Antivirus Vendors
Last month, we presented “The Evolution of Webinject†in Seattle at the 24th Virus Bulletin conference. This blog post will go over its key findings and provide links to the various material that has been released in the last few weeks.
The post The Evolution of Webinject appeared first on We Live Security.
AVG’s RMM platform continues to evolve to give partners even tighter applications’ integration experience, reducing cost and complexity
AMSTERDAM and SAN FRANCISCO – October 23, 2014 – AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security companyâ„¢ for 182 million active users, today gave partners attending its Cloud Summit in Arizona a first-look preview of key new features in AVG Managed Workplace®9.0, its open eco-system Remote Management & Monitoring (RMM) tool for IT resellers and managed services providers (MSPs).
Following continued close consultation with its partner-base, AVG is unveiling a number of significant technical refinements to its RMM platform that will enable MSPs to deliver an even more tightly integrated range of streamlined services through the same integrated management console.
Key advances among the new integration features and benefits for MSPs of the enhanced AVG Managed Workplace RMM platform are:
“Recent industry events like Shellshock and Gameover Zeus have shown businesses that it is still best to leave your IT in the hands of experts,†said Mike Foreman, General Manager, SMB, AVG Technologies. “Incorporating the constructive feedback from our partners, combined with a set of technical enhancements to our RMM platform provides our partners with enhanced levels of protection and control that will let their customers sleep at night.â€
AVG’s business security portfolio is supported by a worldwide network of more than 10,000 partners. Its pedigree in this area makes it ideally positioned to help smaller IT companies and MSPs harness low cost, cloud-based tools so they can transition into fully-fledged managed services businesses.
In October 2012 AVG introduced AVG CloudCare™, a cloud-based administration platform offering resellers a new way to implement and manage services such as antivirus, content filtering, online backup and email security services for their business customers. In June 2013 it added AVG Managed Workplace, an open eco-system Remote Management & Monitoring (RMM) tool. AVG‘s vision is to make the lives of MSPs and their business customers as easy as possible, regardless of whether staff are in the office, at home, or on the road.
AVG Managed Workplace 9.0 is scheduled for general availability from November 2014.
About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)
AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG has over 182 million active users, as of June 30, 2014, using AVG’s products and services including Internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection. By choosing AVG’s products, users become part of a trusted global community that engages directly with AVG to provide feedback and offer mutual support to other customers.
Microsoft is taking aim at traditional single password systems with the upcoming version of Windows, by including build in two-factor authentication according to ZDNet, which describes the move as “audacious plans to tighten security”.
The post Windows 10 to tighten security with prominent 2FA appeared first on We Live Security.
Back in the old days, when we only had a desktop PC, security was simpler. But now, with multiple devices and an increasing variety of attack methods, keeping everything secure and up-to-date can be a daunting task. Avast 2015 simplifies the task with the best antivirus and anti-malware protection possible, the ability to remove annoying browser toolbars, one-click scanning for malware, updates, network security, and PC performance, and the world’s first home network scanner.
Home network scanner
Avast identified a growing area of insecurity close to home (actually right in your home!): Your home Wi-Fi network. Easily hacked passwords make home routers an effortless entry point for hackers or even free-loading neighbors. Avast 2015 security solutions include the first-ever home network scanner, which will help you prevent hacker attacks on your router and network.
One-click Smart Scan
To help simplify device security for your family, Avast 2015 now allows you to use a one-click smart scan to scan for hacker threats, software that needs to be updated, your home network security, and your PC‘s operating status.
Unique cleanup and updater features
One of the weakest links in people’s security is out-of-date software. Hackers take advantage of old software, but it’s actually one of the simplest areas to defend. With the improved Avast Software Updater, you are notified when there is a patch or update to the software you’re running – regardless of who it’s from.
PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) like toolbars and search resets are not only annoying; they’re dangerous. They collect information distributed to advertisers or anyone willing to pay for it. The improved Avast Browser Cleanup removes annoying toolbars and search settings, allowing you to choose the settings you want and accelerate PC performance.
The Avast 2015 security solution is available in four variations for home use—Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, and Avast Premier—and in 45 languages. Avast also provides world-class protection for businesses and mobile devices. Visit www.avast.com to learn more and download.
Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Make sure you are running a half-decent browser, don’t ignore browser security warnings, and enable two-factor authentication.
That appears to be the lesson to learn from the latest attack on Chinese internet users.
The post iCloud users in China under attack. But who could be after their passwords? appeared first on We Live Security.
Law makers in Britain are discussing a dramatic increase in sentencing for serious hacking offences, according to The Register. Currently in discussion in the country’s upper house, The House of Lords, the move looks to overhaul the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and includes a possible life sentence for serious hackers.
The post UK takes aim at serious hacking offenses with planned life sentences appeared first on We Live Security.
With all the data breaches making headline news, and more importantly, affecting millions of Americans, the Obama administration announced a strong government plan to add security for debit cards that are used for federal benefits such as Social Security.
Specifically, in an executive order signed at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, President Obama ordered that government agencies that process payments employ enhanced security features.
Those measures include launching a chip and PIN initiative that the government has named “BuySecure†initiative. Chip and PIN means that secure information is embedded in a chip in a credit card and users must enter a PIN number in order to use the card, much like they currently do with a debit card. The President moved without Congress on this one, which if anything highlights the importance and the need for haste in this matter.
Chip and PIN reduces the chance of fraud, as I pointed out in an earlier post (see here).
The point is that smart cards are revamped credit cards with microchips that store your data on the card. Chips are better than magnetic strips because the strips use the same technology as a cassette tape (remember those?) and thus are easy to copy. But chips generate a unique code each time they are used. So, while criminals can still steal your card and still commit fraud and sell data, they can’t copy your card and create more fraudulent ones under your name. It’s a big step in the secure data direction.
The major catch with the chip cards, until now, is that most retailers don’t have the technology for them just yet. The main companies that have had breaches have announced plans to install the new technology (this includes Home Depot, Target, etc., and it is also interesting to note that Walmart was ahead of the curve on this one).
But no doubt with the government behind this movement, it’s going to push this technology and added security into the mainstream, essentially making it the new way of doing business via credit.
Thus far there has been some foot-dragging on chips, not just because retailers will have to upscale to the new technology, but also as banks and retailers have argued over who is in fact responsible for security. This should definitely speed up, and resolve, the process.
“There is a need to act and [to] move our economy toward stronger, more secure technologies that better secure transactions and safeguard sensitive data,†the White House said in a statement.
President Obama, speaking about the motivation behind the order, said, “Identity theft is now America’s fastest growing crime. These crimes don’t just cost companies and consumers billions of dollars every year; they also threaten the economic security of middle-class Americans who worked really hard for a lifetime to build some sort of security.â€
AVG is glad that the government recognizes identity theft, cyber security, and data breaches as increasingly crucial problems. These are definitely issues that is not only a drag on the economy and businesses, but also affect peoples’ lives, and livelihood. I applaud the President’s bold move on chip and PIN.
On September 9, Tim Cook gave us the lowdown on Apple’s latest innovations, among them, Apple Pay. For those who don’t know, this is an electronic payment system, a type of digital wallet, available for iPhone and Apple Watch and which will first begin to operate with partners such as Mastercard, Visa and American Express in October in the U.S. before being extended to other countries.
This innovation will allow user to pay for goods in stores as well as through other applications. Many already wonder whether in the not too distant future this type of payment may become commonplace, and if so, whether it will be secure. Having your hard-earned money passed from one online digital application to another without ever physically having your hands on it is still a concept many of us are yet to feel entirely comfortable with. And with good reason, any cyber-criminal that accesses your device could have access to your money.
The experts however, believe that this could be a secure option for the transactions of the future. So what type of security does it use?
Apple has explained that transactions with this system will be secure because it uses a method known as ‘tokenization’. This is a system often used by financial institutions because it replaces the traditional digits of credit and debit cards with a complex code (‘token’) generated at random, which only keeps that last four digits from the real number and is transmitted between devices.
The great advantage of these numbers is that on their own they are useless and they are only used once. Every time a payment is made a new number is generated. So even if they are intercepted, they can’t be used for anything. This means there is no trace of the data on the credit cards. Even the stores don’t save this data on their servers. The credit card number isn’t stored anywhere, rather the number is associated with a device ID that is saved on a chip inside the terminal.
The exchange of data required for the transaction is carried out with near-field communication (NFC) wireless technology. This is an open platform whose strong point is that it enables fast wireless communication over distances of less than 20cm. However, there are those who question its security: the data can be intercepted, although this is precisely the reason that there are stronger security measures.
The transaction is completed with Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The user doesn’t have to enter a password: the payment process is completed when the user authorizes it by placing a finger on the iPhone ‘Home’ button.
Yet besides the ‘tokens’ and Touch ID, there’s another layer of security. Whenever a user goes to pay, their mobile device sends a CVV. This is normally the three-digit number found on the back of a credit card but this time it’s a number randomly generated by the payment application. Consequently, the device identifies itself to the receiver, which verifies that the ‘tokens’ have been created on the order of the card owner.
The way the application works is simple: All you need is one of the Apple devices mentioned above and to place it close to the store’s payment terminal.
The process is as follows: when the application is launched, the device connects securely to the payment system and selects a credit card stored on the chip integrated in the phone and whose number is associated to an identifier in the device.
The identifier is combined with the ‘token’ and then the application asks the user to identify themselves through the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The information is then sent to the bank by the store and the transaction is confirmed. And that’s it. Secure transactions can be as simple as that.
The post Apple Pay: Apple’s new payment system. appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
Our digital world has expanded from desktop to mobile and now increasingly to the Internet of Things. The gadgets we own and use every day are “smart†– from watches that track our fitness to TVs that know the types of shows we like to watch to digital thermostats that control the temperature in our homes.
This level of connectivity brings its own security risks. To keep our users ahead of the curve, all of Avast 2015 security solutions come with the only home-network security tool designed to identify vulnerable home networks. Our new Avast Home Network Security scans a user’s home network and routers for potential security issues that could allow a hacker attack.
“Security risks have expanded out from the PC to the home network as more devices than ever connect to the Internet via home routers. As a result, home networks have become the hub of personal computing,†said Avast Chief Executive Officer Vince Steckler. “Our research determined that nearly 80% of all home routers in use today are thinly protected by common, easily hacked passwords, making routers an easy entry point to the home network for hackers. Avast 2015 addresses these issues head-on with several important new features.â€
Avast Home Network Security scans for misconfigured Wi-Fi networks, exposes weak or default Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. It also lists all devices on the network so users can make sure only their known devices are connected.
To help our users, we provide guidelines on how to fix vulnerabilities so they can be sure their network is fully protected.
Protection from DNS hijacking
One of the biggest risks users of vulnerable routers face is DNS hijacking. Cybercrooks use malware to redirect you from the site you want to visit, like your online bank, to one that looks like it, but is fake. You log in as usual and the bad guys now have your user name and password.
Avast SecureDNS encrypts Internet traffic between Avast-protected devices and Avast’s DNS server to prevent users from being directed to hijacked sites. Avast offers users SecureDNS as part of our Pro, Internet Security, and Premier products.
Avast 2015 is available now. Download it for your PC or Mac.
Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Securing your PC isn’t as complex as it first appears. Here’s five tips to help keep your documents safe and threats at bay.
The post Top 5 tips for securing your PC appeared first on We Live Security.
