As a business owner, you have an obligation to keep your data and network files safe from prying eyes and criminals. The latest threats, like the new Cryptowall 2.0 ransomware, can be a difficult hurdle to jump, especially when they are disguised and designed to ruin you. Thankfully, you don’t have to take on these threats alone.
A new threat, dubbed Sandworm by iSight Partners, has been discovered. It is a cyber espionage campaign dating back to at least 2009, and is said to be based in Russia. Sandworm uses a previously undiscovered zero-day vulnerability in Windows operating systems to steal information from government leaders and organizations.
When it feels like everybody is out to get you, there's only one way to survive: Trust nobody. You may not have too many physical enemies ready to jump you, but there's an army of hackers wanting to breach your company's database. One of the securest ways to keep your company's information safe is to implement a "zero trust" network security model.
Users log on and off your company's network all day long. You may think, "No big deal. It's part of the process." But data extrapolated from user logs is a big deal. It can provide your business with valuable information about network security and give you insight on how to improve operations.
Everything changes in due time. Computers grow less secure, malware grows more sophisticated, and hackers' methods change. According to Processor magazine, 80 to 90 percent of attacks are targeted at devices rather than networks and servers. Just like the weakest link in a fence, all it takes is one weak point for a hacker to take down your entire network.
For the past 12 years, the Harkonnen Operation has plagued Europe. The malware campaign, operating scams in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria since 2002, has finally ended, but that doesn't change the fact that it may be the most long-lived malware to have existed. What kept security firms from discovering these attacks and preventing them for so long?
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has been a hot IT trend for the past few years. Initially, everybody loved the idea of workers using their personal smartphone for work and organizations were quick to adopt BYOD. Now, after years of trying out the policy, companies and employees are having reservations about BYOD, making some even long for the days of Blackberry.
When diagnosing your computer's security problems, it should be noted that malware is not always located on the PC itself. A lot of the time, problems could be occurring in a number of different operating systems and browsers, making it difficult to diagnose the cause. A recent study by Ronald Kaplan and Dylan Kaplan proved that malware can be located not only on your computer and devices, but even on your wireless router.
Data security should be a top priority for every business. Having good security means identifying risks. Surprisingly, some of the biggest data risks come from within. If employees aren't following your organization's data management policies, then they're your biggest threats.
The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The ancient Chinese military general Sun Tzu might have been around long before the Internet was a thing, but he sure knew how to make an impression on the world. In his extremely influential book on ancient Chinese warfare, The Art of War, he says that "every battle is won before it's ever fought." This applies to protecting your IT network, too.
Today, almost everybody has an Internet-connected camera in their pocket. A crazy amount of photos are posted online. In fact, Facebook alone claims to have over 250 billion photos, with 350 million user images posted every day. All of these pictures are fun, but how do you ensure that only the people you want to see your photos are seeing them?
Picture this, you're at the airport with your laptop, knocking out an important project between flights. Suddenly, you're approached by some touristy-looking people about taking their picture. You're a nice person so you grant them their request. After a longer-than-expected photo session, you return to your seat only to find that your laptop has been stolen. You've been conned.
If your business purchases hardware or other supplies from a retailer, or if you are your own point-of-sale, your company might be targeted by a new type of Point-of-Sale malware known as Backoff. The malware is capable of stealing credit card information from unsuspecting victims, and should be a cause for concern for those unprepared to fight against it.
One of the greatest things about today's technology is that it has grown more mobile, and some employees like to bring their own devices from home to use for their workplace. This is called BYOD, and while it is useful sometimes, it might be putting your business at risk.
With all of the zero-day exploits popping up lately, such as the GameOver Zeus malware and Heartbleed bug a few months ago, it only makes sense to step up research on how and why it occurs. Google is doing just that with its new research program, rightfully dubbed Project Zero.
Thanks to Edward Snowden's revelations concerning the National Security Agency's (NSA) questionable online practices, we now know that there are ways that we can be watched by others and not even know about it. But what's really scary is that malware exists that can accomplish this same goal.
Don't trust Google and Yahoo just yet - they might be fake! On July 10th, 2014, Microsoft issued a warning concerning the nature of identical SSL certificates and domains of some popular sites that might allow malicious copycat sites to emerge. As of now, the cause is unknown, but we know that this could be dangerous if you're not prepared to deal with it.
We talk a lot about viruses or holes in supposedly sound security structures, but today it seems as if that's all there is to talk about. It's all about the latest vulnerability, or a hacking attack that left millions of people with compromised passwords. People always concentrate on the negative aspects of things without looking at the positives.
It's been a few weeks since we've reported on the GameOver Zeus virus, and a few months since we first told you about the nasty ransomware known as Cryptolocker. Now, we're seeing the two threats merge into one code-red-mega threat that your business needs to be prepared for!
Whether you're on the move or at the workplace, your WiFi connection isn't the most secure method of browsing the Internet. Hacking techniques are growing more sophisticated, and you never know who could be observing your connection and Internet activity. Thankfully, there are ways to remediate this issue, like using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
