Whatif Brainstorming Brand Vulnerability?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

A recent meeting of brand protection experts has caused much controversy amongst those so called security gurus who think that they have everything wrapped up. Apparently the brain storming session, the topic of which was to remain secret to the attendees right up to entering the door, involved using creative visualisation techniques to broaden the debate surrounding the field of brand protection in corporate America. Attendees were encouraged to dig into the experiences of the past, in order to locate potential threat patterns and experiences of interest to all present and to visualise applying known attack patterns developed in one part of their careers, against completely different areas of their organisation. Someone used their experience as a network security penetration tester to conduct an audit on the risk management procedures of an organisation, in order to dig up serious gaps in the implementation of manufacturing policy, for a tea company based in Holland.

Some of the issues of brand vulnerability that were exposed during this rather lengthy brainstroming session included:

1. What if our brand becomes confused with another brand?

2. What if our competition went to war using various pricing strategies?

3. Who would have an active interest in our brands demise? How could they attack us?

4. What information don't we want our staff to disclose?

5. Do our products or services have racial or religious connotations?

6. Could we be attacked as an animal rights abuser?

7. Are we involved with any partnerships where our reputation could be at risk?

8. Are we involved with any markets in regions where economic viability might take a downturn?

9. Are we especially vulnerable to disruptive innovators?

10. Are we exposed to risk through poor transmission errors?

11. Are we exposed by non-compliance to legislation, such as health & safety issues?

12. Where are we especially vulnerable to hackers?

In fact the list ran to over 5000 different issues of potential brand vulnerability, in 30 distinct categories and will be published in due course.

Entitled "Whatif Brainstorming Brand Vulnerability".

Is too much sex bad for your Penetration Testers?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

We recall a time when two of our friends were arrested in a bar in Eastern Europe and were not returned to us for at least two weeks. As it happened the forementioned were senior penetration testers from a local security company, with a reputation for being thorough, imaginative and intensely minded in their work.

During their incarceration the pair were apparently probed for their knowledge of specific kinds of security algorithims. When asked exactly how this information was shared with the kidnappers, the answers were never forthcoming. We had thought they might have told us stories of electrical shocks to the usual places, or beatings on the backs of the legs - or perhaps the practice of water dunking.

It appears that after a day of interrogation the captors had decided to spill the beans.

It appears that our intensely dedicated colleagues had been put through a very different course of extreme rigour. One where they had spent 10 days and 10 nights drilling some of the best prostitutes - their captors money could buy.

When asked how they coped with their ordeal, they both said that they couldn't remember disclosing any confidential information and were more than likely going to change career now.

Any impartial judge might surely make the observation that there was more to their adventure than a fun time in the arms of Olga. But true to their word, they both left the security business and one is now running a guest house near Inverness, the other went on to found a website design company.

We ask - "Is too much sex bad for your Penetration Testers?!"

Can foreign security services take the pen - out of your penetration testers?