Stephen Cobb

Bio

Senior Security Researcher

Education: CISSP (1996)

Highlights of your career? The Stephen Cobb Guide to PC and LAN Security (1992); The first anti-spam router (2001); Privacy for Business (2002); TEDx talk (2015)

Position and history at ESET? Joined ESET: 2011. Current title: Senior Security Researcher

What malware do you hate the most? State sponsored.

Favorite activities? Reading and writing, and some arithmetic.

What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Don’t put anything on the internet you wouldn’t want your mother to see.

When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1982 KayPro II portable computer with dual floppy drives, weighing 26 lbs or 12 Kg.

Favorite computer game/activity? Reading Wikipedia.

Articles by author

RSA

RSA conference, USA 2019: Keynotes and key words

A bright tomorrow of technical delight, or a dismal future of digital dysfunction?

Stephen Cobb 8 Mar 2019 - 02:29PM

Cybercrime

Siegeware: When criminals take over your smart building

Siegeware is what you get when cybercriminals mix the concept of ransomware with building automation systems: abuse of equipment control software to threaten access to physical facilities

Stephen Cobb 20 Feb 2019 - 11:27AM

Cybersecurity

Criminal hacking hits Managed Service Providers: Reasons and responses

Recent news articles show that MSPs are now being targeted by criminals, and for a variety of nefarious reasons. Why is this happening, and what should MSPs do about it?

Stephen Cobb 19 Feb 2019 - 11:28AM

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Barometer: Cybercrime’s impact on privacy and security

Study shows the majority of Americans fear the misuse of their personal data supplied to websites, and view cybercrime as a threat to their country

Stephen Cobb 24 Jan 2019 - 05:57PM

Cybersecurity

What is threat cumulativity and what does it mean for digital security?

A reflection on how acknowledging the cumulative nature of cyber-threats and understanding its implications can benefit our digital security

Stephen Cobb 3 Jan 2019 - 03:58PM

Malware

Ransomware vs. printing press? US newspapers face “foreign cyberattack”

Did malware disrupt newspaper deliveries in major US cities? Here’s what’s known about the incident so far and the leading suspect: Ryuk ransomware. Plus, advice on defending your organization against such attacks.

Stephen Cobb 31 Dec 2018 - 03:58PM

Cybercrime

Next Generation Dark Markets? Think Amazon or eBay for criminals

The “evolution” of these markets is making cybercrime easier than ever before

Stephen Cobb 10 Dec 2018 - 01:57PM

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity a big concern in Canada as cybercrime’s impact grows

90% of Canadians surveyed agreed that cybercrime was an important "challenge to the internal security of Canada"

Stephen Cobb 19 Nov 2018 - 03:02PM

Cybersecurity

Growing pains: Skills gap meets expanding threat surface

The need to defend a growing threat surface highlights the widening cybersecurity skills gap

Stephen Cobb 31 Oct 2018 - 01:47PM

Ransomware

Ransomware and the enterprise: A new white paper

Ransomware remains a serious threat and this new white paper explains what enterprises need to know, and do, to reduce risk

Stephen Cobb 29 Oct 2018 - 01:58PM

Cybercrime

Why ask the public about cybercrime and cybersecurity?

Answers could help raise awareness of situations that people fear

Stephen Cobb 4 Oct 2018 - 02:02PM

router

VPNFilter update: More bad news for routers

New research into VPNFilter finds more devices hit by malware that’s nastier than first thought, making rebooting and remediating of routers more urgent.

Stephen Cobb 7 Jun 2018 - 01:00PM

router

Router reboot: How to, why to, and what not to do

The FBI say yes but should you follow this advice? And if you do follow it, do you know how to do so safely?

Stephen Cobb 4 Jun 2018 - 04:15PM

Cybersecurity

Trends 2018: Critical infrastructure attacks on the rise

Healthcare sectors, critical manufacturing, food production and transportation also said to be targets for cybercriminals

Stephen Cobb 30 May 2018 - 01:58PM

Cybersecurity Education

Cybersecurity training still neglected by many employers

While training employees will not guarantee complete cyber safety for companies, it could go a long way to making workers more cyber-aware

Stephen Cobb 21 May 2018 - 01:58PM

Cybercrime

Seven out of ten see criminal hacking as big risk to health, safety, prosperity

Recent survey shows that adults in the US view computer hacking as a major threat to their quality of life

Stephen Cobb 16 May 2018 - 01:58PM

RSA

RSA 2018: Behind the lines

ESET's Senior Security Researcher Stephen Cobb reflects on RSA 2018 and the state of the cybersecurity industry

Stephen Cobb 27 Apr 2018 - 11:00AM

Cybersecurity

The 5 IT security actions to take now based on 2018 Trends

Implementing the five actions described in this article can help reduce your organization's cyber risk and bolster its security defenses

Stephen Cobb 4 Apr 2018 - 02:00PM

Privacy

Data Privacy vs. Data Protection: Reflecting on Privacy Day and GDPR

Data privacy is also a topic that can spark big debates, like the one between the US and the EU as to what protections should be accorded to data pertaining to people, specifically by those who collect, control, or process such data.

Stephen Cobb 25 Jan 2018 - 01:58PM

Cybersecurity

Adventures in cybersecurity research: Risk, cultural theory, and the white male effect – part 2

Armed with the cultural theory described in part one as a possible explanation for why some people do not heed expert advice, we fielded a survey that queried US adults about their attitudes to 15 different technology hazards, including six that were cyber-related.

Stephen Cobb 20 Dec 2017 - 05:57PM