What's Happening in Information Security

If you're a parent, you may have used the "Santa's watching" threat to control the excess energy of the children in your home. We used elaborate ploys to distract ours when they were young. These were effective before and after the holiday - remember Santa can come and take back what he brought if they don't persist their good behavior:) This is threat management at its best!

Here are a few of the techniques that worked:

Take a potatoe, cut it in half and carve a reindeer hoof (whatever you think that looks like). Next after you put them to bed - put hoof prints in the snow where they can see them in the morning - this is evidence that Santa was indeed checking on them. Easier than deploying a SIEM solution - right?

Create notes from Elmo Elf - the brains behind the elf brigade - place them strategically: by the peas they won't eat, by the toothbrush they won't use, by the soap that is dry after a bath, by the trash waiting to be carried to the curb. Elmo reminds them that the task sits between them and whatever they think Santa is bringing. Elmo is the brains behind your enterprise security management systems - didn't you know that?

"Santa notes" under the pillow specifically pointing out some bad behavior from the day before and what that could mean to the Christmas morning loot. They work just like compliance reports you send to password abusers.

One more thing that we did and still do: For every "new" thing you ask for or expect to get, you take one slightly used toy, book, coat or pair of gloves and donate to a family shelter in your area. You give in advance of getting. There are kids everywhere that won't be getting what they asked for - the toys that have fallen into the forgotten pile could be the special gift that makes Santa real for them. 

Now, give them a hug, treasure the 6 AM wake up on Christmas morning - because they grow up faster than you can imagine. The memories just keep on giving.