Cybersecurity Insights & Resources

Employees are already using AI tools at work, policy or not. For all SMBs, here's what an AI acceptable use policy actually needs to say, and why banning the tools outright doesn't work.

SMS and push-based MFA are no longer enough on their own. Here's why examiners are pushing regulated institutions toward phishing-resistant authentication and how to get there without a forklift upgrade.

Change management is a standard IT general control, but weak documentation is one of the most common exam findings at regulated institutions. Here's what a defensible record actually looks like.

Regulated institutions should keep policy approvals, control testing, vendor reviews, and remediation evidence organized throughout the year.

A checklist for all SMBs on incident notification clauses, and a simple way to test whether vendors can actually meet them.

A one-hour tabletop structure for all SMBs to validate roles, escalation paths, communications, and evidence capture.

A lightweight reporting format for all SMBs that helps boards and examiners see risk, trends, and remediation status without drowning in technical detail.

The FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool has been sunset. Here is how regulated institutions can move from a checklist exercise to a defensible risk management program using current frameworks.

CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog helps all SMBs prioritize patching around real-world exploitation, not just severity scores.

Logging and monitoring is one of the most consistently cited gaps at smaller regulated institutions. Here’s what a defensible program looks like, and why it matters beyond just satisfying examiners.

IT examinations don’t have to be a surprise for regulated institutions. Understanding what examiners are looking for, and getting your documentation in order before they arrive, makes a measurable difference.

The updated Safeguards Rule has been in effect for several years, but many smaller regulated institutions are still running compliance programs built around the old standard. Here’s what needs to change.

Patch management rarely gets attention until something goes wrong. Examiners have been scrutinizing it more closely at regulated institutions for years. Here’s what a defensible program actually looks like.

An incident response plan that exists only on paper will cost you at the worst possible moment. Here’s what regulators expect of regulated institutions, and how to build a program that holds up under pressure.

A BCP that lives in a binder and hasn’t been tested is a liability, not an asset. Here’s what regulators expect from a regulated institution’s business continuity program and how to build one that works.

Access control findings are among the most common exam citations at community banks, credit unions, and other regulated institutions. The fix is usually less technical than you’d expect.

Annual security awareness training is required for regulated institutions, but a once-a-year video and a quiz aren’t enough anymore. Here’s what regulators expect and how to build a program that actually changes behavior.

Most regulated institutions complete an annual risk assessment because they have to. The ones that get the most value out of it treat it as a management tool, not a compliance checkbox.

Third-party vendor management is one of the most consistently cited exam findings at regulated institutions. If your program still lives in a spreadsheet with annual certificates of insurance, this post is for you.