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Lawmakers Unveil Cybersecurity Legislation - Dr. Chris Pierson Comments

June, 21, 2021 – Dr. Chris Pierson was quoted in Bank Info Security’s article, “Lawmakers Unveil Cybersecurity Legislation.”

The article outlines that lawmakers have introduced several cybersecurity-related bills that seek to address issues ranging from tougher penalties for cybercriminals to improving protection of school districts.

Chris Pierson says that the legislative activity is a response to the surge in ransomware and other cyberattacks. He asserts that “many of these efforts are purely perfunctory, and while some can assist in prosecution of cybercriminals, most won’t actually solve or mitigate the risk to the U.S. or its critical infrastructure.”

Read the full article here: https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/lawmakers-unveil-cybersecurity-legislation-a-16918

Dr. Pierson Comments: DOJ Seizes 2 Domains Linked to USAID Phishing Campaign

June 1, 2021 – Dr. Chris Pierson was quoted in the Gov Info Security article: “DOJ Seizes 2 Domains Linked to USAID Phishing Campaign.”

This article talks about how the Department of Justice seized two domains that were used during a recent phishing campaign that targeted a marketing firm used by the U.S. Agency for International Development – USAID – to send malicious messages to thousands of potential victims.

Pierson notes that this latest incident continues a pattern of attackers targeting trusted third parties as a way to maximize a campaign.

“When we review the past 24 months of nation-state attacks, we see an increasing trend to attack trusted providers, third party solutions, or integrators as weak points,” Pierson says. “Assurance reviews can only go so far in determining the risks. Companies really need to assume their providers will be targeted and find ways to wall off further access or impact for critical systems.”

Read the full article here: https://www.govinfosecurity.com/doj-seizes-2-domains-linked-to-usaid-phishing-campaign-a-16782

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Dr. Chris Pierson Comments: Colonial Pipeline CEO Confirms $4.4 Million Ransom Payment

May 19, 2021 – Dr. Chris Pierson was quoted in Bank Info Security’s article, “Colonial Pipeline CEO Confirms $4.4 Million Ransom Payment.”

The article talks about Colonial Pipeline Co.’s CEO, Joseph Blount’s decision to authorize the payment of a $4.4 million ransom just hours after the company was hit by a DarkSide ransomware attack.

Pierson notes that Colonial Pipeline is a large company with facilities spanning more than a dozen states, which complicates the decision-making process.

“Reaching an answer is made a lot easier if the company does not have a large number of impacted systems, has backups and a way to rapidly refresh their IT infrastructure, and has time – sometimes the most important factor,” Pierson says. “A strong negative in any one of these areas can limit the options that a CEO has.”

Read the full article here: https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/colonial-pipeline-ceo-confirms-44-million-ransom-payment-a-16696

Global InfoSec Awards 2021 Winner

BlackCloak Named Winner of the Coveted Global InfoSec Awards during RSA Conference 2021

San Francisco, CA – May 18, 2021 – BlackCloak is proud to announce we have won the following award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine:

“We’re thrilled to receive one of the most prestigious and coveted cybersecurity awards from Cyber Defense Magazine. We knew the competition would be tough and with top judges who are leading infosec experts from around the globe, we couldn’t be more pleased,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak.

“We scoured the globe looking for cybersecurity innovators that could make a huge difference and potentially help turn the tide against the exponential growth in cyber crime. BlackCloak is absolutely worthy of this coveted award and consideration for protecting your executives, board members, and key personnel’s personal accounts, devices, and home networks,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

We’re thrilled to be a member on this coveted group of winners, located here:   http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

Please join us virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our red carpet experience and proudly display our trophy online at our website, our blog and our social media channels.

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks.  Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution including mobile and desktop apps as well as concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals get peace of mind knowing their family, reputation, and finances are secured. Companies rest assured that their brand, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats coming through executives without having to invade their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io, follow them on Twitter @BlackCloakCyber, or watch the product video.

About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

About the Judging

The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry.  We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives.  Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

 

Ingrid Gliottone Global InfoSec Award Winner

BlackCloak’s Ingrid Gliottone Named Winner of the Coveted Global InfoSec Awards during RSA Conference 2021

San Francisco, CA – May 17, 2021 – BlackCloak is proud to announce we have won the following award from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry’s leading electronic information security magazine:

Top Women in Cybersecurity – Ingrid Gliottone

“We couldn’t be more honored and happy for Ingrid. This is a great recognition for the hard work she’s put in for BlackCloak’s clients. I am very proud of all the things she has done to give our members peace of mind in protecting their privacy and cybersecurity from cybercriminals, scammers, and identity thieves. Her dedication to protecting the personal digital lives of our clients with our platform is unmatched,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “No one is more deserving.”

“BlackCloak’s Ingrid Gilottone embodies the qualities that we judges look for to become winners: dedication to understanding tomorrow’s threats, today, innovating for clients in unexpected ways that can help stop the next breach, and making a measurable difference in turning the tide against the growth in cyber crime,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.

Ingrid Gliottone has been working in some aspect of cybersecurity and privacy for more than twelve years in everything from information assurance to risk management to personal cybersecurity and privacy. Now she is battling seven days a week on the front lines for both high-profile or executive families and companies being targeted by nation states and criminal organizations to help them protect their reputations, identity, information, and financial health.

See Ingrid’s award and a full list of this coveted group of winners, located here:   http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/

Please join us virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2021, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our red carpet experience and proudly display our trophy online at our website, our blog and our social media channels.

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks.  Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution including mobile and desktop apps as well as concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals get peace of mind knowing their family, reputation, and finances are secured. Companies rest assured that their brand, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats coming through executives without having to invade their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io, follow them on Twitter @BlackCloakCyber, or watch the product video.

About CDM InfoSec Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s ninth year of honoring global InfoSec innovators. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com

About the Judging

The judges are CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables. CDM has a flexible philosophy to find more innovative players with new and unique technologies, than the one with the most customers or money in the bank. CDM is always asking “What’s Next?” so we are looking for Next Generation InfoSec Solutions.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

With over 5 Million monthly readers and growing, and thousands of pages of searchable online infosec content, Cyber Defense Magazine is the premier source of IT Security information for B2B and B2G with our sister magazine Cyber Security Magazine for B2C. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry.  We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and special editions exclusively for the RSA Conferences. CDM is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group. Learn more about us at https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com and visit https://www.cyberdefensetv.com and https://www.cyberdefenseradio.com to see and hear some of the most informative interviews of many of these winning company executives.  Join a webinar at https://www.cyberdefensewebinars.com and realize that infosec knowledge is power.

BlackCloak's Special Report About Hackers Targeting the Video Game Industry Mentioned in IT World Canada Article

April 30, 2021 – IT World Canada’s Cyber Security Today roundup talks about how cyberattackers target executives, yet many aren’t protecting themselves enough. The article offers BlackCloak’s Special Report as proof. You can download the full report, Execs Are Under Siege As Hackers Target The Video Game Industry, here: https://blackcloak.io/video-game-industry-executive-protection-special-report/

Read the full article on IT World Canada here: https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/cyber-security-today-april-30-2021-a-linux-alert-negligent-executives-and-another-warning-to-qnap-users/446739 

A young girl plays an online video game on a home network.

Why Hackers Are Increasingly Targeting Video Game Companies

This article on TechRepublic features BlackCloak’s special report. The article is about why hackers are increasingly targeting video game companies. The full special report by BlackCloak, “Execs Are Under Siege As Hackers Target The Video Game Industry,” can be found here.

Read the full article on TechRepublic here: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-hackers-are-increasingly-targeting-video-game-companies/

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BlackCloak Selected as SC Media 2021 Trust Award Finalist

Orlando, FL – March 30, 2021 – BlackCloak, Inc., the first Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Protection Platform for Executives and High-Profile Individuals today announced that The BlackCloak Platform has been recognized as a Trust Award finalist in the Best Mobile Security Solutions category for the 2021 SC Awards. Finalists are recognized for outstanding products and solutions impacting the cybersecurity industry. Winners will be announced online during Awards Week beginning Monday, May 3, 2021.

“The last year tested both security professionals perhaps more than any in history,” said Jill Aitoro, editor in chief of SC Media and editorial director at CyberRisk Alliance. “A pandemic forced a fast transition to remote working and inspired a wave of new, sophisticated attacks, and the impact of a supply chain breach reverberated across public and private sector. The ability for organizations big and small to turn to security partners to help address this mountain of unexpected risk was and remains critical.  This year’s SC Awards finalists, all of which faced many of the same unprecedented challenges, proved their commitment to both customers and the community at large.”

Now in its 24th year, SC Awards is recognized as the industry gold standard of accomplishment for cybersecurity organizations, products and people. With the awards, SC Media recognizes the achievements of cybersecurity professionals in the field, the innovations happening in the vendor and service provider communities, and the vigilant work of government, commercial and nonprofit entities. Vendors and service providers who offer a product and/or service for the commercial, government, educational, nonprofit or other industries are eligible for the SC Awards’ Trust Award category.

“We couldn’t be more honored. This is a great recognition for the hard work of our entire team who has really made this happen,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “Being chosen in the Best Mobile Security Solution validates that we are solving an immediate need. As risk continues to go beyond the office, companies need digital executive protection in order to protect both their executives and the company, and we help them do that without invading their privacy.”

“The cybersecurity community should feel incredibly encouraged by the last year. For all the challenges, there were as many accomplishments. Organizations shifted on a dime, enabling a remote workforce and more often than not, keeping data and systems protected. BlackCloak and our other Trust Award finalists provided the tools and services to enable those success stories,” said Jill Aitoro, editor in chief of SC Media and editorial director at CyberRisk Alliance.

Founded in 2018, BlackCloak now serves Fortune 500 companies, their board members and executive teams, and high-profile individuals. The BlackCloak Platform protects their mobile and desktop devices, home networks, and privacy. The BlackCloak mobile application gives clients an easy-to-understand view into the status of everything being protected by the platform.

“There truly is nothing else like BlackCloak available to companies who need digital executive protection – bringing together the best of mobile protection, privacy, and home network protection into one product designed to be frictionless to the end user,” said John Funge, BlackCloak board member and Chief Product Officer for DataTribe, a global cyber foundry that invests in and co-builds next-generation cybersecurity and data science companies.

The 2021 SC Awards will feature an extended and expanded celebration, honoring finalists and winners through comprehensive promotion across SC Media’s full range of digital, social, and editorial channels. Industry anticipation will culminate in the kick-off of SC Awards Week on May 3, 2021.

About SC Media

SC Media is the essential resource for cybersecurity professionals, keeping them up to date on vital developments and focusing on their most important concerns. Whether practitioners or leaders, technologists or executives, people who care about cybersecurity turn to SC Media, every day and throughout the day, to stay informed and gain insight into the complex issues that matter in their strategic and technology decision-making. As CyberRisk Alliance’s gateway resource, SC Media taps into an authoritative community of thinkers and innovators to provide a full range of relevant and useful content, including exclusive market research and data, opinion and perspective, independent product reviews, compelling in-person and virtual learning, and much more.

About CyberRisk Alliance

CyberRisk Alliance (CRA) was formed to help cybersecurity professionals face the challenges that threaten the success and prosperity of their organizations. We provide business intelligence and information services to help our growing community build effective strategies and make smart decisions, and innovative marketing solutions to galvanize an efficient marketplace. Most of all, we work to engage the entire cyber community and lift the success of all industry professionals.

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-profile individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks.  Used by Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the BlackCloak Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ Platform is a holistic solution including mobile and desktop apps as well as concierge support. Executives and high-profile individuals get peace of mind knowing their family, reputation, and finances are secured. Companies rest assured that their brand, intellectual property, data, and finances are protected against threats coming through executives without having to invade their personal lives. Learn more at www.blackcloak.io, follow them on Twitter @BlackCloakCyber, or watch the product video.

Cybersecurity Executive Malcolm Harkins Joins BlackCloak Advisory Board

BlackCloak continues to grow its team of advisors and cybersecurity experts to tackle the problem of at-home executive protection

BlackCloak Malcolm HarkinsOrlando, FL – February 23, 2021 – BlackCloak, Inc., the cybersecurity industry’s first Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ protection platform for Executives and High-Profile Individuals today announced the appointment of cybersecurity expert Malcolm Harkins to its Advisory Board.  Harkins brings a depth of experience and operational understanding on the challenges CISOs face as they try to protect the home networks and personal devices of C-Suite executives, board members, and other senior leaders.

Harkins is best known for his roles as the chief security and trust officer at Cylance and vice president and chief security and privacy officer at Intel Corporation where he was responsible for managing the risk, controls, privacy, security, and other compliance activities for all of Intel’s information assets, products, and services.  Currently, Harkins serves in the same role at Cymatic.

A respected speaker, author and award winner, Harkins is a sought-after advisor and executive coach to CISOs in a wide variety of information risk roles. He has been recognized by numerous cybersecurity organizations, including being named one of the Premier Information Technology Leaders by Computerworld. He was also recognized by the RSA Conference with the Excellence in the Field of Security award. Harkins is a Fellow with the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, a non-partisan think-tank providing advice on cybersecurity to the House, Senate, and a variety of federal agencies. An avid contributor to the cybersecurity community, Harkins has authored numerous white papers and has published a book, Managing Risk and Information Security: Protect to Enable®.

“Malcolm is an internationally known and respected cybersecurity leader and we are honored to have him join our advisory board,” said Chris Pierson, CEO & founder, BlackCloak. “Malcolm is a key addition to our team and we are thrilled to have his guidance and insight as he has been in the trenches trying to solve the issue of executive protection for many years.  His participation on our advisory board sends a clear signal that our approach and vision is the right one.”

“It is a privilege to work with Chris and the team of experts he has assembled.  I have known Chris for years as a fellow CISO, and we both have shared the pain of trying to protect executives and other key personnel in their personal lives,” said Harkins.  “This is a problem that until recently has been without a solution that delivers clear value and peace of mind for every CISO.  I could not be more thrilled to work with this team.”

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects corporate executives in their personal lives from cybersecurity, privacy, financial, and other reputational risks.  With BlackCloak’s Concierge Cybersecurity & Privacy™ platform, companies can now protect executives in their personal lives – providing holistic protection that addresses their privacy, devices, homes, and peace of mind.  Deploying BlackCloak, helps CISOs to reduce the risk of a corporate breach or reputational risk by removing personal information of executives and performing dark web intelligence; protecting, monitoring and responding to threats identified on every personal device; protecting the home from penetration through continual scans; and serving as the concierge for other cybersecurity and privacy needs.  Learn more at www.blackcloak.io, follow them on Twitter @BlackCloakCyber, or watch our product video.