Page 179 of the DSE Cybersecurity knowledge center, with source-backed guidance and practical next steps.
Source-backed guidance for identity, vulnerability reduction, ransomware readiness, detection, response, and recovery.
Microsoft now plans to disable SMTP AUTH Basic authentication by default for existing Exchange Online tenants at the end of December 2026. Find every sender, choose a supported replacement, pilot it, and prove the legacy path is quiet.
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SMB over QUIC protects Windows file access with TLS 1.3 over UDP 443, but Windows clients can still prefer TCP and external authentication can fall back to NTLM. Prove transport, identity, certificates, and renewal before production.
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RPKI lets resource holders authorize which ASN may originate a prefix and lets operators validate BGP origins. It does not validate the full AS path or prove a route is benign. Build careful ROAs, redundant validators, policy, and monitoring.
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Kubernetes Pod Security Admission can enforce privileged, baseline, or restricted profiles by namespace while audit and warn modes expose violations first. Govern labels, policy versions, exemptions, and controller-created Pods as one system.
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GitHub Actions can exchange a GitHub-issued OIDC token for a short-lived cloud credential instead of storing a long-lived key. The security gain depends on strict trust claims, least-privilege cloud roles, protected environments, and tested revocation.
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Azure Policy exemptions preserve compliance visibility while recording a Mitigated or Waiver decision, but expiration is optional and the object remains after expiry. Treat each exemption as a governed, time-bound risk record.
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Terraform state binds configuration to real infrastructure and can contain sensitive data. A team needs controlled remote storage, supported locking, restricted access, serialized changes, versioned recovery, and a tested process for failed writes.
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NTLM is deprecated and Microsoft is preparing Windows for stronger Kerberos-based authentication. A safe retirement starts with auditing real use, assigning every dependency, repairing its cause, and testing progressively tighter blocking.
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MFA cannot make an already-compromised workstation trustworthy. Dedicated privileged access workstations separate administration from email, general browsing, and everyday applications so high-impact credentials and sessions begin from a controlled device.
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Control of a domain registration can redirect websites and email, disrupt public services, or remove an organization’s online identity. Registrar access deserves named ownership, strong authentication, locks, monitored changes, and an exercised recovery plan.
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