As a parent, you may have mixed view about social media. You may LOVE it when checking out fashion or recipe boards on Pinterest but HATE it when your teen refuses to get off Facebook at 10pm on a school night. But regardless of your opinion – there is no denying that social media is Read more…
This year’s Internet Security Threat Report is very sober reading for SMBs. Last year, targeted attacks on small companies (fewer than 2,500 employees) went up 50%. Yes, it’s true: Criminals realized that money stolen from the SMB would spend just as nicely as money pulled from a large corporation, and was much easier to acquire. Smaller companies have income in the bank, employee and customer data, and sometimes very valuable intellectual property that they’re hoping to make a lot of money with. Yet with all these assets, surveys last year showed that the majority of smaller business owners think they’re too small to be targeted by evildoers.
A secondary problem for the SMB situation is the larger enterprise they want to do business with. With inadequate security, the vulnerabilities for an SMB can be points of entry into larger organizations. A sophisticated cyber-criminal may choose to target an enterprise’s subsidiaries, partners, or vendors to find inroads into their environment. Compromised SMB websites can also become ‘watering holes’, or lures for phishing or cyber-espionage. Mitigating these risks may create an inevitable march toward more regulations, especially with organizations that wish to do business with any state or government agency.
53% of websites scanned by Symantec in 2012 showed vulnerabilities. The most common vulnerability found was related to cross-site scripting. Many small businesses do not have a dedicated or experienced security force in their IT arsenal. Even for large businesses, a web page or database can be compromised for years without it being discovered internally, or known how to properly harden. Trojans are being inserted into point-of-sale systems and left unfound while data flows out into the wrong hands. Some lie dormant for weeks or months until activated.
A lack of security-specific training for a SMB IT department can also create an environment of success for scareware or ransomware tactics. A small business can spend money on the wrong things, fixing the wrong problems, and by doing so create more problems by trusting the wrong advisors.
Do you use the same smartphone at home and at work? Whether your company allows employees to bring in personal devices or issues office-specific phones and laptops, those devices likely contain sensitive corporate and personal information. Unfortunately, many people use these devices in ways that can jeopardize the security not only of your personal data Read more…
We have blogged before about mobile spam messages, and while email spam declined in the past year to around 66%, mobile spam—although not yet that prevalent—is now gaining ground.
Currently the “winning ticket” theme is making i…
Have you been bullied lately? Probably not, but to get you in the right mindset, think about your commute this morning, and that car that cut you off… Feel it now? That’s what it feels like for your kids when they get bullied, online, anonymously. Imagine that driver posts online about cutting you off, mocking Read more…
Question of the week: I have avast! Free Antivirus on my computer and I love it, but isn’t antivirus for a smartphone overkill? I mean, there are not so many threats to a phone, are there? This is a question being asked by lots of security firms lately, and the answer is a resounding, YES. […]
Contributor: Avdhoot Patil
Phishers have already shown interest in the violence that erupted recently in various parts of the Arab world. The phishing attack involving Syria is a good example. Phishers are now taking advantage of the political unrest i…
Did you know that while you innocently play games or browse Facebook on your smartphone or tablet, someone might be tracking your every move? Through a stream of data “leaked” by your mobile gadgets, cybercriminals can determine which direction you’re headed, how fast you’re walking and how long your strides are. Leaked data can even Read more…
