The Hacks

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI and the broader US Government have conducted and concluded a multi-year study, beginning in 2016.

The purpose of this study was to alert and provide better technical guidance for IT Operations and security professionals, in order to patch the most commonly known vulnerabilities exploited by cybercriminals.

Tom and Chunga discuss the findings in this report and talk about why one company, in particular, was singled repeatedly in this report. 

For more about this episode: 

The Top 10 Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities 

www.saltstack.com

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Tom and Chunga may have just created the next, big, industry buzz term called "XOps"

So... What is it? What does it mean? Basically, XOps is an umbrella term used to describe the generalized factions of all IT disciplines. Xops goes back to the root, core DevOps philosophy which encourages industry professionals to prioritize communication over tools.

Tools are mandatory but need to exist only to facilitate communication between these different groups and teams. XOps is all about getting teams to communicate with each other better. After all, if teams don't communicate effectively--the tools won't work anyway!

To learn more about this episode:

The Q-2 State of XOps Report

What is XOps?

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Chunga got an email from a listener a few days ago asking Tom a question. This person some advice on becoming a rockstar software developer.

The global pandemic has changed the lives of every single person on this planet in just a few short weeks. For many, these changes include having to find a new job or switching to a different career entirely.

Tom and Chunga discuss some of the more common questions people have nowadays when it comes to the field of software development. Are there some people who shouldn't even consider a job in this industry? Is a college degree really necessary? If you're older, is this still a field you can get into? Tom offers up a lot of advice and has answers to the questions many current and future software developers have.

To learn more about this episode:

www.saltstack.com

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Chunga is fairly new to the IT Automation industry. Even though he's new, he can still hold his own in most cases. 

However, this episode of The Hacks has him feeling like he's completely out of his league, why? He and Tom are talking about which aspects of software development matter the most. It's a very broad topic. Tom completely disagrees and says Chunga is closer and more in tune with this topic than he knows! So which aspects of software development does Tom think matters the most? Listen now to find out!

To learn more about this episode: 

www.saltstack.com

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It really is horrible. Low life, cybercriminals are using the global pandemic and the chaos surrounding it as cover to launch ransomware and other types of cyberattacks against the healthcare industry. In many respects, these attacks have been very successful.

Tom and Chunga discuss where, within the healthcare industry, these attacks are most frequent and how this industry can better defend against them. 

Are your private medical records as vulnerable as experts say they are? Could these cyberattacks cause fatalities in medical facilities? How often do these perpetrators get caught?  Listen now to find out!

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Coronavirus has created an even greater need for infrastructure automation and security.

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A few weeks ago, our world was a much different place. Now things are different thanks to Covid-19. As of this episode, more than 7-million people are unemployed... How is this virus and the economic fallout affecting IT and InfoSec jobs in the tech industry?

Tom and Chunga spend this episode of The Hacks discussing the impact that Covid-19 and the predicted recession will have on the tech sector, specifically IT and InfoSec jobs. Are these positions safe? Is the industry going to continue to drop even after the crisis is over? Tom says there's no need to panic. That said, things are going to be much different.  How different? Listen now to find out!

To learn more about this episode: 

Add Capability, Ensure Security, Manage Cost With Automation. By Marc Chenn

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It may be hard to believe for some of you but there's a 60-year old computer code called COBOL that's still in use today and now it's having some "serious" problems.

For the past week or so, it seems like every trade publication or industry website is sounding the alarms because COBOL is falling apart. To make things worse, there's a considerable skills gap when it comes to this ancient code.

In this episode of The Hacks, Chunga and Tom discuss whether or not there's reason to panic over COBOL. They also talk about the possibility of other, old computer codes having a similar problem. Listen now!

To learn more about this episode:

IBM Scrambles To Find More COBOL Programmers

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For the second time, Alex Peay, Senior VP of Product and Marketing at SaltStack joins Tom & Chunga. The Hacks have asked Alex to return to talk about a blog he wrote called "3-Lies SecOps Teams Tell Themselves".

Alex wrote this blog after attending this year's RSA Conference in San Francisco. After attending several meetings and speeches, he started noticing a common narrative that was threaded throughout all of the presentations; regardless of who was talking.

This narrative had a problem--it wasn't accurate. Actually, it wasn't even true! Over the course of this conference, Alex determined that he was hearing 3-lies, over and over.  What were they? Listen now to find out.

To learn more about this episode:

Alex Peay's blog "3-Lies SecOps Teams Tell Themselves So They Can Sleep At Night"

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Tom and Chunga are pleased to welcome Alex Peay as their very first guest on The Hacks! Alex is the Senior VP of Product and Marketing at Salt Stack and he's here to talk about how IT Automation can help businesses of every size function more safely and effectively during the Covid-19 crisis.

Typically, when people hear the word automation, they immediately think less-people and downsizing. For hard-working men and women, automation can have a very negative connotation. 

The truth is, automation actually secures jobs, protects businesses from cyberattacks and helps virtually every aspect of your operation run more smoothly.  Do you know how many companies are actually employing automation correctly? Listen now to find out!

To find out more about this episode:

https://www.saltstack.com/solutions/it-operations/

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Chunga and Tom are breaking the rules!

They have chosen to sneak into the office and record a new episode of The Hacks. They'll continue to deliver a new episode every, single, Tuesday for as long as they possibly can!

This week, The Hacks are talking about cybersecurity in the Corona Virus pandemic. Rumors are flying everywhere, Chunga recently saw a news story where the reporter was predicting a 700% increase in global cybercrime. While Tom is somewhat skeptical of that assessment, he says it does make sense. Hackers do indeed have an unprecedented window of opportunity.

Companies have been forced to shift the way in which they operate on a global scale. Their infrastructure is being required to shift as well; very quickly. To make things worse, the internet itself is seeing record-breaking traffic and stress. Could this burden on infrastructure be creating massive vulnerabilities not only to businesses but individuals as well? Listen now to find out.

For more about this episode:

Elite hackers target WHO as coronavirus cyberattacks spike

Why cybersecurity matters more than ever during the coronavirus pandemic

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