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Free Crime Prevention Seminars: Through our ongoing partnership with the Orange County Sheriffs Office and the Orlando Police Department the following Crime Prevention Seminars are available Free of Charge to your business and employees through the O.C. S. O. and the O.P.D. Crime Prevention Units.

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Looking for help with shadow AI? Want to boost your software updates’ safety? New publications offer valuable tips. Plus, learn why GenAI and data security have become top drivers of cyber strategies. And get the latest on the top “no-nos” for software security; the EU’s new cyber law; and CISOs’ communications with boards.

Dive into six things that are top of mind for the week ending Oct. 25.

1 - CSA: How to prevent “shadow AI” 

As organizations scale up their AI adoption, they must closely track their AI assets to secure them and mitigate their cyber risk. This includes monitoring the usage of unapproved AI tools by employees — an issue known as “shadow AI.”

So how do you identify, manage and prevent shadow AI? You may find useful ideas in the Cloud Security Alliance’s new “AI Organizational Responsibilities: Governance, Risk Management, Compliance and Cultural Aspects” white paper.

The white paper covers shadow AI topics including:

• Creating a comprehensive inventory of AI systems
• Conducting gap analyses to spot discrepancies between approved and actual AI usage
• Implementing ways to detect unauthorized AI wares
• Establishing effective access controls
• Deploying monitoring techniques

“By focusing on these key areas, organizations can significantly reduce the risks associated with shadow AI, ensuring that all AI systems align with organizational policies, security standards, and regulatory requirements,” the white paper reads.

For example, to create an inventory that offers the required visibility into AI assets, the document explains different elements each record should have, such as:

• The asset’s description
• Information about its AI models
• Information about its data sets and data sources
• Information about the tools used for its development and deployment
• Detailed documentation about its lifecycle, regulatory compliance, ethical considerations and adherence to industry standards
• Records of its access control mechanisms

Shadow AI is one of four topics covered in the publication, which also unpacks risk management; governance and compliance; and safety culture and training.

To get more details, read:

• The full “AI Organizational Responsibilities: Governance, Risk Management, Compliance and Cultural Aspects” white paper
• A complementary slide presentation
• The CSA blog “Shadow AI Prevention: Safeguarding Your Organization’s AI Landscape”

For more information about AI security issues, including shadow AI, check out these Tenable blogs:

• “Do You Think You Have No AI Exposures? Think Again”
• “Securing the AI Attack Surface: Separating the Unknown from the Well Understood”
• “Never Trust User Inputs -- And AI Isn't an Exception: A Security-First Approach”
• “6 Best Practices for Implementing AI Securely and Ethically”
• “Compromising Microsoft's AI Healthcare Chatbot Service”

2 - Best practices for secure software updates

The security and reliability of software updates took center stage in July when an errant update caused massive and unprecedented tech outages globally.

To help prevent such episodes, U.S. and Australian cyber agencies have published “Safe Software Deployment: How Software Manufacturers Can Ensure Reliability for Customers.”

“It is critical for all software manufacturers to implement a safe software deployment program supported by verified processes, including robust testing and measurements,” reads the 12-page document.

Although the guide is aimed primarily at commercial software vendors, its recommendations can be useful for any organization with software development teams that deploy updates internally.

The guide outlines key steps for a secure software development process, including planning; development and testing; internal rollout; and controlled rollout. It also addresses errors and emergency protocols.

“A safe software deployment process should be integrated with the organization’s SDLC, quality program, risk tolerance, and understanding of the customer’s environment and operations,” reads the guide, authored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI and the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

To get more details, read:

• The “Safe Software Deployment: How Software Manufacturers Can Ensure Reliability for Customers” guide
• The CISA alert “CISA, US, and International Partners Release Joint Guidance to Assist Software Manufacturers with Safe Software Deployment Processes”

For more information about secure software updates:

• “Tenable’s Software Update Process Protects Customers’ Business Continuity with a Safe, Do-No-Harm Design” (Tenable)
• “The critical importance of robust release processes” (Cloud Native Computing Foundation)
• “Software Deployment Security: Risks and Best Practices” (DevOps.com)
• “Software Updates, A Double-Edged Sword for Cybersecurity Professionals” (Infosecurity)
• “DevOps Best Practices for Faster and More Reliable Software Delivery” (DevOps.com)

3 - Report: GenAI, attack variety, data security drive cyber strategies

What issues act as catalysts for organizations’ cybersecurity actions today? Hint: They’re fairly recent concerns. The promise and peril of generative AI ranks first. It’s closely followed by the ever growing variety of cyberattacks; and by the intensifying urgency to protect data.

That’s according to CompTIA’s “State of Cybersecurity 2025” report, based on a survey of almost 1,200 business and IT pros in North America and in parts of Europe and Asia. 

These three key factors, along with others like the scale of attacks, play a critical role in how organizations currently outline their cybersecurity game plans.

“Understanding these drivers is essential for organizations to develop proactive and adaptive cybersecurity strategies that address the evolving threat landscape and safeguard their digital assets,” reads a CompTIA blog about the report.

Organizations are eagerly trying to understand both how generative AI can help their cybersecurity programs and how this technology is being used by malicious actors to make cyberattacks harder to detect and prevent.

Meanwhile, concern about data protection has ballooned in the past couple of years. “As organizations become more data-driven, the need to protect sensitive information has never been more crucial,” reads the blog.

Not only are organizations focused on securing data at rest, in transit and in use, but they’re also creating foundational data-management practices, according to the report.

“The rise of AI has accelerated the need for robust data practices in order to properly train AI algorithms, and the demand for data science continues to be strong as businesses seek competitive differentiation,” the report reads.

To get more details, read:

• The report’s announcement “Cybersecurity success hinges on full organizational support, new CompTIA report asserts”
• CompTIA’s blogs “Today’s top drivers for cybersecurity strategy” and “Cybersecurity’s maturity: CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity 2025 report”
• The full “State of Cybersecurity 2025” report

For more information about data security posture management (DSPM) and preventing AI-powered attacks, check out these Tenable resources:

• “Harden Your Cloud Security Posture by Protecting Your Cloud Data and AI Resources” (blog)
• “Know Your Exposure: Is Your Cloud Data Secure in the Age of AI?” (on-demand webinar)
• “The Data-Factor: Why Integrating DSPM Is Key to Your CNAPP Strategy” (blog)
• “Mitigating AI-Related Security Risks” (on-demand webinar)
• “Securing the AI Attack Surface: Separating the Unknown from the Well Understood” (blog)

4 - CISA lists software dev practices most harmful for security

Recommended best practices abound in the cybersecurity world. However, CISA and the FBI are taking the opposite tack in their quest to improve the security of software products: They just released a list of the worst security practices that software manufacturers ought to avoid.

Titled “Product Security Bad Practices,” the document groups the “no-nos” into three main categories: product properties; security features; and organizational processes and policies.

“It’s 2024, and basic, preventable software defects continue to enable crippling attacks against hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. This has to stop,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement.

“These product security bad practices pose unacceptable risks in this day and age, and yet are all too common,” she added.

Here are some of the worst practices detailed in the document, which is part of CISA’s “Secure by Design” effort:

• Using programming languages considered “memory unsafe”
• Including user-provided input in SQL query strings
• Releasing a product with default passwords
• Releasing a product with known and exploited vulnerabilities
• Not using multi-factor authentication
• Failing to disclose vulnerabilities in a timely manner

Although the guidance is aimed primarily at software makers whose products are used by critical infrastructure organizations, the recommendations apply to all software manufacturers.

If you’re interested in sharing your feedback with CISA and the FBI, you can submit comments about the document until December 16, 2024 on the Federal Register.

To get more details, check out:

• CISA’s announcement “CISA and FBI Release Product Security Bad Practices for Public Comment”
• The full document “Product Security Bad Practices”

For more information about how to develop secure software:

• “Tenable Partners with CISA to Enhance Secure By Design Practices” (Tenable)
• “Ensuring Application Security from Design to Operation with DevSecOps” (DevOps.com)
• “What is application security?” (TechTarget)
• “Guidelines for Software Development (Australian Cyber Security Centre)

5 - New EU law focuses on cybersecurity of connected digital products

Makers of digital products — both software and hardware — that directly or indirectly connect to networks and to other devices will have to comply with specific cybersecurity safeguards in the European Union.

A newly adopted law known as the “Cyber Resilience Act” outlines cybersecurity requirements for the design, development, production and lifecycle maintenance of these types of products, including IoT wares such as connected cars.

For example, it specifies a number of “essential cybersecurity requirements” for these products, including that they:

• Aren’t shipped with known exploitable vulnerabilities
• Feature a “secure by default” configuration
• Can fix their vulnerabilities via automatic software updates
• Offer access protection via control mechanisms, such as authentication and identity management
• Protect the data they store, transmit and process using, for example, at-rest and in-transit encryption

“The new regulation aims to fill the gaps, clarify the links, and make the existing cybersecurity legislative framework more coherent, ensuring that products with digital components (...) are made secure throughout the supply chain and throughout their lifecycle,” reads a statement from the EU’s European Council.

The law will “enter into force” after its publication in the EU’s official journal and will apply and be enforceable 36 months later, so most likely in October 2027 or November 2027. However, some of its provisions will be enforceable a year prior.

For more information and analysis about the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act:

• “Cyber Resilience Act Requirements Standards Mapping” (ENISA)
• “The Cyber Resilience Act, an Accidental European Alien Torts Statute?” (Lawfare)
• “EU Cybersecurity Regulation Adopted, Impacts Connected Products” (National Law Review)
• “Open source foundations unite on common standards for EU’s Cyber Resilience Act” (TechCrunch)
• “The Cyber Resilience Act: A New Era for Mobile App Developers” (DevOps.com)

VIDEO

The EU Cyber Resilience Act: A New Era for Business Engagement in Open Source Software (Linux Foundation) 

6 - UK cyber agency: CISOs must communicate better with boards

CISOs and boards of directors are struggling to understand each other, and this is increasing their organizations’ cyber risk, new research from the U.K.’s cyber agency has found.

For example, in one alarming finding, 80% of respondents, which included board members, CISOs and other cyber leaders in medium and large enterprises, confessed to being unsure of who is ultimately accountable for cybersecurity in their organizations.

“We found that in many organisations, the CISO (or equivalent role) thought that the Board was accountable, whilst the Board thought it was the CISO,” reads a blog about the research titled “How to talk to board members about cyber.”

As a result, the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released new guidance aimed at helping CISOs better communicate with their organizations’ boards titled “Engaging with Boards to improve the management of cyber security risk.”

“Cyber security is a strategic issue, which means you must engage with Boards on their terms and in their language to ensure the cyber risk is understood, managed and mitigated,” the document reads.

Here’s a small sampling of the advice:

• Understand your audience, including who are the board’s members and their areas of expertise; and how the board works, such as its meeting formats and its committees.
• Talk about cybersecurity in terms of risks, and outline these risks concretely and precisely, presenting them in a matter-of-fact way.
• Don’t limit your communication with board members to formal board meetings. Look for opportunities to talk to them individually or in small groups outside of these board meetings.
• Elevate the discussions so that you link cybersecurity with your organization’s business challenges, goals and context.
• Aim to provide a holistic view, and avoid using technical jargon.
• Aim to advise instead of to educate.

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The OSCE Programme Office in Astana concluded a series of two-day training seminars for some 100 members of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against Torture on 2 August 2016 in Aktobe, Western Kazakhstan.

From May to August 2016, participants were trained in Pavlodar, Almaty, Astana and Aktobe on practical aspects of the NPM’s implementation.

The training seminars aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the Mechanism in monitoring, reporting and conducting preventive visits at detention facilities. National experts discussed with the NPM members the working procedures and methodology, challenges in fulfilling human rights obligations and ethical aspects in line with national and international anti-torture standards. Special emphasis was placed on the necessary co-operation between NPM and the law-enforcement sector.

The set of seminars was organized in partnership with the Ombudsman’s Office of Kazakhstan and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is part of the Office’s long-standing commitment to reinforce the NPM and promote the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

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The Berlin Conference is the first in a series of events planned as part of a two-year project by the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings supported by the current German and incoming Austrian OSCE Chairmanships, and Switzerland.

This high-level event is part of the OSCE’s ongoing effort to raise awareness about the problem of labour exploitation in supply chains and to advocate for increased actions at the government level across the OSCE region with the aim of adopting measures to prevent and combat this form of modern day slavery.

Today’s globalized economy is characterized by complex supply chains of goods and services, with both materials and labour sourced from all around the world. It is difficult for buyers and consumers to be sure that the goods or services that they purchase or procure were not produced by trafficked labour. It is also difficult for large or multi-national companies to verify their own supply chains when there may be multiple tiers of subcontractors. Sometimes a parent company might not be aware of whether its sub-contractors down the supply chain unknowingly use or resort to the use of forced labour, including child exploitation and human trafficking. Inefficiently regulated recruitment and poorly inspected worksites, behaviour and practices conducive to corruption, lack of understanding of labour and human rights standards, as well as insufficient enforcement, constitute additional challenges in this field.

In order to address the problem of human trafficking in global supply chains, the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) developed a project on Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings in Supply Chains through Government Practices and Measures. The project aims to provide OSCE participating States with practical tools to enact concrete measures to prevent human trafficking in supply chains, as well as build their capacity to implement these measures. Project activities include capacity-building workshops and conferences, the publishing of Model guidelines on preventing trafficking in supply chains and developing a plan encouraging the adoption of the Model guidelines.

Staff of the National Centre of the Kyrgyz Republic for the Prevention of Torture, with support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek will conduct monitoring visits to the detention facilities in Isyk-Kul, Naryn and Talas provinces between 10 and 17 August. These visits aim at monitoring detention conditions and human rights situation in the closed facilities.

The monitoring findings will be included in the 2016 Annual Report of the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture.

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ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 26 May 2016 – A two-day regional expert seminar which started today gathers some 60 anti-corruption practitioners, experts and policy-makers from 12 countries in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia to discuss effective preventive measures to combat corruption in the extractive industries and education sectors and to exchange best practices.

Participants discussed how to improve government accountability and transparency in managing natural resources and assessed how to mitigate negative effects of the so-called “resource curse”. They also focused on corruption in the education sector, and how to enhance the quantity, quality, efficiency of, and access to education systems.

“The OSCE Centre in Bishkek is strongly committed to supporting the Kyrgyz Government in countering corruption and developing projects and initiatives aimed at strengthening good governance, economic growth and public integrity for the benefit of the Kyrgyz people,” said Yulia Minaeva, Senior Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. 

Ermelinda Meksi, Deputy Head of the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, said: “Corruption, weak governance, and lack of transparency and rule of law undermine economic growth and impede trust in public persons and government institutions. Bribery and embezzlement of state resources deter domestic and foreign investments and deprive citizens of important public services. If unchecked, corruption can provoke social strife, fuel insecurity and even lead to conflicts.”

The practice-oriented and interactive seminar combined expert presentations, roundtable discussions and group work. It benefited from the participation of representatives of the UN Development Programme, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and the Open Society Initiative.

Olga Savran, manager of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN), said: “This seminar helps public officials responsible for preventing corruption at national and sectoral levels learn about effective practical measures that do work, that improve the lives of citizens, and prevent the waste of public money.”

The seminar is co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the OECD ACN. It is hosted by the Kyrgyz Government and held as part of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek’s Economic and Environmental Dimension activities.

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The OSCE Programme Office in Astana concluded a series of two-day training seminars for some 100 members of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against Torture on 2 August 2016 in Aktobe, Western Kazakhstan.

From May to August 2016, participants were trained in Pavlodar, Almaty, Astana and Aktobe on practical aspects of the NPM’s implementation.

The training seminars aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the Mechanism in monitoring, reporting and conducting preventive visits at detention facilities. National experts discussed with the NPM members the working procedures and methodology, challenges in fulfilling human rights obligations and ethical aspects in line with national and international anti-torture standards. Special emphasis was placed on the necessary co-operation between NPM and the law-enforcement sector.

The set of seminars was organized in partnership with the Ombudsman’s Office of Kazakhstan and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is part of the Office’s long-standing commitment to reinforce the NPM and promote the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

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ASTANA, 4 July 2016 – A two-day OSCE-supported training seminar on the practical aspects of implementing the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for preventing torture began today in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Some 20 NPM members participated in the third in a series of four events aimed at building the capacities of the NPM in the context of monitoring, reporting and preventive visits to places of detention.

“You represent a reliable ‘pulse’ of the interaction between citizens and law-enforcement authorities and your reaching out to various places of detention provides us with some ‘measurement’ in that sense,” said Ambassador Gyorgy Szabo, Head of the Programme Office in Astana. “Such training events are productive for developing a common methodology and approach and for increasing the potential to prevent abuses of power and cruel and degrading treatment.”

The training addressed working procedures and methodology, key challenges in fulfilling human rights monitoring obligations at detention facilities and ethical matters. Both national and international anti-torture standards were taken into consideration.

Particular attention was paid to the co-operation between NPM and law-enforcement departments, prosecutors, prison administrations, healthcare institutions and media representatives.

The seminar was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in partnership with the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Kazakhstan and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The series of training events is part of the Office’s long-term assistance to the NPM and work in promoting the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture in the host country.

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The OSCE Programme Office in Astana concluded a series of two-day training seminars for some 100 members of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against Torture on 2 August 2016 in Aktobe, Western Kazakhstan.

From May to August 2016, participants were trained in Pavlodar, Almaty, Astana and Aktobe on practical aspects of the NPM’s implementation.

The training seminars aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of the Mechanism in monitoring, reporting and conducting preventive visits at detention facilities. National experts discussed with the NPM members the working procedures and methodology, challenges in fulfilling human rights obligations and ethical aspects in line with national and international anti-torture standards. Special emphasis was placed on the necessary co-operation between NPM and the law-enforcement sector.

The set of seminars was organized in partnership with the Ombudsman’s Office of Kazakhstan and the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is part of the Office’s long-standing commitment to reinforce the NPM and promote the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.

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VIENNA, 16 June 2016 – Accountability is crucial to preventing future crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, said President of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi as she addressed the 823d meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) on Wednesday in Vienna.

Fernandez emphasized that the current security challenges are staggering in their numbers and complexity.

“The world is facing destabilizing conflicts around the globe which include not only deliberate acts of violence against the physical security and well-being of civilians, but also deliberate attacks against their cultures and identities,” she said. “This demands a multi-faceted response from the international community to stop violence in the short-term, but also sustainable conflict resolution in the long-term.”

Fernandez stressed the importance of justice in preventing future crimes and the necessity of building the capacity of national jurisdictions. The ICC can exercise jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide but it is complementary and not intended to replace national systems, she noted.

“Capacity building of national jurisdictions is essential. The OSCE has played a role - especially in the former Yugoslavia - and can also make contributions through supporting the rule of law and democratic institutions,” Fernandez said.

Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland, the OSCE participating State currently chairing the FSC, said: “In paragraph 30 of the Code of Conduct we committed ourselves, inter alia, to ensure that armed forces personnel are aware they are individually accountable under national and international law for their actions."

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VIENNA, 14 June 2016 – Preventing and responding to the terrorist radicalization of youth north and south of the Mediterranean was in focus of the OSCE Mediterranean Contact Group meeting held today in Vienna.

“We need to step up efforts to prevent radicalization amongst youth”, said the Chairperson of the Contact Group, Permanent Representative of Austria to the OSCE Christian Strohal. “Ensuring the participation of youth, socially, economically and politically, is very important in this regard.”

Fadwa Al Ahmadi, a youth activist from Tunisia, stressed the need to create spaces for youth to express themselves: “Youth empowerment is crucial in preventing violent extremism in North Africa. We must help them to be heard.”

Véronique Roger-Lacan, the Permanent Representative of France to the OSCE, said: “We support wholeheartedly the efficient work carried out by the UnitedCVE team, in their relationship with the youth of the OSCE’s 57 participating States. We call on civil society to maintain its engagement against the radicalization of youth. We continue to co-operate in the fight against recruiters and terrorists.”

French filmmaker Fabienne Servan Schreiber, who works on creating counter-narratives to radicalization in film, stressed the importance of working with parents affected by violent extremism and sharing their stories: “Parents are on the frontlines and must be at the centre of the fight against violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism.”

“We must help parents to help their children,” said Valérie de Boisrolin, President of the French Association Syrie-Prevention-Famille, whose daughter left to Syria in 2013. “There is such ignorance about religion among young people who leave to fight in Syria. We also need to make youth aware of the reality of terrorism on the ground, violence and abuse. We must unite and do all we can to work with young people who come back from the hands of ‘Daesh’.” 

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier launched in 2015 the organization-wide campaign ‘OSCE United in Countering Violent Extremism’ (#UnitedCVE) to underscore that the OSCE stands together as one in countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism.

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Donald Trump has yet to take office as president for a second time, but vulnerable groups of Americans are already responding to his election victory.

As mental health appointments have surged in the wake of the 2024 presidential election, so have cries for help from LGBTQ+ youth. The day after the election, the Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide prevention program for LGBTQ+ youth, saw a 700% increase in requests for its crisis services, according to data shared with Fast Company. (The Trevor Project also created a guide for LGBTQ+ youth to find and build community after the election.)

“The increases in volume that we have experienced across our lines indicate that this election is taking a toll on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people in a major way,” said Becca Nordeen, the group’s SVP of crisis intervention. “It’s clear that this is a challenging moment for many LGBTQ+ young people. But, we want to remind everyone that no matter what they are feeling right now, we can – and we will – get through this together.”

As Fast Company reported last week, the election also sparked a surge in appointments for mental healthcare services, according to data from Zocdoc.

The company will use some of the funding to advance its wildfire suppression project, which uses autonomous drones and acoustic waves.

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The EEOC has published “Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Construction Industry,” a guideline recommending committed leadership, accountability, comprehensive policies, accessible complaint procedures, and tailored training to ensure a harassment-free workplace. 

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By embracing work-life integration, we can unlock the potential for our work to foster connection, purpose, and meaning.

The post Beyond balance: A call for work-life integration in the federal workplace for Suicide Prevention Month first appeared on Federal News Network.

Nowadays mental health in the workplace is one of the most talked about topics, with stress, anxiety and tiredness being the centre of the debate. In fact, whether you work for a company or as a freelancer, it’s very likely that there will be moments in your work life that will be overwhelming and tiring to the point of reaching a point of so called ‘burnout’.

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U.S. officials say the number of suicides among military members and their families dipped slightly in 2022, compared with the previous year. This decline comes as the Defense Department tries to build prevention and treatment programs to address what's been a steadily growing problem over the past decade.

The post The number of military suicides dipped in 2022 as the Pentagon works on new prevention programs first appeared on Federal News Network.