My Cybersecurity Journey and Insights on Zero-Trust Architecture

It’s 10:30 AM and my third cup of coffee is just hitting me as I stare at my desk, contemplating the journey this whole world of cybersecurity has taken me on since 1993, when I was a network admin, stacking modems and voice and data mux over the old PSTN lines hanging out of southern Illinois. Ah, those were the good old days. Firewalls were not fancy appliances back then — they were in fact mostly just rules in your router, and if you wanted fancy alerts you’d darn well be using your own scripts (the good ol’ days).

Flash forward to today: I run my own security firm and assist clients — banks in particular — in deploying zero-trust architecture to harden their defenses. And just returned from DefCon, bristling, especially after the Hardware Hacking Village. Never have those contrasts between then and now been more stark, yet some things remain incredibly frustratingly the same.

Actual Examples to Refer to

I recall the arrival of the Slammer worm on the network: a small 376-byte packet that took out thousands of servers around the world in no time at all. It was 2003, and for a lot of IT people, a rude awakening. Patching was not done to the same extent as it is today — back then it was a rare event, usually an afterthought until something blew up because of it. “But Slammer demonstrated that even the smallest chink in your SQL Server could bring it all crashing down.”

It was an experience that colored much of my subsequent thinking on security. You can’t just put in some sort of fancy firewall or antivirus and be done. You have to consider what those attack vectors are—what’s more, how your network dependencies can be turned into weapons whence it comes.

I was recently called in to assist three banks in updating their zero-trust model. Zero trust is the current buzzword that everyone likes to say, but getting it right? That’s a different beast. It’s much more than just “don’t trust, verify” mottos or throwing MFA everywhere (although those are critical).

Here’s the thing — Zero-trust is about:

Strictly segmenting access.
Ongoing user behavior scanning — insider threats are no joke.
Presume breaches will occur, therefore design to solve the impact quickly.

But the biggest challenge? Organizational culture. Making execs see that security isn’t just an IT issue — it’s a business enabler.

Why I’m Still Doubtful About AI-Powered Solutions

I’ve got to come clean — I’ve got mixed feelings about the hype around AI-powered cybersecurity products. Yes, machine learning can detect anomalies far more quickly than people can, no disputing that. But the silver bullet of artificial intelligence? Dangerous. Imagine putting your car’s autopilot in charge of driving through NY on its own w/o your hands on the wheel- Neat right, but not something you wanna bet your life on imho.

Too frequently I have found vendors that slap AI-powered on marketing materials without backing up claims. The fact is, A.I. tools are only as good as their underlying data — and many companies’ data hygiene is still poor. “Garbage in, garbage out,” as they say.

If you’re buying cybersecurity software because it claims to be AI-based, please get deep into how those algorithms work — no black box stuff. You want transparency and you want control.

Tips Provided by the Trenches on How to Secure Your IT in 2024

Based on my experience of nearly four decades, here’s how you can tell:

1. Patch Management is Your Best Friend

Slammer exploited unpatched vulnerabilities. This is still how 1 way threats are going to come in to networks.
Automate patching, but always verify for compatibility.

2. Don’t Overlook Hardware Security

Just returned from the Hardware Hacking Village at DefCon. Supply chain and firmware attacks are on the rise.
Firewalls and routers are not inaccessable through firmware manipulation.
Regular firmware checks and hardware verification are a must.

3. Zero-Trust Isn’t Just Tech — It’s Process And Culture

You need clear policies.
Network segmentation, least privilege access, strong identity proofing.
Continually train users — your weakest link is human.

4. Password Policies? Let Me Rant a Bit…

Many businesses make people remember a complicated password that no one will have time to remember.
Result? People jot it down, or reuse the passwords everywhere.
My take? Use passphrases. Qualitative, easy to remember but hard to crack.
Pair with MFA for actual security.

5. Use Firewalls as Interior Defenses, Not Just Perimeter Defenses.

There are plenty who believe firewalls only live on the edges of networks. Nope.
Internal perimeters are established with firewalls that separate zones of sensitive data.
That doesn’t let people in and limits their movement if someone does get in.

6. Logging & Monitoring as a Proactive and Not Reactive Job

Establish SIEMs that sound alarms on anomalies.
But also ensure that alerts don’t inundate you in noise — concentrate on actionable events.

Quick Take

Patch everything ASAP.
Zero-trust isn’t plug-and-play — it’s also a matter of culture.
Don’t fall for AI hype; know your toolset – That way, when you are mystified by your model’s behavior, you have something to help debug it.
Password complexity can bite you in the bum – passphrases + MFA.
Hardware security, too, is something you can’t overlook; so too with the defects and vulnerabilities that silently murder networks.

Bringing It All Home

If I look back at the beginning of my days managing networks over dial-up PSTN and contrast that with today… then unequivocally while the tech changes in a flash, the human is still your problem child in cybersecurity. The tools become more sophisticated, but your approach needs to remain sound and simple enough to follow for an average human.

And three banking institutions I’ve worked with recently learned the hard way that zero-trust architecture is not simply a matter of deploying fancy tech. It’s about baking security into the fabric of your company — from the boardroom to the helpdesk.

And yes, I continue to long for the days when network admins had fewer alerts to pursue. But the truth is, threats continue to change, and so must we.

So, from my desk — caffeinated by coffee, informed by decades on the field — here is my call: Don’t chase every shiny new gadget or buzzword. Concentrate on the basics, know your environment and never rely to any believed or product security protocol without checking them.

After all, protecting your network is not a one-and-done solution. It’s a process—and believe me, I’ve made enough mistakes to know what works and what’s B.S.

Keep reading, keep asking — your security is at stake.

Blog