Article written by cybersecurity expert Yuriy Tsibere.
Gone are the days when cybersecurity meant stopping annoying viruses like the Love Bug. Today, it’s about battling a massive, financially motivated cybercrime industry. Attacks are smarter, faster, and more damaging—and that changes everything for product teams.
For product managers (PMs), this means understanding that attackers are constantly exploiting the same weak spots: stolen admin credentials, missing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on VPNs, remote encryption, and clever “living off the land” (LOTL) tricks like using Office to launch PowerShell.
Even something as simple as an unpatched firewall or a rogue USB drive can open the door to a breach.
New vulnerabilities and zero-days are popping up all the time, and product teams have to stay on their toes. A few examples:
WannaCry (2017): Used the EternalBlue flaw in SMBv1 to spread ransomware fast. It forced companies to disable SMBv1 altogether.
Used the EternalBlue flaw in SMBv1 to spread ransomware fast. It forced companies to disable SMBv1 altogether. Some Exchange Server bugs: Let attackers run malicious scripts, sometimes leading to ransomware.
Let attackers run malicious scripts, sometimes leading to ransomware. Log4j vulnerability: A vulnerability in a popular Java logging framework that enables arbitrary code execution. Still showing up in outdated firewalls and VPNs.
A vulnerability in a popular Java logging framework that enables arbitrary code execution. Still showing up in outdated firewalls and VPNs. Follina (MSDT): Let Office apps launch PowerShell without any user interaction.
Timely patching helps, but it’s not enough. There’s always a gap between discovering a flaw and fixing it. That’s why teams need layered defenses and a mindset that’s ready to respond to incidents as they happen.
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