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Brian Westnedge

@bwestnedge.bsky.social
289 followers 83 following 46 posts

Email security guy at www.redsift.com from Boulder, CO. I like music, travel, dogs, beer and sports. I dislike crazy social platforms.

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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New research from @redsift.com reveals only 38.4% of leading U.S. orgs have full DMARC enforcement, while AI is making phishing faster and harder to spot. Critical infrastructure is especially exposed. Email authentication can't be an afterthought. vmblog.com/news/midyear...
vmblog.com
Email Security Gaps Persist as AI Raises Impersonation Risk
New analysis finds uneven adoption of enforcement policies across companies, governments and major industries
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
redsift.com/guides/dns-g...
redsift.com
DNS Governance Guide for Enterprise DNS Estates | Red Sift
DNS governance covers the four ways DNS estates fail, what NIS2 and NIST actually require, and a five-stage framework to fix one you didn't build.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
economist.com
Fears of AI-induced armageddon are overdone
Applying basic security principles would go a long way to fixing problems identified by Anthropic and OpenAI, writes Ciaran Martin
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Quick hit on Yahoo finance commenting on the recent Iranian attacks on critical water infrastructure and other topics: uk.finance.yahoo.com/video/cybera...
uk.finance.yahoo.com
Cyberattacks: Businesses can avoid being 'soft targets' by beefing up email security
The FBI is reportedly investigating cyberattacks targeting key water systems across seven US states. Red Sift director of alliances & partnerships Brian Westnedge examines how businesses and util...
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 30/07/2026
AI cut the cost of building a phishing campaign by 95%. Defenders are still checking domains by hand. Radar Lite now runs inside Claude and ChatGPT. Ask "is my domain securely configured?" and get real checks back. Learn how to connect for free: redsift.com/blog/radar-c...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The FBI has issued an updated warning about scammers posing as agents on socials. Fraudsters clone the IC3 fraud-reporting site and use AI-generated content to target people who've already been scammed with fake recovery offers. I added a few comments www.forbes.com/sites/daveyw...
forbes.com
FBI Issues New ‘Fake Feds’ Warning As Attacks Continue
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued an official alert warning social media users of scammers impersonating FBI agents. Here’s what you need to know.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Email wasn't designed with security in mind, and attackers know it. As AI makes phishing cheaper and easier to scale, #DMARC and #BIMI are becoming baseline defenses — not nice-to-haves. www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/07/06/c...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
🚨 65% of South Carolina's largest companies lack full DMARC protection — and cybercrime cost state residents $264M last year, per a new report from @redsift.com. With AI supercharging phishing scams, email security has never mattered more. #Cybersecurity #DMARC
charlestoncitypaper.com
S.C. companies lag on security as cybercrime losses soar - Statehouse
Two-thirds of South Carolina’s largest business enterprises leave their computer systems vulnerable to common email scams — a hole that’s helping to enable a cybercrime spree that the FBI says cost st...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
You can't migrate cryptography you can't see. 🔐 With new federal PQC deadlines (2030-2031) and Google targeting 2029, the time to map your PKI estate is NOW — not when the algorithm swap begins. Start with discovery. redsift.com/blog/post-quan…
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
AI assistants are now reading and acting on your emails. That makes #DMARC enforcement more critical than ever since a spoofed message that fools a human is even more dangerous when it fools an AI. The future of email trust is what we work on every day @redsift.com www.fastmail.com/blog/the-fut...
fastmail.com
The future of email
As AI starts reading and actioning our inboxes, email authentication becomes the trust layer that the future of email depends on.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Great convo with Steve Hall from GlobalSign about email authentication and why it matters more now than ever in an AI world. With BIMI and Common Mark Certificates, organizations of any size can add a verified logo to their messages in the inbox. Apple: apple.co/4oaFDA3 Spotify: bit.ly/4uXqQva
apple.co
Why SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI Matter More Than Ever with Brian Westnedge
Podcast Episode · Trust.ID Talk: The Digital Certificate and Identity Security Podcast · June 4 · 15m
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I add some comments to how hackers tricked Meta's Instagram AI support chatbot into handing over access to high-profile accounts, including the dormant Obama White House page, by bypassing identity checks. money.usnews.com/investing/ne...
money.usnews.com
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Post-quantum crypto matters for email — but DKIM's risk isn't "store now, decrypt later." It's future forgery. Fix your DKIM/DMARC basics now, and focus PQ efforts on TLS, VPNs & encrypted archives first. #dmarc #emailsecurity redsift.com/blog/dkims-p... via @redsift.com
redsift.com
DKIM & Post-Quantum Cryptography: Fix the Basics | Red Sift
Post-quantum cryptography is changing email security, but not in the way most think. Learn why DKIM's risk is different and where to focus your efforts now.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
One Job That Is Growing in the A.I. Era? Cybersecurity Experts. Demand for security engineers has surged as artificial intelligence generates a glut of new code and models like Anthropic’s Mythos create new concerns.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/technology/ai-cybersecurity-jobs.html
nytimes.com
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Big email security update! The IETF published RFC 9989, officially moving DMARC to a Proposed Standard. Key changes: 🛑 The pct (percentage) tag is dead. 🌲 Public Suffix Domains now use a DNS Tree Walk. 📊 Reporting is split into RFC 9990 & 9991. #DMARC #Infosec #IETF redsift.com/blog/dmarc-r...
redsift.com
DMARC is an IETF Proposed Standard: What it means for you
DMARCbis is now the new DMARC. RFC 9989 moves DMARC to Proposed Standard. Here's what changed technically, and what you need to act on or leave alone.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
A look behind the scenes on our work benchmarking smaller AI models vs the big boys for large-scale security analysis. The scores come in a lot closer than expected redsift.com/blog/benchma...
redsift.com
Benchmarking LLMs on a Real Security Task: What We Found
We benchmarked 12 LLM configurations on Radar Lite's security summarization task. Frontier models led, but mid-tier options came surprisingly close at a fraction of the cost.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
What does email have to do with the "Legend of Aang" leak? Read on: pagesix.com/2026/04/21/h...
pagesix.com
$80M film leak hits Paramount+ as explosive report reveals Hollywood is terrifyingly exposed to hackers
It’s been a little more than a decade since the Sony hack unleashed the email inboxes of top executives and saw multiple finished movies dropped into the public domain exposing cybersecurity as one…
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Provided some commentary for this article: www.axios.com/local/boston...
axios.com
Some of the largest Mass. organizations are vulnerable to phishing
Massachusetts lost more than $664,000 in 2024 from phishing attacks alone.
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 18/02/2026
Red Sift has been named one of G2's Best UK Software Companies for 2026 — recognition based entirely on verified customer reviews. Thank you to everyone who left a review or trusted us with their email infrastructure. You made this happen. 🔗 redsift.com/blog/red-sif...
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 12/01/2026
Security scanners surface issues, but rarely explain what to fix first or why it matters. Red Sift Radar Lite helps close that gap. Enter a domain to get a prioritized assessment with clear guidance on what to do next. Free to use, no signup required: redsift.com/tools/radar-...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Proactive brand monitoring is essential for protecting not just an organization, but its entire supply chain from these type of attacks redsift.com/resources/bl... via @redsift.com
redsift.com
How brand monitoring could have prevented the $400,000 Costco lobster heist
Criminals stole $400,000 of lobster destined for Costco by impersonating a legitimate trucking company. Red Sift Brand Trust could have detected the lookalike domain registration in real-time and prev...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
A pause on my normal commentary on email and phishing for a consumer alert ;-) www.azfamily.com/2025/12/10/p...
azfamily.com
Porch pirates using Wi-Fi jamming technology to disable security cameras
Porch pirates are using inexpensive electronic gadgets to jam the Wi-Fi connection to a home’s security camera.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
The end of the line for Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) redsift.com/resources/bl... via @redsift.com
redsift.com
IETF calls for end of ARC experiment: What it means for email authentication
The IETF has published a draft recommending that ARC (Authenticated Received Chain) be marked "Obsolete" after a 10-year experiment. Here's what it means for your organization.
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 07/11/2025
The NCSC is discontinuing Mail Check & Web Check on 31 March 2026. Huge respect for 7+ years helping UK organisations strengthen email security and web resilience. At Red Sift we're here to help your migration: redsift.com/guides/ncsc-...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Most Penn domains are open to spoofing and phishing from a DMARC perspective: www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
msn.com
MSN
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
DMARC is a rare control that removes an entire class of malicious email, helps companies remain compliant with new email requirements, and should be the center of an email security plan for 2026. www.darkreading.com/cybersecurit... via @redsift.com
darkreading.com
Closing the Gap: Why Enforce DMARC in 2026
BEC losses hit $6B in 2024, yet most domains lack DMARC. Treat email as a strategic risk — enforce DMARC in 2026 to stay protected.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Let's meet up at @blackhatevents.bsky.social to discuss how we can leverage @redsift.com AI-powered cybersecurity solutions and data for your company and explore strategic and technical partnership opportunities! Book a meet or let's connect at a social event! calendly.com/d/cs4j-8d2-x...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
blog.redsift.com/email/svgs-w...
blog.redsift.com
SVGs with JavaScript are bypassing traditional email security
SVG files are designed to be harmless image files. Yet attackers have discovered they can hide JavaScript inside an SVG’s XML code and trick email gateways.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
The emails...are sent using spoofed addresses or domains that mimic legitimate brands. Many of the recipient domains lacked proper email authentication controls, including: No DKIM records Missing or unenforced DMARC policies Misconfigured SPF settings www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/hackers...
infosecurity-magazine.com
Threat Actors Exploit SVG Files in Stealthy JavaScript Redirects
A new phishing campaign uses SVG files for JavaScript redirects, bypassing traditional detection methods
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 09/06/2025
🔊 Cisco Security has added Red Sift Brand Trust to its domain protection stack—going beyond DMARC to stop lookalike threats at scale. Read it here: blog.redsift.com/news/red-sif...
blog.redsift.com
Red Sift Brand Trust joins Cisco portfolio to extend domain and brand protection - Red Sift Blog
Red Sift has expanded its partnership with Cisco to include Red Sift Brand Trust, enabling exact and lookalike domain defense within CDP.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
We’re proud to announce that Cloudflare has named @redsift.com a preferred DMARC provider to help customers defend against next-gen email threats: blog.redsift.com/email/cloudf...
blog.redsift.com
Cloudflare selects Red Sift as preferred partner to provide DMARC and advanced email security - Red Sift Blog
Cloudflare customers now benefit from Red Sift OnDMARC—ranked #1 in Europe and EMEA by G2—strengthening their defenses against advanced phishing and email-based threats.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
www.darkreading.com/cloud-securi... via @faisal.fm
darkreading.com
Getting Outlook.com Ready for Bulk Email Compliance
Microsoft has set May 5 as the deadline for bulk email compliance. In this Tech Tip, we show how organizations can still make the deadline.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
blog.redsift.com/email/dmarc/... via @redsift.com
blog.redsift.com
DMARCbis: What are the changes and how to be ready
DMARCbis, also known as DMARC 2.0, is the forthcoming update to the DMARC email authentication protocol with an expectation to be finalized and published in 2025.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
blog.redsift.com/uncategorize... via @redsift.com
blog.redsift.com
TLS certificates are changing: What you need to know
TLS certificates are about to get significantly shorter-lived. Starting 15 March 2026, newly issued public-trust certificates will max out at 200 days, dropping to 47 days by 2029.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
blog.redsift.com/email/dkim/t... via @redsift.com
blog.redsift.com
How misconfigured DKIM enables replay attacks
Email authentication isn't just an IT concern. It protects your brand and customers. A single misstep can let attackers spoof your domain. One of the most dangerous methods? The DKIM replay attack.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
www.forbes.com/sites/daveyw... via @faisal.fm @redsift.com
forbes.com
You Have 14 Days To Comply — New Rules Impact 500 Million Outlook Users
Microsoft to enforce strict email authentication rules for Outlook.com users on May 5 — what you need to know.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Oops! blog.redsift.com/asm/zoom-sto...
blog.redsift.com
Zoom stops zooming: Why active monitoring is essential
On April 16, 2025, Zoom experienced a significant global outage that disrupted video conferencing services and access to its website for thousands of users.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
blog.redsift.com/research/why...
blog.redsift.com
Why DMARC matters: Protect your organization from phishing
Learn about the challenges facing organizations, why traditional defenses fall short, and why DMARC should be your priority.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Big news in the UK NCSC Mailcheck and education fields. In collaboration with @jisc.bsky.social, @redsift.com OnDMARC is now available for direct purchase from the Chest platform blog.redsift.com/news/red-sif...
blog.redsift.com
Red Sift OnDMARC joins the Jisc Chest platform to strengthen email security in the education sector - Red Sift Blog
Red Sift is now working with Jisc—the UK’s not-for-profit provider of digital and technology services for education and research. As part of this collaboration, Red Sift OnDMARC is now available to pu...
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Thomas “T-Bird” Knierien @tbirdfromtx.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Well I was supposed to upload another episode of Emails Not Dead today but my MacBook has decided to hit the ol dusty trail and retire. Please listen to our season opener with @bwestnedge.bsky.social on how we’re trying to make DMARC easier! www.mailgun.com/resources/po...
mailgun.com
Podcasts | Mailgun Resource Center | Mailgun
Check out Mailgun's podcast, Email's Not Dead. Listen to industry experts and email geeks discuss and debate topics impacting email and how we communicate.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Microsoft announces sender requirements for consumer email domains, matching Google and Yahoo: techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microso...
techcommunity.microsoft.com
Strengthening Email Ecosystem: Outlook’s New Requirements for High‐Volume Senders | Microsoft Community Hub
Introduction In an era where email remains one of the most widely used tools for personal and business communications, Outlook is stepping up its commitment...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Mailgun expands email security with free DMARC reporting in partnership with @redsift.com www.mailgun.com/blog/product...
mailgun.com
Mailgun Launches Free DMARC Reporting to Improve Email Security | Mailgun
Mailgun now offers free DMARC reporting in partnership with Red Sift, giving senders actionable insights to protect domains, prevent spoofing, and boost deliverability.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
blog.redsift.com/ai/enhanced-...
blog.redsift.com
Enhanced logo detection with AI: A hybrid approach
Logo detection is crucial for brand protection, helping identify logo misuse in lookalike domains and fraudulent activities.
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Yannick Lyn Fatt @ylynfatt.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
@letsencrypt.bsky.social are ending support for expiration notification emails. They recommend using @redsift.com to fill that void. letsencrypt.org/2025/01/22/e...
letsencrypt.org
Ending Support for Expiration Notification Emails
Since its inception, Let’s Encrypt has been sending expiration notification emails to subscribers that have provided an email address to us. We will be ending this service on June 4, 2025. The d...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
New @redsift.com research: www.darkreading.com/remote-workf...
darkreading.com
Google's DMARC Push Pays Off, but Challenges Remain
A year after Google and Yahoo started requiring DMARC, the adoption rate of the email authentication specification has doubled; and yet, 87% of domains still remain unprotected.
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
New @redsift.com research shows 2.3m more domains have adopted DMARC in 2024 following new Google and Yahoo requirements. While a nice increase, there is more to be done, with 86.62% of domains still lacking adequate protection against today’s growing cyber threats blog.redsift.com/email/dmarc/...
blog.redsift.com
2.3 million organizations embrace DMARC compliance - Red Sift Blog
It has been one year since Google and Yahoo implemented stricter requirements for bulk email senders. Eleven months ago, Red Sift shared an update based on data from BIMI Radar, which revealed a conce...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
The Good, the Bad, and the Politics of Biden’s Cybersecurity Order securityboulevard.com/2025/01/the-...
securityboulevard.com
The Good, the Bad, and the Politics of Biden’s Cybersecurity Order
President Biden in the last few days of his administration issued an expansive cybersecurity EO that touched on issues like software supply chain, AI, and foreign adversaries. Many approved of the eff...
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Brian Westnedge @bwestnedge.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
New @redsift.bsky.social podcast out focusing on cyber insurance blog.redsift.com/podcast/expl...
blog.redsift.com
Exploring the complexities of cyber insurance with Harpreet Mann - Red Sift Blog
Sean Costigan delves into the intricacies of cyber insurance with Harpreet Mann, President of Amynta Trade Credit and Political Risk Solutions.
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Reposted by Brian Westnedge
Red Sift @redsift.com · 06/01/2025
2025 will redefine cybersecurity and AI through deeper tech-governance integration, AI in everyday business, and cybersecurity as a business enabler. Discover 4 key predictions for the year ahead with CEO Rahul Powar: blog.redsift.com/cybersecurit...
blog.redsift.com
Predictions for 2025: Cybersecurity and the increasing rise of AI
2025 has arrived, where cybersecurity and AI will be defined by the deepening interplay between technology and governance, get the scoop from CEO Rahul Powar.
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