The Main Security Challenges That IoT Faces

Internet of things, Security, Security Threats, ,
02
Jan 2018

The internet of things (IoT) is getting us connected like never before, but with its increase in popularity, the security challenges are intensifying.

With IoT creating an unprecedented number of connections into our organizations, it’s no surprise that hackers are viewing it as a potential entry point as opposed to traditional routes such as email attachments or USB sticks. And, as IoT is such a new technology, the vast majority of users aren’t as well schooled in the accompanying security challenges.

If you can understand these security challenges, though, you’re maneuvering your organization into a highly advantageous position. You may be wondering what the main security challenges that IoT faces are, so let’s take a look!

  • Updates aren’t always automatic – PC updates never used to be automatic and this used to leave them open to attack. Thankfully, software/hardware manufacturers quickly realized the importance of this and built automatic updates into their products. Although this approach still relies on human compliance to authorize, it’s highly effective. With IoT devices, however, there’s such a rush to bring out new products mean that firmware updates are allocated little priority, so IoT devices can soon become unprotected. 

  • IoT devices are relatively simple – Many IoT devices are limited in their capabilities, be it in terms of storage or memory. Whilst this allows them to remain compact and low cost, it also leads to a lack of room for security. As a result, they become susceptible to security attacks and the chance of adequate encryption being in place is unlikely. Therefore, it’s crucial that extra security steps are put in place such as specific networks with dedicated firewalls to help house these IoT devices. 
  • More devices mean more monitoring – The amount of devices which can make up the IoT is staggering, but it also means that there’s an increased security risk. With all these entry points in your organization’s networks, the amount of data which needs monitoring is going to increase dramatically. And this means that you need to monitor the data coming in and out of your organization much more closely. Leading to increased labour and technology costs, this is one of the most pressing challenges presented by the IoT. 
  • Predicting and preparing for attacks – Advances in technology mean that more and more devices are entering the IoT market which, on one hand, means accessibility for almost anything you can think of is possible but, on the other hand, it’s making threat detection more difficult. Pinpointing exactly how a hacker will abuse an IoT device is difficult – will they use it as a stepping stone into your network? Will they simply misuse the device? Or a bit of both?

These challenges could easily be misinterpreted as a list of reasons why you shouldn’t get involved with the IoT, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, these are challenges which, if tackled correctly, can help your organization get the best out of the IoT. Sure, there’s going to be a level of investment and new structures to consider, but what price can you put on progress?

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

 

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What Are Local Backups and Why Are They Important?

Cloud, External Hard Drive, Flash Drive, Local Backups, Security, , ,
21
Nov 2017

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Local backups are one of the most popular forms of backing up data, so it’s a method that organizations should seriously consider for storing their data.

While cloud backups are grabbing all the headlines, they’re not necessarily the definitive answer to everyone’s backup needs. What’s more, local backup can easily run alongside cloud backup systems, so they’re not an option which should be dismissed.

As backup is such a critical business need in an era of huge data growth and ransomware threats, we’re going to take a look at what local backups are and what they can do for your business.

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What is Local Backup?

As the name suggests, local backup is any type of physical storage medium which is kept locally and can be quickly connected to a PC/network which requires a backup to be saved or restored. The most popular forms of local backup are:

  • External Hard Drives – These devices are now capable of holding huge amounts of data with 16TB (that’s 16,000GB) external hard drives available. Usually connected through USB ports, these hard drives provide a swift transfer of data and this is even quicker when USB 3.0 capabilities are present.
  • CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays – Optical drives may sound fairly limited in their storage capacities (a single layer Blu-Ray holds 50GB and a CD only 750MB), but they’re still highly popular for quick data storage that can be kept close at hand on a spindle.
  • Solid State Drives – USB and flash drives, again, are highly quick and simple methods for storing critical data which can be kept locally. The beauty of this small, but important method of backup is that implementing the backup data is easily achieved by simply plugging the medium into the PC.

What Can Local Backup Do for You?

Local backup solutions come with a number of benefits which mean they’re perfect for organizations and these can include:

  • Enhanced Security – External hard drives, optical drives and solid state drives are all protected by online threats such as hacking as they’re standalone pieces of kit. Once they’re disconnected from a PC or network there’s no way of them being hacked, so they represent a highly secure storage medium for your data.
  • You Have Full Control – One of the main drawbacks of cloud backups is that they tend to be operated by a third party contractor, so you never truly have full control and responsibility for your data. With local backup methods, however, your data is always safely under your own watch and does not leave your premises.
  • Quicker Transfer – Local backups have a much simpler structure than complex cloud backup systems, so your data can be transferred at a much quicker rate when necessary. This reduces downtime for your PC and network whilst also significantly reduces the time taken to monitor the backup process.

As a result, local backups represent a secure method of storing data with a number of benefits that cloud backups are unable to offer. However, many organizations are now embracing hybrid systems which utilize local and cloud backups to enhance the ability to retrieve data when it’s needed most.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Importance of a Business IT Continuity Plan

IT Continuity, IT Plan, Security, Services, , , , ,
07
Nov 2017

 

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A backup plan for your IT system in the case of a sudden disaster is crucial to ensure your business continues operating whilst that disaster is rectified.

Many businesses, however, don’t have a contingency plan in place that will allow their IT operations to continue in the case of an emergency. And this lack of preparation can lead to your business having to cease operations and, therefore, hit you hard financially. Naturally, no one can forecast an emergency or a disaster, so it’s important to get something established sooner rather than later.

To understand, in a little more detail, why a business IT continuity plan is so important, we’re going to take a closer look at what it can bring to your business and how to implement it.

The Main Benefits of Business IT Continuity

Say, for example, your business suffers a huge malware attack, this could seriously compromise all the PCs on your network and render them redundant. And how are you going to process orders or bring up customer records then? Exactly – you aren’t! However, with an IT continuity plan in place, you can put this into action whilst your IT team work at eradicating the malware attack – this allows you to continue serving your customers and helps your organization minimize the downtime.

It’s also quite possible that your business premises could be put out of action due to disasters such as fire or even natural disasters which could visit in the form of hurricanes. With your office, for example, out of bounds, it could appear that there’s no option but to down tools. If, though, you’ve planned for occasions such as this, you could execute remote working accessibility for your staff to work from home or alternate premises. Again, this helps to keep your organization afloat and operating.

IT Services are aligned to the customers needs. Dynamic Lifecycle approach to service. Interconnections between processes. Quality of Service. Reduced cost to serve because of use of standard process. ITIL is NOT… A methodology. A complete set of predefined low level processes – only the framework with which to build them.

Creating an Effective Plan

A good business IT continuity plan is one which has been carefully planned and designed by a team which incorporates all areas of your business. Whilst it may seem sensible to have an IT bias towards leading the project, they won’t necessarily understand which data and which applications are most important for different departments. And this is why we would always recommend a team comprising of individuals who can cover all aspects of the business’ needs.

Once this team is in place, you’ll find that the prioritization of IT resources allows you to get a better understanding of what’s required from your business IT continuity plan. Naturally, these plans are never perfect as they’re relying on a situation which hasn’t happened yet. Therefore, to get the best out of your IT continuity plans you need to put them in to practice to discover how effective they are for keeping your organization in business.

As we pointed out earlier, no one can predict when your business is going to be hit by a disaster be it through hacking, natural disasters or even just plain old equipment malfunction. However, what we can predict is that a business IT continuity plan is going to minimize the impact of such a disaster on your business and should be a prerequisite of any forward thinking organization.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Why Do You Need to Backup Your Data?

Backup and Recovery, Office Network, Security, , ,
31
Oct 2017

 

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A good business needs good data and they need even better access to it. However, not all businesses understand just how crucial access to their data is.

One of the best ways to protect your data is by carrying out regular backups of your data to ensure that copies are kept in secure storage. This ensures that no matter what happens on individual PCs or individual sets of data, there should still be a copy of the lost data ready to fill in the gap. This form of pre-emptive action can really help your organization run smoothly without the need for laborious data duplication.

So, we’re agreed that data loss is bad, but how can your data go missing? And what can the knock on effects be? Let’s take a look at why you need to backup your data.

Systems Can and Do Get Hacked

Due to a combination of human error and the devious tactics of hackers, PCs can easily fall victim to malicious software which compromises entire networks and all the data on them. And, in the case of ransomware, this data can be encrypted and only released once a ransom has been paid. However, if your organization completes regular backups then the amount of data which can’t be retrieved will be significantly reduced. This leaves you in the enviable position of not having to give in and pay an extortionate amount of money for your data to be decrypted.

PCs Are Prone to Failure

When you consider the huge number of components that make up a PC, it’s no surprise that they’re prone to failure. Sometimes this can be due to age, sometimes it can be down to someone spilling their cup of coffee over the hard drive. And when components fail or become damaged, they’re sometimes left beyond repair and all the data on that PC is unable to be salvaged. With a backup to hand, the threat of permanent data loss is minimized. Even with a backup to hand, though, we still recommend keeping coffee away from your hard drive!

Data Transfer Hard Drive Backup Connection

Your Business Needs Data

If you suffer a catastrophic data loss event then your business is going to seriously struggle. Just imagine that all your customers and providers details had been accidentally deleted or compromised – operating in this scenario would be an absolute nightmare. And if you want to get a feel for the financial damage this can cause, this report estimates that around $1.7 trillion is lost in downtime every year thanks to data loss. Hopefully this should underline exactly why a regular backup is in your organization’s best interest. 

Your Network Needs Data

While your business certainly needs data to operate, your PC network cannot operate without data. So, for example, if a network driver suddenly becomes corrupted or accidentally deleted then that can spell the end of any PC activity within your organization. And, due to our reliance on PCs in almost every imaginable industry, this is the last thing your organization needs. However, by backing up your data you’re providing a safety net that could serve to be crucial in keeping your business trading.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Facebook Messenger Can Now Spread Malware

Facebook Messenger, Hacking, Security, , ,
24
Oct 2017

facebook-messenger

Facebook has 2 billion users, so it’s more than likely that the majority of your employees use it. However, did you know that Facebook can spread malware?

Malicious links – which appear to be for video files – are now being sent to users by their friends, but these links are highly deceptive. The main aim seems to be to collect login credentials and it doesn’t appear to download any malicious software such as ransomware. So, it may not be the most dangerous piece of malware, but it’s certainly a nuisance and indicates that a major malware attack could easily spread through millions, if not billions of systems.

Social media is an important sector of the business world now, so we’re going to take a look at exactly what’s happened in Facebook messenger and the best practices to avoid falling victim.

Click This Link…

The malicious messages arrive in users’ inbox and start with the user’s first name and simply say ‘video’ followed by a link which uses either a bit.ly or t.cn address. The link will then take the user to a Google Docs document which mimics a landing page and appears to house a playable video.

What’s interesting about clicking the video in question is that the destination it takes the user to is dependent on their web browser. Chrome users are taken to a fake YouTube page which downloads a malicious Chrome extension and Firefox users are redirected to a page requesting a download of malware disguised as a Flash player install. The malware delivered to Firefox users appears to consist of adware, so this indicates a financial motive, but the Chrome extension’s objective isn’t entirely clear.

Although there doesn’t appear to be any major damage caused by this malware campaign, it’s still considered a massive threat as it’s believed the malicious links are being spread by hijacked accounts. And this ensures that more and more spam is spread across Facebook and more login credentials are harvested along the way.

Now-Hackers-Can-Hack-Facebook-Messenger-App-To-Read-Or-Alter-Messages

Avoiding Facebook Malware

While email still packs a major punch in the world of malware, hacking messenger software is a natural progression due to its shift in popularity for communicating. And the Facebook Messenger malware demonstrates that there’s a possibility it could evolve into something much more dangerous. Therefore, it’s important that you take the following precautions to protect your organization’s networks:

  • Social media – on a personal level – access should be restricted, if not entirely banned, as it’s considered a huge distraction to workers. And, with this latest malware campaign, it would appear that it will soon become a popular access point for hackers to exploit – in fact, this isn’t the first Facebook hack to make headlines.
  • Employees need to be educated about the danger of clicking random links even if they’re sent by close friends. It only takes one click of a link for a hacker to gain access to every PC on your network, so this danger needs to be emphasized to all employees as part of their IT induction.
  • The importance of good password security should regularly be communicated to your staff. Facebook, for example, contains a vast amount of personal information such as where users works and, coupled with stolen login credentials, this could give hackers a head start on infiltrating your organizations network; this risk is magnified if passwords are not personalized for different applications.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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