It’s not every day that you get to play the role of the chief information officer (CIO) of a Fortune 100 company. However, in light of recent high-profile cybersecurity breaches, let’s imagine for a moment that you are a CIO who is busy preparing to deliver a rather sobering cybersecurity briefing. This is the first of […]
So which is it: Cyber Security, Cyber-Security or Cybersecurity? Is this the next reincarnation of datacentre vs. data center or ciphertext vs. cipher text? The security industry still hasn’t made any concerted effort to close on the cyber?security anomaly. And with about 15 million search results each, not even Google is able to raise a leg […]
For many people within the corporate security community, Google’s January 2010 disclosure that it had been targeted by a sophisticated attack, marked the beginning of the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) era. Although Google’s disclosure put APT into the spotlight, law enforcement, intelligence and counterintelligence communities had already been using the term for a number of years. […]
Last year I updated my PGP public encryption key to 4096 bits since it now looks as though it may be possible to crack a 1024 bit key within my lifetime. Not that I have many secretes, but those that I do, I intend to keep out of prying eyes. And unless quantum computers start to enter […]
Modern organizations have tried to increase the collaborative effort by creating centers of expertise, regional hubs and invested heavily in collaborative technologies. However, despite all the investment, invariably they fall short of the mark because open-plan office design has shown that it is negatively related to workers’ satisfaction with their physical environment and perceived productivity […]
After many years of work with clients across Africa and the Middle East I decided to join a large research organization, more specifically, Huawei’s European Research Center (ERC) headquartered in Munich. I figured that researching security and digging deeper into the cloud would not only give me a chance to put my field experience to […]
This is a collection of the lessons I’ve learnt as a result of being in various relationships throughout my life. The original list was released as a daily installment on social media some time back, but I’ve decided to include them here in bulk for general consumption. I’ve learnt I’m patient beyond what I previously […]
A few years back I lent some money to a friend who happened to be going through a rough patch in life. I had some spare cash and I saw this as a simple case of them needing it more than I did. I was happy to lend a helping hand to someone who had […]
If it was adventure we were after, then X-Pyr 2014 certainly delivered. Add to that a generous dollop of adrenaline, exhaustion and spectacular scenery and you have yourself an event that kept everyone on the edge of their seats day after day in anticipation of the next waypoint. This post is my annotated debrief of […]
I’m a great supporter of the Schengen Agreement, but what I witnessed this week upon my return to Malta from France would send convulsive chills down the back of any EU immigration officer. Yes, Malta Airport gave a real proper bitch slap to all Schengen countries — I really wish there was a nicer way […]
It’s official, my brother and I have been selected for the X-Pyr 2014 paragliding competition. The X-Pyr is an extreme event which aims to have its competitors cross the Pyrenees, from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, using nothing more than a paraglider and/or walking (running for the diehards is also an option) in the […]
It’s been about a decade since I last strapped tanks of air onto my back, and probably twice that long since my first ever dive in Australia during the early ’90s. I wanted to get some air into my lungs, shake off the malaise brought on by my recent brush with malaria, explore the sea […]
Forty (40) eh. I must admit, if someone told me what I would get up to or the places I’d visit during my short life, I’d have said: no way Jose. The last forty years have been a journey that’s seen me walking with a big smile on my face, not all the time, but […]
Every three years, along with hundreds of thousands of other expats, I must renew my UAE residency visa — a process that’s as convoluted as it is archaic. Despite the fact that most of the bureaucratic grunt-work is done by somebody else, my family and I are still required to subject ourselves to blood tests […]
A few years back while working in Ghana, I came across a number of people who were spending their gap year volunteering in Africa. I remember being quite impressed by the fact that these young high school graduates had put their academic lives on hold in favour of altruistic pursuits. I was curious and wanted […]
After almost two decades in and around regions endemic with the parasitic disease, I finally contracted malaria. Had it only been malaria it probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but tests revealed that I was carrying two additional parasites: Schistosomiasis and Giardia lamblia. All three combined, had systematically compromised my immune system and […]
As a side benefit of being laid up in bed for the last few days, I’ve managed to catch up on the arguments being put forward to the U.S. Congress regarding military intervention in Syria. There were a number of well-polished speeches, feisty comments and even attacks on Obama. Nevertheless, I felt that that the […]
Turkey hints at ‘evidence’ that Israel is destabilizing the Brotherhood, the U.S. fleet is planning a fishing trip to the Med, NSA agents are misusing company resources to spy on their ‘love interests’ and the WikiLeaks Party is about to oust its leader, Julian Assange, if he continues to hide in Ecuador’s London embassy instead […]
Just about every person you’re likely to meet exhibits some idiosyncrasies, or quirks. These may be noticeable during normal day-to-day interaction or could only surface under times of stress or discomfort. I’m particularly interested in the latter because it can shed light onto someone’s receptiveness and the true nature of their responses during discussions and […]
The Middle East is changing, without a doubt, and Dubai is certainly one city that can attest to dramatic changes. Whether the changes are for good or bad, I’m going to reserve judgement for now. However, I would like to say that an infusion of new blood into any community adds a cosmopolitan feel to […]