In the U.S., critical infrastructure consists of sixteen essential sectors that make daily life possible. National critical functions are the functions of government and the private sector so vital to the U.S. that their disruption, corruption, or dysfunction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety. Here, we talk to Brian Harrell about the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risks to critical infrastructure and more.

Cyberbit announced the launch of the International Cyber League (ICL), a first-of-its-kind competition that will determine the world’s best cyber defense team. The League will begin with America’s Cyber Cup, with registration opening today and closing on Monday, February 22. To determine the world’s best team, qualifying teams will face off against simulated cyberattacks in Cyberbit’s hyper-realistic cyber range, crowning the winning team as North America’s best.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) was hit by a cyber breach of one of its data systems, though it says the breach has been contained and main operations are secure.

From introducing contactless payment options to offering new virtual services, small businesses moved swiftly to expand their offerings and digital capabilities in light of social distancing guidelines. In the midst of these changes, however, it’s critical for small businesses and restaurants to make sure they’re guarding against potential cyber threats. Here are key steps they can take to help ensure that they stay protected.

How do we respond to this increased focus on security? One option would be to simply increase the security standards being enforced. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this would create substantial improvements. Instead, we should be talking about restructuring security policies. In this post, we’ll examine how security standards look today and 5 ways they can be dramatically improved with new approaches and tooling.