PCI DSS or short for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, is designed as a security protocol that has been agreed upon by industry for applications in Credit card payment systems. Due to ever increasing problems and losses incurred by firms due to credit card fraud they have agreed to implement a data security protocol that encrypts data in transit to the various local card centers. The standard calls for a unified set of rules or parameters to be used in card centers to prevent and maintain security at all levels from the retail store where the data is collected, in-transit as it travels through the internet and as it is processed and stored in the data centers.
IBM has introduced the first PCI-DSS End to End system for implementation on the HughesNet Broadband Network Service. At a time when compliance is at a mere 50% these types of data security become imperative to prevent more losses and other problems associated with fraud and other criminal activities. The standard also applies and recognizes the needs of wireless networks through which a set of analytic and diagnostic processes are required. The PCI Standards Security Council who formulated the said standards are in constant process of reviewing and revising the said set standards as needed due to the ever-changing status of the internet and the business that goes through it.
Around 90% or more of most credit card transactions go through a public network in one stage or another as it makes its way to the central data center which makes it vulnerable to attack. The adoption of cheaper high-speed internet has companies turning to the public net opposed to the previously expensive dedicated T1 lines usually used by businesses. It also allows transaction data to be transferred through one single phone line thus lowering overhead costs making it the better choice for businesses.

Tags: Credit-Card-Fraud, Credit-Card-Information-Security, internet, PCI-DSS, Security-Protocol

Categories: Cryptography, General, IT Security Basics, Network Security, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Security Policies

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Employee’s love them, Network Administrators hate them, the advent of more function packed handheld devices have sparked a re-evaluation of the threat these small devices pose. Traditionally, networks were quite safe for to gain access to it you needed to be hooked up to the network, physically with a LAN cable. Now that the shift to wireless has become the network engineer’s best friend the network has surely been simplified and companies are switching to the new technology. Thy no longer needed wires and all existing computers are either replaced with ones that support Wi-Fi or bought individual dongles that allowed connection within the office. That was still an easy security agenda for they usually had a range of a couple of hundred feet.

Then came wireless internet hotspots which commercial developers started to put up to get more workers out of the office into their shops allowing them to work while, say having coffee. That’s where the problems began for the more office correspondence left the walls of the office, the more harder was it to secure. VPN’s were implemented that allowed a secure channel within existing networks making it a bit better. But that was still quite vulnerable to attack and security experts needed a better way of securing corporate data where-ever the user might be. Projections by business and security analysts estimate volume to increase to 100 million email transactions to and from outside the office locations that is still causing nightmares as the next step is found in the drive to secure this network without physical bounds.

[tags]Handheld Computing, Mobile Computing[/tags]

Tags: hackers, internet, security, Vulnerabilities, Wireless

Categories: Cryptography, General, IM, IT Security Basics, Instant Messaging, Network Security, News, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Wireless Security

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Many events both as a result of actions by man or by nature that have spelled disaster to all of us who rely on the internet for communications and many other neat stuff we just like to do. Many of us forget how complicated the Internet really is and that a failure in the many parts that make it up can ruin all our day’s. The recent earthquake in Taiwan that resulted in a collapse of one of the net’s major arteries to and from Asia to the rest of the world resulted in billions of damages in terms of revenue of internet based companies all around the world. Sabotage still remains a major risk to the information highway for a properly placed explosives device can disrupt internet traffic if it were to sever the fiber optic and high speed copper based links that inter-connects all our computers.

May it be natural or man-made disasters; there is good news and bad news for all of us. First the bad news, for the net however great a leap it has become from its first implementation will fail again. It is just a matter of when and not if it will happen. All technology has an Achilles heel that can bring it down to its knees. The good news, well it would be good to know that the cables used on newer inter-link installations may they be under ground or water is protected by some of the most technologically advanced materials in the world. Kevlar and Nomex are synthetic materials that form the sheathing or casing that protects these cables which makes them so tough allowing them to withstand the rigorous conditions under the sea or under ground. What better way to protect these sensitive and vital cables that with the same materials used for bullet and fire proof vests and coats used by the police and firemen.

They are quite expensive and costly to lay but they do allow us to stay connected. One of the best news for us is the laying of new links between the continents rather than having to rely on one single cable. Many links have been laid across the seas to form a redundant web on inter-connected links that allows a severed path to travel through another path.

Tags: Communications, Copper-based-Internet, Data Cabling, fiber-optic, internet, Kevlar, Nomex

Categories: General, Network Security, News, Real-World Issues

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The wireless revolution has fast taken over the world with more and more people opting for the convenience of not being tied to a specific place due to …. what else wires. This revolution was brought about by the first and primitive beginnings of the garage door openers, cellular phones and many more. The technology has proven to be a very successful one, but like many new technologies they do have problems and detractors who say it is too much a risk to go wireless.

True to this, many fear of the amount of information that is simply just being transmitted for anyone with the right equipment and know-how to grab and use for personal gains. Yes there are security programs, certificates and other proven authentication systems out on the market that do allow secure and safe computing without wires but they have a long way to go to provide a foolproof way of doing it. Radio waves are invisible yet present all around us and is a form of radiation however minute or insignificant the amount may be. To this effect, many schools have dismantled wireless networks that were hastily put up without extensive health risk studies. This was done for wireless equipment saves schools and other enterprises from having to hardwire data ports anywhere a connection to the school network or internet is needed(copper wires are very expensive and so is the installation costs). Another study by the Health Physics Society and the WHO shows more proof and information regarding the said effects of the technology on the human body.

So till we get to understand the phenomenon better and try to reduce the risks with improvements better be cautious( Not to totally avoid all wireless technology based products) and use common sense in the use and purchase of such equipment.

Tags: Health-Risks, internet, Wireless

Categories: General, News, Real-World Issues

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A lot of people have probably heard about now about the earthquake that hit Taiwan during the holiday break. While the natural disaster caused a lot of discomfort to the Taiwanese community, the world has suffered as well in terms of Internet connection speed.

Taiwan is among the chains or gateways to which the Internet also passes through. Similar to that of a hose that allows water to pass through from one point to another; one hole in it will lower the pressure of the amount of water that should be traveling. In the same way, the underground cables to which help transmit Internet connections from one point to another were damaged and thus today, many are experiencing lousy connection speeds. This has thoroughly disrupted the flow of operations, becoming a discomfort that has left surfers and professionals totally helpless.

Natural disasters are hard to predict. The best that technology personnel can do is come up with better cable durability, but this is no promise for disruptions as we are experiencing today. Among the millions that have been damaged by this untimely event, technology based companies and organizations are surely suffering the most for the gapping whole in the entire connection the web provides.

[tags]internet, gateway, connection, fiber optic, cabling[/tags]

Tags: cabling, connection, fiber-optic, gateway, internet, Network Security, News, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Wireless Security

Categories: Network Security, News, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Wireless Security

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For most people, the computer is just a form of word processing and tool for search queries to aid them in their daily needs, both at work and at home. As long as a person is able to use a personal desktop and surf and produce the needed reports, nothing else matters.

With the rising count of malware and spyware today, it is best to note that firewalls and networking security have become one of the necessities that help safeguard computers and local intranets today. Unlike in the early years, hacking and intrusion have become rampant that has eventually raised the level of consciousness for most people who safeguard their files and documents.

With the growing number of things to do over the web such as blogging, writing and graphics designing, the need to also protect their own workstations exposed through different ports is a priority today. It is not only a matter of being able to use a unit but also a matter of maintenance from unwanted public intrusions through the World Wide Web.

[tags]firewall, security, internet[/tags]

Tags: firewall, internet, Malware, Network Security, security

Categories: Malware, Network Security

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In every office, you have to have some policies when it comes to sharing of files and downloading of files. Why? For one thing, those computers are the company’s resources. And it should be that during work hours, people ought to limit their downloads except for materials that are necessary for their work to get done.

How do you formulate your policies when it comes to these matters?

If you are working in a creative environment, anything could be used as your inspiration. That is why there are companies who allow surfing within office hours and it does not really matter what sites you visit. Although some of them do block some sites that are mainly of the personal nature like Friendster, My Space and other similar sites. There are also some that ban blogging services like Blogger. They would even issue memos regarding the matter.

If you work in a strictly confidential project, it would be difficult to try to make sure that nothing leaks out. If you are connected via the Internet, chances are your works could be intercepted in one way or another by hackers. So you have to be careful that you have firewall activated. As others would say, just block off everything except interoffice email.

Employees must be briefed carefully so that they will not be surprised in case they were surfing the ‘net one time and they find out that there are blocked sites. Also, you have to make sure you observe how the employees work. Those in the financial business would have to guard a lot of information. They would have to ensure that the employees understand the policies and that they would follow them in order to ensure that everything will be secure. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. You would not want to lose your valuable clients.

[tags]work,office,security,internet[/tags]

Tags: internet, office, Real-World Issues, security, Security Policies, work

Categories: Real-World Issues, Security Policies

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