Recent hacks involving several high-profile social networking accounts once again highlight the potential vulnerability of social media. The sheer volume of users and the information that gets posted on social media sites create plenty of opportunity for an attacker to use social engineering or other methods to gain access to the accounts of individuals and…
The term “social engineering” refers to an attempt to gain access to information, primarily through misrepresentation, and often relies on the trusting nature of most individuals. Most users should be familiar with email phishing scams (a form of social engineering) and have been taught not to open attachments from unknown or untrusted sources or to…
Most workplaces have cyber security policies, processes, and technologies. You can create a more cyber-secure environment at home by implementing similar strategies. Policies At home, determine: A central location for your computer so you can monitor your children’s activities online. Whether you allow access to certain sites. You may choose to use parental control settings…
The use of mobile applications (apps) is increasing in parallel with the increased use in mobile devices. According to Gartner, “Worldwide mobile application store revenue is projected to surpass $15.1 billion in 2011… and by 2014 over 185 billion applications will have been downloaded from mobile app stores.” The continued growth of mobile apps requires…
From the Desk of Chad M. Barr, CISSP, CISA The popularity of social networking sites — such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and others — has expanded tremendously in recent years, with nearly two-thirds of Americans using these sites regularly. The number of adult Internet users having a social networking profile has more than quadrupled in…
During 2011, cyber security incidents included theft of intellectual property and government data, hacktivism, malware targeting mobile devices and a resurgence of the Zeus Trojan, which targets financial information. Protecting against these attacks was a key challenge for organizations of all sizes in both the public and private sectors. What is in store for 2012?…
As the holiday season draws near, an increasing number of people will be doing their shopping in cyber space. Last year, online shopping expenditures in the U.S. reached a record $32.6 billion for the November-December period marking a 12% jump from 2009. In fact, an estimated $1 billion was spent online in a single day–Cyber…
October is national “Cyber Security Awareness Month.” The theme is “Cyber Security is our Shared Responsibility” and that message has never been more appropriate. While there are many steps that people can take to be safe online, the following is a list of ten things you can do to secure your information. Passwords: Use strong…
From the Desk of Chad M. Barr, CISSP, CISA September is “Disaster Preparedness Month.” It’s important to consider how we safeguard our information in the event of a natural disaster, man-made event, or even a system failure. This newsletter will discuss some steps you can take to secure your critical information and some best practices…
From the Desk of Chad M. Barr, CISSP, CISA, PCI QSA There have been a number of recent “phishing” campaigns, which are attempts by individuals or groups to solicit personal information from unsuspecting users by employing social engineering techniques. This month’s newsletter will focus on some of recent campaigns and provide guidance for protecting yourself…
