Jackson’s death fuels malware attacks
by Alan HartenIt seems that not even death is sacred on the internet. Security researchers' expectations came true when infections began spreading via email messages sent to users’ inboxes claiming to hold breaking news about Michael Jackson’s death from authoritative websites. Security companies Symantec, Trend Micro, and Sophos said that the emails are infected with viruses and other malware and deceitfully claim to be from major news corporations such as CNN and the ...
June 29, 2009
Free internet security barometer
by Alan HartenInteroute has launched a new tool called the internet security barometer that is available for free and can alert businesses and users to dangerous malicious activity while online. The barometer works by collecting data from sensors that are build into the structure of the European internet network and logging the source, destination, and types of dangerous internet activities that take place. The security barometer then takes the information and weighs it on ...
Financial services firms use unsecured email
by David MastersNearly nine in ten financial services providers do not secure their email communications, new research has discovered. A poll by Origo, the standards body for eCommerce in the UK financial services industry, found that 87% of financial services firms do not use a secure email system. Despite this, 94% said they use email to send personal, sensitive, or confidential data. Over half (58%) said they are waiting for an industry-wide standard to be ...
June 26, 2009
Hackers turn gamekeepers for UK cyber security
by Alan HartenThe Government is using computer hackers who have reformed, in order to defend Britain and help the county guard against cyber attacks and internet crime gangs, since they know the tricks of the trade. Due to the fact that internet fraud amounts to billions of pounds annually and because of the prevalence of internet assaults on Whitehall computer systems, the ministers decided that the best plan was to fight fire with ...
Panda’s new 2010 software
by Alan HartenOne of the hardest parts of using security software on your computer is that sometimes some of the best products negatively affect other things that you need to use. The good news is that Panda Security is launching a new line of security packages for 2010 that are aimed at providing the best security possible without causing much disturbance to your normal activities on the PC. Panda Security stated that the new ...
June 25, 2009
SecureTwitter protects tweeters from malicious URLs
by David MastersTwitter users clicking on shortened URLs embedded in tweets risk unwittingly downloading malware. However, new free-to-downloand software from security specialist Finjan scans shortened URLs before they are clicked and warns users if the target site is malicious. The SecureTwitter plug-in comes as part of Finjan's existing SecureBrowsing suite, which provides security protection on search engines, social media sites, and web email, including Google, Twitter, Bebo, digg, Slashdot, MySpace, Blogger, MSN, Gmail, and ...
Finjan welcomes Google’s Anti-Malvertising.com Site
by FinjanFinjan, a leader in secure web gateway products and the provider of a unified web security solution for the enterprise market, has welcomed the launch of Anti-Malvertising.com by Google to assist its advertisers in spotting potential providers of malicious advertisements. In total, 45857 unique malicious, advertising, and potentially unwanted programs were detected on users' computers in March 09 alone according to Kaspersky Security Network. "The launch of the new site by ...
Origin Storage supporting Women’s British Bobsleigh team
by Origin StorageOrigin Storage, the portable secure storage specialists, announced today that they have renewed their sponsorship of the women’s British Bobsleigh team. The sponsorship deal will run until the end of the season which will see them through the winter Olympics in Canada. Andy Cordial, MD of Origin Storage, comments “Origin Storage is delighted to be involved with the team and is very proud of their success last season when they ...
New cybercrime units in every part of the country
by Alan HartenSoon cybercrime squads could be set up to deal with crimes that are committed on the internet, similar to special investigation teams for drug cases, to counter the criticism that most police forces face for not dealing appropriately with internet crimes, even though it is suspected that over 3 million cyber crimes are committed each year. Officials of the Association of Chief Police Officers estimate that online fraud may total up ...
Soft release for Morro
by Alan HartenMicrosoft Corp made the live beta version of the Microsoft Security Essentials available on Tuesday for free, to help customers address malware and virus threats. The software is the free open source security software that has been referred to throughout its creation as the “Morro” and will be available throughout the US, Israel, China, and Brazil to all who use Windows Vista, XP, or 7 operating systems. The free security software, which ...
ISACA applauds plan to boost Information Commissioner’s Office powers
by ISACAISACA (formerly the Information Systems Audit and Control Association), a not for-profit organisation that seeks to encourage best practice in the ITsecurity industry, has given the `thumbs up' to plans to significantly increase the powers of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) later this year. "Last July, in his outgoing report, Information Commissioner Richard Thomas criticised the EU data protection directive - which underpins the UK Data Protection Act - for effectively ...
Digital Britain plan leaves Infosecurity Adviser bemused
by InfosecurityAdvisorAccording to Infosecurity Adviser, The Digital Britain paper - penned by Lord Carter and his team, and which sets out the game plan for broadband Britain in the future - has left the editor of Infosecurity Adviser, somewhat bemused. The problem, says Mike Barwise, is that security is only dealt with in the broadest of brush strokes, whilst the recurring emphasis is digital. The problem he adds, is that most security breaches ...
Cyber-Ark notes lap top theft security hole
by Alan HartenCyber-Ark, a digital vaulting specialist, said the theft of the Irish Gas Board laptop that contained bank details of over 75,000 companies shows a serious lack of security precautions against such an accident. Cyber-Ark’s UK and Ireland director, Mark Fulbrook, went on to state that the major problem is that the data was not encrypted on the laptop, which should be standard protocol for information that is as sensitive as ...
June 24, 2009
What’s the point of a password if you tell people?
by Alan HartenAccording to a new survey from SecurEnvoy almost 75% of UK employees have admitted that they have told at least two other colleagues their corporate passwords. The report suggests that passwords may not be as safe as thought, since employees give out their passwords so colleagues can access information while they are out of the office. Co-founder of SecurEnvoy, Steve Watts, stated that while workers are trusting of their ...
IT professionals lax about mobile passwords
by David MastersIT professionals believe password protecting mobile handsets is a waste of time, according to a new study. Over a third of IT security workers polled by Credant Technologies confessed to not protecting their personal or work smartphone with a password, despite knowing that their handset contains sensitive data. This is only slightly better than the general public, two in five of whom have no password protection on their mobile phone. Credant blamed the ...
June 23, 2009
Security software sales continue rapid growth
by Alan HartenWhile the economy may be down, the software industry is still doing well according to market researcher Gartner, which recently reported that global software revenue in 2008 increased by 18.6% closing out with total revenue of $13.5 billion. Principle research analyst at Gartner, Ruggero Contu, stated that the security market in 2008 did not show any impacts of the recession, as security still tops the list of key concerns for IT ...
June 22, 2009
Most companies don’t protect vital information adequately
by Alan HartenSamsung Electronics conducted a study of over 4,500 workers in private and public office sectors and released the results today which showed that over half of the companies across Europe are not properly protecting confidential information within their offices. According to the results of the research, 56% of the employees reported they frequently see confidential documents left behind on the printer and a little over half reported that they do not ...
Tufin says companies cheat in security audits
by Alan HartenA survey conducted by Tufin Technologies that measured the buying habits of IT security professionals, found that 20% of IT security managers and technical staff admitted to changing audit numbers in order to get them passed. The survey included 151 IT security professionals who represent many multinational organisations, and some government departments, all of which employ more than 1000 employees. What may be more disconcerting is the fact that 63% of the ...
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and Anti-Virus 2010
by Alan HartenKaspersky has announced the release of its Internet Security 2010 and Anti-Virus 2010 consumer products, which are now officially due in July of this year. The new products are designed particularly to work with Windows Vista and offer benefits via a host-based intrusion protection technology which ranks malware so that future and current threats can be properly accessed. Kaspersky announced that the software products will also have a safe run feature so ...
Parcelforce blunder blamed on inadequate auditing
by David MastersParcelforce's recent leak of customer records has been blamed on inadequate security testing of the delivery firm's website. The BBC last week revealed that Parcelforce's customers entering their parcel tracking number online were given access to the delivery details of other customers, including names, addresses, and postcodes. The leak put Parcelforce at risk of breaching data protection laws. Fortify Software, an application vulnerability specialist, said the leak was most likely caused by insufficient ...