In recent years, cybersecurity has become one of the most prominent and talent-scarce fields in the information technology sector. Offensive and defensive cybersecurity, in particular, will be a key future demand for industry professionals. This has led to the rise of positions such as “Penetration Tester,” “Ethical Hacker,” and “Red Team Operator.” These roles require a deep understanding of programming, cryptography, application systems and etc. The mindset and techniques akin to those of hackers will also be the elements in order to quickly identify and patch security vulnerabilities.
Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions are designed to train these specific skills and mindsets. Participants must find hidden vulnerabilities in a simulated environment based on real systems to break through security defenses. Upon success, they capture “flags” and earn points. Such competitions are held worldwide to enhance security techniques, with some even featuring global rankings to compete for the title of the best in the world.
“HKCERT Capture The Flag 2024” is organised by the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), and is supported by the Cloud Security Alliance Hong Kong & Macau Chapter. At its fifth edition, it is one of the largest cybersecurity competitions in Hong Kong, featuring four categories: Secondary School, Tertiary, Open, and International.
In the past few months, a number of high-profile data breaches and ransomware attacks have been reported in the news. It seems that cyber criminals are becoming increasingly active, launching more incidents targeting various organizations in Hong Kong. Cybersecurity has once again emerged as a hot topic in the media, drawing significant attention.
As more computing environments have migrated to the cloud, cloud-based cybersecurity solutions have become increasingly crucial. In response to these evolving threats and the growing importance of cloud security, the Cloud Security Alliance is finalizing the latest version of its Security Guidance document (v5) as well as the CCSK (Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge) certification program (v5).
To ensure the security of cloud computing environments, it is essential to enrich the cloud security checklist for cloud service customers (CSCs). This will help CSCs implement robust security measures and mitigate the risks associated with cloud adoption.
To keep pace with the shift towards cloud computing, security defense platforms need to evolve into a hybrid model that covers both cloud and on-premises environments. Dr. Kang Meng Chow will be introducing a logging strategy for this hybrid network environment during an upcoming in-person event.
After more than 5 years of virtual-only events, the Cloud Security Alliance Hong Kong & Macau Chapter is excited to organize a physical event at the AWS Office, located at 20/F, Tower 535, 535 Jaffe Road, Hong Kong. . This event will provide a valuable opportunity for industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and stay abreast of the latest developments in cloud security.
TOPIC: Pull up your SOC – thoughts on logging strategy in a heterogeneous network environment
LANGUAGE: English SPEAKER: Dr. KANG Meng Chow, Director of Averitus Pte, Ltd.
THE SPEAKER:
Meng-Chow is a practicing professional for over 30 years in various cyber security roles across different industries, including the Singapore government, major multi-national financial institutions, and global security and technology providers including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco and Microsoft.
He has held various standards chair and co-chair positions in Singapore, ISO, and ITU-T, and founded the RAISE Forum in 2004. He was Board Director for ISC2 in 2015-2017.
He published a book, “Responsive Security” in 2013, and has been an Adjunct Associate Professor with NTU, a member of MAS CSAP, and a Govtech Smart Nation Fellow.
ABSTRACT:
This talk discusses the challenges and best practices for developing an effective logging strategy within a security operations center (SOC) managing a heterogeneous network including cloud and on premises infrastructures.
The presentation outlines key logging strategy objectives, including comprehensive incident data, data-driven decision making, and regulatory compliance. It also explores unique obstacles in heterogeneous environments, such as disparate log formats, and centralized management difficulties, and suggests several options for discussion and considerations for designing an effective logging strategy to meet the challenges of complex, heterogeneous networks.
CSA Hong Kong and Macau Chapter 