This isn’t your typical review of a book. I read this book because I felt that too many security professionals were “showing their work” but not doing it in a way that provided any real value. The way some people share online, I feel like they might have read this book but missed some key…
Lessons in Cybersecurity from Small to Large Organizations
From small organizations with duct tape and bubble gum defenses to larger enterprises armed with fortress-like custom solutions, improved security posture comes from both ends of the organizational spectrum but ultimately lies somewhere in between. Let’s look at each and how the industry has matured to the point where both types of companies can benefit. …
Navigating the Past: A Honest Reflection Of 2023
This post is more of a retrospective for me and my thoughts this last year. As I look ahead to the new year and the goals I want to achieve this upcoming year, I first want to look back at the previous year. This last year, I didn’t have any defined goals. I wanted to…
The Pitfalls of Hiring Clones: Why Diversity Matters
You’ll see discussions about how important diversity is in a workplace from any social media platform to maybe within the organization that you work at. My mindset regarding diversity, specifically in security, wasn’t ensuring we had a diverse group of people working in the SOC. No, it was all about if they had passion. As…
Certifications in Cybersecurity: Are They a Career Game Changer?
Certifications are an interesting concept in the security field. We don’t have one path to be a security professional, and it’s not like we need to go to college for ten years to be a doctor or pass the bar exam to be a lawyer. As the security field has grown, so has the amount…
Certified CyberDefender (CCD) – Review
Hopefully, this review will be slightly different than others I’ve seen. I won’t go as in-depth on some of the labs, material, or exams because I feel there seem to be several reviews about that already, and I expect many more as this cert becomes more popular. I also warn you I might be making…
Asking Users For Help In An Investigation: A Fine Line To Walk
One of my biggest pet peeves during the investigation process is hearing these words: “Did you ask the user?” In my Think Like An Analyst Series, I go over several ways to help come to a conclusion for an alert. I talk about slowing down, asking questions, changing perspectives, and comparing data. The one thing…
Blue Team Level 2 (BTL2) – Review Part 2
I recommend reading Blue Team Level 2 (BTL2) – Review Part 1 to get some additional background on my journey with this certification. Why I took this certification. I took this certification not to move up the security ranks or get a new career. It was for me to level up and to be able…
BSides Buffalo 2022: The Art of Analysis: How Analyzing Art Helps Us Be Better Analysts
I recently did a talk at BSides Buffalo and wanted to share the link for the talk and the slides if anybody is interested in following along. Unfortunately, the video didn’t capture the slides as well as I had hoped, and the visual aspect of the talk is critical. Slideshttps://www.domedion.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/art.pptx I’ve started a series of…
Tuning Done Right
In a previous blog post, I described tuning as the key to reducing alert fatigue, not SOAR. You can find that article here Alert Fatigue. Tuning isn’t easy, and this post will only talk about half of the process. When you look up the word tuning, you will find the definition of “to adjust for…
Alert Fatigue, Alert Fatiuge, Alert Fatigue, Alret Fatigue, Alert Fatigue
In the first post in my “Think Like An Analyst” series, I talk about slowing down. I gave a trick of the meditation practice of “body scanning” to do this. More information can be found here Lesson 1. In theory, it’s a great way of tackling an alert, but in some ways, it’s not real…
The Metrics Manifesto – Book Review
I’ve always been interested in using metrics to present a pattern and see if action could be taken from them. I’ve seen many organizations using metrics, but I can’t say I’ve seen an impact on the organization because of them. An example would be, “As you see here in the graph, phishing attempts were highest…