Ira Winkler

Contributing Columnist

Ira Winkler, CISSP, is president of Secure Mentem, and author of the forthcoming book, Advanced Persistent Security. He can be contacted at securementem.com.

What business can learn from the Equifax data breach

How safe are your passwords? Real life rules for businesses to live by

How safe are your passwords? Real life rules for businesses to live by

While people applaud easier password guidance from NIST, easier is not better. Here’s what you need to consider when creating a company password policy.

What is gamification? Lessons for awareness programs from Pokemon Go

What is gamification? Lessons for awareness programs from Pokemon Go

Gamification is a way to reward people for exhibiting a desired behavior. It is not merely creating a game for people to play, nor making training a game. As Pokemon Go turns a year old, here are some of the things awareness programs...

4 tips to make use of Wannacry in awareness programs

4 tips to make use of Wannacry in awareness programs

When security events make news, you can take advantage of the wake-up call — if you know what to do.

8 ways millennials impact your security awareness program

8 ways millennials impact your security awareness program

The millennial generation has arrived. Is your awareness program up to the challenge?

7 elements of a successful security awareness program

7 elements of a successful security awareness program

Action items for CSOs looking to bolster their security awareness programs.

Hack Back law would create cyber vigilantes

Hack Back law would create cyber vigilantes

The Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act revision demonstrates what happens when you rely upon limited information and a cowboy mentality.

What security practitioners can learn from the United’s failures

What security practitioners can learn from the United’s failures

The United airlines debacle was a complete failure of process, and many security programs suffer the same fate.

What prevents breaches: process, technology or people? One answer is PC, and one is right.

What prevents breaches: process, technology or people? One answer is PC, and one is right.

Many experts say that people are more important than process in the IT security world. That is politically correct, as opposed to actually correct.

If you think ransomware is a user failure, you’re a failure

If you think ransomware is a user failure, you’re a failure

It is easy to blame users for causing ransomware infections of their own systems. However, the reality is that for the user to infect their system, there are many technical failures, which are due to the IT staff’s actions or lack...

Parting advice from Howard Schmidt

Parting advice from Howard Schmidt

Security expert Ira Winkler reflects on the late-Howard Schmidt.

Why awareness needs to teach scam detection and reaction

Why awareness needs to teach scam detection and reaction

Most awareness programs teach users how to behave. Ira Winkler argues training needs to go further so people know what to do if they do fall victim to fraud.

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