One Misconfigured Port Could Void Your SOC 2 and Force a Breach Disclosure

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary In cloud-native environments, a single exposed port on a virtual machine or container can trigger major regulatory consequences. What appears to be a routine

How One Packet Capture Could Sink Your SOC 2 Audit - And Open You to Lawsuits

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Protocols like Telnet, FTP, and POP3 are still present across many enterprise environments - including cloud-based vendors, managed service providers, and healthcare organizations. These

Still Using FTP or POP3? Here’s Why That Could Get You Sued in 2025

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Introduction Legacy communication protocols like File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Post Office Protocol v3 (POP3) are still widely used across small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). What

Why Noncompliance with State Privacy Laws Is Quietly Bankrupting Small Businesses

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary As U.S. state privacy laws mature, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are facing increasing exposure to statutory fines of $100–$750 per user,

Data Breach Lawsuits Surge in 2025: What Public Companies Must Know After SEC's New Cyber Disclosure Rules

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary As of 2025, public companies face an evolved threat landscape: not just from cyber attackers, but from regulators and shareholders. The Securities and Exchange

A Practical Cybersecurity Strategy for Global Design Firms

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Design firms today operate at the intersection of creativity and compliance. As projects span continents, architectural practices must navigate a complex regulatory terrain -

The Billion-Dollar Breach Vector: How Misconfigured Email Security Can Land You in Court

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Business Email Compromise (BEC) is among the most financially damaging cybercrimes globally, exploiting weak email configurations, lack of domain authentication, and poor user training.

Cybersecurity as a Design Discipline: Creating User-Aware Security Awareness Campaigns

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Security awareness programs often fail - not because users don’t care, but because the training wasn't designed for how people actually

How to Build a Security Incident Response Plan That Won’t Get You Sued

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary: Most businesses assume that as long as their IT team has a breach protocol, they are safe from liability. But in reality, many companies

Are You Relying on Outdated Cyber Insurance Requirements? Here’s Why That May Void Your Claim

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary Most companies assume that purchasing cyber insurance means they will be covered in the event of a data breach or ransomware attack. In reality,

HIPAA Breach Response Playbook: What To Do in the First 72 Hours

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Executive Summary HIPAA-covered entities and business associates must respond to breaches of protected health information (PHI) within rigid regulatory timelines. The first 72 hours following the

The Cybersecurity Compliance Mistakes That Scare Off Investors

By Ramyar Daneshgar Security Engineer | USC Viterbi School of Engineering Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. 1. Executive Summary Cybersecurity and data privacy compliance have become determinative factors in mergers, acquisitions, and financing events across the technology sector. Legal deficiencies in breach