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Panda Security

Access Cards Will Disappear from 20% of Offices within Three Years

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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.

Panda Security

How to Distribute Your Technology Budget

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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.

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Avast

BYOD: Untrusted at best, compromised at worst

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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.

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The core security components of Avast 2017

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Technology has become an integral part of our lives – at work, at school, and at home – even on our bodies. Without security, we wouldn’t be nearly as productive or enjoy the benefits it brings to our lives. The range of devices and the numerous attack vectors the bad guys have at their disposal calls for technologically advanced cybersecurity. The days of simple antivirus scans are gone. Modern systems of threat detection include core processes such as structural analysis, behavioral scanning, and cloud-based intelligence.

Panda Security

Tips to find online love safely

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Online dating fraud victims at record high

The rise of online dating has been phenomenal. In fact, a research paper published by the Association for Psychological Research found that online dating services are now the second most popular way for people to find love.

For those hoping to begin a romantic relationship this is great news – there’s a huge number of people available who are also looking for love.
For those hoping to begin a romantic relationship this is great news – there’s a huge number of people available who are also looking for love.

But just like every other online activity, you need to be smart.

So how can you protect yourself?

1. Don’t share too much information

Many people run into problems because they share too much information up front. Including your email address or personally identifiable information in your profile picture gives away details that cybercriminals can later exploit.

Instead, use the communications tools provided by the dating service to share information once you are sure your date is trustworthy.

2. Don’t download attachments

We all love to receive Valentines cards, and criminals will use this against us. Never download ecards from dubious websites because they may contain malware that will infect your computer, stealing personal data.

You can help protect yourself against dodgy ecards with robust antivirus software. Scan all your incoming email attachments to avoid becoming a victim.

Download a free trial of Panda Security now to ensure you are protected.

3. Don’t share bank details

Dating sites are a great way to meet people and find love across the world. But beware of anyone asking you to pay for them to visit you – they may be using a phishing scam to steal more than your heart.

Never give your bank details to anyone online, no matter how hard you have fallen for them. Some unscrupulous scammers will take that information and use it to empty your bank account.

Be sensible

It’s always hard to remain objective when you are falling in love, and that’s why criminals target dating sites. But to stay safe, you must follow these three simple rules, or risk becoming another statistic.

The good news is that by keeping personal information private, avoiding suspicious email attachments, and not sharing your bank details, you have everything in place for when you do find “the one”.

Good luck, and happy Valentine’s Day!

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Panda Security

The EU’s Plan for Making Sure Robots Don’t Bring Harm to Humans

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 Will robots steal jobs? For many, the answer is yes, they will indeed. A recent study from the World Economic Forum has put a number on the dispute that has been on the table for a while now: between now and 2020, 7.1 million jobs will disappear in advanced countries, and 2.1 million will be created. In other words, 5 million jobs will be lost for good.

Another recent report, this time from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has identified Spain, Austria, and Germany as being the countries that will most be affected by the robot revolution. Specifically, what is already being called the “fourth industrial revolution” will cause 12% of workers from these three counties to be substituted by machines, compared with an average of 9% from the OECD’s member countries.

People aren’t freaking out quite yet, but many in Europe are feeling some apprehension about this. That’s the reason why the European Parliament has developed a set of rules to regulate the relationship between robots, citizens, and companies, in a manner that may recall the robotic laws of Isaac Asimov.

This proposal for a legal framework will now have to be debated by the European Commission, who will decide whether or not to regulate the implementation of robots in society to minimize the adverse effects caused by the machines.

Here are the proposed measures.

An Off Switch

As ‘machine learning’ and ‘deep learning’ techniques are advancing by leaps and bounds, the European Parliament wonders what will happen if robots teach themselves more than we bargained for and end up becoming dangerous. Its proposal is that, by law, a deactivation button be installed in all robots in case of emergency.

They Can’t Hurt Humans

Seemingly lifted straight out of Asimov, this measure proposed by the European Parliament would prohibit companies from manufacturing any robot that has the aim of harming human beings. Pretty basic, and probably common sense, yes, but also necessary. If approved, you’d have to take into account ‘killer robots’ designed for war.

No Emotional Bonds

More than a concrete measure, this one could be considered a firm reminder. The European Parliament wants to make it clear to humans that robots have no feelings (at least for now) and that, therefore, they should not allow themselves to be cajoled by apparent emotions that are really only feigned.

Insurance for the Bigger Ones

The manufacturer and the owner of the robot will be held responsible for any damage it may cause, so that the owners of a large (or highly dangerous) automaton must take out an insurance policy (legislation that is similar in nature to laws governing automobile insurance).

Machine Obligations and Rights

The European Parliament’s report defines robots, to the surprise of many, as “electronic people”, and confers them rights and obligations similar to those of humans, which remain to be defined. It could even get to the point that they are held accountable for their actions in the eyes of the law, along with their creator and owner.

We’re All Taxpayers (Even Them)

One of the most controversial measures included in the proposition is that the robots, in order to reduce the social impact of unemployment, may be required to pay social security contributions and pay taxes as if they were human workers. In this way, they would contribute to filling the coffers of pension and health funds.

Basic Universal Income

As many humans are going to find themselves unemployed, the report also mentions the possibility of creating a basic income system that guarantees a minimum living stipend to people, thus easing the transition between an economic model based on human labor and the almost complete automation of work.

The post The EU’s Plan for Making Sure Robots Don’t Bring Harm to Humans appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Panda Security

The Ten Apps that Bog Down Performance on Android Smartphones

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The Android operating system is the undisputed king of smartphones. According to the latest data from Kantar Media, Android continues to enjoy a solid lead in market share. Companies and individual users alike are turning to Android as their principal OS for their devices.

Despite the success of this operating system, we have all complained about our smartphone at some point or other. Maybe the battery doesn’t last an entire day on a single charge, or it’s drained our mobile data usage too quickly, or it’s running low on storage space. Yes, we should all probably take a breather and stop complaining so much, but it’s also good to know that in most cases it’s not the phones themselves that are lagging, but rather the apps that are the main drivers of smartphone performance issues.

Snapchat, Spotify… even Clean Master

You can check for yourself which applications are most detrimental to the performance of your device. Accessing the Settings menu of your mobile, you can consult the consumption of each app in Power Saving Mode, look at the RAM that each application consumes in Memory or consult the amount of space they occupy from the option Internal Storage.

Be warned that there are some applications in particular that will hamper the productivity of your phone. These include social networks, such as Snapchat, the rising star among millennials, or the dating service Tinder. Spotify, the music streaming app par excellence; Line, a rival instant messaging service to WhatsApp; or Amazon Shopping, which conveniently lets you make purchases from the ecommerce behemoth, are other famous services that cause our phones to slow down.

Google Sheets, the spreadsheets application that many companies use to share and edit documents in a collaborative way, also figure among them. You’ll probably be surprised to hear that Clean Master, which is designed to clean out and optimize your phone, also consumes a lot of resources. Of course, other famous apps that we couldn’t live without also consume large amounts of battery or RAM, as is the case of Facebook, Instagram and Google Maps.

Some tricks to improve performance

There are some steps you can take to improve the speed of your Android phone. One is to uninstall the apps you do not use from the Application Storage menu. You can also delete the data that the application has downloaded or clear the cache to speed up the processes.

Another, somewhat more cumbersome, alternative is to enter the Android developer options from the Settings menu, About Phone and Software Information (you’ll have to press Build Number seven times) and disable animations.

On your business phone, make sure you are using applications in a way that does not needlessly consume resources and that you are protecting your device with the cybersecurity solution that best suits your business.

The post The Ten Apps that Bog Down Performance on Android Smartphones appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Avast

Avast 2017 protects you from ransomware and other cyber threats

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When two creative, technologically advanced teams come together to create something, the result is outstanding. That is exactly what has happened in the last few months since Avast acquired AVG Technologies. As the product manager for Avast 2017, it is with great pleasure that I tell you about our redesigned, next-gen security software. On behalf of the entire team, I can say with confidence that the Avast 2017 collection of products – Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security and Avast Premier – is the most lightweight, state-of-the-art protection that we have ever launched.
Download Avast Free Antivirus

Here are some of the features that we you to know about:

Panda Security

Your Smart TV Has Been Hijacked. To Continue, Please Pay Ransom

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Cybercriminals that specialize in ransomware, which affects thousands of computers and mobile devices every year, are ramping up their attacks against businesses. It is here that they can get their hands on valuable information and large sums of cash. This particular kind of malware, which hijacks devices and demands a ransom for their return, has managed to conquer another kind of technology: smart TVs.

Last December, the American developer Darren Cauthon announced on Twitter that a family member’s television had fallen victim to one of these attacks. As Cauthon explained, it all came about after the victim had installed an app to watch movies on the Internet, apparently from a third-party website.

The television in question was an LG model that came out in 2014 that is compatible with Google TV, a version of Android tailored to televisions. Once it had infiltrated the device, the malicious software demanded a ransom of $500 dollars to unlock the screen, which simulated a warning from the Department of Justice.

The appearance of the false message would lead you to believe that it’s a version of the ransomware known as Cyber.police, also known as FLocker. Ordinarily this ransomware affects smartphones with Google’s operating system. After hijacking the device, the malware collects information from the user and the system, including contact information and the location of the device, to be sent encrypted to cybercriminals.

To avoid paying the ransom, Cauthon unsuccessfully attempted to restore the television set to factory values, but eventually had to resort to the manufacturer’s own services to return it to a state prior to the installation of the malware. Although his relative managed to regain control of the machine without paying any sum to the criminals, he did end up having to pay the manufacturer $340 for the service, not much less than the ransom itself.

The Cauthon case has not caught security experts by surprise, given that last summer a team of researchers had warned of FLocker’s activity on smart TVs. In addition to the United States, ransomware attacks have been reported on smart TVs in Japan.

LG’s post-2014 model are no longer compatible with Google TV, but rather use WebOS, an open source operating system based on Linux. However, new attacks should not be ruled out, as cybercriminals continually refine their tools, which are increasingly focused on infecting Internet of Things devices at business and in the household.

The post Your Smart TV Has Been Hijacked. To Continue, Please Pay Ransom appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Avast

Avast SafeZone browser: A secure alternative to standard browsers

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There are more ways to get to the Internet than the standard web browser. Most people go with one they have heard of or the one that comes with their PC. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera are common names, but there are plenty of alternative browsers available. Since we are concerned about protecting your digital life in all areas, our developers created Avast SafeZone browser. It’s a fully functioning browser for those of us who want to ensure we have the optimal privacy and data security.