Rik Ferguson
@rikferguson.com
Immigrant. VP Security Intelligence @Forescout, Co-founder @RespectInSec. Board @vaultree, Cybersecurity Futurist, Researcher, Award-winning writer/producer. He/Him. Pussy in bio.
Substack - Ferguson.ink
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦
Substack - Ferguson.ink
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦
Pinned
Rik Ferguson
@rikferguson.com
· Nov 8
Reposting this tweet from Oct 2017, so I can pin it here too.
Public note: If you ask me to sit on any public panel I will decline if there are no women on the panel. I can’t do much but I can do this.
Public note: If you ask me to sit on any public panel I will decline if there are no women on the panel. I can’t do much but I can do this.
Lars Ulrich is definitely one of the drummers of all time.
November 3, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Lars Ulrich is definitely one of the drummers of all time.
Xi-phoon or Xi-clone? It’s so difficult to tell them apart.
Salt, Volt, Flax, Silk; they all rely on Xiploits.
Remember, just because something is not “required” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
Salt, Volt, Flax, Silk; they all rely on Xiploits.
Remember, just because something is not “required” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
FCC will vote to scrap telecom cybersecurity requirements
The commission’s Republican chair, who voted against the rules in January, calls them ineffective and illegal.
www.cybersecuritydive.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Xi-phoon or Xi-clone? It’s so difficult to tell them apart.
Salt, Volt, Flax, Silk; they all rely on Xiploits.
Remember, just because something is not “required” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
Salt, Volt, Flax, Silk; they all rely on Xiploits.
Remember, just because something is not “required” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
TAFKNAP - The Andrew Formerly Known As Prince.
October 30, 2025 at 9:18 PM
TAFKNAP - The Andrew Formerly Known As Prince.
Our team at Forescout has discovered multiple new vulnerabilities in TP-Link routers. You may have noticed an uncredited vulnerability disclosure from TP-Link yesterday, that was us.
Several additional vulnerabilities are still in the disclosure process and will be detailed in upcoming publications.
Several additional vulnerabilities are still in the disclosure process and will be detailed in upcoming publications.
New TP-Link Router Vulnerabilities: A Primer on Rooting Routers
Forescout’s Vedere Labs research uncovers TP-Link router vulnerabilities that allow attackers to root devices. See how, including mitigation guidance.
www.forescout.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Our team at Forescout has discovered multiple new vulnerabilities in TP-Link routers. You may have noticed an uncredited vulnerability disclosure from TP-Link yesterday, that was us.
Several additional vulnerabilities are still in the disclosure process and will be detailed in upcoming publications.
Several additional vulnerabilities are still in the disclosure process and will be detailed in upcoming publications.
I almost sliced off the tip of my finger with a breadknife the other day.
It’s given me a great idea for Hallowe’en canapés though.
#finger_food
It’s given me a great idea for Hallowe’en canapés though.
#finger_food
October 15, 2025 at 11:07 AM
I almost sliced off the tip of my finger with a breadknife the other day.
It’s given me a great idea for Hallowe’en canapés though.
#finger_food
It’s given me a great idea for Hallowe’en canapés though.
#finger_food
1981, the year of antmusic, is now as far behind us at 1937 was in 1981… Damn.
October 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
1981, the year of antmusic, is now as far behind us at 1937 was in 1981… Damn.
PromptLock. Was. An. Academic. PoC. Not. An. AI. Revolution. In. Cybercrime.
Stop putting it in your blogs and presentations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter ;)
Stop putting it in your blogs and presentations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter ;)
October 8, 2025 at 10:11 PM
PromptLock. Was. An. Academic. PoC. Not. An. AI. Revolution. In. Cybercrime.
Stop putting it in your blogs and presentations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter ;)
Stop putting it in your blogs and presentations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter ;)
But, will the Conservatives give everyone (except “illegals” fkors) a free puppy “if they win the next election?
October 8, 2025 at 11:15 AM
But, will the Conservatives give everyone (except “illegals” fkors) a free puppy “if they win the next election?
If you edit for a security title and you follow me, I’ve a new column looking for a home: Operational Truth. Accuracy is a security property. It’s practical: exposure SLOs, drift measurement and enforced controls. and it has a funky Stranger Things tie-in. Want it as a contributed piece? DM me.
October 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM
If you edit for a security title and you follow me, I’ve a new column looking for a home: Operational Truth. Accuracy is a security property. It’s practical: exposure SLOs, drift measurement and enforced controls. and it has a funky Stranger Things tie-in. Want it as a contributed piece? DM me.
Terminal 2 at Prague airport is currently evacuated
October 5, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Terminal 2 at Prague airport is currently evacuated
Post you from a different era. Describe that era.
Sep 1992, Buckinghamshire. 22 & graduated. In a recession so couldn’t find a job, so I worked in my local boozer and lived up in the roof. Life was very good. After this I went to live in Paris and work in a bookshop.
Sep 1992, Buckinghamshire. 22 & graduated. In a recession so couldn’t find a job, so I worked in my local boozer and lived up in the roof. Life was very good. After this I went to live in Paris and work in a bookshop.
September 30, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Post you from a different era. Describe that era.
Sep 1992, Buckinghamshire. 22 & graduated. In a recession so couldn’t find a job, so I worked in my local boozer and lived up in the roof. Life was very good. After this I went to live in Paris and work in a bookshop.
Sep 1992, Buckinghamshire. 22 & graduated. In a recession so couldn’t find a job, so I worked in my local boozer and lived up in the roof. Life was very good. After this I went to live in Paris and work in a bookshop.
Boarding at Heathrow is still hit and miss after the recent #ransomware attack against Collins Aerospace .
Some gates are working. Some gates are still operating manual boarding procedures.
Be prepared for delays.
Some gates are working. Some gates are still operating manual boarding procedures.
Be prepared for delays.
September 25, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Boarding at Heathrow is still hit and miss after the recent #ransomware attack against Collins Aerospace .
Some gates are working. Some gates are still operating manual boarding procedures.
Be prepared for delays.
Some gates are working. Some gates are still operating manual boarding procedures.
Be prepared for delays.
I the ten years I have lived here in Warsaw, I’ve never seen a swan.
Suspiciously though, I have seen brogue-shaped footprints by the lake, just deep enough to hold half a pint of real ale, and a vague waft of stale tobacco. The was a clue in the tread although I could quite make it out.
Suspiciously though, I have seen brogue-shaped footprints by the lake, just deep enough to hold half a pint of real ale, and a vague waft of stale tobacco. The was a clue in the tread although I could quite make it out.
September 25, 2025 at 8:30 AM
I the ten years I have lived here in Warsaw, I’ve never seen a swan.
Suspiciously though, I have seen brogue-shaped footprints by the lake, just deep enough to hold half a pint of real ale, and a vague waft of stale tobacco. The was a clue in the tread although I could quite make it out.
Suspiciously though, I have seen brogue-shaped footprints by the lake, just deep enough to hold half a pint of real ale, and a vague waft of stale tobacco. The was a clue in the tread although I could quite make it out.
Best, most raw, thing I have written in ages. So much so that it can't go on LinkedIn, they'd crucify me :)
Anchored in the Cupboard - Growing up in the 80s.
Anchored in the Cupboard - Growing up in the 80s.
Anchored in the Cupboard
Growing up in the 80s, or... growing up as me.
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Best, most raw, thing I have written in ages. So much so that it can't go on LinkedIn, they'd crucify me :)
Anchored in the Cupboard - Growing up in the 80s.
Anchored in the Cupboard - Growing up in the 80s.
Wouldn’t it be nice if folks quit telling you how to improve?
Nice to find a feed not full of humblebrag platitudes?
Respectful if those who’ve “cracked it” didn’t claim their recipe fits every cookie?
You do you.
Keep going, even when no one’s looking.
Practice makes perfect. You’re worth it.
Nice to find a feed not full of humblebrag platitudes?
Respectful if those who’ve “cracked it” didn’t claim their recipe fits every cookie?
You do you.
Keep going, even when no one’s looking.
Practice makes perfect. You’re worth it.
September 18, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Wouldn’t it be nice if folks quit telling you how to improve?
Nice to find a feed not full of humblebrag platitudes?
Respectful if those who’ve “cracked it” didn’t claim their recipe fits every cookie?
You do you.
Keep going, even when no one’s looking.
Practice makes perfect. You’re worth it.
Nice to find a feed not full of humblebrag platitudes?
Respectful if those who’ve “cracked it” didn’t claim their recipe fits every cookie?
You do you.
Keep going, even when no one’s looking.
Practice makes perfect. You’re worth it.
The late-night drive feeling of isolation, discomfort, dislocation. A few lines echo the rhythm of tyres ticking over cats-eyes. UK folks will know that heartbeat under the tyres that tells you you’re already drifting. The uncanny, fog-lit stretch between fatigue and focus. I hope the mood lands
Steer Through Silence Dislocated
“Streetlights staple the night to the sky”
rikferguson.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 10:11 PM
The late-night drive feeling of isolation, discomfort, dislocation. A few lines echo the rhythm of tyres ticking over cats-eyes. UK folks will know that heartbeat under the tyres that tells you you’re already drifting. The uncanny, fog-lit stretch between fatigue and focus. I hope the mood lands
You don’t predict the future. You feel the gradient under your boots
2017 I said AI would enter adversarial ops & we’d need AI to meet it. 2019, impersonation would mature & that defenders must reason like machines. Today, AI accelerates crime before it automates it & change windows are still human
2017 I said AI would enter adversarial ops & we’d need AI to meet it. 2019, impersonation would mature & that defenders must reason like machines. Today, AI accelerates crime before it automates it & change windows are still human
Autonomous Cyber Weapons? The future of AI in Cybersecurity.
What I called in 2017–2019, what landed by 2025, and what still needs fixing.
open.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
You don’t predict the future. You feel the gradient under your boots
2017 I said AI would enter adversarial ops & we’d need AI to meet it. 2019, impersonation would mature & that defenders must reason like machines. Today, AI accelerates crime before it automates it & change windows are still human
2017 I said AI would enter adversarial ops & we’d need AI to meet it. 2019, impersonation would mature & that defenders must reason like machines. Today, AI accelerates crime before it automates it & change windows are still human
11 years ago today, aKasia Ferguson and I were lucky enough not just to spend an amazing day with simply the best friends and family you can imagine, but we joined a winning team . Team Ferguszki, in Wonderland.
Love wins.
youtu.be/BRmnrXSkD6A?...
Love wins.
youtu.be/BRmnrXSkD6A?...
Ferguszki in Wonderland :)
YouTube video by Katarzyna Ferguson
youtu.be
September 13, 2025 at 8:13 PM
11 years ago today, aKasia Ferguson and I were lucky enough not just to spend an amazing day with simply the best friends and family you can imagine, but we joined a winning team . Team Ferguszki, in Wonderland.
Love wins.
youtu.be/BRmnrXSkD6A?...
Love wins.
youtu.be/BRmnrXSkD6A?...
Substack now live. I’m unearthing and analysing a decade or so of my blogs to see what holds water. Sharp security, occasional detours (probably music, opinion, or language-related). If the jumble of my brain is your thing, subscribe!
ferguson.ink
ferguson.ink
Rik Ferguson | Substack
Immigrant. VP Security Intelligence @Forescout, Co-founder @RespectInSec. Board @vaultree, Cybersecurity Futurist, Researcher, Award-winning writer/producer. He/Him. Click to read Rik Ferguson, a Subs...
ferguson.ink
September 11, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Substack now live. I’m unearthing and analysing a decade or so of my blogs to see what holds water. Sharp security, occasional detours (probably music, opinion, or language-related). If the jumble of my brain is your thing, subscribe!
ferguson.ink
ferguson.ink
11 years ago I warned connectivity would outrun security. It has. Interfaces are the battleground; diversity buys time, not safety. APIs run the business and unmanaged, unagentable devices crowd IT, OT and IoT. What works: live inventory, context-led risk, real segmentation.
The Unavoidable Acceleration of Everything, Revisited
Eleven years ago I wrote a blog post entitled "The Unavoidable Acceleration of Everything. What next for wearables and IoE?".
www.linkedin.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:43 AM
11 years ago I warned connectivity would outrun security. It has. Interfaces are the battleground; diversity buys time, not safety. APIs run the business and unmanaged, unagentable devices crowd IT, OT and IoT. What works: live inventory, context-led risk, real segmentation.
I learned this the hard way, one glance at my phone on a mountain road and I nearly wiped out a group of cyclists. A second of divided attention turns a safe system into a weapon.
Security fails the same way. Speed limits are compliance; safe driving is judgement.
#cybersecurity #OTsecurity #risk
Security fails the same way. Speed limits are compliance; safe driving is judgement.
#cybersecurity #OTsecurity #risk
Defensive Driving for Cybersecurity
Eyes up, read the road, and manage to impact. I learned this the hard way.
www.linkedin.com
August 27, 2025 at 12:26 PM
I learned this the hard way, one glance at my phone on a mountain road and I nearly wiped out a group of cyclists. A second of divided attention turns a safe system into a weapon.
Security fails the same way. Speed limits are compliance; safe driving is judgement.
#cybersecurity #OTsecurity #risk
Security fails the same way. Speed limits are compliance; safe driving is judgement.
#cybersecurity #OTsecurity #risk
Reposted by Rik Ferguson
I wrote about this topic recently too. We should get together soon and discuss best ways forward
www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/29/r...
www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/29/r...
Ransomware will thrive until we change our strategy - Help Net Security
Ransomware is a national security threat, requiring global cooperation, regulation, and proactive efforts to disrupt criminal networks.
www.helpnetsecurity.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I wrote about this topic recently too. We should get together soon and discuss best ways forward
www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/29/r...
www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/29/r...