ETSI organizes the first TeraFlowSDN Hackfest during Network X in Amsterdam

Sophia Antipolis, 21 October 2022

ETSI organized the first TeraFlowSDN Hackfest during the Network X event in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 20 October. With the support of the European Commission (EC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) the Hackfest brought together 25 developers eager to get a first hands-one experience with the software developed by TeraFlowSDN, the open source group created by ETSI in May this year.

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ETSI signs MoU with the French organization for railway standardization

Sophia Antipolis, 24 October 2022

ETSI and the Bureau de normalisation ferroviaire (BNF), the French organization for railway standardization, have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding to structure and strengthen their relationship.

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ETSI signs MoU with the OpenID Foundation

Sophia Antipolis, 25 October 2022

ETSI and the OpenID Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 September to contribute to the establishment of a global information infrastructure.

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New ETSI Telemetry Standard Improves Automation for better End-User Quality of Experience

Sophia Antipolis, 28 November 2022

As the scale and services offered through the Optical Access Networks increase, it is crucial to maintain network good operation and performance. To achieve this, the Optical Access Network monitoring can be improved when compared to existing traditional methods via automated real-time data collection. Telemetry enables this and transmits data from the optical line terminal (OLT) - i.e., the device at the endpoint of a passive optical network - in real-time to provide information to the data collection platform.

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ETSI launches a new group on Terahertz, a candidate technology for 6G

Sophia Antipolis, 12 December 2022

On 8 December the newly launched ETSI Industry Specification Group on Terahertz (ISG THz) held its kick-off meeting and decided on work priorities for this candidate technology for 6G.

“ISG THz provides an opportunity for ETSI members to coordinate their pre-standards research efforts on THz technology across various European collaborative projects, extended with relevant global initiatives, a move towards paving the way for future standardization of the technology,” outlines Thomas Kürner, Chair of ISG THz.

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A successful European Standardization System

Sophia Antipolis, 20 December 2022

The European standardization system is a global success story. After the release of the European Standardization Strategy in 2022, it became clear that the work of standardization was growing in its role as an integral tool of the European Single Market.

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Sophia Antipolis, France/Brussels, Belgium 24 January 2023

The 6G-IA brings together a global industry community of telecoms and digital actors such as operators, manufacturers, research institutes, universities, verticals, SMEs and ICT associations. The association carries out a wide range of activities in strategic areas including standardization, frequency spectrum, R&D projects, technology skills, collaboration with key vertical industry sectors, notably the development of trials, and international cooperation.

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Sophia Antipolis, 2 February 2023

ETSI, the organization for globally applicable standards for information and communication technology (ICT), has adopted a new instrument, Software Development Groups (SDGs). This game-changing move will help ETSI adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of technology and standards development. Developing software to accompany standards will accelerate the standardization process, providing faster feedback loops and improving the quality of standards.

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Sophia Antipolis, 8 February 2023

On 7 February, the European Standards Organizations (ESOs), CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, joined forces with ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, to organise their 7th annual conference. The hybrid conference took place at the Brussels Renaissance Hotel and focused on “European Standardization in support of the EU cybersecurity legislation”.

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Sophia Antipolis, 10 February 2023

With more than 170 face-to-face attendees, coming from 30 countries, the three day ETSI conference on Maximizing the Impact of European 6G Research through Standardization came to a close on 8 February. The event provided a unique opportunity for the research community to come together with industry representatives and standardization experts to discuss future technology research and building stronger links to standardization.

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Leading to more effective and fruitful cross organization collaboration

Sophia Antipolis, 14 February 2023

In the last three months, ETSI ISG MEC has released its final Phase 2 specification (GS MEC 015, on Traffic Management APIs) and made significant progress on Phase 3 with the release of a number of important specifications, including the MEC Federation Enablement APIs (GS MEC 040): in particular, this specification is critical for supporting the requirements received from GSMA OPG (Operator Platform Group) to enable inter-MEC system communication and allow 5G operators to collaborate among themselves, with service cloud providers and with other stakeholders. 

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Sophia Antipolis, 4 April 2023

Organized on 30 March as a hybrid event in ETSI facilities, France, the ETSI Summit on how ICT developments and standards can enable sustainability and have a positive impact on society, focused on the key role of the ICT industry and related standardization activities to support Green initiatives. The event brought a large and global audience of over 220 stakeholders including operators, solution providers, policy makers and standards bodies or fora working on the topic.

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Sophia Antipolis, 11 April 2023

Today, most emergency services can only receive voice telephone calls. With all communication means that citizens now use in their daily life, they expect to use them as well to reach emergency services. To help achieve this goal, ETSI has just released a revised version of the specification ETSI TS 103 479. Developed by the technical committee EMTEL (emergency communications), this specification defines next generation core services (NGCS).

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Sophia Antipolis, 28 April 2023

Sustainability was the focus of a high-level meeting of the world’s leading information and communication technologies (ICT) standards bodies. The 23rd meeting of the Global Standards Collaboration (GSC) was hosted by ETSI, in London, 26-27 April 2023. Three sessions were moderated in a workshop format and included interactive discussions.

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Sophia Antipolis, 22 June 2023

On 21 June, a panel debate on ‘30 years of Standards for the Single Market: what way ahead?’ brought together the key stakeholders of the European standardization system. Reflecting on the role of standards in the first 30 years of the Single Market, panelists also discussed challenges ahead in the current geopolitical context.

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Sophia Antipolis, 3 July 2023

ETSI is starting today its 3rd FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System) Plugtests™ event. GSM-R is one of the main standards for railway telecommunication services. It is developed and maintained by the ETSI Technical Committee Railway Telecommunications. With the increased need for more throughput, higher capacity and flexible deployment options, FRMCS is being developed based on 3GPP Mission Critical Services.

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Sophia Antipolis, 7 July 2023

The new edition of the ETSI IoT Conference, IoT Technologies for Green and Digital Transformation, ended on 6 July, highlighting through use cases and demonstrations how IoT standards can be real enablers in achieving the green and digital transformation. The programme is available here and the very stimulating presentations from our 54 international speakers are available here.

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BILBAO, Spain—Open Source Summit Europe, 19 September 2023

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization focused on fostering innovation through open source, and ETSI, the independent organization providing global standards for ICT services across all sectors of industry, today announced expanded collaboration. While the two organizations have been working together for years, the 2019 formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)  recently has been updated and expanded.

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Sophia Antipolis, 20 September 2023

ETSI has published a new standard on “Requirements for trust service providers issuing publicly trusted S/MIME certificates” (ETSI TS 119 411-6 ) helping Trust Service Providers comply with new standards for S/MIME certificates that are enforced since 1 September 2023. Secure MIME (S/MIME) certificates are used to sign, verify, encrypt, and decrypt email messages. 

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Sophia Antipolis, 14 November 2023

ETSI is happy to announce that at a meeting in October of its technical committee in charge of the TETRA standard (TCCE), a full consensus was reached to make the primitives of all TETRA Air Interface cryptographic algorithms available to the public domain.

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Sophia Antipolis, 21 November 2023

ETSI is delighted to announce the launch of the Industry Specification Group for Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISG ISAC). This group will establish the technical foundations for ISAC technology development and standardization in 6G. 87 participants from both the industrial sphere and the academic sphere took an active part in the kick-off meeting, which was held at ETSI premises, in Sophia Antipolis, France, on 17 November 2023.

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Sophia Antipolis, 30 November 2023

ETSI proudly announces its commitment to fostering the education and skills development of the next generation of European standardization professionals. This initiative is part of a voluntary pledge which ETSI’s Director-General Luis Jorge Romero signed today in Brussels in the presence of the Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union, Thierry Breton. It was launched by the European Commission’s High-Level Forum on European Standardization, specifically under the workstream on Education and Skills.

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Sophia Antipolis, 13 February 2024

Sharing intelligence: ETSI AI Conference highlights role of standardization in supporting ICT industry transformation.

Held at ETSI’s Sophia Antipolis headquarters from 5-7 February, the event welcomed close to 200 participants from 25+ countries, with featured speakers including AI experts from government agencies, standards bodies, academia and industry.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies are enabling disruptive new applications across a wide range of digital products and services. Reviewing the current status of AI developments worldwide, the Conference explored the role of standardization in ETSI and other SDOs to support the development of a robust market for safe, lawful AI applications and services within the framework of European policymaking.

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Sophia Antipolis, 21 February 2024

ETSI’s first LTA Signature Augmentation and Validation Plugtests™ has seen international participants exchange over 35 000 digital signature validation reports.

Held from 23 October - 22 December 2023, the remote interoperability event was organized by the ETSI Centre for Testing and Interoperability (CTI), on behalf of ETSI’s Technical Committee for Electronic Signatures and Trust Infrastructures (TC ESI). This Plugtests™ event was facilitated with the support and co-funding of the European Commission (EC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Conducted using a dedicated web portal, sessions over the month-long Plugtests™ attracted the involvement of 190 participants from 121 organizations across 38 countries.

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Sophia Antipolis, 8 March 2024 

On 5 March, the European Standardization Organizations (ESOs), CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, joined forces with ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, to organize their 8th Cybersecurity Standardization Conference.

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Sophia Antipolis, 5 July 2024

ETSI is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the FRMCS #4 Plugtests event, held at Sophia Antipolis, ETSI HQ, from July 1 – 5, 2024. This event brought together key stakeholders, including railway operators, telecom vendors, system integrators, and industry experts worldwide. ETSI organized the event with the support of the European Union, EFTA, TCCA-Critical Communications, and UIC— International Union of Railways.

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Starts: Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0500
11/25/2024 05:30:00PM
Location: Montreal, Canada

Starts: Tue, 26 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0500
11/26/2024 06:00:00PM
Location: Toronto, Canada

Starts: Sat, 30 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0500
11/30/2024 05:00:00PM
Location: Lac-Brome (Knowlton), Canada

Starts: Tue, 03 Dec 2024 19:30:00 -0500
12/03/2024 07:30:00PM
Location: Happy Valley, Hong Kong (china)

Starts: Sat, 07 Dec 2024 13:30:00 -0500
12/07/2024 11:30:00AM
Location: Los Angeles, U. S. A.

Starts: Sun, 08 Dec 2024 18:30:00 -0500
12/08/2024 04:30:00PM
Location: San Mateo, U. S. A.

Starts: Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0500
12/10/2024 05:00:00PM
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Starts: Wed, 11 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0500
12/11/2024 05:00:00PM
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Starts: Wed, 11 Dec 2024 22:00:00 -0500
12/11/2024 06:00:00PM
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Starts: Thu, 12 Dec 2024 21:00:00 -0500
12/12/2024 07:00:00PM
Location: New York, U. S. A.

Starts: Sat, 30 Nov 2024 19:00:00 -0500
<div>Join us for a magical evening of holiday cheer at the <b>McGill Alumni Association of Calgary</b>'s <b>Holiday Soirée</b>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Immerse yourself in the historic ambiance of Lougheed House as we celebrate the season with festive decorations, delightful canapés, and a cash bar.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>This is your chance to dress up, socialize, make new friends, and reconnect with old ones-all while enjoying a fun evening with our community. <br /><br /></div><div><i>Get ready to be enchanted by the spirit of the holidays! <br /></i></div>
Location: Calgary, Canada

The Minister of Finance has approved amendments to Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) Rule 91-507 Trade Repositories and Derivatives Data Reporting and consequential amendments to OSC Rule 13-502 Fees (collectively, the Amendments) pursuant to

1. Ontario Securities Commission Rule 91-507 Trade Repositories and Derivatives Data Reporting is amended by this Instrument.

This document is only available as a PDF.

Frequently asked questions about a zero-day vulnerability in Fortinet’s FortiManager that has reportedly been exploited in the wild.

Background

The Tenable Security Response Team (SRT) has compiled this blog to answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding a zero-day vulnerability in Fortinet’s FortiManager.

FAQ

What is FortiJump?

FortiJump is a name given to a zero-day vulnerability in the FortiGate-FortiManager (FGFM) protocol in Fortinet’s FortiManager and FortiManager Cloud. It was named by security researcher Kevin Beaumont in a blog post on October 22. Beaumont also created a logo for FortiJump.

What are the vulnerabilities associated with FortiJump?

On October 23, Fortinet published an advisory (FG-IR-24-423) for FortiJump, assigning a CVE identifier for the flaw.

What is CVE-2024-47575?

CVE-2024-47575 is a missing authentication vulnerability in the FortiGate to FortiManager (FGFM) daemon (fgfmsd) in FortiManager and FortiManager Cloud.

How severe is CVE-2024-47575?

Exploitation of FortiJump could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker using a valid FortiGate certificate to register unauthorized devices in FortiManager. Successful exploitation would grant the attacker the ability to view and modify files, such as configuration files, to obtain sensitive information, as well as the ability to manage other devices.

Obtaining a certificate from a FortiGate device is relatively easy:

Comment
by from discussion
infortinet

According to results from Shodan, there are nearly 60,000 FortiManager devices that are internet-facing, including over 13,000 in the United States, over 5,800 in China, nearly 3,000 in Brazil and 2,300 in India:

When was FortiJump first disclosed?

There were reports on Reddit that Fortinet proactively notified customers using FortiManager about the flaw ahead of the release of patches, though some customers say they never received any notifications. Beaumont posted a warning to Mastodon on October 13:

Post by @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social

View on Mastodon

Was this exploited as a zero-day?

Yes, according to both Beaumont and Fortinet, FortiJump has been exploited in the wild as a zero-day. Additionally, Google Mandiant published a blog post on October 23 highlighting its collaborative investigation with Fortinet into the “mass exploitation” of this zero-day vulnerability. According to Google Mandiant, they’ve discovered over 50 plus “potentially compromised FortiManager devices in various industries.”

Which threat actors are exploiting FortiJump?

Google Mandiant attributed exploitation activity to a new threat cluster called UNC5820, adding that the cluster has been observed exploiting the flaw since “as early as June 27, 2024.”

Is there a proof-of-concept (PoC) available for this vulnerability/these vulnerabilities?

As of October 23, there are no public proof-of-concept exploits available for FortiJump.

Are patches or mitigations available for FortiJump?

The following table contains a list of affected products, versions and fixed versions.

Fortinet’s advisory provides workarounds for specific impacted versions if patching is not feasible. These include blocking unknown devices from attempting to register to FortiManager, creating IP allow lists of approved FortiGate devices that can connect to FortiManager and the creation of custom certificates. Generally speaking, it is advised to ensure FGFM is not internet-facing.

Has Tenable released any product coverage for these vulnerabilities?

A list of Tenable plugins for this vulnerability can be found on the individual CVE page for CVE-2024-47575 as they’re released. This link will display all available plugins for this vulnerability, including upcoming plugins in our Plugins Pipeline.

Get more information

• Burning Zero Days: FortiJump FortiManager vulnerability used by nation state in espionage via MSPs
• FortiGuard Labs PSIRT FG-IR-24-423 Advisory

Join Tenable's Security Response Team on the Tenable Community.
Learn more about Tenable One, the Exposure Management Platform for the modern attack surface.

As organizations create and store more data in the cloud, security teams must ensure the data is protected from cyberthreats. Learn more about what causes data breaches and about the best practices you can adopt to secure data stored in the cloud.

With the explosion of data being generated and stored in the cloud, hackers are creating new and innovative attack techniques to gain access to cloud environments and steal data. A review of recent major data breaches shows us that data thieves are using social engineering, hunting for exposed credentials, looking for unpatched vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and employing other sophisticated techniques to breach cloud environments.

A look at recent cloud data-breach trends

Here are some takeaways from major data breaches that have occurred this year:

• Managing the risk from your third-parties – partners, service providers, vendors – has always been critical. It’s even more so when these trusted organizations have access to your cloud environment and cloud data. You must make sure that your third-parties are using proper cloud-security protections to safeguard their access to your cloud data and to your cloud environment.
• Secure your identities. We’ve seen major data breaches this year tracked down to simple missteps like failing to protect highly-privileged admin accounts and services with multi-factor authentication (MFA). 
• Adopt best practices to prevent ransomware attacks, and to mitigate them if you get hit by one. Ransomware gangs know that a surefire way to pressure victims into paying ransoms is to hijack their systems and threaten to expose their sensitive data. 

So, how can you strengthen your data security posture against these types of attacks?

1. Implement a "zero trust" security framework that requires all users, whether inside or outside the organization, to be authenticated, authorized and continuously validated before being granted or maintaining access to data. This framework should allow only time-limited access and be based on the principle of least privilege, which limits access and usage to the minimum amount of data required to perform the job.
2. Use a cloud data security posture management (DSPM) solution to enforce the security framework through continuous monitoring, automation, prioritization and visibility. DSPM solutions can help organizations identify and prioritize data security risks based on their severity, allowing them to focus their resources on the most critical issues.
3. Regularly conduct risk assessments to detect and remediate security risks before they can be exploited by hackers. This can help prevent data breaches and minimize the impact of any security incidents that do occur.
4. Train employees on security best practices, including how to create strong passwords, how to identify risks and how to report suspicious activity.

By following these recommendations, organizations can significantly reduce their risk of a data breach and improve handling sensitive data belonging to their organization. As more and more data moves to the cloud and hackers become more sophisticated, it's essential to prioritize security and take proactive measures to protect against data risks. 

Learn more

• Webinar: Know Your Exposure: Is Your Cloud Data Secure in the Age of AI?
• Data Sheet: Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) Integrated into Tenable Cloud Security
• Data Sheet: Securing AI Resources and Data in the Cloud with Tenable Cloud Security
• Infographic: When CNAPP Met DSPM
• Video: Demo Video: Data Security Posture Management and AI Security Posture Management

Looking for help with shadow AI? Want to boost your software updates’ safety? New publications offer valuable tips. Plus, learn why GenAI and data security have become top drivers of cyber strategies. And get the latest on the top “no-nos” for software security; the EU’s new cyber law; and CISOs’ communications with boards.

Dive into six things that are top of mind for the week ending Oct. 25.

1 - CSA: How to prevent “shadow AI” 

As organizations scale up their AI adoption, they must closely track their AI assets to secure them and mitigate their cyber risk. This includes monitoring the usage of unapproved AI tools by employees — an issue known as “shadow AI.”

So how do you identify, manage and prevent shadow AI? You may find useful ideas in the Cloud Security Alliance’s new “AI Organizational Responsibilities: Governance, Risk Management, Compliance and Cultural Aspects” white paper.

The white paper covers shadow AI topics including:

• Creating a comprehensive inventory of AI systems
• Conducting gap analyses to spot discrepancies between approved and actual AI usage
• Implementing ways to detect unauthorized AI wares
• Establishing effective access controls
• Deploying monitoring techniques

“By focusing on these key areas, organizations can significantly reduce the risks associated with shadow AI, ensuring that all AI systems align with organizational policies, security standards, and regulatory requirements,” the white paper reads.

For example, to create an inventory that offers the required visibility into AI assets, the document explains different elements each record should have, such as:

• The asset’s description
• Information about its AI models
• Information about its data sets and data sources
• Information about the tools used for its development and deployment
• Detailed documentation about its lifecycle, regulatory compliance, ethical considerations and adherence to industry standards
• Records of its access control mechanisms

Shadow AI is one of four topics covered in the publication, which also unpacks risk management; governance and compliance; and safety culture and training.

To get more details, read:

• The full “AI Organizational Responsibilities: Governance, Risk Management, Compliance and Cultural Aspects” white paper
• A complementary slide presentation
• The CSA blog “Shadow AI Prevention: Safeguarding Your Organization’s AI Landscape”

For more information about AI security issues, including shadow AI, check out these Tenable blogs:

• “Do You Think You Have No AI Exposures? Think Again”
• “Securing the AI Attack Surface: Separating the Unknown from the Well Understood”
• “Never Trust User Inputs -- And AI Isn't an Exception: A Security-First Approach”
• “6 Best Practices for Implementing AI Securely and Ethically”
• “Compromising Microsoft's AI Healthcare Chatbot Service”

2 - Best practices for secure software updates

The security and reliability of software updates took center stage in July when an errant update caused massive and unprecedented tech outages globally.

To help prevent such episodes, U.S. and Australian cyber agencies have published “Safe Software Deployment: How Software Manufacturers Can Ensure Reliability for Customers.”

“It is critical for all software manufacturers to implement a safe software deployment program supported by verified processes, including robust testing and measurements,” reads the 12-page document.

Although the guide is aimed primarily at commercial software vendors, its recommendations can be useful for any organization with software development teams that deploy updates internally.

The guide outlines key steps for a secure software development process, including planning; development and testing; internal rollout; and controlled rollout. It also addresses errors and emergency protocols.

“A safe software deployment process should be integrated with the organization’s SDLC, quality program, risk tolerance, and understanding of the customer’s environment and operations,” reads the guide, authored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

To get more details, read:

• The “Safe Software Deployment: How Software Manufacturers Can Ensure Reliability for Customers” guide
• The CISA alert “CISA, US, and International Partners Release Joint Guidance to Assist Software Manufacturers with Safe Software Deployment Processes”

For more information about secure software updates:

• “Tenable’s Software Update Process Protects Customers’ Business Continuity with a Safe, Do-No-Harm Design” (Tenable)
• “The critical importance of robust release processes” (Cloud Native Computing Foundation)
• “Software Deployment Security: Risks and Best Practices” (DevOps.com)
• “Software Updates, A Double-Edged Sword for Cybersecurity Professionals” (Infosecurity)
• “DevOps Best Practices for Faster and More Reliable Software Delivery” (DevOps.com)

3 - Report: GenAI, attack variety, data security drive cyber strategies

What issues act as catalysts for organizations’ cybersecurity actions today? Hint: They’re fairly recent concerns. The promise and peril of generative AI ranks first. It’s closely followed by the ever growing variety of cyberattacks; and by the intensifying urgency to protect data.

That’s according to CompTIA’s “State of Cybersecurity 2025” report, based on a survey of almost 1,200 business and IT pros in North America and in parts of Europe and Asia. 

These three key factors, along with others like the scale of attacks, play a critical role in how organizations currently outline their cybersecurity game plans.

“Understanding these drivers is essential for organizations to develop proactive and adaptive cybersecurity strategies that address the evolving threat landscape and safeguard their digital assets,” reads a CompTIA blog about the report.

Organizations are eagerly trying to understand both how generative AI can help their cybersecurity programs and how this technology is being used by malicious actors to make cyberattacks harder to detect and prevent.

Meanwhile, concern about data protection has ballooned in the past couple of years. “As organizations become more data-driven, the need to protect sensitive information has never been more crucial,” reads the blog.

Not only are organizations focused on securing data at rest, in transit and in use, but they’re also creating foundational data-management practices, according to the report.

“The rise of AI has accelerated the need for robust data practices in order to properly train AI algorithms, and the demand for data science continues to be strong as businesses seek competitive differentiation,” the report reads.

To get more details, read:

• The report’s announcement “Cybersecurity success hinges on full organizational support, new CompTIA report asserts”
• CompTIA’s blogs “Today’s top drivers for cybersecurity strategy” and “Cybersecurity’s maturity: CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity 2025 report”
• The full “State of Cybersecurity 2025” report

For more information about data security posture management (DSPM) and preventing AI-powered attacks, check out these Tenable resources:

• “Harden Your Cloud Security Posture by Protecting Your Cloud Data and AI Resources” (blog)
• “Know Your Exposure: Is Your Cloud Data Secure in the Age of AI?” (on-demand webinar)
• “The Data-Factor: Why Integrating DSPM Is Key to Your CNAPP Strategy” (blog)
• “Mitigating AI-Related Security Risks” (on-demand webinar)
• “Securing the AI Attack Surface: Separating the Unknown from the Well Understood” (blog)

4 - CISA lists software dev practices most harmful for security

Recommended best practices abound in the cybersecurity world. However, CISA and the FBI are taking the opposite tack in their quest to improve the security of software products: They just released a list of the worst security practices that software manufacturers ought to avoid.

Titled “Product Security Bad Practices,” the document groups the “no-nos” into three main categories: product properties; security features; and organizational processes and policies.

“It’s 2024, and basic, preventable software defects continue to enable crippling attacks against hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. This has to stop,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement.

“These product security bad practices pose unacceptable risks in this day and age, and yet are all too common,” she added.

Here are some of the worst practices detailed in the document, which is part of CISA’s “Secure by Design” effort:

• Using programming languages considered “memory unsafe”
• Including user-provided input in SQL query strings
• Releasing a product with default passwords
• Releasing a product with known and exploited vulnerabilities
• Not using multi-factor authentication
• Failing to disclose vulnerabilities in a timely manner

Although the guidance is aimed primarily at software makers whose products are used by critical infrastructure organizations, the recommendations apply to all software manufacturers.

If you’re interested in sharing your feedback with CISA and the FBI, you can submit comments about the document until December 16, 2024 on the Federal Register.

To get more details, check out:

• CISA’s announcement “CISA and FBI Release Product Security Bad Practices for Public Comment”
• The full document “Product Security Bad Practices”

For more information about how to develop secure software:

• “Tenable Partners with CISA to Enhance Secure By Design Practices” (Tenable)
• “Ensuring Application Security from Design to Operation with DevSecOps” (DevOps.com)
• “What is application security?” (TechTarget)
• “Guidelines for Software Development (Australian Cyber Security Centre)

5 - New EU law focuses on cybersecurity of connected digital products

Makers of digital products — both software and hardware — that directly or indirectly connect to networks and to other devices will have to comply with specific cybersecurity safeguards in the European Union.

A newly adopted law known as the “Cyber Resilience Act” outlines cybersecurity requirements for the design, development, production and lifecycle maintenance of these types of products, including IoT wares such as connected cars.

For example, it specifies a number of “essential cybersecurity requirements” for these products, including that they:

• Aren’t shipped with known exploitable vulnerabilities
• Feature a “secure by default” configuration
• Can fix their vulnerabilities via automatic software updates
• Offer access protection via control mechanisms, such as authentication and identity management
• Protect the data they store, transmit and process using, for example, at-rest and in-transit encryption

“The new regulation aims to fill the gaps, clarify the links, and make the existing cybersecurity legislative framework more coherent, ensuring that products with digital components (...) are made secure throughout the supply chain and throughout their lifecycle,” reads a statement from the EU’s European Council.

The law will “enter into force” after its publication in the EU’s official journal and will apply and be enforceable 36 months later, so most likely in October 2027 or November 2027. However, some of its provisions will be enforceable a year prior.

For more information and analysis about the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act:

• “Cyber Resilience Act Requirements Standards Mapping” (ENISA)
• “The Cyber Resilience Act, an Accidental European Alien Torts Statute?” (Lawfare)
• “EU Cybersecurity Regulation Adopted, Impacts Connected Products” (National Law Review)
• “Open source foundations unite on common standards for EU’s Cyber Resilience Act” (TechCrunch)
• “The Cyber Resilience Act: A New Era for Mobile App Developers” (DevOps.com)

VIDEO

The EU Cyber Resilience Act: A New Era for Business Engagement in Open Source Software (Linux Foundation) 

6 - UK cyber agency: CISOs must communicate better with boards

CISOs and boards of directors are struggling to understand each other, and this is increasing their organizations’ cyber risk, new research from the U.K.’s cyber agency has found.

For example, in one alarming finding, 80% of respondents, which included board members, CISOs and other cyber leaders in medium and large enterprises, confessed to being unsure of who is ultimately accountable for cybersecurity in their organizations.

“We found that in many organisations, the CISO (or equivalent role) thought that the Board was accountable, whilst the Board thought it was the CISO,” reads a blog about the research titled “How to talk to board members about cyber.”

As a result, the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released new guidance aimed at helping CISOs better communicate with their organizations’ boards titled “Engaging with Boards to improve the management of cyber security risk.”

“Cyber security is a strategic issue, which means you must engage with Boards on their terms and in their language to ensure the cyber risk is understood, managed and mitigated,” the document reads.

Here’s a small sampling of the advice:

• Understand your audience, including who are the board’s members and their areas of expertise; and how the board works, such as its meeting formats and its committees.
• Talk about cybersecurity in terms of risks, and outline these risks concretely and precisely, presenting them in a matter-of-fact way.
• Don’t limit your communication with board members to formal board meetings. Look for opportunities to talk to them individually or in small groups outside of these board meetings.
• Elevate the discussions so that you link cybersecurity with your organization’s business challenges, goals and context.
• Aim to provide a holistic view, and avoid using technical jargon.
• Aim to advise instead of to educate.

Preventing data loss, complying with regulations, automating workflows and managing access are four key challenges facing financial institutions. Learn how Tenable can help.

Imagine a bustling bank, made not of bricks and mortar, but of a swirling mass of data in the cloud. Account numbers, transaction histories and personally identifiable information (PII) zip across servers, powering the financial world. Holding all this sensitive data requires tremendous care. Therefore, securing this sensitive information is paramount.

This is where Tenable Cloud Security steps in, offering a data security shield specifically designed for the unique needs of financial institutions.

The challenge: A data deluge demands vigilance

Financial institutions generate massive volumes of data daily. While the public cloud offers unparalleled capacity to store such data, along with agility and scalability, the cloud also expands the attack surface. Legacy cybersecurity solutions are often unable to manage — let alone secure — the sheer volume of data and the variety of ways it is accessed, leaving organizations exposed to malicious actors. At the same time, financial institutions must keep up with new and evolving compliance standards and regulations set forth by governing bodies. Financial institutions need a security platform that helps them protect their data and maintain compliance.

Tenable Cloud Security’s advantage: Seeing beyond the walls

Tenable Cloud Security actively scrutinizes every corner of the cloud data vault, continuously and automatically.

"Without [Tenable Cloud Security], we would've been virtually blind to risks and threats impacting our sensitive data. [Tenable Cloud Security] allows us to preempt any issues and meet the requirements we're receiving from our business partners, with minimal effort.

— VP Security at a leading Fintech platform

Here's how Tenable empowers financial institutions:

• Protecting sensitive data: Tenable doesn't just guard the door; it knows what's inside and how to best protect it. It identifies and labels all data, like financial records and social security numbers, understanding its sensitivity and prioritizing its protection.
• Continuous monitoring: Imagine guards constantly scanning every inch of the vault. Tenable does the same digitally, using advanced technology to constantly search for suspicious activity and potential breaches. Any unusual movement of the data, either exfiltration or copying to a different and inaccessible location, triggers an alarm, allowing for immediate intervention.
• Policy enforcement: Just like a vault needs clear access protocols, so does your data. Tenable automates setting and enforcing cybersecurity policies across the entire cloud, ensuring everyone plays by the book and no unauthorized hands touch the valuables.
• Following mandated regulations: Financial institutions juggle a complex set of regulations and industry standards like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Tenable simplifies compliance with a host of international regulations by providing timely reports and audit trails.

Beyond traditional security: More than just a lock

Modern technology stacks for data storage require a modern cybersecurity stack. Traditional security solutions are unable to address the unique risks associated with storing data in cloud technologies. Financial organizations that leverage Tenable’s data security platform are able to meet existing and future challenges, including:

• Preventing data loss: Early detection and prevention of unauthorized data access can help organizations minimize financial losses and reputational damage, keeping valuable assets safe from even the most cunning thieves.
• Complying with regulations: Automated reports and adherence to the most stringent regulations and industry standards ensure compliance, saving time and resources.
• Automating workflows: Tenable automates tasks and provides deeper insights into how data behaves, enabling organizations to free up their valuable resources for other endeavors and make their security teams more efficient.
• Managing access: Just like knowing who has access to the vault is crucial. Tenable tracks who and what has access to data, ensuring only authorized parties can handle the data.

The future of financial security is data-centric

Tenable Cloud Security's data-centric approach positions it as a valuable partner, not just for guarding the perimeter but for understanding the inner workings of the vault and the most sensitive data within it. By leveraging Tenable’s capabilities, financial institutions can confidently embrace the cloud while ensuring the highest level of security for their most valuable assets — their data.

To learn more about how you can secure your data

• Webinar: Know Your Exposure: Is Your Cloud Data Secure in the Age of AI?
• Data Sheet: Data Security in a Unified Cloud Security Solution
• Infographic: When CNAPP met DSPM
• Demo Video

1. 4Critical
2. 82Important
3. 1Moderate
4. 0Low

Microsoft addresses 87 CVEs and one advisory (ADV240001) in its November 2024 Patch Tuesday release, with four critical vulnerabilities and four zero-day vulnerabilities, including two that were exploited in the wild.

Microsoft patched 87 CVEs in its November 2024 Patch Tuesday release, with four rated critical, 82 rated important and one rated moderate.

This month’s update includes patches for:

• .NET and Visual Studio
• Airlift.microsoft.com
• Azure CycleCloud
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• LightGBM
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• Microsoft Graphics Component
• Microsoft Office Excel
• Microsoft Office Word
• Microsoft PC Manager
• Microsoft Virtual Hard Drive
• Microsoft Windows DNS
• Role: Windows Hyper-V
• SQL Server
• TorchGeo
• Visual Studio
• Visual Studio Code
• Windows Active Directory Certificate Services
• Windows CSC Service
• Windows DWM Core Library
• Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)
• Windows Kerberos
• Windows Kernel
• Windows NT OS Kernel
• Windows NTLM
• Windows Package Library Manager
• Windows Registry
• Windows SMB
• Windows SMBv3 Client/Server
• Windows Secure Kernel Mode
• Windows Task Scheduler
• Windows Telephony Service
• Windows USB Video Driver
• Windows Update Stack
• Windows VMSwitch
• Windows Win32 Kernel Subsystem

Remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities accounted for 58.6% of the vulnerabilities patched this month, followed by elevation of privilege (EoP) vulnerabilities at 29.9%.

Tenable Solutions

A list of all the plugins released for Microsoft’s November 2024 Patch Tuesday update can be found here. As always, we recommend patching systems as soon as possible and regularly scanning your environment to identify those systems yet to be patched.

For more specific guidance on best practices for vulnerability assessments, please refer to our blog post on How to Perform Efficient Vulnerability Assessments with Tenable.

Get more information

• Microsoft's November 2024 Security Updates
• Tenable plugins for Microsoft November 2024 Patch Tuesday Security Updates

Join Tenable's Security Response Team on the Tenable Community.
Learn more about Tenable One, the Exposure Management Platform for the modern attack surface.