I often get asked: What are the top Government Technology cybersecurity blog posts?
Or, when it comes to technology-related security blogs, what do people read, and like, and share the most? Of course, we always need appropriate metrics to provide context, so here are the final numbers.
It was another dramatic year for compelling cybersecurity and infrastructure incidents, and I believe that 2017 cybersecurity and infrastructure stories can be summarized as the year that hurricanes devastated land, data and trust. There were many technology infrastructure and emergency management stories after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
Online disruptions soared again in 2017, it was another record-breaking year for global cybersecurity bloggers. The public- and private-sector topics covered ranged from more huge data breaches to ransomware to cloud computing trends to growing challenges securing the Internet of Things (IoT).
Meanwhile, Lohrmann on Cybersecurity & Infrastructure remains as one of the top go-to sources for government cybersecurity (see blog awards at the end of this piece). This blog saw another 35 percent increase in annual readership (measured by page views) in 2017.
As a recap, here were 2015’s most popular cyberblogs, along with 2016’s top cybersecurity blog posts and the top 2018 cybersecurity predictions, which were previously posted.
Top Blogs in 2017
As in the past years, the coming year security predictions (and cybersecurity trends) blog is always the No. 1 blog post of the year. That was certainly true (by a long shot) in the 2017 prediction blog, which was posted this time last year. Popular topics included President Trump’s cybersecurity plans, election security, smart grids (and cities), Internet of Things (IoT), ransomware (several stories just below the top 10) and data breaches.
I will countdown the top 2017 blogs from the 10th most popular down to the No. 1 most popular blog (with the summary description under each link):
10) After Equifax Breach: Hurricanes Overshadow Massive Cybersecurity Storm
As all eyes turned toward the Caribbean and Florida this week in essential preparation for Hurricane Irma, Equifax announced a different kind of unprecedented ‘incident’ that could significantly impact half of the U.S. population. Here’s what you need to know and how to respond to protect your identity and your family.
9) New Trump Executive Order on Cybersecurity: Just the Beginning
After months of speeches, numerous cyber discussions and plenty of draft documents, President Trump signed an executive order on cybersecurity this week. Here is a roundup of the details, industry reactions and next steps.
8) Significant Data Breach Impacts Job Applicants in 10 States
America’s JobLink (AJL), a multi-state, Web-based system that links job-seekers with employers around the country, has been hacked. Here’s what you need to know.
7) President Trump on Cybersecurity
What has President Trump already said and done regarding cybersecurity? How should our 45th president address our many online problems at home and abroad? Why am I more optimistic than most commentators about our new leader’s pragmatic approach to cyber? Here’s why.
6) Seven Keys to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Culture
Why is cybersecurity culture so important to organizational success? How can you build a culture of effective security? What are the actions, tips and steps that can help strengthen your cyberculture? Here's a primer.
5) How Secure Is Our Smart Grid?
The U.S. Department of Energy released an alarming report in January 2017, saying that the U.S. electric grid is in imminent danger from a cyberattack. So where have we been, where are we now, and where are we going regarding smart grid security?
4) Can Blockchain Technology Secure Your Vote?
How can we build more trust in future election results? Can we securely move to online voting to increase voter turnout? Some experts think that blockchain technology is part of the answer, and this interview with Votem CEO Pete Martin covers where we are and where we are heading to secure the vote.
3) Where Next for Microchip Implants?
Employees at Three Square Market, a technology company in Wisconsin, will have a small chip injected in their hands this week for security convenience. But where is this biohacking trend heading? Is there a microchip implant in your future?
2) Analytics, AI and Orchestration Are Top New Security Topics
I recently asked a group of leading CISOs and security industry CEOs what new security topics and technologies were hot right now. What did they say?
1) What Election Technology Actions Are Needed Now?
The 2016 U.S. presidential election shined a light on outdated election technology. So what steps must be taken and what technology upgrades are needed to restore the public trust in how we select our government leaders? Going further, how can all government service kiosks be made more secure and reliable? Let’s explore.
Other Legacy Cyberblog Posts and Articles Still Doing Extremely Well
Somewhat surprising every year is the number of blogs, interviews and articles written up to a decade ago that were still popular in 2017. Here are several legacy blogs (in popularity order from 1-7 plus six other popular blogs from other media sources) that continue to get a lot of page views, often many more than brand-new blogs and articles.
2014: Ten Recommendations for Security Awareness Programs
2016: Will a Smartphone Replace Your PC?
2016: Understanding New Hacktivism: Where Next for Hackers With a Cause?
2015: Cyber Terrorism: How Dangerous Is the ISIS Cyber Caliphate Threat?
2015: 7 Essential IT Infrastructure Strategies that Customers Need Now
2010: Cloud First Policy — What Does It Really Mean?
2016: Why Governments Need Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure Programs
2016: (eForensics Magazine): Cyberethics: When we are all hactivists at heart
2007: GCN Interview on Culture of Security
2016: (InfoSecurity Magazine) What Star Wars can teach us about cyber ethics
2017: (CSO Magazine) Who cares about smart city security?
2016: (Peerlyst) The Inevitible Breach Question
2017: (Techcrunch) The dramatic rise in hactivism
Wrap-Up, Awards and "Thank You" to Readers
I want to thank you, my readers, for consistently coming back to "Lohrmann on Cybersecurity." I sincerely appreciate your time, feedback, emails, likes on Facebook, responses to posts on LinkedIn, retweets and more. With almost 10,000 connections and followers, I happily accept LinkedIn requests to connect online from technology and security pros, government professionals, executives or students, so feel free to connect with me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danlohrmann/.
I am very honored and humbled by the recognition we received in the past 12 months, which include these 2017 awards:
- Top 50 (Global) Cyber Blog by Feedspot (2nd year in a row)
- Must Read Blog — State Tech magazine (2nd year in a row)
- 30 Must-Read Federal IT Blogs — FedTech magazine (2nd year in a row)
Thanks again for listening and engaging in great security and technology conversations in 2017. Wishing you all the best for 2018.
Happy New Year!
