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Month: February 2017

Application Security Tips For Developers

27 February, 2017

Mobile applications play an integral part in our daily lives. Right from online shopping, banking, gaming to controlling IoT devices and tracking fitness level, there is an app for almost every task that we perform regularly. Considering the extensive usage of apps, hackers are continually looking for vulnerabilities that can be exploited to initiate an online attack. Therefore, developers need to follow stringent testing procedures to ensure that the mobile apps are secure and do not provide a backdoor to the hackers.

Listed below are some useful application security tips for developers:

Create A Secure Code

There are a lot of vulnerabilities in an application’s source code that can provide an easy access to the hackers. You must make sure that the code you write is absolutely confidential. If possible, encrypt the code so that it cannot be read by anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key. Perform constant source code scanning to test for any vulnerabilities right from the beginning of the app development process.

Secure The Network Connections At The Back End

The web servers accessed by your application programming interface (API) should also have proper security measures in place. Sensitive information transmitted between the app’s server and the user must be protected against eavesdropping. You can consider carrying out vulnerability scan and penetration test to ensure that the data is secure.

Input Data Validations

Input validation is the first line of defense from attacks against your application. In order to design a secure application, you should always test and retest the input entered by the users. It is important to ensure that the data entered is consistent to what the specific form field is designed for. If the data does not match the expected set of value, such as a number in place of alphabets, it may hamper the proper functionality of the application.

Actively Deny Bad Requests

You should be familiar with the types of data and programs accessed by your application. User requests that can potentially jeopardize the security of your app must be actively blocked. Unsupported headers, excessively long URLs, unusual characters and other unlikely requests can be eliminated by using an application firewall.

We, at Centex Technologies, provide complete network security services to the business firms in Central Texas. For more tips to secure your web applications, feel free to call us at (855) 375 – 9654.

What Is Deep Packet Inspection?

21 February, 2017

Deep packet inspection (DPI) can be defined as a technology that is used to scrutinize the contents of the data packets being sent and received on a network. It is a type of packet filtering that is mainly applied to verify if the data is free of Trojans, viruses, malware etc. and is being transmitted in the right format. The technique allows the users to identify, categorize, block or reroute data packets that contain a malicious code.

Deep packet inspection combines the firewall technology with intrusion detection and prevention systems. It is mainly used by internet service providers to monitor network traffic and allocate bandwidth according to the contents of the data packets.

How does deep packet inspection work?

When you share information over the internet, it is converted into a packet with a header that describes the origin, source and type of data. The content of the data packet is usually not monitored. However, when a network provider uses deep packet inspection, the content is thoroughly scanned and recorded to ensure that it is in compliance with the security protocols. This could be related to the presence of a malicious code or suspicious software.

Benefits of deep packet inspection

  • It can help to protect against denial of service (DoS) attacks, differential denial of service (DDoS) attacks and buffer overflow attacks.
  • Deep packet inspection is used by many cyber security agencies to monitor web traffic, online user activities, regulate malware threats and protect extensive local or wide area networks.
  • The ability of DPI devices to inspect data packets meticulously helps to prevent malware from breaching or manipulating a network.
  • The data provided by deep packet inspection can also be used for network analytics and bandwidth management.

Potential misuses of deep packet inspection

Despite its numerous advantages, deep packet inspection has many limitations as well. Some of these have been discussed below:

  • DPI helps to prevent various hacking attacks but it can be also be used to exploit the same vulnerabilities to breach the security of the target network.
  • It requires frequent updates and patch installations to function in an optimal manner.
  • It can be used by hackers to track user information anonymously.
  • DPI slows down the computer which affects the performance of other applications.

Centex Technologies is a renowned IT security consulting firm in Central Texas. We can help you improve your organization’s network infrastructure. For more information, feel free to call us at (855) 375 – 9654.

How To Manage DDoS Attacks Against Your Organization

14 February, 2017

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are becoming increasingly common and one of the major concerns for most business organizations. There are thousands of ways in which these attacks may be carried out, the basic intent is the same, i.e. to cease the functioning of the target internet network. Safeguarding your corporate network against a DDoS attack requires a well-planned crisis management program. For this, you must need to understand how a DDoS attack is launched and the potential harm it can cause to your organization.

What Is A DDoS Attack?

A DDoS attack mainly involves flooding an IP address with traffic from unidentified sources. This, in turn, results in an overloading of the web server which makes it unable to respond to ‘genuine requests’ in a timely manner. The hacker may create a network of multiple computers, termed as a botnet, and use it as a vector for the attack. Due to overflow of data packets received at the same time, your website becomes unavailable to be accessed by the users.

Certain DDoS attacks may also be initiated on your company’s virtual private network (VPN) which prevents employees from logging into their email accounts when they are out of the office.  If your organization has been a victim of DDoS attack, here are some steps that you need to take in order to minimize its consequences:

Identify A DDoS Attack At The Onset

Firstly, it is important to identify a DDoS attack in its initial stages, particularly if you manage your own web servers. You should have a fair idea about how much traffic you usually receive and from which IP addresses. When you detect a steep increase in the amount of traffic, it may be due to a DDoS attack.

Get Extended Bandwidth

Another useful step can be getting more bandwidth for your web server than you actually require to handle the traffic. This way, even if a DDoS attack is launched, you would be able to manage the sudden upsurge of traffic before the resources get completely exhausted.

Identify The Source

If possible, try to identify the source of the DDoS attack. When you know the computers that are sending the fake requests, the IP addresses can be easily blocked. You can also form a cyber security strategy to protect yourself against such attacks in future.

For more tips on how to prevent and manage DDoS attacks against your organization, you can contact Centex Technologies at (855) 375 – 9654.

The Risks Of Being Too Social Online

6 February, 2017

Social media is a great platform to stay connected with friends, express views and opinions on a topic as well as promote your products/services. However, a lot of people tend to post about every minor or major happenings of their lives on their social networking profiles. This can jeopardize their personal as well as professional privacy and put them at risk for various online attacks.

Here are some of the risks of sharing too much information online:

Private Information Can Become Public

It is a well-known fact that whatever you post on the internet stays forever. Therefore, it is important that you understand the term ‘Too Much Information’ and know what you should and should not share on social media. Posting your personal details, your child’s school or a holiday trip can be misused by the hackers.

Cookie Tracking

When you access your social networking account, it creates cookies to track your browsing sessions and load information faster the next time. Some tracking cookies can also pose security and privacy concerns, particularly when you are using a public computer. They can store your sensitive information, such as user name and password, which can be used by the cyber criminals to keep a record of your online activities and get access to all the personal information that you share.

Spear Phishing

The information you share about yourself on social media, such as birthday, job title, email address, interests etc., may not seem to be sensitive initially. However, it can be tactfully used by the hackers to craft a phishing email that requires you to click on a link or provide your account details. The authenticity of the information contained in the email compels you to believe that it has been sourced from a reliable entity.

How To Protect Yourself?

  • Be careful while posting anything on your social networking profiles
  • Change your passwords frequently
  • Review your privacy settings to limit accessibility of your sensitive details
  • Avoid geo-tagging your posts and images
  • Do not share your credit card or financial information
  • Be selective in accepting friends and follower requests. Make sure you connect with only those people who you know personally.

For more tips on social networking security, feel free to contact Centex Technologies at (855) 375 – 9654.

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