Why is staying updated on the latest cyber news and happenings important, especially if you want to be in a cyber career?
Well, that’s a no-brainer. Most people know that technology moves very quickly. One day everything is fine, and the next day someone announces a cyber security flaw that is a big deal that could allow attackers the freedom to have a field day with our environments. Staying on top of the latest information is paramount to maintaining security!
But where you go for that news matters (as does how often and what you do with what you’ve learned).
There are so many sources of news and updated information. I do find that getting a little from multiple sources helps have a broad overview of the threat landscape. For clarity, some of these sources crossover to many different platforms. Here are some suggested intelligence sources:
- Cybersecurity News/RSS Feed Services – Feedly:
Since there are so many news sources out there, you could navigate to their individual websites as you would any web domain. However, using the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds makes this much easier. RSS Feed Services allow you to pull news articles from your favorite sources into one easy-to-read location. I use the Feedly RSS service. You can find them on feedly.com and get free access to the first 100 news sources. They also have a paid service with additional features like importing Twitter feeds you want to follow. I follow some news sources such as Bleeping Computer, The Hacker News, and Trend Micro.Another good source that can be pulled into your RSS feed service is blog posts. Security Bloggers such as Krebs on Security and Alien Vault Labs provide great up-to-date content from current investigations and current threats.
- Podcasts:
If you prefer to listen to the news, podcasts can be a great alternative or supplement to reading the news. Podcasts such as Darknet Diaries, Cyberwire Daily, and Security Now can allow you to listen to daily or weekly updates while doing just about anything. - Twitter:
is (still) a good source of the most up-to-date critical info. People are quick to post small quick blurbs on the security issues they are currently facing. A quick google search or just a search on Twitter will give you a wealth of different sources you can follow. Krebs and Kaspersky are two I would look up! There are also IOC feeds, such as IOC-Feed, listing some of the latest IOCs you can hunt for in your environment. - LinkedIn:
Many use LinkedIn to repost news articles quickly to reach their connected cyber professionals. Following some industry leaders can allow you to see what they think is important. I highly encourage connecting and following these individuals and organizations. - YouTube:
typically is not cutting-edge but can give you great content relating to cyber intelligence. Some YouTube regulars, such as Network Chuck and All things Secured with Josh, can give you great knowledge and updates on different cyber and IT topics.
Just say no to TikTok. I’ll leave it at that for obvious reasons. - Threat Intel Reports:
Last but certainly not least, actual Threat Intelligence Reports from known security vendors such as ThreatConnect, Mandiant Threat Intelligence Suite, ThreatMon, Fortinet, and CrowdStrike. Their ability to collect loads of data is extremely valuable and a great source of some of the most up-to-date cyber security news you can get. This is, of course, an external intelligence source. Internal Threat Intelligence Reports are also very useful, that is, reports put together for the team and focused on your (and your client’s) environments that might be impacted.
Whatever methods you use to get your intelligence, ensure you interact with them frequently. Don’t be blindsided by the next big attack, and don’t get caught thinking it can’t happen to you!
You can also watch this discussion in action with me and Mike Meyers on our 2 Bald Nerds: Day in the Life of a Cybersecurity Analyst episode here: