Today’s fast-paced, mobile world offers a myriad of solutions to help users communicate instantly. According to Pew, texting is the most widely used app on a smartphone, with 97 percent of Americans using it at least once a day. This comes at no surprise as text messages have a 98 percent open rate and a 45 percent response rate, according to recent studies. This is compared to the 22 percent open rate and 6 percent response rate of email. In addition, many have turned to free applications such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or dozens of others to try to enhance their…
ISBuzz Team
In response to today’s speech on US cyber security polity by presidential candidate Donald Trump, Adam Laub, Sr VP of Product Marketing at STEALTHbits Technologies commented below. Adam Laub, Sr VP of Product Marketing at STEALTHbits: “Political stances and consequences aside, this situation highlights the inherent dangers of “Shadow IT” whereby end users or business units within an organization leverage technology outside the purview and control of IT Administration and Security staff. As if IT/security talent isn’t scarce enough to protect the systems, applications, and data that organizations know about, there was simply no opportunity to secure this information at…
Over the weekend, the code that used huge numbers of IoT connected devices to form a botnet, and attack websites with a DDoS attack, was been released by its author. The malware, named ‘Mirai’, is a DDoS Trojan and targets Linux systems and, in particular, IoT devices. The author of the Mirai DDoS Trojan, which was used to attack Brian Krebs’ website back on 20th September, has published the source code of his malware following intense pressure from security researchers. IT security experts commented below. Stephen Gates, Chief Research Intelligence Analyst at NSFOCUS: “Why do many IoT devices use default passwords? Simple; when manufacturers build this type…
With banks increasingly using voice recognition to drive up security, it’s worth remembering that this technology is also an enabler for more complex solutions, including real time speech analytics (RTSA). Here we provide top tips, highlighting how financial services businesses can best benefit from this exciting new application. Monitor scripted calls to stay compliant – Few sectors are as regulated as financial services and it’s a burden that has been growing more onerous over time. RTSA indicates, in real-time, if important information has been missed or incorrectly stated. This ensures legal certainty with script adherence, and makes certain contract terms…
Following the news that hackers have attempted to break into more than 10 US state election databases, Tod Beardsley, Senior Research Manager at Rapid7 commented below. On top of this, he has also published a detailed blog on the hacking threats facing the US election system. Tod Beardsley, Senior Research Manager at Rapid7: “Musings around election hacking often devolve into “movie plot threats.” Coined by cryptographer Bruce Schneier, a movie plot threat describes possible, but extremely unlikely scenarios — the sort of which that are so unlikely that actually defending against them in the real world causes more harm than good. For example, it is…
According to the Corporate IT Security Risks 2016* study conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, a single DDoS attack can cost a company over $1.6 million, depending on how quickly the attack is detected. Companies of various sizes affected by DDoS attacks over the last 12 months were asked what costs they incurred as a result. It turned out that the biggest expenses for medium and large companies (20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively) were caused by changes to their credit and insurance ratings, which is hardly surprising considering many DDoS attacks become public knowledge. For small…
Following the scandal about Yahoo post-breach, Matt Walker, VP Northern Europe at HEAT Software commented below. Matt Walker, VP Northern Europe at HEAT Software: “Thus far Yahoo! has disclosed very little information which I find disappointing. There are a number of key questions which its users deserve to have answered. When did it first discover it had been attacked? What is their evidence to suggest it is state sponsored? And can they be certain they’ve closed off the original vulnerabilities that allowed the attackers inside the network in the first place? In the absence of any concrete information from the affected company…
Week-long event promoting cyber security offers education, dedication and celebration London (UK). Starting next week, cyber criminals could find the UK a far less easy target thanks to Security Serious – a week long campaign that aims to arm individuals and organisations with the intelligence and capabilities to thwart attacks. Data breaches – such as that suffered by Yahoo, Pippa Middleton and Michelle Obama highlight how frequently cyber criminals are violating everyone’s privacy. Surfing the internet can be dangerous with celebrities, such as Amy Schumer, unwittingly exposing fans to viruses and malware. Even the US election is thought to be…
By now, you all have likely heard Yahoo! confirmed 500 million accounts were stolen from the company in 2014, releasing names, email addresses, personal records and more. While we are waiting on FBI to find out who is behind this massive breach, it’s an important reminder for how necessary it is to have a secure password, why password security continues to be a problem and what we can do to reduce our chances of being on cybercriminals’ target list. Password reuse is a human problem. Remembering a new, secure password for every login we have can be difficult. With the…
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom for Information is ordering Facebook to halt the unlawful collection and storage of data belonging to 35 million German WhatsApp users. The Commissioner has also ordered that Facebook delete any data that they have already collected from WhatsApp. Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group commented below. Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer at Blancco Technology Group: “The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom for Information is completely justified in ordering Facebook to halt their data collecting and storing activities, seeing as, in Germany, transferral of data has to be agreed under…