New Network Security Challenges for 2012 Happy New Year

2012 will be the year that a cyberattack really does hit a public utility hard, taking down an electric grid. Along those same lines, industrial control systems in other countries will be rocked with a sustained cyberattack that will make Stuxnet look like child's play in a year that increasingly will find that cyber-sabotage and cyberwar are realities that must be reckoned with.

How to avoid a costly mistake on a Christmas Eve

>>Never reveal your personal password to anyone, even payment companies

>>Ensure domain name matches the website name

>>Have up-to-date anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware software on your computer

>>Check warranty conditions, product disclosures and shipping details.

"A fraudulent site selling TVs or video cameras will look very convincing," Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just said in a statement today.
"This makes it hard to tell the difference between what's dodgy and what's not.
"It's worth taking a few seconds to verify the security certificate, especially when the site is one you're not familiar with."

*Shoppers are being told to look out for a small padlock symbol that appears beside the URL during payment process.

*This indicates that details should be secure, with shoppers able to click on the padlock to check the status of the retailer's security certificate.

*Another sign of a secure site is if an 's' appears in the website address - beginning with https//: - during the payment process.
The 's' is another indicator your information will be encrypted.

Internet Security for Christmas Presents

This Christmas has seen a large increase in the sales of new devices such as iPads, tabs, laptops, games consoles and smart phones. Fife Police are hoping that users obtain security software to protect themselves and their devices.
The most likely forms of attack on computers will involve 'phishing' and 'malware'. Phishing attacks will lead users to a website with the aim of obtaining personal information, such as bank accounts and passwords. Malware, or malicious software, enables criminals to infiltrate a computer and control it remotely, allowing them to use the computer for illegitimate purposes, for example, to steal personal information or send spam emails. Keeping the computers operating system and security software up-to-date is the most effective way of protecting your machine.

Parents and carers should also ensure that the children are sufficiently aware of the online risks particularly when engaging in social networking, instant messaging or online chat.
Detective Inspector Stuart Morris, e-crime Unit said: "A common sense approach has to be used online. Many scam offer deals that are tempting becs you think you are getting a bargain, so if it luks too good to be true, it probably is."


The 12 Internet scams of Christmas

A timely reminder of some security traps, some of which we see time and time and time again every year.

1. On the first day of Christmas, I downloaded an advent calendar that unleashed a virus attack on my computer.

Santa says: be very cautious of downloaded games and novelties unless from a trusted source, or you could find yourself with an unwanted security breach.

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2. On the second day of Christmas, I scanned a QR code with

Working from home, is your office data security compromised?

   In many cases executive IT and security professionals trust their Information Security departments to provide adequate security to protect employees while operating in their business environment. However it is rare for users to extrapolate this security to a home environment.What does this mean in practical terms? Well, an enterprise will normally provide a risk analysis of a security threat and then provide adequate controls to mitigate that risk to an acceptable level. And users need to consider the same things when at home. So what are the considerations which IT directors should take into account when looking at cyber security provisions for mobile workers?

Challenges

• Complying with a growing number of regulations governing the handling and protection of customer data
• Establishing consistent backups and reliable recovery with limited IT resources and network bandwidth
• Dealing with exponential growth in data at remote sites, which makes wide-area network backups impractical
• Minimizing high administrative costs associated with a backup applications and tape media at multiple remote sites
• Reducing or eliminating the off-site transport of backup data on tapes from remote sites to other locations

Key security questions outlined below:

Network Anomaly Detection using Soft Computing

INTRUSION detection is based on the assumption that intrusion activities are noticeably different from normal system activities and thus detectable. As defined in, intrusion detection is “the process of monitoring the events
occurring in a computer system or network and analyzing them for signs of intrusions. It is also defined as attempts to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, availability, or to bypass the security mechanisms of a computer or network”. Anomaly Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) aim at distinguishing an abnormal activity from an ordinary one. Many approaches have been proposed which include statistical, machine learning, data mining and immunological inspired techniques. There are two main intrusion detection systems. Anomaly intrusion detection system is based on the profiles of normal behaviors of users or applications and checks whether the system is being used in a different manner.