Author: Asad Yaseen

OVAL is the Open Vulnerability Assessment Language, which uses XML based documents to define vulnerabilities based on characteristics of a host system. It can also be used to gather information about the host. When an OVAL file is evaluated, it generates a report file with the results of the vulnerability evaluation or a system characteristics file containing information gathered from the host. OVAL Definitions, OVAL System Characteristics and OVAL Results These capabilities are achieved through three distinct…

No doubt, we have a lot to be hopeful for as we step into the New Year. We’ve adapted, survived, and learned to thrive under extraordinary circumstances. While faced with plenty of challenges, families successfully transitioned to working and learning from home like pros. So, as we set our intentions for 2021, we will need that same resolve to tackle growing cyber threats. The good news: With a COVID-19 vaccine making its debut, we’re trusting there’s…

2020 was a year we will never forget. The year where the words “COVID-19” and “corona” were being said by the entire world in every other sentence. Where takeout food, wearing a mask became the norm. And it wasn’t just the pandemic that caused the world to go into panic mode and uncertainty. The world experienced a great deal of stress with natural disasters such as the fires in Australia and in California, as well…

Cybercriminals do what they do for money, so why not make it unworthy of their time to attack your small or medium business? Image: Kirill_Savenko, Getty Images/iStockphoto Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the lowest-hanging digital fruit and ripe for the picking–just read tech-media reports describing the latest data breaches and cyberattacks. For example, researchers at Verizon reported more than 40% of polled small businesses experienced some kind of cyberattack in 2019, with a cost per…

You should always lock your computer when you walk away. But sometimes, that becomes a hassle. Here’s one way to make it easier. Image: iStock/Artem Khyzhynskiy I’m a firm believer in locking your computer when you step away from it for any amount of time. It’s just a habit I’ve formed over decades of computing that has served me well by keeping my data confidential and out of unauthorized hands—this is especially important for those…