals the right to request the deletion of their personal data when:The data is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected. Consent is withdrawn. The data was unlawfully processed. The individual objects to the processing, and there are no overriding legitimate grounds. While this right is not absolute (e. g. , it does not override freedom of expression or legal obligations), it is a cornerstone of modern data protection laws. However, its application becomes murky when personal data is used to train AI models. 2. AI’s Incompatibility with Traditional Data Erasurea. Data Embedding in Model WeightsAI models, especially deep learning systems, do not store data in a retrievable format. Instead, they encode patterns and statistical relationships... --- The Age of Algorithmic AuthorityArtificial Intelligence (AI) has transcended its experimental roots to become a foundational force in global decision-making. From healthcare diagnostics and financial risk modeling to hiring practices and criminal sentencing, algorithms now influence outcomes that shape lives, economies, and societies. Yet as AI systems grow more powerful, a critical question emerges:Who governs the algorithm? In 2025, this question is no longer philosophical; it’s regulatory, ethical, and operational. The stakes are high, and the trust deficit is growing. According to the Annual AI Governance Report 2025, over 72% of global enterprises deploy AI in core decision-making, but only 38% have formal governance frameworks in place. This imbalance has led to rising public concern, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational risk. The Trust Crisis in AIAI’s promise is immense, but so is its potential for harm when left unchecked. Recent incidents have exposed the dangers of opaque algorithms:A major U. S. bank faced backlash after its AI-driven loan approval system was found to disproportionately reject applications from minority communities. A European healthcare provider’s diagnostic AI misclassified symptoms due to biased training data, leading to delayed treatments. Facial recognition systems used by law enforcement have shown error rates up to 34% for people of color. These failures aren’t just technical; they’re ethical. And they’ve sparked a global movement toward transparent, accountable AI governance. Global Regulatory MomentumGovernments worldwide are racing to regulate AI:European Union: The EU AI Act, expected to be fully enforced by 2026, classifies AI systems by risk level and mandates... --- Why HITRUST CSF v11. 6. 0 MattersIn an era where data breaches and regulatory scrutiny are escalating, organizations need more than just reactive security; they need proactive, harmonized compliance. Enter the HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework), the gold standard for integrated risk management and compliance. On August 22, 2025, HITRUST Alliance released version 11. 6. 0 of the CSF, marking a significant leap forward in cybersecurity assurance. This release builds upon the momentum of v11. 5. 0 (April 2025), refining the framework’s precision, expanding its authoritative sources, and streamlining compliance pathways for healthcare, finance, and other regulated industries. Key Enhancements in HITRUST CSF v11. 6. 01. Requirement Statement ConsolidationOne of the most impactful updates in v11. 6. 0 is the continued consolidation of requirement statements. This reduces redundancy and overlap, making it easier for organizations to interpret and implement controls without sacrificing rigor. Benefit: Simplified compliance mapping and reduced audit fatigue. Impact: Faster implementation cycles and clearer documentation trails. 2. New Authoritative Source: ARC-AMPEVersion 11. 6. 0 introduces a new authoritative source: CMS Acceptable Risk Controls for ACA, Medicaid, and Partner Entities (ARC-AMPE). This addition reflects HITRUST’s commitment to aligning with evolving federal mandates and healthcare-specific risk models. Selectable Compliance Factor: “ARC-AMPE”Use Case: Ideal for organizations participating in ACA or Medicaid programs. 3. Refreshed Mapping: CMMC Level 1The framework also refreshes its mapping to CMMC Level 1, reinforcing its relevance for defense contractors and suppliers navigating the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification landscape. Updated Compliance Factor: “CMMC Level 1”Strategic Value: Enables... --- The Cybersecurity Arms RaceIn today’s digital battlefield, cyber threats are evolving faster than traditional defenses can respond. From polymorphic malware to AI-generated phishing campaigns, adversaries are leveraging automation, deception, and scale to breach even the most fortified systems. But defenders aren’t standing still. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionizing threat detection, transforming cybersecurity from reactive to predictive, and from static to adaptive. As we move into 2025, the debate over whether AI has a place in cybersecurity has been settled; now the focus is on how effectively it can be deployed. It’s how fast organizations can integrate it before adversaries outpace them. The Rise of AI-Powered Threat DetectionAI is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a frontline defense mechanism. According to recent data:The global AI cybersecurity market, valued at $24. 3 billion in 2023, is projected to reach $134 billion by 2030, doubling by 2026. Over 77% of IT security professionals report an increase in attempted network intrusions in 2025, many of which are AI-enhanced. AI-driven threat detection systems reduce incident response times by up to 96%, compared to traditional rule-based systems. Organizations using ML-based anomaly detection report 70% fewer false positives, improving SOC efficiency and reducing alert fatigue. These numbers underscore a critical shift: AI is not just augmenting cybersecurity, it’s redefining it. How Machine Learning Enhances Threat Detection1. Behavioral Analytics Over Signature MatchingTraditional systems rely on known threat signatures. ML models, however, learn baseline behaviors and flag deviations, catching zero-day exploits and insider threats that... --- The False Sense of SafetyIn an era of escalating cyber threats, regulatory compliance has become a cornerstone of enterprise risk management. From HIPAA and GDPR to ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS, organizations are racing to meet standards and pass audits. But here’s the hard truth: compliance is not security. While compliance frameworks are essential for governance and legal accountability, they are not designed to prevent breaches. They intend to demonstrate that minimum controls are in place. And in 2025, minimum is no longer enough. Cybercriminals don’t care if your SOC 2 audit passed. They care about your vulnerabilities, and they’re exploiting them faster than ever. The Compliance Trap: Why It’s Not EnoughMany organizations view compliance as a key component of their cybersecurity strategy. They build policies, check boxes, and pass audits, only to suffer breaches months later. Why? Because compliance is static, while threats are dynamic. Compliance vs. Security: A Strategic MisalignmentDimensionComplianceSecurityObjectiveMeet regulatory requirementsProtect digital assets and operationsApproachChecklist-drivenRisk-driven and adaptiveFrequencyPeriodic (annual, quarterly)Continuous monitoring and responseFocusDocumentation and controlsThreat detection, prevention, and responseOutcomeAudit passBreach prevention and resilienceSources: ACS Cybersecurity Compliance Trends Report 2025Real-World Consequences: Breaches Despite ComplianceThe data is clear; compliance alone doesn’t stop attacks. Cyberattacks on the healthcare sector surged 86% globally in 2024, despite widespread HIPAA compliance. 50% of organizations faced at least one compliance issue in the past three years, and 31% experienced multiple. 77% of IT security professionals report an uptick in attempted network intrusions in 2025. Cybercrime is projected to cost the global economy $10. 5 trillion annually... --- A New Era of Digital DeceptionIn the age of AI-driven innovation, synthetic media, particularly deepfakes, has emerged as one of the most disruptive forces in cybersecurity. What began as a novelty in entertainment has rapidly evolved into a potent tool for cybercriminals, capable of bypassing traditional defenses and manipulating trust on a large scale. As deepfake technology becomes more accessible and convincing, organizations across sectors are facing a new category of risk: one that targets not just systems, but perception itself. What Are Deepfakes? Deepfakes are synthetic audio, video, or image files generated using advanced machine learning techniques, primarily Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). These models can convincingly replicate a person’s voice, face, or behavior, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fake. Once confined to Hollywood studios, deepfake creation is now democratized. Open-source tools and AI-as-a-service platforms allow even non-technical users to generate realistic impersonations with minimal input. Deepfake Threats in 2025: A Growing ConcernAccording to the India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Seqrite, deepfake-enabled cyberattacks are expected to surge across industries, with healthcare, finance, and energy among the most vulnerable. The report highlights several alarming trends:AI-powered phishing campaigns using deepfake audio and video to impersonate executives and trick employees into transferring funds or revealing credentials. Voice cloning attacks targeting finance departments with fake “CEO” calls authorizing wire transfers. Synthetic identity fraud is disrupting KYC processes in banks and telecoms. Market manipulation and political disinformation through fabricated videos and statements. The... --- Why HITRUST Certification Is No Longer OptionalIn today’s high-risk, high-regulation environment, cybersecurity isn’t just a technical concern but a strategic business priority. For healthcare providers, fintech platforms, and other organizations handling sensitive data, HITRUST certification has become the gold standard for demonstrating trust, compliance, and resilience. But here’s the catch: achieving HITRUST certification isn’t a one-step process. It requires a structured, well-executed roadmap, and missing even one step can delay your certification, increase costs, or jeopardize your audit outcome. If your organization is serious about protecting data, winning enterprise clients, and staying ahead of regulatory demands, this HITRUST certification checklist is your starting point. What Is HITRUST CSF? HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework) is a certifiable, risk-based cybersecurity framework that integrates multiple standards, including HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, GDPR, and PCI-DSS, into a single, harmonized model. It’s designed for organizations in highly regulated sectors that need to prove their security posture across multiple compliance domains. HITRUST isn’t just about passing an audit; it’s about building a culture of security, trust, and continuous improvement. HITRUST Certification Checklist: Step-by-Step Breakdown1. Executive Buy-In and Budget AllocationBefore diving into controls and assessments, secure leadership support. HITRUST certification requires time, resources, and cross-functional collaboration. Without executive sponsorship, progress stalls. Tip: Frame HITRUST as a strategic enabler and not just a compliance cost. 2. Define Scope and Assurance LevelHITRUST offers three assurance levels:e1: Entry-level for low-risk environmentsi1: Intermediate for moderate-risk organizationsr2: Rigorous for high-risk, high-regulation sectorsChoose the level that aligns with your risk profile, client expectations,... --- Why This Decision Matters More Than EverIn today’s hyper-regulated, breach-prone digital landscape, choosing the right cybersecurity framework isn’t just a compliance checkbox; it’s a strategic business move. With cyberattacks rising 33% year-over-year and ransomware now involved in 44% of breaches, organizations must adopt frameworks that not only meet regulatory demands but also build trust, reduce risk, and accelerate growth. At Accorian, we help businesses navigate this critical decision by aligning their industry, risk profile, and growth goals with the right cybersecurity assurance mechanism. Let’s break down SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HITRUST to explore which cybersecurity framework best suits your business. Framework Snapshot: Key Differences at a GlanceFeatureSOC 2ISO 27001HITRUST CSFFocusTrust principles (Security, Availability, Confidentiality, etc. )Risk-based ISMS (Information Security Management System)Integrated compliance across HIPAA, NIST, ISO, and GDPRCertification TypeAttestation (via CPA firm)Certification (via accredited body)Certification (via HITRUST Alliance)Best ForUS-based SaaS startups, service providersGlobal enterprises, tech firms, and regulated industriesHealthcare, fintech, pharma, AI, and high-regulation sectorsImplementation Time2–4 months4–6 months6–9 monthsGlobal RecognitionModerateHighRapidly growing in regulated sectorsAudit DepthControl-basedRisk-basedControl + risk + regulatory mappingSources: ISMS. online, Databrackets, HITRUST AllianceSOC 2: Agile Compliance for Fast-Moving Tech CompaniesWhy SOC 2 Works? SOC 2 is built on the Trust Services Criteria and is ideal for organizations that prioritize agility, speed-to-market, and client trust. It’s especially popular among US-based SaaS companies, cloud providers, and B2B platforms. Its appeal lies in three key advantages that make it a go-to choice for fast-moving tech companies:Fast implementation with tailored scopeFlexible controls based on your environmentWidely accepted by US enterprises and... --- In the healthcare sector, data security is not merely a regulatory obligation but a foundational pillar of patient trust, operational resilience, and institutional credibility. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, healthcare providers must adopt security frameworks that do more than check boxes. They must demonstrate proactive governance, measurable risk reduction, and readiness for complex stakeholder demands. What Is HITRUST CSF? HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework) stands apart as the most comprehensive, risk-based, and certifiable cybersecurity framework tailored to the unique challenges of healthcare. Developed by the HITRUST Alliance, it harmonizes multiple regulatory and industry standards including HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, GDPR, and PCI-DSS into a single, integrated control set. This scalable, prescriptive, and auditable framework empowers organizations to consolidate compliance efforts, elevate security maturity, and position themselves as trusted partners within a high-stakes healthcare ecosystem. Unlike siloed frameworks that address isolated requirements, HITRUST CSF enables healthcare providers to manage overlapping obligations efficiently, reduce audit fatigue, and maintain a unified security posture across diverse environments. Why HITRUST Is Purpose-Built for Healthcare Providers1. Integrated Regulatory AlignmentHealthcare organizations must comply with a complex web of regulations. HITRUST CSF streamlines this process by mapping controls across major standards, enabling providers to demonstrate compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, NIST, and more through a single certification. 2. Demonstrated Risk MitigationHITRUST-certified entities report a breach-free rate of 99. 41%, underscoring the framework’s effectiveness in reducing exposure to cyber threats. For healthcare providers, this translates into enhanced patient safety, reduced liability, and stronger institutional trust.... --- Why HITRUST Audits Demand PrecisionAchieving HITRUST certification is a strategic milestone for organizations in healthcare, fintech, and other regulated sectors. It signals trust, compliance, and operational maturity. But the certification path is rigorous, and even well-prepared organizations can stumble during the audit phase. The HITRUST audit isn’t just a checklist but a comprehensive validation of your security posture, mapped across multiple regulatory frameworks including HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, and GDPR. One lapse can derail timelines, inflate costs, or worse, result in a failed submission. The Top 5 HITRUST Audit MistakesIf your organization is preparing for HITRUST certification, understanding the most common audit mistakes and how to avoid them is not optional. It’s essential. MISTAKE #1: Incomplete or Inconsistent DocumentationWhat Goes Wrong: Organizations often underestimate the level of detail required in policy and procedure documentation. Missing version histories, vague language, or inconsistent formatting can trigger audit flags. How to Avoid It: Ensure every control is backed by formal, version-controlled documentation that clearly reflects your current environment. Align policies with HITRUST CSF requirements and maintain consistency across all departments. Expert Tip: Use a centralized documentation repository and conduct internal reviews before the assessor arrives. MISTAKE #2: Misaligned Scope and Assurance LevelWhat Goes Wrong: Choosing the wrong assurance level (e1, i1, r2) or scoping too broadly can lead to unnecessary complexity, longer timelines, and increased audit risk. How to Avoid It: Define your scope based on business needs, regulatory exposure, and client expectations. Select the assurance level that matches your maturity and risk... --- The cybersecurity landscape has undergone a fundamental shift, and identity has emerged as the new perimeter, replacing traditional network boundaries as the cornerstone of enterprise security. As organizations embrace cloud adoption, remote work, and digital transformation, legacy perimeter-based defense models have become obsolete. In their place, identity-centric frameworks now govern access, enforcing authentication and authorization for every user, device, and application regardless of location or network context. The Shift from Perimeter to Identity SecurityLegacy security models were built around a clearly defined network perimeter, an approach that once worked when users, devices, and data were confined within corporate boundaries. Today, that model is no longer viable. With 52% of organizations migrating to the cloud, nearly half enabling remote work, and 41% expanding third-party access, the enterprise ecosystem has become fundamentally borderless. In this environment, employees access resources from anywhere, using a variety of devices and networks. As a result, network location is no longer a reliable indicator of trust or security. Identity, not geography, has become the most critical point of control. The urgency of this shift is underscored by recent data:91% of organizations experienced identity-related incidents in the past year80% of data breaches were linked to stolen or compromised credentialsOrganizations that have adopted identity-centric security models, such as Zero Trust, are seeing measurable benefits. On average, they report a $1. 76 million reduction in breach-related costs. More mature Zero Trust implementations have driven even greater savings, with $4. 88 million in annual cost reductions attributed to stronger identity governance... --- In today’s healthcare environment, financial operations are inseparable from data security. While Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) forms the financial backbone of healthcare, spanning the entire patient journey, it also necessitates the handling of Protected Health Information (PHI), making HIPAA compliance critical to safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring financial integrity. Healthcare organizations face mounting pressure to ensure that their RCM workflows not only optimize reimbursement but also comply with HIPAA’s Privacy, Security, Breach Notification, and Omnibus Rules. Accorian helps bridge this gap by embedding security and compliance into financial operations, assuring that every transaction, system, and vendor relationship meets regulatory standards without compromising efficiency. In a digitized ecosystem, aligning RCM with HIPAA is not just about avoiding fines; it’s about safeguarding revenue streams and maintaining patient trust. Why Financial Operations Must Align with Data SecurityFailure to embed security controls into RCM workflows exposes healthcare entities to dual risks: regulatory penalties for PHI violations and financial leakage through claim denials, coding errors, or fraud. In a digitized ecosystem, ensuring HIPAA compliance within RCM is not just about avoiding fines; it is about safeguarding revenue streams and maintaining patient trust. Key HIPAA Rules Impacting RCMThese rules, when applied to RCM, demand strict control over access rights, encryption of financial data, secured claims transmission, and transparent audit trails. Embedding Compliance into High-Volume RCM WorkflowsHealthcare billing generates tens of thousands of transactions daily, from prior authorization responses and claim edits to denial codes and remittance updates. Traditional manual reviews cannot scale to this volume, often... --- Cyber insurance claims tied to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and other forms of cyber fraud are rising rapidly in today’s digital landscape. On average, BEC and fraud-related claims have increased by 25%, while reported fraud incidents have surged by 30%. According to recent findings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, organizations falling victim to BEC incur average losses of $148,000 per incident, highlighting the significant financial and cybersecurity risks involved. The cyber insurance industry is experiencing accelerated growth, currently valued at $9. 2 billion and projected to reach $28 billion in the coming years. This expansion reflects a growing awareness among businesses of the need to protect themselves against cyber risks, including sophisticated scams like BEC and social engineering attacks. BEC and fraud are becoming increasingly prevalent across industries, prompting organizations to adopt proactive measures to reduce exposure. Staying informed on how to navigate cyber insurance policies and manage the claims process is now essential for risk-conscious enterprises. By understanding how these threats operate and by investing in strong cybersecurity controls alongside specialized insurance coverage, companies can better safeguard their financial integrity and reinforce their defenses against increasingly advanced cybercriminal tactics. Business Email Compromise is the Silent Threat Behind 40% of Cyber ClaimsBEC scams involve cybercriminals, who use phony business email accounts to con workers and leaders into sending money or revealing private information. These scams exploit trust within a company by copying email exchanges between top executives or trusted business contacts. BEC attacks continue to pose a significant threat... --- In the race to adopt artificial intelligence, many organizations are sprinting ahead, sometimes without realizing who’s holding the baton. Enter Shadow AI: the unsanctioned, unmanaged use of AI tools by employees or teams without the knowledge or oversight of IT or compliance departments. It’s not just a buzzword. It’s a growing governance blind spot. What Is Shadow AI? Shadow AI refers to the use of AI applications, especially generative tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or open-source models, without formal approval or monitoring. Think of it as the AI cousin of Shadow IT, tools deployed outside sanctioned channels, often for speed, convenience, or experimentation. Employees might:Paste sensitive data into public chatbots to summarize reportsUse AI plug-ins to automate workflows without vettingBuild internal tools using open-source LLMs without notifying security teamsThe intent isn’t malicious; it’s often driven by productivity. But the risks are real. Why Shadow AI Is a Security and Compliance Risk? When AI tools operate outside governance frameworks, they introduce vulnerabilities that traditional IT controls can’t catch:Data Leakage: Sensitive information may be exposed to third-party models without encryption or access controls. Model Risk: Outputs from unvetted models can be biased, inaccurate, or legally problematic. Compliance Violations: Use of AI tools may breach GDPR, HIPAA, or internal data handling policies. Accountability Gaps: No audit trail, no oversight, and no clarity on who’s responsible when things go wrong. In fact, over one-third of employees admit to sharing sensitive work data with AI tools without employer permission. Numbers That Should Make Every CISO Sit... --- As enterprises rush to harness the power of artificial intelligence, many are opting to build AI models in-house, driven by the promise of proprietary insights, a competitive advantage, and tighter control over data. But with great power comes great responsibility. Without robust governance, even the most sophisticated AI stack can become a liability. Why Governance Matters More Than Ever? AI governance isn’t just a compliance checkbox; it’s the backbone of trust, transparency, and resilience. It ensures that models are:Fair and unbiased in their predictionsSecure and privacy-conscious in their data handlingTraceable and explainable in their decision-makingAligned with evolving regulations across jurisdictionsIn short, governance transforms AI from a black box into a trusted business partner. What’s New in AI Governance? Recent global developments underscore the urgency of getting governance right:U. S. Deregulation Shift: Under new executive orders, federal AI oversight has pivoted toward innovation-first policies, leaving state-level laws like California’s AB 2013 to fill the gap. EU AI Act: Now in its implementation phase, the Act mandates transparency notices, risk assessments, and third-party audits for high-risk AI systems. Non-compliance could result in a loss of up to 7% of global turnover. India’s RBI Framework: The Reserve Bank of India has called for a comprehensive AI governance framework for financial institutions, emphasizing consent refresh cycles and privacy-first design. China’s Algorithm Registration Law: Effective September 2025, all public-facing AI models must register their algorithms and label synthetic content. These shifts create a complex yet navigable landscape, especially for organizations that build AI internally. Common... --- The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) demands robust frameworks that ensure systems remain trustworthy, ethically sound, and secure. The NIST AI 100-1, formally titled the AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) 1. 0, serves as a globally recognized guideline designed to help organizations identify, assess, and manage risks associated with AI technologies. By adopting this framework, organizations can align with industry best practices, improve the reliability of their AI systems, and foster trust among stakeholders, including customers, employees, regulators, and investors. What Is NIST AI 100-1? Released in January 2023, NIST AI 100-1 offers a comprehensive structure for recognizing AI-related risks, understanding their potential consequences, and implementing effective mitigation strategies. The framework is built around three foundational priorities:AccountabilityTransparency and protection of individual rightsReduction of harmThese pillars support the broader goals of:Developing responsible and trustworthy AI systemsEnabling risk-informed decision-makingStrengthening public and stakeholder confidence in AI technologiesKey Benefits of Implementing NIST AI 100-1Enhanced Trust - Organizations that embrace responsible AI practices cultivate stronger relationships with their stakeholders. Transparency, explainability, and ethical governance are key drivers of public acceptance and institutional support. Competitive Advantage - Early adopters of ethical AI practices position themselves as industry leaders. By integrating responsible AI into core strategies, businesses can differentiate themselves in a crowded market and attract forward-thinking customers and partners. Risk Reduction - Without formal oversight, AI systems can introduce significant risks—including algorithmic bias, security vulnerabilities, and operational failures. NIST AI 100-1 helps organizations proactively identify and mitigate these threats, reducing exposure to legal liabilities,... --- The cybersecurity landscape is evolving at an unprecedented speed. With regulatory requirements constantly shifting, organizations must adhere to frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, HITRUST®, and HIPAA, making it increasingly challenging to stay compliant. Traditional, technology-limited compliance processes and manual workarounds are no longer sufficient. Static reports, whether in PDFs or spreadsheets, become outdated almost as soon as they are created, a challenge that has persisted for decades. This growing complexity underscores the need for more advanced compliance solutions, leading to the adoption of real-time dashboards that provide up-to-date, actionable insights. Limitations of Static ReportsStatic compliance reports in PDF or spreadsheet formats come with inherent limitations. They require significant time and effort to create and are susceptible to errors. Countless hours are spent gathering logs and test-control results, leaving limited time for thorough review and increasing the potential for inaccuracies. Moreover, these static reports lack drill-down capabilities and interactivity, making in-depth analysis both tedious and inefficient. Rise of Real-Time Compliance DashboardsLegacy reporting in PDFs or spreadsheets is not dynamic or visible enough to meet current compliance requirements. With increasing sophistication in compliance and audits becoming more frequent, real-time visibility into compliance health is essential. For instance, Accorian’s own GoRICO Compliance Dashboard provides real-time compliance metrics through dynamic visuals such as counters, progress charts, and SLA compliance graphs. It highlights key indicators like the number of open, overdue, and under-review tasks, the ratio of manual to automated evidence, and task ownership trends using interactive, color-coded markers. With features such... --- AI adoption is accelerating across industries, driving innovation through automation and personalized experiences. Yet, as its influence expands, the risks of bias, misuse, and ethical lapses highlight the critical need for robust governance frameworks. Enterprises must implement robust security measures and ethical AI policies while aligning with key global frameworks such as ISO/IEC 42001, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and the EU AI Act to drive responsible, transparent, and compliant AI deployment. Why do we need AI Governance in Enterprise? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming business operations, decision-making, and customer engagement. Yet, as its influence grows, so does the need for structured oversight. AI Governance ensures that innovation does not outpace accountability, acting as the blueprint for responsible deployment across the organization. AI Governance is needed for:1. Responsible and Ethical Use of AI - AI systems must be aligned with organizational values and ethical standards. Governance frameworks help ensure:Fair and unbiased decision-making across use casesProtection against discriminatory algorithmsEthical handling of sensitive data (e. g. , health, financial, personal)2. Transparency and Accountability in Decisions - Enterprises must be able to explain how AI arrives at decisions, especially in regulated or high-impact domains. Governance mechanisms enable:Clear documentation of model logic and audit trailsRole-based accountability for system training and deploymentOversight boards or steering committees to monitor risk3. Compliance with Global Standards and Regulations - AI is under increasing regulatory scrutiny worldwide. Governance helps enterprises:Align with laws like the EU AI Act, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, and sectoral frameworks like HIPAA... --- In today’s hyperconnected world, patching isn’t just a technical task; it’s a strategic imperative. Yet many organizations still rely on time-based Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that prioritize patching by calendar deadlines rather than actual threat exposure. This legacy approach is increasingly misaligned with the velocity and complexity of today’s cyber threats. It’s time to flip the patch script. The Limitations of Time-Based SLAsTraditional patching strategies focus on meeting predefined timelines, often weekly or monthly cycles. While this cadence offers predictability, it fails to account for the dynamic nature of threats. A system patched “on time” may still be vulnerable if the underlying exposure isn’t addressed. According to NIST’s SP 800-40 Rev. 4, patching should be viewed as preventive maintenance, not just a compliance checkbox. However, time-focused SLAs often create blind spots:They overlook exploitability and external visibility. They delay urgent remediation for zero-day vulnerabilities. They prioritize uniformity over risk relevance. Exposure-Based SLOs: A Risk-Aligned AlternativeExposure-Based Service Level Objectives (SLOs) shift the focus from arbitrary deadlines to real-world risk. This approach prioritizes patching based on:Exploitability: Is vulnerability actively being weaponized? Exposure: Is the asset externally accessible or misconfigured? Business Impact: Does the asset support critical operations? As Palo Alto Networks explains, exposure management reframes cyber risk as a dynamic, observable condition, one that demands continuous validation and prioritization. Data-Driven Prioritization: What the Numbers SayRecent studies show:80% of breaches stem from unpatched vulnerabilities. 28. 3% of new CVEs are exploited within a day of disclosure. Exposure-based patching can reduce vulnerabilities by up to... --- In the current fast-paced threat environment, vulnerability management has shifted from simply identifying weaknesses to strategically prioritizing the risks that matter most. With increasing complexity and frequency of cyber attacks, organizations are finding it challenging to match the number of vulnerabilities reported by scanners, cloud-native tools, CSPM platforms, and ASM systems. Legacy scoring models, such as CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System), although useful, do not hold water when ranking risk in terms of exploitation in the real world. This is where EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is redefining how security teams tackle vulnerability management by moving beyond static severity scores and into dynamic, data-driven risk prediction. The Challenge: Too Many Vulnerabilities, Too Little TimeIt's not uncommon for organizations today to be hit with an onslaught of findings, everything from software misconfigurations and open APIs to vulnerabilities in shadow IT assets. There are simply too many to resolve, and expecting teams to patch every one of them is unrealistic and wasteful. The actual challenge isn't finding vulnerabilities, it's knowing where to put your attention. Priorities gone wrong squander time, drive up expenses, and leave essential exposures untouched. Where CVSS Falls ShortCVSS has been the industry standard for vulnerability rating according to established criteria. However, it lacks one critical element—context. For instance, a widely publicized OpenSSH vulnerability was assigned a CVSS score of just 5. 9, indicating only 'medium' severity. Most teams ignored it. But the attackers did not. It was exploited in the wild as security teams continued to concentrate on... --- By 2027, vulnerability management will have undergone a fundamental transformation—and for the better! The era of chasing static CVSS scores and struggling to meet arbitrary SLA deadlines is giving way to a more intelligent, responsive, and context-driven approach to risk mitigation. This evolution is not merely technological but represents a deeper philosophical shift in how organizations perceive and manage security. Today’s practices prioritize real-world exploitability, operational context, and automated resilience, marking a decisive departure from the rigid frameworks of the past. Rethinking Vulnerability Scoring: Moving Beyond CVSSThe Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has long served as a foundational metric for assessing the severity of security flaws. However, in today’s dynamic threat landscape, its limitations have become increasingly apparent. CVSS offers a static, theoretical view of risk, often failing to account for exploitability in real-world environments, the presence of compensating controls, or the business context of affected assets. Modern security programs are shifting toward probability-based models like the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), which leverage real-time threat intelligence and machine learning to assess how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited. This evolution enables organizations to prioritize remediation efforts based on actual exposure and impact, rather than abstract severity scores. As adversaries grow more agile and attack surfaces expand, vulnerability management must evolve from checklist-driven patching to context-aware, risk-informed decision-making. CVSS may still serve as a reference point, but it is no longer sufficient as the primary driver of remediation strategy. Autonomous Remediation: From Weeks to MinutesForget prioritization dashboards. In 2027,... --- As digital transformation accelerates, artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the frontlines of cybersecurity. In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, both attackers and defenders are leveraging AI to outpace one another. Penetration testing remains a foundational pillar of cybersecurity, but AI is reshaping the tools and tactics employed on both sides, fundamentally altering the nature of the security landscape. Penetration testing has traditionally focused on software, network, and system vulnerabilities, and is now increasingly enhanced by AI-driven methodologies. These advanced techniques enable more thorough and targeted assessments of modern threat landscapes. AI penetration testing goes beyond conventional approaches by addressing vulnerabilities unique to AI systems, including those found in machine learning models, datasets, and decision-making algorithms. Key Features of AI-Driven Penetration Testing:AI-driven penetration testing marked a shift in offensive security, combining intelligent automation and advanced threat simulation to enhance both speed and effectiveness. By leveraging machine learning and data-driven insights, AI empowered security teams to uncover vulnerabilities with greater precision and depth. The following were key features that made AI-powered testing a vital component of modern cybersecurity programs. Automation – AI-driven tools not only identify exploits and scan for known vulnerabilities at scale, but also handle repetitive tasks, enabling security testers to focus on complex threat scenarios and zero-day vulnerabilities that require expert judgment. Real-World Simulation – AI systems can replicate sophisticated and evolving cyberattacks, including adversarial machine learning attacks that target model integrity and performance, allowing organizations to assess resilience under realistic threat conditions. Enhanced Reconnaissance through Smart Analysis and... --- Cybersecurity has changed from being a technical requirement to a strategic business enabler in today's digital-first environment. Organizations are redefining ROI in cybersecurity as a driver of validated risk reduction, business continuity, and stakeholder trust, rather than just cost avoidance, due to increasingly complex threats and stricter regulations. The Shift: From Reactive Defense to Measurable ImpactROI for cybersecurity has historically concentrated on fictitious losses avoided by security measures. Although this strategy was sound, it was imprecise and did not appeal to corporate executives. A new paradigm has surfaced in 2025, emphasizing:AI-driven defense: Automation reduces breach containment time by 100+ days and cuts incident-related costs by up to 45%. Human-centric training: Phishing simulations deliver up to 50x ROI, proving that employee engagement directly translates to security dividends. Incident readiness: Proactive response planning accelerates recovery by 77%, safeguarding both reputation and operations. Modern Cybersecurity ROI Metrics—SimplifiedSpending on cybersecurity was once only considered a disaster prevention expense. Leaders today are asking, "What do we actually get for our money? " These updated metrics help answer that:ROSI (Return on Security Investment)Think of it as a “value calculator. ” It shows how much money you're saving by preventing risks, compared to what you spent on security tools or services. Simple idea: If you spend ₹10 lakh to stop potential ₹50 lakh in losses, your return is worth it. Formula: $$(text{Money Saved from Avoided Risk} - text{Cost of Security}) div text{Cost of Security}$$Security Per DollarThis metric shows how efficiently you're using your security budget. Instead of... --- In cybersecurity, the phrase “humans are the weakest link” isn’t just a cliché; it’s a strategic insight. But in 2025, smart businesses are flipping the narrative, transforming human vulnerabilities into strategic assets. By understanding how attackers exploit traits like curiosity, trust, and urgency, forward-thinking organizations are designing systems that anticipate behavior, reinforce awareness, and build resilience. Smart businesses don’t just protect against human error; they leverage it to build stronger defenses, train smarter teams, and even gain a competitive advantage. Here's how they ethically capitalize on the most exploitable human traits: Vulnerable Trait How Attackers Exploit It How Smart Businesses Leverage It Curiosity Clickbait phishing emails, fake updates Gamified training modules that reward safe behavior Helpfulness Impersonation scams, tailgating tactics Role-based access controls and verification protocols Trust Social engineering, spoofed identities Zero-trust architecture and identity validation Fear & Urgency Fake breach alerts, password reset scams Simulated phishing to build reflexive caution Routine & Fatigue Malware in familiar formats (e. g. , Excel macros) AI-based anomaly detection to spot deviations Overconfidence Ignoring security warnings Behavioral nudges and micro-training reminders Strategic Leverage: Turning Vulnerabilities into StrengthsRather than blaming users, smart organizations build behavior-aware security ecosystems. Here’s how Accorian’s services enable this transformation:Human Trait TargetedThe Accorian SolutionStrategic BenefitCuriosity & UrgencySimulated Phishing & Awareness TrainingBuilds reflexive caution through real-world scenariosTrust & HelpfulnessZero-Trust Architecture ConsultingEnsures identity validation and access controlRoutine & FatigueAI-Based Behavioral Analytics & Risk ScoringDetects anomalies and adjusts controls dynamicallyOverconfidenceMicro-Training & Moment-Aware Security ProgramsReinforces caution with contextual nudgesAll TraitsRed Teaming & Adversary SimulationTest... --- Traditional security approaches no longer meet the requirements of present-day network systems that rely significantly on cloud-based digital infrastructure. Modern business operations, including cloud applications, IoT devices, and advanced cyber threats, require organizations to move beyond their previous assumption of trust within network boundaries. This shift in threat dynamics and architectural complexity has led to the emergence of Zero Trust as a more resilient and adaptive security model. What is Zero Trust? Zero Trust is a modern cybersecurity framework grounded in the principle of “never trust, always verify,” where continuous validation replaces implicit trust across every access point. A Zero Trust system represents an ongoing security transformation that links security measures to business flexibility and digital evolution, and adapts to threats in real-time. As a strategic security model, Zero Trust operates under the premise that no user device or system must receive default trust, whether inside or outside the network perimeter. All access requests must undergo verification before authorization is granted. The Three Fundamental Principles of Zero Trust Consist of:Verify explicitly – All data points (user identity, location, device health, etc. ) must be used to authenticate and authorize users. Just-in-time access - All users need limited access with Just-In-Time (JIT) and Just-Enough-Access (JEA) controls for secure privilege management. Assume breach – System designers should work under the belief that an attack has occurred, and they must minimize damage through network segmentation along with monitoring mechanisms. The Evolution of Zero Trust1. Perimeter-Based Security (Legacy Approach)Security practices in the past revolved... --- Artificial intelligence has rapidly become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategy. AI’s role spans both offensive and defensive operations, reshaping how security teams detect, respond to, and mitigate threats. For offensive security professionals, AI offers enhanced capabilities for threat simulation, vulnerability exploitation, and adversary emulation, enabling greater precision in red team exercises and continuous attack surface testing. On the defensive side, AI supports faster incident response, automated remediation, and predictive analytics to identify emerging threats before they materialize. Organizations that fail to integrate AI into their security workflows risk falling behind adversaries that already leverage machine-speed tactics. Mindful deployment is essential. Establishing clear governance, ensuring ethical model behavior, validating data integrity, and maintaining auditability are critical steps for minimizing unintended consequences. Without these safeguards, AI can possibly invite biases, privacy risks, and compliance violations that undermine trust and effectiveness. As threat actors increasingly use AI-driven tools to automate attacks and evade defenses, cybersecurity teams, particularly red teams and penetration testers, must adopt the same technologies to stay ahead. AI-Powered Offensive Security: Key Applications and CapabilitiesArtificial intelligence is transforming offensive security by enabling faster, more precise, and scalable threat simulation. Below are three core areas where AI is redefining red team operations:1. Automating Vulnerability DiscoveryAI enables offensive security teams to identify vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed and scale. Machine Learning Models: Trained to scan codebases, configurations, and system logs to uncover hidden security flaws. AI-Enhanced Scanners: Modern vulnerability scanners now incorporate AI modules or utilities to improve detection accuracy and reduce manual... --- A Practical Guide for Security ProfessionalsIf you work in governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), chances are you've encountered SOC 2 reports more times than you can count. These reports have become the gold standard for evaluating how well service organizations handle their security and operational controls. Yet, despite their importance, many professionals struggle to extract the most valuable insights from these comprehensive documents. Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the SOC 2 framework evaluates organizations across five key areas: Security, Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, and Privacy. While this sounds straightforward, the actual reports can be dense and complex. This guide breaks down the essential sections and offers practical techniques to help GRC professionals navigate SOC 2 reports with confidence and precision. 1. Management’s Assertion: Foundation of TrustEvery SOC 2 report begins with management's assertion, which serves as far more than a simple system description as it represents the organization's formal commitment to its operational capabilities and control environment. The service organization’s formal attestation sets the tone for the report. It covers:System Description Accuracy: Management affirms that the documented system architecture, processes, and boundaries reflect actual operations. Control Design Suitability (Type I): Controls are declared to be appropriately designed to meet stated objectives and mitigate identified risks. Operational Effectiveness (Type II): For Type II reports, management asserts that controls functioned consistently over the audit period (typically 6–12 months). Review Tip: Look for specificity and measurable claims. Vague or boilerplate language may signal weak governance or limited... --- The buzz around AI isn’t just loud, it’s relentless. Boardrooms, LinkedIn discussions, and industry panels are all dominated by a single, urgent question:Where is AI heading, and how do we keep up? Staying ahead in AI requires more than a basic understanding of its capabilities. The true industry leaders and forward-thinking decision-makers recognize that AI is not merely a technological advancement; it is a complex intersection of privacy, compliance, ethics, and sustainability. These factors will ultimately define who sets the pace and who struggles to keep up. If you want to be part of the AI conversation, rather than watching from the sidelines, here is what you need to know. Is Data Privacy the Ultimate AI Dealbreaker? AI is only as good as the data it runs on. But as organizations tap into sensitive, high-stakes datasets, concerns about privacy and security are at an all-time high. The conversation around AI and data security has shifted. Rather than simply questioning whether their data is safe, buyers now expect clear and verifiable proof from AI vendors. With increasing regulatory scrutiny, businesses are no longer satisfied with vague assurances. Instead, they demand transparency in key areas such as how data is collected, how AI models are trained, and whether ethical considerations are integrated into the process. As data privacy regulations grow stricter, companies need detailed disclosures from AI providers. They want to know whether proprietary or sensitive data is used ethically, whether AI systems comply with global privacy laws, and whether technology safeguards... --- Would you trust an AI model that could be jailbroken in seconds or manipulated to leak sensitive data? As enterprises rush to integrate Generative AI, security teams struggle to keep pace with new attack vectors that traditional defenses often fail to address. According to a recent GenAI Security Report, while 97% of companies are deploying GenAI solutions, 87% of security executives report breaches linked to AI adoption. The risks aren’t theoretical—prompt injections, model manipulation, and data leakage are already being exploited! The Hidden Risks of GenAIAs enterprises rapidly integrate Generative AI into their operations, many overlook the growing threat landscape that accompanies these advancements. While GenAI offers powerful capabilities, it also opens the door to novel attack vectors and operational risks that traditional security frameworks are ill-equipped to handle. Below are some of the most pressing risks organizations must proactively address to safeguard their systems, data, and reputations:Prompt Injection & Jailbreaking- Attackers manipulate AI models by injecting deceptive prompts, bypassing security controls, and extracting sensitive data. Cloud borne attacks, in which adversaries exploit cloud-hosted AI models, are also on the rise. Model Manipulation & Supply Chain Threats- AI models rely on vast datasets, but poisoned training data can introduce vulnerabilities. Attackers can manipulate outputs, leading to biased decisions, misinformation, or security breaches. Data Leakage & Shadow AI- Employees often adopt unauthorized AI tools without IT oversight, leading to shadow AI risks that compromise security and compliance. 14% of all data security incidents this year were linked to GenAI. Regulatory &... --- As AI chatbots continue to be integrated into mainstream applications across industries, the focus on functionality often overshadows a critical security dimension. Beyond their conversational fluency and utility, chatbots are increasingly being connected to sensitive data stores, internal tools, and external resources, making them potent agents with far-reaching impact. Misconfigurations in such systems can lead to excessive agency, where a chatbot exceeds its intended capabilities and performs unauthorized actions. A recent chatbot evaluation uncovered a striking test case that forms the basis of the testing methodology for identifying “Excessive Agency” vulnerabilities as outlined in the OWASP LLM-2025 framework. In that instance, the chatbot had been tricked into altering content it should not have had access to, even though it could not upload files or had any prior exposure to them. The exploit, which relied on a carefully crafted prompt injection, revealed a critical design flaw that had allowed unauthorized file alteration. AI Chatbots and Their Associated Security RisksAn AI chatbot is a software tool that uses natural language processing and techniques like RAG to simulate human-like conversations. Widely adopted by organizations, it enables instant, personalized support, automates tasks, and boosts operational efficiency, improving customer experience while reducing costs. However, it is also important to note that implementing AI chatbots introduces several security risks that must be carefully managed. One major concern is data privacy and security, as chatbots often handle sensitive customer information, making them potential targets for data breaches or misuse. Additionally, biases in the training data can cause... --- In late April this year, HiddenLayer security researchers uncovered a "Policy Puppetry" prompt injection that could bypass safety measures across all major AI models, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and the growing Chinese business DeepSeek. In seconds, attackers could mislead these systems into revealing system prompts or executing prohibited operations, indicating that even today's most capable AI isn't safe by default. Imagine a customer service chatbot that a competitor, or worse, a malicious actor, can manipulate to expose sensitive data, leak internal guidelines, or sabotage operations. This is not sci-fi, it’s what happens in labs! The Unseen Risks of Rapid AI AdoptionMany organizations worldwide overlook the crucial security component as they use AI to obtain a competitive edge. Despite the rise in AI adoption, most organizations do not have sufficient security measures in place, which leads to data leaks and noncompliance, according to a recent BigID report. Due to AI's integration into HR, customer service, and other business operations, flaws in AI systems may have an impact on the entire organization. Among the risks are proprietary information compromised by external AI platforms, regulatory violations from unchecked outputs, and sensitive customer data embedded in AI inputs. Understanding the Threat LandscapeOne of the most urgent threats is the Prompt Injection attacks, in which malevolent actors alter AI prompts to generate undesirable or unexpected results. These attacks may result in the execution of illegal activities or the disclosure of private data. The security environment is further complicated by the emergence of "shadow... --- Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a comprehensive cybersecurity approach that mitigates an organization’s vulnerability to prevailing cyber threats and attacks. According to the traditional approach to vulnerability management, which involves analyzing and mitigating identified vulnerabilities, CTEM delves deeper into additional aspects. It ensures that threats are continuously identified, assessed for their potential impact, and that resulting risks are promptly mitigated and addressed by the appropriate risk owners. This approach plays a critical role in the modern-day world of cybersecurity, where the environments and configurations are relentlessly changing, especially in cloud security. Why CTEM Is Essential to Your Vulnerability Management Framework? Many organizations prioritize their vulnerability management programs by conducting periodic scans or manual reviews according to defined schedules. However, remediation and impact assessment often lack depth and continuity, creating opportunities for identified vulnerabilities to escalate, thereby increasing the likelihood and impact of threats and threat actors. The modern-day CTEM scopes the attack surface and its impact on the assets, including software flaws, identification of configuration errors, and network threats, by prioritizing threats based on their severity, impact on assets, and likelihood. It also tests and simulates attacks to demonstrate how dangerous they could be if not mitigated as a priority. The attack surface refers to all the potential points in a system where an unauthorized user could try to enter or extract data. Reducing the attack surface is crucial to minimizing security vulnerabilities and protecting critical assets. As a result, the CTEM delivers actionable results through comprehensive vulnerability assessments,... --- Published on: 20th January 2020 A penetration test (Pen Test) is one of the best ways a company can test their IT assets for vulnerabilities that a hacker could exploit to access sensitive data (customer, internal IP, passwords, etc. ). Many internal IT teams assume that a pen test is a time-consuming nightmare, but, with the right communication and preparation, a pen-test is an effortless, vital, and valuable procedure for any business. Penetration tests are simulated cyberattacks against an IT system by security professionals to find exploitable vulnerabilities a hacker would use to infiltrate an organization. Finding these vulnerabilities allows you to address the gaps in your network defense and enhance your overall security posture. Additionally, it provides you with an opportunity to assess your active protection systems, incident response, and on-going security monitoring. Why does a company need a penetration test? To detect and remediate vulnerabilities before an adversary exploits them Upper management may want a better understanding of their current security posture It may be a regulatory requirement of the industry, or a legal requirement to do business with another company Data protection increases customer confidence Who will be involved in the Pen test? Management and authorized technical leaders of the company. The internal IT teams. The external penetration testing company. Ask these questions before you start the Pen Test Our experience testing over 1000+ application and 500+ networks. Based on their experience, they recommend asking and discussing the questions below. The details should be agreed upon by... --- Published on: 8th December 2023Over the past decade, companies have increasingly recognized the need to protect themselves against cybersecurity risks. This awareness can be attributed to various factors:The growing popularity of Software as a Service (SaaS) products has led to the storage of confidential data outside a company's control. The prevalence of cloud services has introduced shared responsibilities. The increase in ransomware attacks has turned cybercrime into a seemingly profitable industry. The escalation of cyber threats, marked by sophisticated and high-profile attacks, has underscored the dual risks of commercial and reputational damage. The introduction of stringent cybersecurity legislation has compelled companies to enhance their protective measures. Regulations such as the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS) cybersecurity regulations, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the new cybersecurity risk management rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have imposed legal obligations on organizations to fortify their cybersecurity posture. Growth of security compliance standards and industry-specific frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HITRUST, HIPAA, NIST CSF, etc. , have become benchmarks for boards, clients, and partners to ascertain an organization's security posture. The rise of supply chain attacks also fuels this growth in adoption. Hence, it’s critical to an organization’s 3rd party risk management. Challenges Despite Increased Compliance and Security Investments In response to the increasing awareness of cybersecurity risks, there's been a surge in obtaining compliance certifications and investing in additional security products and services. Notably, more companies are achieving SOC 2 compliance this year than ever,... --- Supply Chain Security and India’s Rise in Cyber DefenseThe 15th edition of NULLCON, India's largest cybersecurity conference, served as a powerful convergence point for security professionals, thought leaders, and innovators from across the globe. One of the most engaging themes in this year's event was Supply Chain Security, a cause Accorian has long been committed to through its third-party risk management offerings and flagship GRC tool, GoRICO. For Accorian, securing internal systems has always been linked to ensuring that vendors and third-party providers uphold equally rigorous standards. This holistic view of trust and assurance continues to guide the firm’s approach to supply chain risk management. As threat vectors evolve, organizations must continuously adapt their approaches to build and maintain digital trust. Key Takeaways from the Conference1. Supply Chain Security is Non-Negotiable - Today’s world is well-connected, so one vulnerability in a vendor's ecosystem can have cascading effects across an organization's infrastructure. The importance of building resilient, transparent, and verifiable supply chains is no longer up for debate. 2. Modern Software Supply Chains - The Software Supply Chains are one of the major challenges of our time. Given the growing reliance on development partners, open-source libraries, third-party APIs, and external codebases, organizations must move beyond blind trust and adopt rigorous validation and oversight to ensure security at every layer. 3. AI and Cybersecurity are a growing Supply Chain concern - As artificial intelligence is integrated into business processes, the surface area of risk increases. Third-party Large Language Models (LLMs) introduce new... --- “Imagine a hacker doesn't have to enter a medical facility. All they have to do is break through a pacemaker”. Medical device cybersecurity has become a critical, life-or-death concern and no longer just a theoretical risk. Globally, hundreds of millions of medical records have been compromised in cyberattacks. Moreover, it's not just data that's under threat; medical devices themselves are increasingly being targeted. The WannaCry ransomware attack rendered the UK's National Health Service inoperable. The attack locked outpatient records, delayed surgeries, and shut down MRI scanners. It revealed a serious flaw in medical systems that were interconnected but not secured. Researchers discovered that pacemakers and defibrillators could be remotely compromised to drain batteries or deliver unwanted shocks in the terrifying case of St. Jude's cardiac devices. The FDA had to issue a recall involving 465,000 devices—hundreds of thousands. Additionally, a ransomware attack on Universal Health Services in 2021 cost over $67 million and delayed patient care by forcing 400 US hospitals and clinics offline. Security is now a crucial component of patient safety in a time when a medical device could be implanted today and compromised tomorrow. With the help of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and cloud-based connectivity, medical devices are gradually becoming more sophisticated, and modern healthcare is changing. However, these developments bring significant cybersecurity risks, making medical devices a prime target for cyberattacks. Cyber risks such as real-time patient monitoring, internet-connected implants, ransomware attacks, data loss, and AI manipulation pose serious threats to patient... --- Cyber incidents have been globally ranked as one of the most important business risks in 2025. 38% of organizations worldwide identified cyber incidents as their top concern, surpassing other threats like business interruption and natural disasters. This has also raised cyber threat concerns for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs), which have limited resources and lack readiness to tackle sophisticated cyber-attacks. This marks the fourth consecutive year that cyber risks have topped the Allianz Risk Barometer, reflecting the escalating threat landscape fueled by rapid technological advancements and increasing digital interconnectivity. The Escalating Threat LandscapeCybercriminals are exploiting advanced technology, essentially artificial intelligence (AI), to conduct advanced attacks. AI-powered phishing campaigns, deepfake frauds, and adaptive malware have significantly increased, making it vital for businesses to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures. Small and Medium-Sized Businesses at RiskContrary to common perceptions, small and medium-sized businesses are also at risk of cyber-attacks. According to Accenture's Cybercrime study, 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, yet only 14% of them feel confident in their ability to defend against cyber-attacks. Limited resources and a lack of expertise in cybersecurity make SMBs vulnerable to cyber-attacks. AI-Powered CyberattacksCyber attackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to amplify multiple phases of cybercrime and their complexities. These include AI-powered phishing campaigns, deepfake impersonations, and adaptive malware that can evade conventional security systems. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)Commoditization of ransomware has reduced the entry barrier for cybercriminals, and thus, the attacks have surged. These RaaS models make it possible even for non-technical users to carry out disastrous attacks, targeting... --- In cybersecurity, it's not usually zero-day exploits that lead to a breach, but simple misconfigurations paired with misplaced trust in third-party integrations. In a recent red team engagement, we demonstrated how a standard organizational Gmail account with no elevated privileges could lead directly to production-level access in a CI/CD and GCP-integrated environment. Here’s how it unfolded and what could have happened if we weren’t bound by the restrictions in the RoE. Initial Conditions: A Domainless WorldThe client operated a domainless Windows environment using JumpCloud, which meant no central Active Directory or traditional corporate domain management. Outwardly, this looked like a locked-down SaaS-first organization. We were provided with a Gmail account with no obvious admin rights. Technically, this account was harmless. But in security, perception rarely matches reality. Mapping the Attack SurfaceWe began externally enumerating assets tied to the client’s domain:Subdomain enumeration revealed exposed dashboards. Grafana was publicly accessible and accepted our Gmail credentials. Slack, Jira, and Confluence were also accessible with the same credentials. While many of these systems didn’t reveal sensitive information outright, they hinted at weak SSO enforcement, poor third-party integration controls, and an overly trusted identity federation model. Then we found the jackpot: ArgoCD. Walking Through Argo CDLogging into Argo CD with our Gmail account would not have been possible, but it was. That alone indicated weak RBAC (Role-based access control) or insecure OIDC (OpenID Connect) configuration. Inside ArgoCD, we discovered:Access to CI/CD manifestsSecrets encoded in YAMLSync capabilities across namespacesGitOps deployments mapped to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)From... --- In today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations face a critical dilemma in meeting governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) and regulatory mandates while simultaneously building a security posture resilient enough to counter increasingly sophisticated threats. Compliance, while undeniably essential, is no longer sufficient. Simply ticking boxes or satisfying minimum benchmarks does not equate to security. Organizations must adopt a proactive, holistic approach that embeds security into the very fabric of their operations. Complexity Is Rising. So Are the Stakes. According to a recent report, 74% of organizations say compliance requirements are becoming more complex, and 68% of business leaders admit they struggle to keep up with evolving regulations. This growing complexity is compounded by the projected surge in cybercrime damages, expected to hit $10. 5 trillion annually by 2025 (Cybersecurity Ventures, 2023). This convergence of mounting regulatory pressure and escalating threats demands more from GRC tools. It's no longer just about achieving compliance—it's about ensuring that compliance translates into true organizational resilience. The Evolution of GRC: From Foundational to Forward-LookingGRC tools have steadily evolved over time, transitioning from basic solutions like spreadsheets to more integrated platforms. While these traditional tools served their purpose well in the early days, offering flexibility and familiarity, they struggle to keep up with today’s demands. Modern organizations need GRC platforms that move beyond facilitating the first security credential or meeting the baseline compliance requirements demanded by clients. Factors like the rise of remote work, increasing third-party dependencies, multi-cloud adoption, and dynamic threat vectors call for tools... --- Since organizations have started incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into crucial processes, a sound framework for managing the attendant risks is imperative. Although the worldwide standard for information security management has been ISO 27001 for a long time, the recently issued ISO 42001 tackles the intricate and dynamic vulnerabilities inherent to AI systems. While the two standards share several elements—the High-Level Structure (HLS), the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model, and a risk-based paradigm—ISO 42001 proposes new domain-specific requirements beyond information security concerns. 1. Broader Definition of RiskISO 27001 centers on the classic CIA triad, i. e. , confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. ISO 42001, however, expands this definition to include AI-specific risks such as:Fairness and biasTransparency and explainabilitySafety and societal impactThese dimensions accentuate the way AI can impact system security, ethical consequences, legal requirements, and public trust. Organizations are now required to analyze and counteract risks that aren’t strictly technical, but are also ethical, legal, and social. 2. Deeper Data GovernanceWhile ISO 27001 focuses on securing and controlling data processing, ISO 42001 delves into the detailed specifics of AI data governance. Inconsistent-quality or inappropriately sourced data can generate biased, unsafe, or non-compliant AI models — something ISO 42001 directly addresses. Where ISO 27001 has a more general orientation, it requires dynamic management of AI datasets throughout their full lifecycle to guarantee integrity and accountability. ISO 42001 mandates organizations to maintain comprehensive data inventories that track:Data lineageData quality indicatorsLegal justification3. Emphasis on Bias and Fairness TestingThe requirement for bias detection and mitigation throughout... --- Integrating IoT (Internet of Things) has transformed healthcare by enhancing patient care, streamlining operations, and improving outcomes using smart wearables and clinical tools. However, some of these upgrades have also resulted in increased security risks. Artificial intelligence (AI) is critical for safeguarding IoT devices and preserving sensitive healthcare data. This article delves into how AI investigates cybersecurity challenges in healthcare and highlights AI-driven solutions to these threats. What is IoT in Healthcare? IoT in healthcare is a network of smart devices that collect, share, and analyze medical data to improve patient care. This includes applications such as fitness wristbands, patient treatment and monitoring systems, smart implants, and equipment such as infusion pumps and ventilators. These devices drive the healthcare revolution by allowing for data-driven decisions, remote monitoring, and individualized care. On the dark side, the IoT coupling opens new vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a cyberattack. AI and Its Growing Role in CybersecurityAI's rapid data processing and analysis capabilities have transformed cybersecurity, with technologies like Machine Learning and Deep Learning seeing a rise because they are superior to traditional paradigms in terms of pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and threat adaptation. IoT aids in evaluating the device's behavior and unusual practices to generate predictive insights for the purpose of preventing breaches from occurring. However, before examining specific use cases of AI, we should pay attention to the challenges concerning the use of IoT in the provision of healthcare. AI and Its Growing Role in CybersecurityAI's rapid data processing and analysis... --- Digital Advertising is a cornerstone of contemporary marketing, allowing brands to address global audiences with accuracy and efficacy. But while digital ad investment increases, so do cyber risks. Cybercriminals take advantage of weaknesses in ad networks through* Malvertising* Advert fraud* Data privacy invasion* Ad Injection and Hijacking* Click Bots and Fake Traffic? * Supply Chain Attack? * XSS and CSRF? and other malicious ways that target both buyers and sellers. Understanding these risks is essential for safeguarding campaigns and ensuring brand integrity. Let’s explore the most significant cybersecurity threats in online marketing and actionable steps to help protect campaigns and sensitive data. What is Malvertising / Malicious Advertising? Malvertising is a type of cyber-attack in which malware is injected by hackers into internet ads. Such malicious ads run on legitimate sites and ad networks, so it is hard to detect them. When users respond to such advertisements by clicking or even just glancing at them, their devices can get infected with malware, ransomware, spyware, or other harmful software. ImpactMalware infections: The infected users' computers will have their facts stolen or may be used for botnet attacks. Reputational damage: Customers can lose confidence in a brand if its ad infects their device with malware. Financial losses: If a company's advertisements are used to distribute malware, it may face legal consequences and a decline in revenue. Protection Against Malvertising / Malicious AdvertisingUtilize secure ad networks: Collaborate with established ad platforms that have strong security features. Take ad safety software: Utilize specialized software... --- The emergence of Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) in software engineering and security has generated novel compliance and privacy issues. Modern technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the ways companies simplify operations, boost innovation, and address cybersecurity concerns. One of the most acute issues is how artificial intelligence-generated code and its application in malware generation could compromise security. This raises serious concerns about the privacy dangers associated with AI-driven innovation and the efforts businesses must take to mitigate them. The Dual-Edged Sword of AIWhile artificial intelligence-powered tools increase efficiency and automate tasks, their capacity for invention and exploitation in code generation and malware analysis creates privacy and security concerns as well. Here are the key privacy implications:1. Unintended Data ExposureAI systems trained on large datasets often incorporate sensitive or proprietary information into their outputs. This raises concerns like:Embedding Sensitive Data: Pre-trained AI models might inadvertently expose confidential information. Data Reuse Risks: AI tools that use publicly available code repositories could integrate copyrighted, sensitive, or mismanaged data into newly AI-generated code. For example, an artificial intelligence model meant to produce security scripts may unintentionally include organization-specific firewall settings, therefore exposing vital infrastructure information. 2. Weaknesses of the AI-Coded SoftwareAI can assist in coding software, but the expertise of a skilled developer remains essential. However, this also introduces potential vulnerabilities that malicious actors may exploit, including:Partially Implemented Checks: Generated input validation checks will be configured, which can be exploited by injection attacks (SQL injection and XSS). Outdated and Insecure AI-Selected Libraries:... --- In this era of digital transformation, organizations have made significant progress in enhancing their cybersecurity measures. However, the growth in ransomware attacks has created new issues across businesses. These attacks, where malicious software encrypts the victim’s data in exchange for ransom, have increased because of techniques such as phishing, exploiting software flaws, and targeting remote desktop protocols. Despite these threats, organizations continue to strengthen their defenses to reduce financial and reputational damage, operational disruptions, and regulatory issues such as data security, incident response, and risk management. Building Cyber Resilience & Understanding Ransomware ThreatsAs ransomware threats evolve, organizations must stay ahead by recognizing the primary attack routes and boosting security. Phishing, software vulnerabilities, and weak Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP), all contribute to the rise of ransomware. Attackers utilize these tactics to acquire access, escalate privileges, and spread ransomware. Recognizing these risks and taking proactive measures can help firms reduce threats and improve their cyber resilience. Below are the major factors contributing to the rise in ransomware attacks:Phishing: It is a cyberattack where attackers imitate reputable entities to trick people into disclosing sensitive information such as login passwords, financial information, or personal data. This is usually done through fraudulent emails, messages, or websites that pretend to be authentic. When victims unintentionally supply information, attackers utilize it to gain unauthorized access, steal identities, or deploy other cyber threats, such as ransomware. Exploitation of vulnerabilities: Exploiting vulnerabilities in unpatched software is a primary driver of ransomware attacks. Phishing emails often include malware, which initially... --- In the rapidly changing healthcare landscape, interoperability is critical for delivering high-quality care. It enables the seamless exchange of patient data and improves cross-departmental collaboration without additional costs to Medicare. However, as digital information flows equally and freely between systems, data security and privacy becomes increasingly challenging. HITRUST is pivotal in addressing these challenges by providing a comprehensive framework that enhances data protection while maintaining interoperability. What is Healthcare Data InteroperabilityHealthcare data interoperability refers to the ability of different information systems, devices, and applications to access, exchange, integrate, and cooperate with data in a coordinated manner. This capability is essential for:Improving patient care Reducing costs Enhancing clinical decision-makingInteroperability exists at several levels, including:Foundational: Allows essential data interchange between systems - Two hospitals sharing patient demographicsStructural: Standardizes data formats to ensure interoperability - HL7 and FHIR standardsSemantic: Ensures data consistency across systems - Drug input in one system is recognized in anotherHITRUST named as the First Certifying Body by TEFCA for Security ComplianceThe Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), an initiative of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), aims to establish a nationwide interoperability framework. TEFCA seeks to maintain a standardized approach to health information exchange and its adoption with the Health Information Exchange Regulation Authority. The TEFCA Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) has formally named HITRUST as the first certifying authority for businesses wanting to show compliance with TEFCA's Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) security standards. As part of this classification, the HITRUST r2 Certification... --- The SolarWinds breach was a major cybersecurity attack where hackers embedded malicious code into the company’s Orion software updates, compromising thousands of organizations globally. Widely linked to a state-sponsored group, it exposed vulnerabilities in supply chain security and highlighted the risks of trusted third-party software. It revealed flaws in IT management software, urging enterprises to strengthen supply chain security against sophisticated cyber threats. After SolarWinds, businesses and governments realized that cybersecurity was no longer solely about protecting their own internal systems but also involved managing risks from third-party vendors, software providers, and contractors who were directly related to the world of supply chain. This realization resulted in intensive efforts to understand, assess, and mitigate these risks at both the organizational and systemic levels. The SolarWinds Breach: A Case StudyIn a SolarWinds attack, cybercriminals (allegedly Russian state-sponsored hackers) penetrated the Orion software platform, which has been utilized by thousands of organizations, such as U. S. government agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, and other critical infrastructure providers. These hackers corrupted the software updates with malicious code downloaded by their customers, granting them access to these organizations' systems. For months, the attack went unnoticed, making it one of the most advanced and damaging compromises. The SolarWinds breach illustrates how attackers can exploit trusted third-party relationships to circumvent traditional security defenses and how a single vulnerable link in a chain propagation can have an impact backward toward numerous exposed targets. Understanding Supply Chain Cybersecurity Risks1. Third-party dependencies: In a global economy, organizations rely greatly on... --- The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a notice to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule to strengthen cybersecurity protections for electronic protected health information (ePHI). The modifications are intended to combat rising cyber threats in the healthcare sector by updating national standards for covered entities and their business associations. The proposal coincides with broader efforts, including the National Cybersecurity Strategy and HHS' Healthcare Sector Cybersecurity Plan, which prioritizes enhanced cybersecurity enforcement, accountability, and best practices for critical infrastructure. Key Proposals to Strengthen the HIPAA Security Rule Include: Uniform Requirements: Eliminate the distinction between "Required" and "Addressable" implementation specifications, making all specifications mandatory with limited exceptions. Written Documentation: Mandate written documentation for all Security Rule policies, procedures, plans, and analyses. Updated Standards: Revise definitions and specifications to reflect technological and terminological changes. Compliance Timelines: Establish specific timeframes for compliance with many existing requirements. Asset Inventory & Network Mapping: Technology asset inventories and network maps should be updated at least annually or following any significant changes. Enhanced Risk Analysis: Mandate written risk assessments with asset reviews, threat identification, and risk evaluation. Access Change Notifications: Notify regulated entities within 24 hours when workforce access to ePHI is modified or terminated. Incident Response & Contingency Planning: Mandate system restoration within 72 hours, prioritized recovery, and tested incident response plans. Annual Compliance Audits: Conduct compliance audits at least once a year. Business Associate Verification: Require business associates to verify safeguards for ePHI and... --- Building and maintaining a protected security team is more crucial than ever in today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. I've had the honor of assisting many firms in building and enhancing their information security management programs. Through my experience, I’ve witnessed the vital role a well-rounded security team plays in an information security department, and I take this responsibility with utmost seriousness. Cybersecurity is not just a box to check off on a compliance list—it’s an integral part of protecting your organization’s assets, reputation, and future. The importance of getting the balance equitable between internal and external resources can’t be overstated. It’s about blending the deep organizational knowledge of your internal team with the specialized expertise of external partners to create a resilient, proactive security posture. The Value of Internal ExpertiseYour internal security team is the backbone of your organization’s defense. They bring with them an intimate understanding of your systems, processes, and culture. I’ve observed how internal teams, leveraging deep-rooted knowledge, are seamlessly able to conduct tailored risk assessments that are not only comprehensive but directly aligned with the organization’s specific business needs. Whether managing compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, HITRUST, or responding to incidents, the internal staff are essential for executing a security strategy that aligns with organizational needs. Internal teams are also invaluable for incident response. Under high pressure situations, they know the intricacies of the systems they’re protecting, allowing for quicker action to mitigate these threats. The importance of this familiarity during a security incident cannot be overemphasized... --- With the rise in data breaches and new threats, the number of regulations governing organizations is growing rapidly. Ensuring the security of two very critical data- Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI), in the current digital landscape of an organization has become critically important. As a result, companies need to invest heavily in continually changing compliance frameworks because of the intricate regulatory systems that govern their operations. They often find it daunting to select the appropriate compliance frameworks that apply to them. This is where the Unified Compliance Framework (UCF) steps in to help simplify the compliance process. It is a centralized library of compliance documents that helps organizations manage their compliance obligations, with its comprehensive collection of regulations, standards, and best practices that help organizations streamline their compliance management processes. Organizations can simplify their compliance efforts by reducing the need for multiple frameworks and standards. The UCF covers various industries, including finance, healthcare, and technology, and includes regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and many more. The primary goal of UCF is to streamline compliance efforts by mapping controls across various regulations and standards to ensure data protection. This is particularly important when safeguarding PII and PHI data, particularly in the US regulatory environment. Here are some key points that delineate the significance of protecting PII and PHI data: Legal and Regulatory Compliance: HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) and other data breach laws mandate data protection, and non-compliance can lead to hefty fines. Customer... --- As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a more significant part of our daily work, it’s crucial for organizations to tackle the growing risks that come with these powerful technologies. HITRUST’s AI Risk Management (AI RM) Assessment offers a comprehensive framework to manage these risks and ensure AI systems are used responsibly. Here’s how you can make the most of the HITRUST AI RM Assessment to build a secure and reliable AI governance model. WHO SHOULD CONSIDER HITRUST AI RM? If your organization uses, develops, or deploys AI technologies, you should seriously consider adopting HITRUST’s AI RM Assessment. Whether you’re in healthcare, finance, manufacturing, or retail, AI is transforming industries. But with these benefits come new and unique risks like security vulnerabilities, ethical concerns, and regulatory compliance challenges. HITRUST’s AI RM Assessment addresses these issues head-on, helping you stay ahead in managing AI risk. It offers 51 practical controls, harmonized with leading global standards such as ISO/IEC 23894:2023 and NIST, to ensure comprehensive risk management tailored to AI systems. If you are an Existing HITRUST Client? Existing HITRUST clients should see this as a natural progression to extend their risk management into the AI space. For those already leveraging HITRUST frameworks like e1, i1, or r2, the AI RM Assessment is a valuable extension of your current risk management practices. By integrating AI-specific governance into your broader compliance strategy, you can streamline how you manage AI risks without duplicating efforts. If you are New to HITRUST? If you’re new to HITRUST, the... --- The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) for SPoC, which represents Software-based PIN Entry on COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) devices, is designed to assist organizations in evaluating their compliance with security requirements for using SPoC solutions. The SAQ ensures that SPoC implementations, that use commercial devices such as smartphones or tablets for secure PIN entry, meet necessary security standards. The questionnaire addresses critical aspects, including secure card reader usage, cardholder verification methods, and backend monitoring systems, to safeguard against potential security breaches and protect sensitive payment data. The thought behind this SPoC solution is to ensure when customers enter their PIN, that data is isolated from other sensitive account data, making it harder for an attacker to breach all data at once, thus improving its security. PurposeThe primary purpose of SAQ SPoC is to ensure that merchants using these COTS devices for card-present transactions maintain a secure environment. It helps merchants validate their compliance with PCI DSS requirements by providing a structured way to assess and document security measures. Key PCI SAQ Requirements for MerchantsAll payment processing must be conducted via a card-present payment channel. This means transactions are done in person, with the card physically present. Cardholder data entry must be performed using a Secure Card Reader PIN (SCRP) that is part of a validated SPoC solution approved and listed by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). The merchant’s environment should not store, process, or transmit account data electronically outside of the validated SPoC solution. The payment channel... --- An essential part of an organization's annual cybersecurity plan is having an independent entity conduct penetration testing across its assets. This entails finding and evaluating weaknesses in networks, applications, APIs, cloud assets, and other systems. The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) recorded 28,831 vulnerabilities in 2023. This figure highlights the ever-expanding threat landscape and the importance of pen tests. However, if ignored, several risks could affect a penetration testing project's efficacy and value to the company and how well it succeeds. By developing a greater understanding of the listed risks, organizations can improve the overall effectiveness of their penetration testing initiatives and fortify their security posture. Common Project Risks in Pen Test ProjectsCommon project risks in pen test projects include the following:1. Insufficient CommunicationEffective communication among the project team members, project managers, and internal/external stakeholders is essential. Keeping the stakeholders informed during the penetration test fosters trust and collaboration. Stakeholders can provide necessary resources, such as access to systems, documentation, and personnel, which can aid in the efficiency and effectiveness of a penetration test. Poor communication can lead to inadequate information sharing, misunderstandings, expectations misalignment, and project timeline delays. Often, incorrect prerequisites lead to delays in the assessment. During the assessment process, it is crucial to have a customized communication plan that includes emails, brief meetings, and project status reports. 2. Inadequate Scoping and Goal SettingWithout a clear scope and well-defined goals and objectives, the project can become abstract, potentially missing out on critical vulnerabilities and prioritizing less important areas. Although... --- Have you ever considered what happens if your AI system makes an error or gets compromised? Especially if it’s Ai in healthcare? That’s a scary thought. That’s where the HITRUST AI RM Assessment comes in. It helps businesses identify and mitigate these risks early on, ensuring that AI solutions are both effective and secure. Let’s face it—AI is no longer just a buzzword. It’s becoming an integral part of many businesses, helping to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and enhance customer experiences. But with all these advancements come new risks, such as how we handle sensitive data, ensure AI systems are secure, and maintain ethical practices. Why Am I so stokedPersonally, this is something I’m deeply passionate about. Having been a part of the HITRUST Assessor Council along with my colleague, Stephanie Madhok, we had the privilege of directly contributing to the development of this groundbreaking AI RM Assessment. This isn’t just another framework or checklist; it’s a practical tool designed to help businesses of all sizes manage AI risk effectively, and it’s the first of its kind. That’s why we’re excited to share how the new HITRUST AI Risk Management (AI RM) Assessment can help you take control of AI governance and security within your organization. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence in healthcare (AI), the opportunities are endless, but so are the risks. As companies explore the power of AI to transform their operations, they need to be sure that they’re doing so safely and responsibly. Case Study -... --- Today, healthcare organizations' essential function depends heavily on connected systems to provide essential services. However, this technological progress presents some serious threats, especially in the cyber sector. Imagine the consequences of a cyberattack compromising patient data due to malware. Hospital operations could be severely disrupted, not by a medical emergency but by a security breach. This article references HITRUST’s “TRUST REPORT: Navigating the Landscape of Trust in Information Assurance. ” It talks about how the HITRUST framework allows organizations to strengthen their protection against security threats. HITRUST recognizes the necessity of being prepared in today’s digital landscape. How Does HITRUST CSF Strengthen Cyber Resilience? To fully understand this, it’s essential to grasp the concept of cyber resilience. This refers to an organization’s ability to maintain operations and minimize disruptions even during cyber-attacks. The HITRUST framework is a pivotal tool that aids organizations in achieving and demonstrating this resilience, helping provide a structured approach to planning and maintaining security for operational continuity. By adopting the HITRUST framework, organizations can effectively detect, protect against, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. Achieving HITRUST certification signifies that an organization has met rigorous cybersecurity standards, showcasing its capacity to sustain operations despite cyber threats. This certification is a clear indicator of one of the higher levels of cybersecurity resilience. Types of HITRUST CertificationsHITRUST offers three main certifications:HITRUST e1 (Essential): This is a certification for small to medium-sized organizations that provides a foundational level of cybersecurity and data protection aligned with core standards and regulations.... --- Service Organization Control 2, popularly known as SOC 2, is an AICPA auditing standard for service providers who store, transmit, or process client data. The attestation demonstrates that the organization adheres to stated controls, policies, and procedures, thereby having strict measures to safeguard data and critical assets in play. Companies that are not SOC 2 compliant are at higher risk for data breaches, which can result in substantial financial losses. For example, in 2023, the average data breach cost was around $4. 45 million. This includes costs associated with lost business, legal fees, regulatory fines, and remediation efforts. Due to the consequence, approximately 50-70% of SaaS companies in the U. S. have or are working towards SOC 2 compliance, especially those providing cloud-based services. While attaining SOC 2 compliance has many advantages, the organization must also manage several significant challenges that arise during the process. Let's explore some of the risks that organizations encounter with the intricacies of SOC 2. Ownership & Program ManagementThe most critical yet straightforward challenge the organization encounters is a false belief that ‘achieving SOC 2 compliance is the sole ownership of the Information Security team’, which is not true. It is a solemn commitment that the company's leadership must uphold. Leaders must champion the cause, ensuring that key stakeholders across all domains collaborate effectively. Every step of the compliance process depends on team effort, clear direction, required resources, imbuing due diligence, and due care in the organization's culture. ScopingScoping helps organizations prepare for the AICPA... --- Written By: Vigneswar Ravi || Don't be a data disaster! Learn how the Risk Management Framework NIST SP 800-39 can save the day. In today's rapidly evolving digital territory, organizations encounter a plethora of security threats and challenges. Drafted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this comprehensive risk management framework concentrates on security threats and organizational pursuits. Organizations need to have a strategic approach to data security that fits with their growth goals to effectively handle risks. Maintaining the effectiveness of risk management programs and making sure that these security measures fit into the organization's larger objectives require strong management and effective leadership. Why Is NIST SP 800-39 Important? Technology now permeates every aspect of our lives and business operations, the possibility of cyber mishaps has increased drastically. Comprehensive instructions on integrating information security into an organization's architecture are provided by NIST SP 800-39. Organizations can improve their security posture by monitoring their operations, information systems, and assets against potential risks through a systematic approach to risk management. Types of NIST SP 800-39 NIST SP 800-39 has four volumes, each focusing on a distinct aspect of data security, even as it establishes broad guidelines for managing data security risks. These comprise: Understanding Risk Management Framework NIST SP 800-39 The NIST Special Publication 800-39 is a valuable resource that offers guidance on risk management for securing information systems. By categorizing systems, organizations can identify the right level of protection necessary. The Risk Management Framework (RMF) consists of several... --- Written By: Prateek Shetty & Sarthak Makkar || The Pressing Need for an AI Management System (AIMS) within Organizations The risk of unethical behavior and careless AI usage has increased with the release of generative models like ChatGPT and Gemini (formerly known as Bard). The New York Times recently took legal action against Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement, claiming they had utilized millions of newspaper articles to train their AI systems. The litigation intensified the ongoing legal battle over the unapproved use of published content for AI training, making it more significant to have clear standards and norms for the application and development of AI. This is where ISO/IEC 42001 plays a vital role. Organizations could demonstrate their support for responsible AI and abide by all rules with this certification. What is ISO/IEC 42001:2023 - Artificial Intelligence Management System Artificial intelligence is a powerful innovation that presents many challenges for organizations. However, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 is the first standard to help them overcome these challenges. This standard directs them to create a robust artificial intelligence management system (AIMS) and maintain and upgrade it regularly. Released in December 2023, the ISO 42001 standard applies to all organizations that provide or use AI or AI-based services or products, regardless of size or revenue. This management standard is generic and applies to various domains and industries. It draws on nuances from ISO 27001 (Information Security), ISO 27701 (Privacy), and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) to serve as a guide for all companies, including businesses,... --- Written By: Vignesh M R || Third-Party Risk Management is the process of analyzing and controlling the risks present in your organization that are caused by outsourcing to Third-Party Service Providers (TPSP). On Average, organizations spend over $10 million annually responding to third-party security breaches. Importance of TPRMAs many firms choose to outsource certain functions to third-party providers, the dangers of exposure to sensitive information increase drastically. These statistics are based on reports and surveys that talk about organizations’ challenges with regard to Vendor Risk Management (VRM). 98% of firms had at least one third-party partner who suffered a breach in the last two years, and according to a report, on average, a firm maintained around 10 third-party relationships40% of organizations surveyed experienced a cyber incident linked to a third party, and another 21% experienced multiple incidents18% of risk and compliance professionals identified third-party ethics or compliance failures as one of the root causes of compliance issues their businesses experienced over the past three years59% of senior decision-makers view using third parties as the most significant corruption risk facing their organization64% of organizations stated that their boards of directors and executive teams view Third-Party Risk Management as strategically imperative72% of compliance and risk professionals agreed that their third-party due diligence program significantly reduced their legal, financial, and reputational risks54% of organizations reported experiencing a data breach caused by one of their third parties in the last 12 months31% of risk executives said third-party risk presented the greatest threat to their... --- The Pressing Need for an AI Management System (AIMS) within OrganizationsThe risk of unethical behavior and careless AI usage has increased with the release of generative models like ChatGPT and Gemini (formerly known as Bard). The New York Times recently took legal action against Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement, claiming they had utilized millions of newspaper articles to train their AI systems. The litigation intensified the ongoing legal battle over the unapproved use of published content for AI training, making it more significant to have clear standards and norms for the application and development of AI. This is where ISO/IEC 42001 plays a vital role. Organizations could demonstrate their support for responsible AI and abide by all rules with this certification. What is ISO/IEC 42001:2023 - Artificial Intelligence Management SystemArtificial intelligence is a powerful innovation that presents many challenges for organizations. However, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 is the first standard to help them overcome these challenges. This standard directs them to create a robust artificial intelligence management system (AIMS) and maintain and upgrade it regularly. Released in December 2023, the ISO 42001 standard applies to all organizations that provide or use AI or AI-based services or products, regardless of size or revenue. This management standard is generic and applies to various domains and industries. It draws on nuances from ISO 27001 (Information Security), ISO 27701 (Privacy), and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) to serve as a guide for all companies, including businesses, non-profits, and public sector entities. The standard follows a “plan-do-check”... --- Don’t be a data disaster! Learn how the Risk Management Framework NIST SP 800-39 can save the day. In today’s rapidly evolving digital territory, organizations encounter a plethora of security threats and challenges. Drafted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this comprehensive risk management framework concentrates on security threats and organizational pursuits. Organizations need to have a strategic approach to data security that fits with their growth goals to effectively handle risks. Maintaining the effectiveness of risk management programs and making sure that these security measures fit into the organization’s larger objectives require strong management and effective leadership. Why Is NIST SP 800-39 Important? Technology now permeates every aspect of our lives and business operations, the possibility of cyber mishaps has increased drastically. Comprehensive instructions on integrating information security into an organization’s architecture are provided by NIST SP 800-39. Organizations can improve their security posture by monitoring their operations, information systems, and assets against potential risks through a systematic approach to risk management. Types of NIST SP 800-39NIST SP 800-39 has four volumes, each focusing on a distinct aspect of data security, even as it establishes broad guidelines for managing data security risks. These comprise:Understanding Risk Management Framework NIST SP 800-39The NIST Special Publication 800-39 is a valuable resource that offers guidance on risk management for securing information systems. By categorizing systems, organizations can identify the right level of protection necessary. The Risk Management Framework (RMF) consists of several measures that assist organizations in consistently and fully... --- Third-Party Risk Management is the process of analyzing and controlling the risks present in your organization that are caused by outsourcing to Third-Party Service Providers (TPSP). On Average, organizations spend over $10 million annually responding to third-party security breaches. Importance of TPRMAs many firms choose to outsource certain functions to third-party providers, the dangers of exposure to sensitive information increase drastically. These statistics are based on reports and surveys that talk about organizations’ challenges with regard to Vendor Risk Management (VRM). 98% of firms had at least one third-party partner who suffered a breach in the last two years, and according to a report, on average, a firm maintained around 10 third-party relationships40% of organizations surveyed experienced a cyber incident linked to a third party, and another 21% experienced multiple incidents18% of risk and compliance professionals identified third-party ethics or compliance failures as one of the root causes of compliance issues their businesses experienced over the past three years59% of senior decision-makers view using third parties as the most significant corruption risk facing their organization64% of organizations stated that their boards of directors and executive teams view Third-Party Risk Management as strategically imperative72% of compliance and risk professionals agreed that their third-party due diligence program significantly reduced their legal, financial, and reputational risks54% of organizations reported experiencing a data breach caused by one of their third parties in the last 12 months31% of risk executives said third-party risk presented the greatest threat to their company’s ability to drive growthSources –... --- Written By: Vineet Kushalappa & Vignesh M R || What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to change how organizations oversee information protection and bind information protection rules throughout Europe. It was introduced in 2018, and considering its severe necessity of such a standard, its significance has monumentally increased. This blog deep dives into the elements of the GDPR standard, its significance, its many structures, and best practices to ensure compliance. GDPR empowers individuals residing in the EU digitally by providing them with certain rights over the data collected and stored by organizations. It also enforces certain restrictions on organizations collecting and storing customer data, thus improving data security and dramatically reducing the chances of data losses and breaches. Applicability of GDPR - Who Must Adhere to Its Regulations? Contrary to popular belief, GDPR regulations are not limited to entities operating within the EEA (European Economic Area) but applies to any and every any organization that collects or handles personal data of EU citizens, regardless of its location. If an organization is located outside the EU but provides services in the EEA, it too must demonstrate compliance with GDPR. GDPR regulations state that any entity or organization that collects, stores, transmits, and processes personal data is a Data Handler. Two types of Data Handlers are required to comply with GDPR: The Controller and The Processor. The term "Controllers" refers to people in charge of personal data. They can choose the purpose, means,... --- What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to change how organizations oversee information protection and bind information protection rules throughout Europe. It was introduced in 2018, and considering its severe necessity of such a standard, its significance has monumentally increased. This blog deep dives into the elements of the GDPR standard, its significance, its many structures, and best practices to ensure compliance. GDPR empowers individuals residing in the EU digitally by providing them with certain rights over the data collected and stored by organizations. It also enforces certain restrictions on organizations collecting and storing customer data, thus improving data security and dramatically reducing the chances of data losses and breaches. Applicability of GDPR - Who Must Adhere to Its Regulations? Contrary to popular belief, GDPR regulations are not limited to entities operating within the EEA (European Economic Area) but applies to any and every any organization that collects or handles personal data of EU citizens, regardless of its location. If an organization is located outside the EU but provides services in the EEA, it too must demonstrate compliance with GDPR. GDPR regulations state that any entity or organization that collects, stores, transmits, and processes personal data is a Data Handler. Two types of Data Handlers are required to comply with GDPR: The Controller and The Processor. The term “Controllers” refers to people in charge of personal data. They can choose the purpose, means, use, and storage of data collection. Controllers may represent... --- The rapid shift to cloud-based solutions is driven by speed, efficiency, and cost savings. With 94% of companies already adopting cloud services in 2023, the cloud migration industry will reach a staggering $628. 83 billion by 2028. Organizations are now storing cardholder data not only in on-premises database systems but also in cloud platforms, bringing these data under the scope of the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Introduction to SaaS Company Many companies, such as Netflix, Dropbox, Slack, etc. , operate in the cloud and provide SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions. These companies can be broadly categorized into two types: Businesses that utilize SaaS services provided by a CSP (Cloud Service Provider). Businesses that provide SaaS solutions by hosting their applications/software in cloud infrastructure. How do SaaS Companies Benefit from CSP Compliance? Achieving PCI DSS Compliance is much easier for SaaS businesses that utilize services provided by a CSP, as they can leverage on the CSP’s PCI DSS compliance for their certification. The following table shows the responsibilities of the CSP and the SaaS organization, including the responsibilities that the CSP can share with the SaaS organization in implementing a particular PCI DSS requirement: The SaaS companies should ask the CSP for appropriate evidence and assurance that all in-scope processes and components under the CSP’s control are PCI DSS Compliant. The assessor can also utilize this assessment or verification as part of the Customer’s PCI DSS assessment. Three Critical Areas to Achieve PCI DSS Compliance SaaS organizations are required... --- With the advancement of technology, an organization’s reliance on third-party vendors to keep operations running has increased exponentially. However, increased dependence results in increased information sharing which comes with its own set of risks. According to Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (2023), 83% of breaches involved external parties and, TPRM (Third Party Risk Management) still continue to be one of the top five challenges CISOs face in 2024 due to ignorant Third-party Risk Management practices. What are Vendor Risk Assessment Questionnaires in TPRM? Vendor risk assessment questionnaires are among the most popular methods for managing third-party vendors. These questionnaires provide an understanding of the vendor’s security posture and identify existing or potential vulnerabilities that can lead to a data breach. These are vital to TPRM, especially when the vendor is handling a critical business function. A good vendor risk assessment questionnaire includes understanding the vendor profile, background, compliance with regulations, standards, data management, privacy practices, third-party audits, certifications, incident response, recovery plan, access control, and ongoing monitoring. However, managing the vendor risk assessment of hundreds or thousands of vendors on spreadsheets can be tedious and not the most efficient solution. In such instances, using a tool, such as GoRICO, that can perform this task comprehensively is a more streamlined, systematic, and effective route. Streamline Vendor Assessments with Accorian TPRM, offered by Accorian, as part of its security consulting services helps reduce financial risk, enhance data security, safeguard reputation, and mitigate regulatory risks. It also includes risk identification and comprehensive vendor... --- In today's dynamic cyber landscape, the HITRUST MyCSF portal empowers organizations to navigate complex information security requirements and ensure robust protection against threats. This is not just a tool but a vital resource for extensive risk management, streamlining the HITRUST assessment, and ensuring HITRUST certification compliance. It also enhances an organization’s security posture. The HITRUST MyCSF portal is designed to quickly and efficiently assimilate all stakeholders into a cohesive trust system. It enables organizations to efficiently manage their HITRUST assessments and certifications by blending efforts with assessors, service providers, relying parties, and HITRUST. This centralized approach allows for better documentation, communication, and performance improvement in information security, providing a sense of reassurance and confidence in the process. About HITRUST MyCSF Portal The portal features robust internal reporting capabilities that provide substantial benefits. Despite being underutilized, these capabilities hold immense potential. Organizations can leverage MyCSF creatively and effectively to produce executive-level reports that boost confidence, enrich data-driven decision-making, prioritize resources, and drive strategic outcomes. MyCSF offers versatile on-demand internal reporting options, enabling organizations to efficiently gather, analyze, and configure cybersecurity data from their repository. With intuitive navigation and precise filtering, teams can generate impactful heat maps, dashboards, and visual reports. These tools communicate cybersecurity status, highlight improvement opportunities, set performance benchmarks, demonstrate compliance levels, and meet essential GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) needs. Features of HITRUST MyCSF Portal The portal helps organizations enhance efficiency in evaluating, managing, and reporting information risk and compliance through the following features: Benefits of MyCSF Portal... --- With the advent of digitalization and AI, technology is becoming integral to how we handle sensitive patient data. But with this advancement comes a critical need to ensure strong cybersecurity and compliance with regulations like HIPAA. Here, you might wonder, why HITRUST? Well, it's a leading framework designed specifically to help healthcare organizations meet these exact crucial goals. Think of this: every day, your healthcare organization processes vast amounts of sensitive patient data. This data is invaluable, not just to you but to cybercriminals as well. Now, think about the potential consequences of a data breach—financial loss, legal repercussions, and most importantly, the loss of trust from your patients. The stakes are high, and this is where HITRUST comes into play. Developed in response to HIPAA, HITRUST provides a structured and reliable way to protect patient data, ensuring both security and compliance. Now, let’s dissect it further. Starting from the ABCs. HITRUST stands for Health Information Trust Alliance. A comprehensive toolkit tailored to tackle the unique security challenges in the healthcare industry. It was created in response to HIPAA and developed by a coalition of healthcare and informationsecurity experts. The beauty of HITRUST is its flexibility; it allows organizations of all sizes to customize and implement controls that fit their specific needs. HITRUST allows organizations to tailor and modify their security controls to preserve system integrity and ensure uniformity across various applications. Designed to accommodate organizations of all sizes and regulatory requirements, the HITRUST framework offers a high level of... --- Written By: Premal Parikh || One of the most significant cybersecurity attacks ever was that of Change Healthcare in February, 2024. It impacted healthcare services across America. According to the company, the ransomware incident cost the company over $800 million in the first quarter of 2024, with the full-year impact estimated to be somewhere between $1. 3 to $1. 6 billion! Change Healthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest healthcare services companies in the world. This not only demonstrates that nobody is immune to cybersecurity attacks but also highlights the fact that the time to resolve was considered unacceptable. Public information shows that the attack originated via a remote access tool that wasn’t enabled with multi-factor authentication (MFA). There clearly is more to this that we might never be told – for example: Why was this tool not enabled with MFA. Is this an oversight or something they knew about? It seemed like the attackers must have gotten to the core systems – what internal network segmentation was in place and why didn’t it work? When did Change Healthcare know that a breach was occurring – what steps were taken? Why did it take so long to recover service? These are some learnings that companies should apply in their businesses, if they already haven’t:1. Cover the basicsThe basics were missing at Change Healthcare. MFA should be enabled on all external-facing systems (if not all). This includes encrypting the data as well. That way, even if the data... --- One of the most significant cybersecurity attacks ever was that of Change Healthcare in February, 2024. It impacted healthcare services across America. According to the company, the ransomware incident cost the company over $800 million in the first quarter of 2024, with the full-year impact estimated to be somewhere between $1. 3 to $1. 6 billion! Change Healthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest healthcare services companies in the world. This not only demonstrates that nobody is immune to cybersecurity attacks but also highlights the fact that the time to resolve was considered unacceptable. Public information shows that the attack originated via a remote access tool that wasn’t enabled with multi-factor authentication (MFA). There clearly is more to this that we might never be told – for example:Why was this tool not enabled with MFA. Is this an oversight or something they knew about? It seemed like the attackers must have gotten to the core systems – what internal network segmentation was in place and why didn’t it work? When did Change Healthcare know that a breach was occurring – what steps were taken? Why did it take so long to recover service? These are some learnings that companies should apply in their businesses, if they already haven’t:1. Cover the basicsThe basics were missing at Change Healthcare. MFA should be enabled on all external-facing systems (if not all). This includes encrypting the data as well. That way, even if the data is exfiltrated, the bad actors can’t... --- “Basics don’t change regardless of who or what wrote the code” – Aaditya Uthappa, Co-Founder & COO || Generative AI (GenAI) has redefined the way businesses work today. It fuels innovation, automates tasks, and simplifies the work itself. With over 55% of companies using GenAI, its adoption is rapidly increasing. However, this progress comes with potential risks. Data security breaches, privacy violations, and the generation of inaccurate or biased outputs remain key concerns. Recent studies in 2023 regarding the security of code that GenAI helps generate surveyed developers and found that over 56% encountered security vulnerabilities in code suggestions from AI tools frequently or sometimes. This highlights a significant risk, considering the widespread adoption of GenAI for code generation. Gen AI Coding Assistants: Efficiency & Risk In today's fast-paced development environment, AI coding is a valuable tool to stretch your development budget further. They offer undeniable advantages: speed, efficiency, and convenience. However, these benefits come with inherent risks, particularly regarding data leakage and the potential for incorporating malicious code. Below are the merits and risks: Merits Risks Are Developers Writing Less Secure Codes with GenAI Tools? A recent study by Schneier Security suggests that developers who had access to an AI assistance or, Gen AI tool wrote significantly less secure code than those without access. Schneier Security – “Participants with access to an AI assistant based on OpenAI's codex-davinci-002 model wrote significantly less secure code than those without access. Additionally, participants with access to an AI assistant were more likely... --- Cloud-based solutions are gaining ground, driven by their key features: speed, efficiency, and cost savings. A staggering 94% of companies adopted cloud services in 2023, and the cloud migration industry is expected to reach $628. 83 billion by 2028. Cardholder data is stored in on-premises database systems and cloud platforms. However, technological advancements pose security risks. Therefore, companies are required to achieve PCI DSS compliance. Introduction to SaaS Company Many companies (Netflix, Dropbox, Slack, etc) operate in the cloud and provide software-a-service (SaaS) solutions. There are two types of SaaS companies: Businesses that utilize the SaaS services provided by a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Businesses that operate in the cloud provide SaaS solutions by simply hosting their application/software in the cloud infrastructure. PCI DSS Responsibilities Between CSPs and Customers If you are a business that utilizes SaaS services provided by a CSP, then it is easier for you to achieve PCI DSS compliance as you can rely on the CSP’s PCI DSS compliance. The following table shows the responsibilities of the CSP and the Customer in implementing a particular PCI DSS requirement: Table 1: PCI DSS responsibility sharing between Customers and ProvidersDefining and documenting the responsibilities for maintaining PCI DSS Compliance in the SLA (Service Level Agreements) between the customer and the CSPs is essential. The customer is required to ask the provider for appropriate evidence and assurance that all in-scope processes and components under the Provider’s control are PCI DSS Compliant. The assessor can also perform this assessment or... --- Written By: Vigneswar Ravi & Vedashree Venkatesh The ever-changing digital landscape poses a rising security challenge for organizations. Data security is not just a priority; it's a necessity. It must be effectively integrated with development objectives to ensure alignment and effectiveness. According to a recent IBM report, the average data breach cost in 2023 was $4. 35 million, emphasizing the importance of robust information security measures. The National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST SP 800-39, released in 2011, is a valuable resource in the ongoing battle for data security. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication NIST SP 800-39 is an exhaustive guide for incorporating information security into organizational architecture. This document enables organizations of any size or industry to efficiently manage risks to assets, operations, and information systems. Why Do You Need Robust Information Security Practices? Robust information security practices are a strategic approach against the complexity and evolution of cybersecurity risks. As technology becomes more prevalent, the risk of cyberattacks rises dramatically. Enterprises can secure sensitive data, maintain regulatory compliance, ensure business continuity during disruptions, and create stakeholder trust by actively detecting vulnerabilities, assessing risks, and implementing focused mitigation techniques. Types of NIST 800-39 NIST Special Publication 800-39 is divided into volumes, each focusing on a different facet of data security. Despite this division, the publication provides comprehensive guidance for managing risks related to data security. These comprise: NIST 800-39 Volume 1 Handbook for Risk Assessments NIST 800-39 Volume 2 Handbook for Using the Risk... --- The ever-changing digital landscape poses a rising security challenge for organizations. Data security is not just a priority; it's a necessity. It must be effectively integrated with development objectives to ensure alignment and effectiveness. According to a recent IBM report, the average data breach cost in 2023 was $4. 35 million, emphasizing the importance of robust information security measures. The National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST SP 800-39, released in 2011, is a valuable resource in the ongoing battle for data security. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication NIST SP 800-39 is an exhaustive guide for incorporating information security into organizational architecture. This document enables organizations of any size or industry to efficiently manage risks to assets, operations, and information systems. Why Do You Need Robust Information Security Practices? Robust information security practices are a strategic approach against the complexity and evolution of cybersecurity risks. As technology becomes more prevalent, the risk of cyberattacks rises dramatically. Enterprises can secure sensitive data, maintain regulatory compliance, ensure business continuity during disruptions, and create stakeholder trust by actively detecting vulnerabilities, assessing risks, and implementing focused mitigation techniques. Types of NIST 800-39 NIST Special Publication 800-39 is divided into volumes, each focusing on a different facet of data security. Despite this division, the publication provides comprehensive guidance for managing risks related to data security. These comprise: Understanding the Risk Management Framework (RMF) in NIST 800-39 NIST Special Publication 800-39 offers guidance on risk management for information systems. Organizations can enhance... --- Written By: Vivek Kumar Jaiswal ||In the realm of web application security, even minor misconfigurations can have unforeseen consequences. This article delves into a critical vulnerability exposed by a seemingly simple oversight: a debugging console left enabled in a Ruby on Rails application. We'll explore how this seemingly harmless feature can be exploited to gain unauthorized access and potentially compromise the entire system. By examining this scenario, we aim to equip developers and security professionals with the knowledge to identify and mitigate such risks, ensuring the robustness of their Ruby on Rails applications. Exploitation Methodology During a recent Android application penetration testing project, our pen tester conducted an analysis of the application's communication with its backend server. It was observed that the application leverages an API for data exchange, a common approach most Android applications employ for interaction with backend infrastructure. Examining the request closely revealed the use of API version "v2" for communication with the backend server. This observation prompted an investigation into the potential existence of earlier API versions that may have been used previously or are still active. Subsequent testing involved modifying the request URL to target a potential API version "v1". The server responded with an HTTP status code "404 Not Found," indicating that the "v1" API was non-functional. However, when the pen tester carefully observed, the response size of the "404 Not Found" message for the non-existent "v1" API was unexpectedly large, at 222,126 bytes. This anomaly suggested the potential presence of additional information within... --- In the realm of web application security, even minor misconfigurations can have unforeseen consequences. This article delves into a critical vulnerability exposed by a seemingly simple oversight: a debugging console left enabled in a Ruby on Rails application. We’ll explore how this seemingly harmless feature can be exploited to gain unauthorized access and potentially compromise the entire system. By examining this scenario, we aim to equip developers and security professionals with the knowledge to identify and mitigate such risks, ensuring the robustness of their Ruby on Rails applications. Exploitation MethodologyDuring a recent Android application penetration testing project, our pen tester conducted an analysis of the application’s communication with its backend server. It was observed that the application leverages an API for data exchange, a common approach most Android applications employ for interaction with backend infrastructure. Examining the request closely revealed the use of API version “v2” for communication with the backend server. This observation prompted an investigation into the potential existence of earlier API versions that may have been used previously or are still active. Subsequent testing involved modifying the request URL to target a potential API version “v1“. The server responded with an HTTP status code “404 Not Found,” indicating that the “v1” API was non-functional. However, when the pen tester carefully observed, the response size of the “404 Not Found” message for the non-existent “v1” API was unexpectedly large, at 222,126 bytes. This anomaly suggested the potential presence of additional information within the error response. The pen tester... --- Written By: Shorya Kansal || The e-commerce business thrives on the ease and convenience of online transactions, and credit cards are the foundation of this digital economy. However, the reliance on credit card data needs strong security measures to safeguard sensitive client information. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is an essential framework for assuring such security. Firms and service providers must know how card data is processed and kept throughout the transaction lifecycle. This comprises crucial information such as the cardholder's name, CVV, main account number (PAN), expiration date, and service code. Mapping the flow of this data and determining its storage format is critical for preventing audit failures and data breaches. This is especially difficult in light of - Requirement 3. 2 of the PCI DSS standard, which states that firms "store account data to a minimum. " Striking a balance between enabling transactions and protecting sensitive information is an ongoing concern in e-commerce. PCI DSS Requirement for CVV Handling Regarding the Card Verification Value (CVV), PCI DSS dictates the immediate deletion of the CVV after a transaction is authorized. Storing the CVV in any form, even masked, encrypted, or hashed, is strictly prohibited. Following authorization, PCI DSS permits the retention of specific cardholder information: the primary account number (PAN, but rendered unreadable), expiration date, cardholder name, and service code. To maintain compliance, organizations must identify all storage locations for card data within their infrastructure, including primary databases, backups, removable storage, paper records, and even... --- Written By: Eishu Richhariya and Neelabh Ghosh || The surge in ransomware attacks, with an average total cost of $5. 13 million in 2023 (a 13% increase from 2022), underscores the critical need for organizations to prioritize robust security measures. One crucial defense line is ensuring compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). However, choosing the right PCI SAQ (Self-Assessment Questionnaire) is vital for achieving PCI compliance. What is PCI SAQ? The PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is a validation tool designed to help merchants and service providers assess compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Each SAQ has a "Before You Begin" section that describes the cardholder environment to be addressed. Following that, a series of "yes" or "no" questions about various aspects of credit card processing operations and security measures, such as system configuration, network security, and access control. There are ten PCI SAQs. Choosing the right PCI SAQ among the ten available options (one for service providers and nine for merchants) might be challenging. The selection process considers factors such as credit card transaction volume and cardholder data management. Let's understand how to choose the right SAQ for your business. Note: Another essential part of SAQs is the Attestation of Compliance (AOC), a formal document detailing compliance with PCI DSS rules. Understanding The Business Model – 4 PCI Levels 1. PCI Level 1 Applies to merchants processing six million card transactions annually Requires an annual onsite audit conducted by a... --- Always use the Telecom 5G network with a VPN; avoid any wireless connections Disable Face ID and enable fingerprint and Passcode (PIN) Download apps only from the official App Store and avoid jailbreaking the device Regularly back up iPad data to iCloud or iTunes to prevent data loss Use privacy-focused browsers like Brave or Vivaldi instead of Safari or Chrome Do not open email attachments from unknown sources. Verify the sender via iMessage or WhatsApp Avoid opening SMS/iMessage from unknown senders and refrain from clicking on unfamiliar links Log out from unused apps and uninstall unnecessary apps to minimize the attack surface Implement strong password hygiene - do not use any data that can be found via social media (wife's name, birthday, etc. The password should be at least ten characters long, with a combination of alphanumeric and special characters Do not install any updates, including apps, OS, and firmware Enable remote wipe capabilities if the device is lost Monitor device activity for unauthorized access and review location history periodically Turn off unused features like Bluetooth and AirDrop to reduce potential attack surfaces --- In a landmark move for cybersecurity, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released version 2. 0 of the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), an essential resource referenced in President Biden's National Cybersecurity Strategy. This update represents a significant expansion of cybersecurity risk management protocols, transitioning from safeguarding critical infrastructure to encompassing organizations across all sectors. Designed for Universal Adoption NIST CSF 2. 0 offers a universally applicable framework with detailed guidance and resources tailored to the diverse needs of various entities, from small businesses and schools to large corporations. Introduction of the “Govern” Function Credits: NIST Six functions, 22 categories, and 106 subcategories make up the CSF 2. 0 The framework historically comprised five core functions for a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy: Identify Protect Detect Respond Recover NIST has now introduced a sixth function, Govern, in CSF 2. 0, expanding the framework to offer a holistic view of managing cybersecurity risks throughout their lifecycle. This addition promotes a more comprehensive approach to organizational security, emphasizing managing cybersecurity risks throughout their entire lifecycle. Furthermore, within the Govern function, particular emphasis is placed on the critical role of supply chain risk management, highlighting the necessity for robust cybersecurity practices that extend throughout supply chains. Salient Features and Major Changes The “Govern” function comprises several categories to provide organizations with a structured approach to effectively addressing cybersecurity challenges. These categories include Organizational Context, Risk Management Strategy, Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities, Policy, Oversight, and Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management. A notable enhancement in CSF... --- Written By: Naga Chinmai and Arnav Shah Maintaining PCI compliance in the payment card industry demonstrates our dedication to ensuring a secure environment. According to recent research, data breaches have increased by 15% since 2020. Organizations must, therefore, comply with PCI DSS in both physical and digital environments. However, establishing PCI compliance is an exhaustive and costly procedure. So, how does a company become PCI compliant? We seek to simplify PCI DSS compliance and provide the necessary steps to achieve it. What is PCI DSS? The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), created by major credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, is a comprehensive set of security standards intended to ensure the secure processing of sensitive payment card information. PCI DSS compliance is required for every organization that handles, maintains, or transmits payment card information. It fosters a secure environment for financial transactions, providing consumers with trust in the integrity of electronic payment systems. Key Steps to Achieve PCI Compliance 1. Determine the Level of Compliance The PCI DSS has various levels of compliance. The first stage is to assess the level of compliance based on an array of parameters, including the organization's size, the number of credit card transactions processed annually, and the specific requirements of clients or acquiring banks. The PCI DSS categorizes companies into four merchant levels based on the volume of transactions processed yearly: Level 1: More than 6 million transactions annually Level 2: 1 to 6 million transactions... --- Written By: Hari Koguru & Neelabh GhoshWith emerging tech comes new risks; therefore, assessing and mitigating these risks is critical for developing a secure future. In 2023, the average data breach cost had increased substantially to $4. 45 million. These alarming figures emphasized the need for the payment card industry (PCI) to enhance security measures. As a result, PCI DSS v4. 0 was released in March 2022 by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). Who Should Meet The PCI DSS v4. 0 Criteria? Organizations that manage, process, or store cardholder data to safeguard and ensure the security of sensitive payment card data are required to meet the criteria of PCI DSS v4. This includes:Merchants: Businesses that accept credit cards online and in person, including retail establishments, restaurants, hotels, and e-commerce firms. Service Providers: Businesses who accept, store, and transfer credit card information on behalf of merchants. These include payment processors, web hosting providers, and security agencies. Financial Institutions: Credit card issuers such as banks and credit unions. Credit Card Payment Processors: Financial service providers such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc. Other organizations: Organizations other than payment processors that handle card data, including cryptocurrency exchanges, healthcare providers, and educational institutions. PCI DSS v4. 0 Transition and Timeline After the release of version 4. 0, PCI DSS v3. 2. 1 will be maintained for two years. This transition period (from March 2022 to March 31, 2024) allows organizations to adapt to the changes introduced in v4. 0. During... --- Small and medium-sized organizations often ask about the cost of HITRUST Certification. Patient data security is critical, so we always recommend considering HITRUST as a long-term goal to foster compliance and cost-effectiveness. HITRUST certification goes beyond being a mere checkbox on a compliance list. It is pivotal in maintaining a robust security posture and fostering stakeholder trust. Recent data reveals that 79% of healthcare organizations have experienced data breaches. This emphasizes the critical need to safeguard sensitive healthcare data, a goal achievable by pursuing HITRUST CSF certification. What is HITRUST CSF Certification? HITRUST was established in 2007 to address security and privacy concerns related to sensitive information, including medical records. HITRUST created the Common Security Framework (CSF), which can be used by any organization that creates, accesses, stores, or exchanges sensitive data. It is a cybersecurity risk management framework that helps healthcare organizations assess the effectiveness of security data. Achieving HITRUST certification requires the implementation of necessary controls in the designated environment. Voluntary yet pivotal, HITRUST aids businesses in aligning with mandatory regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001, making it a proactive framework for organizations navigating the complex terrain of data security. Types of HITRUST Assessments HITRUST e1: 1-year Validated Assessment HITRUST i1: 1-Year Validated Assessment HITRUST r2:2 Years Validated Assessment (Risk-Based) Who Conducts HITRUST Certification? The HITRUST assessment is conducted by an independent third party, specifically a HITRUST-certified assessor, Accorian is an authorized HITRUST CSF assessor. These assessors are authorized to aid in remediation efforts, perform... --- In the dynamic cybersecurity landscape, 2023 statistics reveal an alarming 53% of incidents targeted healthcare providers, emphasizing the need to protect sensitive patient data under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) 1996. HIPAA, a cybersecurity cornerstone, mandates compliance and safeguards for Protected Health Information (PHI). Beyond data protection, it underscores HIPAA disaster recovery plans, compelling organizations to establish strategies for mitigating risks and ensuring patient data availability, integrity, and confidentiality. What is the HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan? A disaster is an unforeseen event beyond organizational control that harms IT infrastructure and compromises sensitive PHI data. To safeguard against the threat, a HIPAA disaster recovery plan plays a crucial role. This plan delineates an IT-focused strategy to restore system operability, be it the entire infrastructure, specific computer facilities, or applications, at an alternate site post an emergency. The plan includes policies and procedures to be executed in the event of a disaster, assigning responsibilities to staff for a swift and efficient response and recovery. Furthermore, the HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan is a comprehensive strategy focused on safeguarding and recovering ePHI in the face of diverse emergencies, ranging from natural disasters to cyberattacks and human errors. Steps to Create a HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan 1. Conduct a Business Impact Analysis Conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is a thorough assessment essential for evaluating the cybersecurity readiness of your healthcare organization. It demands a meticulous examination of your business's data types and volumes, storage locations, and the necessary time and resources... --- In the dynamic healthcare landscape, where innovation meets responsibility, safeguarding sensitive data is paramount. The stark reality is that our data is consistently under siege. In 2023, the healthcare sector witnessed a staggering 60% surge in data breaches, inflicting an average financial cost of $10. 93 million per breach. This financial impact necessitates urgent action, emphasizing the need to fortify defenses and embrace cyber hygiene practices like HITRUST certification. WHAT IS HITRUST CERTIFICATION? HITRUST was established in 2007 to address security and privacy concerns regarding sensitive information. At its core lies the Common Security Framework (CSF), a standard in healthcare data protection that validates an organization's adherence to stringent healthcare data protection standards. The HITRUST CSF is designed for organizations that create, access, store, or share sensitive data. Achieving HITRUST certification demands meticulous implementation of necessary controls in the designated environment. Voluntary yet pivotal, HITRUST aids businesses in aligning with mandatory regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001, making it a proactive framework for organizations navigating the complex terrain of data security. STEPS TO GET HITRUST CERTIFIED Readiness Assessment Define the scope of work for HITRUST Use the HITRUST MYCSF® tool to understand several controls under consideration At a high level, review the HITRUST domains and identify gaps in comparison to the current state Create a roadmap plan towards certification 2. Roadmap Execution Partner with the client to implement a roadmap Assist in creating policies/procedures Perform security testing Assist with program management 3. Incubation HITRUST is a maturity... --- In today's rapidly evolving digital arena, protecting your brand's reputation and ensuring your organization's security are paramount imperatives. Projections indicate that the financial impact of cybercrimes could soar to an astounding $10. 5 trillion annually by 2025. These statistics underline the vital significance of fortifying your brand's integrity. Therefore, adopting robust brand security measures encompassing strategic planning, cutting-edge technology, and vigilant monitoring becomes essential. WHAT IS BRAND SECURITY? Brand Security is a comprehensive evaluation of an organization's security posture from an external perspective, employing various tools and techniques. The primary aim is to gauge the organization's security robustness as perceived by external entities. It involves meticulously identifying vulnerabilities and potential breaches that could jeopardize the company's integrity against familiar and unfamiliar threats. ACCORIAN’S BRAND SECURITY PROGRAM WHY CHOOSE ACCORIAN FOR YOUR BRAND PROTECTION At Accorian, we deeply understand the pivotal role that brand protection plays in maintaining trust, credibility, and operational resilience. Our robust Brand Security Program is designed to empower your organization with a holistic approach to enhance brand protection and security. External Security AssessmentOur Brand Security Program's primary objective is to meticulously assess your security from an external perspective. By analyzing your online presence, we aim to provide insights into potential vulnerabilities adversaries may exploit. This unbiased reflection ensures an accurate evaluation of your brand's security health. Identify VulnerabilitiesOur program is geared to identify vulnerabilities and fortify your defense against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. Through a targeted evaluation, we provide the necessary tools to mitigate risks... --- Written By Virendra Upadhyay & Mrinal Durani II The growing concern regarding cyber threats is particularly alarming in today's digital landscape. In the first quarter of 2023, there was a 7% surge in global cyber-attacks. Concurrently in 2022, 60% of organizations involved in M&A undertakings made cybersecurity posture a prime focus during their due diligence. The rising wave of M&A undertakings highlights the indisputable significance of cybersecurity measures and a thorough comprehension of cyber-attacks that one can be susceptible to while orchestrating an M&A event. Why Do Attackers Find M&A Deals So Intriguing? Attackers seize every opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities and access sensitive data. This predatory conduct finds fertile ground in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As). With a broader array of actors involved, the likelihood of human error and critical network oversights increases during security assessments. Throughout the journey of an M&A, both the acquiring company and the target entity face vulnerabilities, often intensified by the participation of third-party vendors in attacks aimed at financial institutions, legal entities, supply chains, and more. To prevent such outcomes, acquirers must exercise due diligence: analyzing cyber risks, assessing vulnerabilities, examining data assets, and actively identifying warning signs. Importance of Cybersecurity in Mergers & Acquisitions During M&A, two or more companies' unique cybersecurity policies, practices, and IT infrastructures come together. This fusion can bring about security risks and vulnerabilities, potentially leading to data breaches or unauthorized access. Therefore, a robust due diligence process becomes crucial, allowing for an evaluation of the security posture of each... --- Written By Vignesh M R II In today’s global business landscape, large corporations heavily rely on a vast network of vendors and suppliers to provide essential goods and services. While collaborating with suppliers offers numerous benefits, it also exposes companies to potential hazards. Therefore, businesses must prioritize a robust Vendor Risk Management ((VRM) strategy to ensure uninterrupted operations, protect assets, and meet regulations. In 2022, the Cyentia Institute's research revealed that 98% of organizations experienced data breaches from third-party vendors. Considering the average cost of a global data breach, which stands at $4. 35M, it becomes evident why having a reliable VRM system in place is imperative. /*! elementor - v3. 14. 0 - 26-06-2023 */ . elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title. elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title. elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title. elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title. elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}. elementor-widget-heading . elementor-heading-title. elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} What is Vendor Risk? Vendor risk refers to the probability and potential consequences of a supplier or vendor adversely affecting a company's operations, financial stability, information security, reputation, or compliance with regulatory requirements. This risk can arise from various factors, including inadequate cybersecurity protections, low-quality control, unethical business practices, non-adherence to legal standards, or delays in delivering goods or services. Large businesses need a solid awareness of the various categories of vendor risks to effectively detect, assess, and eliminate potential hazards in their supply chain. By proactively managing vendor risk, companies can safeguard their operations, maintain business continuity, protect sensitive information, and uphold their reputation and legal compliance. Types of... --- Written By Kanav Gupta II According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime will cost $8 trillion globally in 2023, equivalent to the world's third-largest economy after the U. S. A and China. These staggering figures underscore the urgent need for governments and cybersecurity professionals to collaborate globally in combating cybercrime. Implementing robust laws and security measures safeguards individuals, organizations, and critical systems from ever-evolving digital threats. In this rapidly evolving landscape, cyber insurance becomes essential for organizations to fortify their defenses. What is Cyber Insurance? Cyber insurance is a risk management tool designed to protect businesses from the potential financial fallout of cyber incidents. Various mechanisms drive its effectiveness, including coverage and policy terms, premium payments, risk assessment and underwriting, incident response and claim handling, loss mitigation, and risk management support. Cyber insurance safeguards businesses against the financial consequences of cyber-attacks or data breaches. It serves as a protective shield, covering various costs, including legal fees, data recovery, and notification services, thereby providing comprehensive support for incident response. Understanding Cyber Insurance When a business purchases a cyber insurance policy, it enters into a contractual agreement with an insurance provider. This policy outlines the specific coverage and terms, encompassing first-party and third-party coverage provisions. Premium payments, determined based on factors like coverage limits, risk level, and security practices, are made by the insured organization to the insurance provider. Before issuing a policy, the insurance provider assesses the organization's cyber risk profile, determining coverage terms and premium pricing accordingly. In the unfortunate event of... --- Written By Abhijeet Karve II The demand for innovative software solutions has thrived in today's ever-changing dynamic world. The open-source services market is rising rapidly as businesses seek cost-effective, reliable solutions. Research suggests the open-source services industry will increase at a 21. 75% CAGR and be worth $66. 84 billion by 2026. This meteoric rise indicates open-source technologies' widespread recognition and adoption across industries. What is Open Source Software? Open Source Software (OSS) refers to software created through community efforts, with its source code made publicly available. The development, maintenance, and distribution heavily rely on the community’s contributions. Over recent years, OSS has experienced significant growth due to its ease and accessibility; even well-known proprietary software incorporates OSS components in their applications. However, like any software, OSS is not immune to security risks. Open Source Software Security A combination of factors, such as community-driven development, peer review, and transparency, guarantees Open Source Software's security (OSS). The OSS community demonstrates agility in identifying and patching vulnerabilities, while security experts can conduct code audits to detect potential risks. Nevertheless, the decentralized nature of OSS development may present challenges in ensuring that all contributors adhere to secure coding practices and that the code remains free from vulnerabilities. Top 10 Open Source Software Security Risks Open-Source Software (OSS) has gained popularity due to its accessibility to various developers. However, this accessibility can also lead to introducing vulnerabilities in the code. Below are the top 10 security risks associated with OSS:1. Code VulnerabilitiesThe open-source nature... --- Written By Kiran Murthy & Manisha Robbi II "Compliance is the armor that shields data from harm. " In today's digital landscape, the significance of this quote cannot be overstated. According to Statista, the global online payment fraud to e-commerce losses amounted to a staggering $41 billion in 2022. These alarming statistics are a stark reminder of the pressing need for robust data protection measures and strict adherence to PCI Compliance. What is PCI Compliance? The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a widely recognized security standard that aids businesses that manage, process, or store cardholder data to safeguard and ensure the security of sensitive payment card data. It encompasses various areas of concern, including network security, data encryption, access controls, vulnerability management, and ongoing monitoring. Common Challenges in Achieving PCI Compliance Implementing the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) can be complex, and businesses often encounter common challenges. Some of the frequently encountered challenges include: 1. Inadequate Scope DefinitionOne of the fundamental aspects of PCI DSS implementation is scoping, which is identifying, documenting, and securing all the systems, networks, and processes in storing, processing, or transmitting cardholder data. Accurate scoping is crucial to avoid ineffective security controls and non-compliance. While the cardholder data environment (CDE) serves as a starting point, accurate scoping entails assessing the CDE, cardholder data flows, connected-to systems, and supporting components. The scope encompasses all system components that are part of or connected to the CDE, including individuals, processes, and technologies involved in... --- Here’s why clients choose Accorian over their competitors for their SOC 2 Compliance. 1Competitors: Often follow a traditional approach to SOC 2 compliance, which may rely on established methodologies and practices, leading to a lack of innovation and failure to address emerging security threats and vulnerabilities. Accorian: We take an innovative approach to SOC 2 compliance by leveraging new technologies, tools, industry best practices, and emerging security trends. We continuously evaluate and adopt innovative solutions to address evolving threats and stay ahead of the curve. 2Competitors: May prioritize security certifications at the expense of business growth. This could mean missed opportunities to invest in product development, marketing, customer acquisition, or expanding into new markets. Neglecting these growth areas can hinder the company's ability to innovate and capitalize on emerging market trends. Accorian: We ensure business growth is not compromised while obtaining security certifications, leveraging SOC 2 compliance as a growth enabler. 3Competitors: Compliance reports may not adhere to the highest standards of quality and trust. This can lead to a loss of credibility and doubts about the organization's commitment to security and compliance, potentially resulting in reputational damage. Accorian: We have a track record of completing over 400 assessments and audits, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality and trust. We mitigate the risk of reputational damage and ensure your organization's commitment to security and compliance remains unquestionable. 4Competitors: Limited involvement in defining new processes, drafting policies, and conducting risk assessments. Accorian: As Partners, we are closely... --- Written By Somya Agarwal II In today's ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, businesses face constant cyber threats and data breaches. The first quarter of 2023 alone has witnessed over six million records exposed globally, according to Statista. This alarming statistic underscores the growing concern for cybersecurity among organizations worldwide. Therefore, vulnerability scanning is crucial in cybersecurity to identify systems, networks, and applications vulnerabilities and threats. However, effectively managing vulnerability scan reports can be overwhelming and challenging. These reports are often lengthy and complex, making it difficult for businesses to extract actionable insights. To address this challenge, organizations must understand the significance of vulnerability scanning and adopt best practices to strengthen their cybersecurity efforts. This article aims to provide practical tips and insights, to help businesses optimize vulnerability scanning strategies and improve their overall cybersecurity posture. What is Vulnerability Scanning? Vulnerability scanning is a cybersecurity strategy that involves scanning systems, networks, and applications for known security flaws and vulnerabilities using specialized software tools. Organizations can detect potential risks and prioritize mitigation activities by conducting regular scans. The process aids in the strengthening of cybersecurity defenses, protecting sensitive data, and reducing potential cyber threats. Vulnerability Scan Report A vulnerability scan report is an important document generated by a vulnerability scanner, identifying potential security risks in an organization's systems and applications. This report highlights vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit, providing crucial information for security experts to address security gaps within their organization. By leveraging this report, businesses can gain insights into specific areas of concern... --- According to IBM Security, the average cost of a healthcare data breach has increased to $10. 1 million in 2022. This significant rise in cost highlights the critical need for healthcare organizations to protect patients’ confidential information. This need triggered the growing demand for compliance with regulations, standards, and certifications, such as the (Health Information Trust Alliance) HITRUST certification. Adhering to such standards can help organizations demonstrate their commitment to data security and assure patients that their information is being protected. What is HITRUST Certification? HITRUST was established in 2007 to address security and privacy concerns related to sensitive information, including medical records. HITRUST created the Common Security Framework (CSF), which can be used by any organization that creates, accesses, stores, or exchanges sensitive data. It is a cybersecurity risk management framework that helps healthcare organizations assess the effectiveness of security data. HITRSUT CSF includes 14 security controls, 149 control specifications, and 45 control objectives. It provides organizations with a comprehensive, risk-based, certifiable framework that assists healthcare service providers with regulation standards into a single overarching security framework. Types of HITRUST Assessments HITRUST Essentials 1-Year (e1) Assessment The HITRUST e1 assessment provides a solid foundation for cybersecurity and is an ideal starting point for organizations seeking to get oriented with the HITRUST CSF framework. With 44 standardized controls, this assessment offers assurance for organizations with low-level information security risks, making it an excellent choice for small businesses or startups with limited resources. Additionally, it is a faster assessment option that... --- Written By Vignesh M R II In today's business landscape, organizations face a plethora of cybersecurity challenges, with insider threats being one of the most formidable adversaries which can inflict severe damage on an organization's financial stability, reputation, and overall operational effectiveness, regardless of whether they are deliberate or not. According to the Ponemon Institute research report, the average cost incurred by an insider threat incident in 2020 amounted to $11. 45 million, with an average containment time of 77 days. What is an Insider Threat? An insider threat refers to any risks and vulnerabilities arising from individuals who possess authorized access to an organization's systems, data, or networks. This includes current employees, contractors, and ex-employees who retain access credentials. While insider threats can emerge in different forms, ranging from inadvertent errors to acts of negligence, the potential risk posed by ex-employees is particularly alarming. Organizations must proactively manage and monitor access rights when employees leave, mitigating the likelihood of unauthorized exploitation or misuse of their credentials. Therefore, access reviews play a key role in ensuring that only authorized personnel have appropriate time-bound access to critical resources. Types of Insider Threats Insider threats can be classified into three main categories: A. Malicious Insiders: These are individuals who deliberately exploit their authorized access for personal gain, seeking revenge or causing harm to the organization. Their actions may involve illicit activities such as unauthorized acquisition of confidential information, damaging systems/networks, or engaging in other malicious activities. B. Negligent Insiders: These are individuals... --- Written By Om Hazela & Sarthak Makkar ll Information security is a major concern for organizations, especially those that rely on third-party vendors such as cloud service providers and SaaS providers. The potential risk of these providers mishandling data might leave firms vulnerable to attacks and data breaches. According to cybersecurity statistics, the average cost of a data breach in the US is $9. 44 million, emphasizing the need to prioritize data security and adhere to regulatory standards such as SOC2 compliance. SOC2 is a valuable business tool, enabling operational efficiency, robust reporting capabilities, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The initial step in pursuing SOC2 compliance is selecting the SOC2 Trust Services Criteria (TSC) framework. During a SOC2 audit, the auditor evaluates an organization's internal controls against the five TSCs to ensure alignment with industry standards. What are SOC2 Trust Services Criteria (TSC)? SOC2 reports play a vital role in demonstrating an organization's compliance with the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These reports provide assurance to clients and stakeholders that the organization has implemented adequate controls to safeguard the Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy of their systems and data. Hence serving as an important tool to showcase the organization's commitment to protecting sensitive information and meeting regulatory requirements. The SOC2 Trust Services Criteria (TSC) for information technology provide a comprehensive framework for developing, implementing, and evaluating information system controls. These controls are essential to ensure that your information system can... --- Written By Ashritha Alva II Penetration testing is a crucial practice in today's cybersecurity landscape. It involves assessing the systems, applications, security devices, etc. to identify potential entry points for adversaries. The question of whether penetration testing is an ART, or a SCIENCE has long been debated. While some argue that it requires technical expertise and scientific methodologies, others emphasize the creative and innovative mindset required of a tester. It is in reality a combination of BOTH, as technological knowledge and imaginative problem-solving go hand in hand for successful penetration testing. Over the past decade or so, the cybersecurity landscape has witnessed a remarkable transformation. In the early days of my career, security was often an afterthought, and developers paid little to no attention to it, neglecting security measures. This made penetration testing relatively straightforward, as vulnerabilities could be easily identified. However, the situation has significantly changed. Security is now considered an essential aspect of system development, and secure coding guidelines are diligently followed. State-of-the-art security systems have also been introduced, enhancing resilience and strengthening the overall security posture. In this context, penetration testing has evolved into an art form that requires intricate techniques and innovative thinking to uncover hidden vulnerabilities and infiltrate systems effectively. Penetration testing requires a solid foundation in scientific principles and methodologies. Testers must possess a deep understanding of various technologies and how they function. Knowledge of programming languages, network protocols, operating systems, and security frameworks is essential. A scientific approach is necessary to perform vulnerability scanning, code... --- "Compliance is no longer just about ticking boxes, but about embracing security as a mindset. " (Kevin Mitnick) It's not enough to simply meet the requirements; organizations must adopt a proactive and vigilant approach to ensure their systems' security and build their customers' trust. Recent statistics show that only 27. 9% of firms achieved complete PCI DSS compliance in their relevant industry. To prevent data breaches and protect sensitive information, it is imperative for organizations to maintain robust PCI Compliance. What is PCI DSS Compliance Penetration Testing? A PCI pen test actively conducts a penetration test in adherence to PCI DSS standards to assess the security of cardholder data. The cardholder data primarily includes credit card numbers and track 2 data. To ensure its security, the PCI Council has established comprehensive guidelines and frameworks. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS Compliance) is intended to safeguard companies and their clients against payment card fraud and theft. Its goal is to assist organizations in anticipating and identifying both known and unknown system vulnerabilities that could result in data breaches. To achieve this, PCI DSS pen tests are conducted by experts in their field. Penetration Testing Penetration testing is a manual process that goes one step deeper than an automatic vulnerability scan. Although vulnerability scans are operated by machines and may not be highly accurate, pen tests involve manual processes. The testers specifically look for security issues that automated scanners may miss or detect as false positives. They aim to... --- Imagine a world where you have to remember passwords for every website and network you want to use. You'd be constantly typing in your passwords, making it easy for others to access your sensitive information. Even with passwords, there exist vulnerabilities, such as Kerberoasting, a hacking technique that exploits flaws in the Kerberos authentication system to extract password hashes and access sensitive data. In Greek mythology, Kerberos was named after the three-headed dog who guarded the underworld gates. The Kerberos protocol, like the mythical creature, helps secure the gates of a computer network, protecting it from unauthorized access. This protocol relies on a trusted third party, the Key Distribution Center (KDC), to validate user and device identities and provide secure access to network resources. Kerberos is like a secret assistant who protects your passwords and ensures that only you and the websites you want to access can use them. It's like having your own personal bouncer for your online information, ensuring that only you and your trusted members can access it. In this blog, we'll look at how Kerberos works, the key features that make it so secure, and how it is a valuable tool for protecting computer networks. What is Kerberos? The Kerberos network authentication protocol is designed to authenticate users to network services securely. It employs a trusted third party, a Key Distribution Centre (KDC), which issues tickets encrypted with the password hash of the user's account. Understanding Kerberoasting: A Threat to Active Directory Kerberoasting is a post-exploitation... --- "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" - a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin that perfectly captures cybersecurity's importance in today's digital world. This is especially true for companies that must safeguard their sensitive data and systems from ever-increasing cyber threats and attacks. Therefore, companies must conduct penetration testing to enhance their security with a CREST Accredited partner. What is CREST? CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry. The CREST Codes of Conduct contain the basic principles that underpin good business practice and ethics, which are all-pervasive. They describe the standards of practice expected of Member Companies and their Consultants and must be observed in parallel with the Code of Ethics. Why Should You Choose a CREST Accredited Partner? Accorian recently acquired its CREST accreditation, and here is what Rowland Johnson, President CREST, had to say, “Accreditation of Accorian is a strong endorsement of its penetration testing team and commitment to robust business processes, data security and testing methodologies,” said Rowland Johnson, President of CREST. “It also reflects the growing influence of CREST across the Americas and the growing demand for highly skilled penetration testing services from trusted providers that can demonstrate internationally recognized, independent validation. ”Choosing a CREST approved partner instils confidence and trust that the chosen penetration testing service provider has undergone rigorous controls to receive accreditation and has access to industry-leading resources and events to ensure their knowledge is always up to date. By choosing a CREST... --- Written By Srishti Shukla & Virendra Upadhyay II TISAX Certification (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) is a comprehensive standard that provides a structured framework for assessing and managing information security risks in the automotive industry. The market outlook for the automotive industry is strong and promising, and it is expected to grow rapidly from USD 2. 0 billion in 2022 to USD 5. 3 billion by 2029. Significant technological advancements, such as digitization, advanced connectivity, and electric vehicle infrastructure, have transformed how cars are manufactured and operated. These advancements, however, have increased cybersecurity concerns, making it crucial for automotive companies to prioritize cybersecurity as a vital aspect of their operations. Companies should obtain TISAX certification to demonstrate their commitment to cybersecurity. TISAX certification establishes an organization as a leader in information security. It ensures the delivery of secure products and services to customers. Furthermore, it assures customers that necessary precautions are taken to protect against cyber threats. What is TISAX Certification? TISAX (Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange) is a standardized information security assessment and certification framework used by the automotive industry. It was developed by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in collaboration with other leading automotive manufacturers to provide a common and consistent approach to information security assessment and certification. TISAX assessment and certification are based on the internationally recognized ISO/IEC 27001 standard for information security management. It is designed to assist automotive companies in evaluating and managing information security risks related to their supply chain and... --- Written by Premal Parikh II Numerous security firms perform penetration testing and red teaming. However, determining the security firm suitable for your organization is difficult. So how do you select the right firm for your Pentesting services? One must consider factors such as the firm's experience, methodology, and cost-effectiveness while making the right choice. Security threats are increasing at an alarming rate in today's dynamic digital world. The year 2022 saw nearly 236. 7 million ransomware attacks worldwide. With organizations being more vulnerable to cyberattacks, businesses of all sizes should conduct penetration testing and regularly improve their security. Furthermore, it is critical to recognize that lack of vulnerabilities discovered during penetration testing can indicate one of two things:Either there are no vulnerabilities in the application/network being tested; orYour testing team has failed to identify existing vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, if it's the latter, you'll usually find out when the vulnerability is exposed in a breach or when your client conducts their testing and discovers the problem. Key Factors to Consider When Hiring a Security Testing Firm1. CertificationsWhen choosing a penetration testing firm, it is critical to consider the testing team's certifications, such as CEH (Certified Ethical hacker), OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional), and other relevant qualifications. However, evaluating the company's credentials to ensure competence is equally important. Surprisingly, only a few companies have obtained the two important credentials, PCI ASV & CREST, which necessitate rigorous assessments and process reviews to demonstrate their competence to the councils. These credentials demonstrate that the company... --- Written By Vigneswar Ravi & Vignesh M R II The Latest on HIPAA Compliance HIPAA Compliance will be undergoing significant changes, this year in 2023, which you need to be aware of. But, let's look at its history before we get into the upcoming changes in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The United States established HIPAA in 1996. However, there were no set rules for gaining access to medical records till then. In fact, all the local and state governments had established their own rules and fees. HIPAA established standardized rights and responsibilities for managing and safeguarding Protected Health Information (PHI). However, changes in working practices and technological advancements over the last ten years have given rise to various issues with HIPAA. To address these concerns, the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) had to issue HIPAA guidelines to clarify misunderstandings about HIPAA requirements rather than make rule changes. The major HIPAA update was enacted a decade ago, and changes to HIPAA Rules are now required. The latest response was due earlier this year but has been postponed until March 2023. Proposed HIPAA Updates to the Privacy Rule in 2023 PART 1 Allowing patients to examine their PHI in person and take notes or photographs. Reducing the maximum time for providing PHI access from 30 days to 15 days. Restricting the rights of individuals to transfer ePHI to a third party maintained in an Electronic Health Record (EHR). Confirming that an individual has the authority... --- Introduction There is a famous adage by Spiderman in Marvel comics, "With great power, comes great responsibility," and that’s how important a vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) is in an organization. Today's digital transformation goes beyond automation and embraces technology for a broader range of tasks. The cybercrime epidemic is threatening, with a 15% annual growth rate. With the increased use of technological platforms, the threat of cybercrime costs organizations millions of dollars. In response to this growing threat, the global cybersecurity market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13. 4%, reaching USD 376. 32 billion by 2029. (From USD 155. 83 billion in 2022). With the rise of sophisticated threats and the growth of cybercrime, a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in senior management is required for organizations. The CISO can provide a comprehensive cybersecurity framework and requirements tailored to their business needs. However, employing a full-time CISO can be costly. Instead, a virtual CISO can be used to meet the exact needs of multiple companies. The vCISO can effectively address the organization's cybersecurity needs and collaborate with senior management to provide a cost-effective strategic cybersecurity plan. Who is a vCISO? A vCISO (Virtual Chief Information Security Officer) is an external security advisor and expert whose responsibilities vary depending on an organization’s business requirements. They are responsible for keeping critical systems and sensitive data protected from cybercriminals. They provide organizations with on-demand access to experienced security expertise, eliminating the need for a full-time employee. This... --- Written by Somya Agrawal II WebSocket is a powerful tool for sending and receiving messages over a network. It enables quick and reliable data exchange by establishing two-way communication between the server and the client. It is used in everything from online gaming to real-time data streaming. Unfortunately, WebSocket only comes with flaws. Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking (CSWSH) is a security threat that allows malicious actors to hijack a legitimate WebSocket connection, allowing them to intercept, modify, delete, and inject data. They are also vulnerable to Denial-of-Service attacks, which can prevent legitimate users from accessing the network. WebSocket can also perform man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing attackers to modify or inject data into the network without the user’s knowledge. Here's everything you need to know about WebSocket! What is WebSocket? WebSocket allows two-way communication between a website and its server in real-time. It is a protocol that allows the client and server to transmit messages over the channel at the same time. They're used for things like chat apps and updating information on a website without having to refresh the page. The WebSocket-based connection lasts as long as either party lays it off. When one party terminates the connection, the second party can no longer communicate since the link is automatically terminated. WebSocket, like HTTP, can be either encrypted or unencrypted, as defined by the WebSocket schemes ws and wss, where ws:// is an unencrypted WebSocket, and wss:// is an encrypted WebSocket over TLS. They act as a backdoor connection between your computer... --- WebSocket is a powerful tool for sending and receiving messages over a network. It enables quick and reliable data exchange by establishing two-way communication between the server and the client. It is used in everything from online gaming to real-time data streaming. Unfortunately, WebSocket only comes with flaws. Cross-Site WebSocket Hijacking (CSWSH) is a security threat that allows malicious actors to hijack a legitimate WebSocket connection, allowing them to intercept, modify, delete, and inject data. They are also vulnerable to Denial-of-Service attacks, which can prevent legitimate users from accessing the network. WebSocket can also perform man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing attackers to modify or inject data into the network without the user’s knowledge. Here's everything you need to know about WebSocket! What is WebSocket? WebSocket allows two-way communication between a website and its server in real-time. It is a protocol that allows the client and server to transmit messages over the channel at the same time. They're used for things like chat apps and updating information on a website without having to refresh the page. The WebSocket-based connection lasts as long as either party lays it off. When one party terminates the connection, the second party can no longer communicate since the link is automatically terminated. WebSocket, like HTTP, can be either encrypted or unencrypted, as defined by the WebSocket schemes ws and wss, where ws:// is an unencrypted WebSocket, and wss:// is an encrypted WebSocket over TLS. They act as a backdoor connection between your computer and the website. Instead of... --- Written by Tathagat Katiyar & Harshitha Chondamma II Artificial Intelligence is undergoing continuous growth and development, with new technologies and applications being developed daily. As AI becomes more prevalent and integrated into various industries, it is critical to ensure that these systems are trustworthy, secure, and transparent. This is where the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework 1. 0 (AI RMF 1. 0) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) comes in. This framework provides organizations with guidelines and best practices to help them confidently develop, deploy, and operate AI systems. In this blog, we will cover NIST AI RMF 1. 0 in-depth, including its features, benefits, and how organizations can use it to ensure AI systems meet high security and compliance standards. On January 26, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U. S. Department of Commerce) released a Risk Management Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI RMF). The AI RMF is designed to assist companies in managing risks and promoting responsible development while deploying or using AI systems. Although compliance with the AI RMF is voluntary, it can be helpful for companies seeking to manage their risks, particularly in light of regulators' increased scrutiny of AI. The Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework helps organizations to establish a systematic approach for information security and risk management activities focusing explicitly on Artificial Intelligence. A robust AI risk management framework offers organizations asset protection, reputation management, and optimized data management. It can also protect against competitive advantage,... --- Written by Vigneswar Ravi & Vignesh M R II Personally Identifiable Information (PII) has never been more important than it is in today’s digital age. As technology advances and the internet expands, entities are collecting, storing, and processing data on a massive scale, raising growing concerns about their use and safeguarding. ISO 27701:2019 recognizes data privacy's importance and offers a framework for organizations to responsibly and securely manage personal data. It addresses all aspects of personal data processing. This includes implementing privacy controls, conducting privacy impact assessments, managing data breaches, and keeping privacy records. What is ISO 27701:2019? This framework specifies requirements and guidelines for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving the Privacy Information Management System (PIMS). This would expand to ISO 27001 and ISO 27002 for privacy management within the organization's context. The Privacy Information Management Framework applies to PPI – regulators, processors, handlers, transmitters, and guides organizations looking to implement systems to support compliance with GDPR and other data privacy requirements. It applies to all types and sizes of organizations, whether public or private companies, government entities, non-profit organizations, or any other entity that is a PII controller or PII processor operating within an ISMS. Need for ISO 27701 Certification PII is increasingly prevalent in various forms within organizations, being gathered, processed, saved, and transmitted daily in diverse formats. Organizations that gather, process, save, or transmit PII must recognize and accept their responsibilities, and be held accountable. Seeking ISO 27701 certification helps businesses comply with GDPR and reduce... --- Cybercriminals are often attracted to the data held by healthcare companies. Patient data, banking information, and other personal identifying information (PII) are gathered by healthcare organizations, forming rich collections of data. With such comprehensive data sets, cybercriminals are more frequently targeting healthcare providers and their service providers, sometimes resulting in significant losses. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files, preventing access to the data. Given the increasing risk, it is all the more necessary that healthcare entities implement safeguards to protect against the harmful impacts of a ransomware attack. Information security compliance frameworks, such as HIPAA and HITRUST, provide reliable guidance to organizations seeking to prepare for ransomware attacks proactively. A Rise in Ransomware Attacks in HealthcareIn October 2022, Common Spirit Health – one of the largest non-profit health systems in the United States – became the target of a ransomware attack that left some of their systems inaccessible even weeks later. This attack underscores the need for healthcare organizations to exercise due care in managing critical data. In planning a ransomware attack, cybercriminals look for opportunities to exploit the workforce and unsecured data. A vulnerable cybersecurity risk management strategy could leave:● Prescriptions unfilled● Surgeries delayed● Doctors unable to access records● Patient information publicly exposedHow Does HITRUST and HIPAA Relate To Each OtherThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law of the United States of America that contains security and privacy rules to protect sensitive patient health information from use or disclosure without a... --- Written By Om Hazela & Sarthak Makkar || Ideally You want to find a service provider to take you from SOC 2 readiness to report. SOC 2 is a third-party review that attests the organization’s ability to protect the data and information they process and store. Given the current scenario where a lot of data breaches and cyberattacks are on the rise, a SOC 2 report help organizations empower with: • Enhance one’s view into your organization’s security posture • Identify opportunities for improvement over existing controls • Position your company competitively in the market (Prospects want to ensure Security is considered a priority in your organization). Many vendors offer different aspects of the SOC 2 process, from software providers who help you get audit-ready, to certified auditors from CPA firms who can assess your infrastructure and release a final SOC 2 report. Ideally, you will want to find a service provider to take you from SOC 2 readiness to report. Use these points to help you assess a vendor/service provider before signing a contract for your organization’s SOC 2 Assessment. These questions will provide you with clarity about your requirements for SOC 2 and how a service provider will be able to help you, from preparing your organization to getting attested for SOC. 1. Are you a licensed CPA firm? The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) regulates SOC 2 audits, which must be carried out by an external auditor from a certified CPA firm. This is the... --- Written by Kiran Murthy | Naga Chinmai | Eishu Richhariya | What is ISO 22301 Certification? ISO 22301 Certification provides a framework to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a business continuity management system (BCMS). It is expected to help organizations protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover when disruptive incidents arise. It provides the framework for businesses to increase their resilience and enables the organization to deal with disruptive incidents. Need for ISO 22301 CertificationObtaining ISO 22301 Certification should be high on the priority list of organizations that must prove to their stakeholders that they can immediately overcome operational disruptions to provide continued and effective service. Gaining ISO 22301 Certification puts the organization within an individual group of companies committed to business resilience. It ensures compliance with industry standards. It safeguards the brand’s interest and integrity. It reduces the financial risk of an organization. It gives a competitive advantage to a company. It helps to protect critical business assets. Benefits of ISO 22301Why do you need a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS)? Looking back, could you have planned for Covid? The effects of Covid-19 have significantly raised awareness for Business Continuity Planning. Most office-based firms have adapted and applied their plans for a hybrid model to work from home. However, many others did not foresee the operational impacts, including service providers and supporting customers. For most organizations, today might be business as usual. However, problems can happen when you least expect them. Whether it’s... --- What is ISO 22301 Certification? ISO 22301 Certification provides a framework to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a business continuity management system (BCMS). It is expected to help organizations protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover when disruptive incidents arise. It provides the framework for businesses to increase their resilience and enables the organization to deal with disruptive incidents. Need for ISO 22301 CertificationObtaining ISO 22301 Certification should be high on the priority list of organizations that must prove to their stakeholders that they can immediately overcome operational disruptions to provide continued and effective service. Gaining ISO 22301 Certification puts the organization within an individual group of companies committed to business resilience. It ensures compliance with industry standards. It safeguards the brand’s interest and integrity. It reduces the financial risk of an organization. It gives a competitive advantage to a company. It helps to protect critical business assets. Benefits of ISO 22301Why do you need a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS)? Looking back, could you have planned for Covid? The effects of Covid-19 have significantly raised awareness for Business Continuity Planning. Most office-based firms have adapted and applied their plans for a hybrid model to work from home. However, many others did not foresee the operational impacts, including service providers and supporting customers. For most organizations, today might be business as usual. However, problems can happen when you least expect them. Whether it’s a cyber-attack, an IT-related issue, building unavailability due to natural disasters,... --- Being HITRUST-certified is one-way companies can demonstrate their commitment to security and privacy to clients and partners Healthcare is one of the most highly regulated industries regarding privacy and security. There is a good reason for this, too, as personal health information (PHI) is some of the most valuable information for cybercriminals and people that commit fraud. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services 2020 Healthcare Breach Report, the average cost per breached record is $499 and can be sold for over $1000. As a result, PHI has become highly targeted by criminals, and to combat this, regulations and security standards have been created to ensure that businesses protect this information correctly. This article will discuss a popular security framework and certification in the healthcare industry called HITRUST. What is HITRUST Certification? HITRUST, created in 2007, is a standards and certification body that helps organizations manage information security, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Organizations that achieve HITRUST certification have passed the framework checks and have shown an ability to adhere to the security requirements of HIPAA. Then there is the HITRUST CSF framework. What is HITRUST CSF The HITRUST CSF is a certifiable security and privacy controls framework that provides organizations with a comprehensive, flexible, and efficient approach to regulatory compliance and risk management. Developed in collaboration with data protection professionals, the HITRUST CSF provides structure, transparency, guidance, and cross-references to 40+ authoritative sources, standardizing requirements and providing clarity and consistency. The HITRUST CSF is regularly updated as mapped authoritative... --- Written by Vivek Jaiswal II Reconnaissance is an essential phase in Penetration Testing, before actively testing targets for vulnerabilities. It helps you widen the scope & attack surface and helps uncover potential vulnerabilities. There are already multiple open-source and proprietary automated tools available in the market to perform reconnaissance or scan any host/application for vulnerabilities, while penetration testing. However, the manual and professional approach is what gives you the actual understanding of the backend technology, it’s workflow, and helps you uncover potential vulnerabilities. A basic reconnaissance includes:Subdomain EnumerationDirectory EnumerationPort ScanningSearch Engine based reconGithub reconShodan reconEnumerating backend technologiesWayBack Historyand so on In this article, I will demonstrate how a simple Search Engine based Reconnaissance helped me identify a potential security vulnerability that leads to dumping the entire database - SQLiWhile I was recently working on an External Network Penetration Testing project, as usual, I started with the basic reconnaissance approach. Now, for a Network Penetration Testing activity, I started with the basic port scan and services enumeration. Once the scans were complete, I found the 80/TCP port open which is an HTTP webpage. I then quickly visited the site and found that it did not have any feature or functionality and was only a static error page. After this, I started performing some directory brute forcing using a common wordlist of directories. You can find the payload list here. I couldn’t find any valid directory or any entry point, on trying the common directory wordlist. I then proceeded with another reconnaissance... --- Reconnaissance is an essential phase in Penetration Testing, before actively testing targets for vulnerabilities. It helps you widen the scope & attack surface and helps uncover potential vulnerabilities. There are already multiple open-source and proprietary automated tools available in the market to perform reconnaissance or scan any host/application for vulnerabilities, while penetration testing. However, the manual and professional approach is what gives you the actual understanding of the backend technology, it’s workflow, and helps you uncover potential vulnerabilities. A basic reconnaissance includes:Subdomain EnumerationDirectory EnumerationPort ScanningSearch Engine based reconGithub reconShodan reconEnumerating backend technologiesWayBack Historyand so onIn this article, I will demonstrate how a simple Search Engine based Reconnaissance helped me identify a potential security vulnerability that leads to dumping the entire database - SQLiWhile I was recently working on an External Network Penetration Testing project, as usual, I started with the basic reconnaissance approach. Now, for a Network Penetration Testing activity, I started with the basic port scan and services enumeration. Once the scans were complete, I found the 80/TCP port open which is an HTTP webpage. I then quickly visited the site and found that it did not have any feature or functionality and was only a static error page. After this, I started performing some directory brute forcing using a common wordlist of directories. You can find the payload list here. I couldn’t find any valid directory or any entry point, on trying the common directory wordlist. I then proceeded with another reconnaissance approach which was the Search Engine... --- Everything you need to know about getting your SOC 2 Written by Om Hazela Accorian has aided 100s of companies in attaining SOC 2 compliance through its end-to-end implementation services. Subsequently, our audit arm – Accorian Assurance, has enabled independently conducted audits and attestations to provide clients with their SOC 2 reports. In the last few years, SOC 2 reports , have become the de facto way for service providers, especially SaaS companies, to showcase security assurance to their clients. Hence, it’s essential for companies that transmit, process, or, store client data. All SOC 2 reports contain a 3rd party auditors (CPA) opinion on the end company’s security posture against the requirements of the reporting standard (auditing procedure) along with scope information, exceptions, and deviations. Such a report will aid in taking the cybersecurity question off the table by showcasing a level of security assurance to your clients and simplifying vendor evaluations & security due-diligence checks. Thus, allowing you to focus on the growth of your organization. IS SOC 2 AN AUDITING PROCEDURE SOC 2 is a reporting framework and auditing procedure, and not a set of hard rules. It’s a set of best practices across various security attributes and domains with strong signals, that an organization needs to prioritize, encasing the criteria of Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. These went on to formulate the TSCs (Trust Service Criteria) for SOC 2. We would like to reiterate that a SOC 2 report does not prove that an organization... --- (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022) Written by Kiran Murthy & Tathagat Katiyar II ISO 27001 – A Framework for Information Security Management Systems ISO 27001 is an ISMS (Information security management system) standard that emphasizes a risk-based approach to the management of people, processes, and technological controls. The standard's structured nature to auditing people and technology interdependence enables the measurement, comparison, and improvement of multiple operational benchmarks if security breaches are detected. The current standard, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, will shortly be replaced by ISO/IEC 27001:2022, the new international standard for information security management and will be renamed from "Information technology – Security techniques – Code of conduct for information security controls" to "Information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection – Information security controls. " Why should organizations implement ISO 27001 Businesses of all sizes face an imminent threat due to complex attacks, driven attackers and lack of current . Securing an organization’s information framework requires ensuring that security measures, controls, and policy guidelines fit the specific demands of an organization. Adopting a proven security management system can fill gaps utilizing accurate and tried best practices. ISO 27001 is much more than a security standard. When implemented, the standard includes all stakeholders across the organization and has a scalable design that allows individuals, business units, or the whole organization to take responsibility for security in their environment. This method aids management in strengthening security and increasing danger awareness at all levels of the organization. The ISO 27001 audit is frequently part of a... --- (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022)ISO 27001 – A Framework for Information Security Management SystemsISO 27001 is an ISMS (Information security management system) standard that emphasizes a risk-based approach to the management of people, processes, and technological controls. The standard's structured nature to auditing people and technology interdependence enables the measurement, comparison, and improvement of multiple operational benchmarks if security breaches are detected. The current standard, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, will shortly be replaced by ISO/IEC 27001:2022, the new international standard for information security management and will be renamed from "Information technology – Security techniques – Code of conduct for information security controls" to "Information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection – Information security controls. "Why should organizations implement ISO 27001Businesses of all sizes face an imminent threat due to complex attacks, driven attackers and lack of current . Securing an organization’s information framework requires ensuring that security measures, controls, and policy guidelines fit the specific demands of an organization. Adopting a proven security management system can fill gaps utilizing accurate and tried best practices. ISO 27001 is much more than a security standard. When implemented, the standard includes all stakeholders across the organization and has a scalable design that allows individuals, business units, or the whole organization to take responsibility for security in their environment. This method aids management in strengthening security and increasing danger awareness at all levels of the organization. The ISO 27001 audit is frequently part of a more extensive organizational assessment that looks at all aspects of processes, technologies,... --- A story of how Security Misconfiguration led to Compromising the Domain Controller What is an Assured Breach? Assumed breach, as the name suggests, is when an attacker has already gained access to the internal network or has compromised an employee machine. This means that the attacker has a foothold in the organization. In our case, the approach used was the Assumed Breach Testing approach, in which the client provided us with similar access that an employee is granted on joining the organization. The target was to use this path to eventually be able to compromise the domain controller. In short, we had the same privileges as any other employee in the organization. Finding a Needle in a Haystack It all began with enumerating the network and understanding the access we had, specifically the ACL group services and local admin privileges on other systems. During this phase, we were surprised to see that the organization had over 150,000 groups including over 100,000 computer objects. So, performing the enumeration was getting all the more challenging, as the time and resources required to obtain the desired results were high and caused our terminal to crash. Also, since we were overloaded with information, extracting useful information seemed even more complex than we had fathomed. To work around this issue, we decided to change our approach, and only enumerate current user privileges. We noticed that our current user also had local admin privileges on a different system. We accessed the other system using RDP, dumped... --- Written by Kiran Murthy & Eishu Richhariya Introduction PCI-DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This standard first came into the picture in 2004, and it was formed by Visa, MasterCard, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, and American Express. It is governed by PCI SSC, i. e. , Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. Applicability- PCI-DSS applies to companies/organization which accepts, store, process and/or transmits cardholder data. When will the new version PCIDSS v4. 0 take effect? Until March 31, 2024, PCI assessments will choose the version (v3. 2. 1 or v4. 0) for conducting the assessment. After this date, v3. 2. 1 will be retired, and v4. 0 will become the singular standard. PCI-DSS v4. 0 New Requirements The new version contains a substantial number of new requirements—64 in total. When using v4. 0, only 13 out of 64 are mandatory. Until March 2025 additional 51 remain “best practices”; after the retirement of v3. 2. 1, it will be mandatory to complete a PCI DSS assessment. Changes in the Security Objective of PCI-DSS v4. 0? PCI-DSS v3. 2. 1 PCI-DSS v4. 0 Build and Maintain Secure Network and Systems Build and Maintain Secure Network and Systems Protect Card Holder Data Protect Account Data Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program Implement Strong Access Control Measures Implement Strong Access Control Measures Regularly Monitor and Test Networks Regularly Monitor and Test Networks Maintain an Information Security Policy Maintain an Information Security Policy Change in the Names... --- Introduction PCI-DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This standard first came into the picture in 2004, and it was formed by Visa, MasterCard, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, and American Express. It is governed by PCI SSC, i. e. , Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. Applicability- PCI-DSS applies to companies/organization which accepts, store, process and/or transmits cardholder data. When will the new version PCIDSS v4. 0 take effect? Until March 31, 2024, PCI assessments will choose the version (v3. 2. 1 or v4. 0) for conducting the assessment. After this date, v3. 2. 1 will be retired, and v4. 0 will become the singular standard. PCI-DSS v4. 0 New Requirements The new version contains a substantial number of new requirements—64 in total. When using v4. 0, only 13 out of 64 are mandatory. Until March 2025 additional 51 remain “best practices”; after the retirement of v3. 2. 1, it will be mandatory to complete a PCI DSS assessment. Changes in the Security Objective of PCI-DSS v4. 0? PCI-DSS v3. 2. 1 PCI-DSS v4. 0 Build and Maintain Secure Network and Systems Build and Maintain Secure Network and Systems Protect Card Holder Data Protect Account Data Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program Implement Strong Access Control Measures Implement Strong Access Control Measures Regularly Monitor and Test Networks Regularly Monitor and Test Networks Maintain an Information Security Policy Maintain an Information Security Policy Change in the Names of 12 PCI-DSS v4. 0 Requirements PCI-DSS... --- Last week a Remote Code Execution vulnerability was disclosed in Spring. Spring is an open-source application framework that provides infrastructure support for creating Java applications that can be deployed on servers as independent packages. Approximately, 70 percent of all Java applications use it. What is CVE-2022-22965? CVE-2022-22965 was assigned to the vulnerability and is considered critical as it can result in an RCE. RCE vulnerabilities will allow a malicious actor to execute custom code of choice on the machine. The vulnerability was named after the previous infamous log4shell vulnerability, spring4shell. The vulnerability was first reported to VMWare on March 29th, 2022 after which VMWare informed this to the spring team. On the next day, Spring started the vulnerability response procedure. It was during this process, that the vulnerability was leaked to the public and exploitation began in the wild. Are you affected? For the application to be vulnerable, several requirements are to be matched as laid out by Spring. JDK version 9+Apache Tomcat for serving the applicationSpring-webmvc or spring-webflux dependencySpring Framework versions 5. 3. 0 to 5. 3. 17 and 5. 2. 0 to 5. 2. 19 and older versions. Application built as a WAR fileCertain REST API which will process user input. What is Spring4Shell? Above is a modified code from Spring4Shell-POCFrom the above code, we can understand the application is expecting the **message** value in the post request. The vulnerability will occur when instead of supplying a value of to the **message** parameter the user supplies POJO (Plain... --- HITRUST, recently, announced the implementation of a new annual HITRUST Assessment + Certification, the i1. The aim of this release is to provide a cybersecurity assessment that remains continuously relevant by utilizing the latest threat intelligence to address information security risks and emerging cyber threats like ransomware and phishing. Experts highly tout the "Gold Standard" for information security assurances as the original HITRUST Validated Assessment, which is now dubbed the r2. The HITRUST Risk-based, 2-Year r2 Validated Assessment + Certification uses the HITRUST CSF® cybersecurity framework to unify and harmonize controls from many regulatory and industry frameworks, including HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. It often considered as a sort of “one framework to rule them all”, and organizations that implement a properly scoped HITRUST r2 Assessment can include more than 40 authoritative sources to conform to a variety of cybersecurity regulations and standards. The HITRUST a 2-year risk-based and tailorable assessment, which continues to provide the highest level of assurance for situations with greater risk exposure due to data volumes, regulatory compliance, or other risk factors. The new HITRUST Implemented, 1-Year (i1) Validated Assessment + Certification is the first information security assessment of its kind and possesses attributes that other assurance programs do not have. The assessment's design and control selection place it in a new category of threat-adaptive information security assessments, which evolve with emerging risks and new threats while also retiring irrelevant controls. The HITRUST i1 Assessment is designed to: Designed to maintain control requirements that mitigate existing and... --- Authentication bypass due to weak verification of SAML Token What is authentication bypass in web applications? The web application vulnerability - authentication bypass occurs when there is improper validation of the user’s identity on the server-side. Generally, a successful authentication bypass requires the attacker to have knowledge of either the username/email ID unlike the case of SQL injection where the attacker can attempt to log into the application using any user. What is SAML? SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is a standard for authenticating and authorizing users across multiple applications by leveraging the logged-in session of one application. In simple words, you log into a dashboard where you see multiple applications like Salesforce, AWS, Slack, ADP, etc. and when you click on any one of the icons, you would directly get signed into that application. Unlike other tokens, the SAML token is XML-based for transferring identity between two parties. So, who are these two parties? 1. Identity Provider (IdP) 2. Service Provider (SP). IdP is responsible to authenticate the user and subsequently sending the token to the service provider and SP trusts the identity provider and authorizes/authenticates the user to access the requested application. Some applications implement SAML for the clients to authenticate themselves and use the application. So, the question is what kind of verification is done by the SP in the back-end? Is it possible to modify the token and login to the application as another user? In this blog, we’ll walk you through an authentication bypass mechanism... --- Authentication bypass due to weak verification of SAML Token What is authentication bypass in web applications? The web application vulnerability - authentication bypass occurs when there is improper validation of the user’s identity on the server-side. Generally, a successful authentication bypass requires the attacker to have knowledge of either the username/email ID unlike the case of SQL injection where the attacker can attempt to log into the application using any user. What is SAML? SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is a standard for authenticating and authorizing users across multiple applications by leveraging the logged-in session of one application. In simple words, you log into a dashboard where you see multiple applications like Salesforce, AWS, Slack, ADP, etc. and when you click on any one of the icons, you would directly get signed into that application. Unlike other tokens, the SAML token is XML-based for transferring identity between two parties. So, who are these two parties? 1. Identity Provider (IdP) 2. Service Provider (SP). IdP is responsible to authenticate the user and subsequently sending the token to the service provider and SP trusts the identity provider and authorizes/authenticates the user to access the requested application. Some applications implement SAML for the clients to authenticate themselves and use the application. So, the question is what kind of verification is done by the SP in the back-end? Is it possible to modify the token and login to the application as another user? In this blog, we’ll walk you through an authentication bypass mechanism... --- (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27002:2022)Recently a publication notice was released regarding the ISO 27001 and ISO 27002 changes in 2022, which states that, “all organizations having an ISO 27001:2013 (ISMS) will be required to map and update their controls in place in accordance with the new recommendations in the revised ISO/IEC 27002:2002, considering their organizational needs and context. ” Highlight of ISO 27001 Updates ISO/IEC 27001:2022: All organizations having an ISO 27001:2013 (ISMS) will be required to map and update their controls in place in accordance with the new recommendations in the revised ISO/IEC 27002:2002, considering their organizational needs and context. ISO/IEC 27002:2022: The current version of ISO 27002 that contains 114 controls divided over fourteen chapters, and the version of ISO 27002:2022 that will contain 93 controls will all be divided over four categories/themes:Chapter 5 Organizational (37 controls)Chapter 6 People (8 controls)Chapter 7 Physical (14 controls)Chapter 8 Technological (34 controls) THE NEW CONTROLS The guidance section for each control have been examined and updated to reflect current advancements and practices (as necessary). Additionally, each control now has a 'Purpose' statement and a set of 'Attributes' to be used in conjunction with cybersecurity principles and other industry standards. An update to the standard also needs to factor in today's threat landscape and security threats. The new controls are:Threat intelligenceInformation deletionInformation security for the use of cloud servicesICT readiness for business continuityPhysical security monitoringConfiguration managementData maskingSecure codingData leakage preventionMonitoring activitiesWeb filtering CONTROL ATTRIBUTES These controls have five types of 'attributes' to... --- If there is a central key aspect of healthcare security, it is HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 changed the way healthcare providers increased the security of patient data and information. Every person that works in healthcare, from the front desk person to a brain surgeon, learns exactly what HIPAA is and how they must incorporate it in their jobs. But is following the basic rules of HIPAA truly enough to be secure? Why is HIPAA not enough? First, the HIPAA Security Rule is meant to cover a wide range of medical practices, from the small single-doctor office to a huge university teaching hospital. The wide range meant that many of the security elements are necessarily vague. While this allows the Security Rule to apply to the wide range, it also allows for gaps in how patient data is securely treated. Second, not every standard is required. This is because HIPAA provides guidelines and a framework for security, but it is not prescriptive. It is up to each company or clinic to define what compliance means to them. Addressable standards can be eliminated if the location can document a business reason for not addressing the particular standard. This allows companies to either not implement all the standards that they need or go too far using unnecessary safeguards. Third, HIPAA does not have any official confirmation of compliance. Compliance is demonstrated through a risk assessment and control documents. This lack of certification means that human error can... --- Accorian at UPES, Dehradun Despite industry-wide hiring freezes as a result of COVID, Accorian has established its first university recruitment channel with UPES Dehradun for their security graduates; having hired two members from the university to our team in 2020. This year alone, Accorian has grown 150% since the start of COVID across all levels, adding breadth and depth to our compliance and security teams. Accorian is looking to carry this momentum into 2021 with 6 more junior positions opening up in January in concert with more experienced roles. As this growth continues, Accorian will continue to establish new campus-recruitment channels to ensure we are finding the best talent to grow with us to become leaders in the industry. The role of university-recruitment is crucial to the growth and culture of any company. Whether it is an intern, a full-time employee, or a leader, Accorian is committed to creating an atmosphere of growth, camaraderie, and accountability for every member of our team. Accorian is a full-service cybersecurity, compliance, and consulting firm helping companies improve the way they approach and manage risk. Accorian is always looking for driven security enthusiasts as we continue to grow. If you feel you are a good match for our team, email us at info@accorian. com with your resume and a paragraph on how you would like to grow in your role. If you are a campus administrator and would like to partner with Accorian for pre-placement and recruitment talks, please email info@accorian. com to schedule a call with... --- The last 2-3 years have seen a spike in the adoption of cloud especially among organizations who had possibly never thought about moving to a shared environment due to security concerns like large corporations, banking, financial services, etc. The main drivers have been efficiency, easiness, flexibility, scalability, lower TCO among others. This adoption was further fueled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the requirement to support remote working, collaboration, faster scaling, etc. This has also fueled another type of growth; but the not favorable kind – Attacks on cloud assets. This has swiftly joined the ranks of the top favorites of hackers due to the nature of information being stored on the cloud. A majority of companies on the cloud believe that securing their assets is the sole responsibility of the CSP and hence, they ‘over trust’ & think that they’ve ‘transferred their risk’. But, it’s further from the truth. Per a recent McAfee report, 69% of CISOs trust their cloud providers to keep their data secure, and 12% believe cloud service providers are solely responsible for securing data. The shared responsibility matrix illustrated aims to throw light on the subject – In a nutshell, if you’re on the cloud, then the CSP will secure the cloud operations and you will need to secure everything that you have on the cloud. Hence, you will need to secure the following among others: Identity & Access Management Client & Endpoint Protection Data classification & accountability Platform Your applications OS, Network & Firewall... --- Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic channels allowing long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. There has been a many fold increase in the adoption due to COVID 19 and patients being unable to travel to meet doctors. It is important to understand that telehealth is susceptible to cyber breaches and poses an immense threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patients’ electronic medical records. Patient’s medical records contain very sensitive information that should not be made accessible to unauthorized persons to protect patient privacy, integrity, and confidentiality. The flipside is that this information needs to be easily available whenever required by authorized users for an authentic purpose. Telehealth presents all of the security issues as any other electronic transmission but, probably one of the most important issues will be availability – signal interference, interruption of transmission, or outages causing a real issue. Also, DOS outages could present a greater risk to patients who depend on telehealth services. Attacks on the telehealth network can be grouped into two broad categories depending on their type: Active attacks: These attacks include modification, interruption, or fabrication of patient information. Passive attacks: These attacks include the interception of information but ,not alteration. These attacks are accomplished by monitoring a system performing its tasks and collecting information. These include eavesdropping, sniffing, or traffic analysis kind of activities. Passive attacks result in the disclosure of information or data files to an attacker without the consent or... --- In today’s complex technological world, there is always the danger of a hostile threat environment lurking around the corner, waiting to manipulate the potholes in the processes and technology. People and organizations with malicious intent always try to act upon such opportunities and cause everlasting damage to the organization’s reputation and finances. In such a scenario, securing information and information assets of the organization are of paramount importance. There are several ways to secure information and information assets within an organization. Some organizations may deploy strict controls like access control, secure equipment sitting area, authorization, and authentication, etc. The healthcare industry is no different and is not safe from the malicious intent of hackers and trespassers. Sensitive healthcare information like patient data, patient recovery status, personal information, etc. always needs to be safeguarded. Hence, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996, which outlines protection and security standards for health care data. HIPAA is a public law that can be considered landmark legislation when it was enacted in the ‘90s. Before its enactment, there were no security standards or requirements for protecting health care information. While HIPAA is an act that details standards for compliance, HITRUST is an organization that helps you achieve those standards by the means of industry-acclaimed certification. Transitioning from HIPAA Compliance to HITRUST Certification When an organization transitions from being HIPAA Compliant to being getting HITRUST certified, is not a straightforward and simple journey altogether. This involves a lot of effort and... --- Today’s world is an ever-changing scenario with changes to the technology sector happening more frequently than ever due to emerging technologies. The case is quite similar in the field of Cyber Security. There are a few industry-acclaimed cybersecurity standards for governing the processes and execution of these standards. These standards are usually built upon a framework of control objectives that need to be implemented by the organizations to comply with these standards. Compliance is measured in terms of control objectives meeting the compliance criteria and also other regulatory and statutory criteria. Since most of these Cybersecurity standards speak of similar control objectives or lay emphasis on similar control areas, it is advisable to have the ‘Adobe’s Common Control Framework’, which means that if we are able to comply with a single requirement from a particular framework, in theory, we should be able to use the adherence of that requirement for ALL the similar frameworks. There are several approaches to achieving this Adobe's Common Controls Framework both in theory and in practice and will be discussed in detail later on in this article. The most relevant security and privacy frameworks are ISO 27001, NIST, PCIDSS, GDPR, SOC Type 2. There is a significant overlap of controls contained in these standards as all of these standards primarily deal with one requirement which is the protection of data. Protection of information from unauthorized disclosure, compromise, and theft forms the backbone or the building blocks of an Adobe's Common Control Framework. This leverages the... --- E-mails are the most used productivity tool by employees. They are also a treasure trove of information and are a lucrative target for hackers as all your data – company, employee, client, etc. are present in one place. Microsoft’s O365 has been a gamechanger in the world of e-mail. It’s easiness, mobility & ready-to-use ability has led to its popularity. With more than 150 million active users, this is a very lucrative target for attackers. Recently, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published security advice for organisations that may have rushed out Office 365 deployments to support remote working during the coronavirus pandemic.  This coincides with their notification last year on Microsoft Office 365 Security Observations. Why is securing your O365 important? Most organisations assume that complete responsibility & onus of securing their O365 lies with Microsoft. The reality is that Microsoft secures the COTS application and underlying network infrastructure. On the flip side, the instance has 100s of settings & controls to be picked, applied, managed & maintained by the end client. In the wake of COVID 19, many organisations would’ve overlooked important security configurations due to hurried implementations. This could be exploited by attackers to gain access to your data. It is always important to understand the reality that it’s your data after all. Hence, it’s your responsibility to secure O365. How can you commence your journey to a Secure O365? Implement Microsoft recommended Security Defaults : This includes switching on MFA (Around 90% of organizations... --- A risk management program allows you to manage overall information security risk. It is an approach to identify, quantify, mitigate, and monitor risks. The reason to look at risk in a comprehensive manner is to make sure no one area is getting too much attention or, too little. Frameworks also help you identify the bigger elements of risk that need review and mitigation. Additionally, it help you to prioritize the treatment of certain risks. The adherence to risk frameworks also helps give your customers comfort that a standard risk management is in place and hence, reduce your audit burden.   Typically, a Risk Management program comprises of the following phases: Risk identification Risk analysis Risk evaluation Risk treatment Risk Monitoring A good risk management framework will have the following characteristics: Comprehensive in types of risks it covers Practical for an organization to implement Updated with current real-world risks Based on controls that can be reviewed and audited Reliable so that your vendors and customers can accept it There are many risk management frameworks that one can choose from and it important to understand the advantages of each. Common risk management frameworks include: NIST CSF SOC 2 ISO 27001 HITRUST NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) framework is a comprehensive cybersecurity framework (CSF). It is very widely accepted across different company sizes and business domains. Most cyber-security professionals are well aware of this framework as it is readily available. Although widely available and very popular there is no certified third-party... --- In the digital age data privacy & protection is a huge concern for company of all sizes. In part, because data breaches are happening daily, exposing personal data of millions of people. A direct consequence of a breach – individuals whose data is exposed can suffer identity theft/financial loss; and companies risk financial costs, loss of credibility in the marketplace, damage to public, investors and customer trust. And, significant penalties are levied by regulatory authorities and companies incur significant cost to remedy the breached systems/processes. Let’s take a comprehensive look at understanding data privacy and protection world: What is Data Privacy Regulation – Rules on how companies can collect, store & use personal data. What is Data Protection –Security controls that provide confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. Objectives for both are same – safeguard sensitive information from data breach, cyberattacks and accidental/intentional data loss. Types of data commonly considered sensitive data – Most commonly considered sensitive information, both by the general public and by legal mandates: Personally identifiable information (PII) – Data that can identify, contact or locate an individual or distinguish one person from another Personal health information (PHI) – An individual’s medical history, insurance information and other private data collected by healthcare providers Personally identifiable financial information (PIFI) – An individual’s credit card, bank account numbers, or personal finances Student records – An individual’s grades, transcripts, billing details, etc. Personal data protection and privacy regulations: Governments across the world are framing and adopting privacy data protection laws that regulate how personal data can be... --- APIs & Web Services are essential supporting building blocks for today’s applications. They’re not only the connective tissue between applications, systems, and data, but also the mechanisms that allow developers to leverage and reuse these digital assets for new purposes. Developers can utilize these building blocks to integrate advanced functionality and features into their software without having to design the API from scratch. Businesses can also integrate software, in-house and third-party using reusable APIs to meet partner/customer requirements, improve performance, optimize usage, etc. The economic benefits and flexibility that the APIs allow have inspired SMEs to adopt the usage and development of APIs. For example: If a hospital intends to consolidate patient history from all clinicians, the operation can be performed merely by using readily available APIs provided by various providers. The developer does not need to understand how the API functions. These utilities can be used to access sensitive information or, perform sensitive transactions. An adversary with a valid request format and key could also access this data, leading to data leakage. Hence, the security risk in API extends beyond the risks associated with the protocol (HTTP) or, applications. Most developers rely on frameworks and hence, framework associated flaws creep into the mix as well. Considering more than half the traffic on the internet includes an API sending/retrieving information from applications. APIs are now the new attack surface which could incapacitate or, leveraged to gather information from multiple applications/software. A successful attack campaign could lead to reputation & revenue... --- No one event has had the focus of the world at this scale in the last decade. As IT teams are working round the clock to ensure that organizations continue to function and teleworkers are able to access their assets & data, attackers could use this an opportunity to slip under the radar & conduct a successful cyber-attack. This article aims to help bring you up to speed on changed threat landscape & how can you secure your organization in times of a larger threat landscape due to teleworking. Increase in malware, ransomware, phishing e-mails targeting the weakest link in security – People: Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the fact that employees are teleworking. A majority of these workers are teleworking for the first time. The last few days have seen a multitude of phishing e-mails impersonating management executives or, HR being sent with information about Coronavirus. Additionally, these e-mails are being used lure end users to download files or, access malware laced websites Attackers are even luring users to a coronavirus map to infect endpoints with AZORult malware. Hackers are stealing user information from browsers associated to including usernames, passwords, credit card numbers etc. Check Point has stated that coronavirus related domains are 50% more likely to install malware on endpoints. It is important for users to verify the identity of the sender through visual inspection of the e-mail address before downloading files or, following a link listed in the e-mail. Additionally, the spam gateway should append text stating that... --- At the start of the year, HITRUST released an updated methodology for scoring requirements. This will ensure that organizations focus on maintaining a robust program with implemented controls for enhancing security posture and adherence to HITRUST. Hence, if you’re on the path to HITRUST or new to it, the following will be applicable to you: HITRUST will now place a greater influence on implementation of controls It can potentially increase the number of Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) due to gaps in implementation. The increase in CAP’s in implementation would correspond with a decrease in the number of CAPs attributed to gaps in policies and procedures as well as an increase in the scores for managed & measured if implemented well. A greater emphasis will be placed on procedure in comparison to policy. HITRUST wants to ensure that SOPs are well documented, but more importantly, followed with workflows and ownership. Assessors and enterprises will now be able to objectively score each control using the Control Maturity Rubric. Managed now holds greater importance in comparison to measured. The key takeaways are as follows: 1) Change in weightage Maturity LevelsOldNewPolicy25%15%Procedure25%20%Implemented25%40%Measured15%10%Managed10%15% 2) Updated HITRUST Control Maturity Rubric An objectively defined control maturity rubric is in place. It will aid in quantifying current state of controls during self-assessments for HITRUST prospective enterprises & for validated assessments. There are 5 tiers for assessing the strength of the control (policy, procedure, implementation, measurement and management) and 5 tiers for assessing coverage and adherence. 3) Applicability The new... --- How the times have changed. 15 years ago, cyber-security consisted of making sure you had an anti-virus program running on your machines. It didn’t matter if it was effective, but the presence was enough to assuage our cybersecurity requirement. Though phishing, ransomware, data breaches, and compliance existed, we never treated it as a primary concern. Today’s threat landscape is quite different. With a mixture of well-funded, sophisticated attackers leveraging AI and script-kiddies using simple techniques like ransomware, we have to ensure that our internal, IP, and client data are all secured in a regulated and dynamic environment. The result: more breaches and thefts, increasing ransom costs, and more operational lag. For some time, I have wanted to create a starting point to help us CTO’s navigate these turbulent waters, and here is what I have come up with: Pick a Security Framework — Even if you don’t need to satisfy any compliance requirements, pick a framework that is modern and up to date. A few examples are HITRUST CSF, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and NIST CSF. By selecting a security framework, you can ensure you are looking at an overall security plan that covers the full breadth of threats that modern companies are exposed to. Often, we are too optimistic with regards to our weaknesses, so we settle for a sub-par security solution that only protects us from one or two possible vulnerabilities attackers will be looking to exploit. My preference would be either HITRUST or SOC 2 as both can... --- We often learn about the latest security issues, threats, vulnerabilities, attacks, and ransoms every day. While much of the advertised information we read is about external vulnerabilities, there is another, often-overlooked, hazard lying in wait: Insider threats. What are Insider Threats? An insider threat is an often-overlooked security threat from within an organization. Often an employee, contractor, business associate or, third-party entity, an insider threat is anyone who had or still has access to proprietary information within an organization. Due to the unforeseen nature of these breaches, traditional security measures and products often fail in preventing and detecting insider threats. Why should organizations be concerned? 75% of internal breaches go unnoticed. An employee logging-in is easily overlooked in comparison to an external threat. Internal breaches are twice as costly and damaging as external threats due to the longevity of the breach and the detection lag 69% of organizations that were breached internally had a prevention solution in place, but still failed to detect the attack. On average, it takes 32 months to detect an internal breach. 65% of breaches are unintentional, making privileged-users the largest risk for organizations. Not every breach is the result of maliciousness, recklessness, or negligence, but regardless, the presence of human error in internal breaches means organizations have to invest in training, education, and technology that work with the user in mitigating insider threats. Why should Healthcare organizations be concerned? Hackers leverage highly targeted phishing campaigns to gain access to healthcare organizations’ networks, which serves as a critical reminder for the... --- On October 28, 2019, HITRUST announced the release of version 9. 3 of the HITRUST CSF information risk and compliance management framework. The HITRUST CSF is an important step in the HITRUST certification process. It provides necessary risk management and compliance methods that helps organizations ensure that their security programs are aligned and meets compliance standards. This new version of HITRUST CSF includes changes requested by the HITRUST community, corrections as needed and updated language to the glossary that effectively clarify terms found in the HITRUST framework. New authoritative sources: The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) 1798 – Effective January 1, 2020, this act requires qualifying organizations to protect California consumer data and gives them the option to opt-out sharing of their data. HITRUST CSF v9. 3 includes mappings and related information on the CCPA reflecting not just the original act, but the amendments made thereto during the recent California Legislative Session. NIST SP 800-171 R2 (DFARS) – provides guidance to protect controlled unclassified information in nonfederal systems and organizations. HITRUST CSF provides the controls needed to implement NIST Cybersecurity Framework effectively. A company can certify its implementation of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework by using the widely adopted HITRUST assurance program. A 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report to Congress recognized the alignment of the HITRUST CSF to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The South Carolina Insurance Data Security Act 2018 (SCIDSA) 4655 – Effective January 1, 2019, the SCIDSA requires qualifying organizations to report and investigate cybersecurity events within specific time frames. HITRUST v9.... --- October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and it’s a reminder that we need to be vigilant about protecting our privacy and our business from possible cyber attacks.   This initiative is a joint effort between the US government and the technology industry to spread cybersecurity awareness. This year’s theme is “Own it, secure it, protect it” which addresses personal accountability and security best practices to protect your devices. This is in response to the relentless attacks from hackers trying to steal our personal data. How times have changed. 10 years ago, when I first became a CTO, cybersecurity was not a huge priority. At that time, just having a good password policy, regular patching and anti-virus was enough for most small to mid-sized companies. But as the cyber-attacks increased, cyber-security has to be top of mind for all CIO/CTOs. Cybersecurity is so important now because we are more dependent on the internet than ever. Connected devices are being used in all aspects of most of our lives, just one breach of an unsecured device on a public network can cause hackers to access the personal data of thousands of people. Here are 5 important concerns of cybersecurity today: 1. Compliance Data privacy has moved to the fore-front. With new privacy regulation – GDPR and CCPA for example, companies have to take data privacy seriously. The fines levied are serious and the table stakes have been raised. 2. Ransomware & Crypto-currency Hackers have found ransomware to be very profitable because companies and... --- Remember the phrase “Seeing is believing? ” Deepfake videos have people second guessing what they are watching. Deepfakes are videos manufactured by AI technology that can superimpose someone’s face on another person’s face and manipulate them into saying or doing things that didn’t happen. These videos have been used to spread propaganda on social media networks especially in politics. Special effect video techniques that were once limited to movie studios and expensive software are now readily available and getting into the wrong hands. Security experts believe that deepfakes were used by deceptive Facebook groups to influence the 2016 US presidential election in 2016. As the next presidential election approaches in 2020, companies are working quickly on new technology that can detect deepfakes.   How did Deepfakes begin? In 2015, Google released powerful software called Tensorflow that was misused to create Deepfake technology. This software could automatically graft the image of any face onto another face in a video, almost seamlessly. A user on Reddit used this software to create FakeApp then released it in a Reddit community. This allowed anyone to download the AI software to create Deepfake technology. Reddit has since banned that community but it was too late. This software has been adapted to create FaceSwap and most recently in the viral Chinese app, Zao which can replace the face of movie stars with your own face.   Deepfake audio is becoming more common We have to be careful about what we hear. Cyber criminals can used AI audio software... --- Any for-profit company that does business or has customers in California should prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Here’s why they should. The CCPA applies to businesses that are collecting data and personal information of residents in California, who meet one of the following conditions: Has an annual gross revenue of $25 million or more. The organization stores the data for over 50,000 or more consumers, households or devices. Selling consumers’ personal data yields to 50% or more of the annual revenue. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that took effect May 25, 2018 has inspired law makes to look into new ways to protect the consumer.   The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) legislation passed in 2018 and will take effect in the State of California on January 1, 2020.   This new law will give California residents the right to: Access their personal information that was collected Request that their personal data be deleted from the company’s database Opt-out of the sales or transfer of their personal information to third parties To be treated the same as others who allow the company to use their data  How similar is CCPA to GDPR? While CCPA is similar to GDPR, they have their differences. The chart below shows some of the similarities. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a bill designed to protect and control the usage of the personal data of European (EU) citizens in and outside Europe. The legislation applies to all companies who collect, store and process... --- On August 27, 2019, Accorian, facilitated a successful HITRUST Community Extension Program in New York city. Security and Technology professionals from organizations in healthcare, finance and technology attended the town hall. Michael Parisi, VP of Assurance Strategy & Community Development was the main speaker and he did a great job informing the attendees about HITRUST. Lively discussions about the HITRUST process kept the event energetic. Real world examples and case studies helped attendees to see the benefits of becoming HITRUST certified. John Langhauser, the co-founder of AdhereTech John Langhauser, the co-founder of AdhereTech, explained how pursuing a HITRUST certification differentiated them from competitors. AdhereTech provides software that uses smart pill bottles to provide patient support. They have found that being a HITRUST certified company in the healthcare industry has simplified their security conversations with potential customers. Live demo of MyCSF® scoping exercise Pete Niner, one of our HITRUST CSF Practitioners, conducted a live scoping exercise using the My CSF tool. He also provided a case study of a client benefited from the scoping exercise despite challenges. Pete recommended that the scope of the HITRUST Assessment be made very clear and as minimal as possible. Companies should ensure that legal and compliance obligations should be precisely scoped and only included if required. Key Points from Michael Parisi The main objective of the CEP event was to promote awareness of the HITRUST process while promoting the benefits of the certification. Michael Parisi spoke about the journey to certification, the types of assessments and... --- Like my high school coach always said, “Stick to your basics”. The Equifax and CapitalOne breaches reminds us that cyber-attacks don’t always come from sophisticated hacking groups.  I’m sure these companies were using the best cybersecurity software that money could buy. They probably had good internal and external IT support.   However, the data breaches they suffered could have been easily prevented by applying the most basic cybersecurity functions. What went wrong at Equifax & CapitalOne? In September 2017, Equifax disclosed that the personal information of up to 147 million people had been compromised as well as 147 million US consumers’ names and dates of birth, 145. 5 million social security numbers, and 209,000 payment card numbers and expiration dates. This data breach is in the news again because they agreed to a settlement that will compensate those affected by the breach. On July 29, 2019, CapitalOne reported that the personal data of over 106 million customers in the US and Canada were compromised. This data was stolen by Paige Thompson, an ex-Amazon employee who accessed the data between March and July this year. How did these breaches happen? The data at CapitalOne was stored on Amazon Web Services cloud. Investigators found that Thompson found a misconfigured firewall on a web application and used it to gain access to data stored on the cloud. A few months before Equifax was hacked, US-CERT issued a warning that companies should apply the Apache Software Foundation’s patch for the flaw 2017-CVE-5638.  The FTC alleges that... --- FaceApp, the AI-powered picture-editing program, is trending in social media. We’ve all seen the pictures of celebrities using FaceApp to make themselves look older or younger. However, security experts are concerned about the possibility that the app could access more than pictures. Many users don’t realize that the app, owned by an overseas company, doesn’t process the pictures on your phone. Instead it uploads your photos to its own server and manipulates it there. Personal data is considered the new “Oil. ” User discretion is advised. When you allow any app to accurately map your face, this data can be collected and sold to generate revenue. This data can be used for facial recognition and tracking through unsecured cameras or targeted marketing at stores and the possibilities are endless. In their privacy policy, Faceapp actually says that they “may use information” they receive to “provide personalized content & information to you and others, which could include online ads or other forms of marketing. ” So it’s safe to assume that they are collecting data. Concerns about FaceApp’s Terms of Use & Permissions  When you accept the FaceApp’s terms of use it gives their developers the right to use your selfies, name, likeness, voice or, persona for commercial purposes. It also has a statement covering privacy laws of EU & US and states that they may transfer information to other countries & jurisdictions. Using the app also grants the program permissions, to access in-app purchases, photo & media files, device storage and... --- Companies of all sizes are doing a good job beefing up their cybersecurity and that’s great. But... many are forgetting an often overlooked target – their third party service providers. Any company that uses a third-party CRM software or an outside a server with access to sensitive or confidential data, could be risking a data-leak. Investigating the security of your third party provider is extremely important. In February 2018, security researchers reported that a Walmart third-party vendor Limogés Jewelry exposed confidential data, emails and passwords for over 1. 3 million customers. That data also included records for retailers such as Amazon, Overstock, Sears, Kmart and Target. Most companies are not prepared for this type of breach and have a tough time understanding their third-party vendor risk because: They don’t have the staff to review all their third-party vendors. They may not know who all their third-party vendors are. Surprisingly, the move to SAAS (Software as a Service) tools/platforms has, in some ways, reduced the security posture of some companies.  SAAS tools allow third party providers to host applications on the internet so they are readily available for customers. Since it’s “easy” as using a credit card to buy a new SAAS tool, the number of third-party vendors has increased. For example, if different departments in a company aren’t getting what they need from the internal technology team, they could purchase a third-party solution and send their data to the vendor.   However, before you know it, the company’s data has been... --- Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) are often unsure of where they stand when it comes to cybersecurity. While larger companies treat cybersecurity with white gloves SMBs often think that they are not a target and fall prey to popular myths surrounding it. These misconceptions and a lack of resources have caused business owners try to get by with minimal levels of data security — often to their own detriment.  The statistics don’t lie.  A recent study, conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance, found that 77% of small business owners believed that they were safe from cyber threats. Interestingly, the same survey also highlighted statistics that directly contradicted their confident outlook: Almost 50% of SMBs in the US have experienced a cyber attack More than 70% of all cyber-attacks were aimed at SMBs 60% of SMBs went out of business within 6 months after experiencing a cyber-attack $2,235,000 is the average cost of malware attacks for every SMB Data breaches are no longer a case of ‘if’ as much as ‘when’ in today’s digital environment. With the growing frequency of malware attacks and data leaks, there’s one question that you simply cannot leave unanswered — can you afford to stay in the dark about cybersecurity?  To fully understand the importance of having efficient cybersecurity, let’s start by dispelling some of the most common myths! In fact, the smaller your business, the greater the need to be have efficient cybersecurity. Myth 1 — My company is not big enough to be hacked Hackers don’t discriminate. While most small businesses... --- In 2018, 15 million patient records were breached during 503 healthcare cyber-attacks. That’s three times the amount of reported incidents in 2017*. As breaches continue to escalate, healthcare records are becoming a big target and are valuable on the black market. 1. Where is your data and how is it protected? Most organizations don’t know where and how much health data they possess. Mobility and easy access to data adds to the risk. The usage of IoT and other handheld devices also add a layer of complexity. 2. Train your staff on anti-phishing techniques The healthcare industry suffers more from insider threats than external threats. hackers are using targeted and sophisticated social engineering techniques to cause human error. These advanced phishing techniques leverage AI & Crimeware that exploit the weakest link in security – Humans. It’s important that employees are educated so that they are not fooled into allowing a hacker to access the network. 3. Is your Network being monitored 24/7? Hackers don’t take a day off and neither should your security. Attacks will be more sophisticated, harder to detect & defend in real time. Real time security monitoring & a robust incident response plan will be key. This will leverage AI to detect & defend your network in real time. 4. Increase your budget for cybersecurity Successful data breaches significantly impact the bottom line of organizations. This includes fines, legal & investigator fees, the loss of credibility, reputation, customer confidence, valuation and changes in the CXO level. Cyber insurance premiums have... --- With the number of security breaches occurring right now there is a tremendous focus on cybersecurity in companies of all sizes. In many cases, the board wants to know that this is being focused on. For a mid-size company with multiple competing priorities, the amount of investment they can make on cybersecurity is limited. The hackers also know this.   In today’s marketplace, there are a number of technology products coming out promising to solve the cybersecurity problems. Unfortunately, you first need to identify the problem(s) and one shouldn’t buy a cool sounding product without a security strategy in place. Start by asking the following questions: 1.  What data or other intellectual property am I trying to protect? 2.  Do I know what processes/people have access to that information? 3.  Are there compliances – PCI, HITRUST, HIPAA, SOC-2 I need to follow? 4.  Have my staff been trained on security – what policies do we have in place? 5.  Do I understand the current risks from both the outside and inside? 6.  Do I know who is interacting with the assets I’m trying to protect? 7.  Am I logging the right transactions? 8.  Is cybersecurity an important part of our company culture? 9.  If I did get breached would I even know? 10.  What do I do if I suspect a security breach? Answering these questions will help you understand your security gaps and how to best fill them. Yes, you will need to buy products as part of the... --- Risk assessments are the backbone to any good security and risk plan. Risk assessments test your current information system and reveal any areas where data is at risk of theft or exposure. But a risk assessment holds even greater importance in the healthcare setting. With regards to Protected Healthcare Information (PHI or ePHI), HIPAA sets clear recommendations on how PHI should be handled that elevates the risk if the data is stolen or accidentally disclosed. An in-depth risk assessment is needed to be HIPAA compliant. And if you choose to also become HITRUST certified, then you must have ongoing risk assessments to ensure your data is safe. So, how do you conduct a risk assessment? The first step is to perform an initial risk assessment if you haven’t already done so. This should include: Identify critical business functions and assets supporting ePHI processing Develop a risk assessment framework Create a risk treatment strategy This risk assessment is a gauge on how secure things are currently, and more importantly, what changes need to be made to improve security and reduce risk. All businesses have risk, but you will want to reduce the risk to acceptable level. Make sure your risk treatment strategy includes regular and frequent risk re-assessments A big mistake a lot of healthcare companies make is to think the initial risk assessment is enough. As your practice grows and changes, so will your risks. Risk assessment should be performed on a regular basis to analyse potential threats that may... --- --- ## Case Study In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, trust and compliance are paramount. A leading organization serving as the health information exchange (HIE) partnered with Accorian to achieve HITRUST r2 Validated Certification. This was a critical step towards ensuring data security, regulatory compliance, and trust across its network of hospitals, physicians, and health plans. To navigate the complexities of HITRUST r2 Validated Certification, the organization turned to Accorian for support in achieving certification. Download --- As cybersecurity and compliance expectations grow more complex, IT service providers are required to demonstrate a proactive and structured approach to risk management. Our client, an industry leader in IT modernization, cloud, and managed services, sought to enhance their compliance posture through SOC 2 Type II attestation. Partnering with Accorian and leveraging GoRICO, our proprietary GRC platform, the client streamlined evidence collection, strengthened its security framework, and successfully met rigorous compliance standards. Download --- A rapidly scaling FinTech organization offering AI-powered customer support partnered with Accorian to improve the security of a multi-tenant chatbot platform. Given the sensitive financial data processed by the application, robust security assurance was critical. Accorian conducted a comprehensive AI chatbot penetration test, uncovering critical vulnerabilities and helping the client implement timely remediations to strengthen the application's resilience. Download --- A growing AI-driven healthcare technology provider partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security posture and achieve HITRUST i1 certification. The organization aimed to ensure regulatory alignment, enhance customer trust, and meet increasing security expectations from healthcare partners. Accorian led a structured, phased engagement that reduced security control gaps by over 84% ahead of the final audit. Download --- A leading technology-driven healthcare company revolutionizing IVF practices sought to strengthen its data protection, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity frameworks. With an expanding cloud infrastructure and increasing volumes of personally identifiable information (PII) from patients and clinics, the client partnered with Accorian to enhance its compliance posture across multiple frameworks, including ISO 27001, HITRUST e1, SOC 2, HIPAA, and NIST CSF 2. 0. The client achieved measurable improvements in compliance, cybersecurity resilience, and operational efficiency through Accorian's comprehensive support—spanning assessments, audits, risk management, and penetration testing. Download --- This organization operated as an AI-driven finance intelligence platform, enabling financial teams to make faster and more informed decisions. Their solution leveraged AI/ML with financial context to automate and enhance processes such as data cleansing, enrichment, anomaly detection, predictive financial forecasting, and what-if scenario analysis. Download --- A leading healthcare technology provider specializing in AI-powered risk adjustment solutions partnered with Accorian to achieve HITRUST i1 certification. The organization sought to strengthen its security posture, enhance customer trust, and align with industry standards. Accorian provided strategic guidance, hands-on support, and a tailored approach to navigate HITRUST compliance in a complex, AI-driven operational environment. Despite issues related to evidence collection and operational nuances, the project resulted in a robust compliance framework and stronger internal security practices. Download --- This specialized telemedicine provider delivers urgent and behavioral health services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other vulnerable populations. Their mission-centered platform enabled the delivery of immediate and high-quality care, while reducing unnecessary hospital visits. With over 90% of patient cases resolved remotely, the client’s approach brought efficiency and accessibility to traditionally underserved communities. Download --- A leading healthcare technology company partnered with Accorian to achieve HITRUST certification and strengthen their security posture. As a company managing sensitive healthcare data, adhering to industry standards was essential for establishing trust with healthcare organizations, payers, and partners. Accorian provided comprehensive guidance, resolved security concerns, expedited validation testing, and improved project reporting for transparency. The project was completed ahead of schedule, achieving HITRUST certification with zero CAPs (Corrective Action Plans). Download --- This case study showcases how a fintech company partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security posture, enhance risk visibility, and streamline banking operations through comprehensive vulnerability management and system integration. Download --- This telemedicine company partnered with Accorian to strengthen its security architecture and ensure uninterrupted business operations. The client aimed to identify, evaluate, and manage significant risks such as cybersecurity threats, regulatory compliance problems, and operational interruptions through a systematic enterprise risk assessment and business impact analysis. Download --- The client, a technology-driven healthcare IT organization, sought to enhance their security framework by achieving ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 attestation while conducting a Risk Assessment to identify and address security gaps. Accorian provided end-to-end support, including risk analysis, gap assessments, internal audits, and external audit preparation. There were few complexities like evidence submission delays, SPOC changes, scheduling conflicts, last-minute SOC 2 report updates, etc, which were successfully navigated by the Accorian team. Download --- This IT services company, lacked a formal security framework, leaving them vulnerable to risks and compliance challenges. Accorian proposed a bundled SOC 2 compliance approach, leveraging GoRICO, the inhouse GRC tool, for seamless implementation. Download --- A leading healthcare business process operation (BPO) that operates across five countries, with a staff of 35,000 employees, partnered with Accorian to enhance security posture and achieve HITRUST certification. The client faced challenges in aligning security measures, managing multiple compliance frameworks, and addressing policy gaps. Download --- Our client, a healthcare enterprise data platform provider, aimed to strengthen security and meet stakeholder expectations by achieving HITRUST e1 certification. Partnering with Accorian, they underwent a GAP assessment, advisory, and validation testing, completing the process within seven months. Download --- Our client, a renowned healthcare analytics company, wanted to partner with us for improving their data security and compliance framework while reaffirming their commitment to patient privacy. We guided the client through a structured, multi-phase strategy to gain ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type II attestation, as well as conducting risk assessments, penetration testing, and a BCP tabletop exercise. Download --- ISO 27001 – Here is how - we assisted a fertility tech company establish operational requirements that support compliance with security commitments, relevant laws and regulations, and other system requirements. Download --- Growing Start-up partners with Accorian to re-engineer an outdated platform to increase functionality and scalability Download --- Cybersecurity is an ongoing battle and organizations need proactive measures to stay ahead of evolving threats. Download --- Our client is a SaaS company in the service sector of health tech which is projected to reach $549. 7 billion by 2028 Download --- Our client has an established digital marketing platform. Download --- Our client is a global leader in power and energy, an industry which is expected to reach around USD 3. 9 trillion by 2032 Download --- HITRUST, SOC 2, & ISO 27001 To meet multiple compliance frameworks (HITRUST, ISO 27001, SOC 2) across various industries and geographies in less than a year. To create a single roadmap that covers both security and compliance. Furthermore, to manage regular updates of their audit cycle, policy procedures, and vulnerability management. This is to help speed up compliance and reduce friction. Download --- ISO 27001 To meet the growing demands of their services, The client had implemented sophisticated technology assets for business operations, thereby increasing the organization's exposure to attacks on its IT, as well as business infrastructure. To overcome these situations the client had to place immense emphasis on the improvement of information security practices with regards to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information within the company. For this, they hired Accorian to implement IT risk management processes, align internal privacy standards with international standards, and incorporate maturity in documentation. Download --- VENDOR RISK ASSESSMENT The client needed to be able to scale vendor risk assessments within a short period and with a trusted partner. At the same time, healthcare organizations in their marketplace needed to feel comfortable with a 3rd party reviewing security assessments. Download --- Service Brief GDPR is an EU regulation that gives EU citizens control over their personally identifiable information (PII) that a company can collect & use. It simplifies the regulatory framework for all businesses and organizations to operate in the EU. All organizations doing business in EU must comply with the requirement and penalties for being non-compliant are up to 4% of global annual revenue. With 40% of our Client’s sales revenue originating from EU; being GDPR Compliant was of utmost importance and facilitate serving EU customers without business interruption. Download --- Challenges Understanding the real intent & desired outcomes of the CTO & CISO for the annual penetration testing assessment Finalizing the scope of work after our session on our recommendations on assessments that can help in understanding holistic technical risk and signoff Collection of pre-requisites especially secure handling of source code and planning timelines Maintaining the operability of sensitive systems while completing our technical assessment Download --- Service Brief Comprehensive Testing: Ensuring the right pre-requisites are captured & shared. As the APIs were very large & unique in their structure, the testing was manual along with a few automated scripts. Network Testing Coverage: The client was unsure of all their assets on the internet. Hence, we ran a preliminary scan to identify all their assets on the internet including Shadow IT. Maintaining business as usual for critical operations and the operability of sensitive systems while completing our technical assessment. Download --- Service Brief Our client’s systems were ransomware attacked through one of their open ports and applications. This then replicated internally to their desktops and the AWS environment. The client was able to shut down the machines before everything had been replicated. The applications were hosted on AWS infrastructure including their EMR. Due to COVID, a large number of their staff were working from remote and so they had opened up more applications and ports to external users than usual. Download --- Service Brief Our client's rapid company expansion meant thattheir contract base was growing at an exponential rate. The client provides health and wellness coaching as an approach for empowering people to take responsibility for their well-being. Non-directive, empathetic, andmindrul dialogues utilizing motivational and evidence-based methodologies are the catalysts for this. Download --- Service Brief Collection of pre-requisites & scope finalisation Possible outage of legacy systems due to technical assessments Strict time window of 6 PM to 6 AM for the technical assessments Pausing of assessments due to non assessment related issues in the network Download --- --- ## News On October 3rd, Accorian marked Cybersecurity Day 2025 with an engaging and insightful session that brought together our teams to discuss emerging trends shaping the cybersecurity landscape. The event was filled with energy, collaboration, and meaningful conversations from exploring new threat vectors to sharing best practices for staying resilient in a rapidly evolving digital world. It was not just a day of learning, but also of connection, curiosity, and fun, a true reflection of Accorian’s culture of continuous growth and cyber awareness. #CybersecurityDay2025 #Accorian #CyberAwareness #CyberResilience #TeamAccorian --- We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Cowbell COMPaaS (Compliance-as-a-Service), a powerful collaboration between Cowbell and Accorian, delivered through Cowbell Resiliency Services and powered by our GRC platform, GoRICO. Designed to support startups, growth-stage companies, and service providers, this unified solution simplifies the journey to SOC 2 compliance with expert-guided readiness, policy development, audit support, and more. By combining Accorian’s deep cybersecurity expertise with Cowbell’s ability to underwrite and manage cyber risk effectively, COMPaaS makes it easier for businesses to stay secure, resilient, and audit-ready—all through a seamless, platform-led experience. Built for startups, growth-stage companies, and service providers, Cowbell COMPaaS is designed to simplify and accelerate the journey to compliance. What does this mean for SMBs? You get the best of both worlds: Accorian’s proven security & compliance expertise Cowbell’s cyber risk insights A streamlined, platform-led path to policy development, readiness, audit support & more Together, we’re making security, compliance, and resilience more accessible without the usual complexity. We’re proud to partner with Cowbell in helping businesses stay secure, resilient, and ready in today’s evolving threat landscape. Let’s raise the bar for cyber maturity, together. --- We’re excited to announce our partnership with Tuskira AI, a cutting-edge cybersecurity intelligence platform revolutionizing the way enterprises assess, prioritize, and manage cyber risk. Why This Partnership Matters? By combining Accorian’s deep cybersecurity consulting and risk management expertise with Tuskira’s AI-powered platform, we’re enabling organizations to: Transition from reactive to proactive security postures. Gain unified insights across complex tech environments. Accelerate risk mitigation and compliance. Drive smarter, data-backed decisions. Security teams face tool sprawl, alert fatigue, and limited risk visibility. Traditional control-based methods can't keep up with evolving threats. This partnership helps organizations emulate real attacks, prioritize risks by exploitability and business impact, and test defenses—automated, at scale, and with speed. “We’ve seen strong demand from clients looking to shift from reactive alerting to proactive validation. Tuskira’s platform enables us to meet that demand with speed and precision,” said Premal Parikh, Founder and CEO of Accorian. By integrating Tuskira’s platform into its managed services and consulting offerings, Accorian is equipping clients with a smarter, faster, and more proactive approach to exposure management. Organizations can now simulate real-world attacks with precision by leveraging a live Digital Twin of their environment, uncovering the exact paths adversaries might take, without waiting for a breach to prove where they’re vulnerable. “This partnership with Accorian accelerates the adoption of real-time, risk-aware security for organizations that need to stay one step ahead of adversaries. We’re excited to expand Tuskira’s reach through such a forward-thinking partner”, said Piyush Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Tuskira. Beyond surface-level CVEs,... --- The Department of Defense’s strengthened Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements signal a pivotal shift for government contractors, particularly mid-sized and smaller subcontractors. At Accorian, we view this as both a challenge and a strategic opportunity for organizations that are ready to proactively mature their cybersecurity posture. With over 55% of contractors anticipating CMMC requirements in upcoming projects—and a substantial portion needing to meet Level 2 or even Level 3 standards—compliance is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a competitive necessity. We believe that early adopters of robust cybersecurity frameworks and proactive assessment programs will gain a measurable edge, especially as primes increasingly push accountability down to their vendors and partners. For mid-market businesses, where resources are often stretched, Accorian’s tailored CMMC readiness services, gap assessments, and compliance roadmaps can make a significant difference. We bring deep expertise in DFARS, NIST 800-171, and CMMC alignment to help organizations efficiently meet evolving regulatory obligations while minimizing operational friction. Additionally, with ransomware and AI governance cited as top concerns, our integrated approach to risk management—including threat modeling, AI security assessments, and secure DevSecOps practices—positions contractors to not just comply, but lead. 2025 will be a defining year. Accorian stands ready to support defense contractors in turning compliance into a catalyst for long-term cyber resilience and contract eligibility. --- We are honored to be named the Cybersecurity Startup of the Year at The Economic Times Entrepreneur Summit & Awards. --- (11/06/24, East Brunswick) Accorian, announced today that it has joined Vanta, the leading trust management platform, Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program, enabling partners to grow their business and deliver more value to their clients by transforming trust into a marketable advantage. “We’re thrilled to be joining Vanta’s MSP Partner Program, and the opportunity to streamline compliance processes with Vanta’s platform offers a real advantage to customers. ” – “Premal Parikh, CEO and Co-Founder, Accorian. Vanta is the leading trust management platform that helps simplify and centralize security and compliance for organizations of all sizes. Over 8,000 companies including Atlassian, Chili Piper, Flo Health and Quora rely on Vanta to build, maintain and demonstrate their trust—all in a way that’s real-time and transparent. Accorian’s cybersecurity and compliance teams bring a wealth of experience to help organizations navigate through their information security and compliance journey. Whether your organization is pursuing an e1, i1, or r2 certification, our HITRUST assessor’s recommendations are transparent and actionable. “We know the complexity of day-to-day IT and security operations, so we’ll never deliver a standard auditor guide or playbook response. We make sure you fully understand and can execute recommendations, personalized for you. ” “We’re thrilled to welcome Accorian to our MSP Partner Program, which offers the fastest and simplest approach to continuous security monitoring and automated compliance for managed service providers,” said Elliot Goldwater, VP of Partnerships, Vanta. “By putting Vanta’s market-leading platform as the cornerstone of their security managed service offering, Accorian can expand... --- Accorian Team Members Appointed to HITRUST Authorized External Assessor Council We are thrilled to announce that Sean Dowling, Stephanie Madhok, and Andrea Britt are selected members of the HITRUST Authorized External Assessor Council, representing the highest number of individuals from any company on the council. The council fosters partnerships between HITRUST and leading Assessors who will contribute their extensive knowledge and experience to: Share insights and challenges related to HITRUST services Provide valuable input on the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program, ensuring its continued integrity, effectiveness, and efficiency Advocate for the industry's highest standards in information security and privacy Congratulations to the HITRUST team on this remarkable achievement. Article: https://hitrustalliance. net/councils-working-groups/ --- In a world where technology constantly evolves, the ever-looming specter of cyber threats has grown rapidly. Recent findings have unveiled a staggering 8% surge in weekly global cyberattacks (2nd quarter of 2023). Amidst these challenges, Accorian announces its strategic partnership with Hexaview Technologies Inc. This partnership is forged with a clear vision - to mutually benefit from each other's services and capabilities while maintaining our unwavering commitment to providing the best possible solutions to our clients. By joining forces, we aim to provide clients with a more comprehensive and accessible suite of cybersecurity services and technical prowess. Our combined expertise and resources are dedicated to delivering the best-in-class solutions and demystifying the complex world of cybersecurity for our clients, ultimately fostering its widespread adoption. Here's what our Founder & CEO, Premal Parikh, says about the partnership: “As we continue to grow into a leading cybersecurity and compliance services provider, this strategic partnership reinforces our commitment to addressing current organizational challenges and delivering innovative solutions. Together, we are dedicated to enhancing our capabilities and providing businesses of all sizes with confidence in navigating the complexities of technology, cybersecurity, and compliance. ” And our Co-Founder & COO, Aaditya Uthappa, says about the partnership: "Hexaview’s deep domain knowledge of digital transformation, development, analytics & Salesforce (health cloud) expertise will significantly aid our clients as they look to secure themselves. Together, we empower organizations in the tech space to achieve security and enable adoption. " About Accorian Accorian is a leading cybersecurity and advisory... --- Accorian welcomes Farooq Wahab as our new Director of Cybersecurity - vCISO Services, Canada. With over 15 years of dynamic experience in cybersecurity leadership, technology, and compliance, Farooq is set to lead our team in providing top-notch vCISO services to organizations. Farooq has served in leadership roles leading financial services institutions, including Munich Re Group and SGI Insurance. He was the first shared CISO in Canadian Higher Education. In recognition of his services to the profession and for spearheading the adoption of Certified CISO as the Canadian standard, he was awarded the Presidential Award from the EC Council. As the cyber threat landscape evolves with a 15% annual growth rate, having a vCISO leader like Farooq becomes essential. Accorian's Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services ensure your critical systems and sensitive data are safeguarded against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. With an established presence in the cybersecurity advisory realm, we collaborate with businesses of all sizes to enhance their cybersecurity compliance and offer comprehensive vCISO solutions. To learn more about how our expertise can bolster your organization's security posture, contact us at info@accorian. com or call (732) 443-3468. --- We super are thrilled to announce that ACCORIAN is now CREST Accredited. CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry. The CREST Codes of Conduct contain the basic principles that underpin good business practice and ethics, which are all-pervasive. They describe the standards of practice expected of Member Companies and their Consultants and must be observed in parallel with the Code of Ethics. “Accreditation of Accorian is a strong endorsement of its penetration testing team and commitment to robust business processes, data security, and testing methodologies,” said Rowland Johnson, President of CREST. “It also reflects the growing influence of CREST across the Americas and the growing demand for highly-skilled penetration testing services from trusted providers that can demonstrate internationally-recognized, independent validation. ” Said Rowland Johnson, President CREST. This accreditation is outcome-focused and concentrates on providing positive outcomes that will benefit and protect clients when achieved. It demonstrates our ability to deliver comprehensive and effective security testing services that meet the most stringent industry standards. Our penetration testers at Accorian are certified and experienced in conducting penetration tests across a client’s entire tech stack, including on-prem & cloud environments. Additionally, they are skilled at conducting adversary simulation tests in the form of red team assessments. The team has a combined experience of working with 500+ clients on 1200+ penetration tests and detection of 25000+ vulnerabilities. Our time-tested and proven penetration testing methodology is built using OSSTMM, OWASP, NIST, and PTES standards. Accorian is an established... --- Congratulations to our client KPI Ninja by Health Catalyst on their HITRUST certification! The certification ensures KPI Ninja meets the key compliance requirements included across a wide rang of industry standards and frameworks, and federal and state regulations. Read More --- East Brunswick, NJ, May 12, 2022 - Accorian, today announced it has joined Civitas Networks for Health, the largest national network of its kind. Civitas is comprised of member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data, and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health. Accorian is a leader in providing cybersecurity and compliance services, with a special focus on the healthcare and health technology industry. We work with our clients reduce their security risks and assist companies of all sizes achieve their necessary cybersecurity compliance(s). As an external HITRUST assessor firm, we have helped companies achieve HITRUST certification along with SOC 2 and ISO certifications. “With Accorian’s focus on heath, becoming a member of Civitas allows us to further that focus with the health collaboratives. We hope to continue working with HIEs to strengthen their security and compliance posture,” said Accorian CEO Premal Parikh. “Civitas Networks for Health is excited to have Accorian join our national network,” said Civitas CEO Lisa Bari. “We are raising the voices of local health collaboratives and those providing critical services to support health transformation. From the secure exchange of life-saving data to the accountability of multi-stakeholder initiatives, our member organizations have built the most trusted, connected, and inventive programs to serve their communities. ” About Accorian Accorian is full-service cybersecurity and compliance firm that helps its clients with both security AND compliance. Accorian’s clients range from start-ups to fortune 100 firms. Founded in 2019, Accorian is an external HITRUST assessor and a PCI... --- “We are proud of our client, Novus Health Systems, for achieving HITRUST r2 certification. Congratulations. ” In today’s ever-changing threat landscape, HITRUST is continually innovating to find new and creative approaches to address challenges, said Jeremy Huval, Chief Innovation Officer, HITRUST. This achievement places Novus in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification. Read More --- Accorian is proud to announce the appointment of Kiran Murthy to the Standard Council of Canada (SCC). The Standard Council of Canada is a governing council that oversees the organization that reports to the parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development. Its responsibilities include Accreditation of standards development and conformity assessment organizations Approval of standards submitted as National Standards of Canada (NSCs) Adoption of relevant policies to support SCC programs and services Kiran joined Accorian in 2020, and given his expertise in cybersecurity consulting, the department has witnessed exponential growth under his leadership. He has worked with clients to deliver and embed Cybersecurity and Governance across a range of sectors, including Health, Media, Financials, Insurance, and Hospitals. We are proud to have him as an integral part of the Accorian team and wish him all the success in his future endeavours. As Accorian, we are a full-service cybersecurity, compliance, and consulting firm helping companies improve the way they approach and manage risks. We are certified assessors OF HITRUST AND HELP IMPLEMENT FRAMEWORKS SUCH AS NIST, SOC2, ISO 27001, ETC. Our goal is to facilitate a smooth certification process for our clients while also make sure they look at security first. If you would like to evaluate and strengthen your cybersecurity posture, please email us at info@accorian. com or call us at +1-732-443-3468. --- It is one of the hardest compliance certifications to get and Kevin Livelsberger and team made it look easy, not to mention the extensive efforts put in by our assessor team. Precision medicine leader, Coriell Life Sciences Achieves HITRUST CSF® Certification for GeneDose Live Clinical Decision Support System. To know More Click Here --- Accorian provides best-in-class cyber security and compliance service to innovative fertility leader raising the bar in technology within IVF (February 23, 2022 New York, NY) Accorian, a leader in providing best-in-class cyber security and compliance services, announced today that TMRW Life Sciences, Inc. (TMRW) has achieved its ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification after a rigorous independent audit of its information security management systems. ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that is widely considered a global mark of excellence when it comes to managing information. TMRW worked with Accorian, a consultancy specializing in technology risk assessment and ISO 27001 readiness, to prepare for the audit. There was a rigorous process implemented to ensure maximum security across all aspects of the TMRW platform. “Threats to security of information are becoming more common and advanced each day. Our clients rely on us to ensure they achieve compliance with international best practices to manage all risks related to information security and that their information assets are always protected. TMRW achieving this certification shows their continued commitment to security,” says Premal Parikh, Founder & CEO, Accorian. Achieving this certification is a major milestone on the TMRW security roadmap, and is one of many continued accreditations the company has in its sights. TMRW has an unwavering commitment to increasing standards of care, including the raising of the bar in relation to security through use of its innovative technology platform. “Our secure platform provides fertility clinics with a critical digital chain... --- Inovaare Corporation, a compliance, and operations management software provider leading digital transformation within the healthcare industry, today announced its platform, data center, and offices earned Certified status for information security by HITRUST. HITRUST CSF® Certification validates Inovaare is committed to meeting key regulations and protecting sensitive information. To know More Click Here --- A total team effort involving our assessor team, along with the FastTrack team. FastTrack today announced that it has attained HITRUST’s prestigious CSF® Certification for key implemented systems and infrastructures that support our suite of Life & Disability Transformation Solutions, exceeding strict regulatory and industry-defined requirements for comprehensive security and risk management compliance. To know More Click Here --- BlueMatrix worked with Accorian, a consultancy specializing in technology risk assessment and ISO 27001 readiness, to prepare for the audit and we are proud to announce that BlueMatrix has achieved its ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification after a rigorous independent audit of its information security management system. Congratulations! The firm guided BlueMatrix through an initial assessment of its existing processes and procedures to identify potential gaps, and provided continuous advice on how to address them. To know More Click Here --- Over the past few months, our team has been working on a new public face to reflect our growth as a company. As many you have experienced, Esha IT has continued to evolve both in the growth of our staff and in services we provide our amazing clients. After months of discussions, we concluded that Esha IT did not reflect the true ethos of our company; to ensure clients stay ahead of the technology landscape and actively secure their organizations. As such, Esha IT will be rebranding to Accorian. As you have all witnessed, Esha IT strived to form lasting, impactful relationships with you to become part of your technology ecosystem. It is in this context that Accorian became the obvious way forward. Though we have changed our facade, our core remains the same: ever-committed to going the extra mile for you. --- Accorian is proud to announce the addition of Sean Dowling as a VP of Compliance Services. Sean is a senior certified HITRUST security auditor and program management professional with over 30 years of experience overseeing multiple large-scale IT implementations. With Sean, Accorian is looking to add a seasoned HITRUST professional who can hit the ground running and lead the team as we continue to assist more organizations through their HITRUST journeys. Sean Dowling: https://www. linkedin. com/in/sldowling/ Over the course of the past 18 months, Accorian has seen a rising interest in HITRUST Certification across the healthcare industry. Spurred by a 170% increase in data breaches in the healthcare sector, many organizations are looking for a way to mitigate miscellaneous errors and privilege misuses that contributes to over 40% of the 521 data breaches that took place in the past year. As intended, HITRUST is the only framework to provide healthcare organizations, payers, patients, and insurance companies with an adequate barometer to gauge their security, privacy, and management systems. Accorian is full-service cybersecurity, compliance, and consulting firm helping companies improve the way they approach and manage risk. As a certified HITRUST CSF practitioner, our goal is to facilitate a smooth certification process for our clients while helping them recognize deficiencies in their current infrastructure. If you are interested in HITRUST, please email us at info@accorian. com or call us at (732) 443-3468. --- Accorian a leading provider of cyber security services, today announced that it has been designated as a HITRUST CSF® Assessor by HITRUST. With this achievement, Accorian, is now approved to provide services using the HITRUST CSF, a comprehensive security framework that addresses the multitude of security, privacy and regulatory challenges facing organizations in order to comply with healthcare (HIPAA, HITECH), third-party (PCI, COBIT), government (NIST, FTC) and other industry specific regulations and standards. CSF Assessors are critical to helping uphold information security and privacy standards for various industries of varying size and complexity and are a core component of the HITRUST CSF program by providing trained resources to assess compliance with security control requirements and document corrective action plans that align with the HITRUST CSF. HITRUST CSF Assessors such as Accorian, serve as a key component of the program by providing assessment and remediation services to all industries that deal with PHI and/or PII. “We are very excited to become a HITRUST CSF Assessor firm as we continue to see a need for security framework for companies,” said Premal Parikh, Managing Director of Accorian. “With our focus on health care companies, this achievement is the perfect complement to it. ” “HITRUST has been working with the industry to ensure the appropriate information protection requirements are met when sensitive information is accessed or stored in a cloud environment,” said Ken Vander Wal, Chief Compliance Officer of HITRUST. “We are pleased that Accorian has taken the steps necessary to become a designated... --- --- ## Threat Advisory Google has issued an out-of-band update to patch a high-severity zero-day vulnerability—CVE-2025-5419, currently being exploited in the wild. This flaw affects the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine in Google Chrome, potentially allowing remote attackers to trigger heap corruption through crafted HTML pages. Vulnerability Details CVE: 2025-5419 Severity: High (CVSS 8. 8) Impact: Out-of-bounds read/write leading to potential arbitrary code execution Affected Component: V8 engine in Google Chrome Discovered by: Google TAG (Threat Analysis Group) Status: Exploit confirmed in the wild Recommended Action We strongly urge all users and organizations to immediately upgrade to Chrome version 137. 0. 7151. 68/. 69 on Windows/macOS and 137. 0. 7151. 68 on Linux. Users of Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi) should apply patches as soon as they are available. Accorian remains your trusted partner for continuous threat intelligence, rapid vulnerability response, and expert guidance on patch management. For further assistance, contact us at info@accorian. com or schedule an appointment via our Calendly link. Threat AdvisoryTeam Accorian --- Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-3248, has been discovered in Langflow versions before 1. 3. 0. This vulnerability arises from improper handling of user-supplied code in the /api/v1/validate/code endpoint, where Python's built-in exec function is invoked without adequate authentication or sandboxing. As a result, unauthenticated attackers can send crafted HTTP requests to execute arbitrary code on the server. The vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild, prompting the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to add it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Impact Exploitation of this vulnerability allows attackers to gain full control of affected Langflow servers without authentication. Potential consequences include: System Compromise: Attackers can execute arbitrary commands, leading to complete system takeover. Data Exfiltration: Sensitive information may be accessed or stolen. Deployment of Malware: Attackers can install malicious software, including crypto miners or backdoors. Lateral Movement: Compromised systems can serve as a pivot point for attacks on other network resources. Given Langflow's widespread use in AI development workflows, the risk of widespread impact is significant. Recommendations To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2025-3248, immediate action is advised: Upgrade Langflow: Update to version 1. 3. 0 or later, where the vulnerability has been addressed by requiring authentication for the affected endpoint. Restrict Access: If immediate upgrading is not feasible, limit exposure by placing Langflow behind a firewall, VPN, or authenticated reverse proxy to prevent unauthorized access. Monitor Systems: Implement monitoring to detect unusual activities, such as unexpected outbound connections or the... --- Description Recent research has revealed four significant remote code execution vulnerabilities in the Kubernetes Ingress Nginx Controller. Exploiting these issues might provide attackers unauthorized access to all secrets in Kubernetes clusters, potentially leading to a complete cluster takeover. This issue presently affects around 43% of Kubernetes clusters that are accessible via the internet. Impact These vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-1097, CVE-2025-1098, CVE-2025-24514, CVE-2025-1974) pose a severe security threat, with a CVSS score of 9. 8/10. Attackers can execute remote code, compromise workloads, and access critical data. In many cases, the Pod network is accessible to cloud VPC workloads or even corporate networks, heightening the risk. Recommendations Immediate Action: Update to Ingress Nginx Controller versions 1. 12. 1, 1. 11. 5, or 1. 10. 7. Access Restrictions: Ensure the admission webhook endpoint is not publicly exposed. Mitigation Measures: If updates are not immediately possible, enforce strict network policies restricting Kubernetes API server access to the admission controller. Temporarily disable the admission controller if unnecessary. Reference Kubernetes Patch: 43% of Clusters Face Remote Takeover Risk For further assistance, contact us at info@accorian. com or schedule an appointment via our Calendly link. Threat AdvisoryTeam Accorian --- Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2025-24813) has been identified in Apache Tomcat, allowing attackers to fully compromise affected servers through a single PUT API request. A PUT API is an HTTP method used in RESTful web services to update or create a resource on a server. Exploiting this flaw enables them to upload malicious Java session files and execute arbitrary code without authentication. Impact Attackers can gain complete control over vulnerable Tomcat servers. Malicious payloads can be executed remotely via GET requests. Sensitive data and critical business operations are at risk. Affected Versions Apache Tomcat 11. 0. 0-M1 to 11. 0. 2 Apache Tomcat 10. 1. 0-M1 to 10. 1. 34 Apache Tomcat 9. 0. 0. M1 to 9. 0. 98 Recommendations Immediate Upgrade: Patch to the latest secured versions: Apache Tomcat 11. 0. 3+ Apache Tomcat 10. 1. 35+ Apache Tomcat 9. 0. 99+ Review Server Configurations: Disable DefaultServlet write access and partial PUT request support if not required. Check for Vulnerable Libraries: Ensure no known deserialization vulnerabilities exist in the application. References Apache Tomcat 11. x vulnerabilities For further assistance, contact us at info@accorian. com or schedule an appointment via our Calendly link. Threat AdvisoryTeam Accorian --- Description A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2025-24016) with a CVSS score of 9. 9 has been discovered in Wazuh, posing a significant threat to security monitoring systems. The vulnerability is caused by an unsafe deserialization weakness in Wazuh's API, which attackers might use to execute arbitrary code and take control of affected systems. Impact Unauthorized Remote Code Execution: On impacted servers, attackers can use the vulnerability to run arbitrary code. This implies that they can install malware, conduct malicious instructions, and alter system processes without permission. Full System Compromise: Wazuh's API, dashboard, or misconfigured agents can be used to exploit the vulnerability, giving attackers complete control over the system. Once inside, they can travel laterally throughout the network, elevate access, and interfere with vital security monitoring tasks. Loss of Sensitive Security Data & Operational Disruption: A successful attack could lead to the exposure or theft of sensitive security logs and monitoring data. This can compromise compliance, weaken security defenses, and cause downtime or operational failures, putting an organization's entire security posture at risk. Recommendations Immediate Action Required: To reduce this risk, immediately update to Wazuh version 4. 9. 1 if you're using version 4. 4. 0 or later. In the most recent release, Wazuh addressed the problem and offered official advice for additional directions. Additional Security Measures: Restricting API access permissions to limit exposure Hardening agent configurations to prevent unauthorized access Enforce strong authentication methods to secure system interactions References Remote code execution in Wazuh server For further... --- Description ASP. NET Web Forms utilize ViewState to maintain page state between postbacks. ViewState data, stored as a hidden field, relies on machine keys (Validation Key and Decryption Key) for security. If these keys are compromised, threat actors can craft malicious ViewState payloads, bypass validation, and execute unauthorized code within the target server environment. Recent Exploitation: Godzilla Post-Exploitation Framework In December 2024, an unattributed threat actor leveraged a publicly disclosed machine key to execute a ViewState code injection attack. This attack loaded Godzilla, a post-exploitation framework capable of executing malicious commands, injecting shellcodes, and gaining control over affected systems. Impact Remote Code Execution (RCE): Attackers can gain control over affected servers. Data Compromise: Unauthorized access to sensitive information. Persistent Threats: Attackers can maintain long-term access. Recommendations Below are the strong recommendations to prevent exploitation: 1. Identify Publicly Disclosed Machine Keys Use Defender for Detection: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can detect publicly disclosed machine keys. Check GitHub Repository: Review compromised keys listed in Microsoft’s GitHub repository. 2. Rotate and Secure Machine Keys For Web Farms: Rotate machine keys across all servers using IIS Manager or PowerShell. For Single Server Deployments: Remove the element from web. config to revert to system-generated secure keys. 3. Secure SharePoint and Exchange Servers Follow SharePoint Key Management: SharePoint has a built-in key management system, so follow Microsoft’s key rotation procedures. Review Exchange Security: Ensure Exchange web applications are protected against machine key exposure. 4. Use IIS Manager for Key Rotation Access IIS Manager: Navigate to the... --- Description A ransomware campaign conducted by the Codefinger group is actively targeting Amazon S3 buckets. Halcyon’s research highlights that the attacks utilize AWS Server-Side Encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C) to encrypt data. The attackers then demand ransom payments for the symmetric AES-256 keys required for decryption. Recovery is impossible without the key, as AWS’s secure encryption infrastructure does not store it. Threat actors exploit compromised AWS credentials to execute s3: GetObject and s3: PutObject requests. They initiate encryption using the x-amz-server-side-encryption-customer-algorithm header, relying on an AES-256 encryption key generated and stored locally. Additionally, files are marked for deletion within seven days using the S3 Object Lifecycle Management API. Impact Data encrypted using SSE-C cannot be recovered without the attackers’ decryption keys. Compromised credentials enable attackers to gain access, encrypt data, and render it inaccessible. AWS CloudTrail only logs an HMAC for the encryption process, which is insufficient for key reconstruction or data recovery. Recommendations To mitigate the risk, organizations using Amazon S3 buckets should: Secure AWS Accounts: Implement strict security protocols following AWS best practices. Restrict SSE-C usage by configuring the IAM policy condition element. Review AWS Permissions: Limit access to minimum required levels and frequently rotate active keys. Disable unused keys. Enable Detailed Logging: Monitor S3 operations for suspicious activities such as bulk encryption or policy changes. References New Amazon Ransomware Attack— ‘Recovery Impossible’ Without Payment For further assistance, contact us at info@accorian. com or schedule an appointment via our Calendly link. Threat AdvisoryTeam Accorian --- Description A severe vulnerability, CVE-2024-47176, has been discovered in the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS). It was made public on September 26, 2024, and affects Linux systems with cups-browsed enabled. This vulnerability requires the victim to start a print job, and if your cups-browsed is enabled, it could make him vulnerable to attacks that could lead to their computer being commandeered over the network or internet. Impact Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to hijack devices on networks, potentially gaining control over systems. While successful exploitation requires user interaction (the initiation of a print job), the risks remain significant, especially for systems that expose CUPS to public networks. Affected Versions CUPS is bundled with various Linux distributions, and the vulnerability affects: Most Linux distributions with CUPS and cups-browsed enabled Some BSD systems Potentially Google ChromeOS, Oracle's Solaris, and other distributions Remediation To mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability, it is recommended to: Disable or remove the cups-browsed service to prevent exposure. Block access to UDP port 631 on firewalls to limit external access. Update CUPS when security patches become available. Consider removing CUPS entirely if it is not needed for printing tasks. Source - That doomsday critical Linux bug: It's CUPS. May lead to remote hijacking of devices If you would like our advice or assistance in the matter, feel free to contact us to schedule a scan and discuss your specific security requirements. Kindly reach us at info@accorian. com or click through our Calendly link here to schedule an... --- Description PTC, a leading software provider for critical manufacturing organizations, has recently addressed an RCE flaw tracked as CVE-2024-6071. The vulnerability, rated CVSS 10, exists in the PTC Creo Elements/Direct license server. It enables unauthorized remote command execution and lateral movement within critical manufacturing and industrial organizations, including Volvo, Lufthansa, Medtronic, HP, Merck, and GE. ImpactThe flaw impacted the license server of Creo Elements/Direct, a direct modeling CAD software used for creating 3D designs. Although PTC claims the flaw has not been exploited, its severity prompted immediate patching. Exploitation requires network access, as the license server is typically not exposed to the internet. Affected VersionsThomas Riedmaier discovered a vulnerability in the Creo Elements/Direct license server:Versions 20. 7. 0. 0 and earlier Remediation Apply PTC's patch for Creo Elements/Direct. Confirm that the license server is not exposed to the internet. Limit access to authorized personnel. Isolate license servers from critical systems. Monitor logs for unusual activities. Perform vulnerability scans and penetration tests. Include CVE-2024-6071 in the incident response plan. Stay updated with PTC for new patches or information. Verify security standards meet industry standards and regulations. Source: https://www. databreachtoday. com/patched-rce-flaw-that-affects-critical-manufacturing-a-25699? rf=2024-07-04_ENEWS_SUB_DBT__Slot8_ART25699&mkt_tok=MDUxLVpYSS0yMzcAAAGUHWCLsDa8Alxx89nmcsSkjc0bON4Bwse5npVDdr3B95f5QKt3z4jov6Sh9a9st3fsPv5nXDXDKzV_xxTJ6PXLupMU0TxzCH1TswlToT_AzdymozuPuw Contact us to schedule a scan and discuss your specific security needs. For any further assistance, kindly reach out to us at info@accorian. com --- Description The Qualys Threat Research Unit issued an advisory for CVE-2024-6387 on July 1 regarding a vulnerability affecting glibc-based Linux systems that allow unauthenticated remote code execution known as “regreSSHion. ” It is a regression of CVE-2006-5051, reintroduced with OpenSSH version 8. 5p1. While exploitation is challenging, it can have severe impacts. Lab tests show it requires about 10,000 attempts over 6-8 hours against 32-bit hosts, with 64-bit hosts theoretically at risk but not publicly proven. Impact This vulnerability may allow attackers to escalate privileges fully if a client fails to authenticate within 120 seconds (600 seconds for legacy OpenSSH versions). Exploiting the regeSSHion vulnerability could enable attackers to: ● Fully compromise a susceptible host ● Exfiltrate sensitive data ● Propagate laterally within the network to internal hosts ● Encrypt and hold critical data for ransom Affected Versions ● OpenSSH versions before 4. 4p1 ● OpenSSH versions between 8. 5p1 and 9. 7p1 Previous patches for CVE-2006-5051 and CVE-2008-4109 have resolved the flaw. OpenBSD systems are unaffected. OpenSSH versions in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, and 8 are not vulnerable, as the regression was introduced in OpenSSH 8. 5p1, which postdates these versions. Remediation To deal with this menace, ensure timely upgrades of OpenSSH upon patch availability. Set LoginGraceTime to 0, acknowledging the potential risk of denial of service if simultaneous connections exceed MaxStartups. Restrict SSH access to internet-exposed hosts and implement network segmentation to curtail lateral movement effectively. Source: https://www. lacework. com/blog/critical-rce-vulnerability-on-open-ssh-detecting-and-mitigating-cve-2024-6387-regre-ss-hion --- Description Mandiant researchers have identified a recent breach of the Snowflake Cloud Data Platform by the Uncategorized Threat Actor Group (UNC5537) that could potentially expose approximately 165 organizations. The data theft, which occurred in mid-April 2024, appears to have exploited Snowflake's stolen customer credentials obtained through infostealer malware campaigns on non-Snowflake systems. Impact The absence of multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the affected accounts facilitated the breach. Notable organizations affected include Ticketmaster, Santander Bank, and Advance Auto Parts. Over 100 customers were confirmed as impacted. Remediation ● Add an extra layer of security by enabling MFA for all accounts. ● Strengthen Password Policies by implementing long, complex passwords and changing them regularly. ● Regularly audit and monitor accounts for suspicious activity. ● Enforce secure configurations and keep systems updated with patches. ● Conduct frequent security assessments and penetration testing. Source: https://www. crn. com/news/security/2024/snowflake-customers-hit-with-significant-data-theft-in-attacks-mandiant? itc=refresh Contact us to schedule a scan and discuss your specific security needs. For any further assistance, kindly reach out to us at info@accorian. com --- On 24 January 2024, the Jenkins team issued a security advisory disclosing a critical vulnerability that affects the Jenkins CI/CD tool. Jenkins is a Java-based open-source automation server run by over 1 million users that helps developers build, test and deploy applications, enabling continuous integration and continuous delivery. The critical vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2024-23897 and affects Jenkins 2. 441 and earlier. LTS 2. 426. 2 and earlier does not disable a feature of its CLI command parser that replaces the ‘@’ character followed by a file path in an argument with the file’s contents, allowing unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files on the Jenkins controller file system that can lead to RCE. According to security researchers from ShadowServer, there are approximately 45,000 unpatched Jenkins instances, most of which are in China (12,000) and the United States (11,830). Two Proof of Concepts (PoCs) exploits have been released to the public and could be leveraged by attackers to compromise unpatched Jenkins servers.  According to the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore, as of 30 January 2024, the vulnerability is reportedly being actively exploited. Who Is Affected? Anyone who is running Jenkins 2. 441 and earlier is affected by this vulnerability. How Can I Fix It? Jenkins users are urged to upgrade to Jenkins 2. 442 and LTS 2. 426. 3. How Can NodeZero Help?   All NodeZero™ users can run an autonomous pentest to determine if their systems are vulnerable to the Jenkins vulnerability. We also recommend running a follow-on pentest to verify that any remediation... --- Two years after disclosing the Log4Shell vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228), a critical remote code execution (RCE) flaw in the open-source Java logging utility Log4j continues to pose a significant threat. Despite widespread patching efforts, nearly one in four applications still rely on outdated Log4j libraries, rendering them susceptible to exploitation. Notably, the Lazarus hacking group has initiated a new cyber campaign called "Operation Blacksmith," targeting manufacturing, agriculture, and physical security companies globally. Exploiting the Log4Shell vulnerability, the group employs three previously unseen malware families coded in the rarely used D programming language: NineRAT: A remote access trojan (RAT) communicates via the Telegram API for command and control, data exfiltration, and persistence. DLRAT: This trojan and downloader serve to introduce additional payloads and collect system information. BottomLoader: Functioning as a downloader, it fetches and executes payloads, establishes persistence, and exfiltrates files. Over 38% of applications using Log4j remain vulnerable to security issues, including the critical Log4Shell exploit (CVE-2021-44228). This unauthenticated RCE flaw permits attackers to completely control systems utilizing vulnerable Log4j versions (2. 0-beta9 through 2. 15. 0).   Impact: Successful exploitation could allow attackers to control affected systems remotely, steal data, deploy malware, or disrupt operations. Even patched versions of Log4j (2. 17) are vulnerable to another RCE bug (CVE-2021-44832). EOL versions of Log4j are susceptible to seven high and critical-rated vulnerabilities, including Log4Shell. Exploited systems can face operational disruptions, data theft, and compromised credentials. Who is Affected? Applications and systems using Log4j versions 2. 0-beta9 through 2. 15. 0 (pre-2015 EOL versions) are directly... --- In a joint cybersecurity advisory, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other international agencies warn that ransomware gangs are actively exploiting the Citrix Bleed vulnerability. This can potentially affect organizations that use Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway. Review the security advisory below and take action accordingly: OVERVIEW: CISA and other partner agencies are responding to active, targeted exploitation of a vulnerability, CVE-2023-4966, affecting Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway. The vulnerability is also known as Citrix Bleed. The affected products contain a buffer overflow vulnerability that discloses sensitive information when configured as a Gateway (VPN virtual server, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) or AAA virtual server. Customers using Citrix-managed cloud services or Citrix-managed Adaptive Authentication are not impacted. Affiliates of at least two ransomware groups, LockBit and Medusa, have exploited Citrix Bleed as part of attacks against organizations. Both are globally significant and ranked first and sixth most active groups. Exploiting this vulnerability could disclose sensitive information, including session authentication token information that may allow a threat actor to “hijack” a user’s session.   TECHNICAL DETAILS: On Oct. 10, 2023, Citrix released security updates to address CVE-2023-4966 in NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway. On Oct. 17, Citrix updated its Alert to include “Exploits of CVE-2023-4966 on unmitigated appliances have been observed. ” On Oct. 18, CISA added an entry for CVE-2023-4966 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, which contains detection and mitigation guidance for observed exploitations of CVE-2023-4966. On Oct.... --- Multiple exploitable flaws have been found in numerous versions of the WS_FTP Server, built by Progress Software. One of the most serious is present in WS_FTP Server versions prior to 8. 7. 4 and 8. 8. 2, in a module for sending files person-to-person. The module, marketed by Progress Software as the Ad Hoc Transfer Module, is vulnerable to an attack that converts a hypertext transfer protocol message into a malicious object that can execute arbitrary code, a technique known as deserialization.   The identified flaw is a deserialization flaw in WS_FTP, a popular FTP server software. This vulnerability allows malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected servers potentially. About 2,900 hosts on the internet were found to be running WS_FTP and had their web servers exposed, making them vulnerable to exploitation. These instances primarily belonged to large enterprises, governments, and educational institutions. Progress Software has since released patches for eight vulnerabilities and strongly recommends that all users update their WS_FTP installations to protect against potential attacks. The updates include a patch for the . NET deserialization vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-40044, through which attackers can remotely execute arbitrary code. The U. S. Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center, or HC3, in a Friday alert, said it "strongly encourages all users to follow the manufacturer's recommendation and upgrade to the highest version available - 8. 8. 2 - to prevent any damage from occurring. " Security experts have warned all organizations that use secure file transfer tools to review their documentation... --- Ivanti, a leading technology company that offers IT asset management, security, endpoint, and supply chain solutions has released patches for seven critical and high-severity vulnerabilities in Avalanche, its Enterprise Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. Among the vulnerabilities is the directory traversal flaw tracked down as CVE-2023-32563. It’s the most severe of the flaws with a CVSS score of 9. 8. The MDM solution's updateSkin function has this directory traversal flaw that can be exploited without authentication. The problem arises from a user-supplied path not being properly validated before being used in file operations. This vulnerability can be misused by an attacker to execute remote codes. The release also addressed multiple stack-based buffer overflow bugs collectively tracked down as CVE-2023-32560 with a CVSS score of 8. 8. These were discovered in the Wavelink Avalance Manager, which processes data using a fixed-size stack-based buffer. By delivering a specially written message to the service, an adversary can take advantage of this and potentially cause code execution or disrupt the service. In addition, two other high-severity remote code execution vulnerabilities CVE-2023-32562 and CVE-2023-32564 and three authentication bypass flaws CVE-2023-32561, CVE-2023-32565, and CVE-2023-32566 present in various components of the MDM solution were patched. Although none of these problems have been reported as being exploited in the wild, Accorian strongly recommends that all users of Avalanche update it to version 6. 4. 1. 207, released earlier this month. For any further assistance, kindly reachout to us on info@accorian. com Source: Ivanti Patches Critical Vulnerability in Avalanche... --- Microsoft addressed 74 CVEs in its August Patch Tuesday release, out of which 6 were rated “Critical” and 67 were rated “Important”. Remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities made up 31. 5% of the vulnerabilities patched, with elevation of privilege (EoP) vulnerabilities making up 24. 7%. One zero-day vulnerability was also addressed in the release. Among the RCE vulnerabilities are the CVE-2023-35385, CVE-2023-36910 and CVE-2023-36911 which have been assigned a CVSSv3 score of 9. 8 and are “Critical”. The vulnerabilities are found in the Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) component of the Windows operating system. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this flaw by sending malicious MSMQ packets to a vulnerable MSMQ server, which leads to arbitrary code execution. Yet, to exploit this weakness, the susceptible server's Message Queuing service must be activated. According to Microsoft, if the service is enabled, it runs as "Message Queuing" and listens on TCP port 1801. Another “Important” rated vulnerability is CVE-2023-21709 which is an EoP vulnerability found in Microsoft Exchange Server. An adversary could exploit this flaw by trying to brute force the password for valid user accounts. If exploited, the adversary can login as another user. According to Microsoft, a PowerShell script must be run after the patch has been applied. Microsoft addressed five other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server which are tracked down as CVE-2023-38181, CVE-2023-38185, CVE-2023-35368, CVE-2023-38182 and CVE-2023-35388. The CVE-2023-38181 is a Spoofing Vulnerability which is assigned a CVSSv3 score of 8. 8. If exploited, an attacker might acquire access to a user's... --- Citrix, a leading technology company, has issued a warning to its customers about a critical-severity RCE vulnerability (CVE-2023-3519) in its NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway products. The severity of the issue is highlighted as critical and a CVSS score of 9. 8. The exploits for this vulnerability are out in the wild and an adversary can use it to exploit Critix ADC versions up to 13. 1 build 48. 47. 1. If this vulnerability is not fixed, adversaries would be able to exploit it to execute remote code without any authentication. The vulnerable appliance must, however, be set up as a gateway (VPN virtual server, ICA proxy, CVPN, RDP proxy), or as an authentication virtual server (often known as the AAA server), for attackers to take advantage of this security weakness. Along with this Critix also addressed two other vulnerabilities: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (CVE-2023-3466) and Privilege Escalation (CVE-2023-3467). Both being critical vulnerabilities, have a severity score of 8. 3 and 8. 0 respectively. The reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) issue requires a victim to load a link from an attacker on the same network. The Privilege Escalation vulnerability enables attackers to elevate privileges to those of a root administrator if they have authenticated access to the NetScaler appliances IP address (NSIP) or a SubNet IP (SNIP) with access to the management interface. Accorian strongly recommends the users of NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway to update to the latest versions to fix all three issues at hand. The recommended versions are: NetScaler... --- WordPress, the world's most popular website builder has recently published a critical vulnerability in one of their plugins, Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce. The plugin is used by approximately 30,000 websites. The vulnerability has been tracked as CVE-2023-2986 and has been assigned a CVSS score of 9. 8.  The vulnerability revolves around a broken access mechanism, which allows an adversary to gain unauthorized access to the accounts of users who have left their carts without completing the process of purchase basically, abandoned carts. According to the configuration of the Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce plugin, a notification will be sent to customers who have not completed the process of purchasing. The notification has a link that automatically logs in the customer to the website to continue the process. Although this link contains an encrypted value that identifies the abandoned cart, the encryption key for this encrypted value is hardcoded in the plugin. This flaw allows adversaries to manipulate the abandoned cart id and gain access to the account associated with the abandoned cart. To mitigate this vulnerability, Accorian strongly recommends organizations to update the Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce plugin to the latest version 5. 15. 1. By applying this update, users can ensure that the encryption key is no longer hardcoded, thereby preventing unauthorized access to user accounts through manipulated abandoned cart identifiers. It is also recommended to keep the site up to date with all the future updates. Source: https://www. wordfence. com/blog/2023/06/tyche-softwares-addresses-authentication-bypass-vulnerability-in-abandoned-cart-lite-for-woocommerce-wordpress-plugin/ Threat Advisory Team Accorian --- VMware, a provider of virtualization and cloud computing services, has released security upgrades to address three vulnerabilities in the Aria Operations for Networks weaknesses that might expose user information and allow remote code execution. The tool, named Aria, offers network visibility and analytics to speed micro-segmentation security, reduce risk during application migration, and enhance network performance. Versions 6. 2, 6. 3, 6. 4, 6. 5. 1, 6. 6, 6. 7, 6. 8, 6. 9, and 6. 10 are susceptible to the attacks. CVE 2023-20887 is a command injection vulnerability with a CVSS severity score of 9. 8, allowing an attacker to execute code remotely. The second, a 9. 1 severity authentication deserialization flaw (CVE 2023-20888), permits remote code execution as well. A malicious actor may potentially execute remote code if they had network access to VMware Aria Operations for Networks and were an authorized member. The third vulnerability (CVE 2023-20889), rated 8. 8, permits command injection attacks that could enable an attacker to get access to sensitive data. According to a statement made by VMware, there is no proof that attackers have leveraged the vulnerabilities to carry out any attacks. All three vulnerabilities have been patched, and according to VMware, there are no additional workarounds at this time. Accorian recommends applying all the patches to protect their environment. Source: https://www. vmware. com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0012. html Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- WordPress is a popular open-sourced content management system (CMS). An outdated WordPress plugin known, Eval PHP enables site administrators to insert PHP code into posts and pages of WordPress websites, which is then executed when the page is loaded in the browser. The "eval" function was originally used to execute arbitrary PHP code, which can be useful in certain contexts, such as when creating dynamic templates or customizing functionality. The plugin is still available on the WordPress plugins repository despite not receiving any updates in the last ten years. However, attackers are injecting backdoors into websites using the legitimate but outdated WordPress plugin known as Eval PHP. A sudden spike in the number of installations for the plugin was observed in April 2023. The attackers sneakily install the vulnerable plugin, which is available on the official WordPress plugin repository, on an already compromised website. All WordPress administrators are advised by Accorian to check for the presence of Eval PHP, particularly if they did not install the plugin themselves. The presence of this plugin on a website indicates that it is compromised and may contain backdoors. To prevent any exploitation, admins should remove the plugin if found and protect the account by implementing robust WAF and 2FA. It is also recommended to keep the site up to date with the latest updates. Source: https://blog. sucuri. net/2023/04/massive-abuse-of-abandoned-evalphp-wordpress-plugin. html Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Microsoft recently released a patch for a new privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2023-23397) that impacts all versions of Microsoft Outlook on Windows. The vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2023-23397 and holds a CVSS score of 9. 8. By sending a specially crafted email, an attacker can remotely obtain hashed passwords without the victim ever having to open them. Microsoft has now officially released patches for the vulnerability, but it has been exploited as a zero-day vulnerability in NTLM-relay attacks since mid-April 2022. Without the interaction of the user, an attacker can steal NTLM credentials by sending a malicious email. Exploitation takes place when the system's reminder is triggered, and Outlook is opened. According to Microsoft, by sending a message with an extended MAPI property and a UNC path to an SMB (TCP 445) share on a server under the attacker's control, an attacker can exploit the vulnerability to retrieve NTLM hashes. Accorian recommends that organizations update Microsoft Outlook for Windows as soon as possible. If not possible immediately, block outbound SMB (TCP port 445) and add users to the Protected Users group in Active Directory. This would limit the impact of the vulnerability. Accorian can help you identify the vulnerability in your environment. For more information. kindly reach out to us. Source: https://msrc. microsoft. com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23397 Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- CVE-2023-21716, a heap corruption vulnerability that was patched by Microsoft as part of its February 2023 Patch Tuesday cycle, now has it's exploit publicly accessible. The vulnerability holds a CVSS score of 9. 8 and can allow attackers to execute code remotely without needing any authentication. The flaw impacts several MS Office and SharePoint versions, as well as Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise. The vulnerability exists in Microsoft Word's RTF parser and is a heap corruption issue. Attackers can remotely execute code with the same level of privileges as the victim if successfully exploited. The flaw does not require prior authentication, attackers can simply send a decoy RTF file to the victim(s) via email. ‘Protected View’, a feature of Microsoft Office 2010 and later, helps to reduce the impact that a malicious document provided from untrusted sources might cause. As the vulnerability exists when ‘Protected View’ is in use, exploiting it would require an additional sandbox escape vulnerability to gain full privileges. Although Microsoft has released fixes for CVE-2023-21716, it is strongly advised that organizations patch right away because the Proof of Concept is now widely available. Microsoft has also issued temporary solutions for CVE-2023-21716. Source: https://msrc. microsoft. com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21716 Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- A critical security flaw in Jira Service Management Server and Data Centre has been fixed by Atlassian. The flaw has been identified as CVE-2023-22501 (CVSS rating: 9. 4) and is described as a case of broken authentication with a simple attack vector. An attacker could take advantage of the flaw to pose to another user and access affected instances without authorization. This vulnerability affects Jira Service Management Server and Data Centre versions 5. 3. 0 to 5. 3. 2 and 5. 4. 0 to 5. 5. 0, respectively. According to Atlassian, an attacker could gain access to signup tokens with write access to a User Directory and outgoing email enabled on a Jira Service Management instance. Users who have never signed into their accounts are sent the tokens. The tokens can be accessed in two ways: If the attacker has access to requests or issues on Jira that include these users, or If the attacker is forwarded or obtains access to emails containing a “View Request” link from these users. Particularly vulnerable in this case are bot accounts. Users who are synchronized to the Jira service by read-only User Directories or single sign-on (SSO) are unaffected, however instances with single sign-on, external customer accounts can be affected in projects in which anyone can make their own account. Atlassian further noted that the issue does not affect Jira sites hosted in the cloud using an atlassiannet domain, and no remedial action is necessary in this scenario. Accorian advises you to upgrade... --- Recently, Git patched 2 critical vulnerabilities which could be used to launch remote code execution attacks. The issues have been assigned CVE-2022-23521 and CVE-2022-41903. The vulnerabilities affect Git versions up to and including Git 2. 39. CVE-2022-23521 affects the gitattributes mechanism. When parsing gitattributes, multiple integer overflows can occur when there is a huge number of path patterns, or when the declared attribute names are huge. CVE-2022-41903, also a critical vulnerability regarding integer overflow, can be triggered directly by a user running a command which invokes the commit formatting machinery or can be triggered indirectly through the git archive. These integer overflows may result in arbitrary heap writes, which can result in remote code execution. It is recommended that users of Windows, macOS, and Linux/Unix download and install the most recent git release, which is v2. 39. 1. Disable the git archive in untrusted repositories if upgrading is unfeasible. Versions 15. 7. 5, 15. 6. 6, and 15. 5. 9 for GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) have been issued, according to GitLab, to resolve the issues. Customers are urged to apply the fixes with immediate effect. Accorian assures to assist all its clients. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. Source: GitLab Critical Security Release: 15. 7. 5, 15. 6. 6, and 15. 5. 9 Security Audit of Git Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- A new Go-based malware, Redigo, is used in an attack targeting Redis servers. Threat actors are exploiting a critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-0543, in Redis servers. The CVE-2022-0543 vulnerability affects Debian and Linux distributions and is a Lua sandbox escape vulnerability. The vulnerability, which was given a severity rating of 10, might be used by a remote attacker who can run any Lua script to potentially bypass the Lua sandbox and execute arbitrary code. Threat actors attempt to connect to the Redis server through port 6379 in the first step of the attack chain to learn more about the CPU architecture. The second use of the command is to download the newly discovered Redigo Malware. After downloading the malware file, the attackers elevate the permissions of the file to execute it. The Redigo malware, according to researchers, is being used by threat actors to infect Redis servers and add them to a botnet that they may then deploy to perform denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, run cryptocurrency miners, or steal information from the servers. All the users who run Redis on Debian, Ubuntu, and possibly other Debian-based distros are advised to update their Redis package to the latest available version, as the vulnerability has already been fixed. Accorian is happy to assist you for any assistance you may require. Please feel free to reach out to us. Source: https://blog. aquasec. com/redigo-redis-backdoor-malware Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Last week, VMware has released security updates to address a critical remote code execution vulnerability in VMware Cloud Foundation. It is tracked as CVE-2021-39144 and has been assigned a CVSS score of 9. 8. The XStream open-source library contains the remote code execution flaw. Without any user interaction, unauthenticated attackers can take advantage of the vulnerability due to an unauthenticated endpoint that leverages XStream for input serialization in VMware Cloud Foundation. Due to the severity of the vulnerability the team has also released patches for end-of-life products. VMware did, however, confirm over the weekend that the attack code exploiting CVE-2021-39144 has been released and is available to the public. VMware vCloud Foundation 3. 11 is the fixed version released in response to this vulnerability and as well as for CVE-2022-31678, which is an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability that can cause a denial-of-service condition.   Accorian suggests our clients upgrade their installs to the latest release. Source: https://www. vmware. com/security/advisories/VMSA-2022-0027. html Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Recently, Zimbra released patches to address a vulnerability in their enterprise collaboration software that was being aggressively abused and that could be used to upload arbitrary files to affected instances. The bug has the CVE-2022-41352 identifier and a 9. 8 CVSS rating. The Zimbra Suite's Amavis component is impacted by the flaw.  Amavis is an open-source content filter, and the cpio tool it employs for scanning and extracting archives is part of that. Incorrect access to other user accounts may be achieved by an attacker using the cpio package, according to Zimbra. An attacker must send an email containing a specially constructed TAR archive attachment in order to exploit the vulnerability. When Amavis receives the email, it submits it, and the cpio module is utilized to launch the exploit. Approximately 1,600 Zimbra servers are infected, the incident response report indicates. With ZCS version 9. 0. 0 P27 and Zimbra 8. 8. 15 Patch 34, Zimbra fixed this vulnerability by substituting Pax for the vulnerable component (cpio) and removing the weak link that allows for exploitation. All Zimbra users are encouraged by Accorian to update to the most recent versions. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: https://blog. zimbra. com/2022/10/new-zimbra-patches-9-0-0-patch-27-8-8-15-patch-34/ Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- For the month of October, Microsoft fixed a total of 85 security flaws through its Patch Tuesday programme. Out of the 85 bugs, 15 are classified as Critical, 69 as Important, and one as Moderate. The Windows COM+ Event System Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-41033, is one of the vulnerabilities that was patched. This zero-day flaw is currently being actively exploited. By effectively utilising this vulnerability, an attacker could SYSTEM privileges. CVE-2022-37968, with a CVSS score of 10 was a significant problem that was also resolved. An unauthenticated user may be able to elevate their privileges to that of a cluster administrator and potentially take over the Kubernetes cluster. Two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities identified as CVE-2022-41040 and CVE-2022-41082, commonly known as ProxyNotShell, have sadly not received security fixes from Microsoft. Microsoft claims that the fixes are not yet ready. 39 privilege elevation, 20 RCEs, 11 information disclosure, and 8 denial of service vulnerabilities are among the flaws that were patched. Accorian recommends applying all the patches immediately and considering backing up the system data before applying updates. Accorian assures to assist all its clients. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. To find the complete list of patched vulnerabilities, kindly check out this. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: https://msrc. microsoft. com/update-guide/releaseNote/2022-Oct Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Sophos has disclosed a critical zero-day vulnerability. The vulnerability is a code injection attack with a CVSS score of 9. 8. The affected installations can lead to remote code execution (RCE) if successfully exploited. The Sophos Firewall's User Portal and WebAdmin are impacted by CVE-2022-3236. Older versions of Sophos Firewall, such as 19. 0 MR1 (19. 0. 1), are considered to be vulnerable to the attack. Sophos claims that customers who have activated the feature for automated installation of hotfixes are not required to take any further action. Customers are advised to upgrade to the recent versions if they do not have the feature enabled. Sophos released hotfixes and added the fix to several versions, including v18. 5 MR5 (18. 5. 5), v19. 0 MR2 (19. 0. 2), and others. Please see this page for the entire list. Additionally, workarounds are made available, such as blocking WAN access to the Webadmin and User Portal. Users can use a VPN or the Sophos Central cloud management platform for remote access and management. Meanwhile, Sophos announced that all impacted organizations have received direct communication. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: https://www. sophos. com/en-us/security-advisories/sophos-sa-20220923-sfos-rce Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Attempts by threat actors to distribute malicious code in open-source software repositories have once again been seen in the discovery of a malicious NPM package that poses as the legitimate software library for Material Tailwind. While pretending to be a useful development tool, the malicious Material Tailwind npm package features an automated post-install script. The purpose of this script is to download a password-protected ZIP archive containing a Windows executable for PowerShell script execution. These scripts can result in command-and-control, communication, process manipulation, and establishing persistence through a scheduled task. According to the White House, ensuring software integrity is key to protecting Federal systems from threats and vulnerabilities and reducing the overall risk from cyberattacks. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: Malicious npm package disguised as the Material Tailwind Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- On June 2nd, Atlassian released a security advisory for a critical remote code execution vulnerability that was discovered in Atlassian's Confluence Server and Data Centre products. The vulnerability was rated a 9. 8 CVSS score and was assigned CVE-2022-26134. Atlassian has already released a patch along with an advisory detailing the fixes necessary, on June 3rd. The threat actors are now leveraging the unpatched Atlassian Confluence servers to perform more malicious attacks like absolute Domain Takeover of the infrastructure, deployment of remote access trojans (RATs), information stealers, and ransomware. Installation of additional malicious payloads, including Kinsing, the Dark. IoT malware and unauthorized cryptocurrency mining are also observed recently. Accorian urges the users to prioritize patching this gap as soon as possible since it is easy to exploit it for other subsequent compromises. If it is not feasible to upgrade immediately, Atlassian has released several workarounds for different versions. The complete list can be found here. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: CVE-2022-26134 Abused For More Critical Vulnerabilities | Atlassian Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) now includes a Java deserialization vulnerability of critical severity that affects numerous Zoho ManageEngine products. In servers running unpatched Zoho ManageEngine PAM360 and Password Manager Pro (without authentication) or Access Manager Plus (with authentication) software, this security flaw (CVE-2022-35405) can be exploited in low-complexity attacks to gain remote code execution without requiring user interaction. According to ManageEngine, they have removed the vulnerable components from PAM360, Access Manager Plus, and Password Manager Pro. Patches were released in June, and administrators are requested to upgrade to a fixed version, as a proof-of-concept exploit is already public. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: CISA warns of Critical ManageEngine RCE bug Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Earlier this week WordPress alerted its users about a new zero-day vulnerability that was identified in the BackupBuddy extension. The vulnerability allows the plugin users susceptible to unauthorized access by an attacker hence providing the potential to steal sensitive files and information. According to the iThemes researchers, the issue is being actively exploited for users using some specific versions of the BackupBuddy plugin. The vulnerability that has been assigned, CVE-2022-31474 allows attackers to view sensitive information including /etc/passwd, /wp-config. php, . my. cnf, and . accesshash. These files contain information related to WP Database configuration, user details and even authentication permissions. The flaw affects any website running BackupBuddy 8. 5. 8. 0 through 8. 7. 4. 1. WordPress Administrators are requested to upgrade to the latest version to mitigate the issue, version 8. 7. 5. Users are also advised to determine if they may have been compromised. Authorized users can review an affected server's logs containing local-destination-id and /etc/passed or wp-config. php that returns an HTTP 2xx response code. WordPress also recommended resetting database passwords, updating WordPress Salts and rotating API keys that are stored in wp-config. php. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.   Source: https://www. wordfence. com/blog/2022/09/psa-nearly-5-million-attacks-blocked-targeting-0-day-in-backupbuddy-plugin/ Threat Advisory Team  Accorian --- Recently Gitlab issued a patch for a critical remote code execution vulnerability which impacts GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). The vulnerability was tracked as CVE-2022-2884 and a CVSS score of 9. 9 was assigned. The issue allows an authenticated user to achieve remote code execution via the Import from GitHub API endpoint. According to Gitlab, the vulnerability affects all GitLab CE/EE versions: Starting from 11. 3. 4 before 15. 1. 5 Starting from 15. 2 before 15. 2. 3 Starting from 15. 3 before 15. 3. 1 Gitlab has requested all users to upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible. GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition versions 15. 3. 1, 15. 2. 3, and 15. 1. 5 comes with the patch for this vulnerability. For users which are not able to upgrade immediately, it has been suggested to disable the GitHub import function from the ‘Visibility and access controls’ menu in the settings. Gitlab makes no announcement about the vulnerability being exploited in the public yet. Accorian assures to assist all its clients. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. Source: GitLab Critical Security Release: 15. 3. 1, 15. 2. 3, 15. 1. 5 Threat Advisory TeamAccorian --- Hello, Recently some researchers discovered that over 3000 mobile applications are leaking Twitter API keys to the public which can be used to gain unauthorized access to Twitter accounts and carry out actions such as retweeting, liking, and deleting tweets, following any account, removing followers, accessing account settings, and even changing the account profile picture. Even worse, an attacker with the hold of such data can create a botnet and leverage this to spread misinformation on the social media platform.   During the integration of a mobile app with Twitter, a special authentication key or token is generated which allows the application to interact with the Twitter API. The token or keys can also enable the app to act on behalf of the user such as logging them in via Twitter, creating tweets, sending DMs, etc. Therefore, it is not secure at all to store keys directly in a mobile application where threat actors can find them. According to researchers, the leak is usually due to common mistakes by the app developers who integrate their authentication keys in the Twitter API but forget to omit them when the application is released. Out of the applications which are leaking Twitter API keys, some of which are unicorns, are leaking all four authentication credentials and can be used to fully take over their Twitter Accounts and can perform any critical malicious actions.   Accorian recommends the developers implement rotation of API Keys at fixed interval of time. Accorian assures to assist and... --- Last week, Atlassian released a patch for a critical flaw in its Question for Confluence app for Confluence Server and Confluence Data Center. The vulnerability was tracked as CVE-2022-26138 and was considered a critical severity. The issue existed because the Questions for Confluence application creates a user account with a hardcoded password when the username disabledsystemuser is used. The disabledsystemuser account is then by default added to the confluence-users group, which allows viewing and editing of all non-restricted pages. A few days after the fix was rolled out, the hardcoded password was leaked on social media, igniting this vulnerability’s active exploitation. The vulnerability only exists when the Questions for Confluence app is enabled on the affected versions. These are Questions for Confluence 2. 7. x, 2. 7. 34, 2. 7. 35, Questions for Confluence, 3. 0. x, 3. 0. 2. Accorian urges all its customers to update their on-premises instances to the latest versions (2. 7. 38 and 3. 0. 5) as soon as possible or take steps to disable/delete the disabledsystemuser account. Uninstalling the Questions for Confluence app does not remediate the flaw, as the created account does not get automatically removed after the app has been uninstalled. Atlassian’s advisory also includes information on how to look for evidence of exploitation. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment. Source: Questions For Confluence Security Advisory 2022-07-20 Threat Advisory TeamAccorian --- Microsoft officially patches the zero-day vulnerability known as Follina in the latest Patch Tuesday updates. Along with this, Microsoft also patched 55 other vulnerabilities including 3 critical patches and others marked as Important. The 3 critical vulnerabilities can allow remote code execution attacks. Other vulnerabilities which were patched are Elevation of Privilege, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, and spoofing issues. You can find the full list of the patches over here. Microsoft disclosed the Follina vulnerability (CVE-2022-30190) on May 30 as being actively exploited. The vulnerability could potentially execute malicious PowerShell commands via Microsoft Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) by opening a word document. The exploit worked without requiring elevated privileges and even bypasses the need to enable macros. Additionally, this vulnerability bypassed all security protections, including Microsoft Office's Protected View. Besides this, the security updates also resolved other remote code execution flaws like CVE-2022-30136, CVE-2022-30163, and CVE-2022-30147, which was a privilege escalation vulnerability.   Microsoft officially stated that it is ending the support for Internet Explorer 11 starting June 15, 2022, on Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channels and Windows 10 IoT Semi-Annual Channels.  Accorian suggests all system administrators push these necessary patches as soon as possible to eliminate any potential exploitation.  Source: https://msrc. microsoft. com/update-guide/releaseNote/2022-Jun --- Citrix recently released a patch for a critical vulnerability in its Application Delivery Management (ADM) which is a web-based solution that provides admins with a centralized cloud-based console for managing deployments. The vulnerability if exploited can allow an attacker to reset the admin password. It affects all supported versions of the Citrix ADM server and Citrix ADM agent. The affected builds are:  Citrix ADM 13. 1 before 13. 1-21. 53 Citrix ADM 13. 0 before 13. 0-85. 19 The vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2022-27511 and is tracked as an Improper Access Control weakness. According to Citrix, the issue can be abused to trigger the reset of the administrator password at the next device reboot option. Subsequently, allowing an attacker with SSH access to connect with the default administrator credentials after the device has rebooted.   Citrix has resolved this issue for the customers using the cloud-based Citrix ADM service. For the on-premises users, the company has urged them to apply patches at the earliest. Citrix has provided detailed documentation on how to upgrade ADM servers here.   Accorian recommends ensuring that the latest patches have been installed along with the workarounds released by Citrix. Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment. Source: https://support. citrix. com/article/CTX460016/citrix-application-delivery-management-security-bulletin-for-cve202227511-and-cve202227512 --- 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗬 Cisco addressed a critical vulnerability which affected the Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) and Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager appliances. The issue was due to improper authentication checks on devices using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for external authentication. Click on the link below and see how to verify if external authentication is enabled on your appliance. Accorian regularly sends out email alerts for such threat advisories. If you too would like to receive these Threat Advisory Alerts via email, simply drop us an email at Threatadvisory@accorian. io Source: Cisco Email Security Appliance and Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager External Authentication Bypass Vulnerability Important: Kindly make sure you add us to your safe list, so these critical mails don’t get buried in your junk folder  Hello, Cisco addressed a critical vulnerability which affected the Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) and Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager appliances. The vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication and login into the web management portal of Cisco. Patch for the vulnerability has already been released according to Cisco.   The vulnerability was assigned CVE-2022-20798 and a CVSS score of 9. 8. The issue is due to improper authentication checks on devices using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for external authentication. According to Cisco, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by giving a specific input on the login page of the affected device and then could access the web management portal. The vulnerability affects ESA, Secure Email and Web Manager... --- A critical remote code execution vulnerability was discovered in Atlassian's Confluence Server and Data Centre products. The vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2022-26134 and is actively being exploited in the wild. All supported versions of Confluence Server and Data Centre are affected; however, it is anticipated that all versions of the enterprise solution are potentially vulnerable. A successful attack can result in an unauthenticated attacker gaining remote code execution of the unpatched server.   CVE-2022-26134 was detected by a cybersecurity firm, Volexity. Volexity also discovered that the zero-day vulnerability was used to install a BEHINDER JSP web shell allowing the attackers to execute commands on the vulnerable server remotely. Along with the BEHINDER web shell, they also deployed the China Chopper web shell and a simple file upload tool as a backup mechanism to maintain access to the compromised server. On Friday, June 3, Atlassian released patches which addressed the vulnerability. The patched versions are 7. 4. 17, 7. 13. 7, 7. 14. 3, 7. 15. 2, 7. 16. 4, 7. 17. 4, 7. 18. 1. If it is not feasible to upgrade immediately, Atlassian has suggested customers restrict Confluence Server and Data Centre instances from the internet or disable the instances altogether. Additionally, Atlassian also urged implementing a web application firewall (WAF) rule which blocks URLs containing "${" to reduce the risk. Accorian recommends ensuring that the latest patches have been installed along with the workarounds released by Atlassian.   Accorian can help identify such vulnerabilities in your environment. Simply... --- Recently a new zero-day vulnerability has been detected in Microsoft Office that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code on the affected windows machines. The vulnerability can execute malicious PowerShell commands via Microsoft Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) by opening a word document. The weakness has now been assigned CVE-2022-30190 and is rated a CVSS score of 7. 8. Few of the affected MS Office versions are Office 2013, Office 2016, Office 2019, and Office 2021, as well as Professional Plus editions. The exploit works without requiring elevated privileges and even bypasses the need to enable macros.   Microsoft hasn’t yet released a patch but has shared a few workarounds as a stopgap. Admins and users are advised to disable the MSDT URL protocol, which the attackers are leveraging to execute code. According to Microsoft, MS Office's Protected View and Application Guard would block CVE-2022-30190 attacks, although some researchers claim that the security feature will not block exploitation attempts if the malicious document is previewed in Windows Explorer. Therefore, it is also advised to disable the Preview pane in Windows Explorer.   Accorian recommends all admins implement the workarounds until a patch has been released.   You can find detailed guidance released by Microsoft here. (https://msrc-blog. microsoft. com/2022/05/30/guidance-for-cve-2022-30190-microsoft-support-diagnostic-tool-vulnerability/).   Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment. Simply reply back to this mail and one of your team members will get in touch with you. Source: https://msrc. microsoft. com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2022-30190 --- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an Emergency Directive regarding the active exploitation of multiple vulnerabilities in VMware products. The directive resolves mainly around four distinct vulnerabilities.   In April, VMware released patches for 2 issues, a server-side template injection flaw which can lead to remote code execution. This issue was rated a CVSS score of 9. 8 and was assigned CVE-2022-22954. The other flaw was a privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2022-22960) which was rated CVSS score of 7. 8. According to CISA, it is speculated that the hackers were able to reverse engineer the patch and create an exploit in less than 48 hours. On Wednesday, VMware released patches for 2 more vulnerabilities, CVE-2022-22972 and CVE-2022-22973. The issues were related to Authentication Bypass and Local Privilege Escalation respectively.   According to CISA, the four vulnerabilities can be exploited and compromise unpatched software and become an unacceptable risk to federal systems. The federal agencies have been issued a timeline until Monday, May 23 to develop an inventory of all affected software instances in their IT environment.   It is advised to all system administrators to patch the affected endpoints or to remove them from the network if not patched.   Accorian can help identify this vulnerability in your environment.  Source: https://www. cisa. gov/uscert/ncas/current-activity/2022/05/18/cisa-issues-emergency-directive-and-releases-advisory-related --- Recently F5 released a security patch for a critical vulnerability found in their BIG-IP products which could allow an attacker to make requests to bypass iControl REST authentication. Some researchers claimed that they were able to create a working exploit for this vulnerability. Today, the exploit has become public and the proof-of-exploit code is shared all over social media. The exploits are used wildly to deploy web shells for backdoor access on the exposed hosts.   The vulnerability allows an attacker with network access to the BIG-IP system to execute arbitrary system commands which can disable services, delete and create new files and deploy web shells which can lead to information theft or ransomware. Some security researchers also alleged that this could be corporate espionage because of how easy the vulnerability was to exploit.   The versions impacted are 16. 1. 0 - 16. 1. 2, 15. 1. 0 - 15. 1. 5, 14. 1. 0 - 14. 1. 4, 13. 1. 0 - 13. 1. 4, 12. 1. 0 - 12. 1. 6 and 11. 6. 1 - 11. 6. 5. Fixes are available in versions 17. 0. 0, 16. 1. 2. 2, 15. 1. 5. 1, 14. 1. 4. 6, and 13. 1. 5. It should be noted that Firmware versions 11. x and 12. x will not receive security updates. Users relying on these versions should upgrade to the newer versions. F5 also released some workarounds if immediate up-gradation is not possible:  Block iControl REST access through... --- Two new security vulnerabilities have recently been identified in Git. These vulnerabilities are only exploitable if Git is used on a Windows instance or a multi-user machine. Both of the vulnerabilities have been assigned a separate CVE namely CVE-2022-24765 and CVE-2022-24767.   1. CVE-2022-24765: The vulnerability if exploited could lead to a potential arbitrary code execution attack. Users using Git on multi-user Windows machines are at the highest risk. As the attacker can create a . git directory, and then cause git invocations to occur outside of the repository. Few variables like core. fsmonitor have capabilities to execute commands, thus leading to arbitrary code execution attacks. 2. CVE-2022-24767: This vulnerability is only exploitable on Git for Windows uninstaller, which runs in the temporary directory of the user. Any authenticated user can inject a malicious . dll file as the C:\Windows\Temp directory is world-writable. As the SYSTEM user inherits permissions of the Temp directory, the malicious DLLs when loaded are run via the SYSTEM account.   Both these vulnerabilities have been addressed in the latest update of Git, which is Git v2. 35. 2. Users are advised to apply these updates as soon as possible to prevent any exploitation. Additionally, Git has also released some compensatory controls to reduce the risk if immediate upgradation is not possible.   Kindly refer to the official Git document here(https://github. blog/2022-04-12-git-security-vulnerability-announced/) to understand the fixes and compensatory controls.   Accorian is always available to assist all its clients. Please feel free to reach out to... --- Hello, Dell recently announced five new security vulnerabilities in the firmware of their BIOS. The vulnerability if successfully exploited could lead to code execution. Furthermore, the firmware monitoring systems are unable to detect these vulnerabilities due to the design limitation of the firmware.   All the 5 vulnerabilities have been rated as high-severity issues with a CVSS score of 8. 2. The CVE assigned to each one of them are CVE-2022-24415, CVE-2022-24416, CVE-2022-24419, CVE-2022-24420, and CVE-2022-24421. A large number of Dell products such as Alienware, Inspiron, Edge Gateway 300 and Vostro series are affected. The full list of affected devices can be found here. https://www. dell. com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000197057/dsa-2022-053. All the flaws are related to the improper input validation vulnerability which affects the System Management Mode (SMM) of the firmware. This subsequently allows an unauthenticated local attacker to leverage the System Management Interrupt (SMI) to gain arbitrary code execution on the vulnerable system. In response to this, Dell has announced firmware level remediation updates. Accorian recommends updating all Dell systems to the latest firmware version to prevent any exploitation. Source: https://www. dell. com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000197057/dsa-2022-053  --- Hello, Spring has announced a new zero-day weaknesses in the Spring core java framework; an RCE (Remote Code Execution) on an unauthenticated system. Spring is an open-source application framework that provides infrastructure hold up for creating Java applications that can be deployed on servers as discrete packages. Approximately, 70 percent of all Java applications use it – hence, any critical vulnerability identified in spring has a massive impact. Currently, 2 Remote code execution issues have been confirmed:  CVE-2022-22965 - On March 29, 2022, a Chinese researcher posted on his Twitter account a POC of Remote Code Execution vulnerability on the Spring Core Java library. It has been named "Spring4Shell" and has been confirmed in Spring Core --- We would like to shed light on this widely used feature across organizations that has some critical security risks associated with it. The Auto-forward e-mail feature is what we’re talking about. You may have used the feature to forward emails to your colleagues while you’re off work. As much as the feature proves to be handy, unfortunately, it has been a victim of leveraging some of the stealthiest attacks to date. These attacks are mostly financially motivated.   An attacker can abuse the auto-forward feature by creating rouge mail rules, resulting in data leakage, secure foothold inside the mailbox, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and is usually a stepping stone for lateral movement within the organization. This is even more threatening because once a rouge rule has been applied, the rule remains operative even if the victim changes the password for the compromised account or implements multi-factor authentication. . For example, an attacker can customize the rule to selectively forward only those emails which contain the keywords like bank, wire, invoice, check, or payment. There have been numerous case studies out there that state how hackers were able to lure millions of dollars by chaining social engineering attacks and then taking advantage of the auto-forward mail feature.   A typical attack scenario starts with the attacker trying to get access to the victim’s mailbox through phishing attacks. Once the attacker has access to the mailbox, to maintain persistence the attacker will set up an auto-forward mail rule to not have to... --- We would like to shed light on this widely used feature across organizations that has some critical security risks associated with it. The Auto-forward e-mail feature is what we’re talking about. You may have used the feature to forward emails to your colleagues while you’re off work. As much as the feature proves to be handy, unfortunately, it has been a victim of leveraging some of the stealthiest attacks to date. These attacks are mostly financially motivated.   An attacker can abuse the auto-forward feature by creating rouge mail rules, resulting in data leakage, secure foothold inside the mailbox, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and is usually a stepping stone for lateral movement within the organization. This is even more threatening because once a rouge rule has been applied, the rule remains operative even if the victim changes the password for the compromised account or implements multi-factor authentication. . For example, an attacker can customize the rule to selectively forward only those emails which contain the keywords like bank, wire, invoice, check, or payment. There have been numerous case studies out there that state how hackers were able to lure millions of dollars by chaining social engineering attacks and then taking advantage of the auto-forward mail feature.   A typical attack scenario starts with the attacker trying to get access to the victim’s mailbox through phishing attacks. Once the attacker has access to the mailbox, to maintain persistence the attacker will set up an auto-forward mail rule to not have to... --- WordPress is the most widely used CMS and also the most infamous one. When it comes to being secure, it is only as secure as any other similar platform, depending on how it is configured and maintained. All software, tools, and platforms must be updated and patched in a timely fashion to maintain security. A critical security issue, Local File Inclusion (LFI) was identified in the WordPress plugin – Essential Addons for Elementor v5. 0. 4 and below. LFI attack allows an attacker to include local files on the file system. This could be used to exfiltrate sensitive data or even lead to code execution attacks where an attacker will include a file with malicious code and execute it with the help of this flaw. It was observed that the vulnerability exists only if the widgets – Dynamic gallery and product Gallery are used. This can be exploited due to how the user input is used inside PHP’s include function in the ajax load more and ajax_eael_product_gallery functions.   It has been confirmed that the vulnerability has now been completely fixed in version 5. 0. 5 of Essential Addons for Elementor while the previous 2 fixes remained flawed and incomplete. Accorian can help you Identify this and any such security issue that your website may be vulnerable to Identify all vulnerable plugins and components that are being used Fix the identified vulnerabilities with appropriate fixes and patches Recommendation It is advised that: All plugins, components, software, and tools are updated... --- ---