Over the past decades, the role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has experienced an extraordinary metamorphosis. Traditionally, CISOs were considered the technical custodians of an organization's data and information security. They were predominantly tasked with routine security procedures such as configuring firewalls, maintaining antivirus software, and managing access controls. Their work was primarily technical, operating within the confines of the IT department.

Today, however, the scope and significance of the CISO's role have amplified drastically. The rapid evolution of digital technologies, coupled with the escalating sophistication of cyber threats, has thrust CISOs into a strategic spotlight. They are no longer simply guardians of information security. Instead, they have evolved into strategic drivers who have a significant impact on the organization's overall direction. The lens through which they view their responsibilities has expanded to include a broad understanding of the company's operations, industry, and strategic objectives.

This essay examines strategies for interrogating databases that may have been compromised by threat actors, a critical task for incident responders seeking to assess and contain damage from breaches. It focuses on highly-available databases like Oracle, MariaDB, and BigQuery, exploring subtle and obvious alterations to uncover malicious activity while avoiding extended downtime or further corruption. Ideas and concepts are portable, implementation details largely are not.

When a database has potentially been altered by an attacker, meticulously querying its contents is essential for incident handlers to scope the intrusion's impact. Especially with business-critical systems requiring five 9s of uptime, responders must tread carefully to avoid unnecessary disruption. By looking for common attack modifications with purpose-built queries, they can detect compromised records while keeping eyes open for oversight risks like under-reporting breach scale.

May you live in interesting times. Though on reflection humanity, as a civilization has always lived in interesting times. From the invention of teamwork and tools, it has never been a question of If humans will use force multipliers, it is a question of what form do they take. And it is the height of dry humor and wit that the greatest invention mankind has bestowed upon ourselves, language and writing, is the pivotal catalyst for the next great revolution in tools. Artificial intelligence and Large Language models.

This is not an exclusionary observation. There are many deeply useful types of machine learning and AI. The facts on the ground show that LLMs specifically are the fastest adopted type of a new and novel technology in the recorded history of our species.

It is unsettling, it is fast, the whiplash is palpable. It is happening. So, it is a very reasonable thing to ask, Is AI Stealing Your Job or Protecting It?

Documenting security incidents through post-event reports provides continuity of knowledge across responder shifts, conveys details to technical teams, and informs leadership stakeholders. However, comprehensively capturing complex incidents for diverse audiences with clarity is challenging. Technical teams require thorough technical analysis. Leadership needs high-level impact and risk summaries. Achieving both requires adaptable structure, smart content choices, adherence to accuracy principles, and learning from past reporting failures. Reports that balance thoroughness with understandability, while representing known details precisely, enable informed response and planning at all levels

Our personal health data reveals some of the most intimate details about our lives. The medical conditions we manage, the nutrition we intake, the activity we undertake - these glimpses into our wellbeing give insight into who we are at levels few other data types can match.

Wearable devices and health tracking applications now gather this sensitive information more comprehensively than ever before. But with great power comes great responsibility. Those building businesses around our personal health metrics have profound ethical obligations to handle that data with care, integrity, and wisdom. Patients' privacy rights and interests should override all other priorities, even if functionality is sacrificed. Mere compliance with regulations provides an inadequate bar - we must aim higher to earn enduring trust. If wearable health data platforms follow principles of transparency, encryption, limited retention and decentralized control, they can empower individuals to share information selectively for their benefit. But anything less risks consequences from shattered confidence.

Our health data represents a deeply personal piece of our lives. It demands no less than exceptional caution and respect from those asking us to share it.

Fancy Bear has been active since at least the mid-2000s, targeting a wide range of sectors including government, military, security, and media organizations, predominantly in Europe and the United States. Their tactics include spear-phishing, credential harvesting, and deploying sophisticated malware such as Sofacy, X-Agent, and Zebrocy. They are known for exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities and employing strategic web compromises to achieve their objectives. Fancy Bear's operations are characterized by their persistence, advanced operational security, and the ability to adapt and evolve their techniques to remain effective against well-defended targets.

The dark web represents a trove of unique threat intelligence for defenders, providing early visibility into emerging attacks. Hidden criminal forums and marketplaces frequently preview new malware strains, data leaks, and hacking tools before they hit the wider underground economy. However, monitoring these communities raises ethical dilemmas. Accessing secretive criminal sites necessitates anonymization to avoid detection. More importantly, defenders must thoughtfully consider which forums merit monitoring and set clear guidelines to ensure surveillance stays within legal and ethical bounds.

As techniques for dark web search advance, security teams gain improved visibility with reduced risks. Specialized search engines like TORCH facilitate encrypted access and focused crawling of high-value resources. Meanwhile, frameworks like the ATT&CK Matrix help teams derive threat insights most relevant for anticipating attacks. When conducted responsibly, dark web surveillance provides invaluable early warnings without crossing ethical lines.

The Russian GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) is known for its sophisticated and aggressive cyber operations, leveraging advanced techniques to conduct espionage, information warfare, and disruptive cyberattacks. With a focus on strategic targets, GRU units such as APT28 (Fancy Bear) and Sandworm have been implicated in high-profile incidents, including the 2016 U.S. election interference, the 2017 NotPetya ransomware attacks, and intrusions into critical infrastructure. Their capabilities include advanced phishing campaigns, zero-day exploits, and sophisticated malware like X-Agent and Industroyer, demonstrating a high level of expertise and resources dedicated to undermining geopolitical adversaries and achieving strategic objectives through cyberspace.