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I’m sitting here at my desk — well, third coffee in hand — reflecting on just how far we’ve come in cybersecurity. From when I was a young network administrator in 1993, grappling with all those clunky voice and data multiplexers on the PSTN, to today, with me stepping up from running my own security biz to serving on multiple boards of tech giants as banks the world over stitch together these zero-trust architectures, it has been some journey. And, lord do I have stories and takes to give. This blog is not just theory; it’s real, dark, messy experience wrapped around some tough lessons learned.
Networks were a different beast back in ’93. We were not yet drowning in an ocean of protocols and endless cloud services like you see today. No, we handled both voice and data over plain old switched telephone networks — remember PSTN? It was slow, stilted, but something close to dependable. Those were physical beasts, clunky hardware that had to be checked on a weekly basis.
I cut my teeth here — on the web before there was an internet as a commercial entity — and, honestly, that early grounding gave me a number of really fundamental insights. The scenery was more basic but the stakes were as great as ever.
And then there was the Slammer worm in 2003. You had to have been here at that time. A small 376-byte packet that propagated around the world in minutes, causing SQL servers to go dark and entire networks to be knocked offline. From Slammer we learned about the potential of both speed and vulnerability: patch and the difference between being online or knocked out cold. Seeing the speed of its spread, and feeling powerless to stop it, made hyper-aware of the importance of patch management.
Cut to present I lead a team at P J Networks Pvt Ltd Our core focus? Cyber security —fire walls, managed NOCs, server security, routers — the works. We recently assisted three large banks overhaul their zero-trust constructs entirely. Why? Because perimeter-based defenses are dead. It’s not just buzzword bingo. Zero-trust is never trust, always verify, that packet, even if it comes from inside your network.
But the thing is: A lot of businesses out there slap those zero-trust decals on like fancy rims on an old car — and they think they are secure. Nope. The game changer here, though, is when you start doing that in conjunction with continuous monitoring, micro-segmentation, strict authentication policies that work and aren’t just for show in slides brags.
I understand some in the community argue against this over-complication. But trust me, in the real world–especially in banks–each and every user, each and every device, each and every connection should be assumed to be hostile until proven to be otherwise. If not, you are giving the keys to the kingdom to attackers.
I just returned from DefCon—hardware hacking village in particular—and I’m still excited. Watch people disassemble laptops, make their own hardware and highlight flaws in things you take for granted, and you’ll remember: security is no longer just software. The attack surface spread into hardware space.
The distinction between software vulnerabilities and physical security problems is becoming more and more blurred. A person who can tamper with your router firmware or, yes, even USB devices, can evade the controls you thought were bulletproof. It’s a wild west out there and yet so many companies are treating it as a low-risk proposition. But neglect hardware security at your own risk.
I can’t help it — I sort of rant here every time. Password policies are like bad recipes: throwing more and more ingredients doesn’t always lead to tastier dishes. Mandating ridiculously complex passwords that people can never remember tends to backfire — they write them down, or reuse them. Here’s what I advocate instead:
And please — if you’re still counting on AI-powered password solutions advertised as if they were magic beans, be suspicious. Several are more about hype than real-world protection. I’m not anti-AI in principle, but if you can’t explain confidently how it works, be cautious.
Ping me some quickies:
I’ve watched a zillion trends come and go since the early 90s. Few tools prove themselves more essential; even fewer are a mere cacophony. But the fundamentals? They endure. Vigilance, defense in depth, and recognizing that no one is stronger than the weakest succeeded in their ranks.
I’m excited (and tired) but also hopeful. Because each breach, each screw-up, teaches us something new. The threats keep coming — but with the right perspective, tools and dash of old-school grit, we can stay ahead of them.
Stay safe out there, from the PSTN era to the zero-trust frontier of today.
