Wearable technology is still emerging, but a much different type of smart tech is coming soon. At the Kaspersky Labs Security Analyst Summit, the question of whether or not embedding technology in the human body is a viable concept was discussed in detail. This is supposedly the future of smart technology.
k_Street Consulting, LLC Blog
When it comes to your data infrastructure, accessibility and mobility are two of the top necessities. Many businesses take advantage of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to meet this requirement. A VPN has the ability to extend your company’s network virtually over the Internet, allowing remote users to access your infrastructure. However, considering the popularity of the cloud, it might be time to reevaluate your VPN solution and make sure it’s still relevant.
A common occurrence in the business world is the employee who wants to use their sweet new smartphone for the purposes of work. The average business owner might be ecstatic that the employee wants to get more done in the day, especially when the device isn’t on the company’s dime. However, some professionals forget that these smartphones aren’t immune to being misplaced or stolen.
As seen by the recent Superfish app debacle, software that comes preinstalled on a new PC shouldn’t always be trusted. Most of the time, the innate software on a device can be trusted; but the Superfish application is an exception. This app, which came preinstalled on new Lenovo PCs between the months of September and December of 2014, can potentially compromise the security of your machine.
One of the most publicized hacks we have seen is last December’s breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment by the Guardians of Peace. In addition to the hackers exposing Sony’s budget, plans for layoffs, and 3,800 SSNs, they leaked personal emails from company executives. This incident should make every business owner a little nervous.
For business professionals needing to access sensitive information, a public PC is never the first choice. We’ve all suspected it, and now there’s government-issued proof that hackers are targeting public computers. However, don’t be deterred from using public terminals; there are ways to get around hackers and their traps.
Technology plays a crucial role in the healthcare industry, and thanks to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), healthcare providers and insurance companies in the United States have to abide by a specific set of regulations when it comes to handling patient data.
Everybody loves a good holiday, and this season is the perfect time to buy a tech lover a great new gift. However, it’s important to always practice proper security precautions. All it takes is one slip-up to hand over personal information or even your identity to a hacker. It’s imperative that you follow proper security protocol when dealing with online shopping, especially if it’s for your business.
We’re so busy worrying about hackers that we rarely think about how they acquire the tools they need to steal you out of house and home. One reason that the surge of hacking activity has skyrocketed over the past few years is because hacking tools have become more readily available, through an illegal black market known as the Darknet.
After a long 19 years, a critical vulnerability found in the Windows series of operating systems has been patched. IBM informed Microsoft of the flaw back in May 2014. The flaw, which allows for remote code execution via a packet to a Windows server, is found in every Windows operating system since Windows 95.
Passwords are slowly becoming obsolete in the face of more powerful security solutions. This is especially true considering how a hacker can input millions of characters every second in an attempt to break into your account and unleash who knows what into your business’s network. While using a password is still a good idea, professionals are working tirelessly to bring the new face of two-factor authentication to light.
As a business owner, you might find yourself on the road a lot, and you likely feel the need to check your email for important updates from the home base. This becomes more difficult as you move from civilization into the vast unknown, with the only available WiFi connections found in public places. Unfortunately, public WiFi spots are notorious for being unsecured and unprotected, and it’s important to practice proper security when dealing with them.
It seems most logical to store every byte of your data, and with the advent of cloud computing, it's more affordable than ever. While most companies tend to store a huge amount of data, some forget that they should always be willing to delete old files if need be. This is especially true if you deal with sensitive data which can leave your business liable to a possible lawsuit.
Naturally, if you saw your lamp levitate, you would believe it to be the work of a ghoul and you would cry out in terror. What then would you believe if you saw your PC’s cursor begin to move on its own? In a spooky scenario like this, your computer isn’t haunted. It’s hacked. In the real world, the latter is the scarier of the two.
Sometimes it seems like the Internet is plotting against you, and nothing is safe, ever. Even if you don't have any thugs waiting to steal your data, there are hackers - thieves - who will steal it anyway, waiting to take it when you least expect it. One of the most secure ways to protect your company's digital assets is to enact a "zero trust" policy for your network.
A cyber espionage campaign called "Sandworm" has been discovered recently. The hacking attack, said to be based in Russia, has been targeting government leaders and organizations since as early as 2009. The researchers responsible for the discovery, iSight Partners, came to this conclusion after examining the code used in the campaign.
Businesses are turning their attention toward the cloud more and more every day, but many of them find the cloud to be a lot of information to process. What businesses want is the ability to see how cloud services can benefit their personal and professional goals. Cloud solutions can give your company an edge on your competition, but you don't always know what the best solution for your business is.
Whoever came up with the idea of BYOD sure was onto something. Employees love bringing in their own personal devices for work, but is it putting businesses at risk? BYOD was well-received by the business world, but now some companies are questioning whether mobile devices at work are putting their information at risk.
In a survey by Cyber-Ark, close to half of employees interviewed admitted that if they were fired tomorrow, they would take with them their former company's proprietary data. This is a shocking revelation considering how much you trust your current staff, maybe even to the point of referring to them as "family." What can you do to protect your business from a former employee with ill intentions?
Most people think that crime doesn't pay, but that's not what the numbers say. When hackers steal from others, they are leeching countless dollars from the world just to satisfy their own goals. This has worldwide effects on the economy and the tech industry, not to mention what it can do to your business.
We've got yet another major data breach to report that affects millions of users, this one of a very personal nature. This week, it was revealed that Chinese hackers compromised 4.5 million medical records from Community Health Systems, a hospital network with 206 facilities in the United States. Ask your doctor today if identity theft prevention is right for you.
Yes, you read that title right. If your WiFi isn't protected, you can be hacked by the furry little creature that wanders around your backyard when you're not home. Coco, a Siamese cat from Washington, D.C., was able to discover dozens of weak or unprotected WiFi networks in his neighborhood with his high-tech collar.
Your office is likely full-to-bursting with devices utilizing USB technology. It's been a popular way to connect external devices to PCs since the 1.1 version was released in 1998. However, it may be the technology's popularity that will cause its downfall as hackers develop ways to use the device to their advantage.
All of the recent vulnerabilities and bugs over the past few months, such as Heartbleed, GameOver Zeus, and the zero-day Internet Explorer vulnerability have many people thinking - just how strong is antivirus in the face of such threats? Symantec told The Wall Street Journal their opinion on the subject: Antivirus is "dead."
Smell that? That's the stench of your computer burning because you ignored the hackers and viruses constantly trying to gain access to your network. It takes more than just vigilance to keep your precious data from being accessed by criminals. You need something that can take the heat in the event of an attack. You need protective software, like a firewall. The term was coined because, just like a firewall confines a fire in a building, it can also keep threats out of your system. Sometimes, all it takes is a little protection to prevent catastrophe.
Smartphone users routinely cycle out their old device for a new one every two years or so. When it's time to upgrade, many users see an opportunity to sell their old phone for extra cash. However, a device that's improperly wiped of its data could lead to identity theft if the data is recovered by the new owner.
On Saturday, July 21st 2014, the Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) conference took place in New York City. It's a place where hackers discuss ways to improve the society in which we live. One of the more controversial panelists, Edward Snowden, has suggested hackers pool their efforts into creating anti-surveillance technology to decrease government espionage.
Whether you like it or not, the Internet of Things is fast-approaching. Some experts have raised concerns about the phenomenon, and they feel that the world isn't ready for it. According to the Pew Research Center, the Internet of Things might bring about the violation of our most basic human rights, and who knows what else.
When it comes to hackers, they are shrouded in darkness and treachery. They lurk in the shadows, waiting for us to make a mistake and to steal our life savings, or other equally nefarious things. But there are a few assumptions that they make concerning their prey, and they wish to hide these from us at all costs.
Two weeks ago, the National Communications Administration managed to weaken a set of malware designed to steal banking and personal credentials from unsuspecting users. They warned the world that GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker ransomware would be back with a vengeance, and that immediate action could prevent a whole lot of pain later.
The wireless router is something that has been around for a long time now, and you might still have yours from when you first got wireless Internet installed in your office. If this is the case, you owe it to yourself to upgrade to a newer model. Besides increasing the speed of your wireless connection, there are a few security benefits to updating your router.
Look out, users of Windows; the Greek god of thunder is angry, and he's sent the Zeus family of malware out into the world. The one in question, GameOver Zeus, is particularly nasty. Thankfully, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice managed to find a way to disrupt it, but that doesn't mean that GameOver Zeus is out of the game - in two weeks, the threat will return with a vengeance.
Today's home has all sorts of conveniences when it comes to security and wireless devices, such as mobile-controlled security systems, temperature gauges, and light switches. These devices can also be connected to the Internet for ease of access. You think it's safe behind passwords, firewalls, and security applications, but you're wrong. Anything that's connected is at risk - even baby monitors.
Lately, there's been a string of computer security issues making the news, like the vulnerability found within Internet Explorer, the Heartbleed bug, and the host of issues associated with the recently-expired Windows XP. Is it possible that the security patches issued by Microsoft are making the problem worse for users of older systems like Windows XP?
It's been fifteen years since the Y2K incident had the world embroiled in panic. It was said that at the turn of the century, on New Year's Eve, all computers in the world would reset their dates to 1900 rather than 2000, as the way data was stored would only allow for two-decimal digits. Therefore, 1970 would be stored as "70". Many programs weren't able to recognize the difference between 1900 and 2000, and some would try to represent the year 2000 as 19100, which could have led to complete failure of data and incorrect results, as well as the collapse of a crucial technological infrastructure. Obviously, none of this happened, and New Year's Eve passed without the collapse of human society as we know it, but do you know why it didn't happen?
Just like the dark waters of the benthic ocean trenches, the Internet is filled with wondrous creatures that have never been seen before. However, there are also rather ugly things lurking in the depths as well. No matter how deep you swim, there are always the deep sea phishermen that will try to rip you away from everything you hold dear – your personal and professional data.
In high school, there were always the rebellious kids who never wanted to do what their teachers said. They would vandalize the bathroom stalls, walk around the halls without permission, skip classes, and make the school an overall unpleasant environment. The teachers eventually decided that enough was enough, and they banned certain privileges that the students had. Bathroom breaks became timed. Hall monitors stalked the halls looking for troublemakers. Our liberty was stolen by these hooligans.
The Heartbleed bug, one of the nastiest deficiencies in Internet security to date, was found last week. More than two-thirds of the Internet's secure information could have been leaked from websites utilizing the OpenSSL cryptographic library's encryption style. Most major websites have already issued a patch to resolve the problem, but that doesn't change the fact that this information has been available to anyone looking for it for over two years. Worse still is that you would have no idea how to tell whether your data has been compromised.
The same day that Microsoft ceased supporting Windows XP with security patches was also the day a vicious little monster was discovered – the Heartbleed bug, which renders privacy in the OpenSSL cryptographic library completely obsolete. Basically, anything utilizing the OpenSSL open source library is at risk here. Websites utilizing this form of encryption include Yahoo! Google, and Facebook. To put it in perspective, sites that utilize OpenSSL number more than two-thirds of the entire worldwide web. Though this bug only applies to versions 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 beta of OpenSSL, hackers are able to obtain private keys which can be used to obtain sensitive information from countless people all around the world. Nothing says "heartbreak" like having your identity stolen and your sensitive data Shanghaied.
The Internet has grown to such a vast size that it in itself is like a world within a world. Some people live on it, and share their secrets far too openly. These people think themselves safe in a world that technically doesn't exist, but there is a lot more danger involved with the Internet than some people realize. There are criminals everywhere, and they are just waiting for you to drop your guard long enough to swipe everything you've worked so hard to protect.
One of the fastest growing business technology trends is employees using their personal mobile devices for work purposes (aka BYOD). The trend is growing so fast that Juniper Research estimates there will be one billion employee-owned devices used in enterprises by 2018. Is your business prepared for the changes coming from BYOD?
As with anything else that's deliberately taken from you, having your smartphone stolen can be one of the most frustrating experiences ever. After all, many of us use them to keep us on point with our daily tasks. Measures are being taken by legislators and cell phone companies to help curb the issue, but there are ways that you can prevent and react to your phone being stolen.
Details are still coming in regarding one of the biggest data breaches in history that compromised the personal records of 200 million Americans! The scam was propagated by the online ID theft service Superget.info, and it's currently being investigated by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
For years we have been recommending to our clients that they upgrade from Windows XP. Come April 8, this is no longer a recommendation, it's a necessity! While April 8 may not be the end of the world, it is the end of your computer's world if it's still running XP because Microsoft is ending support.
Prior to the XXII Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, concerns were shared from many American news outlets in regards to mobile data security. On the eve of competition the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams broadcasted a story suggesting that data security in Russia, and more specifically, at the Olympic games was atrocious; with the reporter, Richard Engel, getting both his smartphone and his work laptop hacked almost immediately.
In Sochi, Russia, the world's best athletes aren't the only ones having spent years preparing for the Winter Olympics. Russian hackers have also readied themselves for the world's arrival. Hackers have tapped every public WiFi network in the vicinity of the games. We can learn a thing or two about the WiFi problems in Sochi.
Due to the many different forms of digital communication, you may check your email less than ever before. However, just because you may not use your email account very often, it doesn't mean that a hacker will leave it alone. Every email account is full of valuable information and should be protected with the strongest security measures available.
With the introduction of Microsoft's Kinect and Apple's iPhone 5s, biometrics has exploded! Both of these tools are being utilized for security purposes to lock others out of your device and accounts. Biometrics for these devices are also being employed to grant you access to your technology. As biometrics becomes more popular, you are sure to see it used for your business in the not too distant future.
What are the essentials of network security? This question was recently answered at a security event by VP of Gartner Neil MacDonald, "Information security was never about device lockdown, or dictating applications, or building firewalls. It was always about protecting the confidentiality, the integrity, the authenticity, the availability of information." Let's break down these four basic components of IT security.
Spam in your email inbox is extremely annoying. Email spam is always an eyesore, and swallows up valuable time wasted on sifting through your inbox. Have you ever wondered how email spam got its name? You may be surprised to find the answer. Here's a hint: it has something to do with Vikings, a diner, canned meat, and a British comedy.
When getting work done on the Internet, users are faced with a slew of threats that could hack sensitive company and personal data. Integrating a VPN solution may be your best option in securing your company network and files from online attacks. What is VPN, and why should your company be using it?
Security company Trustwave made a discovery last week that sent the online world into a frenzy. They recovered two million stolen passwords from 93,000 different websites. This password cache included user accounts from major companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Twitter, and Yahoo. Is your password part of this haul?
Last September, the Internet was introduced to CryptoLocker, a dangerous ransomware that has quickly spread and become one of the worst viruses we have seen. CryptoLocker will literally take your files hostage by encrypting them so it can force you to pay for the encryption key. A business hit with CryptoLocker will be locked out of their computers and unable to get work done.
IT can be like baseball. When a team is up to bat in a game of baseball, the team at bat is allowed to keep two coaches on the field. They are called the first base coach and the third base coach. While both coaches’ responsibilities mostly have to do with baserunning, the third base coach also takes on the responsibility of relaying “signs” from the manager in the dugout to the batter at the plate.