Posts Tagged ‘Security’
Friday, January 20th, 2012
 Consumers love their gadgets, but they still don’t trust them with important information.
The composite Mocana Device Confidence Index for the last quarter of 2011 jumped to a level 13.2% over the baseline survey that was conducted 6 months ago, indicating a significantly higher level of confidence in electronic devices among consumers.
The quarterly Device Confidence Index measures how consumers feel about the electronic devices in their lives.
The survey, which was run as a baseline last summer, is designed to act as a leading economic indicator of activity in the “Internet of Things” ecosystem, including the devices, software and services that make up this emerging market, currently valued at over one trillion dollars.
However, when consumers were asked specifically about secret or sensitive information, they remain strongly distrusting of devices’ ability to protect that information well. In fact, only 20% of consumers surveyed said they trusted devices to protect their sensitive information.
The survey asks consumers their feelings on four basic issues: their overall level of trust in a device, how well electronic devices work for them, how they feel about trusting these devices with especially sensitive information, and how anxious they are about hackers and viruses on devices. Consumers are then asked to project how they think they will feel about the same questions, six months from now.
“Americans love gadgets,” said Kurt Stammberger, CISSP and Mocana’s VP of Market Development, “And we’re delegating more of our lives to them. But even so, when it comes down the important things, we kind of hate them, too. Americans still deeply distrust smartphones, tablets and Internet-connected TVs to keep our secrets.”
He adds, “Unfortunately, a certain amount of that distrust has been well-earned, and reinforced by regular reports of devices with security flaws that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Consumer electronics manufacturers have a long way to go to improve the security posture of their connected devices, and consumers know it.”
Tags: consumer trust in digital security, Device Confidence Index, Mocana, Security
Posted in Hardware, Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
 Some forms of malware, in particular, attempts to steal personal financial information, surged in the second half of 2011, according to a new report.
The APWG reports in its H1 2011 Phishing Activity Trends Report this month that the propagation of some forms of crimeware surged in the half-year period ending in June, 2011 with data-stealing malware reaching and maintaining a new plateau of contagion.
“In the first half of 2011, MarkMonitor saw a significant rise of phishing attacks when compared with 2010. Furthermore, phishing attacks are increasingly targeting brands worldwide and, notably, in emerging markets such as Latin America, Middle East and Asia.”
In the first six months of 2011, data-stealing malware and generic Trojans increased from 36 percent of malware detected in January, 2011 to more than 45 percent in April, subsequently maintaining a proportion of well over 40 percent for the rest of the half. The former high for this metric was 44 percent, in a one-month spike, in August of 2010.
This metric is a key indicator of cybercrime trends, as data-stealing malware is typically designed to send information from infected machines, to control them, and/or to open backdoors on them.
Patrik Runald, Senior Manager, Security Research for Websense and a Trends Report contributing analyst said, “The first half of 2011 saw an increase in not only the amount of malicious samples received but more importantly, malware files going after confidential information such as credit card data, social security numbers and credentials to financial websites.
“With cybercrime being an industry generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the bad guys it’s clear that this is a trend we will see for a long time,” Runald said.
Similarly, according to Luis Corrons, PandaLabs Technical Director and APWG Trends Report contributing analyst, Trojans accounted for 72 percent of the new samples created in H1, 2011, a substantial increase from H2, 2010 when Trojans only accounted for 55 percent of the total sample set recorded.
While conventional, spam-based phishing attacks are not attaining the relentless month-over-month global growth of years’ past, there are indications that new and major phishing hot spots within emerging-market nations are appearing.
Ihab Shraim, Chief Security Officer and Vice President, Network and Systems Engineering and Trends Report contributing analyst said, “In the first half of 2011, MarkMonitor saw a significant rise of phishing attacks when compared with 2010. Furthermore, phishing attacks are increasingly targeting brands worldwide and, notably, in emerging markets such as Latin America, Middle East and Asia.”
The full text of the report is available here: http://apwg.org/reports/apwg_trends_report_h1_2011.pdf
Tags: APWG, malware 2011, malware seeks financial information, Security
Posted in Internet/New Media, Security, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
 So what gifts can you give your web site this holiday season? Killer Infographics came up with this infograpic to help you focus your attention on gifts that might keep giving you better site traffic all next year.
Mintleaf Web Design Studio
Tags: best practices, buttons, gifts you can give your website infographic, how to improve your website, images, Killer infographics, navigation, Security, SEO, typography, web site improvement tips, why carts are abandoned
Posted in best practices, Business advice, infographic, Internet/New Media, Marketing | Comments Off
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
 Veracode, Inc., provider of the world’s only independent, cloud-based application risk management platform, has created an infographic, “Google vs. Facebook on Privacy and Security,” that takes a look at how the two firms stack up against each otehr when it comes to handling privacy and security concerns.
Infographic by Veracode Application Security
Tags: facebook, Google, privacy, Security, Veracode
Posted in Facebook, Google, infographic, Internet/New Media, Security, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
 California-based Outcome Logic, Inc. has released a free online service that provides customized and user-specific information regarding cyber threats and cyber crime.
The new online product, CyberSecurity SAFE (Self-Assessment, Family Emergency) is available for free to families and individuals. Through a simple self-administered questionnaire, CyberSecurity SAFE assesses preparedness, vulnerability and risk while providing a detailed report with relevant and practical recommendations tailored to the user.
By visiting safeoutcome.com and completing the CyberSecurity questionnaire, in addition to the report that identifies specific vulnerabilities and how to address them, users receive a complete cyber security preparedness score.
When followed, this prioritized list of detailed recommendations will ensure families are more prepared to counter most cyber security threats.
Remember to research any anti-virus or cyber security software online before installing it. If you’re using Windows, you can download and install Windows Defender as well as a number of free for personal use anti-virus and anti-spyware programs such as Malware Bytes, AV, Spyware Blaster and Spybot.
“Cyber crime is the most rapidly growing threat to personal privacy,” said Alon Stivi, president and CEO of Outcome Logic. “With CyberSecurity SAFE, we offer an easy and free solution to help families protect their personal data and passwords from cyber criminals.”
Protecting and being prepared in the event of cyber crime is important for businesses and individuals and families.
To prepare and prevent damage from cyber attacks, such as the 12 million per day experienced by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics recently announced that they have addressed virtually every possible outcome in the event of malicious activity by cybercriminals.
Tags: CA, CyberSecurity SAFE, free online security check, Irvine, safeoutcome.com, Security
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Security | Comments Off
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
 Walter Isaacson, who penned the new biography of Apple’s Steve Jobs that goes on sale Monday, is slated to be interviewed on 60 Minutes Sunday Night. It’s unusual for the CBS news magazine show, 60 Minutes to delve much into the tech world, but Jobs’ influence is felt in many areas – design, innovative thinking, role model.
Isaacson’s biography, originally set for 2012 publication, was moved up to Oct. 24. The author did dozens of interviews with Jobs, including one final talk just before Jobs’ death Oct. 5. 60 Minutes revealed the Isaacson appearance in a tweet.
Apple says that more than a million people have already shared memories, messages and feelings about Jobs on a remembrance page, sent via rememberingsteve@apple.com.
Wall Street Journal says Microsoft, others putting together proposal to buy Yahoo
The Wall Street Journal reports that Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm, and one of its investors, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Microsoft Corp. are putting together a proposal to buy Yahoo. Groupon may go for $12B IPO
That’s down quite a bit from the $25 billion to $30 billion valuation figures bandied about previously.
Federated Media, Automatic team for WordPress ads
Federated Media, a digital ad company, and WordPress developer Automatic, are teaming up to give WordPress.com blog owners the ability to put ads on their site.
Federated Media will help its clients target their ads to specific audiences on the blogs.
WordPress.com (not the free WordPress.org content management system nor the WordPress VIP service) have limitations on what they can change, so most third-party ad solutions are not supported.
This new agreement can help WordPress.com’s mostly casual blogs bring in more money, although it is not clear how much the two companies plan to share with the bloggers.
AT&T activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S devices
AT&T today announced it activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S’ as of Tuesday, making it the most successful iPhone launch in the company’s history. AT&T was the first carrier in the world to launch iPhone in 2007 and is the only U.S. carrier to support iPhone 4S with 4G speeds.
In other tech news:
Actress sues Amazon for revealing real age on IMDB
Lots of Facebook friends? You may have more gray matter for social networks
Of Pigs, Pythons and Web Startups
Beyond the PC
Google’s new security site
Tags: 60 Minutes interview with Walter Iaasacson, Apple remembers Jobs, AT&T, Automatic, beyond the PC, Federated Media, gadgets, Google security site, Groupon IPO valuation, iPhone 4S, Jobs remembrance page, Microsoft putting together proposal to buy Yahoo, number of Facebook friends and brain structure, privacy, Pythons Pigs and Web startups, Security, Steve Jobs biography, WordPress.com ad technology
Posted in Apple, Blogging, entrepreneurship, Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, IT, Microsoft, Money, People, Security, social media, TechLife | Comments Off
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
 Kings College London Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defence establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr Thomas Rid of King’s College London.
In a paper published in The Journal of Strategic Studies, Dr Thomas Rid, from the Department of War Studies, argues that cyber warfare has never taken place, nor is it currently doing so and it is unlikely to take place in the future.
Dr Rid said: ‘The threat intuitively makes sense: almost everybody has an iPhone, an email address and a Facebook account. We feel vulnerable to cyber attack every day. Cyberwar seems the logical next step.
‘Cyber warfare is of increasing concern to governments around the world, with many nations developing defensive – and reportedly offensive – capabilities.’
Recent events, such as a highly sophisticated computer worm known as Stuxnet, which was reported to have damaged the Iranian nuclear enrichment programme, have fuelled speculation that cyber warfare is imminent. There have also been alleged acts of cyber warfare originating from Russia aimed at Estonia and Georgia.
To war, action must be potentially lethal
However, Dr Rid states that to constitute cyber warfare an action must be a potentially lethal, instrumental and political act of force, conducted through the use of software. Yet no single cyber attack has ever been classed as such and no act alone has ever constituted an act of war.
Dr Rid concludes: ‘Politically motivated cyber attacks are simply a more sophisticated version of activities that have always occurred within warfare: sabotage, espionage and subversion.’
Dr Rid specialises in cyber security and conflict, irregular conflict and counterterrorism. He is currently researching how armies use social media and is working on a project on the subject of cyber security.
Personally, we think this is a war of words only. Cyber sabotage, espionage and subversion – some of it apparently sanctioned and funded by governments – is ongoing and increasing. Whatever we call it, now is the time to DO something about it. — Allan Maurer
Tags: cyber war, Dr. Thomas Rid, Journal of Strategic Studies, Kings College London, Security
Posted in Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, Security | Comments Off
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
 About six months ago, someone hacked my Twitter account – which Twitter figured out before I did – and I had to go through a password changing routine that reminded me the junk passwords of yesteryear are useless and tough new ones are required.
But I wasn’t alone: Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Barrack Obama and Ellen DeGeneres, among others, have been targets of Twitter attacks.
Vercode created an infographic that takes a look at “When good Twitter accounts go bad.”
Tags: Barrack Obama, infographic, Justin Bieber, Lada Gaga, Security, social netowrks, Twitter hacks, Vericode
Posted in infographic, Security, social media, Twitter | Comments Off
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
 F-Secure today announced a new, free Facebook beta application, ShareSafe, that protects social network users against spam and malicious links on their news feed and wall. It can also be used to scan links before posting them to a user’s own wall, making sure visitors are safe, too.
Facebook’s popularity has made it a major target for online criminals who are posting malicious links to lure visitors to websites that spread viruses, scams and spam. Until now, there has been no way of knowing whether a Facebook link goes to a legitimate website or to something that has been set up by criminals.
ShareSafe uses patent-pending technology for detecting spammy or malicious posts in Facebook. It is designed to stop people spreading links to malicious websites. Other users can see when a link has been sent through and checked by ShareSafe.
Sean Sullivan, Security Advisor from F-Secure, said, “Facebook is a global phenomenon and its dramatic growth during the last couple of years has significantly changed how people share information with their friends and family. People now share via social media more than by any other method.
“Online criminals and tricksters are exploiting this to make money from spam, scams and malware. ShareSafe is a fun application that also provides a useful service for family and friends, making Facebook a safer place for everyone.”
ShareSafe is also a great way to discover new, interesting links from the ShareSafe community thanks to the “Top Links” feature. ShareSafe incorporates ideas from hit social games on Facebook to turn safe sharing into a fun activity by rewarding users for sharing safe and high quality content.
“Users of ShareSafe can earn points and badges, which can be redeemed for rewards. Points are earned every time you scan and share a link with ShareSafe, and when others like or click your links.
Earned points can currently be redeemed for free licenses of the following products:
- F-Secure Internet Security
- F-Secure Online Backup
- F-Secure Mobile Security
More rewards will be added in the future.
Because ShareSafe is still in development, F-Secure is offering the beta version of the application for free as a way to get feedback on the application to help improve it.
ShareSafe is available at: on.fb.me/ShareSafeInfo
Tags: F-Secure, Facebook malicious links, Security
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, Security, social media | Comments Off
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
 Over the last several years, financial institutions, retailers and healthcare organizations around the world have become frequent victims of data breaches. As more and more breaches are reported that impact large numbers of consumers, customers are losing confidence in the organizations they once trusted.
In the second part of a recent SailPoint Market Pulse Survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive, consumers expressed cynicism about how these organizations are protecting their data and a willingness to leave a business that experienced a breach. The recent online survey was conducted among 2,241 adults in Great Britain, 1,023 adults in Australia and 2,309 U.S. adults.
According to SailPoint’s Market Pulse Survey, the majority of adults in the United States, Great Britain and Australia are worried about possible exposure of their personal information, and a large percentage of adults have lost confidence in how companies protect their personal information.
As an example, 80% of Americans, 81% of Britons and 83% of Australians who have personal medical information are concerned about moving that information to an electronic form because of the risks of identity theft or invasion of privacy resulting from their personal information being exposed on the Internet, to other staff members or even their employers.
Adults think data breaches are commonplace
The frequent incidence of data breaches is reflected in the fact that many adults think they have become commonplace at financial institutions and retailers: 12% of Americans, 8% of Britons and 8% of Australians believe these breaches happen all the time.
“The widespread impact of data breaches like Epsilon and Sony PlayStation, where millions of consumers were impacted around the world, is making customers more cautious about conducting business with certain financial institutions and retailers,” said Jackie Gilbert, vice president of marketing and co-founder at SailPoint. “These companies obviously spent millions to recover from these data breaches, but the longer term and harder-to-measure costs will be the erosion of customer loyalty and decline in brand perception.”
Mistrust affecting consumer behavior
This mistrust is beginning to affect consumer behavior. The Market Pulse Survey indicates that a security breach at a financial institution or retailer can severely impact customer loyalty. Case in point: 16% of Americans, 24% of Britons and 26% of Australians said they would no longer do business with a bank, credit card company or retailer if a security breach occurred that potentially exposed their personal and financial information to theft.
Within these groups, 10% of Americans, 14% of Britons and 16% of Australians would not only not do business with that organization, but also would tell their family and friends not to do business with that same organization.
In all three regions, the growing use of electronic medical records is a main concern because adults believe that having healthcare organizations manage their personal data electronically exposes them to more threats.
Specifically, of the adults in these countries who have personal medical information: 29% of these Americans, 26% of these Britons and 30% of these Australians are most concerned that medical records being made available electronically might result in those records being exposed on the Internet.
Thirty-five percent of these Americans, 33% of these Britons and 37% of these Australians are most concerned about the use of their private information being used to steal their identity. Finally, 10% of these Americans, 14% of these Britons and 11% of these Australians are most concerned about staff members not directly related with their care being able to view their private data.
“Consumers have reason to be concerned about the safety of their personal information and to question how effective organizations are at protecting that information,” continued Gilbert. “In some widely publicized cases, the very basics of user access control were not put in place to safeguard sensitive data, making it child’s play for intruders to gain access to it.
“SailPoint is working with some of the largest financial services, retail and healthcare organizations around the world to ensure strong controls over data access. Unfortunately, as this survey shows, there is still a lot of work to do to win back customer confidence in light of the number of bad examples across industries.”
Tags: Australia, bank data breaches, consumers worried about data breaches, data breaches, Great Britain, Harris Interactive, Jackie Gilbert, lost of consumer trust, Market Pulse Survey, SailPoint, Security, U.S.
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Mobile, Security, smartphones, Telecommunications | Comments Off
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