Tag: data theft

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4 Rules of Thumb Regarding Passwords and Authentication

Many people believe passwords are dumb.  They store their credentials for easy login, or maybe even leave the password blank if the app allows. For IT managers, forcing users to come up with a strong, unique password is definitely not an easy task.  Resting on convenience over security, many people would prefer to use familiar names and dates or simple phrases they can remember.  Even when IT departments try to enforce best practices there is often a struggle between honoring those standards and influencing user behavior.

Relaxed password standards allow users to set passwords that may be as easy to guess as they are to remember, and very strict requirements for strong and complex passwords often results with users storing passwords in document files or on post-it notes on the monitor. Setting password standards and managing the policy implementation requires a balance between usability and security, but more often than not the balance skews toward simplicity. Yet passwords aren’t going away any time soon, even while biometrics and multi-factor authentication methods grow in prominence.

It is most likely that new technologies and standards will be combined with passwords to protect critical data. Using only a password to protect information may not be the ultimate in security, but it is important to recognize that passwords remain as a key element in any security model. For now, passwords should be as strong and unguessable as possible.  As technologies and standards rise up to meet the demands of users as well as enterprises, there are likely to be changes in how passwords are used. Here are 4 rules of thumb to consider regarding passwords and where authentication technologies are going.

1. Your face might be your password.

Biometrics won’t fully replace passwords right away, but the use of biometric data for authentication is growing rapidly. Face recognition, fingerprinting and voice identification are all being employed as authentication mechanisms and users are embracing the technology because it is easier to use than a remembered password.  Smartphones and PCs have sensors for reading fingerprints and cameras for seeing faces, and microphones for hearing your voice.  Many systems are also now able to use geodata with the biometric data (matching person to place), making it harder to compromise an identity while also being less disruptive to the user. While the technology isn’t foolproof, it represents a major step towards creating more secure systems without placing the responsibility strictly on the user.

2. Two pieces of ID are better than one.

The point of multi-factor authentication is that there are two different pieces of evidence a user must present in order to gain access. For example, a password may be the first piece of evidence presented, with a pass code sent to a mobile device as a second. Even as biometric authentication grows in prominence, industry participants recognize that no single method covers all the bases all the time. Multi-factor authentication is gaining in prominence as users become more familiar with the methods and the implementations become less intrusive. AI may also influence how these systems are applied. As user behavior and transaction parameters are “learned”, systems can identify activities that fall outside of normal routines and additionally prompt users for single-use pins or passwords sent to their mobile device.

3. Businesses should learn from past mistakes.

With news of hacking, ransomware and malware being daily fare, companies and their users are realizing that password security really is important and are stepping up their security efforts. The information is available to help prevent businesses from making the same mistakes that others have, offering worst case scenarios a’plenty to learn from.  Using default passwords and recycling passwords across work and personal accounts, using unsecured network connections, not encrypting files that contain password information and failing to patch or update systems and software are entirely preventable situations that put information at risk. Taking the reports seriously and identifying mistakes to avoid is highly useful in designing security for the business.

4. There’s a growing ecosystem for authentication.

With the number and type of systems requiring authentication – from industrial control systems to dating websites – there is a great and growing need to find highly secure methods of authentication that are actually usable for the user. Even in the world of blockchain there is a need for “identity assurance” and confirmation when documents or biometrics are captured via smartphone. Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) is a set of security specifications for strong multi-factor authentication, developed by the FIDO Alliance. The FIDO Alliance includes members such as Google, Aetna, Amazon, Microsoft, Bank of America and Samsung, and developed the spec as an initial basis for standardizing authentication across platforms and systems at the client and protocol layers.  

Technology is changing rapidly and solutions once reserved for government and large enterprise are now entering mainstream consumer use. You’ve probably already noticed that banking and other apps are employing the use of fingerprint and other biometric data with increased frequency as users demand easier access to applications and features from their smartphones and other mobile devices.

These technologies sometimes replace traditional password entry as the primary means of authentication or augment password use in some manner. Even MasterCard has announced a component in its payment card solutions that allows users of next-gen payment cards to register their fingerprint data on their credit card.

The push is to allow users to interact with their tasks without putting up barriers to access.

A combination of usability and enhanced protection, the new standards are developing to address not just system security but identity verification for various purposes. Corporate information must be secured and so must personal identity information; simply read the news to understand what can happen when digital identity information gets compromised.

Whether the data is business or personal, keeping hackers and bad actors away from it isn’t easy, so strengthening the most basic first layer of protection – the password – is the best place to start.

Make Sense?

J

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4 Rules of Thumb for Better Mobile Device Security

Security threats are everywhere, lurking in alley ways and around corners and even in your favorite coffee shop. Yet mobility is in demand, and people will use their smartphones and other mobile devices because it’s convenient, even if company policy suggests against it.

This is a big deal for IT and security professionals and CIOs, which is why it took a while for IT to recognize the need to address mobile device security rather than simply deny mobile device use. With data breaches, ransomware attacks, hacks and information leaks happening on an almost daily basis, businesses must find ways to protect their valuable applications and data from loss or misuse while at the same time enabling mobile device use.

The following 4 rules of thumb are not comprehensive but are four essential rules of thumb to help guide business owners in addressing mobility management and security within their organizations.

Rule 1: Make sure there are clear mobile device use policies and support them with ongoing administration and strict enforcement.

I can’t say enough about having good security and mobile device policies and keeping them modernized, relevant, and actually enforcing them. Too many businesses say they have a “security and use” policy in place, yet it is outdated and doesn’t reflect the actual tools or processes currently in use.  Even more frequently a business will develop a policy just to say it has one, but won’t actually train workers or enforce compliance.

Rule 2: Require and enforce strong passwords, manage access in real time, and force password changes with some frequency.

It is essential that all user access to applications or data be controlled at minimum by password-protected logins to the device and corporate resources coupled with periodic forced password changes. Users often prefer to not require passwords or other authentication for device access, but corporate policy should not only require them but also enforce their use.  Also, user access should be managed in real time, meaning that any aspect relating to access should be disabled or revoked immediately upon employee termination or reassignment. Too often these forgotten chores are relegated to after-the-fact IT administration, which allows users to access resources beyond their rightful boundaries.

Rule 3:  Do something to contain the applications and data on the device.

Whether the approach is with containers, cloud hosting, server-based computing or something else, it is really important to try to “contain” the applications and data accessed from the mobile device. Risk is created when users sync data directly to the device’s storage or install applications directly on the device to access corporate data. Password and other security measures prevent unauthorized access, but allowing applications, credentials or data to be stored directly on the mobile device allows those things to interact with other things on the device.  Containers, hosting and server-based computing models keep the applications and data within secured spaces, often not even storing essential items on the device but only accessing them via the device. This allows the business to provide users with the access and functionality they need to do their jobs, but also reduces the vulnerability of applications and information assets.

Rule 4: Keep device software up to date and download fewer apps.

Updating mobile device operating system versions and release levels is important to make sure the device has the most current security patches and threat protection.   Some mobile OSes even have capabilities which can help keep personal and work apps separated.  Limiting the number of apps users can download to their devices should also be considered. Users may randomly download and install applications to their devices with little regard for the quality or security of the app, and often accept terms of use without really reading them. Consumer apps from app stores may pose risks to data and the device, so IT should check regularly for problematic apps if the device is used to access the corporate network, applications or data.

Mobile and wireless are in demand

Just about every business has people who use their phones and tablets for some business use, and every one of those mobile devices and the apps running on them could open the door for a hacker, ransomware, data theft or compromise. While there are many benefits to be gained by enabling remote and mobile devices in the business workflow, unrestricted access only creates risk.

Keeping mobile devices secure for business use takes multiple approaches, as there is no single method or solution that works for every situation. Our 4 rules provide a basic foundation for business mobility management, offering a starting point for developing a more thorough and detailed plan.

Make sense?

J

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Mobility and the Cloud – Managing “Bring Your Own Device” and Securing Company Resources

There are lots of reasons why businesses are adopting cloud and Internet technologies in great number, and supporting mobile workers is one of the big ones.  In order for traveling sales people or workers in remote offices to have access to business applications and data, many organizations are turning to hosted and cloud solutions to centralize systems and make enterprise-wide access easier to deliver and manage.

What many businesses are just now realizing, however, is that allowing individuals to use their own mobile devices to access corporate data is exposing the enterprise to new (and often unknown) risk with each and every device and app that gets used.

Most businesses recognize the need to secure corporate systems while allowing users to remotely access resources from home or mobile computers.

Many CIOs and IT managers are failing to address the vulnerabilities introduced through the proliferation of tablets and smartphones in the business. Some enterprises initially embraced the concept of “bring your own device” [BYOD], as it tended to encourage users to work from home or while on the road, increasing employee productivity and keeping workers more “attached” to their jobs – all without the business having to pay for the device.

With growing numbers of reported “rogue apps” and apps that secretly collect and pass data, the potential benefits of allowing workers to use their own devices is rapidly being overshadowed by the risks involved.

Earlier this year, Apple, Facebook, Yelp and several other firms were sued for privacy-infringing apps that, among other things, pillaged users’ address books. …but what if the app uploads a sales representatives’ contact list and the developer then sells it to a competitor? That’s a new type of data leakage that most organizations aren’t ready for.

http://www.cio.com/article/716368/Free_Mobile_Apps_Put_Your_BYOD_Strategies_at_Risk  

Phones, in particular, have not traditionally been viewed by most business owners as a primary platform for information theft or damage – other than when an employee uses one to tell someone something they shouldn’t.  But in terms of intrusion, data theft, application hacking and things like that… not so much.

But that was before phones got really smart.

Phones that most folks carry around now are actually computers with a great deal of processing and storage capacity, and as such are just as capable of running bad programs and being vulnerable to attack as their more obvious portable computer counterparts.  Perhaps they are even more vulnerable because of the “connected” nature of the device, because by its very nature it is geared towards communication of information, not just processing it.

It’s not that hackers and developers of exploits (or just bad code) are necessarily focusing on stealing your business data (well, OK, a lot of them are).  Maybe someone just got lucky one day, when they first realized that the employee phone was the “camel’s nose under the tent” which would get them inside, far enough to deliver access to confidential corporate information and data someone would pay for.  People tend to be the weakest element in the security chain, and exploiting vulnerabilities under the guise of “making things easier” for the user has been a highly successful approach (would you like to sign in with your Facebook account?).

..because attacks that target employees may well end up targeting the employer as well, even if the employer wasn’t the original target.

Whether it is intentional or not, the risk is very present, and every business and enterprise has a responsibility to recognize the vulnerabilities introduced with mobile device use and to do what it can to mitigate that risk.  It is also important to recognize that the risk is not a purely personal one, either.

Since the information held by most businesses also includes the information of others – customers, vendors, partners, etc. – it is essential that the business not expose itself to unnecessary problems (litigation, fines or penalties, or simply lost opportunity) caused by accidental leakage of confidential information belonging to 3rd parties.

For some businesses, the best answer may be to only allow use of devices the business provides, along with clearly written use policies and guidelines.  This approach allows the organization to determine which applications may be installed and to dictate how the device is to be used for business needs.

There are even solutions available which can assist businesses in managing the expenses related to mobile devices in the enterprise, addressing not only security and privacy concerns but also helping to optimize expenditures on mobile devices by monitoring contracts and usage, identifying underused agreements or overage charges, or even identifying contracts still in force which should have been cancelled.

For many businesses, however, allowing users to continue accessing business resources with their personal devices may be desirable for a variety of reasons, cost being only one of them.  If this is the case (as it is most often in small and growing businesses), it is important to make certain that users understand what is and is not appropriate device use, and to inform users on the policies relating to apps which may or may not be allowed and why.

Make sense?

J

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There are only two types of businesses: those who have lost their data, and those who will

The portable computer was the secret business weapon of yesterday, and is today’s essential business tool.  The processing power, portability, storage, and connectivity available with laptops, tablets and even smartphones can create a seamless extension of the office.

Truly, the workforce of today is mobile and fully-enabled.  Business owners, working in conjunction with their accounting advisors and business consultants, are able to access all the information and analytical capability they need to make informed business decisions at any time, capture and collect important information, and keep productivity at the highest levels no matter where they are.

Mobility doesn’t come without risk, however.  Some studies estimate that as much as 80% of the business data that a company has (like customer files, contracts, financial data, product specifications) is stored on portable computing devices.   While these files may be recoverable from backups in the case of loss or damage, there is an even larger potential cost in terms of exposure of confidential or proprietary – or personal and private – information.

Loss or theft can create big business and legal problems, too. Customer or client privacy may be compromised, sensitive information may be exposed, and confidential plans may be made public if a business doesn’t take steps to secure mobile data.   Software and network attacks are also prevalent, with a variety of exploits designed to take advantage of any vulnerability present.

There’s an old saying we IT folks have that there are only two types of businesses: those who have lost their data, and those who will.  Imagine the potential chaos and risk exposure, not to mention the expense, of losing your valuable business data, or having it exposed to unauthorized users.

While computing mobility delivers a host of advantages to the business and the user, care must be taken to ensure security, privacy, and confidentiality of business information.  Cloud computing solutions and managed IT services will help you provide the mobile capability your business needs, but with the additional protection, additional security, and ongoing management that the value of the data demands.  Increased exposure to liability is a reality for any mobile business, and the risk is only multiplied by the number of systems a company has in the field.  The smart business reduces risk by deploying secure yet versatile platforms for their workers that allow data to be stored and protected in centralized environments, rather than on the individual computing devices. Via the cloud, businesses of all kinds are reaping the benefits of new and innovative service delivery models and enhanced security solutions, achieving the freedom and functionality (and data security) the mobile workforce demands.

Here are a few data loss statistics for your reading pleasure…

Enjoy  🙂

J

(stats drawn from summary on BostonComputing.net.  They may be a bit dated, but the numbers have only increased since then.) http://www.bostoncomputing.net/consultation/databackup/statistics/

The following statistics were gathered from various sources:

  • 6% of all PCs will suffer an episode of data loss in any given year. Given the number of PCs used in US businesses in 1998, that translates to approximately 4.6 million data loss episodes. At a conservative estimate, data loss cost US businesses $11.8 billion in 1998. (The Cost Of Lost Data, David M. Smith)
  • 30% of all businesses that have a major fire go out of business within a year. 70% fail within five years. (Home Office Computing Magazine)
  • 31% of PC users have lost all of their files due to events beyond their control.
  • 34% of companies fail to test their tape backups, and of those that do, 77% have found tape back-up failures.
  • 60% of companies that lose their data will shut down within 6 months of the disaster.
  • 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. (National Archives & Records Administration in Washington)
  • American business lost more than $7.6 billion as a result of viruses during first six months of 1999. (Research by Computer Economics)
  • Companies that aren’t able to resume operations within ten days (of a disaster hit) are not likely to survive. (Strategic Research Institute)
  • Every week 140,000 hard drives crash in the United States. (Mozy Online Backup)
  • Simple drive recovery can cost upwards of $7,500 and success is not guaranteed