What Are Your Data Encryption Options?

Security,
16
Mar 2015

encryption

We invest so much time on our devices that we forget they contain some of our most sensitive information.  Here are 3 data encryption options to consider.

Encryption is a method of transforming your data into something that is illegible to anyone without a key. The key, often a long series of letters and numbers, is what returns your data back to its original state so you may access it again.

There are a number of methods for you to protect your sensitive information on your device.

Whole Disk Encryption

This type of encryption encrypts your entire drive and everything on it. You can encrypt any number of volumes or drives that are connected to your computer. If your hard drives are physically stolen out of your computer, the thieves wont be able to access them without the right key. This is good practice for businesses that keep their data locally on a server. If you happen to have the Enterprise version of Windows on your device then you have the built in Bitlocker software bundled with your OS for free that can encrypt all your drives. There are also free open source options for you if you do not have the right version of Windows.

veracrypt

A great free option is VeraCrypt, the spiritual successor to the wildly popular but now defunct TrueCrypt.

File Encryption

A drawback of whole disk encryption is that your device may take a slight performance hit for being entirely encrypted. For some that is not worth it if they only have a few files or folders to encrypt. If you often have to share your computer with family members or friends this is a great solution. This option lets you encrypt files and folders with just a few clicks. It puts a password on the folder in before allowing access to it. In most cases all you have to do is right click on the file or folder and press the encrypt button. You are then shown steps to follow to complete the encrypting process.

axcrypt

AxCrypt is a great free utility that seamlessly integrates with Windows so encrypting your folders are just a few clicks away.

Compression Encryption

This is very similar to file and folder encryption. It’s possible that most users who have come by a .zip or .rar file already software to see the file contents. What you may not know is that these programs can compress your file size and encrypt that file at the same time. They also seamlessly connect to windows explorer making it just a few clicks effort to encrypt and compress files.

7-zip_encryption

Popular compression software which supports encryption includes 7-zip and WinRAR.

Encrypting your sensitive information is good practice for anyone with critical or sensitive information. Once the device has been stolen or the data accessed by a third party, it’s too late.

For more ways to protect your sensitive business data, contact your local IT professionals.

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Windows 10 will be a free upgrade
Windows 10 will be a free upgrade

Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade

Office IT, Software, ,
05
Mar 2015

Windows 10 will be a free upgrade

Microsoft will soon offer free upgrades to Windows 10. We’ll explain everything you need to know and how to properly prepare for the upgrade.

An overview

We would have never thought we’d see the day that Microsoft announces a “free” upgrade to their operating systems!

So what is the catch? It appears to be that the upgrade will be free for one year and will only be offered to Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 systems.

That’ll leave enough time for Microsoft users to test out the new OS features and functionalities for glitches, even past the technical preview version. Or could it be that they’re keeping up with Apple’s trend of free upgrades to fit in more with the flourishing mobile market?

Whatever the reason may be, we know that the announcement officially came through Terry Myerson from Microsoft. Myerson had conveyed the notion of moving towards a close-knit product, with the aim of leaving behind the problem of having to worry about multiple OS versions.

Either way, it’s a safe decision for Microsoft to make as they’ll gain a better foothold on various pies in market whilst maintaining consumer loyalty.

Windows_10_Free_Upgrade

Since Microsoft’s operating systems are still predominantly used in many companies and businesses across the globe, the possibility for a free upgrade will also ensure compatibility with their existing systems, making it simpler for IT to implement upgrades.

What you need to know

  • Windows 10 is designed be even more robust than the previous versions, and it’ll include an exclusive voice control technology known as Cortana.
  • It’ll be an all-in-one platform supporting PCs, phones, tablets, laptops, and games consoles.
  • After the initial year is up,  Windows 10 may possibly be priced as a premium OS, so be prudent with your budget and allocate a little more than you would on your existing Microsoft licenses.
  • It’s yet to be disclosed if any discount will be given after using the free one year upgrade. At present, an upgrade to Windows 10 from version 8.1 is priced at $199.99.
  • The system requirements for Windows 10 will be good on most desktops and laptops built within the past 5-7years.
  • According to the Windows Insider website the minimum requirements are a 1 GHz processor, 16 GB of disk space and 1 GB of RAM.
  • Microsoft reassures users that computer systems running Windows 8.1 will be good enough to run Windows 10.
  • Another consideration is Microsoft not raising their system requirements since 2006; You could even run Windows 10 from a Windows 7, Vista, and even possibly XP system!

Although Microsoft released their Technical Preview of Windows 10 last October, the wait still continues for the official “bug-free” version of Windows 10. We can only speculate that it’ll be out sometime in 2015.

For more ways to update business networks and systems, contact your local IT professionals.

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Flash Player 0-Day Vulnerability Yet to be Patched
Flash Player 0-Day Vulnerability Yet to be Patched

0-Day Flash Player Vulnerability Yet to be Patched

Security, Software, ,
04
Mar 2015

Flash Player 0-Day Vulnerability Yet to be Patched

Learn all about the latest 0-Day Flash Player Vulnerability. By following this practical advice, you can improve your chances of staying protected.

An overview

Adobe has recently released a security update for Flash Player that fixes the exploited vulnerability in the attacks. Adobe investigated the threat and reported that an exploit has been developed, which gets around the latest update.

Kafeine, a security researcher, posted on a blog to convey the Flash vulnerability discovered by exploit kits. These kits are software tools that work on automation. The actual exploit packs help hacked sites to send out the malicious code. Kaffiene’s blog disclosed the Angular Exploit Kit, a popular crime-ware package that targets Flash player vulnerabilities. It’ll cleverly adapt to work in a certain way according to the version of Internet Explorer it detects in a Windows system.

The Flash Vulnerability

The vulnerability also exists in the Linux and Mac versions of Flash Player; however, the attackers targeted Windows and Internet Explorer users as well. Flash users must update the player as soon as possible. It is possible that the update might not fix all the holes in Flash.

An Adobe patch was developed to address the exploited Flash vulnerability; however it doesn’t address another active vulnerability that’s available for it.

Although the exploit, known as CVE-2015-0310 was downgraded, it was still used in the attacks related to the previous versions of Flash. The earlier versions of Chrome are also safe to use. Internet Explorer 10, IE11 and Firefox were supposed to update automatically to the latest versions of Flash. As for Google Chrome, its latest version is 40.0.2214.91, and currently runs Flash version 16.0.0.257.

Internet Explorer users would need to apply the patch twice. For instance, one on IE and the other on any alternative browser such as Opera or Firefox.

A word about dynamic website content

Since many websites rely on Flash player to display dynamic content, it would be easier if such sites opt to only use HTML5 to load multimedia. The click to play is one option to limit Flash content on the browser whilst it automatically renders.

An example of Flash click to play.

An example of Flash click to play.

At the same time, it’s impractical for most web users to remove Flash player completely, except for Internet Explorer which usually blocks Flash from rendering its content. The click to play feature is often preferred by many users.   It allows users to see the blocked content with only a click over the boxes. However, this will enable Flash content but bear in mind that the click to play feature will also block JavaScript from loading.

Stay updated

It is important to keep Flash Player updated to avoid being a potential target of attack. The latest versions of Flash are available, but be cautious of the unwanted add-ons that come with the Flash player versions. Once you un-check the pre-checked box, before downloading the Flash Player, the potential ad-on will not be included in the download.

For more ways to secure your data and systems, contact your local IT professionals.

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