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Halfway through Gears of War 3, I realized that a Lancer assault rifle would be a very effective tool for keeping the raccoons out of my garbage can. It all made sense. Then I realized that the technology doesn’t exist, and more problematic, PETA wouldn’t be too happy about it.
So I moved on, and I purchased a raccoon-proof garbage can instead. I still wanted a Lancer gun, though. And as of today, it looks like I may just be able to build a life-sized Lancer Assault Rifle out of Lego bricks, complete with a motorized chain saw and magazine release. The Lancer Assault Rifle, created by ‘Plum B’ over at MOCpages, clearly shows just how badass legos can still be.
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The Lancer fires rubber bands from magazines and pretty much makes your neighbor’s six shooter rubber band gun look like something a child would take to a gun fight. Imagine how many kids you could scare off just using the chainsaw around town. This raises yelling “get off my lawn!” to a whole new level. Darn kids.
Also, neighborhood raccoons, you’re officially on notice. | https://www.pcworld.com/article/477092/take_a_lego_gears_of_war_lancer_to_a_rubber_band_fight.html |
Ensuring your IT network and endpoints are secure, resilient, and compliant requires non-stop research and education. Netsurion helps you keep pace with digital innovations and modern cyber threats as we delve into various topics including network connectivity, advanced threat protection, and compliance management. Register for an upcoming webcast below.
Can’t make a live event? Check out our library of previously recorded webcasts.
One of the key benefits for most businesses deploying SD-WAN is the reduction in WAN costs by up to 80 percent. Continuity and resilience are also critical to businesses in today's growing cyber-threatened world. SD-WAN solutions offer multi-link support, so 4G LTE is an obvious choice for failover connectivity. Yet small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs) cannot typically afford the latest WAN solution with resilience built in. This is in part why careful selection of an SD-WAN solution is critical, as not all SD-WAN solutions provide a cost-effective 4G LTE solution.
Join John Ayers, VP of Product Management for Netsurion BranchSDO as he proposes five key things to take into consideration when looking for “backup internet”.
Visualizing the path and monitoring performance of both the WAN and LTE is key to delivering end-to-end service quality. Learn how you can manage SD-Branch networks and deliver optimal network performance by leveraging reporting and analytics. Software-defined orchestration of your WAN gives you the branch visibility and control you need, but it’s the reporting and analytics tools that help you easily detect network issues and traffic anomalies.
Join John Ayers. VP of Product Management for Netsurion BranchSDO as he will show you how a cloud-based orchestrator and interconnected SD-WAN devices can give you the line of sight deep and wide into your network to monitor and analyze performance.
October 24, 2019 Problem-Free SD-Branch Migration Strategies that Reduce “Friction”. 2:00 PM -3:00 PM Register Problem Free SD-Branch
Every company is looking to deploy SD-WAN with minimal disruption to their day-to-day business operations. Luckily, there are many ways it can be achieved with little to no disruption. Many of these strategies are effective by adopting a cautious and gradual approach yet graduality can be an expensive investment.
Join John Ayers, VP of Product Management for Netsurion BranchSDO to learn how Netsurion BranchSDO reduces the “friction” of SD-Branch implementation while at the same time it speeds-up deployment to reduce the cost of the transition. | https://www.netsurion.com/knowledge-center/webcasts-events/cybersecurity-webcast-series?webcastID=5827270189353749003 |
(Sept. 15, 2014) -- The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is one of only 44 institutions in the nation designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance (IA)/Cyber Defense (CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The new CAE IA/CD designation is based on the NSA and DHS’s updated academic criteria for cybersecurity education and affords each CAE institution the opportunity to distinguish its strengths in specific IA/CD focus areas.
UTSA’s recognized focus area is in Digital Forensics, a program that falls under the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security in the UTSA College of Business.
As one of the leading institutions in the field of infrastructure assurance education, the UTSA College of Business provides critical training for information assurance professionals and contributes to the protection of the national information infrastructure.
“Our curriculum affords UTSA students high-impact research experience under the mentorship of faculty who understand the real-world needs of industry,” said Glenn Dietrich, UTSA professor and director of the Center for Education and Research in Information and Infrastructure Security in the College of Business. “UTSA’s objective is to offer solutions to today’s big cybersecurity problems and develop the workforce needed now and in the future.”
In 2002, the NSA and DHS designated UTSA as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE) based on the curriculum in the College of Business. In 2009, UTSA was also designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R) based on the research of business, computer science and engineering faculty.
With more than 150 students in the program, the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security offers a broad array of coursework with more than 14 undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of digital forensics, secure network design, intrusion detection and incident response.
Students learn how to protect data, gather and examine digital evidence, perform security risk assessments and study computer and network forensics procedures. Graduates of the UTSA program are placed in governmental and private sector positions with such employers as the CIA, Digital Defense, FBI, NSA, Rackspace and USAA.
In February 2014, UTSA was recognized by the Ponemon Institute as having the best cybersecurity programs in the nation based on a national survey of certified information technology security professionals.
UTSA is also home to the Institute for Cyber Security and Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. The research and outreach programs are focused on solving global security challenges in today's increasingly technological world. They also give UTSA students the opportunity to conduct research alongside some of the nation's most respected faculty members in security.
For more information about cybersecurity at UTSA, visit http://utsa.edu/cybersecurity. | https://www.utsa.edu/today/2014/09/cybersecurity.html |
On any given day, you'll find researchers at AV-Comparatives(Opens in a new window) working hard, putting antivirus products through a wide variety of tests. Throughout the year, they summarize and report on the results of these tests. And as each year ends, they present an overall report on their findings. The latest such report names Kaspersky as product of the year for 2013.
While the researchers do measure detection rates and such with precision, for the sake of reporting they define three levels of success: STANDARD, ADVANCED, and ADVANCED+. A product that doesn't even reach the STANDARD level is merely TESTED. Each report warns that despite differences in scores, products with the same rating should be considered equally good. As the only product to reach ADVANCED+ in every single test, Kaspersky easily earned the designation product of the year.
Other Top Rated Products
The report also praised Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2014, Avast, BullGuard, Fortinet, and Avira, naming them "top rated products." The criterion for getting into this club is quite simple. A rating of TESTED is worth zero, STANDARD is worth five, ADVANCED is worth ten, and ADVANCED+ is worth 15. Any product whose scores totaled 105 or higher made the cut for top rated, as long as it didn't fail either real-world protection test.
Note that some of the tests are optional. Not all vendors approve of AV-Comparatives's "retrospective" test, which simulates zero-day threat detection by forcing products to use old definitions, so some of them opt out. However, opting out of a test naturally cuts a vendor's total score; Sophos would have joined the top rated crowd if it had entered and passed the antiphishing test.
Tons of Information
The full report(Opens in a new window) is definitely worth reading if you're trying to decide which security product will work best for you. It breaks down test results into a variety of categories, among them file-based detection, real-world protection, and performance. For each category it assigns gold, silver, and bronze winner status to one or more participating vendors. You may want to check the gold winners in the categories that are most important to your particular needs.
There's also an extremely detailed review of each product's user interface, complete with screenshots. Researchers considered a variety of specific user interface features. Are malware alerts clear and appropriate? Is there a cogent and useful help system? Are essential functions and status reports easy to find? A summary section reports on products that demonstrate good user interface design.
Malware in the modern world is complex and ever-changing. I'm immensely grateful for testing labs like AV-Comparatives, labs that work hard to keep their tests relevant and up to date. Without their input it would be really tough to determine which antivirus products do the best job.
When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.
Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.
In the early 2000s I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions. | https://www.pcmag.com/news/kaspersky-named-antivirus-tsar |
Over a thousand members of casino chain Grosvenor Casinos have been notified that their personal data has been accessed in a recent cyber attack.
The firm, which also operates an online casino platform, wrote to customers in February to notify them of an attempt by an unauthorised third-party to access customer data through the Grosvenor Casinos website.
In a letter to those affected, Grosvenor Casinos admitted that on 4-5 February 2021, a cyber attack was carried out in which the personal details of 1040 members were accessed.
They also stated that the attack involved cyber criminals using email addresses already in their possession to access the casino business’s systems. Whether this represents a security blunder on the part of Grosvenor Casinos or the Rank Group is currently unclear, but it does raise the question of what email addresses the attackers had access to and how they were able to obtain them.
For anyone whose data was exposed in the Grosvenor Casinos data breach, it is important to be aware that they could now be at risk from cyber crime, as well as having to deal with the emotional distress of knowing that their information may be in the hands of criminals.
Something that may reassure those affected is that they may have grounds to claim compensation. Whether victims of this data breach suffer direct financial harm or not, if it is found that Grosvenor Casinos or the Rank Group made data protection errors that contributed to the breach, it is likely members whose data was exposed will be entitled to claim compensation.
At Hayes Connor, we are ready to advise anyone who may have been affected by the Grosvenor Casinos data breach about their right to compensation. Please get in touch if you wish to discuss the details of your case with our data breach experts.
What to do if you are worried about the Grosvenor Casinos data breach
Grosvenor Casinos should have contacted anyone potentially affected by the breach already as they are obliged to do so under the terms of the Data Protection Act 2018. However, this will often be done via email or letter, so it can be easy to miss the message. If you are a Grosvenor Casino member, it is therefore recommended to contact the firm if you have not yet heard from them.
While the data at risk does not appear to include members’ financial details, the identity data involved could put people at risk from other types of criminal activity, such as “phishing” attacks. These involve criminals contacting you and using the information they have to try to extract further sensitive data from you.
To minimise the any potential risks from your data being used by cybercriminals, please take a look at our detailed guide to what to do if your data has been stolen in a data breach.
If you are a victim of the Grosvenor Casino data breach, you should also consider whether you are entitled to claim compensation. The team at Hayes Connor will be happy to discuss this with you and explain how we can help.
How Hayes Connor can help you claim compensation for the Grosvenor Casinos data breach
When a business or other organisation handles your personal data, they have a legal duty to keep that data secure. That duty is defined under the terms of the Data Protection Act 2018 and, if a company breaches that act in a way that puts your data at risk, you will likely be entitled to compensation.
The team at Hayes Connor are the absolute experts when it comes to data breach compensation claims. We have one of the largest teams of data breach specialists in the country, providing a wealth of combined experience for our clients. Data breach claims are all that we do, so we really do know it all when it comes to getting you compensation for lost or stolen data.
If you have been impacted by the Grosvenor Casinos data breach, our expert team can work with you to find out whether you are owed compensation, explain how the claims process works and tell you how much compensation you may be able to claim.
You can find out more about our expertise and how we handle data breach claims here.
To start a claim, you can use our online claim form.
To speak to a member of our team, please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0151 363 5895.
I instructed Hayes Connor to deal with a serious personal data breach.... I have dealt with many legal firms over the years and, without question and in every respect, Hayes Connor stands apart; head and shoulders above all others I have ever worked with and who, so often, have disappointed.
We highly recommend Hayes Connor Solicitors who helped us to achieve a very positive result in relation to a data breach claim. We received a faultless service from Christine Sabino who was always extremely professional, efficient & considerate.
Richard Forrest at Hayes Connor was fantastic in dealing with our Data Breach claim for me and my brother. Professional, knowledgeable and great communication. Highly recommended.
When a big company lost my personal data, I turned to Hayes Connor. From start to finish I was always looked after and kept up to date. My claim against the big company was successful and this is down to the hard work of Hayes Connor & James Kelliher.
I would like to say what a positive experience I have had using your company for an educational GDPR breach. Even through the pandemic the service was exceptional high quality. Both Lindsey and Ben were so helpful, understanding and knowledgeable | https://www.hayesconnor.co.uk/news-and-resources/news/grosvenor-casinos-suffer-cyber-attack/ |
Superior over Stand alone systems in a few areas. The PC Based systems allow user tracking, easy user enrollment and deletion, can track door usage and create an audit trail to allow you to see who used what, at what time!
Our product specifications are given in good faith but can be subject to manufacturer change without notice. Should an attribute be of essense to your purchase, please feel free to contact us first for confirmation.
Hi guys, my name is Darrel, and I'm head of the tech team here at LocksOnline.co.uk, and today we're going to have a little bit of a preview about the new ACT Pro. It's the 1500 series Pro Access Control door control systems and so forth. This isn't really to look at each individual product individually, but to give you just a general overview and give you a little bit more thought as to, if you're looking for an access control solution, then maybe the ACT system is good for you.
One of the most, as far as I'm concerned, the innovative things that ACT have done, is they've actually put a web server built actually into the controller. What that means is, there's no software. You don't have to install software on a computer over there, and another piece of software over there, and nothing seems to talk and the database is sitting over somewhere else on a different computer. It's all held within the actual controller itself.
One of the benefits also is that you can just plug yourself a PC in, you can use Internet Explorer, or Firefox, and you would then log in to the actual controller, and you would be able to type away and change codes, add users, you can delete users, you can look at an auditor trail to see who's been in when, et cetera. This is a fully integrated access control system.
Another distinct advantage as well then, if you connect this up to your router, or you've got an intranet system in your business or in your home, et cetera, then great. You can go get any computer, again, open up Internet Explorer, dial in the IP address, and then you can log in and modify and change users and so forth.
It's got holiday times and holiday functions. The list is endless as to what it can do, and if you see on our website, it'll show you exactly what other features and functionalities this system has.
Now, if you're thinking that sounds really exciting, that's just the boy for me, it goes even a stage further. For an example, once you've actually connected it to your intranet or you've connected it to your router, you can then through special opening of ports on your router, you can be able to log in to this remotely from anywhere in the world, and change and add users to suit yourself.
This is a commercially graded system. It can be used in hotels, it can be used in pubs and clubs. It can be used in yacht clubs or cricket clubs or golf clubs, whatever. It doesn't really matter. It has the functionality.
One of the distinct advantages as well is that if you've got a membership or a club membership system, then you can turn around and you can say right, if somebody pays their dues, you can sign them in and say, at this time next year, his card will expire unless he pays his dues again. And if he hasn't paid his dues, simply, he stops being able to gain access. So he would be suing on your door wanting to pay his dues and then get his card reinstated.
So there are a lot of benefits and a lot of plusses to this. One of the most key features is the ability to log on to it and easily control it and you don't need any software.
If you're thinking of installing this, what normally happens is, this would sit on the inside of the door that you wanted to control. It doesn't have to, but that's the idea. And inside here, if I open that up, that's what we've got inside. Now it looks like wow, look at all those terminations, and so forth. But it really is straightforward. For an example, here would be where you would wire in the proximity reader, so that's the connection there. You've got a set of inputs and outputs here, for monitoring and so forth, so that's what those do there. Here are the relays to operate any form of electric lock you may have on the door. And of course you've got functions like anti-pass-back and so forth, which I'm not going to get into detail, but they're all within this system. It has the ability to do it all.
You've got then also, you've got the place here, this has got the power supply all built in, in behind. And you can actually set then, by connect up to here, you can actually set then a battery in behind there as well, just in case you get a power failure, of course, you've got the backup supply. If somebody tried to tamper with it and open it to try and bypass it, you've got a tamper button there. And here, in here, is where you would plug in your network, your TCP/IP network cable can plug straight into there. And if you want to, plug it straight in to your laptop, and then boot up Internet Explorer and you're in programming and you're changing things and so forth.
One of the distinct advantages also with this particular type of system is it has auditor trail, and that's really cool for maybe time and attendance. You might be turning around and saying Well, okay, I want to clock people in on the day time, and then when they leave and they clock themselves out they present their card, and it will register all of that and you can use that then for paying wages and so forth.
It has that functionality as well. It's just amazing, what it can do.
Now, what I've done is I've put one of the readers here. This is the slimline reader. There is a range of readers that are available that ACT do. This is probably the most popular one. And you would screw it here and there's caps to sit over these then, and this would then go through the wall. It comes with a length of cable that runs about 2 metres. This would then wire straight in to here and therefore then you've got your control. You can if, you want to, wire another reader on the inside so you've got a prox to get in and then prox to get out, again, using anti-pass-back features, we can do all of that as well.
Not only that, it uses standard MIFARE cards. These are the type of MIFARE cards that you might be familiar with; these are your blank cards, and of course, you can program them up, and you can print on them if you so wish. You can use them then as ID badges or whatever. So it can use that, it does use MIFARE. If you're thinking of investing in access control, well worth you Googling or going onto Wiki and understanding the flexibility and the diversity of MIFARE, because MIFARE as a card solution, works with a whole myriad of different types of attendance systems like till systems and so forth. It's a very, very generic form of access control technology.
It also has these little ACT fobs as well. Maybe you want to use a fob instead of having a card, and of course that could go on your keyring quite easily. Then as you come up to the reader you just present it, bleep, access, and you're in.
So the idea of us chatting here today is just to give you sort of preview, a bit of an overview of the ACT system. One of its major benefits, as I've said, is it has that web server built in to this. And of course you can extend this up to, I think it's up to about 16 doors. There are bigger systems if you want to go bigger, but this controller, this does roundabout the small-to-medium sized businesses no problem at all.
So there you go. If you need a bit more information, if you think to yourself, that's going to be working for me, I'm liking this idea and it's in budget, and you think to yourself, yeah that's great but I need to ask a few more questions, then by all means pop on the phone, pop me over an email. You can chat with me live on our website during the working day, or just pick up the phone and I grab a cup of tea and I sit down and have a talk with you and explain to you all the other functions and accessories and features that it has as well.
What we'd really love at the end of the day is, if this is what you want to design, we will work with you. We're teaming up with ACT as well, and between us all, we can actually get this installed for you and it'll work for you really, really well.
So from me, Darrel, and all of us here at the LocksOnline team, I really hope that this has given you a little bit more information into the ACT Pro systems, and we hope as well that maybe you might become a customer of ours, and that would be really good also. So from me Darrel and all of us here at the team, thank you. Take care. Bye-bye now. Bye-bye. | https://www.locksonline.co.uk/Access-Control/PC-Based-Access-System-With-Electro-Magnets.html |
Published: Sep 12, 2012Tags: BYOD Your companies IT person is tasked with managing numerous digital devices like mobile phones, tablets and any other portable device that communicates. Small businesses and IT managers must have IT security policies to manage devices attached to the network. Start looking at security vendors who provide solutions to keep track of, lock down, and secure your small business devices.
Consumers have at best a basic knowledge of IT. Consumers like gadgets and want to know how they work and at work they need to use technology to use it. This process is how the majority gets up to speed on technology and learn personal technologies they acquired for home use to make their work lives better than even the technology their workplace provides them. This is the consumerization of IT.
The issues of “BYOD” or Bring Your Own Device to work is a huge problem for IT managers at small businesses everywhere. Most IT managers have a pretty good handle on the company laptops desktops, and mobiles, but they are quickly losing control when employees bring their new Android mobile device and connect it to the corporate network. Now they have to worry if that last application that was downloaded is infected and will infect the network when plugged you into a company PC to update or sync something.
4 Best Practices for BYOD Policies People love their mobile devices and don’t want to leave home without them. When they bring their digital device to work we call this Bring Your Own Device or BYOD. The day after you get your new mobile phone or iPad, you’ll probably take it to work and have the IT department set it up “BYOD”? Mobile Security Tips for Small Businesses Many employees have come to expect that they should be able to use personal smartphones and other mobile devices at the office. This creates problems for IT managers. A company’s IT staff may have a solid grasp on company-issued laptops, desktops, and even mobile phones, but it is almost impossible to control the results when
Mobile Device Security in a BYOD World In the real world there is little difference between an employer’s issued device and a personal mobile device. The most important difference should be that a digital device issued by your employer requires and should have a “company mobile liability policy”. Businesses generally provide and pay for employee mobile devices, and also strictly dictate what
Mobile Security: Tips for Using Personal Devices at Work Businesses in all forms operate under numerous business regulations. Small businesses such as finance healthcare, or one where a fine might be imposed if a data breach occurred need to recognize mobile security as a fundamental layer of yours or your company’s information security process. | http://robertsiciliano.com/blog/2012/09/12/it-security-get-a-byod-policy-now/ |
Clubhouse is an elite invite-only social media platform. It is unique in that it uses audio chat only and the conversations are not recorded or stored anywhere. The app only works on iPhone as of now.
The app is frequented by business magnates such as Elon Musk, entertainers, and other famous people who gather together to have live phone conversations. Each chat room is mediated. Some users simply visit to listen to fascinating discussions; others participate. You can only join after being invited by an existing member.
Clubhouse was designed by two industry techs (Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth) who wanted to remain connected during the pandemic. However, its popularity quickly took off, and now the app has millions of users and is valued at $1 billion. The app was originally intended to be a live podcast app, but they altered it to allow a conversation feature, and it exploded. The big difference is that it’s all about audio conversations, no text, image, or video chat.
According to CyberNews, a leaked file containing 1.3 million users’ data was posted on a popular hacker forum that claims the information was “scraped” from Clubhouse accounts. The report mentions that the type of data includes users’ names, user ID, photo URL, username, Instagram and Twitter usernames, the number of followers, how many people the user follows, the account creation date, and who invited them initially.
That is a lot of data that seems like it would not usually be accessible by outside parties, so why is Clubhouse claiming that they were not hacked and data was not scraped? Time will tell if this is another in the latest social media breaches that extend outward into years of rippled effects.
How Did Clubhouse Respond?
When questioned about the incident, Clubhouse officials called the report “misleading and false.” Clubhouse also officially commented on Twitter, “Clubhouse has not been breached or hacked. The data referred to is all public profile information from our app, which anyone can access via the app or our API.”
Regardless of their response, the data breached in the leak does put Clubhouse members at risk of identity theft and fraud. Hackers may use some of the details in phishing campaigns or social engineering tactics to gain access to devices, install malware or ransomware, or commit other types of fraud.
How Users Can Protect Their Social Media Accounts
Members of Clubhouse or any other social media platform should always take steps to protect their own data. It is clear, these apps are not secure or always private. Some tips to stay safe on social media include:
Always use very strong passwords.
Keep your devices updated with the latest updates to the OS and apps.
Use good, strong antivirus/anti-malware software to protect against viruses and ransomware.
Never store personal details in your social media bio (protect your phone number and birthdate), two things used for identity theft.
Be careful about who you follow and who follows you.
Never click links in social media or from email.
Secure your accounts with the maximum settings.
Turn on two-factor authentication.
Review your privacy settings to see who has access to what information.
Use common sense and watch out for phishing emails, social engineering tactics, and other signs of fraud.
IDStrong, the IDStrong Logo, the 'ID' design, 'Sentinel, Sentinel logo', and 'Monitor. Manage. Protect.' slogan are trademarks or registered trademarks of IDStrong.com or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
IDStrong products and services are not consumer reports as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and you understand that you may not use information provided by IDStrong for any purpose under the FCRA. | https://www.idstrong.com/sentinel/private-clubhouse-app-hacked-13m-users-data-breached-online/ |
The US Department of the Treasury has issued its 2022 National Risk Assessments (NRAs) on Money Laundering (NMLRA), Terrorist Financing (NTFRA) and Proliferation Financing (NPFRA). These NRAs can help the public and private sectors to understand the current illicit finance environment and better design their risk mitigation strategies.
The NMLRA revealed that fraud, drug trafficking and cybercrime top the list of crimes that lead to the largest amount of laundered illicit proceeds in the US. The NMLRA further revealed that pertinent ML risks in the US are related to the misuse of legal entities, the lack of transparency in some real estate transactions, merchants and professionals that misuse their positions, etc.
The NTFRA suggests that the most common form of TF from US individuals is sending small sums abroad on behalf of ISIS, Al-Qaida and Hizballah. The 2022 NTFRA also discusses the methods that fund domestic violent extremists. Note that in the case of many such extremists, the attacks are self-funded. However, funds may also come from supporters, business ventures or criminal activity.
The 2022 NPFRA points out that North Korea and Iran pose significant proliferation finance threats. Proliferation financing (PF) tactics include the misuse of banks and the use of multiple front and shell companies to carry out financial transactions. Those involved in PF misuse the digital economy and the cryptocurrency sector too.
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Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website. | https://www.regxsa.com/ml-tf-updates/us-department-of-the-treasury-issues-national-risk-assessments-for-ml-tf-and-proliferation-financing/ |
RoSoftDownload.com Team has tested ProjectTrack Personal Edition against viruses, spyware, adware, trojan, backdoors and was found to be 100% clean of any form of malware.
Our editors will test this application periodically to assure that it remains clean. | http://www.rosoftdownload.com/antivirus-report/windows/projecttrack-personal-edition/ |
Cybercrime can come in many forms, from sophisticated attacks against a carefully chosen target to simple crimes of opportunity. It seems as if all networked devices are subject to endless probing and prodding from faceless criminals acting over the internet. Advanced, persistent threats may use highly technical methods for compromising a particular technology or individual, but the majority of cybercriminals are akin to thieves feeling around in the dark for an unlocked door. No matter the techniques used to commit the crime, the cybercriminal will almost always leave behind some form of digital evidence. Elements like IP addresses, domain names, malware signatures, and filenames are often written to log files in the wake of an attack. But what good is this information after the fact?
The problem is that most organizations are only considering internal sources of information when investigating an incident. Further, whatever is actually learned about the crime, or the attacker, rarely leaves the organization’s boundaries. However, consider that businesses in a given industry tend to use similar technologies and business structures. This means that information gathered from one incident in a given industry may be truly relevant to other businesses in that same sector. In an attempt to prevent the propagation of cybercrime across vulnerable organizations in a given industry, non-profit Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISAC) are being created across many industry verticals. Examples include FS-SAC (financial services), MS-ISAC (local governments), and REN-ISAC (research and education industries), as well as several others related to critical infrastructure services.
Membership to one of these information sharing programs grants the organization access to real-time alerts regarding current and emerging threats that are relevant to their industry. Organizations can receive alerts that contain not only narrative information regarding vulnerabilities and the types of attacks used to exploit them, but real data gathered from these information security incidents that can be used to mitigate similar attacks in their own organizations. For example, a given ISAC alert may contain a list of domain names which are used by a new class of malware targeting a specific web application that is regularly used across a given industry. These domain names can then be blacklisted at the network perimeter to reject all communication, thus mitigating at least this class of malicious cybercrime before it occurs.
These ISACs are entirely reliant on industry participation to share the information that is used to analyze emerging trends in cybercrime. Multiple mechanisms can be used to share and receive data, based on how involved an organization wants to be in preventing further cybercrime in their industry. Simple email messages can be used to submit threat indicator and incident information to the ISAC, as well as receive alerts from the ISAC. However, to maximize the effectiveness of these programs, ISACs will often publish real-time feeds which are constantly updated with fresh cybercrime information. Organizations can then subscribe to these feeds, organize and ingest the data as they see fit, and act on the relevant indicators. This type of automated sharing is gaining traction since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created the Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) program which seeks to share indicators of cybercrime between the government and private sectors.
Under increasing pressure from the private sector for access to cyber threat information held by the Federal Government, former President Barack Obama signed the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. This was an executive order that “certified the operability of AIS in March 2016 and released guidance to help private sector entities share cyber threat indicators with the Federal Government.’” Since then, DHS works with private organizations all around the United States, including OCD Tech, to share data related to imminent and ongoing cyber threats. Conversely, the program allows participating entities to share their own data, rather than just consuming what is provided by DHS.
Via machine-to-machine communication protocols developed specifically for sharing threat information at machine speed, such as STIX and TAXII, DHS is able to share specific types of information to the private domain. Within this program, DHS deploys a tier level approach to the types of data that can be shared with external organizations and ensures that no sensitive organizational information is inadvertently shared. The AIS platform is leveraged by the ISACs noted previously, in order to provide this threat intelligence to a larger industrial base.
In closing, ISACs allow organizations to focus on closing known attack vectors, rather than waiting to respond to the next incident. Don’t let the valuable information gained during attacks across an entire industry go to waste.
Enroll in an ISAC that is relevant to your organization and begin receiving actionable information from your industry peers. Consider engaging in active information sharing, in order to maximize the effectiveness of these programs. Otherwise, cyberattacks that may be preventable can affect the entire industry, rather than just a single organization. | https://www.ocd.com/recognizing-and-combating-cybercrime-the-benefits-of-information-sharing/ |
With the Mayan Apocalypse greatly exaggerated and the Fiscal Cliff backed away from, you make think there's nothing to worry about in 2013.
Well just put that crazy thought to rest right now because the good folks over at Kaspersky Lab recently released their security forecast for 2013. Prepare to retreat back into your bunker. Here are the security firm's predictions for the new year. It's your job to help get your customers ready for these.
What can you and your clients look forward to? More attacks and more malware, plus greater threats against platforms such as Mac and mobile devices. Privacy concerns will rise, the cloud will continue to add a new twist to the whole electronic security game, and troublemakers will look to make a buck from momentary lapses of judgement that could leave your “entire digital life destroyed” regardless of how tech-savvy you are. Here's what Kaspersky says you need to watch out for.
1. Targeted attacks and cyber-espionage
Kaspersky says targeted attacks, specifically tailored to penetrate a particular organization and often focused on gathering sensitive data that has a monetary value in the ‘dark market’ have become an established feature in the last two years. Many attacks start by ‘hacking the human’ i.e. tricking employees into disclosing information that can be used to gain access to corporate resources.
2. Hacktivism continues
Sometimes the purpose of an attack is to make a political or social point. There were plenty of attacks like this in 2012, including Anonymous's attack on the Westboro Baptist Church. Our increasing reliance on the Internet makes all types of organizations more vulnerable to these attacks, so expect them to continue into 2013 and beyond.
3. Nation-state-sponsored cyber-attacks
Stuxnet pioneered highly sophisticated malware for targeted attacks on key production facilities. While these kinds of attacks aren't common, they aren't isolated incidents either. Kaspersky says we are now entering an era of cold cyber-war. Expect more countries to develop cyber weapons designed to steal information or sabotage systems. Copy-cat attacks by non-nation-states may also emerge with an increased risk of damage beyond the intended victim of the attack. Potential targets could include energy supply and transportation control facilities, financial and telecommunications systems and other infrastructure deemed critical.
4. More legal surveillance tools
The increase in and growing sophistication of cybercrime has led to law enforcement upping its game as well with new technology to monitor the activities of those suspected of criminal activities. The use of such legal surveillance tools has led to concerns about privacy and civil liberties. Kaspersky says we can expect this arms race and political debate to continue.
We’re all predisposed to trust websites with a security certificate issued by a real Certificate Authority (CA), or an application with a valid digital certificate. But cybercriminals have been able to issue fake certificates for their malware using so-called self-signed certificates, and they have also been able to successfully breach the systems of various CAs and use stolen certificates to sign their code. The use of fake, and stolen, certificates is set to continue in the future.
8. Ransomware spreading globally
In 2012 Kaspersky noted the growth of ransomware or Trojans designed to extort money from their victims, by either encrypting data on the disk or by blocking access to the system. These attacks had been confined largely to Russia and other former Soviet countries until recently. Kaspersky says we're likely to see their continued growth in the future.
Kaspersky puts it this way: “Mobile malware has exploded in the last 18 months.” About 90 percent of it is targeted at Android-based devices. Cybercriminals like it because it’s widely used, easy to develop for, and those who use the system are able to download programs (including malicious programs) from wherever they choose. So expect the Android malware to keep on coming in 2013. Kaspersky says that so far most malware has been designed to get access to the device, but in the future, we are more likely to see the use of vulnerabilities that target the operating system and the development of ‘drive-by downloads’. There is also a high probability that the first mass worm for Android will appear, capable of spreading itself via text messages and sending out links to itself at some online app store. By contrast, iOS is a closed, restricted file system, allowing the download and use of apps from just a single source, the App Store. iOS remains at much lower risk.
11. Vulnerabilities and exploits
Expect cybercriminals to continue to install malware on victims’ computers by exploiting un-patched vulnerabilities in applications. Java vulnerabilities currently account for more than 50 percent of attacks, while Adobe Reader accounts for 25 percent. Cybercriminals typically focus their attention on applications that are widely used and are likely to be un-patched for the longest time. | https://www.channelfutures.com/business-models/top-it-security-threats-for-2013-11-things-to-watch-out-for |
Updated 2/19/2021: Splunk MINT is no longer available for purchase as of January 29, 2021. Customers who have already been paying to ingest and process MINT data in Splunk Enterprise will continue to receive support until End of Life, announced as December 31, 2021 for all MINT products: App, Web Service (Management Console), SDK and Add-On.
Last year, Splunk introduced Splunk MINT, which provides real-time operational intelligence for your mobile apps. In March, we announced a major update, where Splunk MINT delivers operational intelligence directly to your instance of Splunk Enterprise. From time to time, we get asked about the security implications of delivering operational intelligence from mobile apps to your enterprise, and we wanted to answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
Once the data is fetched, the cloud service deletes the raw data. Splunk MINT continues to store aggregated summaries about the performance of the customers’ mobile apps at the Splunk MINT Management Console. You can log into the Splunk MINT Management Console at https://mint.splunk.com.
This document details the security technologies and procedures in place to ensure customer data is always secure and protected in Splunk MINT.
Where does the Splunk MINT Data Collector reside, and how does it work?
The Splunk MINT Data Collector relies on a single-tenant service hosted in AWS. Every customer has a dedicated environment provisioned in order to meet the strictest enterprise security requirements. Dedicated environments ensure that your data is never co-mingled with data from another customer and assure that access to your data is strictly limited to provisioned users. The Splunk MINT data collector is created using highly secure, state of the art technologies used by many telecommunication and MNO providers. The lack of traditional web technology makes the Splunk MINT data collector less prune to common security attacks such as SQL injections.
Splunk MINT is designed to scale such that one customer’s behavior has no impact on other customers. This is essential to enterprises using MINT as a mission-critical service.
Type of metric eg. session start, crash, network call, event, transaction.
On top of these basic information the SDKs will augment the dataset with relevant information about different app performance metrics (machine data) such as called URLs, server response status, connection latency, size of request, size of response, stack trace, memory metrics etc.
How can I get started with Splunk MINT?
If you’re a mobile developer, your first step is to go to http://mint.splunk.com to get an account and download the Splunk MINT SDKs. Once you’ve downloaded the SDKs, it takes as little as one line of code to Splunk MINT enable your apps, and you can see results in the Splunk MINT Management Console.
Splunk Administrators should talk to a Splunk expert, and download the app. As part of a trial, we’ll provide you a Data Collector token that will connect your instance of Splunk Enterprise with your mobile data, and you’re off and running.
For more information, check out http://www.splunk.com/mint | https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/tips-and-tricks/splunk-mint-security-privacy.html |
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 14.2.20 Keygen with Crack Version Download
ESET NOD32 Antivirus Crack is the most effective protection you can find to combat today’s huge volumes of Internet and email threats. As well as, it provides comprehensive antivirus and antispyware protection without affecting your computer’s performance. Also, using advanced Threat Sense® technology, ESET NOD32 Antivirus proactively protects you from new attacks, even during the critical first hours when other vendors’ products aren’t aware the attack even exists. This program detects and disables viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, adware, spyware, rootkits, and other Internet threats.
ESET NODE 32 is also one of the fastest antivirus solutions, so fast you won’t even notice it running. Furthermore, it’s both incredibly easy to use yet simple to tailor for your specific needs. This software has superb anti-phishing tools that protect your privacy and assets against attempts by fake websites to gain access to your sensitive information such as usernames, passwords or banking details.
ESET NOD32 Latest 14.2.20 Crack
Also, this app worth noting is the UEFI Scanner, which Protects from threats that attack your computer on a deeper level, even before the start of Windows. This, coupled that blocks attacks specifically designed to evade antivirus detection, makes ESET NOD32 AntiVirus a top contender for in the Antivirus wars.
These products are engineered with a multi-layered approach that protects users from all types of threats at different levels. Through this software, we see a constant increase in malware that targets banking and financial information and operations, and while we have technologies in place that can block them. Moreover, we have designed a completely new feature that improves the experience of our customers and secures their online money-related activities at a whole different level. Finally, this too very simple and easy to use. | https://softactivators.com/eset-nod32-antivirus/ |
In the latest revision to its Special Publication 800-53, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) made several new recommendations on privacy and security controls for IoT devices that will serve as a guide for federal IT leaders and officials.
In an interview, NIST fellow and joint task force lead Ron Ross stressed that security and privacy teams work together in the implementation of privacy controls, especially since personally identifiable data is going out to the edge with IoT devices.
He added that vulnerabilities lie in areas of complicated systems which are not fundamentally understood. | https://www.privacy.com.ph/feds-follow-new-nist-recommendations-iot-data-protection/ |
In a local Slack forum someone recently asked about how phishing and IoT attacks compare in number. My answer was...
Phishing in all its variants is by far the biggest vector because (in most forms) it requires essentially no effort by an attacker. An IoT attack needs to be specifically executed against a target by an attacker, so most "run of the mill" SMBs are not that likely to be on the receiving end of this. All orgs are going to be on the receiving end of phishing, though, and continually. | https://www.gsharratt.com/2022/03/defenses-against-phishing.html |
Dara Gibson of Optiv and the Phoenix, Arizona, branch of Women in Cybersecurity has developed and managed cybersecurity services for five years. For those of you who are thinking of making a later-in-life, life-changing career shift into cybersecurity and feeling a bit overwhelmed, do not miss this episode! Gibson strikes the perfect balance between pushing you out of the nest without pushing you off a cliff!
– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
[00:00:00] Chris Sienko: Is Cinderella a social engineer? That terrifying monster trying to break into the office? Or did he just forget his badge again? Find out with Work Bytes, a new security awareness training series from Infosec. This series features a colorful array of fantastical characters, including vampires, pirates, aliens and zombies as they interact in the workplace and encounter today’s most common cybersecurity threats.
Infosec created Work Bytes to help organizations empower employees by delivering short, entertaining and impactful training to teach them how to recognize and keep the company secure from cyber threats. Compelling stories and likable characters mean that the lessons will stick. Go to infosecinstitute.com/free to learn more about the series and explore a number of other free cybersecurity training resources we assembled for Cyber Work listeners just like you. Again, go to infosecinstitute.com/free and grab all of your free cybersecurity training and resources today.
Today on Cyber Work, I’m happy to welcome Dara Gibson of Optiv and the Phoenix Arizona branch of Women in Cybersecurity as my guest. After years of being an educator, Dara felt the pull of cybersecurity and tech.
Now for those of you who are thinking of making a later in life-changing career shift into cybersecurity and you’re feeling a little bit overwhelmed, do not miss this episode. Dara strikes the perfect balance between pushing you onto the nest without pushing you off a cliff. And we’re also going to talk a little bit about Women in Cybersecurity. So stick around for that and keep it right here for Cyber Work.
[00:01:42] CS: Welcome to this week’s episode of the Cyber Work with Infosec podcast. Each week we talk with a different industry thought leader about cybersecurity trends, the way those trends affect the work of infosec professionals while offering tips for breaking in or moving up the ladder in the cybersecurity industry.
Today’s guest, Dara Gibson, has developed and managed cybersecurity services for five years. By blending cutting-edge technologies, unique skill sets and proven cyber strategies, she creates lasting partnerships with clients to protect shareholder value and corporate reputations.
As a nationally-recognized information security leader, Gibson is responsible for designing cybersecurity awareness programs to foster expertise in relationship management with industry-leading cyber insurance and legal providers for proactive and reactive cybersecurity capabilities.
I’m always excited to talk to someone who has come to cybersecurity via say the scenic route. Not all of us have been taking apart computers since we were five-years-old and so forth. And there’s plenty of room for the rest of us as well in cybersecurity. Dara already has a tremendous career in cyber. On its way. And I want to talk to her about some of her advice for changing to a cyber role from another profession.
Dara, thank you so much for joining me today. And welcome to Cyber Work.
[00:03:05] Dara Gibson: Oh, thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited to be on your show today.
[00:03:09] CS: Absolutely. My pleasure. Yeah, let’s talk about your origin story. Like I said, how did you first get interested in computers and tech? Without spoiling too much about the arc of the conversation, which I just said, you started an elementary education. So what was it about cybersecurity, or security, or tech in general that intrigued you?
[00:03:28] DG: Well, to be honest, I vividly remember the first time we actually had a computer lab at my grade school. We had 15 Apple 2e’s. And that kind of dates me a little bit. But that’s okay. We would pair up to learn how to use them. And to be honest, it was just for typing. That’s all they were good for, right?
[00:03:45] CS: Yep.
[00:03:46] DG: I was much more interested in music than I ever was in technical capabilities. But many moons later, my son actually introduced me to cybersecurity. And when he was the commander of his cyber patriot unit in high school. Now all the boys would bring over their laptops and desktop computers over to our house. And they created their mini cyber cave where they would create their own cyber command unit. And they would complete all their missions.
Looking back, to be honest, it was the human interaction from pairing together with the Apple 2e’s to the kids learning what cybersecurity was in high school. But it was a human interaction that intrigued me the most.
[00:04:31] CS: Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about just maybe the conversations you had with your son about like what he was doing and sort of getting – were you looking over your shoulder or are you like, “Hey, what is that? Do you think I could do that?” Because there’re just as many people that could have looked at that and said, “Oh, that’s no business of mine,” or whatever. But the fact that it hooked you. I’m just curious what the hook point was.
[00:04:54] DG: As an avid learner, I constantly would ask questions. And I would ask the kids and see if they could direct me to kind of educate me on what the capture the flag game really was that they were trying to achieve and how it interacted and how they were protecting from the threat actors.
And so, I always asked questions. And that was what intrigued me to see how they would interact together, and work together and understand that it wasn’t just the scary guy behind the computer. There were human beings on the good side of the computers and that needed to do the other aspects of computer technology, cybersecurity aspects of it.
[00:05:34] CS: What was the next step after this? Did you start trying CTFs for yourself? Did you start looking into sort of computer fundamentals? How did it progress from this initial seedling?
[00:05:45] DG: No. Actually, my son actually questioned the fact that how did I get into cybersecurity? We were at a networking event. And because of my education background, I have a master’s degree in education, the company actually wanted to expand their services into America. They were a Canadian cybersecurity company. And they had found me on LinkedIn and understood that, with my education background, I could help them develop their cybersecurity awareness campaigns and educate people moving forward on the importance of cybersecurity.
And my son and his team actually joked, they’re like, “How did you get the job in cybersecurity? How come they didn’t ask us?” Right? And so, that’s when I kind of did my micro mini master’s degree in cybersecurity at that stage because, as he said, “You didn’t even know how to say the word cybersecurity, mom. Let alone know what it was.”
I had to educate myself before I could educate others. And I had the opportunity to really grow there the company’s cybersecurity awareness campaign. Because developing an education campaign depending on just – doesn’t matter the topic. You can always learn the topic and just understanding how to educate others in a manner that’s appropriate for them. That’s where it led me down the cyber path.
And that company actually gave me a lot of mentorship opportunities. And so, for that reason, I really dove into incident response, and business management and leadership. And I took on a lot of the business aspects of the American components of that cybersecurity company at the time, which forced me to really emphasize the business aspects of cybersecurity. Not just the technical side.
[00:07:29] CS: Right. Now, okay, that’s a great point. And there’s I think some – absolutely, a gold nugget of advice here, which is that you were already working for this education organization and you were interested in cybersecurity. And so, you approached someone within your company and said, “I’m interested in this other aspect.” And they were willing and able to help you train. You were able to get excited about incident response while still doing it within a job’s capacity.
Because I think one of the barriers we see with people who want to jump into that is that they think that they have to sort of uproot their entire life at their current job and find – I don’t know. Like a cybersecurity, like boxing gym or something like that and train for seven years or whatever. But yeah, I mean, I think it’s worth noting that if you want to make that jump, you could do worse than to start looking in your own organization and saying, “I’m interested in this.” And they’re probably – I mean, in your case especially, they were very interested in that. And it was a life changer.
[00:08:35] DG: Oh, yeah. I get questions all the time, as I’m the president of the Arizona Affiliate for Women in Cybersecurity. People ask me for guidance all the time. And their first point of reference is, “I’m about to quit my job and jump into cyber.” And I will always tell them to pause for just two seconds, “Please don’t quit your job. You still need to pay your rent, and eat food and pay your cell phone bill, right?”
With that in mind, I always encourage them to look inside their own ecosystem. Find out what’s going on underneath the hood of their own business. And find out how they can learn about cybersecurity in their own ventures.
I had one time a pharmacist came to me and said, “I’m quitting pharmacy. I can’t take it anymore.” I said, “But wait. Hold on. You know HIPAA regulations. You know everything when it comes to that part of correspondence and GRC.” And she’s like, “I do.” She’s like, “But how does that relate to cyber?”
And once we walked down that path, within two weeks she had actually found a HIPAA compliance officer role because she was able to transfer in her own ecosystem. And she didn’t have to count out the medicines anymore. But she was able to transcribe the HIPAA compliance regulations. And she never had to quit her job. She never had to leave her own spot in her location. She was able to transfer into cyber that way because she knew the compliance regulations.
[00:09:59] CS: That’s so cool. These are great examples. And we’ll probably break into plenty more of them. But before we get more into the career change aspect of your story, because a lot of our listeners are sort of using our show to sort of mentally imagine their future careers, I want to know a bit more about your current role.
You’re Senior Cyber Insurance Manager for Optiv, a cyber advisory community that advises, deploys and operates cybersecurity programs for your nearly 6,000 clients. Can you tell me about how your role as cyber insurance manager fits with the rest of the roles in the company?
[00:10:33] DG: Absolutely. As a certified cyber insurance specialist, I have the honor of advocacy waiting for the clients with a cybersecurity mindset. I get to focus on the client as well as the insurance mindset for the insurance industry.
For many years, I heard clients would comment, “I have insurance. I don’t need cyber controls.” Or, “I have a strong cyber platform. I don’t need insurance.” But it’s interesting since one of the good things about COVID was that, over the past couple of years, the mind-shift has totally shifted, that businesses now understand it’s a dual role; cyber controls and cyber insurance. They play two totally different roles in the risk management process. And companies need to evaluate the importance of having both into their risk management programs.
The Optiv cybersecurity controls allow business entities to truly determine the features of their cyber maturity level within their organization. And they can understand and mitigate risk accordingly in alignment with their insurance policy. They get to fully truly understand that the financial risk transfer of an insurance policy really helps influence their cyber maturity level. But it must be defined in the underwriting stage.
It’s really great to have this opportunity to showcase the cybersecurity mindset along with the insurance mindset. In that conversation for the client where I get to advocate for the client, I’m not advocating for the insurance company or cybersecurity. I get to advocate truly for the client what’s best for them.
[00:12:10] CS: Okay. And just for my own clarification, I want to get a little more granular with this. Optiv does not provide cyber insurance. You’re acting as someone where they say we need a cyber plan. Also, we need insurance. We’re thinking of using this insurance provider. And you’re the intermediary, if I’m hearing this right, that is able to read the cyber insurance plan and then see how it connects to. And then you say, “Okay. Well, if you want this plan at this price, you’re going to have to implement these security features.” Am I getting it?
[00:12:43] DG: Even better. I don’t ever have to discuss price, or sales, or have that pushy sales quota because I’m a consultant. I truly get to advise and look at their insurance policy and read what it says. If it says A, B and C, I can transcribe what A, B and C is in insurance talk. And then I can also transcribe what the insurance – the cybersecurity level mindset talks about on the cybersecurity side.
I can bridge that communication gap for the client because the client is really good at selling whatever widget they’re selling, right? They really, really need that comprehensive bridge to understand where the cybersecurity conversation comes in and how to understand all those acronyms that we love to use so much in cybersecurity land. And also, the acronyms for the insurance might land where they have all their own acronyms that come into play and really be able to translate that. Somebody actually mentioned that I’m a nerd translator. I translate nerd into business communication skills.
[00:13:42] CS: Yeah, a nerd to C-suite translator. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:13:45] DG: Right? Yes, exactly.
[00:13:48] CS: You took the next question right out of my mouth there. I was going to ask if you – it sounds like communication skills is a huge part of your job. And being able to break down, but also understanding the sort of the nerdy nuts and bolts of the insurance plan and then explaining it to them in a way that doesn’t seem like you’re a teacher wrapping their knuckles with a ruler or something like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. I mean, did you learn a lot? I mean, obviously, you probably learned a lot of that communication skill from being an educator, right? Can you talk about how that sort of directly played into the way that you sort of like craft arguments or explain things to people?
[00:14:27] DG: Absolutely. It’s truly just education at its core. Providing that concept of learning and communicating the importance of what is the outcome or the objective of whatever they’re trying to read or understand. And understand that’s where you want to end up is truly have that comprehension of the overall atmosphere of what we’re talking about.
[00:14:50] CS: Yeah. Well, I’ve heard so many great stories from our guests, as well as a number of Infosec inspire scholarship winners. And this is going to be one that I’ll – your story is one that I’ll add to my list. From elementary educator to cyber insurance consultant. But we’ve had people who said that the best person on their digital forensics team was a former child psychiatrist who was able to decode text messages from a teen’s phone. Former heavy machine specialist turned SOC managers. Lawyers turned risk management compliance professionals. And the list goes on.
But before we get into all that, I want to start by talking about Women in Cybersecurity, the Phoenix chapter as you said, of which you are president. Can you tell me about the work that Women in Cybersecurity does and the services you provide to help place women into cybersecurity roles?
[00:15:42] DG: Absolutely. WiCyS we call it. Women in Cybersecurity. Or WiCyS, like we sisters, actually originated in Tennessee as a facet to create opportunities for women to advance in cybersecurity. Today it has matured into a global community of women, allies and advocates to truly – and who are dedicated to bring their talented women and together to celebrate and foster a passion and drive for cybersecurity.
Our local affiliate here in Arizona, we unite communities of aspiring and thriving women of cybersecurity professionals to collaborate and share our knowledge, our network, as well as mentorship. We create opportunities through professional development programs, conferences, webinars, career fairs. And sometimes it’s just wine conversations and networking.
[00:16:49] DG: Or provide that outreach so people can just get together and say, “You know what? Hey, I have an opening in this particular role. Do you have anybody in Arizona that would be interested?” [00:16:59] CS: Yeah. I mean, that’s great. Now how do you – what is your sort of outreach plan to find people? Do most of your new members sort of knock on your doors? Do you go to trade shows? Do you advertise on forums? Were would you say on average the future WiCyS’s of America or of Phoenix are coming from?
[00:17:23] DG: The answer is yes to all of the above, right? We make sure we do our outreach at least once a month. WiCyS global gives us the opportunity to reach all 57 affiliates worldwide. And we have our page, a link on the WiCyS global, which is wicys.org website, where they can just type in their information there. Say they’re interested in learning more about the Arizona affiliate. And that comes directly to our Arizona affiliate email account.
We also do tradeshows. We’re blessed to have the opportunity to have a lot of the cybersecurity conferences will give us a free booth because we are a non-profit. They’ll give us the opportunity to have a free booth just to get our word out there and our mission out there with people to say, “Hey, you can sign up for us.”
Our local affiliates, totally free of charge. We don’t have any fees associated with our local affiliate. The global one, should people choose, it’s like $95 for professional affiliates memberships. Student memberships are almost nominal because they’re really trying to help the college students get into that realm of cybersecurity. And of course, they also have different organizations, larger business entities that they’ll do their own WiCyS within their business entity.
[00:18:43] CS: Got it. Oh, go ahead. I’m sorry.
[00:18:46] DG: Oh, that’s okay. No. I was just going to lead on that earlier this year we actually had a trade show that we did have one of those free booths. And one of the ladies came up to me and she said, “I’m graduating in May with my cybersecurity degree. Where should I even go?” She wasn’t sure on even where to go at this stage.
She was a transfer like myself. She had many, many years in her first career. But she did see that the decline of her current operations and the importance of seeking that next career. She chose to come to a couple of our meetings since then. And now I have her as my events coordinator for our women in cybersecurity here in Phoenix, Arizona.
She actually has the opportunity to now network with professionals and say, “Hey, I’m the events coordinator for Phoenix affiliate. Would you like to present at our organization?” That gives her that outreach to really meet new people as well.
[00:19:41] CS: Oh, that’s great. I love that. Thank you very much. Yeah, I was just going to ask about sort of like what the average pipeline was from someone introducing themselves at a conference. But you walked it through beautifully. That’s awesome.
[00:19:53] DG: But I do want people to know we’re not a hiring firm. I cannot guarantee they’ll get any position or any such thing. As I say, you can use my LinkedIn account. Use me and abuse me as much as you want. But I can’t guarantee you’ll get a position. But the opportunity for that human networking is always apparent. Like you said, at trade shows, networking events, as well as educational outreach.
[00:20:17] CS: Yeah. And also, you said it yourself, that someone basically just sent you their resume and said, “Can you make sure that I’m actually showing who I actually am and so forth?” And I think that’s one of those things that a lot of people feel alone in, is that they feel like they have to sort of like make all this stuff in the void and then send it off into the void and then get rejected in the void. And so, it’s good that you have this kind of sort of structured discussion model where you can sort of talk through things, talk through issues. Yeah, that’s a huge, huge service I imagine. Yeah.
[00:20:53] DG: Very well received. Yes.
[00:20:54] CS: One of the most common things that I hear from our guests on the show who are also helping to try and close the skills gap, bring in new diverse populations and new workers, they’ll always say things like, “If you have the passion and you can show it, then we can find a place for you.” Which sounds great. Of course, people in our comments who write in during our Cyber Work live events tell a different story sometimes. They might have two, three certifications or a bachelor’s degree and can’t even get a first interview. There’s a disconnect happening a little bit.
I don’t doubt that every single person on here who says they’re looking for passion and invention, not certain names, is sincere. But there’s still something not working. I’ll start by asking you how you recommend young professionals or especially later career job changers to get past the HR or hired manager barrier to show off their talents in a position they’d likely be great for but have a hard time demonstrating capabilities of?
[00:21:52] DG: Well, I know this first-hand. During COVID, as I mentioned earlier, I was working for a Canadian company. Once the borders got shut, I was one of those unfortunate souls of COVID job displacement. With that in mind, it is a very important component to get hired and get past that initial gatekeeper of the API of resumes. During COVID, I actually put out 700 applications. Yes, 700. And I received a lot of silence along the way.
Looking back, I should have just appreciated the time off because it would have been much more productive than 700 applications. But I am a firm believer in networking again. And thank goodness for LinkedIn, because it’s that human interaction.
I just definitely understand the fact that it’s the old adage. It’s not what you know but who you know. It still plays an important role in any industry today. And I truly believe cybersecurity is one of those roles. Um, a lot of the HR API gatekeepers, you have to make sure the words match. If what you’re saying in the first jet line of your bullet point of your resume doesn’t match what the job description is saying, you’re not going to pass that first line of gatekeeper.
[00:23:20] CS: Yeah.
[00:23:21] DG: Make sure you’re entering those career fairs. There’re so many. I mean, WiCyS does their own virtual career fair twice a year. They do one and then a real live one at the Women in Cybersecurity conference. That’s so beneficial because you get the opportunity to talk to the people that have those open positions. And maybe they don’t have your open position today. But they do have an open position eventually.
I did actually – honest, on a funny note, I did hear back from one of those 700 applications just yesterday.
[00:23:53] CS: Really? Whoa.
[00:23:55] DG: You would have thought by this stage I probably would have gotten rid of my resume. But apparently, it was still out there. But I graciously declined because I’m very happy where I’m at Optiv. And it was weird that they were reaching out after three years of silence.
[00:24:11] CS: Three years. Wow. I don’t know if this is even possible. But I’m wondering if we can do sort of like an alternate timeline here. You’ve said, “I wish I just enjoyed the time off. I sent out 700 resumes.” Can you sort of imagine like what a more – if that was just a good learning experience? Or if there would have been a specifically better way of doing that than just firing those 700 resumes into the void like that?
Obviously, you mentioned networking, and mentors and so forth. Can you talk about a way of crossing the gap between the 700 scattershot applications and maybe 50 targeted really good ones? How did you get to that point where you – [00:25:01] DG: Well, and that was a lesson I had to learn, right? And so, I’m happy to share with others now to save them from their 700 applications.
[00:25:09] CS: Yeah. Right. Right.
[00:25:11] DG: But it is truly looking at the job description and making sure that you have a clean resume that the resume reader can actually scan and read. And have those first bullet points be matching that job description. Because that right there is the most critical component of it.
I made it all fancy. I had pictures. I had bullet points. I made sure all my spacing. And to be honest, it’s a Microsoft Word, black and white. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
[00:25:48] DG: It immediately rejects all that fancy everything I made sure I had in my resume. But now as I review people’s resume, I tell them right off the bat, “Get rid of the picture. Get rid of this. Make sure it’s just black and white rich text. Because that’s all those scanning things are looking for.” [00:26:08] CS: Okay. Now to that end, is there a benefit for the artistically-minded among us? Is there a benefit to having the RTF doc go through the machine and then maybe on your person-to-person interview giving them the nicely photographed? Is there a benefit to still making it I guess is my question?
[00:26:28] DG: I think when you talk to those people in person and have that face-to-face conversation, that’s when you can give them the pretty one. Because then you want them to recognize your face as they go through the pile. I agree with that. Yeah.
[00:26:39] CS: Yeah. And you can walk them through a demonstration about you.
[00:26:46] DG: The storyline of who you are and where you got to where you are. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Mm-hmm.
[00:26:50] CS: Absolutely. Continuing on the theme that we just discussed here, many guests have said that if you have the passion and the affinity for problem-solving and the inquisitive personality, the tools you’d use on the job can be taught in the first few weeks on the job, which is definitely true in some cases. But even more than that, not everyone knows, but regularly listeners of the show know because I never stopped talking about it. There’re plenty of careers in cybersecurity that required nearly no technology or experience. I mean, whether it’s compliance officer, or a threat model, or numerous other jobs. You can leverage your existing skill set into a cybersecurity career. Dara, what are some common paths that you see mid-career job changers excelling in based on what they did before?
[00:27:34] DG: Oh, you name it. I’ll go back to my tech team hates when I open up my laptop because I don’t have those tech skills, right? I have the business acumen and the relationship building acumen. Absolutely, there’re many other facets of cybersecurity that you can get into.
There are law firms that focus truly on data privacy and incident response. I’ve seen professional writers go from – English teacher, English college teachers, professors, to experts in technical writing. I’ve seen health professionals also become CISOs because of their expertise in HIPAA. It truly becomes a lifelong learner that wants to excel in the career changes. And you have to have that desire to better yourself.
Again, you don’t have to be the tech guru that counts the zeros and ones or what they magically know how to do on the tech side of things. But you can have that business focus. There’s HR that focuses on cybersecurity. There’s marketing that focuses on cybersecurity. There’s so many other avenues that people can get into. And even contract writing. Helping people understand the sales team. If you’re really good at sales, you’re really good at cybersecurity sales. It can vary from career to career.
[00:28:56] CS: Yeah. If you’re listening and you’re an HR person or a hiring manager, I apologize for all the times I dunk on you for all the gatekeeping. But as we talk about the gap between the unicorn candidate and the people who you should be at least interviewing, or if you have pull with them at your company, what tips do you have for HR or hiring managers for resolving these contradictions in the creation of job posting or the very nature of where you look for candidates at all?
We say it would be great if they stopped using the APIs to sift out these things. And you said, obviously, one way to get around that is to like have your resume be clean for gene and really give them exactly what they want to put in their hands. Can you talk to the other side of that? Is there a way of sort of loosening the aperture in a way that more candidates who don’t know enough to do that but might still be great could still get in?
[00:29:52] DG: Absolutely. We can talk about that because the gap does exist. But we have to understand that, as an HR company, we don’t want to dog on them. Because those gatekeepers do exist for a reason. Every LinkedIn application probably receives a thousand applications. And so, if you’re one of a thousand applications, you want to make sure yours does stand out. But that HR person does not have time to read all 1,000 applications.
[00:30:17] CS: Yeah. The person who’s a specialist in partying or something like that who just sends it to every job ever.
[00:30:22] DG: Right. Exactly.
[00:30:22] CS: Yeah. Right. Right.
[00:30:23] DG: That’s why they do have those gatekeepers in place. And truly, the gap does exist. And I believe that the wrong stakeholders write the job descriptions. And we need to understand that the actual managers looking for those candidates, they need to be the stakeholder that’s writing those job descriptions. And they’re the ones providing those to the HR manager.
Because sometimes people will just look at the shiny new terminology and put that into the job description. And it may not have anything to do with that particular job. And so, what we need to make sure is that if the SOC, security operation analyst, and the security operations manager, those two people need to be writing that job description for the security analyst. Not the talent acquisition person. That person needs to receive it from the appropriate people and say, “Oh, that’s what the job description should actually say.”
And make it truly align with the day-to-day activities or the operations of that specific person. Because the talent acquisition team, they’re fantastic at what they do. But they also need to be helped and focused in the right path. Because we can’t expect them to know what the security analyst does on a day-to-day basis when the talent acquisition person should be writing their job description. Because they do hire for those too.
And that’s why we need to make sure that the correct stakeholders are writing the job descriptions to align with the correct positions. And I think the understanding of who do you know, that’s going to help us find those unicorns. Because there are those positions within every or organization, that is very unique.
I mean, a cyber insurance specialist is a very unique position at a cybersecurity firm. The question of who do you know, that does come into play. I guarantee, someone on your team knows someone that can work and fill the need at that time. We don’t have to be filling out thousands and thousands of resumes or online portals just to make sure because we have the opportunity to say, “Oh, I do know the person that fits all of those characteristics.”
[00:32:33] CS: Right.
[00:32:33] DG: So utilize your network.
[00:32:35] CS: Yeah. I almost wonder if there might be like also a benefit to almost at the application stage telling them exactly this is what we want you to submit. Because a lot of the – like you said, the thousand, phony or not phony, but not so great applications are just people just indiscriminately pushing a button. And there’re so many of those sort of thought exercises where it’s like you have to read the entire instructions first. And then at the end you’re like, “Oh, you should have read them. I don’t do any of the stuff. Just put your name at the top.” You know?
And if you tell them like structure your resume this way on the application page and explain how you came to this and blah-blah-blah, I think that’s – yeah, I think there’s probably just so many different ways. Because yeah, you’re right, a lot of times a thousand worthless applications will come through. But then the opposite happens as well where it’s so choked that you might get one application or no applications and you’re like, “Well, apparently no one wants this job.” [00:33:33] DG: Right. But if you walk the people through, that also shows the person that’s filling out the application, they have some stake into the game as well. They’ve read through all that criteria and said, “You know what? I can meet this. I can do this. I can meet all of this.” And they’ve taken the time to be a stakeholder in their own application process.”
I think that would be an excellent avenue because then you’re not going to get those weird ones where they’re just putting their resumes through just to get a resume count for the day. I think it’s going to cause everybody to pause and say, “Okay, let’s look through this in a more cohesive brand and work together with the organization as a whole.” [00:34:11] CS: Yeah. I mean, that’s sort of an HR axiom of many years, is that you’re – once your company hires you, they want you to succeed. They’re not like trying to get you to fail because they don’t want to hire somebody else. And it’s like the applications people want you to succeed at showing them what they want to see because they don’t want to look at 5,000 more applications in the next two weeks.
[00:35:07] DG: Well, wicys.org is a great resource. They actually have affiliate organizations that fit all of those needs within their website as just a click on the link right there. They have virtual career fairs. They have job boards. They can connect people. They have sponsorship opportunities for classes, for certifications. They have webinars. They have professional development. They have community organizations. And they have student affiliates to connect with as well.
People can get that in-person network. They can create their larger community of cybersecurity professionals. And they have a general resource of abundance of resources on their website.
DEI is now not a new concept, right? But it has recently gotten a lot of new more attention. Reach out to local meetup groups as well. Provide additional opportunities for you to network in-person. Because, again, who do you know? Who do you know that’s for this? Who do you know that does this? Who do you know that – and those are always great questions to ask at an in-person networking event?
There’re cybersecurity summits and conferences, gosh, weekly. Everywhere you look, you can just type that in and find one that you can go to. And of course, the Infosec Institute is a great resource as well along with Google and LinkedIn. They all come in handy when you’re trying to create that network and find out where you’re going to be going towards next to get hired or promoted.
[00:36:36] CS: Yeah, thank you very much. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to and working with organizations at bringing women and more diverse groups, people in the cybersecurity workforce, including Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu, the Wicked6 Cyber Games, Women in Identity and others.
As we start to wrap up today, if people want to get involved in Women in Cybersecurity, not necessarily in a looking for a job, but in a helping others capacity to take advantage of these programs, how should they sort of reach out? And if they want to give back in that way, how can they do that?
[00:37:12] DG: Wicys.org will get them to connect with their local affiliate of wherever they’re located at. For example, the people here in Arizona can go to wicys.org and click on the Phoenix, Arizona affiliate link. And immediately the information comes back to us. And we reach out with our information of who our board of trustees – who our leadership team is? Where our next events are? And we like to have tacos. We’re having a taco Tuesday networking night next week, April 18th here in Phoenix. It gives people that opportunity to come together.
I know a lot of organizations and affiliates have strong networking capabilities and opportunities to get together. Sometimes our events are virtual. Sometimes they’re in-person. Sometimes we just may meet at the local conference that’s here at this Arizona locations. I would definitely suggest that people reach out to the wicys.org and click on their affiliate link and find out what’s local to them.
They also published the global calendar. They can also pop in and find out anything that’s listed on the global affiliate calendar. If it’s a webinar, those are all virtual. It doesn’t matter whether you’re attending the Washington, D.C. affiliate or the California affiliate. If it’s a webinar, you can attend. And again, those are free of charge.
[00:38:34] CS: Love it. As we wrap up today, can we just sort of talk on big picture way? What are some of the big barriers you’ve seen to bringing more women into cybersecurity? And what can people or organizations do to start breaking those barriers down?
[00:38:50] DG: Well, in a world where the power of the dollar prevails, we must recognize that the economy can impact hiring and layoffs of any sized organization. But we also – as an industry professional, we recognize that enterprise organizations get compromised up to 10,000 times per day. They may not be having that many events. But there’s that many of indicators of compromise coming to get them.
The threat actors aren’t quitting anytime soon. We need to just continue to learn. Stay to up to date with the cybersecurity news. And that will make you the next valuable candidate because you’ll be able to speak the language and speak the talk and understand what the current situation is looking like.
Breaking down barriers may take time. But as long as we continue to chip away at those barriers, we have the opportunity to meet new people along the way. And once we break down the barriers, the people are going to be there – the new people are going to be able to enter. We create that pipeline at that workforce of college students, career changers, local universities create – I know ASU has their own workforce pipeline that they’re creating specifically for cybersecurity. You don’t have to be an ASU student to participate. Again, that creates the workforce pipeline in the state of Arizona.
[00:40:15] CS: Nice.
[00:40:15] DG: One cybersecurity company took a chance on me. Why can’t other cybersecurity companies take a chance on others? There’re a lot of great opportunities for people to take that one chance and that one leap. And I’m sure there’s a lot of people listening today that have, like myself, the opportunity to mentor and bring others into that ecosystem and say, “You know what? Let me give back. Someone took a chance on me. Let’s take a chance on you.” [00:40:40] CS: Awesome. Great place to end here. One last question for all the marbles. If our listeners want to know more about Dara Gibson and your various activities and insights, where should they go online?
[00:40:49] DG: I love LinkedIn. LinkedIn is where I share most of my viewpoints. They are welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn, as well as WiCyS Phoenix, Arizona affiliate. We have our own LinkedIn page. And we post something almost every day. LinkedIn, you can find me for sure. I don’t post much on Facebook because that’s just where I used to post as a family thing. That’s more social for me. But professional, definitely seek me out on LinkedIn.
[00:41:15] CS: That’s great. Yeah, no. Yeah, it’s invaluable and not just a punch line for standup comedians about whatever.
Thank you, Dara. Getting our listeners excited to keep pushing through towards their goals. This has been super inspiring.
[00:41:33] DG: Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity.
[00:41:37] CS: Thank you, and thank you all who have been listening to and watching Cyber Work podcast on a massive scale. The numbers just keep growing. And we couldn’t be more thrilled. Thank you for all the new subscriptions on YouTube and all the new join-ups on various pod catchers. We really appreciate having you along for the ride.
Before I go, I just want to invite all listeners to visit infosecinstitute.com/free to get a whole bunch of free stuff for Cyber Work listeners. First up, our new security awareness training series, Work Bytes, which is a series of short films that feature a host of fantastical employees, including a zombie, a vampire, a princess and a pirate making security mistakes and hopefully learning from them. It’s so much fun. I’ve seen several of them now.
Also visit infosecinstitute.com/free for your free Cybersecurity Talent Development eBook. It’s got in-depth training plans for the 12 most common roles, including SOC analyst, penetration tester, cloud security engineer, information risk analyst, privacy manager, secure coder and more. You got lots to see if you go to infosecinstitute.com/free.
As soon as you’re done here, go check it out. And then go friend Dara Gibson on LinkedIn and tell her that you heard her on our show. And past this prologue, I have a feeling a lot of our listeners will contact you because we have a lot of past guests who have said, “Yeah, they like talking to the guests.”
Thank you again. Thanks so much, Dara. And thank you so much Optiv and WiCyS at Arizona. And thank you all so much for watching and listening. And as always, we’ll talk to you next week. Take care.
[00:43:07] DG: Have a great week. Bye-bye. | https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast/changing-careers-to-cybersecurity/ |
National cybercrime is a growing problem in India and around the world.
59% of adults in India became victims of cybercrime between February 2020 and February 2021.
As per the 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report, seven in 10 Indian adults believe that remote work has made it much easier for hackers and cybercriminals to take advantage of people.
That same survey revealed that 52% of adults have no idea how to protect themselves from cybercrime.
This type of crime involves a theft, nuisance, destruction, or fraud perpetrated by a person with an intent to cause harm to other people or organizations.
Cybercrimes in India have increased substantially over the past few years due to a lack of awareness among people about how they can protect themselves from such crimes.
Both individuals and businesses are equally affected by national cybercrimes.
Recently in May 2021, Air India had suffered a cyberattack where the personal details of about 4.5 million customers around the world were stolen, including passport, birth dates, names, and ticket information.
Phishing: In phishing, fraudsters send emails promising prizes or threatening an account suspension unless the recipient takes action quickly. Readers are requested to click on a link to sort things out. Instead of winning a gift, they get their identities stolen or their computers infected with viruses.
Identity theft: Identity theft involves stealing personal information for fraudulent purposes. Cybercriminals can attack individuals by breaking into corporate systems and stealing databases of sensitive information, as with the Air India attack.
Ransomware: In ransomware attacks, cybercriminals break into the business database to extract or delete files so the organization can’t access the information. The attackers then extort payments (usually in cryptocurrency) in exchange for returning or unlocking compromised data.
Direct denial of service (DDoS): In DDoS, attackers flood a service or computer network with requests. DoS overwhelms the website’s servers, causing them to crash and take the site offline.
Cyberstalking: In this case, a stalker tracks the victim online, steals information from online sources, and communicates through digital channels, harassing and threatening the victim. Some cyberstalkers use spyware to gain access to webcams and digital speakers for terrorising their victims.
Let’s discuss some ways through which we can protect ourselves from national cybercrimes.
A strong password uses a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters that aren’t based on a personal name or fact about you (such as your birthday) and isn’t something that can be easily guessed.
For example, “D2fb11s@” is not as secure as “P4y*um-kJgx+.” A passphrase is even better, as it’s easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. Learn more about how to create a strong password here.
Pro tip: Free password managers like Bitwarden can create complex passwords for you, then insert them when you need to log into one of your accounts.
2. Avoid unsecured Wi-Fi connections
If you are using public Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops or airports, make sure to only access websites protected by SSL Certificates. You can identify safe websites by looking at the URL in your browser bar. If it starts with https:// it’s protected. If it starts with http:// (no “s”) it is not safe.
Also, avoid sending sensitive information (anything you wouldn’t want a hacker to see) over these networks.
3. Do not share financial information with strangers
The most common method of getting credit card information for fraud is through emails that look as though they are from legitimate companies like banks, other financial institutions or government agencies.
These emails may ask you to update your personal information, such as your username and password.
Some phishing emails will ask you to enter your credit card number, CVV code, address, and phone number to receive a refund on a purchase made through that company’s site.
If you receive an email asking for this information, you must verify the sender (source) before sharing any confidential information.
4. Use an updated antivirus software
Keep your antivirus software up-to-date on all your devices and change your passwords regularly, especially if you suspect that your account has been compromised.
Businesses cannot afford to a single weak link in their network. Hackers use this weak link to infiltrate secure systems and steal confidential data.
A strong password contains letters and numbers, is at least sixteen characters long, and includes punctuation marks or symbols to make it more difficult for hackers to crack.
Also, encourage the employees to change their passwords regularly and not share passwords with anyone.
2. Organize training to educate employees
Conduct training for employees and make them aware of cyber crimes like phishing attacks. Training can help the employees better understand different types of cyber crimes and how to protect themselves and critical business systems.
3. Two-factor authentication
Use an email service with two-factor authentication enabled by default. (This means that if somebody tries to log into an account, they will get prompted for an additional code that they won’t have.)
Two-factor authentication can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to phishing scams where criminals send emails that try to trick workers into giving up sensitive information.
National cybercrime is a growing threat and unfortunately it’s not likely to go away anytime soon.
We can reduce the risk by being aware of how these hackers operate, their motives, and how they want to attack us.
The internet has made our lives so much easier. However, it also poses some serious threats if we don’t take precautions while surfing online or downloading files from unknown sources. | https://in.godaddy.com/blog/national-cybercrimes-are-on-rise-best-tips-to-protect-yourself/ |
The rapid adoption of SaaS applications such as Microsoft’s O365, Salesforce, and others is driving enterprises to re-architect their networks. This act will enable remote offices to achieve direct internet access with SD-WAN and other techniques. This complimentary webinar introduces IT leaders to the Gartner secure access service edge (SASE) framework to help you show that enterprises will be purchasing more cloud-based security services and fewer appliances. We will also highlight best practices that enable a smooth transition to SASE.
Return to this web page to watch the webinar. Contact us with questions about watching. | https://www.gartner.com/en/webinars/4003208/evolve-to-the-future-of-network-security-using-the-secure-access-service-edge |
Two-factor authentication is available for all schools and MATs to set up and use no matter what package you've purchased.
You'll need either the Staff: User Details: Administer or School: General Admin: Administer permissions to set this up on the School MIS - if you don't have the permission, you'll need to ask your admin team to give you permission using these instructions.
You'll need the User Details: Manage All Userspermission to set this up on the MAT MIS - if you don't have the permission, someone will need to assign you a new Business Role that contains this permission.
What is two-factor authentication?
Two-factor authentication (sometimes called Multi-Factor authentication or mfa) adds an extra layer of security for your MIS designed to ensure that your staff are the only people who can access their accounts using a code generated on their phone, even if someone else knows their Arbor password.
We recommend Google Authenticator as it’s free, but you can use other authentication applications instead, such as Microsoft Authenticator or Authy.
IP whitelisting
As part of two-factor authentication, you can use IP whitelisting to make it quicker for your staff to log in when they are at your site. You can allow staff to log into the MIS from your institution's public/external IP address without needing to complete the second step of the two-factor authentication.
IP Whitelisting allows you to create lists of trusted IP addresses or IP ranges from which your staff can access your MIS. When using a trusted IP address, the second step of the two-factor authentication is not required, and your staff will only need to input their email/username and password (no verification code needed) to log in.
Before setting up two-factor authentication
There are some steps you must complete before you start using two-factor authentication.
Check staff know their password - During the first login, staff will be asked to verify their identity by filling in their Arbor password. This is only done once.
Ask staff to download your authentication app - Your staff will need to have downloaded the authentication app you’ll use (e.g. Google Authenticator) so they can receive their access code to log in. If they have not downloaded the app and completed the setup, your staff will not be able to log in.
Find out your IP address (optional) - This is required if you choose to use IP whitelisting. Remember the results depend on where you currently are, so the IP address in a different location will be different.
To turn on two-factor authentication, click the Enable two-factor authentication using… box and select Authentication app, then click the Save settings button.
This means that when staff log in once they have set up the app, they will need to enter the security code from their app into Arbor to log in.
Top Tip: If at any point in the future you would like to switch two-factor authentication off, change this back to the ‘Do not enable two-factor authentication’ option.
Find out your IP address by typing ‘What is my IP’ into Google.
You must use your public/external IP, not a private or internal IP.
When using a trusted IP address, the second step of the two-factor authentication is not required, and your staff will only need to log in using their standard login email and password, with no verification code required.
When using a different IP address, they will still need to complete the second step of two-factor authentication when logging in. | https://support.arbor-education.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004040537-Setting-up-and-using-Two-factor-authentication |
For Georgia state patrol, the Georgia Capitol Police and the Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division, laptops in some police vehicles were taken offline. Last May, a ransomware infection disrupted 911 operations in Riviera Beach, Fla. Healthcare providers and hospitals have also come under attack, with some forced to suspend operations. A major hospital in the state of Georgia was among the recent victims.
For a city or state, the cost to remediate the damage from a ransomware attack can run to hundreds of thousands of dollars. For a county fire department, sheriff’s office, or ambulance crew, the disruption has a more immediate negative impact. Deprived of the ability to communicate using their digital tools, emergency responders are severely hampered in their ability to carry out their missions rapidly and effectively.
The risk to sensitive data
The nature of ransomware also poses a very real threat to potentially sensitive information, such as law enforcement data. Ransomware works by locking users out of their files, so they can’t access their data. Even paying the ransom, as some agencies have felt compelled to do, is no guarantee they’ll be able to retrieve their vital information, which could impede investigations.
Why is this happening now? Malicious actors target the weakest systems to increase their chances of success. Since many Government agencies have historically maybe not invested in sufficient levels of protection, it’s left them open to infection and consequently, they’re more likely to pay the extortionists to remove the malware.
How a ransomware infection starts
Up to now, most ransomware attacks have targeted an agency’s main infrastructure, but it’s just a matter of time until criminals figure out a way to attack through insecure mobile devices given the potential vulnerabilities, the risk of users unwittingly downloading a malicious file, and the inability of IT to manage and secure endpoint devices.
It’s essential that our first responders have a secure mobile internet experience. Equally, it’s important that if a device should become infected, IT administrators can identify rogue behavior and isolate the source to prevent a further spread. They also need to protect data from being encrypted by ransomware.
That’s where a solution like AccessMyLAN (AML) can help first responders avoid ransomware. It’s a mobility service that allows you to have full visibility, control, and proactive defense for all SIM-enabled devices. AML is a service embedded in the FirstNet Cellular Network. There’s no extra hardware required, time to pilot and roll out is short, and the service conforms to security industry best practices. It provides strong network data security and full visibility of traffic. This enables IT administrators to secure devices from non-task related applications and cyber threats, and ensure first responders can efficiently and safely execute their duties.
For our next blog in this series, we’ll take a deeper dive into how you can maintain compliance with the appropriate standards using AML, which is FIPS and CJIS compliant.
Emergency services and first responders are increasingly looking to gain the benefits of digital technology – but this comes with a downside risk because it widens the potential attack surface for malicious actors. In-vehicle and on-person connected devices have become critical pieces of equipment in police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks. That’s why in this age of ransomware infections, it’s vital for IT administrators to secure, protect and manage these endpoints if they’re not to become ‘patient zero’ in a fresh outbreak.
To find out more, contact your AT&T FirstNet account manager. | https://www.asavie.com/first-responders-avoid-ransomware/ |
Some USC employees have reported receiving suspicious phone calls claiming to be from an IT support department. These callers ask for various pieces of technical information, such as printer models and IP addresses, in order to fix alleged hardware problems.
As a reminder, please do not supply any such information to unsolicited callers. Fake IT support calls are a common tactic scammers use to obtain information from users. If you suspect you may have an issue with your system, you should contact your local IT help desk or the ITS Customer Support Center. | http://it-security.usc.edu/2016/08/29/notice-suspicious-it-support-calls/ |
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Its Wireless internet protection option can allow you check your multilevel for any huge amount of security and safety deficiencies. Simply keep in mind antivirus is just 1 of typically the old classic personal pc basic safety procedures be pursuing. Another problem to look for around viruses safeguards software programs are which it’s upgrade on concept.
Many various other selects the exact without cost models from the disease safeguards application that do in no way have each of the characteristics as well as capacity so that you can protect your own PC from the number for the stubborn malware and viruses. Your individual anti-virus should really definitely are capable to main cause out prevailing malware, but its continuing process is to be able to decrease ransomware, botnets, Trojan malwares, together with other sorts of bad programs via acquiring your foothold. Not only does spy ware remover software program protect your company’s privacy, additionally , it will help to shut one connected with the entrances that’s frequently used to pass on viruses across the web.
If you accomplish this kind of, people encounter the exact likelihood of travelling often the most recent bacteria on the web. Typically the overpowering most of bacteria carry out quite a few type with terrible hobby very own offers. There are many connected with germs that can end up being seen in often the contraptions that will include the mail.
Knowing the main indications of any computer virus infection or spyware malware infections can spare you some sort of good offer of pain. The quite first part of malware removals is in order to turned into in a breeding ground, everywhere the spyware and adware isn’t going. If it can very late so that you can protect and you currently own your disease please read on.
Learning to pick anti virus software programs is an issue that just regarding anyone have to do to get able for you to continue to keep your computer and the people just who use the personal computer secure although they can be browsing the online market place. Spyware malware is a nice case in point of anything that’s bought onto your company’s disk drive without your current agreement or simply on your résolution. Having adware on your individual computer is undoubtedly an incredibly useful matter.
Consider your company’s choices together with figure out the very software of which best fulfils your wants. The anti-virus is normally a computer software that’s working all for the opportunity keep the particular technique stable along with pathogen totally free, hence in the event the software is using a lot of your company’s resources the very functioning on the computer will likely be decreased. Avira free stability suite There are various antivirus application readily accessible in the industry however , not all of them grant excellent effectiveness.
The on-line technologies has re-structured the particular manner associated with human existence from many aspects. Some security vendors as well supplies absolutely free on-line back-up. If most likely employing high speed options, subsequently you want to always give thought to going meant for The firewall software program.
The normal Best Antivirus Specifics connected with Ideal Ant-virus
In cases where you have a tendency have some network set up and your current computer system is definitely correlated straightaway to your internet connection then someone can configure your firewall on your PERSONAL PC. It is potential that you will consider across several threats on your computer system and can should remove them all employing the software. It is usually essential to the product or service your company product and methods happen to be shielded from all of on the internet risks.
You have got to be able to obtain the method in which inturn your computer software programs blends with your personal PC. It can even possible in obtain for them for you to affect your laptop. Exactly what you can certainly do so that they can guard your and crucial data.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus Bitdefender is preferred because associated with the simple fast installing. You’re informed that Just antivirus isn’t very enough” towards secure your hard drive and afterward required so that you can buy full online stability version” wheresoever normally you are able to find a new firewall, anti-spam benefits, together with a whole lot distinct components. Nevertheless, you could make a glance at the actual Avira Anti virus Pro release.
Using Top Antivirus Best Antivirus For Windows 10
You need to definitely find the exact very best anti virus. This means test our own assortment of 5 various best anti-virus software to choose the ideally suited ant-virus regarding your COMPUTER. An ant-virus software ought to do the employment effortlessly.
The good news is, there are various ant-virus applications promptly available, together free in addition to paid. Final, make a good natural good personal pc diagnostic scan with the anti virus programs. Certainly, there are a lot of cell phone antivirus application that’s supplied on often the market, and something ought towards consider the main one the fact that would likely suffice them the actual very greatest.
Furthermore this, there’s an easy unique method which inturn will let you put in Avast when a extra, additional, added, complementary, supplemental program on your mainstay anti virus computer software. The very same essential is required for re-installing the antivirus along with the error for the reason that will prohibit you to help find the main antivirus lso are set up on the machine. Probably will be but one particular of typically the most desirable antivirus software nonetheless 2 weeks . obnoxious app.
All About Ideal Antivirus Best Free Antivirus For Windows 10
Maybe you have to yourself scan often the PC every so often to generate sure your computer or laptop doesn’t get any specific spyware and. PC, desktops plus notebook computers are really a piece of our everyday lifetime. Your laptop or computer and also smart dataphone shall be protected versus all form of threat you can take into consideration.
You could utilize the zero cost version a long time although you might have to help keep re-registering each 30 days And as soon as per year. Chances are you’ll now get your antivirus program from any area for the world. So it could fairly feasible to own affordable and even economical antivirus computer software for ones cellphone phone, as long as you know the main appropriate places to watch out for. | https://www.norkhil.com/best-antivirus-could-prove-to-be-for-almost-everyone-best-internet-security/ |
1. Implement Zero Trust Architecture
In a recent webinar, leaders in federal government security gathered to discuss the building blocks of Zero Trust architecture. Eric Mill, Senior Advisor in the Office of Management and Budget for the Biden Administration, explained the inherent need for Zero Trust architecture. “The central idea of Zero Trust is to make sure that we do not grant more trust than is necessary,” Mill explained.
Zero Trust isn’t about making government employees jump through hoops to access files. At its core, it is about putting the right automation and authentication tools in place to ensure that government employees can access and share files securely from anywhere. By using security methods like multi-factor authentication, agencies can ensure that they provide more robust defenses, can limit access in the event of a breach, and ensure there is no single point of failure.
Watch the Webinar Here
2. Stay in the Know by Increasing Threat Intelligence
Forrester noted in a recent report that it’s impossible for any agency to effectively track cyberthreat trends or emerging cyberattack campaigns without an external threat intelligence provider. Threat intelligence providers can provide key insights that enrich an agency’s primary source intelligence.
In a recent interview with Government Technology Insider, Luke McNamara, Mandiant’s Principal Analyst, explained the value of building organizational threat intelligence. “Agencies must first understand the categories of threat actors they should be most concerned with in order to build their own threat model,” McNamara explained. “External threat intelligence can play a useful role in not only shaping that initial view of the [threat] landscape, but on an ongoing basis allow organizations to better understand how these threat actors may be evolving in terms of capability or what campaigns they may be currently conducting domestically and abroad.”
3. Identify Potential Security Vulnerabilities
As agencies continue to modernize and implement new technology, it can be difficult for security teams to keep track of potential vulnerabilities within their organization. Some vulnerabilities like Log4j may exist within an agency’s application code whereas other vulnerabilities may result from a lack of cyber awareness training for agency workers.
Attack surface management applications provide agencies with “comprehensive visibility throughout the agency’s network, continuous monitoring for exposures, and operationalized intelligence.” These tools can help security and IT teams to have 30 percent more visibility into assets. Agencies can improve risk mitigation by having a clear picture of what assets and potential vulnerabilities exist within their network.
Public sector agencies are often working with tight budgets, that can make it difficult to implement a full suite of security measures. McNamara explained that by better understanding potential vulnerabilities and common methods of attack, “agencies can better apply limited resources to scope how to best approach these threats and better secure themselves from attack.”
By its very nature the cybersecurity landscape is ever-changing. It’s important for agencies to implement tools that will defend their network from a near constant barrage of novel attacks. By implementing a Zero Trust architecture, increasing threat intelligence, and identifying potential security vulnerabilities agencies can bolster their cybersecurity efforts and better mitigate risks now and in the future.
Learn more ways that your agency can bolster cybersecurity defenses here. | https://governmenttechnologyinsider.com/3-ways-agencies-can-bolster-cybersecurity-defenses/ |
Half of global companies that run industrial control systems (ICS) suffered between one and five security incidents in the past year despite the vast majority (83%) claiming to be well prepared to face down attacks, according to Kaspersky Lab.
The AV vendor polled over 350 industrial organizations around the world and found ineffective cybersecurity costs them up to $497,000 (£383,000) per year.
Despite confidence in their ability to deal with incidents, 74% said they thought a cyber-attack will happen and over half (55%) admitted that third parties can access their industrial control network.
The biggest security concern for most of the organisations surveyed was conventional malware (56%) rather than advanced targeted attacks or ransomware.
Security challenges are compounded by the fact that half of industrial organizations can’t hire the right security professionals.
The global cybersecurity skills shortage is set to extend to 1.8 million by 2022, a 20% increase since 2015, according to the latest stats released by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education.
Two-thirds (66%) of respondents reported claimed they already don’t have enough workers to address current threats.
“The growing interconnectedness of IT and OT systems raises new security challenges and requires a good deal of preparedness from board members, engineers and IT security teams. They need a solid understanding of the threat landscape, well-considered protection means and they need to ensure employee awareness.” said Andrey Suvorov, head of critical infrastructure protection at Kaspersky Lab.
“With cyber threats on the ICS shop floor, it is better to be prepared. Security incident mitigation will be much easier for those who have leveraged the benefits of a tailored security solution built with ICS needs in mind”.
A recent Trend Micro study revealed that major vulnerabilities exist in the Human Machine Interface (HMI) element of SCADA systems.
On the plus side, many of the bugs in the key areas of memory corruption (20%), credential management (19%), authentication issues (23%) and code injection (9%) are easily fixable.
However, manufacturers are lagging behind.
The report claimed it takes SCADA vendors on average 150 days to release security patches, leaving their customer exposed for around a month longer than for popular software like Windows and Adobe Flash. | https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/half-of-ics-firms-suffered/ |
During the pandemic, three in 10 Canadian organizations have seen a spike in the volume of cyberattacks. Sensitive customer and business information are constantly at risk.
Cyberattacks like phishing, spear phishing, malware, ransomware are evolving and getting successful with each attack. A successful cyberattack for a hacker means a business is compromised, leaving devastating aftereffects.
"Today, every business, regardless of its size, should have a Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan," says the president of Idealogical - Andre Vittorio.
Usually, the terms "security incidents" and "security breaches" are referred to in the news media. But, the two words have two different meanings. Understanding the difference between a Security Incident and Security Breach will help you craft an appropriate response plan.
It is essential to understand the difference between a Security Incident and Security Breach to recognize your business needs.
What is a Security Policy?
Cybersecurity is no more just a concern for management and IT departments. Each employee of an organization plays a role in protecting IT systems and data.
A Cybersecurity Policy sets usage and behavioural standards for employees, which acts as a guiding principle on using technology internet and other IT systems.
A cybersecurity policy includes dos and don'ts like encryption of email attachments, clicking on links, sharing passwords etc.
What is the difference between Security Incident vs. Security Breach?
A security incident refers to a violation of an organization's security policy. The violation can happen in the form of an attempt to compromise confidential business and/ or personal data. In contrast, a security breach involves unauthorized access to any data or information.
For example, if a cybercriminal has been successful in deploying malware to your system, just the presence of malware can be referred to as a security incident. However, if the malware was successfully able to cause damage to your system, it is referred to as a security breach.
But just the presence of malware in your system does not constitute as a security breach.
Your Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan must include details on actions for cyber incidents and cyber breaches.
Idealogical Joins Canadian Chamber Of Commerce in Strengthening Cybersecurity Measures In Canada
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has newly launched Cyber. Right. Now Campaign in an effort to enhance federal focus on cybersecurity for budget 2022.
The Chamber has recognized Idealogical’s effort towards protecting small and medium-sized businesses across GTA from cyberattacks as a responsible managed service provider. As a result, Idealogical has been invited to be one of the select few organizations across Canada to help the Chamber guide the federal government in the right direction towards its cybersecurity investment efforts in 2022.
Upon receiving the invitation, the president of Idealogical shared, “I am thrilled to represent the small business on this important decision-making table. Even though Idealogical is not a cybersecurity firm, we make every effort to protect our clients as their trusted IT service providers.” “For cyber right now, my objective would be to attract the committees focus on supporting small businesses with benefits in terms of financial relief for tools and training that will help the businesses to continue operations with peace of mind of security.”
Objectives of the Cyber. Right. Now. Campaign
The Chamber recognizes that Canadians are lucky that our country has a strong cybersecurity foundation in place, with a number of significant global companies calling Canada home. While the recently released 2021 federal budget did dedicate significant investments in cybersecurity to secure government IT infrastructure, it made no specific commitment to help Canadian businesses boost their cybersecurity measures. At the same time, our most direct competitors in the US, Israel, and the UK are investing billions.
Small and mid-sized Canadian organizations, in particular, are in need of greater cybersecurity threat awareness, protection, and training to utilize the full suite of tools at their disposal to keep Canadians safe from bad actors.
Canada is well-positioned on cybersecurity, but our global competitors are moving fast. Increased investment in cybersecurity stands to benefit communities across Canada from both job creation and from improved Canadian cybersecurity accessibility and protection. Together we can champion technology made in Canada, by Canada, for Canadians and the rest of the world. | https://idealogical.com/resources/newsletters/what-is-the-difference-between-security-incident-and-security-breach |
Twitter is launching an official Tweet Button that shares Web articles and tracks how many times a URL has been shared. The Tweet Button is expected to be released sometime this week, according to Mashable.
Mashable obtained the embed code for the official Tweet Button and tested it out. The embed code works, but the retweeting process doesn't.
Only a few Twitter accounts have the feature enabled, according to Mashable's sources.
Here is what we know about the Tweet Button (click on any of the screen shots -- from Mashable -- below to enlarge them). | http://www.pcworld.com/article/203048/official_tweet_button_challenges_digg_facebook_and_tweetmeme.html |
I am not on any assignment merely wanted to learn more about network security for better protection. I am often helping my relative on computer matters so I thought it better to learn and set up properly for them. Btw I study on making of 3d animation.
As for my previous question which I will write again below for easy reference, it is not about infected computer, this is about a normal not infected computer.
In my opinion all the security key in the world might not help once a system is infected. Once a infection has entered a system it could steal the security keys and continue on it nasty job.
You will never get all the possibilities of what might happen, could happen, won't happen on a forum. Their are volumes of books wrote on the subject.
Because whenever the wifi is turn on you will be able to choose which network to connect to, if you accidentally press a wrong network will you be able to connect to it? is it possible for someone to disable the security key hence allowing everyone to connect to it. This is a big worry because some people especially old people with bad eye sight might accidentally press and connect to a wrong network without realizing it.
No... because not all networks are wireless. An infected computer can join a wired network (think about a school network) and start the process of breaking into (and infecting) other computers.
If you want to talk about wireless networks (as found in most homes), the key can be determined (without an Amazon E2 rental) in about 10 minutes - no human interaction required.
will you be prompted to select the type of network(home/public/work etc.) everytime you connect to a new network? To at least let the user know that they have click and tried to connect to a different network than usual.
In other words it is possible to enter another person network by accident without realising it? Since as no security key is needed.
Yes - it is possible to connect to the wrong wireless network without knowing it. If a 3rd party app controls the connection, it may be possible to make the connection to the strongest signal without any human involved.
When you pick a network type (home/work/public), there is an option to automatically make the same choice for all future connections. I've never selected that option, so I cannot tell you if the user sees anything when new networks are joined or not.
I was checking the network and internet setting for someone when I spotted something I have never seen before in the network adapter. It's call 'microsoft virtual miniport adapter'. I did some research and it seems like a virtual network to allow others to connect to the network through the PC. Making it work like a hotspot.
I have immediately disabled it and am wondering whether disabling itit alone is sufficent to protect it from being use by other people? The user of the PC is someone who isn't very tech savy, so I am wondering is there a need for me to set even more things for her or is disabling the Microsoft virtual miniport adapter sufficent enough.
When I say disable it I mean through the network adapter where I right click it and click disabled NOT through the command prompt. Btw I don't think it's been properly set up since as under the sharing tab the allow others to connect is not tick. | https://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/322793-network-security-question-2.html?s=a0e75a4ca8339dc0d1445153f4287315 |
Governor Branstad has signed an executive order calling on state agencies to prepare for a possible cyber attack on Iowa infrastructure. The Iowa National Guard, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, and others will draft a cyber-security strategy by July 1st. State officials say, though, they are not aware of a credible threat at the present time.
“Although we are not aware of significant cyber threats against our state, like floods and tornadoes and winter storms it's important that we be prepared to respond to a significant cyber attack should one occur,” said Mark Schouten, Director of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Officials would not say whether there have been credible cyber threats in the past.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says a year ago the governor assembled a working group to discuss ways for state government and the private sector to prevent, detect, respond, and recover from a cyber attack.
"Every day we hear about new threats and successful and high-profile attacks and the serious consequences of those attacks,” she said. “It is a rapidly growing threat and we all know that we must be prepared to respond."
In the past few years there have been data breaches at Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, but the governor's executive order on cyber security does not apply to the three Regents universities. | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2015-12-21/branstad-calls-for-cyber-attack-strategy |
Apple emailed a reminder to OS X developers to get a “Developer ID” to comply with Gatekeeper, its iOS-like anti-malware feature for the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion release. Gatekeeper’s debut on the desktop partially applies Apple’s highly-successful ‘walled garden’ strategy to keep malware off iOS devices by tightly controlling how apps make it to the App Store. Apple won’t prevent Mac users from downloading software from the web but it is marketing Gatekeeper and the Mac App Store as the single and safest place to download software and updates. The ID under the Mac Developer Program allows developers to cryptographically sign applications placed on Apple’s desktop market place. If the app is not from an accredited ID, Gatekeeper warns the user. The email published by 9to5 Mac, notes that “a Developer ID certificate lets Gatekeeper verify that they are not known malware and have not been tampered with.”Renowned white-hat Apple hacker at Accuvant Lab Charlie Miller -- who was earlier this year banned for one year from Apple’s iOS developer program after discovering a firmware flaw that let him circumvent Apple’s signing process -- praised Apple’s efforts to extend the iOS security model to OS X.
“It’s smart because it takes the decisions of security away from the users,” Apple security researcher Dr Charlie Miller told CSO.com.au. “Users just want to install some game or software, so people with more expertise at Apple or Microsoft or whatever have a chance to look at those [apps], because you get into trouble when you end up in some far corner of the internet where you’re the first guy that’s been there and you’re downloading a file you don’t even know you’ve downloaded. ”The perfect example that case was the recent Flashback outbreak, which marked the first time Mac users were hit by a “drive-by download” trojan, more commonly associated with Windows attacks. While consumers may benefit from tighter security, Gizmodo raised concerns in February that popular multi instant-messaging system, Adium, might get nudged off OS X in favour of Apple’s currently in-beta “Messages” app, which replaces iChat and unifies messaging across iOS and OSX devices. Like Adium, it supports AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Jabber, however Adium still supports a wider choice of IM platforms. However, it appears Adium did this March get an Apple Developer ID account, according to mailing list message purportedly by key Adium developer Evan Schoenberg. Follow @CSO_Australia and sign up to the CSO Australia newsletter. | http://www.cso.com.au/article/423330/apple_primes_os_x_devs_anti-malware_gatekeeper/?fp=4&fpid=959110 |
The Cyber Security Hub is a participatory online debate on European and global cyber security policy. The Hub seeks to kick-start the conversation around Europe’s Security Union and its cyber security policy, and more broadly around the role cyber will play in Europe’s drive for greater digital sovereignty.
One of the speakers at the conference is our Project Coordinator Wim Mees at the session of Cyber Ranges: Cyber ranges towards a federated approach.
In light of the different ongoing initiatives (EDA, ECHO, etc) and of the currently increasing digital transformation, this session discusses the motivations to federate / connect cyber ranges at European level and understand what added value would this bring to the cybersecurity community. Can we envisage a cyber ranges marketplace to ensure availability of resources to conduct trainings for staff, R&D, etc and allow all cyber ranges to come together and connect with one another? | https://echonetwork.eu/cyber-security-summer-hub/ |
Address threats to your projects and operations before hackers can exploit them by integrating best practices for handling risks, managing controls and barriers, and ensuring you are up to date and comply with the latest standards and regulations.
Understand risk in your operational technology (OT) and IT and infrastructure, build a powerful force of defence against cyber attacks, and win stakeholder support for your governance, risk and compliance strategies.
DNV combines specialist industry knowledge with engineering expertise and information system best practice to assess your critical infrastructure from every angle. We help you see your information and control systems clearly and completely, giving practical advice on the vulnerabilities and non-conformities you must address to stay confidently cyber secure. | https://www.dnv.com/cybersecurity/services/governance-risk-and-compliance.html |
The Bishop’s Close is open 9am to 5pm Mondays through Friday and Elk Rock Garden is open 8am to 5pm.
While we are open everyday during the work week, some members of the staff may not be in the office at the time of your arrival. Please call our front desk or send us an e-mail prior to your visit to ensure that your needs can be met during your visit. | http://dev.diocese-oregon.org/risk-management-insurance-2/ |
I’m a big proponent of taking personal security measures when interacting on the internet. I sign all my emails using my PGP key so you know it is from me and not a virus, spammer, or a stolen account. I encrypt my netbook’s hard drive and keep a pretty tight firewall. For the most part I like to keep everything under lock and key because you just never know who might get your info and what they might do with it.
What if you don’t want to go through all this work. Without a Public/Private Key you can still use Symmetric Encryption to send files and emails and store data on your computer with an increased level of security. All possible with a few utilities found on most *nix systems.
The following line encrypts msg.txt using a salted 256 bit AES Cipher-Block Chaining algorithm and stores the result msg.enc. Or to put it in simpler terms…the text file is broken into pieces, each being used as part of the key to encrypt the next block. This command will prompt you for a password that you must enter twice. This is your key to decoding the file so as long as both parties know to use the same key you can decrypt the message.
The output from this line is in a binary format which makes it difficult to deal with outside of just storing it on a drive. So adding a -a flag the output is stored in Base64 (i.e. text you can read) which makes it easy copy and paste into an email.
To decrypt the command its pretty much the same.
Now we can call ssl-encrypt msg.txt msg.enc which will prompt us for our password twice and we are done. I’ve added a little edge testing to make sure you enter only 2 parameters.
Other options are available for the algorithm used for encoding/decoding. Options are available by running openssl list-cipher-algorithms. Just make sure that the person on the decoding side knows what algorithm you selected to encrypt. You can also add the flag -z to compress the file using zlib.
OpenSSL: Pros and Cons
OpenSSL is found on pretty much every system out there so no need to set anything up. It comes with a huge range of cipher algorithms and a pretty good set of options if you want to tweak out your encryption scheme.
A half up side/half down side, the encrypted files generated by OpenSSL do not contain a Magic Byte allowing your OS to detect what the file is. This is good in the sense that it comes off as just a file of random garbage, but on the down side it comes off as just a file of random garbage. If someone gets the file and doesn’t know what it is then your data is safe. If you are sending it to a friend to decrypt, they need to know that the file is encrypted, the algorithm used and the password.
Implementing the same 256-bit AES Encryption algorithm we can create our password protected file in a single line. This makes a binary file that doesn’t work well for text editors or email clients so adding the -a flag makes the output ASCII Armored.
Decryption is a little bit easier than with OpenSSL.
Though the list of algorithms possible for GnuPG are slightly smaller than that of OpenSSL, the couple major ones everyone uses are provided. Additionally, compression can be performed using either zlib or the slightly better bzip2 algorithm, both allowing for compression levels.
Here is our scripts again for GnuPG.
As with OpenSSL, GnuPG is found on pretty much every Linux System out there. Some systems may not come with it pre-installed but you can find it in every repo. Depending on the build options, GnuPG has just about the same number of Cipher Algorithms available.
Unlike OpenSSL that puts no Magic Byte in the encrypted file, GnuPG (or any OpenPGP application) generates an output file containing fingerprint information about the encryption and compression used. This is good in the situation where you send a file to your friend. They can check the Magic Byte, see that it is an OpenPGP generated file and by only knowing the password, decrypt it. No need to know the compression or cipher algorithms used as that information is stored in the file. On the down side, this makes it slightly easier to first a) detect that the file is encrypted data and b) know enough information to start the cracking process. Since you are using 256-bit AES, hopefully with a good password, there really shouldn’t be a worry about giving this cipher information away.
This message will self destruct in…
Whenever working with encryption its important to remember that clear text versions of your data exist and can compromise the purpose of your endeavour if found. If you keep an encrypted text file of user names and passwords, you should make sure to destroy the decrypted version after you are done using it. Most Linux systems come with the shred utility that overwrites your data and renames your file many times to attempt to remove all signs the file ever existed.
You have the option of defining the number of times random data is written to your file. I tend to use a bit of overkill on this one…
Some additional things you could do are create scripts to tar a directory, encrypt it and then shred the files inside. Or create a password wallet that decrypts, prints to the screen and then shreds all in a single command. There are tons of places you can script in encryption to make your daily computing life a little more secure.
For the most part I tend to use the GnuPG solution because I use GnuPG for Public/Private signing of my email and source code. I also like the fact that it doesn’t look like complete garbage data. If I wanted to store data in the wild and make sure no one knew what it was then I might use the OpenSSL option. In the end, both have the same algorithms and most of the same features. The important part is that you use encryption. | https://commentedcode.org/blog/2012/11/03/symmetric-encryption-on-the-command-line/?utm_source=tutorial&utm_medium=Atom |
How do I book a Legionella Risk assessment? Employers have a duty of care and a legal obligation to undertake a Water and Legionella Risk Assessment on all premises where there is a risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria. This will apply to the vast majority of buildings where water is stored and used.
We can carry out your assessment for you. In a Legionnella risk assessment the following will be undertaken:
1. Geographical location of the premises (example: Birmingham) 2. Number of rooms in the property (offices, warehouse etc 3. Number of floors and staircases 4. Number of toilets, kitchens, wash rooms etc
A Legionella and water risk assessment is your first step towards compliance with the Health and Safety Executives Legionella approved code of practice and guidance document, ACOP L8. | https://www.bradley-enviro.co.uk/services/legionella-risk-assessment/how-do-i-book-a-legionella-risk-assessment |
1. Discuss ethnoracial disparities and contributing factors at the individual, social and structural levels.
2. Address how worse access in services of care and outcomes have an impact on the severity, impairment, and persistence of psychopathology.
3. Identify ways to understand and address intersectionality as it pertains to mental health outcomes. | https://ndcrc.org/event/addressing-ethnoracial-disparities-in-mental-health-risk-assessment-and-service-delivery/ |
In the latest version of Windows 11, namely 22H2, Microsoft has introduced a feature in its Defender SmartScreen tool designed to, hopefully, keep passwords safer.
The enhanced phishing protection automatically detects when a user types their password into an app or website and knows immediately whether the app or site has a secure connection to a trusted website. If that's not the case, Windows lets users know – both that the site is likely dodgy and that they need to change their passwords – and alerts administrators through Defender for Endpoint.
Crooks continue to run phishing campaigns to steal credentials, with cybersecurity researchers at Zscaler noting a 29 percent year-to-year increase in such attacks in 2021, the rise of phishing-as-a-service, and the extension of such attacks into SMS and other avenues.
Microsoft – among the top five most targeted brands, according to Zscaler – found that across Windows, Azure, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Defender for Office, there were more than 35.7 billion phishing attempts and more than 25.6 billion attempts to brute-force into accounts using stolen passwords.
"Not only are attackers motivated and creative, but their attacks are growing more and more sophisticated," Sinclaire Hamilton, a product manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post this week explaining how the above protection works. "Attackers don't break in, they log in." “That means admins can know exactly when a password has been stolen and be equipped to better protect your organization," adding that Microsoft can also use that information to benefit others, Hamilton said.
"When Windows 11 protects against one phishing attack, that threat intelligence cascades to protect other Windows users interacting with other apps and sites that are experiencing the same attack as well."
The enhanced phishing protection feature is among several security capabilities available in Windows 11 version 22H2, which was introduced last week.
Microsoft, along with rivals Apple and Google, is pressing hard for a future without passwords for authentication. Microsoft is embracing stuff like biometrics – including fingerprint and face scans – and device PINs as alternatives, and the three giants in May announced support for standards being put forth by the FIDO Alliance and World Wide Web (W3) consortium.
Those standards could be implemented in early 2023.
Microsoft views passwords as unreliable, in large part because users tend to use the same password for multiple sites. A report by SpyCloud earlier this year found that 64 percent repeat passwords and 70 percent of passwords that have been compromised are still in use.
Still, the software giant wants to make passwords safer until that idyllic future arrives. SmartScreen is a key tool in that effort.
"SmartScreen identifies and protects against corporate password entry on reported phishing sites or apps connecting to phishing sites, password reuse on any app or site, and passwords typed into Notepad, Wordpad, or Microsoft 365 apps," Hamilton wrote.
Administrators can configure the various warning scenarios through Group Policy or a mobile device management (MDM) product. If they are using MDM, the feature by default is set in audit mode, which lets the admin analyze the unsafe use of a password via the Defender for Endpoint portal without warning the users.
"When notifications are turned on, SmartScreen displays a blocking dialog warning prompting users to change their password if they type their password into a phishing site in any Chromium browser or into an application connecting to a phishing site," Hamilton wrote. "When the user selects 'Change my password,' the Windows Settings application pops up to the area where the user can change their device password."
Without these capabilities, users may not know that they've entered their passwords onto a phishing site, opening themselves and their companies up to attacks. SmartScreen was designed as a "last mile protection" to enable users to recognize unsafe content, she wrote.
Microsoft also hopes SmartScreen will encourage better password behavior by users. They'll see warnings if they try to use their Microsoft account, Azure AD, Active Directory, or local password on any other site or application or if they try to store their password locally, such as in Notepad or a Microsoft 365 app. ® | https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/27/microsoft_phishing_password_protect_windows_11/?td=keepreading |
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is RTM , the RTM build is 7711 . In this document , i will to show you how to deploy System Center 2012 Configuration Manager RTM , including configure AD premission , certificate request and configure , SQL server related contents and so on .
More Details , please reference this document . | https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/justin_gao/2012/04/21/system-center-2012-configuration-manager-rtm-advanced-security-deployment/ |
In addition to the subject behavior, the e-mail list views never fully loads.
If the site you are trying to access is NOT in the Trusted sites zone, you may receive a message that the content is being blocked. | http://windowsitpro.com/print/windows/jsi-tip-9670-when-you-attempt-load-e-mail-view-microsoft-outlook-web-access-list-view-micros |
is deemed fake alert which is mainly caused by potentially unwanted programs. It enters in the PC without any prior notification and places its own extension or add-ons in almost all the web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer etc. is capable to mislead the users to its own page and allows them to navigate the web. You will find changes in the default browser and search engine settings. Your computer screen will be flooded with countless alerts, notifications, warning messages etc which is extremely annoying. You need to be careful and try to avoid clicking on anymore.
also claims to provide top deals, offers, discount coupons with the online shopping from its link. It will provide several sponsored links which will redirect you to commercial sites. You will be shocked to know that once you proceed for the online payment, it will secretly monitor your activities and gains the credential data including your banking details, credit card information, user names, passwords and many more. Whats worse, after gaining the sensitive data, it will bypass them to the remote servers and allows its creators to use for malignant purpose. This program also uses PPC scheme and gets revenue at every click by the users. Therefore, if you also detect then try to get rid of it as early as possible.
Besides this, is also responsible for the abnormal behavior of the PC. It is capable to stop your access to genuine sites by blocking the IP address. It is also responsible for disabling all the installed programs and softwares which includes media player, video player, Java version, antivirus etc and tactics on users to install the latest version. In the meantime, it will also download potential stuffs which will be extremely dangerous for the PC performance. So, try to get rid of as early as possible before it start its malicious works to make the compromised PC completely useless.
1. Click on Manage add-ons option from the drop down menu on going through Gear icon.
2. Now if you find any suspicious extension in the Toolbars and Extensions panel then right click on it and Delete option to remove it.
1. Press Opera menu, hover to Extensions and then select Extensions manager there.
2. Now if any browser extension looks suspicious to you then click on (X) button to remove it.
1. Select More(…) then Settings followed by View advanced settings button.
2. Under Search in the address bar with box click on <Add new>. Now you can choose from the available list of search providers or add you preferred search engine and click Add as default. | http://www.removemalwarevirus.com/delete-ads-by-super-great-completely-from-windows-pc |
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According to the latest estimates from security firm Symantec, the malware we've all come to know as "Flashback" likely helped its authors to break the bank just as their malicious creation was infiltrating and infecting an incomparably large number of Macs.
After probing the matter extensively, Symantec believes that the chief motivation that led to the malware was money. And money is exactly what the authors of FlashBack likely ended up with - possibly to the tune of five-figures a day.
"Flashback specifically targets queries made on Google and, depending on the search query, may redirect users to another page of the attacker's choosing, where they receive revenue from the click," the security experts believe.
Although Apple has largely succeeded (through software updates and other steps) in cracking down on Flashback and curbing its continued growth, there's no telling how much damage - financial or otherwise - has been done to Mac owners and even the likes of Google.
"Ad-clicking Trojans are nothing new and in an analysis of W32.Xpaj.B last August a botnet measuring in the region of 25,000 infections could generate the author up to $450 per day," Symantec asserts. "Considering the Flashback Trojan measures in the hundreds of thousands, this figure could sharply rise to the order of $10000 per day."
To check out the complete report and blog post from Symantec, click here.
Well I don't know what I've been doing right but I browse/download a lot of 'Pron' on a lot of forums/sites. Never once had a virus of any kind.
Touch wood. (No, there is no pun here either). | http://modmyi.com/content/7608-flashback-os-x-malware-believed-hugely-profitable-its-authors.html?p=6512113 |
WASHINGTON — A US Senate hearing Wednesday highlighted concern over the growing use of facial recognition technologies, both for law enforcement use and in big social networks like Facebook.
Senator Al Franken, who chaired the judiciary subcommittee hearing, said the expansion of such biometric technologies poses concern over privacy and civil liberties.
Franken said that in law enforcement, the use of facial recognition “will catch criminals,” but “could come at a high cost to our civil liberties” if police use the systems to target “innocent civilians” or political rallies.
He also expressed concern that facial recognition used by Facebook to “tag” or identify members could be abused by divulging information that its members do not want made public.
Representatives of the FBI and Facebook testified about their safeguards, and civil liberties advocates and others offered views on the new technology. Franken said facial recognition “exists right here today” and that “our federal privacy laws are unprepared to deal with this technology.” “Law enforcement doesn’t need a warrant to use this technology,” Franken added.
On the commercial side, he said, “if a store wants to take a picture and generate a ‘faceprint,’ they can do it, and they might even be able to sell it to third parties.”
Jerome Pender, an FBI deputy assistant director, said the federal law enforcement agency has a database of 12.8 million photos and plans to expand a pilot project to nationwide use by 2014. But Pender said the agency “is committed to ensuring appropriate privacy protections are in place” for the system. That includes only allow law enforcement to search the data and that only “mugshots” of persons arrested would be included. But Franken said he was unconvinced: “I’m concerned that it could be used to identify people marching around a courthouse or at a political rally.”
Maneesha Mithal of the US Federal Trade Commission said meanwhile that the watchdog agency is studying how to regulate commercial use of facial recognition for firms like Facebook, where she said 2.5 billion photos are uploaded to each month.
She said one way facial recognition is being used in the private sector is for targeted advertising. For example, a digital kiosk can display an ad believed to be relevant to a person’s age or gender after an image is scanned by face recognition technology.
Facebook’s Rob Sherman said the social network “only uses a person’s friends” to allow tagging and encrypts that data so third parties cannot use it.
But Franken criticized Facebook for making the use of the technology “opt out” so that it is used unless the member changes his profile to opt out. “Facebook users upload 300 million photos to the site each day,” he said.
“Faceprints can be happening without a person’s consent or knowledge… I think this information is so sensitive I think it’s the kind thing users should be able to opt themselves into.”
One case evoked at the hearing was a Carnegie-Mellon University professor’s study in which pictures were taken from students walking across campus and matched to photos on dating websites which were supposed to be anonymous, all using publicly available data.
Privacy groups said laws need to be updated to offer more protection.
“Businesses should never use facial recognitions techniques to obtain the actual identity of consumers without the consumer’s actual knowledge and informed consent,” said a statement submitted to the hearing by the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
“Consumers today enjoy enormous freedom and personal safety because they are able to interact with so many merchants, who are essentially strangers, without concern that they will be secretly tracked and profiled.”
About the AuthorAFP journalists cover wars, conflicts, politics, science, health, the environment, technology, fashion, entertainment, the offbeat, sports and a whole lot more in text, photographs, video, graphics and online. Next on Raw Story > ‘It’s my only income’: Trump voter shocked after learning he plans to cut key program she needs
By commenting, you agree to our terms of service and to abide by our commenting policy. Read Comments - Join the Discussion New Stories | http://www.rawstory.com/2012/07/sen-franken-questions-fbi-and-facebook-over-online-privacy-protections/ |
Since September 11 2001 security has been in the forefront of American concerns. Granted, the general population is most concerned with personal physical security, which basically translates to physical security at the work place. We all hear of the horrible stories of disgruntled employees who bring a gun to work to kill fellow coworkers. That is not to mention the dangerous world we live in this day and time with terrorism. I think biometrics will be the biggest security tool used in the 21st century to protect the physical attributes of a company or it's assets. I have decided to write my paper on this intriguing subject and how it relates to security of information networks.
Biometrics is a process used to identify or authenticate an individual�s identity using any of a series of physical or behavioral characteristics. These characteristics can include but are not limited to fingerprints, hand or palm geometry, retina and iris scans, facial mapping, signature or writing style, and more recently, DNA maps. While relatively new, biometrics is rapidly advancing and growing in acceptance and use. The importance of this emerging technology does not necessarily lie in learning the intricacies of how biometric science works, but in exploring the management of the exposures biometrics present to individuals, businesses, and governments. This process begins with identifying the cyber risk exposures that biometrics makes possible.
This document is in PDF format. To view it click here. | http://www.infosecwriters.com/texts.php?op=display&id=458 |
The top ant-virus in the USA possesses a range of features for safeguarding your personal pc, mobile gadget, and the internet. Its current security protects against malicious files before they get onto your device. In addition, it evaluates downloading and websites to make sure they are totally free of malware. You can try it out with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Kaspersky is a superb brand of anti virus software. It gives you several numbers of protection, from the basic program level, which will costs $30 a year, to the Total top anti virus usa Steadiness package, which costs 50 dollars 12 months and shields up to 12 devices, and perhaps includes parental controls. Kaspersky also gives free types of their anti-virus applications. However , these types of applications will not provide the best security.
It is critical to choose a good antivirus to safeguard your personal info and fiscal accounts. You can also need to select a great antivirus with parental controls if you have small children. Even though basic antivirus protection is important, you’ll want to look for added security features. If you use consumer Wi-Fi a whole lot, you’ll want to watch out for an antivirus with a VPN or parent controls. Norton 360, for example , has the features plus more.
After purchasing www.programworld.org/review-eset-nod32 your antivirus application, you’ll almost certainly need to build an account while using company. This account will help you to manage your subscription and configure your software throughout devices. It will likewise allow you to swap out your payment approach, adjust your level of privacy settings, and receive item notifications. | https://acims.net/top-rated-antivirus-in-the-usa/ |
A few folks have been experiencing errors and long delays in adding a single-node (i.e. a 1 node cluster) cluster under management in Virtual Machine Manager.
This issue stems from the fact that VMM has an overcommitted property for each cluster. By default, a single-node cluster will always be overcommitted since any failure in that single node will cause the entire cluster and its Virtual Machines to go down. Such a failure does not go well with the concept of high availability.
A workaround for this issue is to set the node reserve failure to 0 in the cluster properties. (this can also be done using Windows PowerShell and the following cmdlet - "Set-VMHostCluster -VMHostCluster $VMHostCluster -ClusterReserve 0"). Once the cluster node reserve is set to 0, the cluster should now be in a healthy condition. | https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/m2/2009/11/27/issues-when-trying-to-add-a-single-node-cluster-under-management-in-vmm/ |
This position is located in the Information Technology (IT) Audit Directorate, within the Office of Audit (OA), of the Office of Inspector General(OIG).
The Directorate performs highly technical and complex audits and evaluations of information systems security programs and practices of the Department of Treasury (Treasury) and component entities, and other Federal entities under the jurisdictional oversight of the OIG.
The incumbent IT Specialist provides direct support to the IT Audit Directorate by conducting audits and evaluations on the implementation and practices of Treasury's information systems security programs to ensure security controls are appropriately applied to IT systems for the protection of privacy and to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
Treasury IT systems include both unclassified and national security systems, the latter including collateral systems and intelligence systems.
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience or General experience for this position includes:Implementing the internal controls and the operating and security practices for the organization being audited; AND Performing vulnerability assessments of networks and systems; AND Implementing the existing security policy and procedures; AND Reviewing IT systems and/or IT security programs to identify weaknesses and make recommendations for corrective actions with senior management. In addition to meeting specialized experience, applicants must also show proficiency in:Attention to Detail- Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Customer Service- Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services. Oral Communication- Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Problem Solving- Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. | https://www.fedhire.com/Information-Technology-Specialist-Information-Security-493475700 |
When Homo sapiens first began to live in caves thousands of years ago, they created new protection measures. They tried every method possible to defend themselves, including live fire and spined fencing. Following stabilizing, they constructed dwellings with doors, and locks were created for security.
The security precautions evolved over time as a result of evolution. Smart locks have mostly supplanted traditional locks in the modern era. The primary concern has not altered throughout the path from fire to smart locks: security.
There are troubles in every era. In the contemporary age, when everything is automated, we live. The widespread use of the internet has accelerated progress in every field. Everything is dependent on a single click, so new security attack methods have developed as a result.
Cyberattacks on enterprises, organizations, or even entire nations were launched by individuals with the intention of endangering security. These assaults were conducted to steal private information. They may be executed by a single person, a terrorist organization, or the covert services of hostile nations.
So how can healthcare facilities be protected from these assaults? Cybersecurity is the best way to respond to this issue since current issues demand modern answers. Protecting networks, systems, and programmes from cyberattacks is the practice of cybersecurity. These assaults aim to access and eliminate sensitive data.
These can occasionally be used as a tool for workflow disruption or to demand money from hospitals or medical practitioners. Consequently, it is essential for the healthcare industry to implement adequate cybersecurity safeguards.
Healthcare Space on the RADAR
A substantial amount of data is in the possession of healthcare organizations. Both sensitive information regarding drugs and private patient information may be included. For cyber attackers, this knowledge has a high intelligence value. Patients’ financial information, such as account numbers, credit or debit cards, or protected health information, are examples of this highly sensitive information.
Additionally, it might contain academic data on ongoing research and medical records. Attackers make huge profits by selling these stolen records on the dark web. In extreme circumstances, terrorists may devise a cyberattack to gain access to the data needed to create chemical weapons. Therefore, unbreakable security is essential for the healthcare industry. | https://healthcareeverything.com/importance-of-cybersecurity-for-healthcare-organizations/ |
“Despite years of Apple Inc. succeeding in gaining huge market share by apparently granting China state security authorities “backdoors” into its product encryption, communist regulators shut down Apple’s iBook Store and iTunes on April 22.
Key to China’s State Internet Information Office allowing Apple to grow in the “Forbidden Kingdom,” which is now the largest smartphone market on the planet, has been Apple willingness to cooperate with the “needs” of the China security agencies.
State-run People’s Daily reported in January that Apple chief executive Tim Cook had informed Internet czar Lu Wei that the company would let China’s State Internet Information Office conduct “security checks” on all products sold on the mainland. The Beijing News Agency added that Apple was the “1st foreign firm to agree to rules of Cyberspace Admin of China.”
But the very public announcement regarding Apple’s full cooperation in China came at same time Apple was refusing to give the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation source-code-level-access to the iPhone 5C of Syed Farook, who slaughtered 14 people and seriously wounded 22 in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
In a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit filed to force Apple to cooperate, the San Bernardino District Attorney’s told a federal court that law enforcement needed a backdoor into the iPhone because there was “compelling governmental interest in acquiring any evidence of criminal conduct, additional perpetrators, potential damage to the infrastructure of San Bernardino County, and in protecting the California Constitutionally guaranteed due process rights of the victims, deceased and living, arising from state crimes committed on December 2, 2015,”
An embarrassed Cook quickly denied there was a double standard on cooperation between the U.S. and China by stating, “There were rumors that Apple built back doors in its devices, and let third parties have data and access those devices, but that was never true and that we would never do that in the future either.”
When questioned by Beijing News about Apple reneging on their China deal, Lu Wei said, “It doesn’t matter what you say, you should let our internet safety department do a safety assessment. We need to reach our own conclusions to put the consumer at ease.” …Continue reading @ breitbart.com | https://californiajimmy.com/tag/encryption/ |
Keep headers/logos under 125 pixels high. It takes up valuable viewing space, especially for laptop users, that is best left for the good stuff to appear"above the fold" Take a cue from the big companies, simple logos done well say it all. This is our #1 pet peeve - screaming logos and headers!
fix malware problems free Watch out form entries. You can useRegexp to process the information from forms. You can even define preloaded factors as form data in the form of checkboxes, radiobuttons etc..
An easy way is to use a few built-in tools. First of all, don't allow people run a web host security scan, to list the documents in your folders and automatically backup your whole web hosting account.
Yes, you need to you could try these out do regular backups of your website. I recommend at least a weekly database backup and a monthly "full" backup. More. Definitely if you make changes and regular additions to your website. If you make changes multiple times a day, or have a community of people which are in there all the time, a daily backup should be a minimum.
Another step to take to make WordPress secure is to upgrade WordPress to the latest version. The main reason behind this is that there also come fixes for older security holes which makes it essential to update early.
Implementing all the above will probably take less than an hour to finish, while making your WordPress site more immune to intrusions. Sites were cracked last year, mainly due to preventable security gaps. Have yourself prepared and you are likely to be on the safe side. | http://malwareattackaurora06161.widblog.com/9405042/best-10-wordpress-web-and-security-page-suggestions |
Panthera performs yearly internal, external, and wireless third party penetration tests for HIPAA, SOX, GLB, and PCI DSS in support of regulatory compliance requirements that apply to our customers.
Social Engineering TestingPanthera uses a unique approach to social engineering, “fit in and disappear”. We utilize knowledge of the client that is gleaned from multiple sources to infiltrate their organization digitally and physically. We employ tactics, techniques and procedures from prior agency and industry experience to gain access to the client site. This type of engagement is typically setup as a separate Rules of Engagement in order to protect the company, the employee’s privacy, and the Panthera team. The use of targeted email, covert operations and off-site surveillance are used to gain information and knowledge of the client environment. All of this information is rolled up into a tactical mitigation and remediation plan for the client to further improve their overall security posture. | http://www.pantheratech.com/vulnerability-assessments/ |
Government’s role as a catalyst – Ontario will act as a catalyst to leverage private sector capital. When you sponsor the Rock Stars of Emerging Technologies, you reach a unique audience – a level of decision-makers who don’t attend other symposia. This relationship will become much more entwined as the evolution of technology becomes more adaptive, contextual and fluid within the workplace, at home, and interacting with businesses and other people.
OLED technology has been around for a few years, but only recently have companies shown prototypes of OLED televisions. I chose this emerging technology because i thought it could help students and teachers to access videos of lessons, actives,etc. As noted by Hardik Bhatt in this month’s Q&A , government’s interest in monitoring emerging technology rests not only in understanding how to regulate the space but also finding where and how to reap rewards.
Consumers can also save from membership and annual fees that are being charged by credit card companies 12. Information technology is such a powerful and strong field of science that can be applied to other disciplines. By dissecting some existing examples of WebGL, we can begin to understand what purposes the technology will serve in years to come.
RFID can increase revenue by allowing companies to get better data on their customers purchase and usage behavior and hence allow them to tailor their products and services to customer segments more effectively. But there’s a Big Brother risk in the emerging category of “location-based services” that isn’t getting enough attention.
This technology was being used in the 1970s with automobiles, however, they are virtually everywhere now. I remember growing up, if I wanted to watch a movie, I had to go to Blockbuster and rent VHS tapes; and slowly an emerging technology, the DVD; was presented to the public, the VHS became obsolete over time. | http://www.linkoza.com/emerging-cybersecurity-technologies.html |
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) tasted success by arresting Myanmarese national Khaleed alias Mohammed Khalid, one of the prime accused in the Burdwan blast case. Hyderabad Police on October 22 arrested Shah Mudassir alias Talha, a member of SIMI and Shoeb Ahmed Khan alias Tariq Bhai, an associate of Mansoor Ali Peerboy (media in-charge of Indian Mujahideen, Pune Module), from Secunderabad here. Police said the duo from Maharashtra were allegedly planning to go to Afghanistan to get training from al Qaeda for carrying out terror activities in India.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy said they were in the process of collecting enough evidence against Hyderabadi youth Mothasim Billah, a former SIMI activist, who had promised to finance their travel to Afghanistan.
In August, Hyderabad Police “foiled” an attempt by a group of four young men from the city, including two engineers, to join ISIS after they were tracked down to Kolkata from where they were allegedly preparing to flee to Iraq.
Similarly, 30-year-old former Google employee Munawad Salman, who was allegedly plotting to join ISIS was detained by Hyderabad Police in October. They also counselled a 21-year-old student, who too was allegedly in touch with a suspected ISIS activist over a social networking site.
The overall crime graph showed a minuscule 0.41 per cent decline in Telangana with a total of 93,392 cognisable cases reported in 2014 compared with 93,780 cases in 2013, though cases of molestation (‘outraging modesty’) and rape increased in Telangana in 2014 compared with the previous year. Cyber crime cases went up to 618 in 2014 from 334 last year.
Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said Left-wing extremism activities in the newly-carved state are under effective check and four extremists were reported in 2014 against five in 2013. As many as 68 members of the banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered before police while 18 extremists were arrested in Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh Police chief JV Ramudu said law and order situation improved in the state in 2014 as compared to 2013, which saw statehood stirs. Overall crime against women came down to some extent but rape incidents registered an increase. Cyber crime increased with 410 cases in 2014 compared to 306 in 2013.
During 2014, 75 extremists (CPI-Maoists) were arrested and 93 surrendered. As many as 3,393 red sander smugglers were arrested in different districts of Andhra Pradesh and several of tonnes of the precious wood was seized from them.
In August, Hyderabad Police arrested an army man Naib Subedar Patan Kumar Poddar from Secunderabad on espionage charges. The police’s remand report said that he came in contact with a woman, believed to be a Pakistani national, on Facebook in 2013, and shared classified information about deployment of Army units, location of artillery regiments among others.
In October, 11-year-old Shaikh Mustafa died after he was found burnt under mysterious circumstances in a defence area here as police filed a murder case against unknown Army personnel and intensified their probe to crack the case, which triggered tension. In a related development, in November, army jawan Lance Naik Appala Raju, who was among those questioned by a police team investigating the case, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle.
In May, communal clashes broke out in Kishanbagh in Old City area here over alleged burning of a religious flag, even as three persons were killed following police firing.
In October, 17 people including several women were killed following a explosion at a fire cracker manufacturing unit at Vakatippa village in East Godavari district.
Andhra Pradesh Police arrested Amway India CEO William Scott Pinckney in May in connection with a criminal case filed against the direct-selling company for alleged financial irregularities in operations.
In June, Regional Director of a Koraput-based DRDO unit RK Satpathy, suffered injuries after a juvenile pickpocket attacked him with a blade when he was caught for stealing a cell phone in the crowded Charminar area. Among the sensational cases, during Agusut-September 12 members of a ‘snake gang’ which had terrorised the residents of Old City area were arrested.
Five persons were arrested for allegedly gangraping a Mumbai-based dancer-cum-model, who was brought to the city for performing for a New Year event.
A 23-year-old student at the city-based English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) was allegedly gangraped in the university premises by a fellow student and another youth in November.
Cyberabad police here registered cases against organisers of ‘Kiss of Love’ on the University of Hyderabad campus for ‘obscene act’ after a group of students organised a demonstration in support of the campaign in Kerala. A case was also registered for criminal trespass against members of BJPs youth wing BJYM, who staged a protest against the event.
In July, two senior officials of a school in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh were arrested in connection with the brutal caning of three visually-impaired boys.
In November, police constable P Obulesu was arrested for trying to kidnap vice-chairman of Aurobindo Pharma K Nityananda Reddy.
Tollywood actor Uday Kiran (33), allegedly committed suicide at his flat here on January 5, apparently after film offers dried up of late, pushing him into mental depression and financial crisis.
Hyderabad Police in January cracked the case of burglary of 15.57 kg of gold ornaments and coloured stones from the Tanishq jewellery showroom in Panjagutta area here and arrested Kiran, a mason, who wanted to become a pilot, along with his cousin Anand.
In February, a labourer from Jharkhand was arrested here in connection with the theft at Muthoot Finance in Zaheerabad town and 7 kg gold ornaments and Rs 13.42 lakh in cash were seized from his possession.
Cyberabad Police brought to the city Izazul Sheikh, arrested in connection with hacking of former cricketer VVS Laxman’s bank account, who during interrogation revealed that he opened over 30 accounts in Kolkata to siphon off funds.
In an “honour” killing case, parents of a 26-year-old woman software engineer, were arrested for allegedly killing their daughter barely two days after she married a man from another community against their wishes in Guntur district.
In another case of suspected honour killing in August, a man allegedly murdered his 19-year-old daughter because she married a boy of another caste in Nalgonda district of Telangana. He was subsequently arrested.
Hyderabad Police busted a kidney selling racket in April and arrested three persons in connection with the Colombo-based kidney selling racket, following death of a 26-year-old local youth in Sri Lanka. | https://telanganautsav.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/telugu-society-and-crime-rape-and-cyber-crimes-in-andhra-pradesh-telangana/ |
It has emerged that yesterday’s news of 10,000 Hotmail accounts being hacked was merely the tip of the iceberg and 20,000 AOL, Yahoo, Comcast, Earthlink and Gmail accounts have also been compromised.
BBC News reports it has ‘seen a list of over 20,000 more names and passwords posted on the same website, containing email addresses and passwords from Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Gmail and other service providers’.
Technology blog neowin.net reported that the account details were posted on October 1 at pastebin.com, a website used by developers to share code, which is mysteriously now ‘down for maintenance’.
Pastebin’s Paul Dixon said the site had received ‘an unprecedented amount of traffic’.
"Pastebin.com is just a fun side project for me, and today it's not fun. It will remain offline all day while I make some further modifications," Dixon told neowin. | http://www.tgdaily.com/security-features/44205-gmail-yahoo-aol-others-also-hit-in-hotmail-phishing-attack |
We caught an interesting blog post by Bob Cringely of “I, Cringely” discussing the Department of Homeland Security’s recent announcement that they would be hiring 1,000 civilian security experts to help protect the nation’s vital information infrastructure. Security is complicated business and Cringely points out that there may not even be 1,000 true civilian “experts.”
Speaking of security experts, CIO.com asked six of them (or, at least six people they define as experts) about cloud security issues. If nothing else, it is an interesting read… | https://blog.elephantdrive.com/2009/10/03/us-dhs-call-for-1000-cyber-security-experts-are-there-1000/ |
In an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, several security experts and human rights groups have expressed concerns about the danger posed by the UK’s End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) Internet Safety Act.
The letter signatories stress that with UK residents and businesses now relying more than ever on E2EE to secure themselves, the government must ensure that online security law does not impede encryption in private communications.
“Encryption is critical to ensuring that online users are protected online, to building economic security through a pro-business UK economy that can afford the cost of living, and to ensuring national security,” the letter to the prime minister said.
“As you begin your new role as Prime Minister, the undersigned civil society organizations and companies, including members of the Global Crypto Alliance, urge you and your government to ensure that encryption is not weakened.”
Campaign groups warn that existing provisions of the Online Safety Act will erode encryption in private communications, reducing the internet security of UK citizens and businesses, including the very groups the Online Safety Bill seeks to protect.
They also argue that these proposals would endanger freedom of expression, which they claim is an important aspect of a free society that distinguishes the UK from aggressors who use repression and force to achieve their ends.
The Internet Safety Bill may be up for debate in the British Parliament again as early as next week.
Legal, but harmful
Parliamentary debate on the bill was postponed throughout the summer and again in October as a result of political unrest within the ruling Conservative Party.
The government has hinted it wants to make amendments to the draft, although those changes are expected to focus on provisions relating to so-called “legal but harmful” speech.
During this summer’s Conservative Party leadership race, Rishi Sunak expressed concerns about the potential for the bill to stifle freedom of expression, as the government would have the power to classify information as “legal but harmful”. He promised to amend Article 14, which would have given social media companies the right to delete offensive comments they did not approve of.
The case against government backdoors
Privacy advocates claim that various proposals made by various governments in recent years to screen user-to-user communications for criminal content are flawed because they are based on the false assumption that a backdoor or other workaround for reading encrypted messages can only be created to be used in beneficial ways.
“This is not the case, and it never will be,” they argue, adding that criminals, domestic abusers and authoritarian regimes will exploit backdoors such as those proposed by the Internet Safety Act.
“We all deserve the protection that end-to-end encryption provides, but the most vulnerable in society – children and members of vulnerable communities – need it most.”
Welcome to the bill
Meanwhile, child safety groups welcomed the return of the Online Safety Bill to Parliament.
Susie Hargreaves, executive director of the Internet Watch Foundation, which organizes efforts to combat child abuse images online, hailed the bill’s return as a “relief”.
“We have seen that the threats to people, particularly children, online are not going away, and we know there will be a need for strong and clear action if the UK is to realize its aim of being the safest place in the world to go online,” she said.
“Now, we need to see lawmakers band together towards a common goal. The police, charities and big tech companies are all doing an enormous amount of work, and clear guidance from the government would be a welcome boost.”
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Learn the story behind SANS' DFIR Challenge Coin and discover how to secure your own.
SANS Lethal Forensicator Coin is awarded to Digital Forensic and Incident Response students who demonstrate remarkable skill, or contribute a great deal to the forensics community.
The Coins are beautifully designed, tough to earn and highly prized by those who carry them.
History Of SANS DFIR Coin
SANS DFIR Coin is officially named the Lethal Forensicator Coin. The Coin was created by Rob Lee - the curriculum lead and primary author of SANS' Digital Forensics Incident Response family of courses.
Along with other accolades, Rob founded the Information Warfare Squadron - the first US military unit focussed on information warfare.
The term Forensicator was itself created on 1st April 2007, during a security podcast created by two SANS Instructors - Ovie Carroll and Brett Padres. The two talked about a new forensics tool called Forensicator Pro, a piece of software that promised to completely automate the process of creating a forensic report. Forensicator Pro was, of course, an April Fools' prank.
Though originally a joke, the term stuck and took on a life of its own. A Forensicator became a byword for people who conduct forensic examinations.
Words change, language grows and, Lethal Forensicators evolved to become a term for people who can detect and eradicate the most advanced threats.
Nomination by another SANS Coin holder.
Groups can be eligible to receive a DFIR Coin too. To be considered, the group must help further the field of digital forensics. This can mean contributing research, knowledge, and capabilities to the wider forensic community.
SANS provide Private Training to groups of 25 or more students. To explore this training option email [email protected] or read our Testimonials for more information. | http://uk.sans.org/courses/digital-forensics-and-incident-response/coins |
The Code Book by Simon Singh. This is about the history of cryptography, but it also includes a lot of information about crypto which is currently in use. This is also a very entertaining read.
Crypto 101, a free/opensource book which gives a intro to crypto. The webpage also has a video of the talk on which the book is based.
And if you're going to use the AES encryption functions in MySQL there are some things you should consider:
Connections with a UNIX socket (or shared memory on Windows) should be safe. Local TCP/IP connections are also safe in most circumstances.
Remote connections which use the AES encryption should use a protected connection (SSL, VPN, etc). Otherwise someone might be able to sniff the network traffice which contains your encryption key.
Replication traffic should also be protected (especially if you're using statement based replication. Mixed or row based might be safer).
MySQL 5.6 prevents logging of passwords, but this doesn't include the AES functions (yet). (Bug #72158). So be careful with your logging.
It is possible to use the AES_DECRYPT in a view definition, but then your probably storing your key with your data, which defeats the purpose. The same is true for storing your key in a stored procedure, function or a virtual column in case of MariaDB.
And there are alternatives to using encryption within MySQL: Your application could encrypt the data before it's sent over the network. And depending on why you need encryption it might also be possible to encrypt the whole data directory. This can be achieved with LUKS or eCryptFS if you're on Linux or ZFS if you're on Solaris. On Windows you might use the EFS feature of NTFS or use Bitlocker.
The AES functions in MySQL are a good solution if you only want to encrypt specific data (which is often the case) or if you need to search on the decrypted data (WHERE AES_DECRYPT(..)='foo') | http://databaseblog.myname.nl/2014/03/notes-on-aes-encryption-in-mysql.html |
cloudQueues:admin This role provides Create, Read, Update, and Delete permissions in Cloud Queues, where access is granted.
cloudQueues:creator This role provides Create, Read and Update permissions in Cloud Queues, where access is granted.
cloudQueues:observer This role provides Read permission in Cloud Queues, where access is granted.
admin This role provides create, read, update, and delete permissions in all products, where access is granted.
observer This role provides read permission in all products, where access is granted.
Resolving conflicts between RBAC multi-product vs. custom (product-specific) roles#
The account owner can set roles for both multiproduct and Cloud Queues scope, and it is important to understand how any potential conflicts between these roles are resolved. When two roles appear to conflict, the role that provides the more extensive permissions takes precedence. Therefore, admin roles take precedence over observer and creator roles, because admin roles provide more permissions.
The following table shows two examples of how potential conflicts between user roles in the Control Panel are resolved.
User is assigned the following roles: multiproduct observer and Cloud Queues admin Appears that the user has only the multiproduct observer role User can perform admin functions for Cloud Queues only. The user has the observer role for the rest of the products.
User is assigned to the following roles: multiproduct admin and Cloud Queues observer Appears that the user has only the multiprodcut admin role User can perform admin functions for all of the products. The Cloud Queues observer role is ignored. | https://developer.rackspace.com/docs/cloud-queues/v1/general-api-info/role-based-access-control/ |
link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Posts 4 Wow Irongeek you really get around. Do you cover IL forums? Haven't seen you over there. Anyway, like I said everywhere else, nice work.
\"I\'m having trouble logging into the taco.\" --Phreakphactor
I have notice, I guess these thread should be posted in another forum, because this one is dedicated for tutorials .... Cheers \"The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts\"..... Spaf Everytime I learn a new thing, I discover how ignorant I am.- ... Black Cluster | http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?269172-Campus-Computer-Security-Series&p=880397 |
-Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents to grant degrees with an Associate’s degree in information security, information systems, computer science, information resources management, information technology or a closely related field, and ten (10) years of work experience in information technology, six (6) years of which included, or was closely related to, two of the eight domains of information security1.
PROMOTIONAL: Twenty-four (24) months of permanent competitive class status as a Managing Program Coordinator I (Network Services) or (Systems Architecture) with the BOCES or a combination thereof.
NOTES:
-The following are the eight domains of information security: 1. Security and Risk Management; 2. Asset Security; 3. Security Engineering; 4. Communication and Network Security; 5. Identity and Access Management; 6. Security Assessment and Testing; 7. Security Operations; and, 8. Software Development Security.
-Certifications in the domains of information security, such as CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CAP, CSSLP, CCFP, or HCISPP, may be substituted for up to two (2) years of experience.
Vacancies are filled by certified list provided by Albany County Civil Service. Should no certified list be available, candidates appointed to this position will be serving in a provisional appointment in accordance with New York State Civil Service Law. The candidate must successfully complete a competitive examination and be eligible for appointment in accordance with Civil Service Law and the Civil Service Rules for Albany County to obtain a permanent appointment. | https://www.union.edu/offices/career/alumni/jobs/listings/information-security-officer.php |
Setting up DLP features for email security.
A company that specializes in selling information on software vulnerabilities has reignited a debate over the handling of such information, especially when it pertains to privacy-focused tools. Exodus Intelligence, based in Austin, Texas, tweeted on Monday it had found several vulnerabilities in Tails, an operating system and suite of applications designed to make it harder to track a user’s activity online. Exodus researches and sells information on software vulnerabilities, a legal business but one that attracts criticism for its opaque nature and worries over how governments or other entities might use the information. INSIDER: 5 ways to prepare for Internet of Things security threatsThe company has since announced it will supply a report with the vulnerability information to Tails’ developers by the end of this week. Exodus will not share that information outside of the company before then, wrote Aaron Portnoy, vice president, in an email exchange Tuesday with IDG News Service. When asked if Exodus was making a special exception for Tails, Portnoy wrote: “We evaluate every vulnerability we deal with on a case-by-case basis, therefore the Tails vulnerability is not an exception as we have no baseline standard.”Tails is a Linux-based operating system that uses several privacy-enhancing tools such as Tor to make using the Internet more anonymous. It is designed to be used on-the-go, such as at public Internet access points, and is considered one of the best but not foolproof ways to reduce leaving a digital footprint on a computer. The tweet from Exodus provoked a reaction from Tails, which wrote on its blog that it was not contacted prior to the tweet. But Tails was pleased it will have the chance to see the information. “We’re told they won’t disclose these vulnerabilities publicly before we have corrected it, and Tails users have had a chance to upgrade,” the blog post read. “We think that this is the right process to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities, and we’re really looking forward to read this report.” Portnoy said that Exodus doesn’t exclude certain kinds of software from its analysis and that “we focus on things that are widely deployed. ”It wasn’t clear if public pressure influenced the decision by Exodus to disclose the information privately to Tails. The way the issue was handled generated a largely negative reaction against Exodus on Twitter, with some accusing the company of potentially putting users at risk. Portnoy noted some tweets from Christopher Soghoian, who is the principal technologist with the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Soghoian has long been critical of the vulnerability broker business. Soghoian took a swipe at Portnoy, writing “I’m pretty sure @aaronportnoy isn’t interested in keeping anyone safe. He is interested in selling awesome 0-day for cash money.”Portnoy said in an email that he understood why Tails’ developers “may have been irritated due to the hyperbolic reactions from some of the more vocal individuals on the outskirts of this industry who were under the impression we were selling the information to others. ”Referring to Soghoian, Portnoy wrote: “When people have upwards of 35,000 followers, false ideas can easily spread without any attempt at validation.”
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David Meyer, chief scientist at Brocade, explains how networking and security can leverage machine...
How Google’s cloud is ushering in a new era of SQL databases Google’s recently announced Spanner cloud database is ushering in a wave of so-called NewSQL databases... | http://www.networkworld.com/article/2457161/zeroday-flaws-in-tails-arent-for-sale-vulnerability-broker-says.html |
The Wavestore VMS servers and SALTO Access Control servers are connected via the network with data pushed from the SALTO server to the Wavestore server whenever an event occurs – such as when a token is presented to an access control reader. This data is sent to, stored in, and accessed from the Wavestore metadata database, which is an option you must include when specifying your Wavestore VMS edition.
The data pushed to the Wavestore metadata database by the SALTO server can be associated with any number of cameras, adding powerful visual verification and bringing enhanced operator decision- making to an integrated security solution.
Reacting to different event causes will trigger a variety of actions. This includes the ability to perform events on third-party devices (switching on light, opening layout on a video wall). Another possibility includes sending a video clip attachment via email (e.g. unauthorised personnel attempting to access certain location).
The Wavestore VMS can be installed on Wavestore’s own range of servers, or on a host of compatible third-party brands, providing video, data and recording management across the end customer’s site. The SALTO server provides full access control enrolment, administration, control and management across the end-customer site.
Client side
Wavestore’s WaveView client software application can be installed on multiple client machines to access the Wavestore server(s). WaveView provides complete live monitoring and playback control of cameras and other devices as well as enabling data from the SALTO system to be monitored and controlled from the same screen. This allows an operator to view live video, search for events or manage triggers linked from access control events either in real time as they happen or via post event interrogation. Operators are then able to easily stitch together video from time-synchronised events using Wavestore’s 3-click evidential export function.
Preventing the use of stolen or borrowed access badges has typically required the introduction of a second factor of authentication – often either a biometric reader or PINs; both of these approaches can have a dramatic impact on the time taken to pass through a door or turnstile and can therefore be unsuitable for high traffic entrances.
IC Plus announce LigoWave addition to product portfolio.
IC Plus is delighted to introduce the Imou range of Smart IoT range of IP Cameras into our ever-expanding range of product. | http://riskmanager.ie/index.php/new-products/wavestore-integrates-salto-access-control/ |
The sanitization of data must be performed on an EDSD in a manner that gives assurance that the data cannot be read and/or recovered.
All EDSDs shall be sanitized at the earliest time after being taken out of use but not later than 60 days.
Multi-user EDSDs, such as lab and loaner pool computers, will be sanitized between users as time permits, but not less than annually.
All documentation and communication must be completed as outlined in section E for any EDSD.
The method used for data disposal depends upon the functional state of the EDSD.
A Functional EDSD that will be repurposed or removed from service and has surplus value shall be overwritten or cryptographically sanitized prior to disposal. If the EDSD is to be removed from services and has no surplus value, it shall be overwritten, cryptographically sanitized, physically destroyed or degaussed.
If the EDSD is non-functional, it shall be physically destroyed or degaussed.
Data stored in volatile memory, in both functional and non-functional EDSDs, shall be disposed as outlined in section D.5.
The following sections outline the acceptable methods of data disposal from any EDSD.
Overwriting: Overwriting of data means replacing previously stored data with a predetermined pattern of meaningless information. The overwriting process including the software products and applications used for the overwriting process shall be capable of:
Overwriting the entire EDSD, independent of any limitation that the EDSD may have, making it impossible to read and/or recover any intelligible data.
Overwriting a minimum of one pass of pseudo random data or zeros on all sectors, blocks, tracks, and any unused disk space on the entire EDSD.
Verifying that all data has been sanitized. This verification can be either a separate process or included as part of the software used for overwriting.
(1) Verification on flash memory, to include USB data storage devices and solid state drives, shall be suspect.
(2) If data is not completely overwritten, and sanitization fails verification, then overwriting is not an acceptable method of data disposal and another approved method must be applied.
Degaussing: Degaussing is a process whereby the magnetic media is sanitized. EDSDs seldom can be used after degaussing.
Please note that extreme care should be used when using degaussers since this equipment can cause damage to nearby telephones, monitors, and other EDSDs. Also, the use of a degausser does not guarantee that all data on the EDSD will be sanitized. Follow the product manufacturer's directions carefully. It is essential to determine the appropriate rate of coercivity for degaussing.
Shielding materials (cabinets, mounting brackets), which may interfere with the degaussing equipment magnetic field, shall be removed from the EDSD before degaussing.
Hard disk platters shall be degaussed during the degaussing process in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
Physical Destruction: Physical destruction shall be accomplished to an extent that precludes any possible restoration of the data. The following steps shall be followed when EDSDs are destroyed:
Cut the electrical connection to the EDSD.
Shielding materials (cabinets, mounting brackets), which may cause injury during EDSD destruction, shall be removed from the EDSD before destruction begins.
The EDSD should then be subjected to physical force or extreme temperatures that will disfigure, bend, mangle or otherwise mutilate the EDSD so it is unreadable. Acceptable means of destruction include:
Destruction by end-users is not recommended. CD-ROM discs do not require extensive destruction. Discs that are outdated or no longer needed may be rendered unreadable by cutting in half or deep scratching the data side (the shiny side without the label) with a nail, screwdriver, or similar tool. Two deep radial scratches extending from the small inner hole to the outer edge are sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to the data. These discs may be placed in the general waste stream for disposal.
Cryptographic Sanitization: Sanitization by cryptography works by first encrypting all data as it is written to the EDSD. The only way to read or recover data protected in this manner is to use a valid decryption key. Instant and thorough sanitization occurs when the decryption key is destroyed.
All individually identifiable Number(s), such as Asset Tag Number(s), Serial Number(s), etc. that are uniquely associated with the EDSD from which data is being sanitized.
The type of EDSD from which data is being sanitized.
The date of the data disposal.
The method(s) used for data disposal.
The name of the person responsible for the data disposal.
The name and signature of the person's supervisor.
The completed documentation shall be maintained in a secure location and available for audit.
The communication to the new user/consumer shall accompany the sanitized EDSD. Communication must include one of the following:
For individual EDSDs such as hard drives, or PDAs, and networked appliances, a certification tag shall be affixed to each EDSD.
For multiples of EDSDs such as CDs, tapes, etc. a certification tag shall be completed for each physically aggregated lot by affixing the certification tag to the storage container or shrink wrapped pallet. Lots must be aggregated when there is more than one person per function per lot (i.e. more than one data disposer, or more than one quality assurance tester, etc.) | http://longwood.edu/infosec/39048.htm |
The Israel company, financed by founders Mickey Boodaei and Rakesh Loonkar, has unveiled a platform to disrupt the authentication software market.
Israeli startup Transmit Security, which is developing programmable biometric authentication has come out of stealth and announced a $40 million self-funded round of financing. Based in Boston and Tel Aviv, the company has unveiled a platform that will disrupt the $10 billion authentication software market. The technology enables organizations to displace passwords and implement any form of identity verification, on any device, across all their customer/partner facing channels.
The company is being financed by its founders, CEO Mickey Boodaei and president Rakesh K. Loonkar, who previously created online banking security pioneer Trusteer, which was acquired by IBM in 2013. Boodaei also cofounded Imperva, a billion dollar provider of cyber and data security products. The company’s research and development team is made up of former members of Unit 8200, the elite Israeli Intelligence Corps.
The Transmit Security Platform (SP) uses mobile devices as the primary delivery mechanism to add any form of primary or secondary identity verification (facial/selfie, eye, touch ID and fingerprint, voice biometrics, SMS, etc.) to any application (web, mobile, call center, point of sale, ATMs, etc.). Once deployed, an enterprise can make changes to all their authentication methods and identity risk flows without any code changes to their applications.
Boodaei said, “After working with more than 400 of the world’s largest financial institutions, we identified authentication as the next major hurdle they, and other industries, face from a security, fraud prevention, regulatory and customer experience perspective. By decoupling authentication and anti-fraud from the application, we’ve built a platform that allows any form of identity verification, as well as anti-fraud measures, to be instantly delivered on any web, mobile, branch, call center, or other application. The benefit of our approach is that customers can execute on unique and complex projects in a matter of minutes or hours.”
To eliminate the need to embed authenticators into each application, Transmit SP uses a simple interface to offload all authentication and provisioning tasks. It provides a wide set of built-in authentication methods that enable organizations to mix-and-match any combination of facial, eye, voice, fingerprint recognition, one time passwords (OTP), push notifications, pattern drawing, Device ID, and other 3rd party or internally developed authenticators.
Once an application is connected to Transmit SP, any of the authenticators and any authentication process can be changed, added or removed without any software development. Transmit SP also supports any existing third-party authentication or anti-fraud products in use, and can orchestrate real-time responses based on customer configured policies.
Loonkar said, “Today, most enterprises are hard-coding authentication, anti-fraud logic and complex exceptions directly into each application, which prevents them from being able to quickly deploy new identity flows and use cases. Since our platform unifies authentication, and fraud prevention in a new architecture, it allows customers to change identity tools and flows without code updates to their applications, for faster time to market for new features and innovations. We can demonstrate how customers can execute on complex identity projects, and thousands of use cases, in literally minutes.”
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top.location.href = "/en/search.aspx?searchType=" + search_type + "&searchQuery=" + escape(str) + "&id=1&cx=partner-pub-3457903570625953:1632854301&cof=FORID:10&ie=UTF-8&q=" + encodeURI(str) + "&sa=Search"; // top.location.href = "/search/?searchType=" + search_type + "&searchQuery=" + escape(str) + "&id=1&cx=partner-pub-3457903570625953:1632854301&cof=FORID:10&ie=UTF-8&q=" + encodeURI(str) + "&sa=Search"; | http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-biometric-authentication-co-transmit-security-raises-40m-1001171645 |
A hammerhead shark-shaped robot. In Aquabot 2.0 is equipped with smart technology-fish, additional sensor (automatic on-off), electro-magn...
HEXBUG Aquabot 2.0 Angelfish An ornamental fish-shaped robot Angelfish or also known as Manfish. In Aquabot 2.0 is equipped with smart technology-fish, additional sens... | http://2r-he.blogspot.com/2008/09/bc-2018m-fingerprint-access-controller.html |
Corporate data leaks are the most dangerous threat to IT security today — a fact evidenced by industry development trends, company survey results, market analyses, and related studies.
Internal threats include any harmful actions with data that violate at least one of the fundamental principles of information security (integrity, availability, and confidentiality) and originate from within a company’s information system.
unauthorized installation of Wi-Fi network connections in order to extract confidential data printing important documents in order to remove hard copies from company premises.
These are just a few of the many different kinds of internal threats...
Industry-leading Antivirus Software.
Registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
The authors' opinions do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Kaspersky Lab. | http://www.securelist.com/en/threats/internal?chapter=99 |
Preamble: Quantum computers are strange beasts that we really haven't yet tamed to the point of usefulness. The theory that underpins them is abstract and mathematical, so any discussion of how they can be more efficient than classical computers will inevitably be long and involved. You'll need at least an undergraduate understanding of linear algebra and quantum mechanics to understand the details, but I'll try to convey my limited understanding!
The basic premise of quantum computation is quantum superposition. The idea is that a quantum system (such as a quantum bit, or qubit, the quantum analogue of a normal bit) can, as you say, exist not only in the 0 and 1 states (called the computational basis states of the system), but also in any combination of the two (so that each has an amplitude associated with it). When the system is observed by someone, the qubit's state collapses into one of its basis states (you may have heard of the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, which is related to this).
Because of this, a register of n qubits has 2^n basis states of its own (these are the states that you could observe the register being in; imagine a classical n-bit integer). Since the register can exist in a superposition of all these states at once, it is possible to apply a computation to all 2^n register states rather than just one of them. This is called quantum parallelism.
Because of this property of quantum computers, it may seem like they're a silver bullet that can solve any problem exponentially faster than a classical computer. But it's not that simple: the problem is that once you observe the result of your computation, it collapses (as I mentioned above) into the result of just one of the computations – and you lose all of the others.
The field of quantum computation/algorithms is all about trying work around this problem by manipulating quantum phenomena to extract information in fewer operations than would be possible on a classical computer. It turns out that it's very difficult to contrive a "quantum algorithm" that is faster than any possible classical counterpart.
The example you ask about is that of quantum cryptanalysis. It's thought that quantum computers might be able to "break" certain encryption algorithms: specifically, the RSA algorithm, which relies on the difficulty of finding the prime factors of very large integers. The algorithm which allows for this is called Shor's algorithm, which can factor integers with polynomial time complexity. By contrast the best classical algorithm for the problem has (almost) exponential time complexity, and the problem is hence considered "intractable".
If you want a deeper understanding of this, get a few books on linear algebra and quantum mechanics and get comfortable. If you want some clarification, I'll see what I can do!
Aside: to better understand the idea of quantum superposition, think in terms of probabilities. Imagine you flip a coin and catch it on your hand, covered so that you can't see it. As a very tenuous analogy, the coin can be thought of as being in a superposition of the heads and tails "states": each one has a probability of 0.5 (and, naturally, since there are two states, these probabilities add up to 1). When you take your hand away and observe the coin directly, it collapses into either the heads state or the tails state, and so the probability of this state becomes 1, while the other becomes 0. One way to think about it, I suppose, is a set of scales that is balanced until observation, at which point it tips to one side as our knowledge of the system increases and one state becomes the "real" state.
Of course, we don't think of the coin as a quantum system: for all practical purposes, the coin has a definite state, even if we can't see it. For genuine quantum systems, however (such as an individual particle trapped in a box), we can't think about it in this way. Under the conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics, the particle fundamentally has no definite position, but exists in all possible positions at once. Only upon observation is its position constrained in space (though only to a limited degree; cf. uncertainty principle), and even this is purely random and determined only by probability.
By the way, quantum systems are not restricted to having just two observable states (those that do are called two-level systems). Some have a large but finite number, some have a countably infinite number (such as a "particle in a box" or a harmonic oscillator), and some even have an uncountably infinite number (such as a free particle's position, which isn't constrained to individual points in space).
It's highly theoretical at this point. Quantum Bits might offer the capability to break encryption, but clearly it's not at that point yet.
At the Quantum Level, the laws that govern behavior are different than in the macro level.
To answer your question, you first need to understand how encryption works.
At a basic level, encryption is the result of multiplying two extremely large prime numbers together. This super large result is divisible by 1, itself, and these two prime numbers.
One way to break encryption is to brute force guess the two prime numbers, by doing prime number factorization.
This attack is slow, and is thwarted by picking larger and larger prime numbers. YOu hear of key sizes of 40bits,56bits,128bits and now 256,512bits and beyond. Those sizes correspond to the size of the number.
So you want to brute force try prime numbers; well that is going to take awhile with a single computer. So you might try grouping a bunch of computers together to divide and conquer. That works, but is still slow for very large keysizes.
How a quantum bit address this is that they are both 0 and 1 at the same time. So say you have 3 quantum bits (no small feat mind you).
The Wikipedia article does a very good job of explaining this.
In short, if you have N bits, your quantum computer can be in 2^N states at the same time. Similar conceptually to having 2^N CPU's processing with traditional bits (though not exactly the same).
Almost all our public-key encryptions (ex. RSA) are based solely on math, relying on the difficulty of factorization or discrete-logarithms. Both of these will be efficiently broken using quantum computers (though even after a bachelors in CS and Math, and having taken several classes on quantum mechanics, I still don't understand the algorithm).
However, hashing algorithms (Ex. SHA2) and symmetric-key encryptions (ex. AES), which are based mostly on diffusion and confusion, are still secure.
First of all, quantum computing is still barely out of the theoretical stage. Lots of research is going on and a few experimental quantum cells and circuits, but a "quantum computer" does not yet exist.
Second, read the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computer
In particular, "In general a quantum computer with n qubits can be in an arbitrary superposition of up to 2^n different states simultaneously (this compares to a normal computer that can only be in one of these 2^n states at any one time). "
What makes cryptography secure is the use of encryption keys that are very long numbers that would take a very, very long time to factor into their constituent primes, and the keys are sufficiently long enough that brute-force attempts to try every possible key value would also take too long to complete. Since quantum computing can (theoretically) represent a lot of states in a small number of qubit cells, and operate on all of those states simultaneously, it seems there is the potential to use quantum computing to perform brute-force try-all-possible-key-values in a very short amount of time. If such a thing is possible, it could be the end of cryptography as we know it.
quantum computers etc all lies. I dont believe these science fiction magazines.
in fact rsa system is based on two prime numbers and their multipilation. p1,p2 is huge primes p1xp2=N modulus.
electron mass is 9.10938291 × 10^-31 kilograms if we divide universe to electrons we can create 10^84 electrons.
electrons has slower speeds than light. its move frequency can be 10^26 if anybody produces electron size parallel rsa prime factor finders from all universe mass.
all universe can handle (10^84)*(10^26)= 10^110 numbers/per second.
rsa has limitles bits of alternative prime numbers. maybe 4096 bits 4096 bit rsa has 10^600 possible prime numbers to brute force.
so your universe mass quantum solver need to make tests during 10^500 years. rsa vs universe mass quantum computer
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Baidu-International 3.5.1.41473 PUP.Win32.Search.searchtnreporter.com
McAfee 5.600.0.1067 Win32.Application.Search.searchtnreporter.com | http://www.4-cybersecurity.com/pl/usun-search-searchtnreporter-com/ |
Gary Orenstein is Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden, leading the go-to-market efforts across customer success, marketing and sales.
Before Bitwarden, Orenstein served in executive marketing and product roles at enterprise infrastructure companies Yellowbrick Data and MemSQL, as well as flash memory pioneer Fusion-io, which went public during his tenure there. Earlier in his career, he led marketing at Compellent, which after its IPO was acquired by Dell.
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Stay in the know on the latest enterprise risk and security industry trends. | https://www.securitymagazine.com/authors/4161-gary-orenstein |
Creating a number value for the perceived state of cyber security isn’t an easy task but two highly respected security professionals have created just that. The Index of Cyber Security (ICS) is a new website and index to take the opinion of roughly 300 chief risk officers, Chief Information Security officers, academics and security firm chief scientists. This sentiment-based index created by Dan Geer and Mukul Pareek to measure the level of risk to business, government and education from a range of cyber security threats.
The index has only been in operation since April 2011 but has published two reports thus far. The index takes 15 sub-indices that measure everything from malware attacks to media and public perception. With the recent breaches at Micheals and Sony the index has been increasing. March 2011 is the baseline of 1000 for the index which is currently at 1043.2. These indices are published monthly to provide a reference of the state of cyber security for researchers, industry professionals, media, security product vendors and financial markets.
The creators Dan Geer and Mukul Pareek feel this will assess the level of risk in the market place and give a status for individual practitioners to compare their own threat level. The continued sharing of information of current risks between firms is helping to mitigate the problem as identified in the May 2011 report. Visit their website for more detail on the survey and how the index is calculated.
About the Creators
Dan Geer is the chief information security officer at In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
Mukul Pareek is a consultant with Strativis LLC and previously was a vice president at a major investment bank and a senior manager for a major accounting and consulting firm.
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We're here to help you in any way possible. | http://www.faronics.com/news/blog/index-of-cyber-security |
Keylogger Detector is an original solution, created to detect stealth monitoring software, both known and unknown.
The intelligent algorithm of Keylogger Detector is entirely based on specific behavior of key logging software. It doesn’t rely on threat signatures, like most of existing solutions – thus you don’t depend on regular signature updates to be protected.
Keylogger Detector is able to detect the newest, modified or custom-built keyloggers, which are not yet detectable by the antivirus software. the solution is based on expert knowledge of spy software behavior and is created by professionals in this area.
Haxf4rall is a collective, a good starting point and provides a variety of quality material for cyber security professionals.
Our primary focus revolves around the latest tools released in the Infosec community and provide a platform for developers to showcase their skillset and current projects. | https://haxf4rall.com/2019/08/11/keylogger-detector/ |
The market researchers at Canalys say that Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform experienced a whopping 277 percent market-share bump in Q2 2012, throwing cold water on claims that the Windows Phone 8 announcement would somehow stifle sales of current handsets. That growth is about 2.5 times the growth that market leader Android experienced in the same time period, and about 10 times the growth that Apple’s iPhone achieved.
Canalys reported that total Windows Phone handset sales in the quarter were 5.1 million units, up from 1.3 million in the same quarter a year ago. That was good for 3.2 percent of the market, up from 1.2 percent a year ago. Nokia sold about 80 percent of those Windows Phone devices, making it the dominant player among Windows Phone device makers.
Microsoft revealed in June that its forthcoming Windows Phone 8 update wouldn't be available as an upgrade for existing Windows Phone handsets, leading many anti-Microsoft bloggers and others to claim that the firm had “stabbed” Nokia in the back and screwed current users. Nokia, which obviously knew about this plan as long ago as last year, denied both claims and reported recently that sales of its Windows Phone-based Lumia devices actually grew in the wake of the Windows Phone 8 announcement. Of course, Windows Phone still accounts for a tiny share of the overall market for smartphones. And the heady growth rates we’re now seeing are possible only because of that fact. In this way, Windows Phone growth mirrors previous leaps made by Apple’s Mac in the PC industry. But that system still controls barely more than 5 percent of the market, despite years of generally outpacing the growth of the wider industry.
And the dominant platform, Google’s Android, has nothing to fear from Windows Phone, at least not yet. Android grew 110 percent in the quarter (year over year), and with 108 million units sold in the quarter—the first time Android devices surpassed 100 million units sold in that time frame—Google’s smartphone platform now accounts for 68 percent of the market.
Samsung, the world’s biggest maker of smartphones, continues its dominance over other firms. Samsung alone accounts for more than 31 percent of the market and sold 45 million Android-based devices in the quarter, Canalys says. (Other analysts have pegged the number at more than 50 million units.)
And if that’s not sobering enough for you, consider this: Research In Motion (RIM), which by all accounts is spiraling the drain, sold 8.5 million devices in the quarter. That’s about half again as many units as all Windows Phone handset makers combined. (That said, RIM’s market share is heading in the wrong direction; its year-over-year sales were down 32 percent.)
China is another issue. Canalys says that the most heavily populated country on Earth now accounts for 27 percent of total smartphone shipments and that Chinese handset makers are pushing out international players. Nokia sales in China fell 47 percent in the quarter, for example, and even Apple fell to fifth place among hardware vendors there. Android runs on over 81 percent of the smartphones sold in China in Q2 2012. | http://windowsitpro.com/print/windows/windows-phone-sales-surge |
Like any organisation, railways look to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, streamline operations, and improve the customer experience. Digitalisation has proven to be one of the most effective ways to achieve these goals.
Part of the motivation to quickly advance in the digital space comes from a need to not only compete with other railway companies, but also with the rest of the transportation sector – all in the name of improving operations, the customer experience, and appeasing environmental concerns.
Due to the volume of rail systems across signalling, IT, OT, IoT, rolling stock, communications, and more, the digitalisation potential is neverending. We can expect trains to eventually become completely autonomous and fully digital.
With convenience becoming more important than ever, passengers are showing a preference for rail rather than air travel. According to a 2022 survey by Opinium Research, two-thirds of business travellers from the UK to Europe prefer train travel, as do 77% of leisure passengers.
In addition, the European Green Deal, a wide-ranging stimulus package focused on sustainability, is estimated to include €87.5bn in investment related to rail infrastructure.
Threat actors have sufficient motivation to disrupt rail operations, from ransom extortion of freight and cargo carriers to nation-state attackers looking for media and political attention.
Digitalisation has expanded the attack surface in numerous ways.
Onboard Wi-Fi gives malicious actors a direct path into the OT network, which can result in opening doors when the cars are in motion; making the car hotter or colder by controlling the HVAC; tampering with the brake system and potentially causing a collision.
Third-party suppliers’ involvement in critical rail infrastructure puts the rail network at risk as these partners may have installed any volume of software and hardware over a decade or more, without the necessary update or patching.
There is currently no cybersecurity certification requirement for suppliers in the rail industry, in contrast to the automotive industry. In November 2022, the rail network in Denmark was forced to preventatively shut down when its cloud provider was breached.
Regular predictive and preventative maintenance procedures by OEMs have opened railways up to various vulnerabilities due to their direct connectivity to the rail network whether remotely through laptops or onsite through flash drives.
Reliance on GSM telecommunication protocols, which haven’t been updated in more than 20 years, create the simplest attack opening for remote hackers.
Cybersecurity: safety and security work in sync
New digital systems are being regularly deployed, increasing the vulnerabilities in the hardware, software, and other interdependent systems. Meanwhile, various parties are involved in ensuring rail integrity is maintained, including OEMs and regulatory authorities.
The challenge becomes how to monitor the security of those new systems without tampering with the safety and reliability of rail operations.
Digitalisation and cybersecurity must go hand-in-hand. To continue to progress and innovate while avoiding the risk of a cyberattack, railways need to take a measured, proactive approach.
A few key strategies include performing risk and vulnerability assessments, preparing a cybersecurity plan that aligns with the digitalization roadmap, having complete visibility over third-party integrations, implementing a solution that continuously monitors and detects threats in real-time, and that can guide you through an incident with an effective and measured remediation and response.
Strengthening security during the digitalisation process requires a very close look at all of the software and systems across the IT, OT, IoT, signalling, communications, rolling stock, and subsystem components.
One new development to reduce the risk of digitalisation is the adoption of a Zero-Trust cybersecurity model, where each component must “prove” it’s trustworthy before any information is shared.
While digitalisation of the rail sector shows no signs of stopping, due to the complexity of the rail infrastructure, it has introduced a substantial number of vulnerabilities that need to be assessed.
By proactively addressing these you are not only enabling greater innovation and digitalisation of the railway, but you are also simultaneously strengthening the security of your operations. | https://www.railway-technology.com/comment/cybersecurity-how-to-secure-complex-rail-networks-from-digital-threats/ |
Macy’s Retail Holdings LLC won the trimming of several claims in a proposed biometric privacy class action in Illinois federal court, but must still face the bulk of the suit.
Claims that Macy violated California’s Unfair Competition Law and committed unjust enrichment are axed, but other claims related to its purchase and use of facial scans may proceed, Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman wrote in an opinion filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. | https://bnanews202.bna.com/privacy-and-data-security/macys-trims-clearview-privacy-suit-but-must-face-most-claims |
If you don’t know what those last two terms mean, consider checking out our Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT review for higher-level talk about RDNA’s benefits, or the excellent Gamers Nexus interview with chip analyst David Kanter embedded below. But if you can wrap your brain around highly technical GPU talk, grab a coffee and settle in. It’s a fun read, and a glimpse into Radeon’s future.
“Thanks to AMD’s wide influence and extensive partnerships, the RDNA architecture will roll out and eventually touch nearly every part of the industry,” the whitepaper concludes. “The RDNA family will ultimately grow to include power-constrained smartphone and tablet processors, gaming consoles, cloud gaming services, and a full spectrum of gaming GPUs from low-cost to the highest performance, bringing the benefits of the RDNA architecture to millions of devices and people across the planet.”
You can download the RDNA whitepaper (PDF) on AMD’s website. | https://www.pcworld.com/article/397933/amd-rdna-graphics-architecture-whitepaper-reveals-the-radeon-rx-5700s-deepest-secrets.html |
Network Monitoring and Controlling Software are exclusively designed for monitoring and controlling systems/users present in a Local Area Network of an organization. NMCS is a client server based system and utilizes the possibilities of Remote Method Invocation (RMI). NMCS is designed in such a way that the administrator can monitor and control the systems present in the network. There are two levels of privileges viz. administrator and user.. In the proposed system each user is provided with a unique Id and password. The system maintains a database of this information’s. The user can change their password, if required.
The PC Controlling module displays the remote PC's desktop on the screen of your local PC just like a surveillance camera. The remote connection could be established on LAN. In this module the administrator can view all the PC’s in his Office with details of the user logged in. The administrator and users/staffs can chat or send private messages to a particular staff. Similarly an user can send messages to another user with the administrators permission Remote Power Management allows you to ON, shutdown and restart remote computers. Administrator can send a common message like meeting or asking to logoff the system for some particular reason, something like that to all Online Users or Administrator can select particular users and send the common message to them. | http://2k8618.blogspot.com/2012/02/network-monitoring-and-controlling.html |
With over 250,000 new malicious programs being detected every day, there’s no shortage of dangerous threats lurking in the cyber world. And as millions of companies and individuals alike discover each year, the cost of a malware infection has never been higher. That’s why it’s so important to stay protected with the best antivirus solutions of 2018.
Antivirus software is designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from your computer. It can also protect you from phishing attacks, identity theft, and other online threats. But with so many antivirus solutions on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you.
What to Look for in an Antivirus Solution
When choosing an antivirus solution, there are several factors to consider. First, you’ll want to make sure the software is compatible with your operating system. You’ll also want to make sure it offers real-time protection, which means it will scan your computer for threats as they arise. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure the software is regularly updated to protect against the latest threats.
Are you looking for the best antivirus solutions of 2018? Look no further! Our guide to the best antivirus solutions of 2018 will help you find the perfect security solution for your needs. We'll cover the top antivirus solutions, their features, and how to choose the best one for you. We'll also provide helpful tips on how to protect your computer from viruses and malware, and how to restore files from a password encrypted flash drive . Finally, we'll show you how to paste a snip on a mac .
You’ll also want to make sure the software is easy to use. Look for an antivirus solution that offers a user-friendly interface and clear instructions. Finally, you’ll want to make sure the software is affordable. Many antivirus solutions offer free versions, but these may not offer the same level of protection as paid versions.
With so many malicious programs being detected every day, it’s important to stay protected with the best antivirus solutions of 2018. Make sure to choose an antivirus solution that is compatible with your operating system, offers real-time protection, is regularly updated, is easy to use, and is affordable. The three antivirus solutions listed above are some of the best options available in 2018.
For more information about antivirus solutions, check out PCMag's guide to the best antivirus software of 2018 and CNET's guide to the best antivirus software of 2018 . | https://ham-dmr.at/guide-to-the-latest-and-best-antivirus-solutions-of-2018 |
We've been getting a few scenario variations around this topic recently, so I thought it was worth sharing a few of the different resources that will help you to make the right decision. There are two different parts to this conversation, the first is selling a perpetual licence (e.g. Office 2016) versus a subscription (e.g. Office 365 Business). The second one that gets raised when dealing with price sensitive customers is why sell the commercial versions (e.g. Office 365 Business) versus the cheaper consumer options (e.g. Office 365 Home).
Let's start with the elephant in the room. If you are selling to a commercial entity, you shouldn't be selling them consumer versions of Office - subscription or perpetual licenses. Most have us have seen the "Non-commercial" message in the Office apps at some point, and if you need to point this out to someone, point them to the Requirements section where it explicitly lists Non-commercial use for the following versions of Office
One of the things that we often raised is that the once off acquisition of the perpetual version of Office can be a simpler purchase and appear cheaper in the long term, but there are a few things you need to be aware of that the perpetual license doesn't provide, let's go through some of these now.
First up, you get the version of Office you purchase, with the feature set it was released with. Meanwhile, those with a subscription are provided with new functionality in an ongoing manner. This means that several years in to the purchase the disparity gets larger and larger. Initially this is just a feature difference, but it becomes more critical over time.
What do I mean by that? It has already been announced that on October 13, 2020 that Office 365 services will require the latest version of Office perpetual or a currently support Office 365 subscription release. From the blog post Office 365 ProPlus updates...
Office 365 ProPlus or Office perpetual in mainstream support required to connect to Office 365 services. Office 365 ProPlus will deliver the best experience, but for customers who aren’t ready to move to the cloud by 2020, we will also support connections from Office perpetual in mainstream support.
Applies to Office 365 commercial services only. This update does not change our system requirements or support policies for the Office perpetual clients, Office perpetual clients connecting to on-premises servers, or any consumer services.
More than three years’ notice. We’re providing more than three years’ notice to give IT time to plan and budget for this change. Until this new requirement goes into effect in 2020, Office 2010, Office 2013 and Office 2016 perpetual clients will still be able to connect to Office 365 services.
This is a conversation I normally need to have with partners and customers who are trying to do a mix and match of perpetual software installs on the client with online subscriptions. My view is that it's easier to go down the path of incremental updates that a subscription would provide, rather than having to do a major upgrade and introduce all of the new functionality to users in one go, while trying to make sure the timing doesn't cause disconnection from online services.
The other benefit this ties in to is that when you get an Office 365 commercial subscription that includes the online services and the desktop application installs, the functionality is matched between them to give the best result, eg. Office 365 ProPlus, included with an Office 365 E3 Plan, includes a version of Outlook that supports online archive access. Trying to mix an Office 365 Business subscription, or one of the consumer Office editions, with the appropriate Exchange Online plan won't give you this functionality.
What else do you get with the subscription versions that makes them worthwhile? Let's start with the consumer versions. You can see the full details here, but the highlights with the Office 365 Home subscription is 5 users can install Office, which include Publisher and Access as a minimum advantage over the perpetual versions. You also get 1TB of OneDrive storage per user (so 5 x 1TB in total), as well as some Skype credit. You also get the full functionality of the Office mobile apps on iOS and Android as well for those users. The Office 365 Personal cuts the price a bit, but only 1 install for one user, and one phone and one tablet mobile app install is covered.
If you are selling to price sensitive business customers, ways you can position the Office 365 Business and Office 365 Business plans to them is with some of the following information. The difference between these two plans is mostly focused on the inclusion of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Yammer with the Premium offering, making it a great start for those looking for an all in one cloud based productivity and collaboration solution. Additional functionality is being rolled in to this offering at the moment, including Microsoft Planner and Microsoft StaffHub, with more apps in the pipeline.
This post is already a bit longer than expected, so I'll cut it off here, and more than likely do a part 2 where I cover some of the questions/concerns this post raises.
Note that if any of the above information conflicts with licensing agreements, which can and do change over time, that the licensing agreement overrides anything in this post. | https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/ausoemteam/2017/11/30/choosing-the-right-office-version-for-your-customers/ |
Data protection is about your fundamental right to privacy.
The office of the Data Protection Commissioner is established under the 1988 Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Amendment Act, 2003, updated the legislation, implementing the provisions of EU Directive 95/46. The Acts set out the general principle that individuals should be in a position to control how data relating to them is used.
The Data Protection Commissioner is responsible for upholding the rights of individuals as set out in the Acts, and enforcing the obligations upon data controllers. The Commissioner is appointed by Government and is independent in the exercise of his or her functions. Individuals who feel their rights are being infringed can complain to the Commissioner, who will investigate the matter, and take whatever steps may be necessary to resolve it. | http://lexlar4schools.weebly.com/data-protection-commissioner-ireland.html |
The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) for 2015 analyzed 79,790 security events and found that 2,122 were confirmed breaches. In contrast, the 2014 report was based on data from 63,437 security incidents, of which 1,367 were confirmed breaches.
This data shows that the volume of data breaches has risen, but the techniques used by attackers has remained mostly the same. The analysis found that 99.9 percent of the vulnerabilities in 2014 had been compromised more than a year after the associated CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) was published.
The report also found that while mobile is a concern, mobile exploitation was not necessarily an issue in 2014. Finally, the report found that when organizations are exploited, the cost of the data breach varies by a wide range, based in part on the number of records stolen. For example, a million-record loss can range from $57,600 all the way up to $27.5 million. | https://securitytoday.com/articles/2015/04/22/verizon-data-breach-study-finds-olds-flaws-still-dangerous.aspx |
In 2019, human error remains one of cloud security’s weakest links.
Through 2022, at least 95% of cloud security failures will be on the fault of the organisation - not the cloud platform itself - according to Gartner Research.
In the past two years, cybercriminals have increasingly taken advantage of widespread human error in infrastructure configurations, particularly the cloud, to launch successful zero-day attacks. A report by IBM X-Force revealed misconfigured cloud infrastructure and servers on the part of its administrators was the reason for exposure of nearly 70% of compromised records.
Why such a high figure? The simple fact is savvy cyber criminals are cottoning on to a rising number of poorly configured cloud servers, resulting in a 424% increase in data breaches through this avenue, with financial services suffering 27% of attacks across all business sectors.
It’s a confronting set of statistics, backed up by several recent high-profile data breaches that demonstrate even with the cloud’s proven security benefits, it’s up to the organisation to enforce security best practices and standards if they don’t want their data - and customers’ data - at risk.
Cloud security is as much on the business as it is the provider
Traditional discussion around improving cloud and IT security has historically been focused on the security of the cloud technology itself.
However, in 2019 and beyond, that can no longer be the case.
For Australian organisations that contributed to the $10.7 billion spent on cloud security services last year, research giants such as Gartner identify the new security challenge to overcome to successfully avoid data breaches isn’t around the technology, but about having the right processes and the people in place to effectively use it.
While the conversation around the many security benefits and features offered by providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services is always important to have, it’s not the only one - and certainly the least challenging roadblock in your ongoing digital transformation journey.
We recommend organisations take a more proactive assessment of their own capabilities in effectively controlling and managing the many policies and mechanisms for data protection provided by cloud platforms - rather than solely relying on the provider’s security capabilities to ensure their data - and customer data - remains secure..
According to Gartner, 60% of enterprises that took the time to assess and leverage the many cloud control and visibility tools offered in platforms like Azure to strengthen their identity and security capabilities in 2018 experienced one-third fewer failures in these areas.
Meanwhile, businesses hosting their data workloads on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with public cloud providers like Microsoft Azure suffered 60% less cloud-based security incidents than those hosting sensitive data in on-premises data-centres.
With these organisations centering their efforts on mastering the many monitoring and security tools available to them on the platform rather than relying on the cloud provider for protection, they became overall less of a target for opportunistic hackers and general data theft. All of this is underpinned by the shared responsibility model.
What is the cloud shared responsibility model?
Maintaining and securing databases, training security experts, and learning the in's and out's of various security tools is both complex and time-consuming.
Cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure offer proven benefits that help organisations reduce or otherwise eliminate many of these challenges with built-in security controls, governance and cost-effective tools, By shifting certain responsibilities to Azure, such as infrastructure maintenance, governance and monitoring, this allows businesses to simultaneously move their security budget resources elsewhere in the business, while still improving their overall security coverage with the backing of Microsoft Cloud.
However, it's important to understand in order to close your potential cloud security gaps completely, you need to better acknowledge what the provider is responsible for and what the cloud customer is responsible for. Both Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services define this as the shared responsibility model.
Image via: Microsoft
Think of Microsoft as the foundation of your data's physical, infrastructure and operational security. The company protects its datacenters with state-of-the-art technology; it continuously monitors and tests its hardware, firmware and hardware; and it has several security teams that focus on mitigating security risks across the cloud platform.
In essence, cloud providers like Microsoft are responsible for the security of the cloud.
As the customer, your business is responsible for protecting the security of your data in the cloud and the parts of the cloud service you control, which include accounts, access and identity management, data governance and rights management, client endpoints and stored data.
For full-proof cloud security, your business needs to take the time to take responsibility over the ideas of cloud security offered by the provider - of which there are numerous tools to support this.
The built-in cloud security controls that protect our data
Cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure provide the highest level of data protection for all of our hosted workloads in several ways - but even so require us to follow security best practices to fully leverage its capabilities. Here’s a brief breakdown of the best in-built security features that your organisation needs to get acquainted with.
At-rest data encryption: Azure provides the highest standard of encryption and several tools for organisations to take advantage of, including Azure Key Vault (for password encryption), Azure Disk Encryption (for VM encryption) and Azure Storage Service Encryption (for storage account encryption). It’s up to the business to make sure data stored in Azure is properly encrypted to the standards of the both the organisation and legal compliance frameworks.
Identity and access: Azure Active Directory (AAD) is a multi-tenant cloud-based directory and identity management service that combines all core directory services, application access management and identity protection into one platform for Azure, Office 365, and hundreds of other SaaS, PaaS and on-premises cloud services. It’s up to the organisation to employ AAD’s in-built capabilities, such as Azure Multi-Factor Authentication, Conditional Access, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Single Sign-On (SSO) to ensure access to data is granted only to those who need it and are stringently authorised to do so.
Monitoring and tracking: Azure Monitor (AM) is a cloud-based, end-to-end monitoring solution that allows businesses to collect granular performance and utilisation data from both their cloud and on-premises resources, and analyse and act on that data to proactively prevent and solve issues. It is accessed via Azure Portal and is the best tool to monitor active subscriptions and environments.
Network security: Azure virtual networks (VNet) provide businesses with the foundation for a highly secure network, but require proactive management on the organisation’s part to configure access rules using the inbuilt Network and Application Security Groups, and extend on-premises networks to their cloud environments using secure site-to-site VPN or a dedicated Azure ExpressRoute connection.
Unified security management: Azure Security Center helps detect, prevent and respond to security threats and offers increased visibility into and control over the security of all Azure environments. It gives a detailed glance on the security state of all resources in Azure; to get the most out of it, organisations must set security policies for resources and leverage its advanced threat detection, threat intelligence map and best practices recommendations from Microsoft to guide continuous and consistent threat response.
While this well-deserved reputation and consistent adherence to global standards brings peace-of-mind on their ability to provide world-class cloud security, it’s still absolutely the organisation’s responsibility to take ownership over their customer’s data and privacy - and that they also adhere to these important legal frameworks.
Providers like Azure make it clear that customer data ownership is on us, not them; they don’t approve, inspect or monitor any of our business-critical applications we deploy to Azure, meaning they don’t know what data we choose to store in the cloud or how we choose to utilise their inbuilt identity, security and monitoring tools. If compliance breaches occur through our apps, organisations must better examine their own processes to determine what went wrong.
With increasingly complex legal and regulatory legislation being introduced in response to customer data breaches, the most recent being Australia’s Notifiable Data Breaches Act (NDB), it only drives the point home further that businesses - particularly in highly regulated industries such as FSI - must maintain ownership and control over their customer’s data privacy, always remain aware of new changes and comply with the latest requirements to the best of their ability.
Cloud security can no longer be viewed as solely the responsibility of the cloud provider's anymore - you must proactively approach this issue and evaluate current practices.
It’s important to acknowledge shared accountability of our own data protection and security in the cloud and proactively take action to improve it - whether it be with better trained staff, or a deeper examination of underutilised tools available to you - to avoid becoming another data breach statistic due to misconfiguration or oversight.
Data is both the lifeblood of a business and a potential management challenge, but its security is always manageable - so long as you know your own important role in following best practices. In short, let the provider handle overall security of the cloud - you focus on ensuring data remains secure within it, using the tools at your disposal..
Download Xello’s free white paper on Azure Identity & Security for a more in-depth dive into the many cloud security capabilities of Microsoft of Azure - and how your business can better protect your data by following best practices. | https://xo.xello.com.au/blog/cloud-security-protects-your-data-if-you-pull-your-weight |
Alleged cryptocurrency money launderer Denis Mihaqlovic Dubnikov made his first appearance in the Oregon U.S. District Court yesterday, the Department of Justice announced. This week, the 29-year-old Russian citizen was extradited from the Netherlands to the United States to face charges related to a ransomware laundering scheme.
The ruse included Ryuk ransomware attacks that targeted individuals and organizations in the United States and other countries. The case alleged that Dubnikov and his accomplices were involved in the 2019 money laundering scheme, which collected $70 million in ransom from victims. Prosecutors accused Dubnikov of being directly responsible for gathering $400,000 in revenue.
The Ryuk family of ransomware was first identified in 2018. Cybercriminals used the software to attack thousands of victims worldwide. When implemented on computers and networks, the ransomware program was capable of encrypting files and deleting system backups. It worked by gaining access to storage drives within and externally connected to the computer, as well as drives remotely connected to the computer’s network.
After gaining access, Ryuk held the victim’s system or files hostage while criminals demanded ransom payments. According to Malwarebytes, typical ransom amounts could be a few hundred thousand dollars. Ryuk cybercriminals used phishing emails to target high-profile organizations.
Authorities announced in 2020 that criminals using Ryuk were attacking many different industries, but U.S. hospitals and health care providers were at greater risk of being targeted. The Justice Department’s Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force worked on investigating Dubnikov and his alleged co-conspirators.
After collecting the ransom payments from victims, Dubnikov and his accomplices allegedly used the funds for international financial transactions. These transactions were intended to cover up the crime by hiding the source, location, and other identifying information that could reveal Ryuk and its cybercriminals.
Authorities detained Dubnikov in the Netherlands in November 2021, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The outlet stated that Dubnikov’s U.S.-based lawyer Arkady Bukh said his client denied the charges and that all of his cryptocurrency exchanges complied with the law.
Dubnikov’s five-day trial is scheduled to begin in October. If he is found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. | https://clarion.causeaction.com/2022/08/18/alleged-russian-ransomware-money-launderer-extradited-from-the-netherlands-to-the-us/ |
NASA confirmed this week that a computer on the International Space Station is infected with a virus. (See "Houston, we have a virus" at The Register.)
The malicious software is called W32.TGammima.AG, and technically it's a worm. The interesting point, other than how NASA could let this happen, is the way the worm spreads--on USB flash drives.
Randy Abrams, director of technical education at ESET, alerted me about this. Touching on both interesting points, he said:
To start with, no computer going into space should have autorun enabled. Simply disabling autorun would have almost certainly rendered the worm inert. Given that age of the worm, and its low risk ranking, it is probable that current (antivirus) software was not being used either.
(Credit: NASA)
Malicious software spread by USB flash drives and other removable media takes advantage of a questionable design decision by Microsoft. Windows is very happy to run a program automatically when a USB flash drive is inserted into a PC. How convenient, both for end users and for bad guys.
Abrams blogged about this back in December, and I wrote about it in March. In that posting, I described how to disable autorun for Windows XP and Windows 2000 and I just revised it to include Vista.
In his December blog, Abrams writes, "Fundamentally, there are two types of readers here. The first type will disable autorun and be more secure. The second type will eventually be victims."
Don't be a victim, disable autorun (also known as autoplay) for all devices. It may be a bit inconvenient going forward, but to me, the added safety is well worthwhile. | https://www.malwareremoval.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=34307 |
We are excited to finally announce our extended partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS)! We’ve teamed together to give you fine-grained, risk-based authorization, combining the capabilities of Amazon Verified Permissions and Transmit Security Detection and Response Services. In this article, we’ll explain what this means for you and why it’s a significant step for enforcing least privilege access — core to the zero trust motto, ‘Never trust. Always verify.’
We’ve been collaborating for months, leading up to the AWS announcement of Amazon Verified Permissions, a prebuilt permissions system that simplifies policy-based access control (PBAC) and is flexible enough to address advanced authorization requirements for custom applications. Verified Permissions enables fine-grained authorization that’s highly effective for determining who has access to what.
Without the right tools, managing and securing account access can feel like navigating a landmine of risk. After all, you have millions of customer accounts, each with its own set of permissions and authorization requirements. Updating these permissions to meet regulations and security requirements is a constant challenge. Hard-coded authorizations are especially difficult to manage.
Amazon Verified Permissions solves these challenges, making it easy to create and manage granular policies. But an access decision is not always a clear ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ How do you know if an account has been taken over or compromised? Is it really your customer who logged in to begin with?
To answer these questions, you need fine-grained risk-based authorization, and it’s why AWS and Transmit Security are working together to deliver risk-based authorization that’s able to assess the full context of an access request with respect to user activities in the current and previous sessions. In this post, we’ll explain how our solution gives you that context, so you can feel confident in those ‘Yes’ decisions.
Thanks to our collaborative efforts, Transmit Security services now integrate with Amazon Verified Permissions to externalize authorization and monitor risk, triggering the right access decisions in real time. Transmit Security Detection and Response Service collects and analyzes over 100 signals at all times to determine risk and trust across the full identity lifecycle.
The fraud orchestration layer of Detection and Response Services correlates the data and applies machine learning to evaluate telemetry and assess risk and trust access requests. The risk decision requires knowledge of the individual customer’s typical behavior and devices — as a baseline for comparison. If risk appears when a request should otherwise be authorized, the solution conditionally prompts the user to re-authenticate or verify their identity.
Even if a specific account is eligible to take certain actions, it’s possible for the account to be taken over. At this point, those deterministic checks must be strengthened with additional dynamic risk assessments that weigh the full context and analyze telemetry.
To make the best access decisions in real time, you need both risk-based (dynamic) and fine-grained (deterministic) authorization. By joining forces, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Transmit Security have created the next generation of risk-based, fine-grained authorization. | https://transmitsecurity.com/blog/amazon-web-service-and-transmit-security-extend-partnership-to-deliver-fine-grained-risk-based-authorization |
Shapiro's thought processes mirror the thinking on social force accounting of Rajesh Uttangi, who in 2004 prepared a white paper called Social Dimensions to Architecting Software Systems for Project Perfect. In his paper, Uttangi, a specialist with the Rational Competency focus group, Talent Transformation, Wipro Technologies, writes:
Alistair Cockburn in a paper titled On the Interaction of Social Issues and Software Architecture says "It has long been said, 'Architecture follows Organization' and 'Organization follows Architecture' . Architects do not like being told their clean design is a result of accounting for social forces. Project managers do not use their knowledge of social issues to influence architecture. Yet it is clear that social issues affect the software architecture in ways that the good architect takes into account."
Throughout the development cycle, architecture involves many aspects - business strategy, technical infrastructure, competitiveness, data and above all, delivering value to the stakeholders like the users, developers, managers and the architecture team itself. While the interests of the user community are well understood and religiously protected, the other stakeholders don't find so much support from the architecture. Because still they are expected to work for realizing the architecture and not use it as a tool to come up with a good system, bringing their own expertise to bear.
In complex systems, no one person covers the full breadth of technical expertise required to properly inform the architectural decisions, and lend credibility to the architecture, he notes. That suggests the need for a system definition that can represent the interests of different organizations. The architects on the team represent knowledge of the products of their organizational group (project, division and so on) as well as the relative priorities of their system requirements (organizational goals, and product functionality and qualities). Architects cannot exist and work in isolation from the rest of the organization.
But frequently the challenge for the architecture team is not to create an architecture that is "as if of one mind" - that is, having the quality of integrity - but to create one at all. Many times it is even difficult to be able to orchestrate the minimal conditions required to complete the job. The reasons for settling for such a substandard work product are the difficulties on the social front - being able to sell the "vision" to the team, acceptable distribution of roles and responsibilities, common levels of understanding about what is to be done, timely communication and separation of concerns, et cetera. The trickiest ones are common understanding and communication.
Philippe Kruchten says that "the practice of architecture is a long and rapid succession of sub-optimal decisions, mostly made in partial light". Architecture projects are, by their very nature, ventures into uncharted territory and especially fraught with competing ideas on which direction to take. Without obtaining a consensus and solid leadership, indecision is like[ly] to reign.
While there is hardly any need to highlight the technical issues associated with architecture, the social aspects that continue to have ever-increasing influence cannot be ignored, Uttangi asserts. There is no doubt that there are team members who feel used, left out or ill-treated in almost all projects, particularly when the question of their involvement in the system's architecture comes.
"The problems are exacerbated by ever-growing size of teams, integration of cultures and faster turnover rates, increasing complexity and cross-technology interoperability concerns. If issues of stakeholder involvement, assimilation of ideas, recognizing contributions and mutual support issues are systematically, yet informally addressed, results can be pleasantly surprising," Uttangi states in his conclusion. | https://www.cio.com.au/article/180985/ea_dna_way/?pp=3 |
Cyber Security Service – A Beginner’s Guide A recent Eurobarometer survey showed some comparatively alarming numbers. First, that 74% of those quizzed, and that around 10% of all European net users had experienced online fraud or identity theft in certain sort considered cybercrime to be an ‘raising threat’. Second, that only just over 50% had some type of antivirus software and that e-mails would open from addresses they failed to understand.
McAffe, in another study, has lately printed an inventory of what it considers to be the leading online risks in the forthcoming year. Amongst the dangers, it mentions workers of companies being targeted as ‘doorways’ previous security and much more complex viruses made to steal banking information. This, coupled together with the findings of the Eurbarometer survey, presents a threat that is stressing to European citizens. If those quizzed failed to take moves to safeguard themselves, and yet were conscious of the inherent dangers presented by the world wide web, then there are just a few potential reasons why. That they didn’t feel endangered by cybercrime, yet, given the 10% that had been casualties of offenses that are said, it’s not likely that is a principle that is universal. The next chance is that there’s a widespread lack of knowledge in regards to protection. The research found that even the simplest of security protocols were being blown off, so we shall therefore analyze some blue coat systems security strategies for the beginner.
Antivirus applications – While your operating system of choice may have built in applications for working with risks that are specific, with no complete, dedicated antivirus program installed, it could be tough to get often-updated protection against the ever changing universe of viruses. Many such applications are available cheaply, and charge an annual fee, but then there are a lot of reputable suppliers using a totally free version in their merchandise in the event you are unable to manage them. Any protection is preferable to no protection. | http://thendrc.org/cyber-security-service-a-beginners-guide/ |
When you restart your computer, folder shares on iSCSI (Internet SCSI) disk devices are NOT recreated.
This behavior occurs because the iSCSI Initiator service is not initialized prior to the Server service. | https://www.itprotoday.com/compute-engines/jsi-tip-8602-your-folder-shares-iscsi-devices-are-not-re-created-when-you-restart |
Historically, employers have utilized health risk assessments (HRAs) as one measurement tool in wellness program design. The main goals of an HRA are to assess individual health status and risk and provide feedback to participants on how to manage risk. Employers have traditionally relied on this type of assessment to evaluate the overall health risk of their population in order to develop appropriate wellness strategies.
Recently, there has been a shift away from the use of HRAs. According to the 2016 UBA Health Plan Survey, there has been a 4 percent decline in the percentage of employer wellness programs using HRAs. In contrast, the percentage of wellness programs offering biometric screens or physical exams remains unchanged – 68 percent of plans where employers provide wellness offer a physical exam or biometric screening.
One explanation for this shift away from HRAs is an increased focus on helping employees improve or maintain their health status through outcome-based wellness programs, which often require quantifiable and objective data. The main issue with an HRA is that it relies on self-reported data, which may not give an accurate picture of individual or population health due to the fact that people tend to be more optimistic or biased when thinking about their own health risk. A biometric screening or physical exam, on the other hand, allows for the collection of real-time, objective data at both the individual and population level.
Including a biometric screening or physical exam as part of a comprehensive wellness program can be beneficial for both the employer and employees. Through a biometric screening or physical exam, key health indicators related to chronic disease can be measured and tracked over time, including blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, hemoglobin, or body mass index (BMI). For employees, this type of data can provide real insight into current or potential health risks and provide motivation to engage in programs or resources available through the wellness program. Beyond that, aggregate data collected from these types of screenings can help employers make informed decisions about the type of wellness programs that will provide the greatest value to their company, both from a population health and financial perspective.
One success story of including a physical exam as part of a wellness program comes from one of our small manufacturing clients. From the initial population health report, the company learned that there was a large percentage of its population with little to no health data, resulting in the inability to assign a risk score to those individuals. It is important to note that when a population is not utilizing health care, it can result in late-stage diagnoses, resulting in greater costs and a burden for both the employee and employer. In addition, there was low physical compliance and a high percentage of adults with no primary care provider. In order to capture more information on its population and better understand the current health risks, the company shifted its wellness plan to include annual physicals as a method for collecting biometric data for the 2016 benefit year. Employees and spouses covered on the plan were required to complete an annual physical and submit biometric data in order to earn additional incentive dollars.
By including annual physicals in its wellness program, positive results were seen for employees and spouses and the company was able to make an informed decision about next steps for its wellness program. After the first physical collection period, the percentage of individuals with little to no information was reduced from 31 percent to 16 percent (Figure A). Annual physical compliance increased from 36 percent in 2015 to over 80 percent in 2016 (Figure B), which means more individuals were seeing a primary care provider. As a result of increased biometric data collection and one year of Vital Incite reporting, the company was able to determine next steps, which included addressing chronic condition management, specifically hypertension and diabetes, with health coaching or a disease management nurse.
Employers that are still interested in collecting additional information from employees may consider including alternatives to the HRA, such as culture or satisfaction surveys. These tools can allow employers the opportunity to evaluate program engagement and further understand the needs and wants of their employee population.
Originally published by www.ubabenefits.com | https://fairmountbenefits.com/2016/11/30/the-shift-away-from-health-risk-assessments-pa-benefit-advisors/ |
This is a guest post by Andy Davies, an exceedingly affable independent web performance consultant. -Editor
In early 2015, HTTP/2 (a.k.a. h2) was finally approved as a standard, and it’s now widely supported by modern browsers, servers, load-balancers, and CDNs.
Usage has been growing steadily since, and today 26% of traffic on Akamai’s CDN is HTTP/2.
But unfortunately, as is very common with the adoption of new standards, there are gaps in some HTTP/2 implementations.
Of particular note, the priority in which resources are downloaded in certain implementations can be an area of concern. As the filmstrip-style visual below illustrates, prioritizing resources correctly can make a massive difference in page load time (and, of course, visitor experience).
The first row shows a test page loaded from a site using the Akamai CDN, and the second row shows the same page loaded via another service. Each “frame” represents a half-second of load time, starting at 0.0.
As you can see, the Akamai page loads much faster (1 second for Akamai vs. 4 seconds for the other service). This significant performance difference is due to the way that Akamai effectively prioritizes the download of resources.
Filmstrip illustrating the performance benefits of Akamai’s (top) HTTP/2 prioritization. Both pages were tested with WebPageTest in the Dulles VA USA test location, using Chrome 71 and the Cable network profile.
To understand why effective prioritization is so important, we need to take a look at how browsers load pages; more specifically, we need to look at how they request resources from a server.
How browsers prioritize downloads
Modern web pages are made up of many resources―stylesheets, scripts, fonts, images, etc.―and some of these are critical to rendering a page.
Originally, browsers downloaded the resources in the order they appeared in the HTML document. As part of the never-ending search for speed, browser engineers soon discovered that prioritizing some resources over others made pages load faster. Today, all modern browsers use heuristic prioritization rules to determine the order in which requests should be made.
These prioritization rules vary between browsers, but they generally aim to prioritize the download of anything that will, if absent, prevent the page from rendering. So, for example, they’ll download stylesheets and scripts before images; resources referenced in the <head> of a page before those in the <body>; etc.
NOTE: These rules change over time, and they’re quite nuanced. If you’d like to learn more about the rules and their nuances, Ben Schwarz wrote an excellent article on resource prioritization called “The Critical Request”.
Once the browser starts to discover the resources it needs to complete page, and once it has assigned them priorities, it needs to fetch them, and the mechanism for this varies between HTTP/1.x and HTTP/2.
Over HTTP/1.1, the browser controls the priority of the requests and ‘drip-feeds’ them to the server. It creates a pool of TCP connections to an origin and then issues the requests in priority order. When a resource finishes downloading and a TCP connection becomes free, the connection is then re-used for the next request in the priority queue.
As the browser continues to parse the HTML page and discover more resources, the requests for them can just be inserted at the appropriate position in the priority queue so they’ll be downloaded in turn.
HTTP/2, on the other hand, only uses a single TCP connection between the browser and the origin. This approach is quite different from the TCP-pool method of HTTP/1.1, as each request/response forms a stream that’s divided into frames and multiplexed over the connection.
With HTTP/2, the browser is no longer constrained by the number of TCP connections available; instead it makes requests as it discovers resources, specifies a priority as part of the request, and relies on the server to return the response data in the appropriate order (the browser can update the priority of a request once it’s in flight, and the server can also override the priority too).
So the browser becomes dependent on the server for prioritization.
NOTE: If you’d like to learn more about the difference between HTTP/1.x and HTTP/2, Stefan Baumgartner beautifully illustrates it in the introduction of his article, “The Best Request Is No Request, Revisited”.
Handling late-discovered resources
While the browser can discover many of the resources it needs while parsing the HTML, there are some resources that can’t be discovered during this phase. For example, fonts and background images are only discovered when the styles that use them are applied to the document, and any resources added using JavaScript aren’t discovered until the script actually executes.
Some of these late-discovered resources may also be a higher priority than those that were discovered by the HTML parsers; fonts are one example of this, as browsers will generally block text rendering until they have the font specified.
Under HTTP/1.x, these newly discovered high-priority resources can be inserted into the appropriate position in the browser’s download queue, and they’ll be fetched when a connection becomes available.
But with HTTP/2, the browser may have already made multiple lower priority requests, and it’s now relying on the server to switch from the lower priority requests to the newly discovered higher priority ones.
The industry has long known that there were differences among HTTP/2 implementations and that some servers supported prioritisation more effectively than others.
Nevertheless, until recently, being able to differentiate the ‘well behaved’ servers (i.e., servers which effectively support prioritisation) from ‘poorly behaved’ ones has relied on being able to use low-level tools such as Wireshark. However, in the summer of 2018, WebPageTest added the ability to view when frames were actually being transferred across each stream, and this development made it far easier to identify issues and to determine which servers are ‘well behaved’.
In addition, Pat Meenan (the creator of WebPageTest) built a test case that allows developers to check how servers behaved when higher priority requests arrived after lower priority ones.
Pat’s test page contains multiple low priority images that the browser will discover quickly, and then some other higher priority resources―font, background image, and script―that are discovered later.
Ideally, the server will switch from sending the lower priority resources to sending the higher ones when it receives the request for them.
Unfortunately, as the filmstrip at the start of the post illustrates, not all servers are effective at re-prioritizing the requests. For example, in the graph below you can see that on this server the high priority requests get delayed behind lower priority ones, leading to a poorer experience for visitors.
Requests 33 to 37 in the waterfall below are high-priority resources which were after the lower priority ones. The server fails to adapt for this and continues delivering the lower priority resources, delaying the high priority ones.
Akamai switches to serving the higher priority resources quickly, but it’s not just a case of the server making the switch from lower to higher priorities.
There are buffers and queues in many parts of every infrastructure, and these are all places where higher priority responses might get blocked behind lower priority ones. In short, we must engineer the whole solution to support prioritization, because issues can arise in many different places.
The charts above are just two examples of how prioritization can differ. There are many CDNs, hosting providers, and servers available; and, as you might expect from such a wide range of options, there’s a full spectrum of results from very good to really bad!
I maintain a GitHub repository that tracks the current status of prioritization issues for many services. If your provider or server isn’t listed and you’d like to test it for yourself, then Pat has made his test case publicly available here. We’d be really grateful if you’d share your results, by creating an issue or a pull request on GitHub.
Our ultimate aim is to raise awareness of the issue and encourage providers to fix any issues they have.
Closing thoughts
It’s great to see that Akamai and others have implemented effective HTTP/2 prioritization. It can make pages visible and useable faster, and can make a huge difference to visitors’ experiences.
Yet, as the first chart above (and some of the other results in the GitHub repository) shows, not everyone gets it right. So your choice of CDN or hosting provider really does matter.
If you’d like to learn more about HTTP/2, Akamai’s Stephen Ludin and Javier Garza wrote “Learning HTTP/2: A Practical Guide for Beginners”. In addition to being a great overall guide to the protocol, it addresses the exact types of implementation problems we see here.
Andy Davies is a UK-based independent web performance consultant who is fascinated by the technical aspects of performance and the effects of said performance on user behaviour and site success. He has helped some of the UK’s leading retailers, newspapers, and financial services companies make their websites faster. Andy wrote A Pocket Guide to Web Performance, is a co-author of Using WebPageTest, and occasionally blogs about web performance at andydavies.me. | https://developer.akamai.com/blog/2019/01/31/http2-discover-performance-impacts-effective-prioritization |
Your company offers a product or a service that would be beneficial to the United States government.
You’d love to win a federal government contract but your cybersecurity is, well … lacking.
That’s where the National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST) 800-171 compliance audit comes in. NIST security requirements are standards the federal government has created for the private contractors they work with.
These were developed over the years to protect sensitive information from falling into the hands of hackers through attacks like ransomware.
Below, we talk about the purpose of NIST 800-171 security controls and give a brief rundown of what’s involved.
NIST 800-171 standards are complex. However, they essentially come down to four core concepts:
Policy and procedures: There are a lot of written policies that need to be in place to make NIST 800-171 standards happen. These procedures are based on IT policies. For example, you’ll need policies on who has access to sensitive data, how employees are trained, and how new computers and servers are set up.
Logging: You need to keep logs for antivirus software and firewalls, operating system security events, and server security events. These logs need to be reviewed regularly.
Security: This includes both physical and virtual security. For example, you want to make sure that servers are located in a secure place and that your mobile devices are encrypted.
Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM): You’ll need to create a POAM that’ll guide you through the tasks needed to complete NIST 800-171 compliance. This plan will include the documents and resources required to accomplish each step in a timely fashion.
Identification and Authentication: What passwords do you have set up? Ensure there is no password sharing. Track who accesses files and at what time.
Media Protection: Sanitize and destroy hardware before disposal. For example, before getting rid of an aging desktop computer that holds CUI, physically destroy the hard drive.
Physical Protection: Limit access to visitors. Have visitor logs so you know when a visitor arrives and leaves. Ensure they don’t have access to server rooms or wiring closets by escorting them to where they need to be.
System and Communication Protection: Have two separate networks — one for internal production and one for guest internet access. Control what information comes in and out of your networks. Use a firewall to limit intrusions and spam. Limit where employees can go on the internet.
System Information and Integrity: Prevent malicious codes (like trojans or spyware) with regular virus scans as well as regular software and operating system updates.
Awareness and Training: Schedule recurring security training. Educating your end users could be the difference between getting ransomware and not.
Audit and Accountability: Build in systems so that you know who accesses your CUI and at what time.
Security Assessment Plan: Create a document that outlines how the organization implements its security protocols.
Configuration Management: Build and configure your security from a known baseline. For example, when you implement a new Windows 10 computer on a domain, it needs to at least have virus protection, auditing software, and the latest operating system updates installed.
Incident Response: Conduct ongoing education and improvements to your security to help protect your network. This could be a ticketing system that helps you log and assess incidents.
Maintenance: Create preventative measures that involve maintaining or replacing software and hardware.
Personnel Security: Screen individuals who have access to CUI before giving them access. This includes new employees and vendors.
Recovery: Make sure you have backups in place and that you’re regularly testing and checking them.
Risk Management: Assess risk to your company quarterly.
Asset Management: Establish procedures for handling CUI. This should include procedures for how to categorize data as CUI and how to enforce access to CUI.
Situational Awareness: Educate yourself about new kinds of threats. Review external sources, such as websites and forums from cybersecurity experts. Sign up for alerts on new cybersecurity threats.
Need Help With NIST 800-171 Implementation?
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As a small business, it’s important to know how to trim the fat off of your budget. However, knowing which aspects are considered the fat is not always easy. And while it’s beneficial to eliminate unnecessary expenses, your company may need certain things more than you believe or are able to recognize. One good example is managed IT services.
Using managed IT services can be extremely beneficial, especially for businesses dealing with an abundance of sensitive information, However, the cost and commitment that comes with IT services makes many companies hesitant to begin the process.
As a result, the tech problems and network errors fall into the lap of the “office nerd,” Ted. (Sorry to the Teds of the world out there).
Don’t get us wrong, Ted is the perfect go-to guy when a cord comes unplugged or the internet “breaks,” but how do you know for sure that it’s time to employ managed IT services? Lucky for you, there are signs.
Below we will discuss 5 different signs that your small business needs managed IT services that go beyond the capabilities of your designated “office nerd.”
1. You Have Frequent Tech Problems
If you’re constantly dealing with technological issues, then it’s likely time to begin considering managed IT services. Your office nerd may be able to handle a few hiccups here and there, but if their job role isn’t specific to technological difficulties, then these frequent issues will ultimately decrease your workplace productivity, including his own, because you keep pulling him away from his actual job.
Not to mention the long learning curve that comes with handling tech problems. A managed IT services provider will have already done their research, and will cut back on the amount of trial-and-error troubleshooting time that an office nerd usually needs.
It could also mean that you need tech upgrades and replacements. An IT provider makes this process hands-free for you, and will eliminate that extra time spent fussing with your technology.
Keeping software and hardware updated and backing up data regularly reduces this issue. This will help improve work efficiency and can ultimately help your business grow overall.
2. You Have Outstanding Projects
We’ve all been there. You have such big plans for a project, and then suddenly something urgent comes up that draws your attention.
Now this once soon-to-be-finished project sits on the backburner alongside all the other projects awaiting completion. And Ted certainly doesn’t have time for it.
Not only are these outstanding projects a waste of time and money, but it can quickly become confusing which projects are at what percentage of completion when there are several going on at once.
Managed IT services are a great way to remedy this problem. Provide them with as much detail about the outstanding projects as possible, and they should know where to begin. They can also make recommendations for projects that you should invest in. On the flip side, they will be able to help you identify software or other devices that you may no longer need.
Not only will this help you finish your outstanding projects, but it will also make future projects much quicker. You’ll also have a more accurate timetable for when new equipment or software will be ready for use. And when you know how long it takes to order and finish setting up a workstation, you can have one ready on your new employee’s first day.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, and managed IT services can help drastically improve your cybersecurity. This is especially important as more and more businesses depend on Cloud storage.
The increase in remote workers also makes cybersecurity a high priority for small- to medium-sized businesses. And the bigger your workforce, the higher the need for reliable, strong cybersecurity.
4. You’re Worried About Data Backup
If you or your “office nerd” isn’t 100% certain that your data is backed up correctly, it can linger in your mind like an IT oven you’re not fully certain you turned off when calling it a night. And in the event you experience data loss and the backups aren’t run properly, your company will face a massive setback that could cripple many small businesses.
It’s of the utmost importance that your data is being backed up correctly and to a secure server. To achieve this, it’s best to employ managed IT services. The proper support will keep all of your information and data safe and secure.
5. You Have No IT Strategy
As you slowly add more and more devices to your workplace, software upgrades will become more common, leading to an eventual room filled with “upgrade later” clickers. It service pros forgo that luxury, and help you automatically map out an IT strategy.
An IT provider can help you create a strategy that will ensure your assets always at least meet industry standards. A planned-out strategy is also a great tool for creating room for IT support in your budget.
Depending on your budget, a provider can create an all-encompassing strategy that will grow with your company, rather than your business needs one day outgrowing the provider.
What’s Next?
There’s no shame in admitting that your business needs have outgrown the capabilities of your designated in-house IT technician. In fact, this is often a sign of business growth, and opens the door for many possibilities.
If any, or all, of those 5 signs are present in your daily work life, it’s time to make room in the budget for managed IT services. If you had previously had IT services, then you likely already know the steps for onboarding an IT service provider.
If not, don’t sweat. Just have as much information as possible gathered and ready for delivery when you bring in a new IT provider. Once it’s gained full access to all your networks, devices, and so on, it can begin eliminating your obstacles to success.
Sorry, Ted, thanks for everything.
When it comes to backing up your sensitive and valuable information, whether personal or professional, it’s best to have as much security as possible. Luckily, the CTERA C200 offers that top-notch security through the use of encryption.
Encryption is the process of encoding information. The process converts the original form of information, known as plaintext, and converts it into a form known as ciphertext. This ciphertext is unique to the information it has encrypted, and the practice has become standard among many businesses, both large and small.
The CTERA offers a private Cloud solution with military-grade security guaranteed to keep your information safe.
Whenever we employ a C200 unit to a client, we have the ability to enable local encryption. This can also be done manually by navigating to the “Storage” tab followed by the “Volumes” category.
Here you will find a list of volumes. Any that have a locked padlock symbol next to them means they’re encrypted. Click on the desired volume and a pop-up window will appear.
Click next on the first page, and you will be brought to a window with two boxes. This is where you can enter your encryption passphrase. There is a tool at the bottom that tells you how strong your chosen phrase is.
Once this is set up, the CTERA will automatically encrypt information for you. This process is done entirely through the CTERA, meaning you don’t need to know a thing about encryption.
Cloud Encryption
Cloud encryption for the CTERA C200 is automatic, and you can see what is being moved to the Cloud by navigating to the “Cloud Backup” tab followed by the “Control Panel.”
The CTERA has a bunch of available security choices, and is in compliance with several programs. CTERA complies with the Department of Defense, GDPR, and HIPPA to name a few, and provides military-grade encryption.
Before any data leaves your CTERA device, it undergoes source-based encryption known as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256). Once your data begins transferring, it undergoes another encryption process as part of the Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.2) protocol.
Why Does Encryption Matter?
Encryption serves as an extra layer of defense for your data. It’s common practice for companies storing sensitive information, and has an endless number of possibilities to choose from that allow only authorized eyes to view that information.
Think of encryption as a safe locked inside a room. Even if someone managed to make it into the room, their odds of getting into the safe are slim to none because they don’t possess the passcode.
This is the same with encryption for your data. If a hacker doesn’t have access to your encryption keys, then it’s virtually impossible for them to get through.
At Omnis Technologies, the CTERA C200 is our flagship cloud solution. Its reliability and customization make it perfect for managing multiple different workstations.
However, we also realize that the CTERA C200 may not be the best solution for everybody. A big reason for this is its dependability on the Cloud. Although the C200 is HIPPA-compliant, many don’t feel comfortable backing up important or sensitive data to the Cloud.
Aside from that, the CTERA unit can also be a bit pricey. So as a result of these factors, we want to provide you with a short list of CTERA C200 alternatives.
The ioSafe Solo G3 is an external hard drive that comes in three sizes: 2TB, 4TB, and 6TB. It also comes with the option to include a warranty and data recovery service, both of which are available for 2 or 5 years.
The Solo G3 is also fire and waterproof. It’s rated for 1,500 degrees fahrenheit at 30 minutes and can be submerged 10 feet underwater for 72 hours. You may or may not plan on storing your device in the pool or in your oven, but it’s nice to have the added security!
The ioSafe Solo G3 works best for personal use and smaller businesses.
Carbonite
Carbonite is a company that provides online backup services for Windows and macOS users. Purchased by the Canadian software company OpenText back in 2019, Carbonite can back up documents, emails, photos, settings, and more.
Carbonite offers multiple different products and services, and puts an emphasis on straight cloud backups. Overall it’s not as pricey as the CTERA unit, but business use can still be a little more expensive.
Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect is a software that uses trusted endpoint backup solutions to service both commercial and personal customers.
Macrium specializes in creating a reliable image of a hard disk drive. This image is used to restore your data when complete or partial system loss occurs.
They even offer a 30-day free trial so you can see if they’re a fit for you and your needs.
Acronis Software
This is the most comparable alternative to the CTERA C200. This trusted software allows you to perform both local and cloud backups to an external hard drive.
Acronis boasts a user base of over 5 million and backs up over 500,000 businesses. They also have a free trial, along with several different plans you can choose from.
Back Up Your Decision
Although the CTERA brand is not as popular as these other ones that we mentioned, it’s still one of the best available options if you’re looking for a device that is easy to install, navigate, and operate.
No matter which one you choose, they’re all recommended for personal use, with only a couple being comparable to the C200 as a business Cloud solution.
Google Chrome’s Password Checkup is now featured in the Chrome Security Checkup dashboard. As long as your version of Chrome is up to date and you’re signed in to your Google account, you will benefit from new security features.
The most notable feature is the automatic password check. Each time you create a password on Chrome, Google scans a database of billions of passwords that have been leaked in data breaches and alerts you if the password is compromised.
Chrome Password Checkup Alert
If you receive this alert, choose a different password. Continuing to use this password puts you at increased risk of a cyberattack. Hackers have access to leaked passwords and will use them to attack vulnerable accounts. With so many passwords leaked, hackers can crunch the numbers and que the most frequently used ones in brute force attempts to sign into an account. Using a password that’s not known to be leaked decreases your chance of a hack.
However, even when your password passes the leak test, it may not be fully secure. It maybe too weak and easy to hack or it’s a repeated password form another one of your accounts. Passwords with maximum security are complex and not repeated anywhere else.
Google Chrome also helps create strong passwords and saves them to your account. This way, you don’t have to remember all your passwords. When you’re in a password field, you can click “suggest strong password…”.
Strong password generation
Google creates a complex password and stores it in the Chrome Password Manager. To check and manage your saved passwords, go to passwords.google.com and sign in. Using the password manager, you only have to remember the password for your Google account. Chrome will fill in your login information for other sites once it’s saved.
In the password manager, you will also find the Password Checkup feature. Clicking it scans your saved passwords for leaks, repetition, and strength. Once the scan is complete, Google provides recommendations for increasing your password security.
For more details on password policies and 2-step verification, click the links for our previous posts.
With BYOD, the company doesn’t have to purchase devices for their employees. In some industries, employee’s personal computers outperform the machines the company has. it’s likely employees upgrade their personal devices more frequently than their work needs require.
For example, if they purchase a new laptop for next-generation gaming, the upgraded hardware will speed up work tasks as well. Apps will open faster and multiple apps can run without slowing down the computer. Their devices will be faster and more reliable than ones provided by the company.
However, BYOD increases security risks and raises complex compliance concerns.
Your employees could unknowingly carry infected devices into work, spreading malware to every computer on your network. This is why you should require any computer used for your company to have antivirus software. Security threats will be detected before they can disrupt your business.
Your employee’s devices could be lost or stolen while they’re used outside of the office. For this reason, you have to require BYOD devices to be protected by strong passwords. As a last resort, implement a failsafe to wipe the machine completely.
The other disadvantage for businesses is complicated IT management. When employees are using different devices, it’s difficult for IT administrators to maintain network security. Standard devices issued by the company can be maintained easier because tasks can be pushed in bulk.
The economic and workplace disruption caused by COVID-19 has left SMBs especially vulnerable to cyberattacks. A firm tracking ransomware trends, Coveware, reported the average company size targeted by ransomware was 635 employees in Q1 2020. However, the median company size was only 62 employees, showing how large enterprises pull averages up.
As you reopen your small business, it’s important to understand that your technology is at high risk. Areas for concern include:
If your PCs have been shut down for months, they do not have security software updates installed to prevent cyber attacks. Due to increasing threats, Microsoft has prioritized security updates over feature ones:
“We have been evaluating the public health situation, and we understand this is impacting our customers. In response to these challenges, we are prioritizing our focus on security updates. Starting in May 2020, we are pausing all optional non-security releases (C and D updates) for all the supported versions of Windows client and server products (Windows 10, version 2004 down to Windows Server 2008 SP2).” – support.microsoft.com
You may be familiar with Microsoft’s monthly quality and feature updates, but there are also daily updates for security intelligence. These automatically download for the Windows Defender Antivirus so it has the most timely data on active threats.
To see if your Windows is up to date, go to Start > Settings (Gear Icon) > Updates and Security or type “Check for updates” in the search bar next to the Start button.
In the Windows Update window, you will see if there are updates available. Click Download and install. Updates can take a few minutes to a couple hours to download and install and a restart will be required to complete the process.
If there are no updates available, make sure your version of Windows is still being supported. Windows 7, XP, and Vista no longer receive updates from Microsoft, making them a major security risk.
To see which Windows you’re running, type “about this PC” into the search bar by the Start button. Under “Windows specification”, you will see your Windows version. The “Edition” should be Windows 8.1, or preferably Windows 10. The most recent Windows version ready for broad deployment is Windows 10, version 1909.
Bringing PCs Back to Work
Due to stay at home orders, your employees have been working from home for a few months. Whether they’re using their personal devices or took a company computer home, these machines should not need updates because they’ve been online. That said, they are still a risk to your cyber security.
When your employees are working from home, there’s a greater risk of contracting worms and trojans. The risk increases because:
Home wifi networks may have looser passwords.
High-risk family members could have access.
Personal web browsing or email accounts could be used for phishing.
If a PC is compromised, it could spread a virus to every device on your business’s network as soon as they’re reconnected.
According to the Coveware report, compromised remote desktop is the primary method of deploying ransomware attacks. If you have employees who prefer to work remotely or your office capacity is restricted and they will be accessing a remote desktop portal, make sure it’s secure. You could be opening the door for cybercriminals.
Here are our recommendations for working remotely and securely.
If you need assistance getting your business back online and secure, click here to schedule a consultation.
Password leaks are all too common. Data breaches release millions of passwords and account credentials to the web at once. On haveibeenpwned.com, there’s a list of sites that suffered a recent breach and the number of accounts affected:
Other popular sites with reported breaches include: Forbes, LinkedIn, Drop Box, and Kickstarter. Click here for the full list. If a site you have an account on is hacked, the attackers might use that information to access your other accounts across the Internet. To prevent this, online platforms have developed two-factor authentication, aka 2FA or “two-step verification” in Google’s case.
2-step verification is a security measure that requires more than the standard username and password to access your Google account. The two factors are typically your password and a randomly generated number sent to your smartphone. Once you enter this code, Google logs you in.
With 2-step verification turned on, your account will have another barrier for security if your password is leaked in a data breach.
Enter your phone number and select how you’ll receive the code. I recommend selecting text message.
Check your phone for a text message.
Enter the numeric code. Do not include “G-”.
You’ve successfully enabled 2-Step Verification! Anytime you log in to your account, you will have to enter a verification code.
If you’d prefer an alternative to receiving texts or you’ll need to access your account in a cellular dead zone. Google has developed two more options for authentication.
Google Prompt on your Phone
Enabling prompts allows you to tap your phone to verify without typing in a code. On the iPhone and iPad, it requires the Google or Gmail app. When you sign in, open the app and tap “yes”.
On Android devices, it can set up in the Settings app under Google. When you sign in, you’ll see a “Trying to sign in?” prompt from Google on your phone. Tap Yes.
The PCs your employees use at home have Windows 10 Home installed. They can check by going to Start, clicking the “Settings” gear icon, scrolling down, and clicking “About”.
On your company PC, you may have Windows 10 Pro. Windows 10 Pro includes business-oriented features the Home version doesn’t have. For example, Pro’s “Domain Join + Group Policy” allows your IT staff to manage your company’s data security and monitor threats to their system. They can push security updates and add antivirus software to computers company-wide.
On Windows 10 Home, users have to maintain their cybersecurity themselves. But don’t worry! There are easy ways to boost security at home.
Anything older than Windows 8 is no longer supported by Microsoft. The operating system will need to be upgraded to get security updates. Click here for our article outlining your Windows upgrade options.
Once an update downloads, your employee will need to restart their computer to install it. The install could take several minutes so either set aside time or run the update after hours.
3.) Setup Additional User Accounts
Window 10 Home has a feature to create accounts for family members. Your employee, as administrator, will be able to control the apps other users have access to and what they can download. These family users will not be able to download anything without admin approval.
When you decide the apps a user can access, you won’t have to worry about family members tampering with business tools. Plus it keeps them out of databases with sensitive information.
To create family member users, go to Start>Settings>Accounts>Family & Other Users.
Setting up a new user requires an email address for each user. If someone doesn’t have an account with Microsoft already, your employee can create free Outlook email addresses for each user.
Each user will have their own login and password for the computer. It will open with their own desktop and apps.
Make sure your business’s network is safe when your workers are remote.
If your employees are working remotely with home PCs, consult with an IT technician to make sure their machines meet security standards. Contact us at [email protected] to schedule a free consultation.
Without the proper precautions, a wifi network could be an open door to your private information. When you’re looking at a list of available networks, it’s tempting to pick one without a lock icon next to it. If there’s no password, you’ll connect quickly and easily and you won’t give it a second thought once you click “resume episode” on Netflix.
As a business, you could be providing public wifi. You want your customers to have a hassle-free experience so you don’t require a password to connect.
That convenience may cost you.
Leaving your wifi network to allow unauthenticated connections makes it so anyone nearby, even 100 yards away, can access your network. Remember, this is probably the same network that your financial data lives on.
Even a slightly technical wifi guest could do some basic snooping and expose your vulnerabilities. As someone connected to an “open” wifi network, you also expose your devices to malicious attacks.
A guest network is separate from your business’s primary, internal network. It’s usually created using a virtual local area network (VLAN) which isolates it from the main network where your private data is. It sounds complex but it only takes a few clicks to set up in your router settings.
You’ll be able to set the password and control who can access your guest network. You can even control when they can connect, and how long they can use it. This prevents neighbors or near-by users who aren’t customers from using your network. | https://www.omnistech.com/category/it-services/data-security/ |
B-Information Ads is a fake ads shown by the adware or potentially unwanted program on those windows PC which has compromised security issues. You will get this infection in your system, if you move over the illegitimate site at the time of internet surfing. B-Information Ads use bundling method to pears the system silently without making any hindrance in your current process. Affect of B-Information Ads infection can easily be detected on all the leading web browser such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox.
B-Information Ads will create hindrance in your current process by prompting same message on the screen. If you notice such message on your system means you get affected with adware program. If you try to attempt this fake message may leads to harm your system by inserting other infection. Usually B-Information Ads enters in your system if you downloads bundled application from unauthorized site. This one cause lots more problem in the system if continues in the system for long time so, if you want to keep your system away from above mentioned problem then in remove B-Information Ads now. Expert Recommendation:
B-Information Ads is a fatal threat and remove it as soon as possible. To get rid of it from windows pc, download B-Information Ads removal tool
Automatic Tool Software Features B-Information Ads is very dangerous for system. It makes its entry in PC by using various tricks and techniques. After getting in system, it can multiply itself and turn user in a dumb state. Even scanning tools get disable by it and fails to detect and remove threat from system. So it is better to use B-Information Ads automatic removal tool to remove this type of spyware completely from system and keep your system safe and secured. Some Features of Automatic Removal Tool are discussed below: Removal of Spyware: It make full scanning of system and report all the threats in PC. It show threats with classification that which is severe and which is dangerous which make easy for user to decide which needs to be remove and which should be not. User Friendly Interface: Even non technical user who have nothing idea about system can easily install and remove infection from system.
In recent few years, computer users have find sharp increase in threat over Internet. This spread in system by opening spam email attachment. Once in enter in user system collect all confidential data and information and send it remote attackers who then used it for illegal purpose. All time new viruses used to create in system. There are some steps which help user to protect system any further threat being enter in system. Keep Operating System Update: Fist of it is suggested to install software in your system and on regular basis make it update. Removal tool is best but it should work properly if user keep on update it. To update software regularly connect to Internet and then move to tools and after that make Windows update from menu
Automatic Removal tool: To get rid from such situation it is suggested to use install automatic removal tool and remove B-Information Adsspyware from system. Do not open email attachment: Never open attachment which is out of your knowledge. Be careful before opening any attachment. Stop Visiting porn site: Stop visiting site which have unknown information only tell to click on link.
Do not download adware/freeware program: Never download this type of program because it has many additional infected which is more harmful for system and can turn user system in dumb state. | http://delete-all-spyware.blogspot.com/2014/04/uninstall-b-information-ads-how-to.html |
Best Methods to Fix 888-340-2352 Pop-up on Windows PC with Free Scanner and Tips.
Continuously getting 888-340-2352 Pop-up on to the computer screen whenever I surf on to it. What it is and why it do so really don't know at all? Also had a complete scan of the system and it find this pop-up a effective virus that has cause damage to entire parts of the computer. Please guide me how to overcome from the effects of 888-340-2352 Pop-up completely from the infected PC so that I can normally operate on to it. Thanks in advance!
888-340-2352 Pop-up is considered as a risky and malicious adware program also known by the name of pup (potentially unwanted program). As it is created with the aim to infect and cause harm on to your computer by displays of fake and alert messages on to your computer screen. On the other end the system also get infected by the displays of numerous ads, pop-up, adverts, banners, deals, advertisement and so on that appears on the web browser and interrupt you to further surf on to your installed web browser. It completely takes control on to your web browser and put the system at a high risk. Therefore, without any delay you should immediate remove 888-340-2352 Pop-up from your infected computer.
From the bottom left corner of the screen click Start button.
Choose Control Panel and click on add or remove program.
Now select the suspicious application from the list of application and click on uninstall option.
In the end confirm the removal if asked.
Steps to Remove 888-340-2352 Pop-up from Windows 8
Hover the mouse over the left side of your screen and wait for the icon to appear.
Now right click on the icon to get the list of programs.
In this step you will need to select Control Panel from the lists.
First of all Click on Start Menu.
Go to Settings menu to see all contents.
Click on the System tab from all programs.
It is better to take prevention before getting infected with virus. Here are some precaution which can prevent you from virus and malware.
Always ignore to install suspected software.
Always use a proper firewall in your system which prevent your system from access of malicious program.
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Expert Trainer: Richard E. Cascarino, MBA, CRMA, CIA, CISM, CFE
Well known in international auditing circles as one of the most knowledgeable practitioners in the field, Richard is principal of Richard Cascarino & Associates, a highly successful audit training and consultancy company. He has worked extensively with banks across Africa, the USA, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean Isles.
He is a regular speaker to National and International conferences and has presented webinar series throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the USA. | http://www.auditnet.org/events/august-2-cybersecurity-webinar-series-administrative-control-breaches |
In addition to the webinar series, our team is getting ready to kick off the Modern Data Protection Tour, which is an in-depth series of hands-on workshops for IT professionals who want to advance their knowledge of data center storage management.
During these full-day events, participants will learn how to install our open, software-defined storage solution and apply best practices for data protection. We’ll discuss how Red Hat Storage works across different cloud platforms for disaster recovery, and cover real-world cases of companies that deployed customized enterprise storage solutions designed for their business needs.
Register to attend now for only $99. Space is limited!
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A UK student has won a £100 million computer security graduate degree at the University of Glasgow, according to a university spokesman.
The university confirmed on Thursday that a student named Chris Jones had won the £90 million Queen’s Cross computer science degree.
The £90-million graduate degree is one of the highest awards in the UK. | https://viitcomputereducation.com/2021/08/07/uk-student-wins-100000-computer-security-degree-at-uk-university/ |
Cyberattacks made headlines throughout 2022, and 2023 is looking similarly destructive. The methods employed by cybercriminals continue to shift, and now span everything from smishing (that’s SMS-based phishing attacks) to ransomware and from compromised passwords to cloud configuration vulnerabilities.
Organizations of all sizes and in all industries are at risk.
It’s more crucial than ever for IT teams, stakeholders, and board members to turn their attention and resources to implementing defensive strategies, and staying aware of potential threats. In Mike Wilson’s blog for VM magazine, he outlines four cybersecurity trends to be on the alert for in 2023:
While we’re still miles away from completely passwordless solutions, 2023 may be the year for some real technological advances in this direction. Apple’s recent OS release enables more frictionless, multi-device, passwordless sign-in—and they may be paving the way for more widespread adoption.
It is, however, unlikely that any company will be able to so dramatically revolutionize passwordless options while staying secure that big changes will happen. It is more likely that compromised credentials and stolen passwords will be the origin points for even more breaches. | https://nationalcybersecurity.com/four-cybersecurity-predictions-for-2023-hacking-cybersecurity-infosec-comptia-pentest-ransomware/ |
From its outset in September 2017, one of the Basque Cybersecurity Centre's main aims has been to promote cybersecurity measures in Industry, in order to raise the level of protection in Basque companies, and to promote cybersecurity as a tool to gain a competitive edge. To this end, our first year has seen us focus part of our efforts on connecting supply and demand, with reference to cybersecurity, as this is not a route which should be travelled alone.
With the celebration of this first Basque Cybersecurity Day, we have taken an important step in the right direction. The day offered over 25 speakers from 8 different countries, and welcomed an extremely successful total of over one thousand participants, cementing the BCSC as the Basque Cybersecurity meeting point.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Javier Diéguez, Director of the Basque Cybersecurity Centre. Diéguez announced that, thanks to the important impact of this first edition, the Basque Cybersecurity Day has taken its place among the top three cybersecurity events in the country; demonstrating that the Basque sector is mature, capable and growing.
Arantxa Tapia, the Basque Government Minister for Economic Development and Infrastructures, spoke next, to emphasize the work of the BCSC in its first year, culminating in its being approved as a fully-fledged member of FIRST, the most internationally important forum for incident response and security teams. Tapia went on to explain how the BCSC fits into the Basque Government's strategy for promoting new technologies, and its relevant role in Industry 4.0.
The Minister also announced that there are now 60 companies benefiting from the subsidies promoted by the BCSC, via SPRI, directed towards fomenting the implantation of Cybersecurity measures in the industrial sector, and the fact that the budgeted 600,000 euros had been allotted even before the call for projects was closed. On seeing the important response from Basque companies to this aid programme, and in order to continue fomenting the application of cybersecurity measures in Industry, Tapia announced that the 2019 budget would include around one and a half million euros, earmarked solely for cybersecurity support in businesses.
Cyberthreats and opportunities open the day's sessions
After the introductory session from the Centre and government, Mahir Nayfeh (a partner at McKinsey) took the stage, with a keynote speech which took the form of an interview, led by Samuel Linares (Accenture). Nayfeh shared his privileged view of the current state of the global problem of cyberthreats, both at a business and a geo-political level. He underlined the importance of a quick, efficient response, to reduce exposure-time and risk. Nayfeh did not miss the opportunity to discuss the cybersecurity situation here in the Basque Country, highlighting the important collaboration between public and private bodies here, and the value of holding events such as the Basque Cybersecurity Day.
This was followed by the first panel session, entitled "Supply chains: Targeting Small and Medium-sized Businesses", chaired by Susana Asensio (CCI) and peopled by representatives from important companies including Iberdrola Distribución, Aernnova Aerospace, Irizar eMobility and Siemens-Gamesa. The panel discussed how small and medium-sized businesses are targeted by cybercriminals in order to use them to attack bigger companies. In addition, they emphasized how these big businesses are demanding more and more cybersecurity measures from their suppliers, in the light of the fact that one of their major worries is data protection, and their analyses focused not only on their own internal processes, but also on those of their suppliers.
Public and Private collaboration and the opportunities this offers, was also discussed in the second panel of the day. Representatives from INCIBE, Finnish Information Security Cluster, Fundación ZIUR, ECSO and the BCSC itself, stressed the need for everyone within the sector to collaborate and push Europe's role in the world of cybersecurity, based on the fact that 70% of the 500 biggest cybersecurity companies have their headquarters in the United States. To this end, the speakers reiterated the need for a single European market and the importance of training in cybersecurity, given the market's great demand for professionals in the coming years.
The panel chaired by Urko Zurutuza (Mondragon Unibertsitatea) set the challenge for digital entrepreneurship, as a global goal. Now that the Basque Country enjoys international recognition for its capacity for innovation, it is key to find a means to reduce our dependency on technical eco-systems, such as those existent in the USA or Israel. Representatives from the Basque Government, Sonae Investment Management, Clúster IT Security Bayern and Cylon highlighted the strong eco-system of start-ups in cybersecurity present here in the Basque Country, and the need to support them from all sides: investment, generating markets and mentoring.
The afternoon sessions centred on role of the CEO , tendencies and digital citizenship
After the lunch break, participants at the Basque Cybersecurity Day were treated to the first-hand perspective of a CEO in business risk management, thanks to the keynote session offered by Rosa García (President of Siemens Spain). García spoke very positively about the digitalisation of businesses, but with the caveat that this should always be accompanied by plans to protect information and business continuity, since digitalisation and risk go hand-in-hand. Rosa García illustrated this with some very revealing data, namely that 80% of successful cyberattacks target employees, and that these people must be made fully aware and be properly trained.
The Tendencies panel, chaired by Pablo García-Bringas (Universidad de Deusto), confirmed one of the points discussed in the previous session: the vital push to raise awareness at every level. The speakers reiterated the point that company employees are the favourite target of cybercriminals because of their growing knowledge relating to the use of personal electronic devices in the workplace. The phrase of the day which resulted from this panel session and was echoed by all, was that we must not contemplate the money spent on cybersecurity as an expense, but as an investment.
The session entitled Digital Citizens: Towards a more cybersecure society? and chaired by José de la Peña (SIC Magazine), tackled the effects on society of misusing technology. Representatives from the Basque Government's Department of Education, the Ertzaintza, the Public Prosecutor and Psimebi once again underlined the importance of investing in training and awareness-raising at all levels of society, including parents who are a vital link in the learning chain referring to users of technology who are getting younger and younger.
The closing session of the event saw Estefanía Beltrán de Heredia, the Basque Government Minister for Security, who began by congratulating the members of the Basque Cybersecurity Centre for organising the event, and went on to emphasise the fact that cybersecurity is at once a worry, an obligation and a great development opportunity for our country.
The beginning of a journey to put the Basque Country on the world map of Cybersecurity
In the Basque Country, both the business sector and the general public are becoming more aware of the need to tackle cybersecurity. Currently, it is a question which worries many and occupies some. In this sense, and in accordance with the Industrial Cybersecurity Study, carried out between the BCSC and the CCI, 85% of Basque industrial companies are to increase their economic and human resources destined to fighting cybercrime in 2019..
Here at the Basque Cybersecurity Centre we will continue to work on initiatives to make the Basque Country a safer place and a benchmark for mature cybersecurity. | https://www.basquecybersecurity.eus/en/bcscnews/basque-cybersecurity-accomplishes-dynamising-cybersecurity-54.html |
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President Barack Obama seems to fear that president-elect Donald Trump will ignore US intelligence that Russia used cyber tools to influence the result of the Nov. 8 election. And with good reason: Trump has displayed intense skepticism of what US intelligence agencies regard as a profound risk to the American electoral system.
So Obama is attempting to box Trump in politically—ordering a definitive report on Russia’s cyber-intrusions before he leaves office in six weeks.
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In a new briefing to key members of Congress last week, the CIA advanced its long-held conclusion that Russia conducted cyber-intrusions and disseminated fake news in order to disrupt the presidential election. In its latest assessment, the CIA said the attacks were not intended solely to disrupt the election, but specifically to skew it to Trump’s advantage, according to the Washington Post. The newspaper quotes a US official who was in the congressional briefing as saying “It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected.”
The CIA assessment aligns with the discovery of similar cyber-attacks across Europe, including the hacking of sensitive servers, as well as information warfare. In recent days, intelligence officials in both the UK and Germany have said that Russia’s cyber warfare imperils their respective democracies. On Dec. 10, Nicholas Burns, one of the most respected former diplomats in the US, tweeted that the threat is sweeping.
Trump’s team, however, has brushed off the new reports as the work of a tarnished intelligence community. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and ‘Make America Great Again,’” the statement read.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump had voiced similar sarcasm about the cyberattacks. “It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey,” he said. “I believe that it could have been Russia and it could have been any one of many other people. Sources or even individuals.”
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Hence Obama’s worry. Broadly speaking, Trump is setting an early trend of treating information he doesn’t like as politicization. For instance, his transition team has suggested that the Energy Information Administration, the much-respected data division of the US Department of Energy, is politicizing its data to support Obama’s climate change agenda. And he is accusing the 17 US intelligence agencies—one of the baselines of US foreign policy—of doctoring the hacking analysis to tarnish him and his presidency. The mindset suggests another dimension to Trump’s penchant for operating in an alternate universe of facts.
With that as the backdrop, Obama is racing against the clock to get the facts on Russia out there prior to Trump’s inauguration.
There is bipartisan support in Congress for action against Russia. In separate statements, Republican senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer both called for investigations into the hacking. “I am going to lead the charge to investigate Russia’s role, not only in the elections but throughout the world,” Graham said. “So I’m going after Russia in every way we can go after Russia. I think they’re one of the most destabilizing influences on the world stage. I think they did interfere with our elections, and I want Putin personally to pay a price.”
In terms of that price, the US has what experts call the most sophisticated offensive cyber capabilities in the world, and it could easily retaliate. The question always has been how, since no one wants to initiate an escalating tit-for-tat cyber war that could easily get out of hand. One of the most powerful US messages, for example, could be taking out a piece of the Russian electric grid; but Russia presumably is armed with similar capability and could do the same thing. In which case, what does the US do next?
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Until now, Obama has seemed reluctant to act without bipartisan support in the form of consensus from the Republican-controlled Congress. In September, White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, plus FBI director James Comey, and cabinet secretary of homeland security Jeh Johnson, met with 12 Senate leaders of both parties to brief them on the election hacking. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell responded by casting doubt on the intelligence, and pushed back against any public rebuke of Russia. He said he would view that as not factual, but a partisan message from the Democratic party.
With a Republican in the White House and the war over with Obama, however, McConnell and other Republican congressional leaders could look at the intelligence differently. But Trump, who has publicly expressed admiration for and a desire to get along with Putin, could be a different story. Obama certainly appears to be preparing for the possibility that Trump would ignore any evidence of Russian meddling. | https://qz.com/860071/barack-obama-is-racing-for-a-definitive-report-on-russias-cyber-attacks-on-the-presidential-election-before-trump-takes-office |
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Aside from features, your technology antivirus ought to come with a money-back guarantee. You should also make certain that the malware will defend your PC right from online hackers and scam attacks.
Different features to find include a fire wall, a pass word vault, a VPN product, and a powerful web browser. Set up antivirus is usually bundled having a VPN carrier, opt for whether or not the antivirus may include parental settings.
A good technical antivirus can be a full-featured system that guards your computer against malicious websites, advertising, and even viruses and trojans. You should also examine the speed on the program’s interface and the performance of their apps. Slower file copies or perhaps slow iphone app speeds could indicate that your PC can be using too much resources. | https://r-motorgeraete.de/2023/01/11/what-you-should-expect-in-a-technology-antivirus-review/ |
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