The Edge

Variety is the spice of life, and it’s also the perfect analogy for the article topics that resonated most with Edge readers this past year.

Before we collectively step forward into 2021, we thought we’d take a look back at which articles resonated most with Edge readers in 2020. We also sprinkled in a few of our own favorites to bring you this top 20 list of features, best practices, 101s, profiles, and more. Their takeaways remain relevant as we kick off a new year.

What’s Anonymous Up to Now?
In the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests, the familiar Anonymous caricature of Guy Fawkes reappeared — multiple times, according to the hacktivist group. But was Anonymous back? And if so, how did it change from its heyday a decade ago?
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Security Jobs With a Future — And Ones on the Way Out
Some titles are hot, while others are not, amid rapidly shifting business priorities. The Edge asked around about which titles and skills security hiring managers are, and aren’t, interested in as the skill sets they need continue to evolve.
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MFA Mistakes: 6 Ways to Screw Up Multifactor Authentication
Fearful of messing up its implementation, many enterprises are still holding out on MFA. What are some of the common missteps organizations make when they deploy MFA – and what can they do to avoid them?
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Emotet 101: How the Ransomware Works — and Why It’s So Darn Effective
While numerous types of ransomware exist, one of the more prominent and dangerous versions is Emotet. Managing the risk involves starts with understanding the way it works.
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8 New and Hot Cybersecurity Certifications for 2020
In October 2019, The Edge brought you “14 Hot Cybersecurity Certifications Now.” Time, per usual, has flown, leaving us to wonder, “What difference does a year make? Especially in this very unusual year?” And are the certs a sign of things to come?
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A Hacker’s Playlist
What sound do you hear in your head when you think “stereotypical hacker music”? Nine security researchers share their favorite songs and genres.
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2021 Security Budgets: 6 Top Priorities, New Realities
An unprecedented 2020 has shaken up security leaders’ usual list of must-have technologies. What’s on the horizon? They share with us their spending plans for 2021.
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Cybercriminals Could be Coming After Your Coffee
Researchers show no IoT device is too small to fall victim to ransomware techniques.
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5 Ways to Prove Security’s Worth in the Age of COVID-19
Tightened budgets are placing jobs at risk, but security pros say they’re armed with ways to demonstrate that what they’re doing merits keeping them employed.
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Election Security in the Age of Social Distancing
Although the controversial option of voting by mobile app is one pressing consideration, cybersecurity experts agree that older issues need to be resolved before November 3.
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How Ransomware Defense Is Evolving With Ransomware Attacks
As data exfiltration threats and bigger ransom requests become the norm, security professionals are advancing from the basic “keep good backups” advice.
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Next-Gen Firewalls 101: Not Just a Buzzword
In a rare twist, “next-gen” isn’t just marketing-speak when it comes to next-gen firewalls, which function differently than traditional gear and may enable you to replace a variety of devices.
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Beyond Burnout: What Is Cybersecurity Doing to Us?
Infosec professionals may feel not only fatigued, but isolated, unwell, and unsafe (and this was before the pandemic. And the problem may hurt both them and the businesses they aim to protect.
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7 Infamous Moments in Adobe Flash’s Security History
End-of-life is here: Adobe’s support for Flash is gone as of Jan. 1. Here’s what we won’t miss about the multimedia software platform.
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Zero-Trust Security 101
Zero trust sounds so harsh. But real cybersecurity results can come from the harsh-sounding scheme that defines every relationship as fraught with danger and mistrust.
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Biometrics in the Great Beyond
A thumbprint may be a good authentication factor for the living, but are you prepared to access mission-critical data and devices after an employee’s death?
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6 Unique InfoSec Metrics CISOs Should Track in 2020
You might not find these measurements on a standard cybersecurity department checklist. But they can help evaluate risks you haven’t even considered yet.
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Martin and Dorothie Hellman on Love, Crypto & Saving the World
Martin Hellman, co-creator of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, and his wife of 53 years, Dorothie, talk about the current state of cryptography and what making peace at home taught them about making peace on Earth.
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How to Evict Attackers Living Off Your Land
As cyber defenses improve, adversaries are shifting to stealthy “living-off-the-land” attacks that use targets’ own tools against them. Here are some tips to defend your turf.
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An Inside Look at an Account Takeover
Earlier this year a phishing attack slipped through an email gateway, leading to a large-scale compromise. Here’s how it happened – and how artificial intelligence was key in its detection. Read more