Defensive Security Handbook

Introduction

Over the last decade, technology adoption has exploded worldwide and corporations have struggled to keep pace. Usability and revenue creation have been the key motivating factors, often ignoring the proactive design and security required for long-term stability. With the increase of breaking news hacks, record-breaking data leaks, and ransomware attacks, it is our job to not only scrape by with default installs but to secure our data and assets to the best of our abilities. There will always be cases where you will walk into an environment that is a metaphorical train wreck with so many fires that you don’t even know where to start. This book will give you what you need to create a solid and secure design for the majority of situations that you may encounter.

Modern attacks can occur for many different motivations and are perpetrated by people ranging from organized crime groups seeking to monetize breaches, through to hacktivists seeking to enact retribution on the organizations they deem to be immoral or counter to public interest. Whatever the motivation and whomever the attacker, a large number of attacks are organized and carried out by skilled individuals, often with funding.

This change in landscape has led to many organizations engaging in a game of InfoSec catch-up, often realizing that their information security program has either not received the executive backing that it required or simply never existed in the first place. These organizations are seeking ...