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With the memory of my early days in networking (circa 1993, when a modem’s screech was music to our ears and PSTN lines ruled the roost) suddenly seems like yesterday. Still, the ringing sound of nostalgia cannot make the current cybersecurity landscape less wild. If anything, it’s crazier. Oh, and give me a break: I still get all giddy about the voice-and-data multiplexing in days of yore — as though those were purer. This was the beginning and you know what — these were all challenges that paved the way for me as a cybersecurity consultant having my own setup, P J Networks Pvt Ltd.
Began as a network admin in 1993 Long ago — in a galaxy far away — the big headache was keeping voice and data going over PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) without drop-ping on one of those valuable bandwidths.
In 2003 the Slammer worm hit… one of the early realizations that cybersecurity was not just an IT problem, but everybody’s. It had only taken minutes to watch that worm blow up across the entire globe, and I suddenly realized how fragile all of it is. I recall hastily running around with my fellow admins patching critical SQL servers like we were possessed and mitigating hordes of owned clients. But let me tell you, that chaos taught me the true value of proactive defense. Don’t be the company that ignores cyber security until the worm is in your kitchen.
Gaps in patch management and perimeter defense were significant, as well.
Fast forward to today—I recently led three large banks through massive ZERO Trust architecture upgrades. And, listen, if you aren’t intimately familiar with Zero-Trust, here’s the gist: Never trust, always verify—it’s not just a security buzzword. The bank is a hard nut to crack. Banks, to operate, need a mixture of airtight security, user convenience , and will likely require a complicated mastermind to figure out compromise. And, believe me, not trusting but always, as truly the security metaphor says, is not ideal.
Key achievements in my projects:
Here’s a personal pet peeve: enterprises that tend to push Zero-Trust into an annoying little corner as a purely “IT-only” accomplice towards a security fix. That’s wrong; it’s all about culture, hatchling, and technology; for years we’ve leaned on old trust models companies and users have trusted for so long.
Just got done with DEFCON, and hardware hacking village-endless, also wholly exhilarating and scary. Who knew after twoscore years in the security industry nothing beats the thrill of watching an apparent impregnable decive get dismantled in minutes? From IoT to smart cards, here is a key takeaway: physical security = cybersecurity.
Highlights:
I left thinking: every bank and financial firm (actually, any enterprise) better take a hard look at their hardware security. In short, you can build the most impenetrable software defense but if your devices are vulnerable to this level of physical compromise, you may find yourself in big trouble.
Ok hear me out, this is where I may get a little controversial. I see so many businesses running to put AI-powered on their security products like it is the magic sword of retribution. Honestly, I’m skeptical.
AI is strong, no doubt about it but still AI error prone, simply not 100% accurate and the worst attackers adapt faster than your models. It’s not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. If someone is pitching AI to you as a silver bullet to human error, network misconfigurations, or weak endpoint security – run in the opposite direction.
What I do advocate for:
A guy who has either sold or run his own security company for many years on the other side of the trenches — this is what big businesses, small businesses… and all businesses have to worry about.
Picture your infrastructure to be like a well-used vehicle. In the 90s, airbags were a special feature, there was an option for seat belts with no anti-lock brakes. Now, picture just having the regular brakes to prevent a crash.
Threat actors? It is as if they were wild racing drivers putting your breaks, head lights and tyres through the mill every minute.
Think of it this way: you wouldnt but any one thing in a car to keep it safe, you need airbags (intrusion detection), seat belts (multi-factor authentication), ABS (behavior analytics) and cameras (real-time monitoring). Crash You are exponentially more likely to crash without one.
And for the love of god, do not buy a «locks the doors» security system. Attackers are sneaky.
The case for a cybersecurity war that is never truly over While the technology and scale may have changed, from multiplexing over PSTN to fending off Slammer worms to helping banks roll out zero-trust as it should be implemented — the basics hold: constant vigilance, defense in depth, never undervaluing human factors.
And hey — if you aren’t a pro in tech, you’re the one who protects your digital world!
So the next time you’re hating a password policy or having doubts about some newfangled, state-of-the-art solution (looking at you, AI hype), respect my journey! It comes down to BALANCE, never-ending LEARNING and a little bit of kicking ass which can really mean learning the hard way.
Stay safe — and if you ever want to talk about your security measures, feel free to jump into my inbox.
