Symantec Predictions for the New Year 2014: The secret to predicting the future is to listen for the whisper

As 2013 draws to the end, at the same time there is a lot of discussion about what 2014 will bring about Internet Security.

Origin Nice Wallpaper though

It's interesting to look into the glass ball and try to guess on what may be (up)coming in the year 2014. In the world of technical an informated security, predictions can provide insights into what the globe is worried about and in what spaces businesses, small or big ones, individuals and groups are willing to spend money into. If done right, predictions might be very helpful in taking decisions about how best to invest into security and at the same moment to prevent Data breaches

Predictions for example, include that the volume of mobile malware on smartphones & tablets, will increase, that there will be more attacks against critical framework, and the number of state-sponsored attacks and Cybercrime will grow. Some appear fruitless, such as those claiming a arbitrarily trend will continue. But some questions reappear every year:

Will the good ones start winning against the bad ones? 
Have we learned our lessons of the ending year ? 
Will Security increase or decrease ?

Now Symantec, in a blogpost, throws their subjectious analyzing Predictions, into the Web Security Business, also with looking back what highlight 2013 came up with: The NSA and all about spying etc.

1. People will finally begin taking active steps to keep their information private
2. Scammers, data collectors and cybercriminals will not ignore any social network, no matter how “niche” or obscure
3. The “Internet of Things” becomes the “Internet of Vulnerabilities.”
4. Mobile apps will prove that you can like yourself too much

• People will finally begin taking active steps to keep their information private

Privacy issues have littered the headlines in 2013, delivering a wake-up call to people and businesses about the amount of personal information we share and that is collected every day, every hour, every trading minute, by everyone, from your doctor to your social network, from your last gasfilling attempt up to paying your parking space in a pakinglot. You can expect to see privacy protection as a feature in new and existing products.

Then, beyond 2014, we’ll be arguing on whether or not these features actually provide any privacy protection. Expect Tor, which enables online anonymity, to become a popular application across the spectrum of Internet users.

You’ll also see a resurgence of users adopting pseudonyms on social networking sites to protect their privacy. And you know who is going to lead the way on this ? Teens !

They do care about privacy. And not just where their parents are concerned. Given this, more people will move to new, upstart and niche social networking sites, in an attempt to hang with their friends in obscurity. Which leads to the next prediction…

• Scammers, data collectors and cybercriminals will not ignore any social network, no matter how “niche” or obscure

It’s tempting to believe that you can move to a new neighborhood and all your old problems will go away. They don’t in real life and they won’t when it comes to social networking.

Any new social network that attracts users will also attract scammers and miscreants. Users who feel it’s just them and their friends on these new sites are in for a big (and unpleasant) surprise. Your mom won’t be there to remind you: If something sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is a scam (and that is what the FBI is trying to remind users, over and over again (IC3)). Protect yourself by using security best practices no matter where you are on the Internet, or how you connect to it.

•   The “Internet of Things” becomes the “Internet of Vulnerabilities”

You can expect dull things will get bold in 2014.

With millions of devices connected to the World Wide Web in 2014, they will become attracted for the "Bad Guys".

Security analysts have already demonstrated attacks against smart televisions, medical apparatus and security cameras. Already we’ve seen baby monitors attacked and traffic was shut down on a major tunnel in Israel, reportedly due to hackers accessing computer systems through a "secure" camera system.

Major software dealers have figured out how to notify customers and get patches for vulnerabilities to them, in their own confidentially situation. The companies, and even single small plugin-builders, creating gadgets (i.e. like these) that connect to the Internet don’t even realize they have an oncoming security problem.

These systems are not only vulnerable to an attack – they also lack notification methods for consumers and businesses when vulnerabilities are discovered.

Even worse, they don’t have a friendly end-user method to patch these new vulnerabilities. Given this, we are going to see new threats in ways in which we’ve never seen before.

•  Mobile apps will prove that you can like yourself too much

People (generally) trust those they sleep with, so it should not be surprising that with 48 percent of people sleeping with their smart phones, they are lulled into a (false) sense of security about them.

In 2013, it was reported on a mobile app that would secure additional “likes” for your postings on Instagram. All you had to do was hand over your login and password to some (bad) guy(s) in Russia. More than 100.000 people saw nothing wrong with that.

We trust (to much). Our mobile devices and the wonderful applications that run on them to make our lives more simle, we just. TRUST ! Period.

We suspend our belief, for that device that sits in our pocket, lays under our pillow, in oue purse or even a One Night Stand. The "bad" guys are going to take advantage of this big time in 2014 and beyond. The world will not stop turning after.

So, there you have them, Symantec predictions for 2014. Of course, the best part of trying to predict the future is being surprised by the unforeseen and the unimaginable. All in all, what’s will be certain is, that we'll be listening for all the new whispers to see what 2015 will bring. And not only ME ! Lets wish the best. Together ! Happy New year.

After TARGET Data Breach: There is a Need to target on Web Security

As multinational banks as other financial institutes struggle to protect clients after a massive data breach at retail giant Target, small service companies also should be concerned about their Online Security. Its just not tough enough to be protected in a secure way, as Online Fraud is increasing every year in a more and more faster way.

Between November 27th and December 15th, cybercriminals hurried off with data from 40 million credit and debit card accounts of people who shopped regulary at Target’s 1.924 stores in the United States and in Canada.

So far, at least three class-action lawsuits have been filed.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says cyber threats are an issue for everyone, and small businesses are becoming more common targets for such threats and crimes because they often have fewer preventive or responsive resources, as being or getting protected in a competent way also increases the costs. But Security start with yourself.

USSBA Seal

The USSBA though offers in its latest online training course some of the Basics in: “What is cybersecurity?”. (See Link at the end of this post beneath)

With the help of technology and best practices, cybersecurity is the effort to pro-tect computers, programs, networks and data from fraudulent Attacks. Or to ask in other words:

Why is cybersecurity important ?

 

Consider all the information you have that needs to be secure, like personal information for employees, Businesspartner information, sensitive information for consumers, and also sensitive and secret business information.

It’s essential to do your part to keep these details safe and out of the hands of those who could use your data to compromise you and everything surrounding your business.

CNN reported, that nearly half of the data breaches that Verizon has recorded in 2012, took place in companies Staff with less than one thousand. Symantec reports show that 31 % of all Cyberattacks in 2012 happened to businesses that had less than 250 employees. In 2011 Attacks were rising up to 81 percent.

The Methods

 

The Range of ways getting compromised is Vast. This Range might vary between Web site tampering, data breach, DoS up to Malware and Trojans.

Website tampering is a form of Web-based attack in which certain parameters in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Web page form field data entered by a user are changed without the Webmasters authorization. This finally directs the browser to a link, page or site other than the one the user intended (although it may look exactly the same to the usual client).

Parameter tampering can be employed by Cybercriminals and identity thieves to stealthily obtain personal or business information about the user. Countermeasures specific to the prevention of parameter tampering involve the validation of all parameters to ensure that they conform to standards concerning minimum and maximum allowable length, allowable numeric range, allowable character sequences and patterns, whether or not the parameter is actually required to conduct the transaction in question, and whether or not null is allowed.

A denial-of-service attack DoS happens on a CPU or Web site and locks the computer and/or crashes the system, resulting in stopped or slowed work flow.

Malware code and/or viruses are sent over the Internet and aim to find and send your files, find and delete critical data, or block your computer or system. They can hide in programs or documents and make copies of themselves  without your knowledge.

What Prevention measures YOU should take

The main first step secureing the critical information of your business, is to create a far-reaching firm security policy. Second Step: keep them up-to-date. Third Step: convincing your employees to keep the proprieties according to the policies.

• Be ensured that your computer hardware and software are updated regularly. 
• Change passwords periodically and use firewalls to protect your systems. 
• You should back up your data on a regular basis so that if something is compromised, you have a secure copy.

If interested, the following Link brings you to the Small Business Learning Center at www.sba.gov and will take 30 Minutes:

Click to Start Your Course now !