Megan Brandow

In an era where data breaches dominate headlines and AI capabilities expand exponentially, the conversation around encryption has evolved far beyond technical specifications. It’s become a discussion about fundamental human rights, democratic resilience, and the ethical responsibilities organizations bear when handling sensitive information. Paperclip recently hosted a compelling webinar featuring Heather Lowrie,  an accomplished cybersecurity leader with extensive experience across government, public, and private sectors who was recognized as CISO of the Year 2024 at the SC Awards Europe. The conversation explored the intersection of encryption, privacy rights, and emerging technologies—revealing insights that every security and compliance leader should understand. Encryption as a Fundamental Human Right The webinar opened with a powerful reframing of encryption’s purpose. Drawing from Mallory Nodle’s article “Why Feminists Must Defend Encryption,” Lowrie emphasized that encryption protects far more than corporate data—it safeguards human dignity, equality, and democratic freedoms. “Encryption protects survivors of gender-based violence and […]

Understanding Data Security Through an Unexpected Metaphor When we talk about data security and data breach prevention, the conversation often feels abstract—firewalls, encryption protocols, compliance frameworks. But what if we could understand these critical concepts through something as tangible as a garden rake? This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re exploring why data security matters through a story illustrating the real-world consequences of poor data management. Just as you wouldn’t carelessly hand over your company’s valuable assets without proper safeguards, sensitive data requires the same protection. Yet every day, organizations inadvertently share critical information with vendors and partners, lose track of where it goes, and suffer devastating consequences. According to recent statistics, data breaches cost organizations an average of $4.45 million per incident. This allegory demonstrates that data loss prevention isn’t just an IT concern—it’s a fundamental business imperative affecting customer trust, competitive advantage, and organizational survival. The Story: Henry’s Most Prized […]

A practical story of how Flying Cloud CrowsNest™ and Paperclip SAFE® work together to address Agentic AI risks   The Challenge: When Helpful Agents Become Risky Houseguests Monday, 9:12 a.m. A marketing ‘assistant’ agent is humming along: drafting collateral, pulling product facts, dropping a chart into a deck. At 9:13 it connects to a file share, hoovers up a pricing workbook, then reaches into a customer database through a connector someone enabled on Friday. None of this is malicious. The agent was asked to “build a competitive pricing story,” and it is very obedient. But somewhere in that task it crosses a line between helpful and hazardous: regulated fields, confidential forecasts, and a tranche of PII are now in the agent’s context window. Security sees the outcome, not the sequence. A dashboard lights up after the fact. Logs exist, but the narrative thread is missing: what moved, who touched it, […]

Introduction: The Growing Need for Zero Trust Data Security in 2025 As businesses prepare for the unique challenges of 2026 and beyond, one question becomes increasingly critical: how can organizations secure their data while keeping operational costs under control? With data breaches becoming more frequent and expensive, the need for robust, cost-effective security solutions is more important than ever. In this environment, zero trust data security and encryption-in-use are emerging as essential strategies for protecting sensitive data from malicious actors. By combining these two advanced approaches, businesses can significantly reduce their exposure to cyber threats, ensure zero plaintext exposure, and maintain compliance with evolving regulations. This article will explain the importance of encryption-in-use and how Paperclip SAFE encryption can be a game-changer for businesses. We’ll also explore how adopting zero trust data access can help organizations future-proof their security strategy and protect their most valuable asset—data. The 2025 Reality Check: […]

How NIST-compliant solutions protect against harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks without disrupting operations Enterprise Security Priorities Shift: Quantum Threats Surpass Ransomware Concerns Capgemini’s latest global survey of billion-dollar enterprises reveals a decisive shift in perception: nearly two-thirds of security leaders now rank quantum computing as a bigger strategic threat than ransomware. Even more striking, 65% are already worried about so-called “harvest-now-decrypt-later” (HNDL) attacks, and one in six expect “Q-Day”—the moment large-scale quantum computers can break today’s public-key encryption—inside the next five years. [Capgemini press release] The mainstream business press is catching on: MSN Money headlines now warn enterprises to “forget ransomware” because quantum risk is looming larger. [MSN article] Why “Harvest-Now-Decrypt-Later” (HNDL) Changes Everything Traditional encryption operates under the assumption that encrypted data remains safe as long as attackers cannot steal both ciphertext and corresponding keys while mustering sufficient computing power to break the algorithm. Quantum computing eliminates this assumption entirely. Harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks […]

Paperclip’s encryption-in-use technology, SAFE, was listed in the latest IDC Market Glance: Cryptographic Identity Technologies, 2Q25 (doc # US50210223, June 2025). This IDC Market Glance was created by trusted IDC technology analysts and highlights specific technologies that fall within IDC’s digital trust market. According to IDC, Vendors included in this report offer cryptographic protection of data that is only viewable by users, devices, and applications with appropriate digital credentials. The report includes eight sub-categories, including Database Encryption where Paperclip is included with 13 other vendors. Database encryption is defined by IDC has technology that “obfuscates data within a database, so that if a database is compromised the data itself remains unviewable.” “The cryptography space is getting much more attention, with the forthcoming transition to quantum resistant encryption,” according to the report authored by IDC Analyst Jennifer Glenn. “Multiple quantum-resistant algorithms have been approved by NIST and more are coming. Organizations looking […]

***This blog post was written to accompany this press release on the same topic.***   Lawmakers throughout the U.K. and Europe are discussing the ability to monitor and investigate criminal activity within encrypted channels—often referred to as “lawful access.” While this isn’t a new concern, it has bubbled back up to the top as threat actors are leveraging encryption, blockchain and VPN technology to hide from law enforcement. Unfortunately, any encryption vendor who creates a backdoor or “lawful access” point is now also creating a point where the data is viewable in plaintext. In short, that data is no longer encrypted, sacrificing the privacy and data sovereignty for 99% just to monitor the 1%. As a data security vendor and data manager, Paperclip empathizes with law enforcement and is committed to finding a solution. At the same time, we believe a solution exists without sacrificing our clients, or the privacy […]

Your security team just flagged it: Another state passed encryption requirements. The federal landscape shifted again. That Excel spreadsheet tracking compliance requirements now spans 47 columns and counting. If you’re responsible for data security at your organization you’re not just managing technology, you’re also navigating an increasingly complex web of overlapping and constantly evolving regulatory requirements. From zero trust principles to quantum-resistant algorithms, the security landscape has fundamentally shifted. When it comes to encryption, the real question isn’t whether you need it anymore. It’s whether your current strategy will survive 2025’s regulatory reality and emerging compliance requirements. Data Encryption Requirements: Why Traditional Encryption Falls Short of 2025 Standards Here’s what keeps security leaders awake at night: You’ve encrypted data at rest. You’ve secured data in transit. You’ve checked those boxes for HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR requirements. Yet your data remains vulnerable during its most critical state—when it’s actually being […]

On July 16, 2025, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America disclosed a cyber incident originating within a third‑party (Malwarebytes, Financial Times, TechRadar), cloud‑based CRM vendor’s environment. Reports indicate the breach exposed highly sensitive PII consisting of Social Security numbers combined with other controlled data belonging to most of its approximately 1.4 million U.S. customers. Multiple outlets and filings note the vector involved social engineering and misuse of common CRM export utilities, a pattern that has surged in 2025. What happened—and why it matters According to coverage from the Financial Times and security outlets, Allianz’s core systems were not breached; instead, attackers abused access to a vendor environment to exfiltrate customer records. Although Allianz Life Insurance has not publicly disclosed the specific name of the CRM platform affected, multiple sources including Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), Mandiant, and BleepingComputer suggest that Salesforce was likely the targeted system. The breach is […]

Guest post by Heather Lowrie, Paperclip Advisor and Content Contributor  An introduction to the author: Heather Lowrie is a highly-experienced CISO, keynote speaker, and cybersecurity advocate that serves as an advisor for its SAFE encryption solution. With more than 25 years’ experience across cybersecurity, technology, risk, and resilience, Lowrie has led major digital and security transformations for high-impact public and private sector organizations. Lowrie was recognized by her peers as CISO of the Year at the 2024 SC Awards Europe and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security.   — The risks of mis- and disinformation have come to light over the past five years, but a risk that is often overlooked lies within the cybersecurity information ecosystem. Once a dynamic space for real-time insight and community-driven knowledge exchange, cybersecurity discourse is now increasingly fragmented. Trusted voices are scattered across disconnected channels. Practitioner insight is buried beneath […]