Threat intelligence, controls, and response roadmaps

Executive briefing: As of November 1, 2025 all ISO/IEC 27001 certificates must reference the 2022 revision. The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) mandated that certification bodies complete transitions from the 2013 edition by October 31, 2025, leaving no grace period for organizations that rely on legacy statements of applicability. Security leaders must demonstrate updated risk assessments, Annex A control mappings, and governance evidence or risk losing accredited status during surveillance and recertification audits.

Key governance signals

• Transition requirement. IAF Mandatory Document 26 specifies that all certificates issued to ISO/IEC 27001:2013 expire after October 31, 2025 and that certification bodies may only issue to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 thereafter.
• Control modernisation. The 2022 update reorganises Annex A into four control families, introduces guidance on cloud services, threat intelligence, and secure coding, and aligns terminology with ISO/IEC 27002:2022.
• Audit pressure. Accredited registrars are scheduling late-2025 surveillance visits to confirm transitions, increasing the operational load on teams that delayed implementation.

Control alignment

• Annex A controls. Refresh statements of applicability to include the new controls (e.g., A.5.7 Threat intelligence, A.8.9 Configuration management) and retire superseded references.
• Risk management. Update ISO 27005-aligned risk assessments to capture cloud platform dependencies, SaaS integrations, and software supply-chain risks introduced since the 2013 framework.
• Governance evidence. Maintain board minutes, internal audit reports, and corrective action logs showing the transition completed before surveillance visits.

Detection and response priorities

• Track control ownership and gap remediation tasks in GRC tooling; escalate overdue updates for Annex A mappings that remain on the 2013 structure.
• Monitor registrar communication portals for audit scheduling changes so business units can prepare artifacts without emergency escalations.

Enablement moves

• Run internal readiness assessments using ISO/IEC 27001:2022 checklist tooling to validate documentation quality before auditors arrive.
• Align SOC 2, NIST CSF, and other assurance frameworks with the refreshed Annex A controls to streamline evidence reuse.
• Brief executive sponsors on certification implications—loss of ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation can jeopardize customer contracts and regulatory attestations.

Sources

• IAF: Transition of ISO/IEC 27001:2022
• ISO: ISO/IEC 27001:2022 overview and scope

Zeph Tech steers ISO/IEC 27001 transitions—rebuilding Annex A control libraries, harmonizing evidence across frameworks, and coaching teams through registrar surveillance audits.

Executive briefing: NIST's SP 800-171 Revision 3 became the definitive control baseline for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in May 2024. With the Department of Defense signalling that the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) rule will conclude in fiscal year 2025, contractors must update policies, assessment evidence, and supplier oversight to the new requirements now.

Key risk themes

• Expanded asset scoping. Revision 3 formalises discovery of interconnected assets, cloud services, and contractor-operated tooling that touch CUI, closing loopholes from self-attested boundary diagrams.
• Supply chain assurances. The proposed CMMC rule requires prime contractors to flow SP 800-171 controls to subcontractors and collect assessment results, elevating third-party oversight obligations.
• Continuous monitoring expectations. DoD emphasises operational technologies such as log review, automated alerting, and vulnerability remediation metrics over once-a-year checklist assessments.

Control alignment

• NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3, Control 3.12.4. Implement formal plan of action and milestone tracking tied to objective evidence, ensuring interim risk acceptance is approved by the Authorising Official.
• CMMC Proposed Rule, § 170.19. Establish contractual language mandating timely subcontractor assessments, reciprocity terms, and access to system security plans.
• NIST SP 800-171A Rev 3. Update assessment procedures to capture enhanced control families, including SC.L2-3.3.7 for network segmentation and CM.L2-3.4.9 for configuration change approvals.

Detection and response priorities

• Centralise security event logs from enclave boundary controls, cloud enclaves, and manufacturing systems into tooling that supports 72-hour incident reporting to DoD per DFARS 252.204-7012.
• Conduct purple-team exercises that validate containment and eradication procedures for credentials stored in source code repositories and build pipelines referenced in the CMMC proposed rule.

Enablement moves

• Refresh executive risk dashboards to include estimated CMMC certification costs, subcontractor readiness status, and Rev 3 control completion percentages.
• Coordinate procurement reviews so SaaS and managed service suppliers sign updated CUI handling addenda aligned to SP 800-171 Rev 3 and DFARS clause flow-downs.

Sources

• NIST Special Publication 800-171 Revision 3
• NIST Special Publication 800-171A Revision 3 Draft Assessment Procedures
• DoD CMMC Proposed Rule (88 FR 89058)

Zeph Tech equips defense industrial base suppliers with Rev 3 control implementations, subcontractor assurance playbooks, and pre-assessment evidence packages to accelerate CMMC certification.

Executive briefing: Public companies are closing their second Form 10-K cycle under the SEC’s Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure rule (Release No. 33-11216). Comment letters posted through July 2025 show staff challenging vague incident materiality thresholds, board oversight narratives, and supply-chain discussions. Zeph Tech builds disclosure playbooks so CISOs can substantiate Item 1C statements before the FY2025 reporting rush.

Key industry signals

• Comment-letter focus. EDGAR comment letters to large accelerated filers (e.g., CrowdStrike, Clorox) asked for quantitative impact ranges, recovery timelines, and clarification of board briefings for 2024 incidents.
• Sample letter still driving reviews. The Division of Corporation Finance’s June 18, 2024 sample comment letter remains the blueprint staff cite when registrants omit materiality analysis or supplier dependencies.
• Incident attestation. Enforcement staff reiterated at SEC Speaks 2025 that four-business-day Item 1.05 filings must describe remediation status and cross-reference any ransomware insurance recoveries.

Control alignment

• SEC Regulation S-K Item 1C. Maintain evidence packets covering board reporting cadence, risk assessment outputs, and third-party assurance tied to security program statements.
• NIST CSF 2.0 Govern and Recover. Map incident response metrics to the SEC’s disclosure expectations, ensuring tabletop exercises capture financial impact estimates and system availability timelines.

Detection and response priorities

• Track Form 8-K Item 1.05 triggers centrally—material events should auto-generate disclosure drafts with forensic facts, business impact ranges, and mitigation status.
• Review vendor questionnaires and SOC 2 reports for incidents that may require disclosure because of dependence on outsourced environments.

Enablement moves

• Run cross-functional dry runs pairing legal, IR, and cyber teams to rehearse the four-day disclosure timeline using prior near-miss incidents.
• Refresh board-level briefing templates so Item 1C discussions cite specific oversight sessions, escalation thresholds, and risk-owner accountability.

Sources

• SEC Release No. 33-11216
• SEC sample comment letter on cybersecurity disclosures
• SEC Speaks 2025 cybersecurity remarks

Need the statutory language? SEC cyber disclosure source extracts translate Release No. 33-11216 and the CorpFin sample letter into evidence checklists.

Zeph Tech builds disclosure readiness programs that tie incident telemetry, financial impact models, and governance evidence to SEC expectations—eliminating last-minute scrambles before Form 10-K filings.

Executive briefing: Articles 3(3)(d)–(f) of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) become enforceable on August 1, 2025 following the Commission’s two-year deferral. Wireless and IoT devices that communicate over the internet must now demonstrate secure network access controls, resilient processing safeguards, and robust personal data protection before they can be placed on the EU market.

Key compliance checkpoints

• Access control assurance. Manufacturers must ensure radio equipment only activates network access for authenticated software, closing long-standing gaps exploited by credential stuffing and malware sideloading.
• Resilience verification. Devices need safeguards against network disruptions or malicious traffic that could degrade emergency communications or interfere with other services.
• Privacy-by-design evidence. Products handling personal data must include secure storage, transmission, and deletion mechanisms aligned with GDPR expectations.

Control alignment

• ETSI EN 303 645. Map RED requirements to the consumer IoT baseline to demonstrate vulnerability disclosure, secure boot, and software update processes.
• ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A 8.28 and 8.32. Bolster data-at-rest and secure coding controls that certification auditors will check against RED compliance documentation.
• GDPR DPIAs. Update data protection impact assessments for connected products to show encryption, minimisation, and consent management improvements tied to RED.

Implementation priorities

• Run firmware penetration tests focused on authentication bypass, unsigned update acceptance, and denial-of-service vectors cited in the delegated act.
• Build EU technical documentation packages that include threat models, secure lifecycle procedures, and conformity assessment reports ready for market surveillance authorities.

Enablement moves

• Launch supplier readiness reviews for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular modules to confirm component vendors can furnish RED-aligned security attestations.
• Update customer security guides and labeling so distributors understand new default password, update policy, and vulnerability reporting expectations.

Sources

• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 supplementing Directive 2014/53/EU (January 12, 2022)
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1717 deferring application of Articles 3(3)(d)–(f) to August 1, 2025 (August 18, 2023)

Zeph Tech guides device makers through RED conformity assessments, coordinating secure development lifecycles, supplier attestations, and penetration testing needed for sustained EU market access.

Executive briefing: Microsoft retires Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Organisations that keep Windows 10 in production after that date lose monthly security updates unless they purchase the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme. Zeph Tech distils the migration plan—covering hardware readiness, Intune deployment waves, and ESU budgeting—so CISOs can show regulators and boards that Windows 11 transitions are on track.

Key industry signals

• Fixed retirement date. Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle fact sheet confirms support for Windows 10, version 22H2—the final release—ends on 14 October 2025.
• ESU availability. Microsoft announced a three-year Windows 10 ESU programme in 2023, available to commercial customers via cloud management (Intune, Windows Autopatch) or volume licensing starting with coverage year 2025–2026.
• Hardware requirements. Windows 11 still requires TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and supported CPUs; Microsoft’s documentation urges organisations to use the PC Health Check API and Update Compliance reports to segment upgrade-ready hardware.

Control alignment

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SI-2 / CM-8. Maintain authoritative inventories that show each endpoint’s OS version, upgrade plan, and ESU coverage decisions.
• ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A.8.7 / A.5.34. Demonstrate secure system acquisition and lifecycle management by documenting Windows 11 build standards and hardening baselines.
• PCI DSS 4.0 Req. 6.3.3. Ensure cardholder data environments do not rely on unsupported operating systems after October 2025 or record compensating controls tied to ESU subscriptions.

Detection and response priorities

• Correlate endpoint telemetry (Defender for Endpoint, SCCM/Intune) with vulnerability scanners to flag any Windows 10 hosts still outside migration waves.
• Build alerts for unpatched legacy endpoints by monitoring SecurityUpdateCompliance and QualityUpdateCompliance signals in Update Compliance.
• Capture incident response playbooks that differentiate between ESU-covered devices and fully upgraded fleets for post-October investigations.

Enablement moves

• Publish executive dashboards that chart migration velocity by business unit, device criticality, and regulatory exposure.
• Coordinate with procurement to source Windows 11-capable hardware, including TPM 2.0 modules, before seasonal supply crunches.
• Train service desks and field engineers on Autopilot, in-place upgrade rollback, and user communications to minimise disruption.

Sources

• Microsoft Learn: Windows 10 release information
• Microsoft Windows IT Pro Blog: Windows 10 Extended Security Updates
• Microsoft Learn: Windows 11 requirements

Zeph Tech equips cybersecurity and IT operations teams with evidence-backed plans so Windows lifecycle transitions satisfy regulators, auditors, and business stakeholders.

Executive briefing: Post-quantum cryptography planning is shifting from research to execution as agencies and enterprises publish migration roadmaps. Zeph Tech recommends staging certificate rotations by business criticality while enforcing supplier attestations that prove crypto agility across the ecosystem.

Key industry signals

• NIST algorithm selections. NIST announced CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium as primary post-quantum algorithms, giving organisations concrete targets for pilot deployments.
• Federal migration deadlines. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s M-22-09 memorandum requires civilian agencies to inventory cryptographic systems and deliver migration plans, signalling expectations for private-sector partners.
• Ongoing standardisation updates. NIST’s Post-Quantum Cryptography project publishes migration guidance and timelines, including draft FIPS publications for chosen algorithms.

Control alignment

• NIST CSF 2.0 PR.AA. Extend asset catalogues with cryptographic metadata—key lengths, algorithm families, owners—to prioritise migration waves.
• ISO/IEC 27001 A.10. Update cryptographic policies with acceptance criteria for lattice-based algorithms, downgrade plans, and supplier attestation requirements.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert when certificates near expiration lack assigned post-quantum transition owners or when legacy RSA/ECC ciphers resurface after upgrades.
• Monitor third-party APIs advertising quantum-safe readiness for mismatched cipher suites or unsupported key exchange modes.

Enablement moves

• Publish a migration heatmap summarising which services will complete post-quantum pilots each quarter and the dependencies that govern cutover.
• Partner with procurement to add crypto agility clauses—covering algorithm support and incident notifications—to all new SaaS and infrastructure supply agreements.

Sources

• NIST announces first post-quantum cryptographic algorithms
• OMB Memorandum M-22-09: Migrating to Post-Quantum Cryptography
• NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography project

Zeph Tech orchestrates certificate discovery, rotation runbooks, and third-party attestations so your teams stay focused on business delivery.

Executive briefing: The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) second amendment to 23 NYCRR 500 set April 29, 2025 as the compliance deadline for the 18-month transition requirements. Covered entities must evidence enhanced privileged access controls, continuous monitoring, independent audits, and asset inventory programs. Zeph Tech is helping CISOs and compliance officers sequence remediation before NYDFS escalates supervisory actions.

Key regulatory requirements

• Privileged access governance (Section 500.7). Entities must enforce multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, implement password vaulting, and monitor anomalous privilege escalation.
• Automated monitoring (Section 500.14). Continuous monitoring or at minimum weekly vulnerability assessments are mandatory, alongside documented risk-based remediation timelines.
• Asset inventories (Section 500.13). Maintain accurate inventories of information systems, data, and key third parties including classification, ownership, and lifecycle metadata.
• Independent audits (Section 500.11). Class A companies must undergo independent cybersecurity audits at least annually; other covered entities need documented risk-based audit cadences.

Control alignment

• NIST CSF 2.0. Map NYDFS controls to Identify (ID.AM) for asset management, Protect (PR.AA) for privilege governance, and Detect (DE.CM) for continuous monitoring.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A. Align with controls A.5.15 (access rights), A.8.16 (monitoring activities), and A.5.30 (supplier relationships).
• FFIEC CAT. Financial institutions can reuse inherent risk and maturity assessments to track NYDFS readiness across domains.

Implementation priorities

• Complete privileged access management deployments with session recording, just-in-time elevation, and automated reconciliation.
• Deploy continuous monitoring platforms (EDR, SIEM, vulnerability management) with documented escalation paths and board reporting.
• Establish configuration baselines for asset inventories, linking CMDB records to data classification and recovery objectives.

Enablement moves

• Update board cyber reports to include NYDFS key risk indicators and remediation status for April 2025 milestones.
• Rehearse incident escalation with legal and compliance teams to meet the 72-hour notification and 90-day remediation reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with internal audit or third parties to scope the first annual independent audit, ensuring evidence repositories are structured for rapid sampling.

Sources

• NYDFS 23 NYCRR Part 500 — Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies
• NYDFS Second Amendment adoption announcement (Nov. 1, 2023)

Zeph Tech delivers NYDFS readiness sprints that tie privileged access tooling, audit evidence, and supervisory communications into a single program dashboard.

Executive briefing: Organisations consolidating identity stacks for passwordless access are confronting legacy federation, device posture gaps, and partner risk. Zeph Tech is coordinating verifier upgrades, conditional access analytics, and privileged session recording so security leaders can deliver a resilient trust fabric across SaaS, IaaS, and on-premises estates.

Key industry signals

• Zero trust architecture expectations. NIST SP 800-207 underscores continuous evaluation of user, device, and workload context—principles now embedded in regulator and customer assessments.
• Cloud Controls Matrix alignment. The Cloud Security Alliance’s CCM v4 IAM-09 control requires documented conditional access policies and continuous monitoring for identity threats across providers.
• Passkey adoption accelerates. The FIDO Alliance reports broad platform support for passkeys, making phishing-resistant authentication practical for workforce and customer journeys.

Control alignment

• NIST SP 800-207. Update policy engines so decisions incorporate device health, geolocation, and workload sensitivity in real time.
• CSA CCM IAM-09. Document conditional access baselines per tenant and align monitoring to identity threat detection signals.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert on impossible travel events or repeated passkey fallbacks that may indicate targeted social engineering.
• Correlate privileged session recordings with access review outcomes to accelerate remediation of risky entitlements.

Enablement moves

• Deliver a change calendar sequencing identity cutovers alongside payroll, finance, and customer release windows to minimise business disruption.
• Host enablement clinics so application owners learn how to integrate with the new trust broker and register device posture signals.

Sources

• NIST SP 800-207 Zero Trust Architecture
• Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix v4
• FIDO Alliance passkey adoption guidance

Zeph Tech automates identity drift detection, device attestation checks, and privileged analytics to de-risk the 2025 trust fabric refresh cycle.

Executive briefing: Ransomware groups continue to probe industrial environments by piggybacking on remote maintenance tools and targeting historians. Zeph Tech is distributing pre-built containment playbooks and golden images so OT teams can restore operations within agreed recovery point objectives.

Key industry signals

• OT ransomware trendlines. Dragos’ 2023 report noted a record number of ransomware incidents impacting industrial organisations, with access often gained through dual-use admin tooling.
• Guidance from StopRansomware.gov. CISA’s Stop Ransomware platform stresses network segmentation, offline backups, and tabletop exercises that account for safety-critical operations.
• Control framework expectations. The draft revision of NIST SP 800-82 reinforces asset inventory, zoning, and incident response coordination between IT and OT security teams.

Control alignment

• NIST SP 800-82. Validate network segmentation diagrams quarterly and align them with live asset inventories covering PLCs, HMIs, and historians.
• IEC 62443-3-3 SR 5. Demonstrate that remote sessions enforce strong authentication, least privilege, and monitoring before any changes touch control equipment.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert when OT jump hosts see credential reuse from IT networks or when remote tooling spawns encryption utilities.
• Flag unauthorised changes to PLC ladder logic, historian retention policies, or safety instrumented system configurations.
• Cross-check detection coverage against the critical infrastructure detection modernization briefing so OT alerts feed enterprise SOC workflows.

Enablement moves

• Update crisis communications templates to cover physical safety messaging alongside data privacy statements for regulators and partners.
• Stage spare components and tested system images at regional depots so maintenance crews can perform rapid swap-outs after containment.

Sources

• Dragos 2023 OT Cybersecurity Year in Review
• CISA Stop Ransomware resource hub
• NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3 (Draft) Guide to Industrial Control Systems Security

Zeph Tech blends OT asset discovery, segmented monitoring, and incident rehearsal so industrial teams can sustain uptime despite ransomware pressure.

Executive briefing: Unified communications platforms now carry financial approvals, product roadmaps, and incident bridges. Zeph Tech is enforcing workspace lifecycle policies, retention governance, and insider threat analytics so collaboration stays auditable without slowing teams down.

Key industry signals

• Privacy extensions required. ISO/IEC 27701 section 7.3 expects documented processing purposes and retention schedules for collaboration data, elevating the role of workspace classification.
• Secure conferencing guidance. ENISA’s guidance on secure video conferencing emphasises identity assurance, encryption, and recording controls that must be mirrored inside collaboration suites.
• User awareness still a gap. CIS Control 14 highlights the need for continuous security awareness across collaboration tooling, including training on AI-generated meeting artefacts.

Control alignment

• ISO/IEC 27701 7.3. Catalogue personal data stored in chat, meeting recordings, and transcription exports; publish retention SLAs per workspace category.
• CIS Control 14.4. Extend security awareness programmes with modules covering secure use of bots, external sharing, and confidential meeting workflows.

Detection and response priorities

• Detect when privileged channels disable retention or eDiscovery policies and trigger approval workflows before changes go live.
• Alert on automation accounts requesting tenant-wide scopes or exporting content to unmanaged locations.

Enablement moves

• Provide executive assistants and chief-of-staff teams with secure meeting quick-start guides covering classification, recording decisions, and guest policies.
• Launch collaboration hygiene scorecards so department leads see retention compliance, external guest usage, and bot reviews at a glance.

Sources

• ISO/IEC 27701 privacy extension to ISO/IEC 27001
• ENISA Guidelines on Secure Video Conferencing
• CIS Controls v8

Zeph Tech harmonises channel provisioning, retention enforcement, and AI guardrails so digital workplaces stay compliant and trustworthy.

Executive briefing: Serverless functions, managed containers, and edge nodes expand the attack surface far beyond traditional hosts. Zeph Tech is standardising telemetry capture, hunt hypothesis backlogs, and remediation workflows so SecOps teams can align their playbooks to MITRE D3FEND countermeasures and CIS Control 8 expectations.

Key industry signals

• Technique catalogues are mature. MITRE D3FEND now maps defensive techniques to offensive behaviours, giving hunters a common language for hardening serverless pipelines.
• CIS Control 8 refresh. The CIS Controls v8 guidance emphasises inventorying and monitoring enterprise assets, including ephemeral workloads that previously escaped asset management scopes.
• Serverless exposures documented. The OWASP Serverless Top 10 captures event injection, privilege escalation, and data leakage paths that hunters must model within hypothesis development.

Control alignment

• MITRE D3FEND. Map hunts to techniques such as Credential Hardening (D3-CH) and Network Segmentation (D3-NS) so coverage aligns with proven countermeasures.
• CIS Control 8.2 and 8.7. Automate asset discovery across Kubernetes, container registries, and serverless runtimes, and log administrative actions for detection engineering.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert on unusual spikes in serverless invocations tied to privileged identities or new environment variables, indicating token replay or injection attempts.
• Baseline edge device process lists and outbound traffic; flag binaries or destinations that deviate from approved manifests.

Enablement moves

• Run joint hunts between cloud engineering and security to validate telemetry coverage, then capture repeatable steps within an internal playbook library.
• Publish remediation templates that translate hunt findings into infrastructure-as-code guardrails and CI/CD policy updates.

Sources

• MITRE D3FEND defensive technique knowledge graph
• CIS Controls v8
• OWASP Serverless Top 10 project

Zeph Tech unifies observability pipelines, hunt coverage, and developer feedback loops so teams stay proactive in cloud-native environments.

Executive briefing: Fraud teams are ingesting third-party analytics feeds that demand broad data lake access. Zeph Tech is gating token scopes, enforcing synthetic data sandboxes, and validating incident response SLAs so finance leaders can innovate while preserving compliance.

Key industry signals

• Expanded logging expectations. PCI DSS v4.0 Requirement 10 reiterates centralised logging for any system touching cardholder data, extending to external analytics platforms.
• Regulatory scrutiny on vendors. The FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool’s Domain 3 stresses third-party resilience testing, pushing banks to evidence oversight for fraud analytics providers.
• Model drift incidents. Payment processors continue to report false positives after vendor updates, highlighting the need for change-management gates and rollback plans.

Control alignment

• PCI DSS v4.0 Requirement 10. Ensure logging controls capture authentication, query, and export activity for every vendor integration touching cardholder data.
• FFIEC CAT Domain 3. Incorporate fraud analytics vendors into resilience tests, scenario planning, and board reporting.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert when vendor service accounts escalate privileges, request new data lake roles, or bypass segregation controls.
• Correlate fraud detection anomalies with vendor deployment schedules to separate tuning effects from genuine fraud campaigns.

Enablement moves

• Publish shared runbooks that clarify alert routing, escalation thresholds, and communication expectations during vendor-caused incidents.
• Partner with finance to quantify return on investment from vendor-driven chargeback reductions and fraud loss avoidance.

Zeph Tech analysis

• Supervisors expect quantitative evidence. OCC and CFPB examiners increasingly ask for confusion matrix trendlines and false-positive remediation stats, so teams need dashboards that blend vendor analytics with internal outcomes.
• Data minimisation reduces GLBA exposure. Limiting vendor access to tokenised PANs and hashed identity attributes keeps Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act safeguards intact while still enabling behavioural modelling.
• Incident SLAs must be contractual. Fraud vendors should commit to 30-minute critical incident acknowledgements and provide backtesting data after model changes; Zeph Tech bakes these clauses into master service agreements.

Sources

• PCI DSS v4.0 standard
• FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool
• PCI DSS v4.0 Quick Reference Guide

Zeph Tech operationalises vendor assessments, data minimisation, and SLA validation so fraud teams can innovate with control.

Executive briefing: March 31, 2025 marks the close of the transition period for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) v4.0 requirements that were previously flagged as "best effort." From this date, assessors will score to the full v4.0 control catalog, including expanded network segmentation validation, stricter authentication, and continuous monitoring mandates. Merchants, processors, and managed service providers supporting payment channels must finalize tooling, evidence collection, and workforce readiness to avoid non-compliance and potential fines from acquiring banks.

Key regulatory signals

• Future-dated controls become compulsory. Requirements such as 3DS.4.1 for automated access reviews, 5.2.3 for anti-malware orchestration, 7.2.5 for system-level access approvals, and 8.4.2 for phishing-resistant authentication now factor into ROC scoring.
• Customized approaches demand robust documentation. Entities relying on customized controls must provide objective evidence of equivalent security outcomes, with assessor sign-off per Annex D.
• Continuous risk processes. Requirement 12.3.1 forces enterprises to operationalize targeted risk analyses for any control with flexible implementation, linking compensating measures to dynamic threat intelligence.

Control alignment

• Update segmentation tests. Schedule quarterly internal segmentation tests and annual external validation to satisfy Requirement 11.4.5, capturing evidence inside GRC tooling.
• Modernize MFA deployments. Replace knowledge-based OTP factors with phishing-resistant authenticators or FIDO2 tokens to align with Requirement 8.4.2 expectations.
• Automate logging baselines. Ensure centralized logging meets Requirement 10.4.1 by integrating EDR, WAF, and payment gateway telemetry with retention policies mapped to business need.

Detection and response priorities

• Exercise incident response playbooks that demonstrate rapid containment and forensics for payment data breaches, aligning with Requirement 12.10.5.
• Instrument threat hunting against cardholder data environments to spot segmentation drift and privilege abuse before assessor sampling.

Enablement moves

• Brief executive sponsors on the financial penalties acquirers can impose for non-compliance and the impact on payment processing continuity.
• Leverage Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) readiness assessments in Q2 2025 to validate control maturity and evidence packages ahead of annual ROC cycles.

Sources

• PCI DSS v4.0 Summary of Changes
• PCI SSC: Completing Assessments under PCI DSS v4.0

Zeph Tech helps payment leaders orchestrate PCI DSS v4.0 control telemetry, automate evidence capture, and streamline assessor coordination.

Executive briefing: PCI DSS v4.0’s future-dated requirements take full effect on 31 March 2025. Zeph Tech is guiding payment leaders through targeted risk analysis cadences, continuous authentication monitoring, and evidence packaging so Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) can validate compliance without surprises.

Key industry signals

• Deadline confirmed by the PCI SSC. The council’s official timeline reiterates that controls labelled ‘best practice’ since 2022—such as targeted risk analyses—are enforceable at the end of March 2025.
• Expanded governance expectations. Requirement 12.3.2 formalises targeted risk analyses for flexible controls, while 12.3.3 demands executive reporting on service provider compliance.
• Authentication scope broadened. The v4.0 Quick Reference Guide highlights that multi-factor authentication now covers all access into the cardholder data environment, including operators and third parties.

Control alignment

• PCI DSS v4.0 Requirement 12. Document governance processes that show TRA schedules, executive oversight, and third-party performance management.
• PCI DSS v4.0 Requirement 10. Verify that centralised logging covers hybrid infrastructure—virtual machines, containers, and serverless runtimes—with retention tuned to forensic obligations.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert when accounts reach the cardholder data environment without enforced MFA or when TRA-defined control frequencies lapse.
• Correlate QSA findings with internal risk registers so remediation and board updates share the same status data.

Enablement moves

• Distribute updated compliance playbooks to service providers and partners processing cardholder data, including sample evidence requests and escalation paths.
• Automate evidence capture—screenshots, configuration exports, and log excerpts—so quarterly reviews feed straight into annual reports on compliance.

Sources

• PCI SSC: PCI DSS v4.0 timeline and future-dated requirement deadline
• PCI DSS v4.0 standard
• PCI DSS v4.0 Quick Reference Guide

Zeph Tech supports PCI DSS 4.0 programs with TRA templates, control automation, and partner attestation workflows.

Executive briefing: Converged IT and OT operations continue to attract espionage and disruption campaigns, making visibility across both domains non-negotiable. Zeph Tech is unifying telemetry, incident playbooks, and board-level metrics so utilities and manufacturers can prove alignment with CISA’s Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) and NERC CIP-007-6.

Key industry signals

• Nation-state living-off-the-land tradecraft. The joint advisory on PRC state-sponsored Volt Typhoon operations documents how adversaries blend native admin tools, underscoring the need for correlated IT/OT detections.
• CPG adoption momentum. CISA’s CPG 2.0 provides sector-agnostic baselines for vulnerability management, logging, and incident response—now referenced in multiple state resilience grants.
• OT incident metrics rising. Dragos’ 2023 OT Cybersecurity Year in Review logged a 35% increase in publicly reported ransomware activity against industrial firms, emphasizing defensive urgency.

Control alignment

• CISA CPGs. Map SOC and plant engineering detections to CPG functions covering visibility, vulnerability reduction, and incident response.
• NERC CIP-007-6. Document how patch management, logging, and malicious code prevention controls operate for BES Cyber Systems and supporting components.

Detection and response priorities

• Alert on remote sessions that traverse from enterprise networks into control zones without approved change tickets or maintenance windows.
• Correlate engineering workstation and historian logs with OT sensor anomalies so analysts can reconstruct lateral movement paths quickly.

Enablement moves

• Schedule joint SOC, NOC, and plant-tabletop drills that rehearse VPN credential theft, engineering workstation compromise, and recovery communications.
• Publish executive dashboards that benchmark CPG coverage, CIP-007 compliance, and mean time to detect hybrid intrusions.
• Pair this detection modernization with the OT ransomware containment playbook so response teams align telemetry with recovery runbooks.

Sources

• Volt Typhoon living-off-the-land advisory from CISA, NSA, FBI, and partners (May 2023)
• CISA Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals
• Dragos 2023 OT Cybersecurity Year in Review

Zeph Tech unifies intelligence ingestion, cross-domain detections, and tabletop execution so critical infrastructure teams can outpace blended intrusions.

Executive briefing: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) published the 2024 Internet Crime Report on March 18, 2025, documenting $12.5 billion in reported U.S. cybercrime losses—a 22% increase year over year—with business email compromise (BEC) and ransomware leading. Europol’s Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024 highlights similar ransomware dominance across EU member states and rising abuse of generative AI for phishing and fraud.

Key industry signals

• Ransomware cost surge. IC3 recorded 3,439 ransomware complaints with adjusted losses exceeding $1.3 billion, while Europol flags healthcare and manufacturing as top targets.
• BEC sophistication. U.S. victims reported $3.1 billion in BEC-adjusted losses, with adversaries exploiting deepfake audio/video during payment diversion scams.
• AI-enabled fraud. Europol notes the use of large language models to create convincing phishing kits and lures, shortening attack preparation cycles.

Control alignment

• NIST CSF 2.0. Prioritise identity-centric controls (Protect 5) and anomaly detection (Detect 2) to counter BEC and ransomware.
• ISO/IEC 27002:2022. Reinforce Annex A controls on secure development, supplier relationships, and communications to mitigate highlighted fraud vectors.

Detection and response priorities

• Enhance payment verification workflows with multi-factor out-of-band confirmation to counter BEC techniques cited by IC3.
• Deploy ransomware behavioural analytics covering lateral movement and data exfiltration, aligning with Europol and FBI guidance.

Enablement moves

• Update board and audit committee reporting with IC3 loss metrics and IOCTA sector trends to justify investment in detection, response, and recovery.
• Partner with law enforcement liaison programs (FBI InfraGard, Europol EC3) to streamline incident reporting and intelligence sharing.

Sources

• FBI IC3: 2024 Internet Crime Report
• FBI press release announcing 2024 IC3 losses
• Europol: Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2024

Zeph Tech equips security, fraud, and risk teams with authoritative law-enforcement data to prioritise 2025 mitigation roadmaps.