Insights from a Cybersecurity Veteran: Lessons from DefCon and Beyond

I’m writing this from my chaotic desk on my third cup of coffee — you know, the one that feels amazing when you’re so wired but also kinda tired — and I’m still vibrating from the aftermath of DefCon: really hardware hacking village, actually. There is something about viewing security through the medium of tactile devices, soldering irons, and “back alley” hacks that really drives home just how much this field has grown into a sprawling, intricate service. But let me back up a bit.

I was working as a network admin in 1993. How about a blast from the past? Think networking and mux gear — those multiplexers that could transport voice and data over the historic PSTN lines. It was a different world. No flashy cloud, no AI (thank goodness). Nothing but bare hardware, endless troubleshooting and a healthy dollop of magic.

And, yeah, I was right there during the insanity that was the Slammer worm, in 2003 — as I watched it spread like a forest fire. The internet, back then, it felt fragile, and if I’m being honest, it feels sort of fragile now. Lessons learned from the Slammer were harsh ones: how quickly worms could spread, patch management woes, the frailty of perimeter-only defenses.

To fast forward: I’m running my own cybersecurity consulting company, helping clients that cannot afford to have any “oops” moments, especially in financial industries. I recently led zero-trust overhauls for three of them. Trust me, zero-trust is not just a buzzword, or simply another security technology, it’s a foundational change in how you think about access and security.

Why zero-trust?

In short, trust no one — even within your network. “It’s a little like the security system in your car. Regardless of whether someone is inside your garage, does it mean they get to drive away? Not without clearance, right? The same logic applies to your IT landscape.

A Word of Caution About Zero-Trust

However, before you dive in headfirst, a word of caution: Zero-trust is NOT a silver bullet. It’s an architecture — a set of beliefs — that needs constant maintenance, sharp policy definition, and ongoing vigilant guarding.

Practical Advice for Zero-Trust Bank Upgrades

I recently did some work with three banks around zero trust frameworks, and each of them had their own quirks (just like any client does). What I saw was a combination of eagerness, skepticism and — let’s be honest — some resistance. “As the world changes, people hold onto old security models the way you would hold onto a favorite old recipe.

Here’s some stuff I learned:

• Employees despise overly convoluted onboarding processes, but love better tools that provide actual value.
• Legacy systems are like that old clunker of a car you don’t want to send to the trash heap — they can pull down your security if you haven’t managed them properly.
• Also adding MFA was a blessing and a curse. Some people still don’t understand the need for a text code.
• Validation, validation, validation — which sounds fancy but actually just means you’re checking the permissions all the time. No trust, remember?

And here’s the kicker — automation can’t solve for everything. You can’t just hurl AI-powered tools at zero-trust and then sit back waiting for miracles. (By the way, I have a very low opinion of AI-powered security marketing.) It’s both good and bad, but never a set-it-and-forget-it solution.

Slammer Worm Flashback: Why Patch Management Is Still a Problem

As someone who watched the Slammer worm spread first hand (that’s right, the one that exploited a SQL Server buffer overflow and literally brought down networks across the globe within minutes), I can assure you that patch management has gotten better, but we’ve still got a long way to go.

Here’s the thing: patches are the cooking oil in the kitchen of your network. You need them fresh to keep your security from flamming out. Yet many organizations treat them as optional condiments.

Common patch management sins I continue to see:

• Delay: Taking weeks or months to apply important patches. It is like allowing a leaking gas tank to simply spill in silence. Dangerous.
• Poor testing – Well yes, everybody knows you should test. But it has to be efficient. Otherwise, patches accumulate and turn into technical debt.
• No accountability – Nobody’s really is accountable for patch cycles whichs causes gaps that can be exploited easily.

In ’03, Slammer worm saturated networks because people were too slow. Don’t want history to repeat? Those patches need to go in — even if your users whine about a little downtime.

DefCon and the Hardware Hacking Village – What An Eye-Opener

If you ever need your mind blown, go and hang out with hackers who have soldering irons and custom firmware. At DefCon’s hardware hacking village, I watched people change mundane devices into clandestine botnet nodes or backdoors, in minutes. It’s a sobering reminder: security isn’t only a software firewall — it’s the physical layer, too.

A few takeaways from that adventure — take good notes:

• Do not underestimate the value of physical security.
• Hardware attacks go beyond software-based defense mechanisms.
• Old gear (cough, like that PSTN mux from my formative years) is still attractive to attackers.

So, as you’re putting together your cybersecurity lineup, don’t limit your thinking to firewalls and anti-virus. Also, what about the chip in the router or the server firmware? Because if an attacker has that, you’re … done.

My Hot-Take on Password Policies (I’m warning you)

Here’s the thing: I’ll be honest, I do see why we have these batshit insane complex password policies. But honestly? They are often unattainable.

Certainly, everyone should use strong passwords. But making users switch them every 30 days, requiring 20-character gibberish, banning password managers? Come on. You’re asking for trouble. People force passwords onto stickies or end up with variants of “Password1234!! ”

I’m a fan of:

• Passphrases that make sense for users to remember (such as MyCarIsBlueAndFast)
• Allow password managers (the good ones, not the ones that are free and sketchy)
• As applicable, mixing MFA with biometrics
• Concentrating in the users’ education, rather than mere throttling with rules

But … I encounter resistance from traditionalists in cybersecurity circles who say, “That’s too loose.” My counter? A chain is only as strong as its weakest link — and often that’s user frustration.

Quick Take: What Every Business Needs to Do NOW

If you don’t have time to read it all, no worries, here is what I really, really think you should spend your energy on today:

• Run Zero Trust: Take incremental steps with micro-segmentation and robust identity access management
• Patch Management: Drive out the most important patches, automate when you can, and assign responsibility
• Overhaul Password Policies: Be practical. Use passphrases, MFA, and stop the absurd complexity nonsense
• Think Hardware Security – physical and firmware are your next battle ground
• Don’t Be a Sucker for AI Snake Oil: Make AI tools work for you, don’t succumb to their definitions of problems

Parting Thoughts from a Grizzled Consultant

I know the field can seem overwhelming. Hell, sometimes I look back and ask, How many times did I mess up? But that’s the process — learning from each incident, each worm outbreak, each sleepless night of log watching.

Security isn’t a checkbox. It’s a living, breathing thing, which means one must remain ever vigilant and adaptable. And yeah, sometimes you’ve got to be a tad hard-headed, a tad skeptical, a tad willing to chart your own course rather than leaping to slap labels and buzzwords on things.

If I have learned one thing over the last three decades or so, it is this: technology changes, threats evolve — but people, and their habits, their frustrations, their creativity, their feelings and their stirrings of revolt, are the constants. Tackle those and you’re halfway there.

Keep your firewalls up, your servers patched and your routers locked down. And between the sheer horror and slimeball venality on display, who could blame you if you needed to throw back a little hair of the dog while you’re at it? (Between you and me, you may want to brace yourself with some strong coffee, because this ride’s only getting faster.)

— Sanjay Seth, P J Networks Pvt Ltd