Non-profit organizations play a crucial role in our well-being. In many parts of the world, they’re a major source of education, health care, social services, and more. And while they’re not in it for the money, they remain a target for cyber attacks, just like other organizations. Why is this case? What can and should be done about this? In this episode, Adrien Ogee, Chief Operating Officer for the CyberPeace Institute, a non-governmental organization that helps defend the security, dignity, and equity of people in cyber space; and Heikki Stark, a security consultant with F-Secure who recently won an award for his work with the KyberVPK Community Cyber Response Force, which helps providers of critical services fight and recover from cyber attacks, gave us their thoughts on how NPOs can and should tackle the challenges they face in cyber security.

With 2021 now behind us, it’s time to revisit the highs and lows of the past 12 months, and look ahead to what we can expect in the months ahead. To mark the year’s end, we recorded a special two-part episode of Cyber Security Sauna. F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen, Security Consultant Adriana Verhagen, and AI researcher Andy Patel join episode 64 to share their key takeaways from 2021, and thoughts on important issues we’ll face in 2022 and beyond. In this episode: regulating social media networks, cloudification, AI-powered attacks, security in an age of unlimited computing power, NFTs, and more.

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Episode 64 transcript

2021 is drawing to a close, and it’s time to look back on the events of the past year. At the same time we look ahead to the brand new year to come. Welcome to part one of a special two-part episode of Cyber Security Sauna. In this episode we’re joined by F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen, Security Consultant Adriana Verhagen, and AI researcher Andy Patel, to hear their key takeaways from 2021, and thoughts on important issues we’ll face in 2022 and beyond. In this episode: cyber security and the board, how companies are doing at integrating security into the business, what a Metaverse could mean, cyber crime unicorns, machine learning in attacks, the future of programming, and more.

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Episode 63 transcript

The remotely exploitable Log4j zero day vulnerability disclosed just a few days ago has been called one of the most serious vulnerabilities to date. So what is it all about, and what does it mean for organizations? How is it being exploited? What are the risks, and what can you do if you're waiting for a patch? F-Secure CISO Erka Koivunen joins Janne to break down the issue, and explains why this vulnerability should be a wakeup call for security practitioners and developers.

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Episode 62 transcript

How attackers are trying to exploit Log4Shell

The topic of application security has never been more important. So how are companies approaching appsec? What should companies do to ensure appsec gets the attention it needs? Antti Tuomi, who works in Japan, and Antti Vaha-Sipila (known as AVS), from Finland, join the show to share their thoughts on changes in application security, shifting left, supporting developers, "level boss testing," and much more.

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Episode 61 transcript

Biometrics have gotten a lot of attention in recent years. Biometric authentication systems have the potential to take the place of passwords, streamlining the user login experience. But there are a lot of considerations before taking these systems into use. When should they be used, and how? What are the risks, and when should biometrics be approached with skepticism? Security expert Vic Harkness and red teamer Tom Van de Wiele join Janne to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of biometric authentication systems, some of the wackiest ways our bodies can be measured, and why layered security still works best.

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Episode 60 transcript

Top 10 Bogus Biometrics - Vic Harkness - DEFCON 29 Rogues Village

Cyber crime is a constantly evolving game. As soon as new technology is introduced, attackers start figuring out how to exploit it for malicious purposes. No one understands this better than F-Secure Chief Technology Officer Christine Bejerasco. Christine joins Janne to discuss the changing world of cyber crime, and how companies can avoid having their new technologies exploited by taking a secure-by-design approach. 

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Episode 59 transcript

Data breaches and other security incidents have become a frequent, severe problem for organizations. But with incident responders in short supply, there are fewer professionals available to help organizations in their hour of need. We're joined this episode by F-Secure incident response consultant Eliza Bolton, who successfully transitioned to cybersecurity from the nursing profession, and F-Secure's head of incident response, Matt Lawrence. Matt and Eliza share their views on tackling the cyber skills shortage, why diverse teams are more adaptable, and why Eliza’s background as a nursing assistant is an asset in the world of incident response. 

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Episode 58 transcript

F-Secure Consulting UK Associate Scheme

After data breaches and ransomware attacks, we often hear that customer information was leaked to the dark web. This obviously can have serious implications for both companies and individuals, but for many of us, the dark web is as mysterious as it sounds. So what is the dark web all about, and what's happening there? How does it affect companies and regular people? F-Secure's Laura Kankaala and Elias Koivula join the show to help to help demystify the topic.

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Episode 57 transcript

Ransomware payment amounts have skyrocketed over the past year. As threat actors keep getting richer, they have more resources to fuel their operations. Many people argue that the way to discourage ransomware is to implement an outright ban on ransom payments. Is this suggestion idealistic or realistic? How would such a ban affect companies, and what are the alternatives? Päivi Tynninen of the Finnish National Cybersecurity Center and Jordan LaRose of F-Secure join us to share their views.

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Episode 56 transcript