Antivirus Vendors
A new government scheme will be rolled out to thousands of 14-18 year olds across the UK, encouraging them to take part in extracurricular cybersecurity clubs.
The post UK government to roll out cybersecurity clubs for teens to address skills shortage appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
Websites using HTTPS can increase privacy, as the connection between the browser and the website’s server is encrypted. This means that the browser and the web server are the only points that see your browsing activity and the data you enter. Today, anyone who owns a URL can obtain a TLS/SSL certificate, needed to encrypt the web traffic, and create a HTTPS website. This, of course, includes cybercriminals. Because of this, back in 2014, Avast introduced a way to scan HTTPS URLs for malicious activity in order to protect our users from being infected via malware transmitted over HTTPS sites.
Android users are exposed to a new malicious app imitating Adobe Flash Player and serving as an entrance gate for potentially any kind of dangerous malware
The post New Android trojan mimics user clicks to download dangerous malware appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
A game with love: How the LoveLetter virus corrupted our tech by playing on our emotions.
The post ILOVEYOU: The wrong kind of LoveLetter appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
You arrive at the office, you approach the security gates, you swipe your card and start the day. It’s one of the motions that a large percentage of the workforce goes through daily, because today, and it seems that for a while yet, the access card is still the reigning security device for entering corporate offices.
By 2016, less than 5% of organizations had incorporated the use of smartphones to access their facilities or restricted parts of them. By 2020, according to a report by the consultancy Gartner, this percentage will have tripled: 20% of companies will have replaced access cards with smartphones.
Although the vast majority of mobile phones on the market already have Bluetooth and NFC technologies, there are still few companies that have taken the next step and put these technologies to use. Which, to be fair, may be seen as a wasted opportunity, since the necessary devices are ever-present in the pockets of authorized employees.
The progressive replacement of access cards by smartphones will go hand in hand, according to Gartner, with the adoption of biometric systems such as fingerprint or iris scanners, or facial recognition, because it is much easier and safer to implement them if accompanied with a mobile phone.
“Rather than having to add biometric capture devices in or alongside readers, the phone itself can easily be used as a capture device,” said David Anthony Mahdi, director of research at Gartner. “This approach also mitigates the risks from an attacker who gains possession of a person’s phone.” If an intruder were to steal an employee’s device, biometric authentication would still have to be overridden.
Given its advantages (convenience, cost reduction, etc.), the only thing that stands between the smartphone and access to the vast majority of offices is a company’s willingness to implement the change – many of the access control systems and card readers installed today in companies require a major update to be compatible with smartphones that use wifi, Bluetooth, or NFC to establish identification parameters.
It’s just a matter of time. In a few years, if Gartner’s predictions are correct, many employees will have a new way to start their day at the office. They will arrive, they will approach the security gates, they will take their mobile out of their pocket and take a selfie, they will enter and begin the workday. They no longer have to worry about getting the card before leaving home. Their phone is always with them.
The post Access Cards Will Disappear from 20% of Offices within Three Years appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
Out of 62 new crypto ransomware families discovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers in 2016, at least 47 were developed by Russian-speaking cybercriminals.
There is a view in the media of the current security market that assumes a split between first-generation and technologies using next-generation signature-less detection.
The post Next-gen security software: Myths and marketing appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
The new European General Data Protection Regulations came into effect on 25 May, although countries and institutions have a period of two years to prepare for their final implementation. Given this situation, and to comply with the requirements of the standard, one would hope for companies to increase their investment in computer security. However, the scenario turns out to be quite different, according to a recent report from Gartner, a technology consultancy.
The firm’s experts warn that security spending generally makes up for between 1 and 13% of the corporate budget for technology. The important thing, analysts say, is not the size of the budget designated to secure and protect systems, but how the budgets are used.
“Clients want to know if what they are spending on information security is equivalent to others in their industry, geography and size of business in order to evaluate whether they are practicing due diligence in security and related programs,” explained Rob McMillan, research director at Gartner.
However, these comparisons between companies or sector-averaged data are not much use, according to the analyst. “You could be spending at the same level as your peer group, but you could be spending on the wrong things and be extremely vulnerable,” he warned.
According to the Gartner study, most companies continue to misuse and misinterpret IT spending figures with projections spanning over at least the next four fiscal years.
The consultancy indicates some guidelines for companies in their allocations of future budgets. The goal is to optimize the returns on their investment, which must meet the costs of hardware, software, services (such as consulting and auditing) and personnel.
To identify actual security costs, you must consider the equipment that security solutions integrates, updates, cybersecurity solutions, and other programs and applications, outsourced services, tools to ensure privacy, and training for employees.
According to the consultancy, it is not necessary to allocate large sums of money to implement measures to ensure the security of corporate systems and data. It would be enough if the expenditure involves between 4 and 7% of the technology budget, depending on how sensitive the information the company handles and the type of systems it already uses.
The post How to Distribute Your Technology Budget appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
Kaspersky Lab and HackerOne, the leading bug bounty platform, today announced results of the Hacking America: Cybersecurity Perception study, which revealed that American businesses and consumers still need a more comprehensive understanding of cyberthreats and how to protect personal and sensitive business data online.
A decade ago the desktop PC was the primary connection to the Internet, and security was a whole lot easier. Fast forward to today and the threatscape has increased exponentially: More devices, more data, more locations, more malware attacks, and less control. Businesses are struggling to protect their data and processes, and everyone now has a role to play in ensuring that security.
