Harmful objects can be obtained from the web. We are all aware that Malware and Trojans are rampant objects that have been wandering of anywhere on the Internet, especially websites that are often visited by people for reference and information. Such sites would get hijacked and also contaminate visiting users as well, something that can be done through Internet cookies stored on the web folder in the machines.
While developers and security administrators have religiously searched for ways to find such solutions, the ever changing development of new threats coming from the Internet has been far from over. To date, even the well-protected workstations can still be penetrated by objects that are not immediately visible.
Internet fences in the form of firewalls and software protection templates have tried to stop such intrusions but need to be updated frequently to answer the related threats. Without such temporary fences that are up, workstations are sitting ducks waiting to be shot, and if web administrators are not up to date with the new threats, the fences used are good as gone once they occur.
Tags: firewall, Malware, Spyware, trojans
Categories: IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Physical Security, Security Policies, Spyware
Greg Schulz of Computerworld shared some guidelines of tape virtualization. Tape virtualization is one of the popular topics when it come to storage. Some of the said advantages of making virtual tape libraries would include improvement of the performance of the back up, archiving and other related processes and smooth transition (from tape-based to disk-based).
Here are the ten points he raised in his article:
1. Integration of VTL in your business continuity, conditions of your site/location.
2. Storage devices to be attached to the VTL.
3. Projected storage capacity needed in the future.
4. Backup, archiving, etc. software supported.
5. Support of differencing or single-instance repository capabilities.
6. Determine if you are looking for a turnkey solution.
7. Resiliency and redundancy needed.
8. Security level needed.
9. Tape device and library emulation for your environment.
10. Necessary changes to your current setup.
The questions he raised in his article really make you consider your needs and the conditions of your system. All these questions will help you evaluate if you would use virtualization. You cannot just decide right away if you will use VTL because it could affect your system in a major way.
It is always good to look at the possibilities before arriving at some decisions like this one. It is best to do a full study before you spend on it. One of the important things you also have to consider would be the people who would be in charge of this project in your company. Who will be the ones in charge of the study and the follow up in case you do push through with it. Your data will be at stake so it is better to be safe than sorry.
Tags: Backups, Physical Security, Storage, Tips
Categories: Backups, Physical Security, Storage, Tips
For most companies, the computer room where the company servers containing the delicate data originating from daily transactions is the most important place in the office. So while the people here are trying to figure out ways to safeguard these servers, it would be likewise important to consider external security measures such as placing locks and monitoring the activities with the use of spy cams.
Why is this important? The right question should be geared on how well do you trust you IT personnel. Evaluate their personality and see the extent to which they may betray the company and place operations in jeopardy. This not of course to discredit them but in reality, a lot of people use their knowledge and access as leverage towards being able to command salaries and money-related deals that many of us know as blackmail.
Also, physical intrusion is always a possibility. No matter how secure your area would be, it can be breached at anytime if you do not address the right measure to make it harder for them to gain access to the computer room. In short, the harder it is to get in to you computer room, the better it is. This only means you have prepared on the physical aspect of securing your IT area which is a good approach the sake of safeguarding hardware and data.
Tags: Physical Security, security, spycams
Categories: Physical Security, Real-World Issues
It is perhaps the headache of any IT head when it comes to implement policies to have a smooth running network and department. But while the essence of a good security system is evident, it is really the implementation part that is hard to accomplish.
For one, the transition and building of security awareness from various threats that can easily make their way towards an acclaimed secure network is abundant. Manually or transmitted, suspicious files will always find a way especially if you are not that adamant towards making sure that all bases are covered as far as the security of your system and data is concerned.
Many people fail to appreciate that value of the data they have gathered. They fail to appreciate the value of a strict IT policy mainly because all they care about is a workstation to use and opening files (both internal and external) as they please. So if you put all these things together, you can imagine the problems that an IT guy has to work with. But to some, taking the initiative such as passwords and some hardware exclusions has to be made.
If you notice, some drives like the usual floppy drives or even USB ports are either missing or disabled. To make them work, certain permissions and passwords are set for them to be enabled. Only the IT administrator would know these security measures and basic as they may seem, they really help a lot.
This is just a basic but effective way that IT personnel use. There are the usual network policies but for the sake of people who want to making it doubly sure, old and basic practices such as this is perhaps the best way to go.
Tags: it, management, policy
Categories: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Privacy & Anonymity, Security Policies
For many people, adding technology is not always like a bed of roses. In fact, heightened security measures like eye scanners and thumb print access do not sit that well with them. Apparently there are people who want to be on time for appointments or simply by their desk at record time. With these new gadgets, they have to consider some time constraints since verification must be done before they are granted entry.
But much of this is not really to make lives hard. It is meant for sectional security. Any part of an office today is really important. These measures were normally restricted to the computer rooms where servers have to be heavily safeguarded. These days, it goes as far as the main entrance of a building.
While many consider them as discomforts, there are for safety measures not only for the company but for personal interests as well. When something goes wrong these days, suspects and culprits are enumerated. Through this added security, the list goes down and may even exclude innocent people who were not even around during occurrence.
A little bit of consideration is in order though. Personal access also includes the diligence to ensure that you don’t go out sharing the same with other people your access codes or passwords. That is a cardinal sin. If through this effort an authorized user is unable to safeguard his access, then it can only lead to trouble and perhaps put him in a deeper hole.
Tags: eye scanners, passwords, security, thumbprint
Categories: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Physical Security, Tips
Closed Circuit TV Cameras (CCTV) have indeed become a new face of overall protection and security. At the rate that security is breached and terrorism growing rampant these days, it is apparent that any place or business establishment needs to work up its security measures to ensure maximum protection for the innocent consumers and people who are unaware of threats that may come their way.
But one issue that has been heard all throughout the world is on their reliability. You can monitor various activities but then what? What action would you take? If you do, would it be enough to avoid any accidents that may suddenly occur.
Apparently, many establishments just want to avoid the trouble. Mischief lingers anywhere these days and the best thing that you can do is to try and avoid them. Compared to the early days, tighter security through videos allows the place owners to monitor abnormal and suspicious behaviors to which the proper steps to avoid them can be done.
The list goes as far as advanced security measures such as the high security of sealed places where new technology as thumbprints, eye scanners and card swiping for better monitoring of accessing people limits the list of potential breaches in a certain area.
This has helped a lot and in times where something unfortunate may happen, investigators can have a better time catching culprits thanks to these hidden monitors. These days, that is why most mischievous people have made it a point to survey before attacking. Sadly, some of them have found a way to get around CCTV security as well.
Tags: access, cctv, monitoring, security
Categories: IT Security Basics, Physical Security, Real-World Issues
The problem with spam and phishing has become so much of a problem that Google, has resorted to using Yahoo’s patented DomainKeys technology to protect their email users through Gmail with the security system. DomainKeys was patented and developed by Yahoo but was released under a dual license under the GNU General Public License which allowed the software technology to become a widely accepted internet standard. It uses encryption technology to verify that the domain from which mail comes from is in fact the true source of the sent mail blocking re-directed spam and other malware from taking flight. These types of technology have been vital in the protection of consumers who do online shopping, many of whom fall victim to fake and phishing scams resulting in financial losses.
Internet companies themselves get victimized in terms of the resources they have to allocate to resolve such incidents that start from eBay transactions gone bad that hackers use as phishing tools. Once these people get their hands on the account information of legit users, they go on expensive shopping sprees that costs the e-commerce industry a lot of lost revenue. It also causes a lot of misinformation on the security and reliability of online stores (some are truly legit but most are well…..). Hopefully more and more fake PayPal and eBay scams would be denied giving people more time to develop better protection systems. There are a lot of tips on the internet about online safety with regards to these email and other scams so you’d better brush up and stay informed of the latest news if you love online shopping and haggling over eBay. Safe online Shopping everyone!!
Tags: eBay, eCommerce, Gmail, Online Safety, Online Shopping, phishing
Categories: General, Network Security, News, Physical Security, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Security Policies
Citibank an arm of Citi Corp, has suffered a data breach in the form of 7-11 Store installed ATM machines which were broken into by hackers who got away with millions according to the report on Yahoo News. The three hackers have been found, arrested and are currently under custody as the case is further studied and discussed in the courtroom.
The problem happened when these hackers got through third-party computers who handled debit card account transactions taking all the information they needed that was enough for them to engage in online transactions without the need for physical contact with any ATM machine.
The problem is another case of lax data security which in terms of ATM pins are said to be the most secure of all bank information systems for the potential is horrendous in terms of loss.
“PINs were supposed be sacrosanct — what this shows is that PINs aren’t always encrypted like they’re supposed to be,” said Avivah Litan, a security analyst with the Gartner research firm. “The banks need much better fraud detection systems and much better authentication.”
This shows that even with the repetitive problems and incidents of identity theft not everybody is listening and taking action to protect their information, as in the case of Citi Corp., their third party providers should have had ample measures such as encryption, and redundant security measures to prevent such incidents from even happening. Citi Corp., being one of the biggest multi-national banks with accounts all over the world should have check and balance systems that ensures customer information is safeguarded from such intrusions which in this case is going to cost them millions of dollars. The company has relied so heavily on systems based on Microsoft Software technology which has received continuous attacks and this is just another addition to the types of attacks they suffer from hackers.
Tags: ATM's Hacked, ATM-Fraud, Citi Corp., Citibank
Categories: Backups, Cryptography, General, IT Security Basics, Network Security, News, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Security Policies
If you happen to be a small or medium scale company that cannot afford multiple data stores and infinite numbers of mirrored hard drives, that becomes a problem. An encrypted hard disk in a laptop that gets banged up damaging the hard disk may still have some of the information intact enough for recovery but damage some of the vital keys and software and you are left hanging by a thread or down in the gutters. Data recovery is possible but only through expensive methods with the hard disks being opened up, the platters extracted and installed into another similar hard disk for data extraction. Only the military and federal government would have enough cash to burn in terms of data recovery at that level for the price is computed in the amount of megabytes recovered and on a per hard disk basis, and imagine a 1 terabyte drive at say $50/MB then you’d be scratching your head by now, and that’s just for a single drive.
The risks of identity theft and information leakage is real but the technology is still quite prone to failure even with today’s quad-core which is why we didn’t discuss the performance issue in the discussion. Today’s multi-core processors are capable of handling complex tasks such as real time encryption and decryption as if there was nothing happening on the background. The performance issue has been addressed by more powerful microprocessors but the reliability of the hard disks which stores the information and even the CD’s are still quite weak. Till there is more definite proof that all parts of the computer has reached such a reliable level that failure is a less of a factor more people would still retain their own proprietary security measures (birthday passwords, flash thumb drives that always get lost and physically carrying their discs with them).
Tags: encryption, Security Policies
Categories: Backups, Cryptography, General, IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Storage, Wireless Security
A startup firm named iSekurity has former agents from the various US Federal agencies in their roster is to begin offering Identity theft protection service which may become the start of a new chapter or rather business in the world of industrial espionage and identity theft. These former agents are no strangers to the growing problems associated with identity theft and it is costing money for many US businesses and the people who work for them. From petty credit card fraud to more serious crimes, they’ll tackle them all and they would do it with the same precision and tenacity as they have learned in the service. The President and founder of the company promises to get people who steal identities or give their clients a sum of $11,000 as remuneration for any cases they fail to resolve.
This is in response to growing frustration among people with crimes that have resulted from identity thefts and the company’s crews of over 100 former agents are well versed in the art of surveillance and apprehension.
Private businesses like these, hope to fill in the gap between law enforcement and the public where they can do little to stifle these crimes that often have links to organized crime syndicates. From drug running to many other gang related activities, these guys have done it all. The president of the company was a former Presidential detail to former presidents and has taken the role of leading the Secret Service’s elite CAT or Counter Assault Team. With impeccable records in their former federal duties, criminals have one more group of people to overcome in their endless pursuit of identity theft.
Tags: Identy theft, iSecurity, Startup
Categories: General, IT Security Basics, Malware, Physical Security, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Spyware
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