Tag Archives: cyberattack

Avira

Smart Cities – Intelligent but Vulnerable

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Air conditioning that is shutting off automatically once you leave the building, apartments who call the fire department when it’s burning – those are just some of the things that scientist Anthony Towsned describes in his book “Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for a New Utopia”.

And some of what you’d dream up for smart cities is already reality! Just take a look at New Songdo, a city that’s being built in South Korea. Trash, transportation and energy will all be controlled centrally. Residents are going to use smart cards as an ID, key, and payment method. Sounds innovative and like a dream, right?

Now if you believe this to be cool, just imagine what a paradise it will prove to be for hackers! Even now with the limited interconnection we have it is already possible to mess with traffic lights to jam roads and reroute cars. A lack of quality encryption makes it easy for hackers to just invade the system and screw around with it.

The more technology a city is using the more it becomes vulnerable to cyberattacks; the smartest cities are at risk the most, says Cesar Cerrudo, an Argentinian security researcher. He suggest that smart cities should secure their networks better to prevent scenarios like the one above. Let’s just hope that people take his advice seriously, otherwhise the dream of a smart city might end up to be a nightmare.

Head over to Golem.de to read the whole article (only available in German).

The post Smart Cities – Intelligent but Vulnerable appeared first on Avira Blog.

Avast

Why you need to protect your small business from hackers

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Avast Free Antivirus protects small and medium sized businesses for free.

IT pros have used Avast Free Antivirus at home for years. It’s not a huge leap to use free Avast for Business at their place of business.

Small and medium-sized businesses face a challenge when it comes to keeping their data secure. Many companies don’t have the budget to hire a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to take care of their IT needs, and often, they think they do not have enough knowledge or time to handle it themselves, therefore the path of least resistance is to not have any security at all. At the very best SMBs use a consumer version of antivirus software.

But these days, neither of those options is a good idea. Having no protection leaves you too vulnerable, and the problem with using a consumer product in a work environment is whoever is managing the network cannot look across all computers at once and implement policy changes or updates.

Do hackers really target small businesses?

The media coverage of big time data breaches like Target, Neiman Marcus, and Home Depot may have many SMB owners thinking that they are not at risk, but even small and medium-sized businesses need to make sure that their data and that of their customers is protected.

Here’s a statistic that should get your attention: One in five small businesses are a victim of cybercrime each year, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance. And of those, nearly 60% go out of business within six months after an attack. And if you need more convincing, a 2014 study of internet threats reported that 31% of businesses with fewer than 250 employees were targeted and attacked.

Why do hackers target small businesses?

Hackers like small businesses because many of them don’t have a security expert on staff, a security strategy in place, or even policies limiting the online activity of their employees. In other words, they are vulnerable.

Don’t forget that it was through a small service vendor that hackers gained access to Target’s network. Hackers may get your own customer’s data like personal records and banking credentials and your employee’s log in information, all the while targeting the bigger fish.

While hackers account for most of the data lost, there is also the chance of accidental exposure or intentional theft by an employee.

Avast for BusinessWhat can I do to protect my small business?

For mom-and-pop outfits, Avast for Business, a free business-grade security product designed especially for the small and medium-sized business owner, offers tremendous value. The management console is quite similar to our consumer products meaning that the interface is user-friendly but also powerful enough to manage multiple devices.

“Avast for Business is our answer to providing businesses from startup to maturity a tool for the best protection, and there’s no reason for even the smallest of companies not to use it, because it starts at a price everyone can afford, free,” said Luke Walling, GM and VP of SMB at Avast.

Some companies may still opt to pay for a MSP, and in many cases, especially for medical or legal organizations, handing over administration to a third-party may be a good way to go. Either way, our freemium SMB security can be used, and if you use a MSP then the savings can be passed on to you.

Is free good enough for a business?

Many IT professionals have been using free security on their home computers for years. It’s not such a huge leap of faith to consider the benefits of making the switch in their businesses as well.

“I have been using Avast since 2003 at home, with friends, with family. You really come to trust and know a product over the years. It lends itself to business use really well, nothing held back,” said Kyle Barker of Championship Networks, a Charlotte-area MSP.

How do I get Avast for Business?

Visit Avast for Business and sign up for it there.

AVG

A Silver Lining in the Sony Hack Attack?

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As the tale of Sony Entertainment’s victimization at the hands of cyber hackers continues to play out (with new twists in the plot revealed almost daily for the last month), it feels like ultimately there may be something positive to emerge from the unprecedented event for us as a society.

While unfortunately, it may have been at Sony’s expense, the Sony hack attack has made cyber security a top-of-mind issue for mainstream media, businesses and consumers.

(Full disclosure, Sony is a valued AVG partner.)

From the initial reports of hacked celebrity email revelations that first put the incident front and center – to a decision by Sony to pull (for now) the film “The Interview” – to unprecedented charges by the FBI of the involvement of a state-sponsored hacker (North Korea) and our U.S. president vowing a “proportional” response for the ‘cyber vandalism’ attack on Sony and our freedom of speech…to North Korea’s internet subsequently going down (as we publish this blog) without explanation on Dec. 22nd 2014. It has now been confirmed by Sony that there will be a limited release of the movie on Christmas Day.

This incident has been playing out like a plot to a thriller –with all of us watching and trying to identify the bad actors. Unfortunately, it really is reality TV.

But one of the impacts also has been well-deserved attention to the increasing concerns about cyber security – from personal to national.

Cyber security is, without doubt, one of the most serious issues of our time.

Clearly, in 2014 the issue of cyber security has moved from being perceived as a somewhat “wonky” IT issue, to one that average Americans are now concerned with. Unfortunately, it has taken the Sony episode along with a year of high-profile data breaches and hacking at other very high profile businesses (Target, Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, among them) to bring the issue into the mainstream consciousness and concern.

As we close 2014, it feels like it has been the (unofficial) year of the hacker. But it has made people more appreciative of the need for digital security. For that much we can be thankful. And, perhaps it will prompt us all to make 2015 the year of digital security.

It makes me very proud of what we do here at AVG to contribute to making the digital world safer for everyone.

Title image courtesy of BBC