Category: Security Page 70 of 75

Secure Your Business Travel

On January 27, 2015

January 27, 2015

Business travelers are always a prime target for the cyber criminals and spammers to gain access to their computers and confidential data stored therein. Thus, before you go on your next business trip, make sure that you follow these important security tips in order to keep your system safe from any sort of vulnerabilities.

Install Proper Security Updates And Patches: Before you leave for your journey, update the security software of the operating system and other applications for your computer. Also update the anti-virus software and if possible, enable it to update automatically. Although these processes may take a while, but it can prevent your system from security attacks by hackers.
Download Updates From Authorized Websites: If your computer suggests you to update certain software or applications, do not click on the ‘update’ button straightaway. This can be a malware to install spam software in your operating system. To avoid this, you should go to an authorized website and download the updates directly from there.
Always Use Virtual Private Network (VPN): Whenever you use the internet connection offered at public places such as hotels, airports and cafes, there is a higher possibility that your data can be intercepted and accessed unless it is properly encoded. This may include your username, password, documents and emails that you send etc. If your company provides VPN access, make sure you use it while traveling.
Beware Of Free Access Points: Unsecured Wi-Fi access points may seem to be tempting, but they may be a trap set by the hackers to spy on your private data. Malicious hotspots can also be used to redirect the users to spam websites that can infect the computer with viruses. However, if you need to connect to the internet, make sure that you opt for Wi-Fi services that require a password for authentication.
Encrypt Your Hard Drive: Your laptop may consist of some important business related data which may be at the target of cyber criminals. Make sure that your hard drive is properly encrypted and has a complete backup to keep all your information secure.
Avoid Using Public Computers: Computers in internet cafes and hotel business centers should never be trusted for any private communication or transaction. There may be a key logger installed to detect your username and passwords as you type.

It is also advisable that you change your laptop’s password once you have returned from the business trip.

What Is The Internet Of Things?

By centexitguy

On January 17, 2015

In Security

January 17, 2015

The Internet of Things (IoT) may be described as a network of devices connected to the internet to communicate and share valuable information. The concept entails internet connectivity beyond the traditional devices such as computers, tablets and smart phones to TVs, cars, electronic appliances etc. In a nutshell, every device that has an embedded technology to be able to connect to the internet comes under the category of Internet of Things.

Mainly, it consists of three essential components:

The devices themselves
The network that connects them to other devices
The systems that can utilize the data shared through the connected devices

With the help of this infrastructure, the IoT can be used to make our lives better in a number of ways by allowing constant connectivity throughout the world, real time tracking of everything etc. However, every new technology comes with its own share of vulnerabilities, and so does the Internet of Things. Ranging from cross-site scripting, weak passwords to SQL injections and Heartbleed, there are a number of security concerns surrounding these devices. Some of them are:

Privacy Issues: Most of the IoT devices collect personal information of the user such as name, date of birth, address, bank account, credit card details etc. More disturbing fact is that most of these gadgets still transmit these particulars over the internet without any encryption. Thus, it is highly possible that this data may be misused by the cyber criminals.
Insufficient Authentication: There are many users who still rely on weak passwords that are short and easy to remember. A number of devices do not even require a strong password for the user to access the internet. Thus, it provides an easy way for the hackers to decode the password and penetrate the data stored.
Web Interface: One of the common security concerns with the Internet of Things is issues in the UI including issue poor session administration, cross-site scripting and weak default authorizations. This allows the hackers to identify user accounts and manipulate them by resetting passwords.
Insecure software: While downloading any software updates, most users do not use proper encryption. With such an error, the hackers can easily intercept these downloads and even see or modify them for their own benefit.

Given the above concerns, the manufacturers of IoT devices must take the necessary steps to ensure the user’s security while being connected to the internet.

Cyber Security Concerns In 2015

By centexitguy

On January 10, 2015

In Security

January 10, 2015

After a year of facing some challenging cyber security threats like Shellshock (Bash Bug) and Heartbleed, experts have started to make predictions for security concerns in 2015. It is believed that besides traditional cybercrimes like data breaches and password attacks, many larger hacking attacks can also be expected this year.

Given here are some of the potential threats predicted by cyber security experts:

XSS Attacks: It is difficult to find high-risk vulnerabilities in credible web products, such as SharePoint, WordPress etc., however, low-risk vulnerability like XSS is quite common. As these attacks give the same results as an SQL injection, hackers usually prefer to exploit XSS to access confidential data.
Third Party Plugins: Even though the core databases of many web products are quite secure, third party programs are at high risk for security breaches. Any outdated plugin can put the entire application at risk.
Chained Third Party Attacks: Reputed websites are usually protected against critical vulnerabilities. Thus, it becomes easy for the hackers to combine several low to medium risk vulnerabilities to gain access to the websites.
Ransomware Attacks: This is a type of malware that restricts a user to access the computer that it infects. It even demands certain sum of money to be paid to the hacker after which the restriction can be removed.
The Internet of Things: Connecting your gadgets and devices like mobile phones, TVs or cars to the internet will also be a major cyber security concern in 2015. As these devices do not have any sophisticated security applications, it is much easier for the hackers to access important data and manipulate the system.
Cyber Espionage: Also known as cyber spying, this is a very common attack used by the hackers to get hold of confidential information illegitimately from a computer system.
Point of Sale Attacks: With the introduction of Apple’s virtual payment system Apple Pay, cyber criminals will definitely look to abuse any flaws in the application. In addition, other digital payment systems on mobile phones will also remain the target of hackers.
Blastware: This malware destroys operating systems, deletes important information and wipes out the data required to track the hackers. Much like Ransomware, it also enables the cyber criminals to get control over the entire system and manipulate the data for malicious purposes.

Hackers continuously look for insecure and vulnerable networks in order to implement their attacks. Thus, in order to deal with the cyber security concerns in 2015, individuals and organizations must update their security systems regularly.

PCI Compliance For Your Web Store

By centexitguy

On December 16, 2014

In Security

December 16, 2014

PCI (Payment Card Industry) security standards are a set of guidelines aimed towards protecting the personal information as well as confirming security at the time of online transactions using a credit or debit card. If you are in an online retail business you might be involved in financial transactions over the internet. Such dealings are susceptible to a lot of malicious attacks posing a threat for penalties, lost revenue and even credit card breaches.

Whether you have a small or large web store, being PCI compliant is necessary to ensure security for customer related information while processing payments or while handling their data. An autonomous body named PCI Security Standard Council (PCI SSC) was created by the leading credit card brands MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Discover and American Express to administer and manage the PCI DSS (Data Security Standards).

How to be PCI compliant?

There are 5 standards that must be met for a web store to be PCI compliant:

Maintain Secure Network: Businesses must ensure that the systems used to store customer data is protected with a firewall. Also, reasonable measures should be taken to safeguard the network to which the servers are connected.
Protect Cardholder Data: The personal data of the cardholder should not be accessible to everyone. The credit card numbers must be stored in an encrypted form so that even if someone breaches the database, he would not be able to decode the information.
Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program: Keeping your server software, hardware and operating systems updated is another important measure to be compliant with PCI standards.
Implement Strict Access Control: Web store owners must assign a unique identification number to each person who has access to the cardholder data. This access should also be provided only to a limited number of employees who need to use it.
Regularly Test Networks: The network security processes and measures should be regularly scanned, tracked and monitored to detect any potential security issues. Issues detected should be fixed on priority.

Benefits of Being PCI Compliant:

Merchants can protect themselves against heavy fines by preventing data breach.
PCI compliant web stores are trusted by the customers. Thus, it helps to increase their business.
Being PCI Complaint helps to protect the reputation and credibility of an online retailer.
PCI compliance can help online businesses become more secure by decreasing vulnerability to network attacks.
Keeping the above benefits in mind, it is important that the web stores should make sure they comply with the security standards of PCI.

We at Centex Technologies provide complete security solution to our clients. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Types And Sources Of Computer Network Security Threats

By centexitguy

On November 28, 2014

In Security

November 28, 2014

With advancement in technology, Computer networks have made changed the way we used to work. However there are a number of threats that can breach the security of the system and allow illegal access to important information that can be used for malicious purposes. Some of the possible attacks are:

Denial Of Service (DoS) Attacks

These are probably one of the vilest attacks that are extremely difficult to resolve. A denial of service attack is a malevolent effort to make a network resource or a server inaccessible by the users. This is usually done by temporarily suspending or interrupting the services of the host linked to the Internet. You should make sure that you employ packet filtering in order to restrict the entry of forged traffic to your network space. You must also keep yourself updated about the recent patches available to ensure your security from malicious attacks.

Illicit Execution of Commands

This threat involves an unidentified person executing various commands from your server. Depending upon its severity, this threat can be categorized under normal user access (where the unidentified source is executing commands to only access data on systems) to administrator access (where unknown user makes or attempts to make system configuration changes).

Unauthorized Access

This is a comprehensive term used to denote a number of network security threats. The purpose of these attacks is to access the information from a computer or network source that your device is programmed not to provide to the attacker. You should make sure that you set up an alert to be informed whenever someone is trying to make an unauthorized access. Many systems are also programmed to lock an account after a set number of unsuccessful login attempts.

Confidentiality Breaches

This involves gaining access of confidential and private data by the hackers. This may include trade secrets, credit card numbers, financial statements, secret formulas, patents etc. Such information, if slipped into the hands of a malicious user, can severely harm you on a personal or professional level.

Destructive Behavior

Destructive attacks may be categorized as:

Data Destruction: This involves deleting or destroying the data stored on your network or hard disk drive so that it becomes completely unreadable and unusable for you.
Data Diddling: It occurs when a hacker modifies the important information before or at the time of entering it into the device. These may include counterfeiting or forging documents, changing details of online financial transactions etc.

These network security attacks can come up either from physical access, Internet or dial-up modems. You should make sure that you follow all the important steps to protect yourself from such vulnerabilities.