Sheena Sampsel, Author at MainNerve

AI Pen Testing: Why Auditors Are Right to Ask Questions

AI is everywhere in cybersecurity right now. AI-powered threat detection, AI-driven security analytics, and AI-assisted vulnerability management. And increasingly, AI- or automated pen testing platforms are promising to replace human penetration testers. The pitch is compelling: continuous testing, faster results, lower costs, and no need…

Network Segmentation Failures: When One Breach Becomes Total Compromise

Your network probably looks like an open-floor-plan office. Once someone’s inside, they can go anywhere, talk to anyone, access anything. There are no walls, no locked doors, and no restricted areas. For an office space, that might encourage collaboration. For a network, it’s a security…

How to Implement Network Segmentation That Actually Protects You

You know network segmentation is important. You’ve heard that flat networks enable attackers to move laterally and turn a single compromise into a full breach. But how do you actually implement segmentation? What zones do you create? What firewall rules enforce them? Where do you…

Unpatched Systems: The Network Vulnerability Hiding in Plain Sight

Every organization knows they should patch their systems. It’s basic security hygiene, right up there with using strong passwords and backing up data. Yet unpatched vulnerabilities remain one of the most common entry points in actual breaches. Not because patching is complicated or expensive, but…

The Boat Is Always Taking on Water: Why Security Maintenance Never Ends

Web application security is like maintaining a boat. You inspect the hull, find a small crack, patch it, and continue sailing. A week after that, you find another crack. You patch that too. The week after that? Another crack. This continues indefinitely because boats are…

Multi-Factor Authentication: The Difference Between Staying Secure and Getting Breached

Your password isn’t enough anymore. It doesn’t matter how strong it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s 16 characters with special symbols and numbers. And it doesn’t matter if you’ve never written it down or shared it with anyone. Passwords alone are no longer…

Security Through Obscurity: The Lock You Hope Nobody Finds

“We’re secure because nobody knows about our systems.” “We use non-standard ports so attackers can’t find our services.” “We don’t publish our architecture, so nobody knows how to attack us.” This is security through obscurity; the idea that hiding something makes it secure. And it’s…

Why Web Application Security Is a Condition, Not a Destination

You can’t “fix” web application security and call it done. Security isn’t a project with a start and end date. It’s not something you achieve once and move on from, or a checkbox you mark complete. Web application vulnerabilities aren’t a problem you solve…

Why Your Firewall Isn’t Enough: The Limits of Perimeter Security

Your firewall is important, but it’s just not enough. For years, the security model was simple: build a strong perimeter around your network. Put up a firewall, lock down the border, and keep the bad guys outside. Everything inside the perimeter was trusted, and everything…

The Pen Test Debrief That Changed a CFO’s Mind

Sarah walked into the conference room already skeptical. As CFO of a mid-sized manufacturing company, she’d approved the $6,000 penetration test because the CISO insisted it was necessary for their cyber insurance renewal. Fine. But now she was being pulled into a “findings debrief” that…

Author: Sheena Sampsel

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