Morning9 – Page 36 – Your Tech Learning Hub

5Oct, 2022

How secure is sensitive data stored in the cloud?

A Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) survey has found 67% of organisations store sensitive data in public cloud environments, but how secure is it?

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) has released a new report entitled Sensitive Data in the Cloud, the findings of which provide deeper insight into the industry’s knowledge, attitudes, and opinions regarding sensitive data in the cloud.

The survey, which was sponsored by Anjuna Security, asked respondents to share their approach to hosting sensitive data in the cloud and what they saw as security challenges and priorities for the coming year.

It was found that the vast majority of organisations (89%) host sensitive data or workloads in the cloud. Of those organisations, 67% host some sensitive data in the public cloud, and 45% host in the private cloud. With such sensitive data in these cloud environments, it emphasises the need for proper security of this data with measures like encryption.

Securing data in the cloud

The CSA, which is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to widely promote best practices for ensuring cyber security in cloud computing and IT technologies, found that about 1 in 10 organisations reported not keeping sensitive data in the cloud.

When asked what was preventing them from doing so, the most common responses were regulatory requirements (23%), concerns about access controls (23%), and concerns about the security of the CSP (21%). While the sample size is too small to draw definitive conclusions from, organisations need to find methods and strategies that address their key concerns and allow them to keep pace with their counterparts.

“Increasingly, organisations are overcoming their initial apprehension around the cloud and its perceived security insufficiencies and are storing their sensitive data in public cloud environments with a growing use of Confidential Computing to protect workloads and ensure trust. In general, organisations have reservations about their own ability to protect their sensitive data in the cloud.

“By shedding light on these issues, we can find ways to address and eventually close the gap between the perceived effectiveness of cloud service providers’ (CSP) security controls and organisations’ lacking confidence in their abilities to protect sensitive data in the cloud,” said Hillary Baron, Senior Technical Director for Research, Cloud Security Alliance, and a lead author of the report.

Implementing new technology to enhance security

Most organisations report that their CSP security controls are highly effective (38%) or somewhat effective (51%). However, organisations feel less confident in their own ability to protect sensitive data in the cloud, slightly (31%) or moderately (44%) confident.

Despite organizations’ sense of confidence in their CSPs’ security controls, they still have reservations about their ability to protect sensitive data in the cloud. Just over a third of organisations were not confident or only slightly confident about their ability to protect sensitive data in a cloud environment and another 44% reported they were only moderately confident.

It was found that over half of organizations plan to implement emerging solutions such as homomorphic encryption (59%), and confidential computing (55%) within the next 1 or 2 years. Gartner predicts privacy-enhancing computation techniques such as homomorphic encryption and/or confidential computing will be used by 60% of large organizations by 2025. This is the result of organizations’ need to process data in the public cloud and share data with multiple parties.

Resource : https://cybermagazine.com/cloud-security/how-secure-is-sensitive-data-stored-in-the-cloud

5Oct, 2022

Altaro VM Backup – Review and Feature List

A few days ago we published a review of Hornetsecurity 365 Total Protection, an all-in-one security management solution for Microsoft 365. In this post, we’ll talk about another product that is part of the Hornetsecurity ecosystem: Altaro VM Backup, a comprehensive Virtual Machine backup & replication service supporting the two most popular virtualization technologies available nowadays: Windows Server Virtualization, better known as Hyper-V, and VMware.

Before introducing the VM backup solution and its features, we’ll spend some valuable time introducing the underlying concepts: what virtualization actually is, the most notable differences between Hyper-V and VMware, and why we need to backup the virtual machines.

What is Virtualization?

To better understand what we mean by “virtualization”, it may be useful to take a few steps back in time to review how data centers, server farms, and, more generally, the hardware infrastructures used to supply services and applications have been managed in the last 50 years.

1970-2000: Physical Infrastructures

For at least thirty years since the introduction of the “server farm” concept, the deployment of applications took place within a traditional infrastructure made up of physical machines: in other words, every time you needed to set up a single new server it was necessary to face several (and non-trivial) investments in terms of necessary hardware and software, transport, installation, maintenance, etc.; these costs suffered a noticeable increase during the ’90s, with the advent of Internet and the World Wide Web, since the servers (and the applications they hosted) ceased to be restricted to a limited amount of company users and started to be available for the masses: web services, web APIs, and so on.

https://go.ezodn.com/charity/http/charity-ads.s3.amazonaws.com/charity_ads/1079/300×250.pngThe huge quantity of simultaneous users that those machines needed to handle led to the development of scalable systems, services, and techniques (web gardens, database clusters, etc.); however, these approaches were extremely onerous – not only during the startup phase, yet also in terms of maintenance: inevitably, starting from the early 2000s, attempts were made to find more sustainable alternatives, especially for non-IT companies.

2000+: Virtual Machines

A significant step towards simplification (and cost reduction) was taken in the early 2000s, with the advent of VMware technology and virtual machines. The idea behind VMs is quite simple: the operating system installed on the server (host) is enabled to share the hardware resources of the machine with a plurality of other operating systems (guest); the responsibility for this “orchestration” of the available hardware resources is entrusted to a special operating system, called Hypervisor, installed on the server machine and with the task of coordinating the activity of the guest systems.

In this way, the need for the company to invest in hardware is greatly reduced, as the creation of new servers can be done at a logical level simply by adding a guest system inside the hypervisor already present: the management of the infrastructure is also much more efficient, as guest systems can be built from pre-configured templates with a number of pre-installed and ready-to-use applications, so they can be up and running in minutes. It goes without saying that the points of failure at the hardware level are also reduced, as the number of peripherals and components purchased is drastically reduced, as well as the chance that something could break, stop working or be “incompatible” with particular drivers, software, operating systems, and/or configurations.

Virtual Machines pros and cons

The indisputable advantages brought by the virtualization approach in data center management eventually led to a huge success of this technology, which has revolutionized the structure of most server farms worldwide in a few years (from 2000 to 2010, with a peak starting from 2006), perfectly matching the growing popularity of cloud architectures. Almost all of the server hosting services offered nowadays are still provided in this way, causing the birth of several acronyms meant to define the various types of IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) products available:

VPS, acronym for Virtual Private Server: a single virtual machine usable through managed management services (eg Plesk) and/or accessible in unmanaged mode through remote desktop systems (RDP, VNC, etc.).
Public Cloud: one or more virtual machines that can be instantiated within a host system used by a plurality of different users. Sharing is limited to the hardware resources used and/or the related Hypervisor, while the individual VMs remain accessible only by the individual customer.
Private Cloud: a host system configured according to the needs of the individual user, with the possibility of creating one or more virtual machines inside it through dedicated access to the Hypervisor. Unlike the Public Cloud, the available hardware resources (usually pre-allocated when the Private Cloud is created) are used exclusively by the individual customer, as much as the VMs created within it.

Despite the undoubted advantages described, virtual machines also involve a series of limitations, such as:

OS-related costs. Virtual Machines, like physical machines, still require OS licenses, as well as installation and maintenance costs.
Portability. VMs are not easy to move from one host to another, as they often have a series of dependencies (e.g. at the hardware, driver, and networking level) that constrain their use within the Hypervisor in which they were created.
Scalability. VMs have minimal hardware requirements which, even if not to an extent equal to what happened with physical servers, still obliges them to incur costs in terms of hardware resources to be pre-purchased and/or pre-allocated (especially CPU, RAM, and storage) in case you want the freedom to add additional elements to the infrastructure.
Versatility. VMs, just like physical machines, depend on an operating system and are therefore subject to all the limitations of the latter in terms of installation, shutdown, system updates, reconfiguration, and so on.
Security. From a security perspective, VMs suffers from the same identical vulnerabilities as their physical machine counterparts: for that very reason, they will still require anti-virus & anti-malware solutions, firewalls, intrusion protection & detection systems, data encryption countermeasures, and – most importantly – a solid backup solution.

How VM backup works

In general terms, Virtual Machine backup is the process of backing up the VMs running in a given “host” environment – typically a Hyper-V or VMware Hypervisor. Since a VM is a virtualized machine, backing it up can be done in several ways: software-level (just like physical machines) or hardware-level (taking advantage of the VM files containing the “hardware” machine info and data).

More precisely, here’s a breakdown of the most used backup types:

Full backup. Backup of all files.
Differential backup. Backup of only the files that have changed since the last full backup.
Incremental backup. Backup of only the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup.
File-level backup. Backup that is defined at the level of files and folders.
VM backup. Backup of all files that comprise an entire virtual machine, including disk images, configuration files, and others.
Image-level backup, also known as Volume-level backup. Backup of the entire storage volume.

Regardless of the backup type, modern VM backup software solutions often utilize the Hypervisor enhanced capabilities to perform the backup very quickly and with less impact on the virtual machine. Before performing a backup, the backup software typically puts the affected VM(s) to a state suitable for backups by flushing off the OS and applications’ active buffers, cache, and systems memory usage: such process, commonly known as quiescing, is a very important task because it ensures that no useful data will be lost and no useless data will be part of the backup, thus increasing the overall backup size.

Introducing Altaro VM Backup

Altaro VM Backup is one of the several VM backup software solutions available nowadays. The thing we liked the most while reviewing it is the design simplicity of the whole product: the software features an easy-to-use and intuitive User Interface, which can be quickly mastered by anyone (including non-IT professionals); when talking about backup solutions simplicity is often the key, since you don’t use them often – and when you do, you need to instantly know what to do to recover your files.

For this reason, we’ve much appreciated the user-friendliness of the main dashboard, which allows us to manage and configure all the available backup, restore, and replication tasks within a single host or across multiple hosts – and with no training required.

Feature list

Here’s a breakdown of the product’s most significant features:

Backup. The product’s flagship feature; backup is performed using an efficient proprietary deduplication technology and includes backup retention (manual for the free edition, automatic for all other editions, and a GFS Archival System for the higher tier edition).
Boot from Backup. A feature that allows VMs to boot from their backup location, without having to copy or restore them to the host.
Grandfather-Father-Son Archiving (GFS). A data retention best practice that allows to set up multiple backup cadences (such as daily-weekly-monthly) to greatly increase the overall data retention period.
Multiple offsite backup locations (LAN and WAN). A feature allowing to store multiple VM backup copies on different sites/locations over LAN and WAN.
Cloud Backup to MS Azure, Amazon S3, and Wasabi. End-to-end integration with these storage accounts, which can be used as offsite backup sites.
File Level Restore. Restore single files and/or folders instead of the full Virtual Machine.
Restore to different host(s). Restore the Virtual Machine on a different host than its own.
Hot/Live backups. Backup the VMs while it’s running, without having to pause it or turn it off.
Data compression. Compress the backup data to save space (also see Augmented Inline Deduplication).
Augmented Inline Deduplication. Deduplication is a technique that aims to eliminate duplicate copies of repeating data during backup. Altaro VM Backup features highly-optimized deduplication techniques that can dramatically reduce storage requirements for your backup repository.
Cloud Management Console. A web-based, multi-tenant management tool that can be used by the company IT staff (to centrally manage and monitor the organization’s VMs) as well as by IT resellers, MSPs & VARs to centrally manage and monitor all their customer’s VMs.
MS Azure Stack HCI support. Altaro VM backup supports Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, a new Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) solution that allows users to run VMs on-premises and easily connect to Azure for management, monitoring, billing, and access to services such as Azure file sync.
Continuous Data Protection (CDP). A security feature that can be activated instead of daily backups: when active, VM can be backed up every N minutes (down to 5 minutes), thus dramatically reducing the Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
WAN-Optimized Replication. A feature that allows users to switch to a replicated virtual machine (VM) that is running offsite in case of disaster.
Military Grade (AES) Encryption. Encrypt your VM backups with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), considered by NSA to be secure enough for U.S. Government classified data.

It’s worth noting that some of the above features are only available for specific editions of the software (see the Pricing section for further details).

Pricing

The most interesting part about Altaro VM Backup is the fact that it offers a fully functional 30-day trial (Unlimited Plus Edition), as well as a Free Edition for up to 2 VMs! That’s a hell of an offer, especially if we compare it with the competitors.

Both the 30-Day Trial and the Free Edition can be downloaded from the Altaro VM Backup official download page by filling out a simple forms that only asks for your name and e-mail address:

Altaro VM Backup - Review and Feature List

In case you are satisfied with the product, you can also opt for one of the available pricing plans. The cost of each of them can be calculated by using the online calculator, which allows you to choose between the following license types:

Subscription. Pricing is based on the number of VMs. The main advantage of this license type is that the Virtual Machines are not tied to any host, meaning that they can be moved at will. Another benefit is given by the fact that, if you have few VMs, you will have lower upfront costs. To calculate the pricing we need to ask for a quote, which will be calculated by a reselling partner (discounts available for multi-year subscriptions).
Perpetual. Pricing is based on the number of hosts (and therefore tied to them). The main advantage of this license type is that it covers all VMs, regardless of their number of CPUs. To calculate the pricing we just need to specify the edition (see below) and the number of hosts and the tool will calculate an immediate quote in real-time.

The Perpetual license also allows us to specify the edition among the following ones:

Standard. Backup retention (manual), offsite backups, file-level restore, restore VMs to different hosts, sandbox restore, backup verification, backup scheduling, hot/live backups, compression, restore clone, physical server backup, automatic backup retention, military-grade encryption (offsite only); also includes 24/7 technical support.
Unlimited. All the Standard features, plus: augmented inline deduplication, boot from backup, cluster support, Exchange item-level restore, GFS archiving, multiple offsite backup locations, and military-grade encryption (everywhere).
Unlimited Plus. All the Unlimited features, plus: Cloud Management Console, cloud backup to MS Azure/Amazon S3/Wasabi, WAN-optimized replication, continuous data protection, MS Azure Stack HCI support.

The Free Edition, as we might easily guess, is similar to the Standard edition but with fewer features. For a full breakdown of all edition’s respective features, check out the official price and feature comparison chart.

Video Tutorial & Guides

If you want to see how Altaro VM Backup looks like, take a look at the following hands-on introductory video:

If you want to know more about Altaro, we strongly suggest following the Altaro Software official YouTube channel, which is filled by tutorials, guides, and introductory videos of Altaro VM Backup and other useful products.

Conclusions

Altaro VM Backup is a great backup software stuffed with several useful features that will likely satisfy even the most eager IT security professional. The 30-day Trial Feature is a great chance for medium and big companies to test the product before having to pay for it; furthermore, the Free Edition makes it ideal even for micro-companies, which can benefit from its basic features and try the solution as long as they want, before choosing to extend its usage by purchasing a subscription plan.

All in all, we can’t but recommend this service to all IT administrators who are looking for a cost-effective solution to manage their VM backups.

Resource : https://www.ryadel.com/en/altaro-vm-backup-review-test-drive/

3Oct, 2022

Oracle cloud bug allowed accessing other users’ virtual disks

Severe Oracle cloud vulnerability allowed researchers to access Oracle’s virtual disk that did not belong to them.

The severe Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) flaw, dubbed #AttachMe, was discovered by researchers at security firm Wiz. According to Shir Tamari, the head of Wiz’s research, not only could attackers access the virtual drive but also write over it.

“When trying to attach to another OCI user’s virtual disk, we were surprised to find the operation succeeded! We received read/write access to disks in another account that does not belong to us,” Tamari said in a Tweet.

He explained that each virtual disk in Oracle’s cloud has a unique identifier that no one considers secret. However, an attacker with the identifier could access the virtual disk, given it was not attached to an active server at the time of the attack.

The root cause of the flaw, Tamari said, was the lack of permission verification in one of the application programming interfaces (API).

While Oracle fixed the flaw the same day Wiz reported, Tamari noted that this was the first time he encountered a cross-tenant vulnerability in a cloud service provider’s infrastructure.

“Customers expect that their data isn’t accessible by other customers. Yet, cloud isolation vulnerabilities break the walls between tenants. This highlights the crucial importance of proactive cloud vulnerability research […],” reads Wiz’s blog post.

The disclosure comes a month after another company from the Oracle family, the data broker Oracle America, has been served with a class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations.

The lawsuit accuses the company of selling “detailed personal information to third parties” both directly and via its ID Graph function, “a service product designed to provide ‘identity resolution,’ the process of ‘matching individual customer identities and combining them into a single consistent and accurate customer profile.’”

Resource : https://cybernews.com/news/oracle-cloud-bug-allowed-accessing-other-users-virtual-disks/

29Sep, 2022

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF IT SECURITY?

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of Information Technology (IT) has shifted significantly. To the average person, IT no longer means possessing the capability to simply search the web using keywords, neither does it focus only on clunky desktop computers. With technology’s evolution, IT has expanded to include numerous subsets — from programming to engineering to security to analytics and beyond.

The “information” aspect includes far more than obtaining sensitive data or protecting it. Systems now possess the capabilities for complex queries, extrapolating data, predicting future events, and even advising officials. This access and wealth of knowledge inevitably led to the expansion of the IT security field. Are you familiar with the basics of cybersecurity? Read on to learn about the different types of IT security and how you can protect your business.

IT Security versus Cybersecurity

Although closely related, IT security differs slightly from cybersecurity. IT is broader in nature and focuses on protecting all of an entity’s data — whether that data be in electronic or a more physical form.

For example, IT security would encompass securing keypads that allow access to a room full of data files.

Cybersecurity tends to focus on criminal activity facilitated specifically through the Internet. In many cases, such criminal activity affects an entities electronic data and daily operations.

Despite the slight differences, IT security and cybersecurity roles and frameworks often overlap. If a business has both an IT and cybersecurity department, the precautions of one department will likely parallel those of the other. Regardless, it’s worth understanding the general differences and similarities before considering the various categories of IT security.

In general, IT security includes databases, software, applications, servers, and devices. In order to ensure protection, IT security also includes the concept of information assurance. Information assurance refers to the acronym CIA – confidentiality, integrity, and availability.Assess your IT Security

What Are the Types of IT Security?

Depending on which experts you ask, there may be three or six or even more different types of IT security. Each security expert has their own categorizations. Furthermore, as networks continue to expand with the cloud and other new technologies, more types of IT security will emerge.

However, for the most part, there are three broad types of IT security: Network, End-Point, and Internet security (the cybersecurity subcategory). The other various types of IT security can usually fall under the umbrella of these three types.

1. Network security

At its simplest, network security refers to the interaction between various devices on a network. This includes the hardware and the software. Network security, according to SANS Institute, strives to protect the underlying networking infrastructure from unauthorized access, misuse, malfunction, modification, destruction, or improper disclosure, thereby creating a secure platform for computers, users, and programs to perform their permitted critical functions within a secure environment. One of the major goals is to prevent unauthorized personnel or device access.

For thorough network security, start with configuration. Make sure that from the get go all device configuration incorporates reasonable preventative measures. Next, put in place a detection system. For example, detection software analyzing logins could check for irregularities. Finally, set up response protocol for if and when a breach occurs. This will ensure smooth communication and hopefully minimize the damages of the network insecurity.

Some common methods of network protection include two-factor authentication, application whitelisting, and end-to-end encryption. Additionally, using a security framework, such as NIST’s cybersecurity framework, will help ensure best practices are utilized across industries. Whether the framework is more cybersecurity or IT based is a marginal concern, the key is to have some set of guidelines to follow when setting up or improving security operations.

2. End-Point Security

Another key to IT security focuses on the devices involved. It is crucial to verify that only authenticated devices access the system or data. In other words, endpoint security targets security threats from a device-level viewpoint (e.g., laptops, cell phones, tablets). Each new connection on an entity’s network widens then the threat intelligence field.

End-point protection software may include privileged user control, application controls, data controls, intrusion detection, and encryption. Encryption ensures the integrity of data being transferred, while application security controls protect against dangerous downloads on the user’s end. Furthermore, security departments typically install such software not only on the device in question, but also on the company’s server. When a security update occurs, the central server pushes the update to all end-point devices, thus ensuring a certain level of security uniformity. Likewise, having a central sign-in page allows enterprises to monitor who logs on and tracks any suspicious behavior.

3. Internet Security

Internet security, as noted above, tends to fall under the name of cybersecurity. It deals largely with the transit of information. For example, imagine you send an email, and while that message is in transit, a third party sweeps in and takes it before the message is delivered to its intended recipient (i.e., man-in-the-middle attack). Such hijackings are just one of many examples of crimes regarding the Internet. In such a case encryption serves as one method of defense, making any stolen information significantly less valuable to the perpetrator.

In particular, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TSL) are forms of encryption and authentication commonly used by business for their online platforms. They create public and private keys when interactions with customers take place, ensuring the integrity of the data during transactions. Sites using such encryption methods will usually have https in the address bar along with a small lock icon. Other common security measures for the Internet include firewalls, tokens, anti-malware/spyware, and password managers.

Beyond network, end-point and Internet security, the introduction and expansion of the cloud and the extensive application market also warrants attention. Cloud security parallels on premise security procedures in that the goals are generally the same – to protect stored date and data in transfer. The main difference lies in the expansion of the security “border.”

With the widened perimeter to protect, Redhat suggests a layered approach, taking the time to build in security defense in layers (e.g., encryption, multi-factor identification) at every level of the cloud (i.e., hosted resources delivered to a user via software). If not building an internal/company cloud, cloud providers also offer different security tools and protective measures. In either case, cloud management plays a key role in securing Internet infrastructures.

Checklists for IT Security

Understanding the different sectors of IT security helps significantly when trying to organize a strong defense against intruders. However, like most defense strategies, the plan will vary depending on the resources available.

Consequently, below are two separate checklists – one for small businesses and one for larger entities. Many of the smaller business recommendations apply to larger firms as well. Even if the checklist seems overwhelming at first, the goal is to take tangible steps to further bolster security. Such checklists help overcome the information overload of simply reading about best practices and current security concerns.

For Small Businesses:

Although small and large companies both struggle with internal breaches, smaller companies tend to have more vulnerabilities to such kinds of attacks. For example, an employee unwittingly downloads a malicious link for a supposed free vacation on a company computer. It’s easy to make such mistakes when you don’t know what you are looking for. However, because smaller companies often lack the resources to quickly combat and rebound after the attack, they must put in more effort to combat internal security risks. So what can small to medium companies do?

1. Educate employees

Make sure to create an IT security plan and disseminate it to all employees. For example, education awareness training policies should include password guidelines, external download procedures, and general security practices. It’s crucial to know why your team needs cyber security education.

Likewise, draft a policy directed at vendors or contractors. Even though it expands the security policy boundary, including vendors and contractors is vital, as consumers will likely still blame a small company for a breach even if the vendor was actually to blame. Having a clear third-party cyber risk assessment policy will assist entities facing repercussions in the aftermath of a security breach.

Additionally, small businesses should outline clear physical security measures to protect customer information, such as locking filing cabinets and keeping private information well out of reach of any wandering eyes and restricting physical access to cardholder data.

2. Data Redundancy

First, analyze how information is stored. Is critical information stored in only one location? If yes, consider how this information would be affected in the event of a ransomware attack.

Ransomware could cripple a business if data is only stored in one central location. Storing essential data backups (i.e., what is needed for minimum daily operations) in secure off-site location will ensure operations do not completely halt if a hacker or malicious code compromises a system. Furthermore, such backups should be updated on a regular basis. However, if storing data off-site, it is again important to verify such off-site servers and equipment is secure (e.g., utilizing encryption).

3. Hardware and Internet Security

Make sure company computers update whenever new security patches become available. Password management requirements should also be outlined in the company security policy. For example, encourage employees to use passphrases or complex passwords and to change them from time to time.

If passwords are difficult to remember, consider using a password manager. ConsumerAdvocate.org published a list of top password managers for 2019. Also, install anti-virus software and establish a procedure for downloading/installing new software. For the Internet, monitor internet connection points and consider using a virtual private network (VPN). Lastly, invest in Internet intrusion software.

4. Upkeep

Put in place an audit system to test your cyber incident response plan, review current security status, and evaluate if any areas need improvement. Auditing every six months is a general good practice for small entities.

For Larger Entities:

Larger entities tend to deal with more extensive or sophisticated attacks. Such attacks center on the field of cybersecurity. A 2017 Clutch large business survey found that phishing proved the most common type of attack followed by Trojans.

General concepts apply to large businesses as well – inform employees, monitor compliance, and enforce security policies. However there are some scenarios unique to larger enterprises.

1. Remote work policies

Larger companies increasingly offer the option for employees to work at home. Not only is this option cheaper for them, as it reduces overhead costs, but it also appeals to both young and old workers (e.g., less time in traffic appeals to older generations and less traffic is better for the environmental which appeals to younger generations). However, remote work expands the threat environment and makes it more difficult for IT departments to control.

There are a few steps every company can take to improve the safety of remote work.

First, educate employees on the difference between suspicious emails and password protection. Likewise, emphasize the importance of utilizing a work computer only for work; the more programs (not work related) downloaded onto the computer, the more vulnerable the machine becomes.

Second, provide a VPN for remote workers to help mitigate Wi-Fi breaches of your WiFi security having been krack’d and install the ability to remotely wipe the computer in the event the device falls into the wrong hands.

Lastly, take advantage of cloud computing. Using the cloud offers another layer of security as cloud service providers, like Amazon and Google, have significant resources to allocate for securing their cloud platforms.

2. Investing in new technology

Bigger companies have a greater number of employees to monitor and often locations to secure. Consequently, they will have to invest in more extensive defense mechanisms. Using automated security tools will reduce the manpower needed for constant monitoring. For example, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) provides a list of viable web application security scanners. Other useful tools include penetration(e.g., AttackIQ FireDrill) and intrusion testing (e.g., Bricata) software.

Needless to say, there is a plethora of advanced cybersecurity software available to help companies protect their assets, but companies must first understand the validity of investing in such tools.

Resource : https://blog.rsisecurity.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-it-security/#:~:text=What%20Are%20the%20Types%20of%20IT%20Security%3F%201,system%20or%20data.%20…%203%203.%20Internet%20Security

29Sep, 2022

Information Security Javatpoint

What is the Information Security Javatpoint?

Javatpoint is a Java-based web application that enables users. Also, it is to access Java tutorials, API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests.

Javatpoint can be accessed by typing http://javatpoint.com in your browser or through the Java SE Downloads page. If you are using Linux or Mac OS X you will have to download the Java Runtime Environment at first.

Javatpoint provides you with the best-in-class features and experience. This website provides detailed information about Java technology. You can also access tutorials, API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests here.

Javatpoint is the official website of Oracle Corporation. Also, Javatpoint provides tutorials that help you to learn about Java technology. You can also access API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests here.

The Javatpoint site is accessible from any computer via the Internet. However, if you are behind a corporate firewall or proxy server, you may need to enter a special URL to access Javatpoint.

Goals and Visions

Javatpoint provides you with the best-in-class features and experience. This website provides detailed information about Java technology.

You can also access tutorials, API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests here. Also, the Javatpoint site is accessible from any computer via the Internet.

However, if you are behind a corporate firewall or proxy server, you may need to enter a special URL to access Javatpoint.

Features and Benefits

Javatpoint is maintained by a team of Java experts. Also, this website contains detailed information about Java technology.

You can also access tutorials, API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests here. Also, the Javatpoint site is accessible from any computer via the Internet.

However, if you are behind a corporate firewall or proxy server, you may need to enter a special URL to access Javatpoint.

Information Security Javatpoint: Challenges

If you want to use Javatpoint, you need to open your browser, type the URL in your address bar, and press enter. Also, if you want to use Javatpoint, then you need to open your browser and type http://javatpoint.com in your address bar.

However, in some situations, you need to enter a special URL to access Javatpoint. You will get this special URL when you try to access Javatpoint from behind a corporate firewall or proxy server.

Accessing Javatpoint via Corporate Firewall or Proxy Server

There are many corporate firewalls or proxy servers that can cause problems when you try to access Javatpoint from the Internet.

If your company has a firewall or proxy server, you need to enter a special URL to access Javatpoint from the Internet. Otherwise, you will get a blocked page.

Conclusion

Javatpoint is a Java-based web application that enables users. Also, it is to access Java tutorials, API documentation, code samples, code golf, and programming contests.

Resource : https://www.information-security-today.com/information-security-javatpoint/

28Sep, 2022

GIFShell, a New Tool to Abuse Microsoft Teams GIFs

A new attack technique, GIFShell, has surfaced that allows an attacker to abuse Microsoft Teams. The attackers can use this technique in phishing attacks and execute commands using GIFs.

How GIFShell works?

The new attack has been discovered by a security researcher who found various flaws in Microsoft Teams and chained them together for various attack scenarios, including data exfiltration, command execution, security bypasses, and phishing.

The main component is GIFShell which allows the creation of a reverse shell.
This delivers malicious commands using Base64 encoded GIFs in Teams and steals output via GIFs from Microsoft’s own servers.

Since the data exfiltration is performed by leveraging Microsoft’s own servers, it is challenging to identify the traffic and differentiate it from the legitimate Team traffic.

Scanning via reverse shell

To create the reverse shell, the attacker has to convince a user to install a malicious stager that executes commands and uploads command output through a GIF URL to a Microsoft Teams web hook.

To begin, the attacker fools a targeted user into loading a malware executable stager on their systems that will regularly scan the Microsoft Teams logs at a specific location.
All messages received on Teams are stored in these logs and are readable by all Windows user groups, thus, accessible by malicious files or malware on the system.
Once the stager is placed, the attacker creates its own Teams tenant and contacts other Teams users outside of the organization, as external communication is allowed by default in Teams.

Malicious code execution

To initiate an attack, the attacker uses the GIFShell Python script to send a message to a Team user with a specially crafted GIF.

This GIF image is a legitimate image file, modified to include commands to run on the target system.
This message within the GIF gets stored in the Team’s log files and is scanned by the malicious stager monitor, which executes the commands on the device.
The GIFShell PoC takes the output of the executed commands and converts it toBase64 text. The stager leverages this text to create a GIF file and keeps that as a Microsoft Teams Survey Card.
The attacker creates a URL request for a GIF, which is the same name as the GIF file created by the stager.
Upon receiving this request, Microsoft attempts to retrieve the GIF file, and eventually delivers the GIF (created by stager) carrying the sensitive information.

Closing lines

The GIFShell attack has been successfully demonstrated by the researcher by displaying a possible scenario of exploitation. After being contacted by the researcher, Microsoft claims to have left a door open to resolving these issues and stated that these vulnerabilities may be fixed in future versions.

https://cyware.com/news/gifshell-a-new-tool-to-abuse-microsoft-teams-gifs-65cebdad

28Sep, 2022

Technical Analysis

What is Technical Analysis

Technical Analysisis a method of analyzing securities such as stock, commodities, etc. in order to forecast the direction of pricing by studying past data such as the price and volume. It focuses on how stick prices are moving and how powerful these moves are. Technical analysis is based solely on the data generated by the market and by the actions of people in the market. Data are never revised later. Analysts do not make any guesses on the value of the data. It is based on the premise that people will act in similar ways when faced with similar conditions.

But to be more pragmatic, it is a tool used to make investment decisions. It helps assess risk and reward. And it can assist investors in allocating their resources among stocks, sectors, and asset classes.

The above picture depicts the factors upon which Technical Analysis is dependent upon.

What Technical Analysis is not?

Technical analysis is not predicting the future of an endorsement or criticism of any company. There is an element of prediction and judgment as it attempts to find the probability of future action of a company’s stock but not the company itself that is under scrutiny.

Also, this analysis does not give an absolute prediction about the price movement but helps the investors and traders anticipate what could likely happen and accordingly take an investment decision.

What is a chart?

Technical analysis has been a bit of a mistake as it’s not that technical. Though there are complex mathematical tied to it but at its core, it is the method of determining if a stock or market as a whole is going up or going down. What we need to do in order to identify these trends is simply looking at a chart. Now let’s understand charts and how they help in Technical Analysis.

A chart is a tool both investors and traders use to help them determine whether to buy or sell the stock-bond commodity or currency. As mentioned bar charts summarize all the trading for any given time period such as a day or a week when all those summaries are plotted together trends emerge and patterns form – all revealing where a stock is right now and how it got there. After all, knowing a stock is trading at a price of 50 is not of much help but knowing it was at 45 last month and 40 the month before gives us a good idea that it has been a bullish trend.

Charts are where perception meets reality. For instance, a stock may look cheap according to an analyst’s calculations based on projected future earnings, but if there were no demand for the stock it is simply not going to go up.

Some analysts look at a chart and simply draw an arrow on the actual data plot if the arrow is pointing up they know the trend is up and vice versa.

On the charts, we look at what is happening right now and how it came to be. From there we make an educated guess about the future, but the goal is not to predict where prices will be in a year. The real goal is to determine what we do about it right now. If we decide to buy based on a chart, we will already know what has to happen to prove us wrong and that helps us limit losses.

Understanding Each Part Of Chart

Price

Price action tells us what the supply and demand equilibrium is at any given point in time..

Volume

Volume is very useful In determining whether a stock is cooling back in correction or changing direction. And another important use is is in the identification of both the final panic and initial surges as investor moods change from one extreme to another.

Momentum

Momentum indicators quantify what the naked eye can tell us about the price action. Momentum In the market causes trends to stay in effect until halted by outside factors.

Structure

The way price action is used on charts in twofold; either the stock in question is moving or is not. The former creates a trend either higher or lower the latter creates resting zones and further shapes of these resting zones give us clues as to when the next trend will be up or down. It is the structure of these ups downs and flats that is analyzed.

Sentiment

The sentiment is the summation of all market expectations. It ranges from fear and hopelessness to indifference to greed and complacency. At the bottom of a bear market, the expectations of the participants are almost unanimous for a lower prices and more financial losses.

What are the support and resistance?

Support

At some price level, a falling stock price will stabilize. Enough investors will perceive it to be good value and demand shares; while others will perceive the price to be too low for them to want to sell any more of their holdings.

Resistance

If a stock is trending higher it will eventually encounter price levels at which it finds resistance to its advance. Resistance is also another name for support because at those levels investors collectively decide that value has been reached and they sell their shares.

Why use Technical Analysis?

The next logical question that comes to one’s mind is what does technical analysis do? The answer to this is that it has the ability to recognize when a stock has reached support or resistance level or a shift in perception takes place can help investors take investment decisions i.e. to use:

Buy low, sell high approach or
Buy high, sell higher approach, or
Whether to buy the stock or not

The ability to apply these aspects of the chart will reveal the market to investors when it is safe to buy a stock or not. Technical analysis is the only investment decision discipline that tells you when you are wrong to minimize losses.

Note: Become a Technical Analyst
Practice effective risk analysis and management. Practice effective risk analysis and management. Design and deliver creative solutions to your clients’ investment needs.

Goals of Technical Analysis

Seeing where the stock is currently trading and figuring out how it got there

This can be done by using charting tools such as the

Stock trends
Support levels
Resistance levels

We also try to find out a pattern or a trend to help.

Determining the power of a trend

This can be determined by looking at important technical concepts such as trading volume and momentum.

Making comparisons of the stock to the market, peer companies, and itself

For this we look at the relative performances and moving averages (average prices over a defined period of time, usually 50-200 days)

Criteria for Investment using technical analysis tools

In looking for a stock, the following are the key technical analysis tools that should be met, not necessarily all bot most.

Trends and trendlines

Trends can be classified in three ways: Up, Down or Range bound. In an uptrend, a stock rallies often with intermediate periods of consolidation or movement against the trend. In a downtrend, a stock declines often with intermediate periods of consolidation or movement against the trend. In range-bound, there is no apparent direction to the price movement on the stock chart and there will be little or no rate of price change.

These trends can be measured using trendlines. All we want is stocks that are in rising trends.

Support and Resistance

This basically tells us what price levels are likely to bring put buyers or the sellers. Here we want to see that if the current price has either just moved through resistance or one that is far from the next resistance level.

Moving Averages

They help in determining if the trend is turning, also it shows if the existing trend is progressing in an orderly manner or no. here we are looking at prices to be above-selected averages but not too far above them.

Relative Performance

This divides the price of a stock by a relative market index or industry group. Here the theory is to find out if the ratio is going up the stock is outperforming the market and is thus a strong candidate for further gains and vice versa. Here we are looking for stocks whose relative performances are increasing.

Volume

The number of shares traded and when (either when prices rise or when they fall). We basically analyze if buying is spreading to other investors and for urgency for all to buy when prices start to rise.

Momentum

We want to know if the days when the stock rises outnumber those when it falls. If losing days are more and frequent then we can say the trend is weakening.

Sentiment

It is to find out if everybody is thinking the same thing? Is it time to go the other way? Here we want to know what everyone is thinking about the same thing.

A career in Technical Analysis

Any person who enjoys working with numbers and is keen about statistics and capital markets may enjoy being a technical analyst.

Technical Analyst Job Description

Technical analysts study the trends and patterns of the stocks to make predictions about its future performance. They find out this sophisticated information to find out the best time and price at which to sell stocks. These professionals are often employed by finance and investment agencies, financial institutions, and brokerage houses.

Technical Analyst Pre-requisites

A bachelor’s degree in commerce major, like economics or finance, is required for a career in technical analysis. Some firms may require employees to have Master of Business Administration or master’s degrees in finance.

Skills

Critical-thinking
Analytical skills
Communication skills
Good in math’s and statistics
Experience working with computer spreadsheets
Knowledge of computer software programs

Resource: https://www.educba.com/what-is-technical-analysis/

27Sep, 2022

4 ways passwordless improves security

Passwords have not only become increasingly inconvenient for users, but they also create serious security concerns. Despite their vulnerability, passwords are still widely used and are even a top cause of breaches. Verizon reported that roughly 70% of network intrusions in 2021 resulted from compromised credentials.

As the stakes get higher, IT leaders are advocating for a passwordless future to become a reality. A recent study revealed how reliance on passwords can’t sustain in the current business environment, including employees entering a password 12 times a day. In fact, 25% estimate they have input a password 20 times or more. Most troublingly, 94% of IT leaders are concerned about passwords, including 50% who worry they are too weak for security purposes.

At the same time, IT departments are experiencing a 30% rise in password-related incidents. And their employees are suffering from lost productivity, wasting minutes or even hours a week entering and re-entering passwords. With new and advanced security options available, IT leaders recognize that the best password security might be one with no password at all.

The solution most IT leaders favor is passwordless authentication, which is a more effective security mechanism to ensure only the right people have access to the right things and for the right reasons. The journey to passwordless is not short, but there’s a clear roadmap to reach that goal.

1. Centralized authentication

Enterprises should start with the basics — centralized authentication based on username, password, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to provide a single sign-on experience. It provides the framework needed for passwordless authentication. Multi-factor authentication requires users to verify their identities using two or more authentication factors, while two-factor authentication (2FA) requires just two factors.

Passwords are often used as the first authentication factor, but that is not a requirement for MFA or 2FA. Authentication factors include:

Knowledge = Something You Know (password, PIN, etc.)

Possession = Something You Have (smartphone, key fob, etc.)

Inheritance = Something You Are (fingerprints, retinal scans, etc.)

As we phase out the password, three stronger authentication factors remain for MFA and 2FA. Minimizing reliance on passwords not only makes the network more secure, but it reduces calls to IT help centers for password resets.

2. Risk-based MFA

Progress continues by phasing out passwords and adopting risk services and biometric authentication. Risk-based MFA, also known as adaptive MFA, dynamically assesses the risk of a given interaction based on various factors and adjusts the authentication process accordingly.

By looking at the context and behavior of the login attempt, bad actors using compromised credentials can be stopped before they gain access to an enterprise. Effective risk-based MFA also has intelligence based on machine learning so that the system will learn and therefore recognize normal behavior for a specific user and, conversely, flag abnormal behavior, which can trigger additional authentication requirements or, in extreme cases, block the access attempt.

For example, if a user is logging in from a suspicious IP address and trying to gain access to sensitive information, additional authentication methods can be required before access is granted. Failure to provide the additional proof will cause access to be denied.

By evaluating whether adequate security requirements have been met for each transaction and stepping up authentication when they haven’t, an additional layer of security protects data without introducing unnecessary friction into the process.

Many companies use this step as a way to get to partial passwordless. There may be a password set for a user, but with proper risk-based MFA configuration, they can access resources using other authentication factors, and the password does not need to be entered.

3. FIDO login

The next step is to adopt standards-based authentication with Fast Identity Online (FIDO) and public key cryptography. Numerous organizations have joined together to form the FIDO Alliance to develop alternatives to passwords. FIDO is a set of open, standardized authentication protocols that use standard public key cryptography techniques to secure user authentication.

All communications are encrypted, and private keys never leave the user’s device, reducing the chances of someone discovering them during transmission. If biometric information is used for verification, it is also stored on users’ devices, making these authentication processes stronger and more secure. Users are able to sign on to a FIDO-enabled product or service using their preferred authentication method (fingerprint scan, entering a PIN, etc.) among the methods the product or service accepts.

4. Passwordless achieved

The last step is to go fully passwordless by removing passwords from everything. Start with the account creation process. Rather than using passwords during account creation, use a fingerprint scan or other authentication methods.

Identity proofing can also be part of your move to passwordless — at registration, during account recovery, or some other high-risk event triggered by a signal. Identity proofing is a method to provide extra assurance that the person registering is whom they claim to be, such as tying a selfie to a government-issued ID. Having the greater assurance that your users are whom they say they are, makes the transition to passwordless easier.

Usernames and passwords can become a thing of the past, along with the security issues associated with them. Eliminating passwords eliminates the friction associated with creating, remembering, and resetting passwords. Because more secure authentication methods exist, the tools are currently available to reach your passwordless goal.

Final Thoughts

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to making a move to passwordless. Each enterprise must assess its current situation and proceed at its own pace. Finding an in-house champion and a passwordless partner to help can make the journey easier.

Enterprises could also combine simple passwordless authentication flow with intelligent risk management services for even better security levels to create a great user experience with minimal security concerns. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. Much more is planned, and the future is bright for passwordless flows, which will someday be the most common way to authenticate users.

Resource : https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98389-4-ways-passwordless-improves-security

26Sep, 2022

Benefits of Information Security

Information security is more critical now than ever before. With the recent controversies surrounding data leaks that have taken place across the globe, there has never been a more pressing time for businesses to take steps to protect their data. In this article, we’ll explore some benefits of information security and some information about what’s happening in cybersecurity.

Why you Need to be Concerned With Information Security

Information security is the process of protecting electronic information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Organizations must be concerned with various threats that could potentially impact their data and systems to maintain an effective information security program.

Some of the most common threats to electronic information include:

Insiders who have access to sensitive data but may not have the proper permissions
Hackers who attempt to breach systems and steal sensitive data
Spammers who use unsolicited messages to spread malware or viruses
Extortionists who threaten companies with exposure of confidential information to extract payments

The benefits of having an effective information security program are numerous. Some of the most significant include:

Reduced risk of data theft and loss
Enhanced protection against malware and viruses
Reduced reliance on third-party vendors and systems
Improved efficiency and productivity due to reduced vulnerability to cyber attacks

The History of Information Security

Information security has been around for centuries, with the first computer networks dating back to the 1950s. Information security is essential because it protects data and information confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Information security is also necessary to maintain an efficient business operation.

There are many benefits of maintaining an effective information security program:

It can protect your company’s assets from theft or damage.
An effective information security program can help protect your company’s customers’ data from unauthorized access.
A well-functioning information security program can help ensure that your employees are productive and safe while working with confidential data.
An effective information security program can keep your company out of legal trouble.
A well-functioned information security program can promote trust and faith in your company among customers and other businesses.

The Five Risks

Facing the risks of cybercrime is a daily reality for many businesses. Here are five key risks to consider when it comes to information security:

Data loss. Cybercriminals can steal or corrupt your data, seriously harming your business. Protect your data by using robust security measures and keeping up with regular updates.
Business disruption. A cyberattack can cause significant damage to your business, including lost revenue and customer trust. Make sure you have robust security measures to prevent such an event from happening and quickly respond to any disruptions that occur.
Legal liability. You could be held liable if someone suffers damages due to a cyberattack. Ensure your business is fully protected from legal liability by implementing sound information security practices.
Risks to personnel. A cyberattack can also put your employees at risk, including those who handle sensitive data or operate systems on behalf of the business. Please ensure you have robust security measures in place to protect them from attack and that they are up-to-date on the latest safety precautions.
Reputation damage. A cyberattack can tarnish your reputation, mainly if it targets your brand. A public cyberattack can substantially impact your brand and the importance of your company, products, or services.

Benefits of Information Security

Information security can help protect your organization’s data, technology, and assets from unauthorized access or theft. Here are some of the benefits of implementing good information security practices:

Protects data: Data security protects confidential information such as customer records, business secrets, and trade secrets. It can also protect data needed to run your business, such as financial information and employee data.
Protects technology: Good information security practices protect your organization’s computer systems and networks from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. In addition, they can help prevent cyberattacks in which malicious actors attempt to damage or destroy systems or steal sensitive information.
Protects assets: Security measures can help protect physical assets such as buildings and equipment from being damaged or destroyed by theft or vandalism. They can also help reduce the risk of fraud and other crimes by protecting valuable intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets.
Reduces costs: Implementing good information security practices can often reduce the costs associated with incidents that result in data loss, system downtime, or fraud losses. In addition, it can help avoid costly lawsuits arising from incidents that do not involve data loss but do involve reputation damage and other costs.
Enables compliance: Security can help organizations meet legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations. This is generally true of information security programs in any industry. Still, it is vital for financial institutions—such as banks, credit unions, and brokerages—that have a legal obligation to protect customer data and adhere to privacy laws.
Improves efficiency: Information security improves operational efficiency by reducing the time spent responding to incidents, onboarding new employees, or accommodating system downtime by minimizing disruption.
Increases employee productivity: Good information security practices enable organizations to work more efficiently and effectively by reducing wasted time and effort from system disruptions or malicious attacks.

Cyber Security Career

There are many reasons to pursue a career in information security, and cyber security is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and profitable options.

Cybersecurity professionals work in various capacities, from developing and implementing effective computer systems security measures to providing customer support for online security concerns. The field is increasing, and there are many opportunities for career growth.

The benefits of pursuing a career in information security include:

Competitive salary. Cybersecurity careers offer high salaries, especially if you have experience in a specialized area. The median annual wage for cyber security professionals was $86,030 in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Variety of career opportunities. Cybersecurity jobs range from development and management positions in government and industry to technical support roles. You can find the perfect position for your skills and interests by researching specific cybersecurity fields.
Good working conditions. Many cybersecurity jobs are highly technological, so you’ll enjoy excellent working conditions. Job stability is also high due to the need for specialized skill sets and the relatively small number of job vacancies.
Ability to work remotely. Many cyber security jobs allow you to work remotely, which can help you accommodate your family’s needs.
Career opportunities. Your career can take many paths, as cyber security has various areas to explore and grow. Whether you want to work in a governmental office or an industry leader, this field is growing and offers plenty of opportunities for advancement. The next time you look at an IT job advertisement, remember that cybersecurity jobs are nearly as good!

Conclusion

Information security is a topic that can be overwhelming for many people. However, there are some benefits to learning about and practicing good information security habits. By understanding the risks and taking steps to protect yourself, you can help ensure that your business remains safe and protected from potential damage. Thanks for reading!

Resource : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/benefits-information-security-reverse-lookup-services/