Mike Foster has consulted with companies all over North America on cybersecurity issues, so he’s seen the inner workings — the good and the bad — of cyber defense. In part one of a two-part conversation, Foster explains the common ways that companies are breached and breaks down the key ways that organizations can make their networks more secure. Part two offers advice for better computer and mobile device hygiene.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• An explanation of the term “application whitelisting” (1:45).
• Why it’s important to limit user permissions (5:01).
• Why the second Thursday of every month is known as “Exploit Thursday” in cybersecurity circles (8:52).
• The critical patches that organizations should focus on the most (10:32)
• How lax cybersecurity, even from one small third-party vendor, can cause a big data breach (12:18).

Play the episode below:

To comment on this podcast or to suggest an idea for another podcast, contact Neil Amato, a JofA senior editor, at neil.amato@aicpa-cima.com.