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What is Identity Governance & Administration?

What is Identity Governance & Administration?

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) is defined as the branch of Identity and Access Management (IAM) responsible for making these access approvals while aiding in auditing and meeting compliance standards of some industries. What is Identity Governance In its essence, Identity Governance is about automating the process of giving relevant data access levels to varying stakeholders.…

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What is Identity Governance & Administration?

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) is defined as the branch of Identity and Access Management (IAM) responsible for making these access approvals while aiding in auditing and meeting compliance standards of some industries.

What is Identity Governance

In its essence, Identity Governance is about automating the process of giving relevant data access levels to varying stakeholders. Identity Governance is based on the Identity Governance Framework, a project that aimed to standardize the treatment and facilitation of identity information usage in enterprises.

At present, IGA is used by several entities across different industries to improve data security of their systems and meet regulatory compliance such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).

5 Most Common Misconceptions About Identity Governance

1. “Only the businesses that fall under regulatory compliance need identity governance.”

While it goes without saying that it should be any business’s priority to safeguard classified information on itself as well as the sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII) of its consumers, that isn’t what IGA is all about.

Among other merits, IGA is also important for retaining efficiency through a seamless transition in access rights when an employee switches departments or gains privilege access when he or she gets promoted to an administrative position.

2. “Small-medium enterprises need not employ Identity_ _Governance and Authorisation.”

User identities are an essential factor in the protection and monitoring of data. In a predominantly tech-intensive world, enterprises of all sizes need to do their best at safeguarding classified and personal information from cyber-attacks.

No matter how big or small, a firm needs to protect its cyber existence and the trust that its consumers placed in it.

3. “IGA solutions are not relevant or implementable to cloud ecosystems.”

Like most of the tech space, IGA has been moving towards cloud governance as well. Leaders in the field integrate their Identity Governance solutions with cross-domain capabilities, hence, allowing administration of cloud as well as on-premises applications.

4. “Our internally made manual IG solutions allow satisfactory control over IT systems.”

Manual control of user access, i.e., manually altering the provisioning or deprovisioning of access to data, is inefficient and tedious. Not to mention, it is susceptible to human error. It also distracts the IT staff from other intensive tasks that demand effective human intervention.

Using an automated and specialized access certification issuing system frees up human capital for core business activities.

5. “IGA and identity management are the same.”

IGA adds more functionality to the mainstream Identity Management systems. IGA enables an entity to audit access reports for compliance requirements. IGA solutions automate the process of provisioning and deprovisioning the access to certain data by a stakeholder throughout their Access Lifecycle.

5 Benefits of Identity Governance

1. Consumers can get timely access to the data they want.

In the digital age of immediacy and the consequent instant availability of information, we’re no longer used to waiting for hours or even minutes to have access to the information needed. Identity Governance can be a key contributor to improving CX(Consumer Experience).

2. You can handle access requests and track danger requests.

The Identity Administration part of a typical IGA system would allow for a centralized or designated approval location to be set for different data sets. Hence your stakeholders can conveniently ask for approvals.

This, at the same time, also allows you to track activity that may seem suspicious and hence kick out the perpetrator before any breaches.

3. Flexible access and hence greater productivity.

The ongoing pandemic has made the importance of flexibility clear. Always working on-premises and using safe and secured corporate devices and networks is unrealistic in the new context.

This restates the importance of IGA, through which the firm can allow remote access, albeit limited for security, on employees’ personal devices for the operations to keep running.

4. Helpful in meeting regulations.

Since IGA was essentially built to meet corporate regulations on data accessibility, it might seem obvious that it helps an entity meet these regulations. However, you will at first need to make sure that the necessary controls are in place to comply with the security and privacy standards set out by data-laws.

5. Support to auditing

Applications, devices, data, and stakeholders are all linked through the IGA solutions. Consequently, the system can determine who has access to which information, device, and/or application, hence, helping it in making access reports that are relevant to the questions that come up during regulatory auditing.

Empower Your Business Using LoginRadius Identity Governance Solution

The fundamental factor underpinning IGA is data governance. LoginRadius offers world-class data governance, which, consequently, bolsters your organization’s cybersecurity and the virtual security of your consumers.

Here’s how LoginRadius’ data governance solutions are remarkably effective at aiding identity governance in your organization:

A network of data regions: LoginRadius allows you to serve consumers globally and, at the same time, meet the regional data privacy regulations like GDPR through its worldwide network of data centers.

Comprehensive Encryption: All data moving from one server to another does so over HTTPS tunnels that are encrypted using industry-standard ciphers.

LoginRadius’ data solutions also let you encrypt data within the LoginRadius Cloud Directory. Depending on your needs, the encryption of user data can be one-way or two-way.

Critical data, such as passwords, are hashed one-way by default. Thereby disallowing anyone, even database managers, from viewing this data.

Transparent data consent and preference management dashboard:

The system actively asks for consent from new and existing consumers. You can customize the consent you request from them and thereby conveniently manage their data accordingly with the help of LoginRadius’ tracking system.

The system also manages and remembers consumers’ preferences. Amongst other things, this includes their preferred mode of communication (e.g., emails, texts, notifications, etc.) and the privacy policies accepted and the ones not accepted.

Conclusion

The demand for IGA is growing year on year. The increased agility granted by introducing IGA in a company’s application ecosystem and elsewhere has logical merit.

Needless to say, so does the issue of relevant access certification to designated stakeholders. With the automation of policy management and auditing, adding to its favor, identity governance seems immensely important in an increasingly agility-demanding and virtual work environment.

Originally published at LoginRadius

What is Identity Governance & Administration?

Identity governance is a subset of IAM that facilitates the use of digital identity in enterprises. Know how businesses can adhere to protocols and maintain safety.

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What is lazy registration and how it is solving the problem of early registration

Nothing ruins a good streak of window shopping like an early registration. We all can agree on this because we have all been there and done that - either a half-hearted early registration or leaving a website without getting what we want.

Several websites start nagging the users with registration after a few minutes of exploring. Registration is important for user authorization and authentication but what is more important is the stage where it's required.

Many users switch websites when they are bombarded with lengthy registration forms too early. Potential users leaving the site without fully interacting with it is not favorable for conversion rates.

The solution to this is lazy registration. In this article, we are going to discuss what it is and how it is beneficial to your website.

What is lazy registration?

Lazy registration, also known as soft sign-up, allows the users to explore the site before asking them to register. This way, the user gets to interact with the site, the products, and the services it offers. The site can store data while the user browses. The stored data can further help in registration.

Users are more likely to register themselves without any hesitation once they are familiar with the website. The other thing that compels a user to register is the additional benefits that come from registration; these benefits usually require payment at the time of registration.

How can you benefit from lazy registration?

When it comes to monetization, Lazy Registration is the best of both worlds. It allows you to collect key information about your users before demanding a credit card number or email address, but does this behind the curtain so their experience isn't ruined.

If you are allowing users to try out features of your site before they register, it's important to make the process as simple and, more importantly, quick as possible. Letting them know they can sign-up later if they want more features or memberships is a good way to retain them in your user base. However, also remember that the longer a user has to wait to use something, the less likely it is that they will see the full benefits of registration or buying a product.

Give a reason for the reader to become a member. Even better, set a deadline for registration.  That said, let’s decode some more benefits of Lazy Registration.

Users get a chance to connect with the website

When users are not forced to register themselves just after opening the website, they get a chance to explore it. This works as a barrier lifter. While exploring, users can get used to the interface.

Once users are satisfied with your website, you can ask them to register. If the users are familiar with the site and like it, they won't take much time to sign in.

A common example of this is online shopping websites. On these websites, customers can continue window shopping for long periods, and registration is required only when they like something and add it to the shopping cart.

Lazy registration also helps retain potential customers by ensuring that they don't leave due to early registration, leading to a higher conversion rate.

Richer data collection

Lazy registration enables better data collection. Allowing users to use the site before registering gives them the time to get used to the site, and while users are busy exploring, the system starts collecting data based on their choices and activities.

You must have noticed that you keep seeing advertisements for the product or service you want even when you are not actively looking for them.

So many times, when you are shopping for a product, the sites show you similar products or the products you may like. There are comparison tables of similar products of different brands. Many platforms ask you to sign up for their newsletters that work for both educational and promotional purposes.

You may have experienced this even without signing up for an account. So, how does it happen? The system is always looking for user data, and when you are scrolling through a website, usually mindlessly, the system keeps analyzing your preferences and activities.

There are differences in the purpose and type of data collected in the two processes, i.e., registration and thorough analysis of a user's activities.

The data collected in user authentication and registration include personal details such as name, contact, age, and payment details where subscription is required. These details are used to set up an account, whereas the information collected by observing a user's activities shows their choice and preferences that are used for brand engagement and personalization.

Progressive profiling

Progressive profiling is the process where you get the user information less directly, like giving rewards on specific actions, using pop-ups, asking for minor details via forms that are easy to fill, or asking them to sign up for your newsletter.

In this way, you can gradually build up a profile for a user without being too intrusive or pushy, which in turn benefits registration. How? If the users keep giving information about themselves and their choices at different stages, it mitigates the need to fill out registration forms.

This isn't all! The main benefit of progressive profiling is personalization. Once you have all the necessary information about a user from progressive profiling and user analysis, you can work on making the experience even more personalized for the user.

In conclusion

If your potential users are getting what they want from your site, i.e., hassle-free registration and personalized user experience, congratulations, you have new customers. It results in more conversion and customer loyalty.

Times have changed, customers now have a myriad of options. If they don't like what you are serving them, they will switch to a business that does. User experience is one of the main factors that decide whether a potential user will become a loyal customer. That's why it should be your number one priority. This is where lazy registration can work miracles for you.

Originally published at IT Pro Portal

What is lazy registration and how it is solving the problem of early registration

Many users switch websites when they are bombarded with lengthy registration forms too early. The solution to this is lazy registration

ITProPortalDeepak Gupta

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Use of blockchain technology could increase human trust in AI

AI is a new generation technology where machines and information systems demonstrate a form of intelligence that simulates the natural intelligence of human beings in interacting with the environment. However, the success of any AI-based system also depends on the trust displayed by the beneficiaries on AI technology, besides other factors. Data, models, and analytics are the three key components of AI technology. One can decentralize these three key components using blockchain technology, and it will undoubtedly enhance the end users’ trust and confidence levels in AI-based systems. Understanding key characteristics of blockchain technology

Seemingly, blockchain technology promises to solve many problems. However, a lot has yet to be explored as the global blockchain adoption will increase significantly in time to come. As per a Statista forecast, the global blockchain technology revenues are expected to soar to more than $39 billion by 2025.

The key characteristics of blockchain technology that make it so popular and appealing are:

Decentralized technology: There is no central authority to monitor the network, unlike the traditional banking system. Authentication and authorization of transactions can take place without the help of any single ruling power.

Distributed ledgers: Instead of storing data in a central repository, it is synchronized, shared, and recorded in various nodes in a shared infrastructure.

Consensus-based: Any transaction in the blockchain network is executed when all pertinent network nodes agree on the transaction.

Immutability & security: In the Blockchain network, a transaction, once recorded, cannot be altered by anyone at any time. Hashing is irreversible in the case of Blockchain, which makes the technology highly secure.

Understanding key characteristics of artificial intelligence

Let’s talk about the key characteristics of AI that make it unique and, if combined with increasing blockchain adoption, can change the world to become a better place to live. The critical characteristics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are:

Adaptive: Artificial Intelligence technology is highly adaptive, as it quickly adapts to the environment through a progressive learning algorithm. It observes the surroundings and quickly learns how to do better.

Data ingestion: AI is used for analyzing the enormous amount of data spread over billions of records.

Reactive: Unlike traditional applications, AI-based systems are highly reactive as they respond to the changing environment. AI systems are capable of invoking rules and procedures based on certain conditions.

Automation: AI systems can automate repetitive tasks without the need for human intervention. With the help of AI technology, machines can perform actual human tasks.

Human trust in AI: The key challenges

One of the greatest physicists of the century, Stephen Hawking, said that “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”

With advancements in technology, trust has become a vital factor in human-technology interactions. In the past, people trusted technology mainly because it worked as expected. However, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence solutions does not remain the same due to the following challenges:

Openness: AI-based applications are built to be adaptive and reactive, to have an intelligence of their own to respond to situations. Anyone can put it to good use or apply it for nefarious purposes. Hence, people have some reservations about trusting AI-based solutions.

Transparency: One of the significant issues impacting human trust in AI applications is the lack of transparency. AI developers need to clarify the extent of personal data utilized and the benefits and risks of using the application to increase trust.

Privacy: AI has made data collection and analysis much easier; however, the end-users have to bear the brunt, as the collection of humongous amounts of data by companies worldwide may end up jeopardizing the privacy of the user(s) whose data is being collected.

How the use of blockchain technology can increase human trust in AI

Blockchain technology can play a vital role in increasing human trust in AI-based applications by increasing transparency and trust in the following ways.

Building trust

One of the most significant challenges AI developers face is that people always doubt how and when AI-based applications will use their data. On the other hand, no one can access data without the user’s permission in blockchain-enabled AI applications. Users can license their data to the AI application or the provider using a blockchain ledger based on their terms and conditions.

Data privacy and security

The distributed form of data sharing can play a huge role in reducing the trust deficit in AI applications. Data is highly secure as there is no central point malicious actors can attack. Moreover, distributed ledger offers more transparency and accountability of real-time data as it is available to all participants concerned.

Consensus and decision-making

One of the critical characteristics of Blockchain technology is consensus-based transactions. Every decision made needs to be agreed upon by all parties involved, and it becomes highly impossible for unauthorized access or tampering of data without the users’ consensus.

Decentralization and data distribution

There is a colossal mistrust amongst people regarding data governance, including data collection, storage, and usage with AI. With blockchain technology, AI applications can store their data in a distributed and decentralized environment. One can effectively use Distributed Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and Smart Contracts for data governance and distribution.

Data integrity

One of the biggest challenges in AI-based applications is how data integrity is maintained over time. In traditional applications with a client-server architecture, data is collected from clients and stored in a centralized server. With Blockchain technology embedded into AI applications, duplication of information is avoided to a significant extent. Complete transparency, traceability, and accountability make data more actionable.

Higher efficiency

While AI can provide real-time analysis of enormous amounts of data, an AI system coupled with blockchain technology can provide a transparent data governance model for quicker validation amongst various stakeholders through smart contracts and DAOs.

Blockchain benefits can address AI’s shortcomings

Applying the benefits of blockchain technology can help address various shortcomings of AI and help in increasing people’s trust in AI-based applications. With Blockchain, AI applications acquire the qualities of decentralization, distributed data governance, data immutability, transparency, security, and real-time accountability. Many AI-enabled intelligent systems are criticized for their lack of security and trust levels. Blockchain technology can essentially help in addressing the security and trust deficit issues to a significant extent. Enormous challenges remain for both blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence. Still, when combined, they display tremendous potential and will complement each other to restore the trust factor and improve efficiency at large.

Originally published at Venturebeat

Use of blockchain technology could increase human trust in AI

Applying the benefits of blockchain technology can help address AI shortcomings and increase people’s trust in AI-based applications.

VentureBeatDeepak Gupta

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How Poor Login Concurrency can Impact OTT Platforms' Business

How Poor Login Concurrency can Impact OTT Platforms’ Business

We all have witnessed the sudden paradigm shift where movie theatres have been replaced by OTT (over the top) platforms and books and magazines by e-books amid the global pandemic. As social isolation continues to be the new normal amidst remote working and social distancing measures, the popularity of OTT streaming apps – both video and audio has jumped exponentially to meet the surging…

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How Poor Login Concurrency can Impact OTT Platforms' Business

We all have witnessed the sudden paradigm shift where movie theatres have been replaced by OTT (over the top) platforms and books and magazines by e-books amid the global pandemic.

As social isolation continues to be the new normal amidst remote working and social distancing measures, the popularity of OTT streaming apps – both video and audio has jumped exponentially to meet the surging demand.

The latest stats reveal that the number of users in the OTT Video segment is expected to reach 462.7 million by 2025.

However, with the increase in subscriptions and the number of audiences online, several underlying threats have severely impacted the OTT businesses.

One such issue is poor login concurrency, which can lead to severe identity theft issues for individuals and OTT platforms.

Login concurrency refers to a situation where a user is logged into multiple devices from a single identity.

Login concurrency can be pretty risky as two or more users using the same credentials have access to resources and critical information, and it becomes difficult for service providers to identify the unauthorized user that may have wrong intentions.

Let’s understand this in-depth and understand the harmful consequences of poor concurrency management for OTT platforms and how OTT platform providers can leverage identity management.

What is a Concurrent Login?

Concurrent login is a situation where a user is logged into a network through a single identity from multiple devices and has access to resources and information.

The user can be a single individual or two or even multiple individuals using the same identity on a platform to access services from different locations or devices.

There can be multiple reasons for concurrent login: the user’s negligence, poor session management by vendors, or a sneak into a consumer’s identity.

How Concurrent Login Affects OTT Platform?

Various live streaming cloud OTT providers face challenges where concurrent login issues hamper user experience and eventually become a threat.

Cybercriminals are exploiting consumer identities of OTT subscribers and are accessing critical consumer information and trying to exploit business data for diverse purposes.

Moreover, the most subscribed OTT platform globally has reported users sharing access credentials beyond permitted limits with their friends and families, which is the leading cause of revenue loss.

Thus, to overcome the situation where concurrent login is exploited in OTT services, there needs to be a stringent mechanism that provides real-time insights regarding a user’s login details and adequately manages login sessions for each sign-in and sign-out.

Here’s where the role of a robust CIAM (Consumer Identity and Access Management) comes into play.

Let’s dig deeper into this.

Poor Session Management by OTT Platforms

If a user interacts with a platform and makes several interactions, the web application issues a session ID. This session ID is issued whenever a user logs in and records all their interactions.

It is through this ID that the application communicates with users and responds to all their requests.

The OWASP broken authentication recommendations state that this session ID is equivalent to the user’s original login credentials. If hackers steal a user’s session ID, they can sign in by impersonating their identity. This is known as session hijacking.

The following points list the scenarios that can cause broken authentication.

Weak usernames and passwords.

Session fixation attacks.

URL rewriting.

Consumer identity details aren't protected when stored.

Consumer identity details are transferred over unencrypted connections.

Impact of Broken Authentication and Session Management

If a hacker successfully logs in by stealing a user’s credentials using any of the above-mentioned broken authentication techniques, they can misuse their privileges and impact the company's sustainability.

Cybercriminals can have various intentions of hijacking a user’s web application, such as:

Stealing critical business data

Identity theft

Sending fraud calls or emails.

Creating malicious software programs for disrupting networks.

Cyber terrorism

Cyberstalking

Selling illegal items on the dark web

Sharing fake news on social media

In short, hackers can use broken authentication attacks and session hijacking to gain access to the system by forging session data, such as cookies, and stealing login credentials.

Thus, it would be best to never compromise with your web applications' security.

How LoginRadius Protects Against Broken Authentication

LoginRadius has been at the forefront of offering a multilevel security web app environment. Here is how LoginRadius applications protect against broken authentication:

End-to-end SSL encryption for data in transit and ensures protection against unauthorized access.

Multi-factor authentication eliminates the risk of being exposed to attacks.

One-way hashing of passwords considerably improves consumer security.

A single sign-on (SSO) solution allows users to use the same profile to log in everywhere.

Final Thoughts

With increasing OTT subscriptions and user expectations, OTT platforms need to gear up to deliver a flawless user experience in a way that doesn’t hamper their overall security mechanism quickly.

Adding stringent layers of security through a robust CIAM solution becomes the immediate need of the hour for OTT platforms facing concurrent login issues that affect their brand reputation and overall business revenues.

Originally published at LoginRadius

Is Poor Login Concurrency Impacting OTT Platforms?

Poor login concurrency can be quite risky for OTT platforms seeking substantial growth coupled with security. Let’s learn how it impacts OTT platforms.

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The Rise of Profit-Focused Cybercrime on the Cloud

The Rise of Profit-Focused Cybercrime on the Cloud

It is encouraging to think that the cloud may make us safer. But, it can be just as vulnerable if we do not protect it properly. As cybercriminals look for ways to outsmart IT, they set their sights on cloud services that are still vulnerable to attack. What is making it so much easier now is the whole movement toward cloud computing—a motion that has led many businesses to hire firms that don’t…

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The Rise of Profit-Focused Cybercrime on the Cloud

It is encouraging to think that the cloud may make us safer. But, it can be just as vulnerable if we do not protect it properly.

As cybercriminals look for ways to outsmart IT, they set their sights on cloud services that are still vulnerable to attack. What is making it so much easier now is the whole movement toward cloud computing—a motion that has led many businesses to hire firms that don’t specialize in that sort of security.

Cybercriminals are already exploiting this new security arrangement between cloud networks and organizations to commit fraud, steal sensitive financial data, or even launch ransomware attacks on local businesses.

In fact, there is a growing list of breaches like lost personally identifiable information (PII) and stolen credit card or banking information linked directly to cloud service providers (CSPs).

Why is Cybercrime a Growing Concern?

Researchers of Trend Micro found that popular providers like Amazon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, PayPal at some point or the other have faced the repercussions of data theft where terabytes of internal business data were up for sale on the dark web.

Cybercriminals usually sneak such data from the cloud logs where it is stored and sell them wherever profitable. The time it takes for these guys to perpetrate fraud and monetize profits has decreased from weeks to a few days or just hours.

Trend Micro further predicts that cybercrime will get even bigger; some even say it’s just beginning.

Cybercrime has reached epic proportions. According to the Kaspersky Lab, a single instance of ransomware demand (in which an attacker encrypts a computer or network and does not let go until a ransom is paid) can cost a business more than $713,000. Other associated costs can push the amount much higher. They generally include the cost of:

Paying the ransom

Cleaning up

Restoring a backup

Improving infrastructure

Ensuring the network is functioning

Repairing damage

Remember the ExPetya cyberattack that hit more than 12,000 machines in over 65 countries? Think of the downright profits criminals must have made!

Narrowing Down the Biggest Cloud Problem: Attack Vectors

Clearly, companies aren’t prepared for cyber threats, and they need to do something quickly. You need to understand exactly where your system could be at risk, and once you figure it out, you should know what you can do about it.

Multiple options to configure

Cloud computing offers many unique opportunities to deliver value to users, but it also requires an unusually high level of user competence. Different configuration mechanisms provide different levels of confidence, but they all rely on the decisions enterprises make.

When speaking of configuration, the devil is in the details. That is to say, from a few simple choices about things like storage and networking; a developer can see many problems caused by incompatibilities or invalid assumptions. Think of it like programming; it is easy to make mistakes that are almost impossible to recover from.

Attacks like Denial-of-Service (DoS)

Cybercriminals and “hacktivists” use cloud platforms for distributed denial of service attacks because they are very effective. The symmetrical nature of the cloud plays right into the hands of cybercriminals. They can rent their own botnet by using cloud computing services.

These criminals create viruses that turn the victim’s computer into part of a “botnet,” which is then rented for activities like attacking websites or sending spam. Botnets are also now available on-demand via underground forums. It means they can stop paying when they stop needing.

Lack of consistent scanning

One of the major downsides to cloud adoption at large is that it is difficult for a company to detect and orchestrate security around the new applications when they are introduced into their environment.

Since different departments are spinning up cloud applications, it is exhausting for a central management team to control what’s happening unless they have a unified line of communication. Businesses should regularly scan to ensure all data is encrypted and there isn’t any server that is accessible back doors.

Insecure interfaces and APIs

An insecure user interface (UI) or application program interface (API) is like an open door invitation for cyber attacks. Enterprises should prioritize security investments to build safe systems right from the start rather than bolted on later.

Whether it is a public cloud or a private cloud, your cyber security team must make efforts to maintain the flow of information sensibly and securely. These include parameters such as inventory management, testing, auditing, and abnormal activity protection. Businesses should also protect their API keys and avoid overusing them. In addition, they can also leverage open API frameworks like Open Cloud Computing.

Not adhering to policies

Security policies play a key role in making sure that cloud data remains reliable in a business. IT organizations must put in place a process for enforcing policies before being used to protect critical data.

It may often happen that the security team will want someone from the business to inform them about their next move. However, given that most organizations have a bunch of different account owners, it isn’t clear who to ask. On the other hand, the DevOps team may not want to do manual configuration or implementation. Besides, to pull up APIs, you must be logged in to your account.

Without the right policies and tools to monitor, track, and manage their applications and API usage, businesses cannot take full advantage of cloud benefits or protect themselves from risks like data leakage or compliance violations.

Cybercriminals to Make an Annual Profit of $10.5 Trillion by 2025

People often think of cybercrime in terms of the losses it causes, but what about its profits?

The cybercrime industry is a multi-billion-dollar business. And it’s only growing. Criminal hackers are shifting their focus from opportunistic, low-level attacks to big, high-value targets like governments and large corporations.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the damage is estimated to reach $6 trillion USD by 2021. If cybercrime were a country, it would be the third-largest economy in the world after the U.S. and China.

Cybercrime is inherently different from a traditional crime. These cybercriminals operate in groups or even organize themselves into syndicates, sharing information about the operation of their schemes to increase efficiency and reduce the chance of being caught.

The cybercrime economy is a dynamic market filled with disruptive start-ups. Cybercriminals are taking business models more seriously. They’re not “sewing” together spreadsheets of stolen credit cards. They’re building platforms that can compete with the legitimate economy. There’s more to the threat than you think.

Breaking Up the Trillion-Dollar Cybercrime Market

Even though cloud computing is transforming the way businesses operate, the risks are bigger than what you will be compensated for. The responsibility, therefore, lies on both cloud users and providers.

Some tips on how to become resilient and prevent the top threats in cloud computing are:

1. Secure APIs and restrict access

APIs are at the heart of cloud computing, so any developer worth their salt should know how to build them securely. This might mean restricting access across different networks or developing the API only at the edge of your infrastructure before letting it call other applications.

2. Ensure endpoint protection

Endpoint protection is similar to burglar alarms. Burglar alarms protect homes when they’re unoccupied because burglars can easily break in when no one’s there.

Similarly, endpoint security protects corporate networks that are remotely bridged to a host of business-critical devices. For example, mobile employees, employees who use laptops and tablets on the road, and customers who connect to corporate Wi-Fi.

3. Encryption is key

Cloud encryption allows you to create secret texts or ciphers that are stored on a cloud. Your business data is invaluable, which is why it is important to protect your information before it gets onto the cloud. Once encrypted at the edge, even if your data is stored with a third-party provider, all data-related requests will need to involve the owner.

This way, you maintain complete control over all your customers’ information and ensure it remains confidential and secure.

4. Use strong authentication

Weak password management is one of the most common ways to hack a cloud computing system. Thus, developers should implement stronger methods of authentication and strengthen identity management.

For example, you can establish multi-factor authentication where the user needs to produce a one-time password or use biometrics and hardware token to verify their identity at various touchpoints in the user journey.

5. Implement access management

Enable role-based access to control the scope of a user’s permissions. You can also restrict a user’s capabilities by assigning only the permissions that the user is allowed to have. This way you can ensure that your users can have their work environments exactly as you wish to set up for them.

6. Backup your data

With the increasing need for data security, organizations of all sizes are turning to data centers for backup services. Modern cloud data centers offer the whole package—unmatched protection, scalability, performance, and uptime.

Every company needs a business continuity plan to ensure that their systems are safe, even if the worse happens to them. When you have a secure data center environment to back up your data, you can keep your business up and running even in the event of a ransomware attack.

7. Educate your team

Your employees are your biggest security risk element. Therefore, make security training mandatory for anyone who works in your company. When employees are active participants in protecting assets, they’re fully aware of their responsibilities when it comes to protecting data.

You can also create an internal guidebook for your employees so they know the best course of action in case of identity theft. Another option is to create an actual response protocol. This way, if your employees ever feel they have been compromised, they will always be prepared.

The Bottom Line

Anonymity is a powerful tool, and the cloud has made it easier for cybercriminals to preserve anonymity by scattering networks over different servers.

The need for cyber security is greater than ever. Cybercrime is on the rise, and it has become more sophisticated and lucrative than ever before. In addition, as companies continue to migrate their operations to the cloud, criminals increasingly view the cloud as an attractive target for profit-making criminal and espionage operations. It’s time to fight back!

Originally published at ReadWrite

The Rise of Profit-Focused Cybercrime on the Cloud - ReadWrite

The Rise of Profit-Focused Cybercrime on the Cloud. Cyber criminals are already exploiting this new security arrangement.

ReadWriteDeepak Gupta

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Containers in the Cloud Next on Cybercriminals’ Radar

Containers in the Cloud Next on Cybercriminals’ Radar

Over the past couple of years, containers have solved many complex issues related to the compatibility and portability of deployments. But that means they contain sensitive information that can attract the attention of cybercriminals. Securing containers in the cloud should be a major priority for businesses to ensure a robust security environment to safeguard their crucial business…

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Containers in the Cloud Next on Cybercriminals’ Radar

Over the past couple of years, containers have solved many complex issues related to the compatibility and portability of deployments. But that means they contain sensitive information that can attract the attention of cybercriminals.

Securing containers in the cloud should be a major priority for businesses to ensure a robust security environment to safeguard their crucial business information.

Digital transformation has offered endless possibilities for businesses to stay ahead of the curve by leveraging cutting-edge technologies. However, being digitally advanced doesn’t guarantee adequate security, especially in a business environment where enterprises are swiftly adopting cloud technologies.

According to a survey conducted by Statista in 2021, around 64% of respondents agreed that data loss/leakage is their biggest cloud security concern. Since more and more organizations worldwide are migrating workloads to the cloud, security concerns have become more pertinent. One major concern is the increasing risk of vulnerabilities in containers that serve as lightweight software packages containing entire runtime environments.

Securing containers in the cloud is the next step organizations should take to ensure a robust security environment and safeguard their crucial business information.

Why Containers are Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

Containers, like any other computing or software system, are made up of different interconnected components that link to other applications. These containers contain all the necessary elements to run in any environment, virtualize operating systems and run from any private data center or public cloud.

And like any other application or system, containers are vulnerable to several different types of cybersecurity threats since a defect in the overall security of these containers could allow an attacker to gain access and total control over the entire system.

Cybercriminals can leverage access to a container environment to move through you environment; exploit sensitive data and cause losses worth millions of dollars, not to mention the damage to your brand’s reputation. Businesses must detect and remediate different container vulnerabilities to mitigate cybersecurity risks early.

Detecting Container Vulnerabilities

Enterprises leveraging containers usually follow a solid development pipeline process with planning, coding, revision and building steps followed by rigorous testing, releases and deployments. At every phase, there’s an opportunity for the organization to detect and resolve any vulnerabilities that can create a loophole for attackers to exploit.

However, many organizations still stumble when trying to locate weaknesses in their systems. They may consider traditional security tools or rely on conventional testing techniques that aren’t as effective in container environments. Instead, enterprises leveraging containers in the cloud should approach mitigating the risks differently.

Registry Scanning

A registry could be defined as the collection of repositories used to store container images that are the templates used for deploying multiple instances of running containers. The registry is integral and commonplace; many vulnerability scanning tools can be configured to scan images contained inside a registry. Moreover, this method is widely used to identify container vulnerabilities since it’s a low-cost and high-value method for finding and fixing security issues. Registry scanning can help organizations quickly identify and fix the issues that can potentially reside in containers and any defective or old containers can be quickly identified and rectified.

Runtime Environment Scanning

One of the oldest and most reliable methods used to find vulnerabilities inside containers is to scan against a running container to highlight defects. In this approach, any faulty image is replaced with a new one. This is perhaps the best way to detect and rectify rogue containers that aren’t appropriately deployed.

CI/CD Pipeline Scanning

Continuous development/continuous integration (CI/CD) pipelines are crucial phases of software product development in which developers develop the code, review it and test it. Several workflow automation tools, including GitLab, Bamboo and Jenkins, are widely used to build software modules, and make for the perfect place to perform security scanning.

In this phase, any issues can be quickly identified early and remediated at la ower cost than in the later, advanced stages of development or when the product is deployed. Enterprises can leverage several vulnerability management tools that offer a flawless integration with these workflow automation tools.

Container Security Best Practices

Enterprises thinking of incorporating strategies and products for managing container vulnerabilities must consider some fundamental principles to ensure adequate container security. These include:

● Building containers with minimum base images or using distro-less images from a trusted source. ● Adding stringent layers of security through robust security mechanisms like risk-based authentication (RBA). ● Choosing a vulnerability scanning tool that aligns with the organization’s processes, existing ecosystem and DevOps practices. ● Planning to implement vulnerability scanning at every phase of development.

By following these security best practices, enterprises can secure their containers and minimize the chances of a data breach or an intrustion into their system.

Bottom Line

Container security shouldn’t be ignored by enterprises embarking on a digital transformation journey. Since containers are prone to different vulnerabilities, organizations must incorporate rigorous testing in different software development life cycle phases to scan and highlight these vulnerabilities. The best practices mentioned above could help organizations secure their containers in the cloud and mitigate the risk.

Originally published at Container Journal

Containers in the Cloud Next on Cybercriminals’ Radar

Securing containers in the cloud can ensure a robust security environment and safeguard businesses’ crucial information.

Container JournalDeepak Gupta

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QR Codes Exploitation: How to Mitigate the Risk?

QR Codes Exploitation: How to Mitigate the Risk?

The COVID-19 pandemic has conveyed a strong message to leverage technology to its full potential, not just for convenience but to remain safe. Although QR Codes are the new normal and help us follow COVID-19 safety regulations, bad actors of society exploit the vulnerabilities associated with this technology. As per a survey, 18.8% of consumers in the US and UK strongly agreed with an increase in…

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QR Codes Exploitation: How to Mitigate the Risk?

The COVID-19 pandemic has conveyed a strong message to leverage technology to its full potential, not just for convenience but to remain safe.

Although QR Codes are the new normal and help us follow COVID-19 safety regulations, bad actors of society exploit the vulnerabilities associated with this technology.

As per a survey, 18.8% of consumers in the US and UK strongly agreed with an increase in the use of QR Codes since the outbreak of COVID-19.

A recent research report on consumers revealed that 34% of respondents have zero privacy, security, financial, or other concerns while using QR Codes.

Since any kind of malware or phishing links in QR Codes pose significant security risks for both enterprises and consumers, stringent security measures should be considered to mitigate the risk.

Let’s learn how cyber-attackers exploit QR Codes and how businesses and users can mitigate the risk, especially in a world where contactless transactions are the new normal.

Cybersecurity Risks Associated with QR Codes

Since a QR Code cannot be deciphered by humans, many cases of QR Code manipulation have been reported across the globe, which increases the risk of using these Codes for processing payments.

Cybercriminals could easily embed any malicious or even phishing URL in the QR Code for exploiting consumer identity or even for monetary benefits.

The pixilated dots can be modified through numerous free tools that are widely available on the internet. These modified QR Codes look similar to an average user, but the malicious one redirects the user to another website or other payment portal.

Is there anything else attackers can do with QR Code tampering?

Yes, absolutely! Cybercriminals may also sneak into a user’s personal and confidential details, which can further be exploited.

Many businesses utilizing QR Codes have reported several instances of consumer data and privacy breaches over the past couple of years.b

Shockingly, the number of breaches has significantly surged in the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic as more and more people have started using QR Codes in the new contactless era.

Here are some actions attackers can initiate by exploiting QR Codes:

1. Redirect a payment

One of the most common ways hackers exploit QR Codes is to send payments to their bank accounts automatically.

This trick works when the actual QR Code is replaced by the fraudsters in grocery stores or other areas where consumers scan the Code and pay.

On the other hand, individuals using online shopping websites may receive a phishing email containing a message that urgently requires your consent regarding your payment history on a shopping website.

They may ask you to pay for the product you purchased as your previous payment is canceled and ask you to scan a QR Code for the same.

Apart from this, many cyber-attackers cunningly replace the landing URL with the one that resembles the real one. The user may find the webpage authentic that builds trust, and the user processes the payment.

Users need to be aware of the altered QR Codes and carefully examine the preview link before clicking on it.

Checking for spelling errors or possible alterations in the domain that makes it resemble the original one can be very helpful in determining a cloned URL.

In addition to this, one should avoid scanning a QR Code embedded in an email from an unknown source to avoid being phished.

Email authentication protocols such  DMARC, DKIM, BIMI, and SPF records help add an extra protective layer to prevent phishing attacks and keep one’s domain reputation intact

2.  Reveal user’s PII

Another common way of exploiting QR Codes by attackers is to get their hands on a user’s personally identifiable information (PII).

These attackers can utilize the PII in multiple ways and for various personal benefits including, but not limited to financial benefits, online shopping, or other activities.

Once a user scans a QR Code available at any store or even on the internet, a malicious software program gets installed on the device, which quickly reveals sensitive information about the user.

Moreover, cases of duplicate contact tracing by cybercriminals have been reported in Australia, where hackers exploited consumers’ identities for monetary benefits.

According to ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission), more than 28 scams involving QR Codes have been reported with damages of over AU$100,000.

The most common attack through malicious software installed with an altered QR Code is intended to get personal details, including passport number, contact number, or even on-time-passwords for payment processing.

3. Reveal user’s current location

While the scope of exploiting QR Codes is enormous, many attackers keep an eye on a user’s real-time location.

Cybercriminals are continuously tracking some people who get attacked by malicious software installed on their device after scanning a QR Code for their numerous benefits.

Hackers may alter the original QR Code and link malicious software that automatically gets installed on a device as soon as someone opens the link after scanning the QR Code.

This software program can further access a device’s location, contact lists, or even data, which hackers exploit.

One may not even be aware of his/her location tracking, but cybercriminals may be continuously tracking his/her location and keeping an eye on its behavior.

How to Mitigate the Risk Associated with QR Exploit: A User’s Guide

Let’s quickly learn about the ways that can help you in ensuring adequate safety while using QR Codes:

1. Scan only from trusted entities

It’s crucial to stick to the QR codes shared by trusted vendors, and users shouldn’t just randomly scan any QR Code they come across. This ensures adequate safety from malicious and phishing attacks.

A user needs to check the website and security aspects, including the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, before proceeding with a transaction on a website after scanning a QR Code.

Ensure that the QR Code is customized by including your brand’s logo, changing the shape of the eyes, patterns, and even including gradient and a CTA to make it difficult for hackers to duplicate the QR Code.

In addition, rename the domain to your brand name so users can easily identify the source of the QR Code to avoid being phished.

SSL certificate ensures secure connections and also provides secure transactions. However, if a website doesn’t contain the SSL certificate in the domain, one should be alert and verify the source before proceeding to payment or permission.

2. Use a QR Code scanner that first displays the link

Many people open the link just after they scan a QR Code without even checking the link. This can be pretty risky when it comes to privacy and security.

Most devices have an in-built QR scanner in their camera application, which is entirely secure, while others rely on third-party QR scanners.

It is best to use the in-built scanner (if available) and check the preview of the link. If you find anything suspicious regarding the link, it’s best to verify the source before opening it in your browser.

3. Pay close attention to details

Users need to pay close attention even to the small details while making payments or proceeding with transactions through a QR Code.

The best way is to utilize the same in a familiar and secure environment. Cybercriminals can easily replace some public QR Codes, including the fuel station or kiosks, and they may receive the benefits whenever a user pays by scanning the Code.

If you find something wrong with the QR Code or if it feels tampered with, it’s best to avoid using the same and find other modes of transactions to remain on the safe side.

4. Update your device’s security and overall defense system

Installing and regularly updating your device’s security software could help a lot in preventing a security breach.

However, QR Codes and the overall mechanism are considered secure, but your device’s first layer of defense shouldn’t be outdated.

Installing regular security updates would not only ensure you get maximum safety from malicious activity but you would be made aware immediately regarding any unnecessary or unauthorized access to your device’s data.

What Should Enterprises Do?

QR Codes help us establish a secure contactless payment option when it comes to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

But individuals and enterprises can put their best foot forward to minimize the risks associated with QR Code cybersecurity threats by ensuring adequate measures in place.

Here are some efficient ways to minimize the risks for consumers:

Using multi-factor authentication

Having a mobile defense system in place that blocks unauthorized downloads, phishing attempts, and repetitive login requests

Enabling risk-based authentication

Improve enterprise password security

Final Thoughts

With the rise in QR Code exploits, both the users and enterprises offering contactless payment options need to take crucial steps.

Users should be aware of the latest QR frauds that not only could lead to financial losses but eventually can cause a threat to an individual’s privacy and sensitive data.

On the other hand, enterprises must have best security practices in place that helps them secure sensitive information and prevent transaction frauds. Enterprises must design their websites keeping this in mind, and expert web development companies can help the implementation of a robust security architecture.

The aforementioned aspects can be quite helpful in minimizing the risks for individuals and organizations that are striving to protect consumer identities and data.

Adequate device security measures like mobile threat defense systems can also be a game-changer for mitigating security threats associated with QR Code exploits.

Originally published at Beaconstac

QR Codes Exploitation: How to Mitigate the Risk?

With the rise in QR Code exploits, how can businesses and consumers decipher what a QR Code holds before scanning and mitigate the risks of a malicious QR Code? Find out how!

<img width="137" height="30" title="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" alt="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" style="max-width: 137px;" data-src="https://blog.beaconstac.com/wp-content/themes/beaconstac/img/beaconstac-registered-blue.svg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="><noscript><img width="137" height="30" title="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" alt="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" style="max-width: 137px;" data-src="https://blog.beaconstac.com/wp-content/themes/beaconstac/img/beaconstac-registered-blue.svg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw=="><noscript><img width="137" height="30" src="https://blog.beaconstac.com/wp-content/themes/beaconstac/img/beaconstac-registered-blue.svg" title="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" alt="Beaconstac - A Proximity Marketing Company - Beacons | NFC | QR Codes" style="max-width: 137px;"> | BLOGDeepak Gupta

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The Future of Cyber Attacks

The Future of Cyber Attacks

The need for cybersecurity has existed ever since the emergence of the first computer virus. The ‘creeper virus’ was created in 1971 and could duplicate itself across computers. Also, the threat landscape is emerging with the evolution of new technologies such as AI, Immersive Experience, Voice Economy, Cloud computing, and others. Threat actors upgrade their tools and tactics by designing new…

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The Future of Cyber Attacks

The need for cybersecurity has existed ever since the emergence of the first computer virus. The ‘creeper virus’ was created in 1971 and could duplicate itself across computers. Also, the threat landscape is emerging with the evolution of new technologies such as AI, Immersive Experience, Voice Economy, Cloud computing, and others. Threat actors upgrade their tools and tactics by designing new strategies to perpetrate their nefarious aims.

Cyberthreats are growing in both scale and complexity, and the need to secure critical infrastructure by businesses and public organizations has never been as urgent as now.

This article examined how cyberattacks have evolved in the past 12 months, the big lessons, what threats will look like in the future, and strategies companies can deploy to secure their endpoints and data against cyberattacks.

Key Cyberattacks in the last 12 months

1. Phishing attack in the era of Covid-19

Threat actors send a message to deceive people into downloading or clicking a malicious link. During the Great Lockdown of 2020, many people were working from home. Cybercriminals leverage this opportunity as businesses and communication entirely depend on the internet. A report by the FBI revealed phishing to be the most popular form of cybercrime in 2020, and the incident reported nearly doubled ( 241,324) what was recorded in 2019, which was 114,702.

2. The Notorious Ransomware Attack

The ransomware attack was profitable for threat actors in the last 12 months. Ransomware locks files on the victims’ system and redirects them to a page to pay a ransom to have their files returned. A notable example was the Cyrat ransomware which was masked as software for fixing corrupted DLL files on a computer system. According to Reuters, over 1500 businesses have been affected so far.

3. Attacks on IoT and IIoT

The adoption of the Internet of Things(IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things at both the individual and industrial levels also leads to concerns around cybersecurity. These connected devices make our lives easier, and when not properly configured and secured, they could also leak our sensitive data to the bad guys.

In 2020, an IoT botnet employed vulnerable access control systems in office buildings. As a result, someone accessing the building by swiping a keycard may be ignorant that the system has been infected.

4. Password Compromise

A security survey conducted by Google revealed that about 52% of people reuse passwords across different sites. It means a cybercriminal can successfully access all accounts by breaching a single account. As a result, password attacks remain a top attack vector for most organizations. In the same survey, 42% of the people ticked security breaches due to a password compromise.

A notable example was a list of leaked passwords found on a hacker forum. It was said to be the most extensive collection of all time. About 100GB text file which includes 8.4 billion passwords collated from past data breaches.

You can type your details in https://bit.ly/3zqlSL6 to know if your email or password has been breached.

5. Identity Theft

Cases of Theft doubled from 2019 to 2020 based on a report by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States. The commission received around 1.400.000 cases. Most cases include threat actors targeting individuals affected by the pandemic financially. Cybercriminals also leveraged the unemployment benefits reserved for those affected by the pandemic. The fraudsters claimed these benefits using information stolen from thousands of people. Suppose we merge this with what recently occurred on Facebook and Linkedin, where users’ data were scraped off public APIs by malicious actors. In that case, one could imagine how privacy is becoming a subject of concern for both individuals and companies.

6. Insider Threat

Insider Threat is a form of attack that is not as popular as others yet affects both small and big businesses. Anyone familiar with a company’s internal operations and structure can be a suspect. A Verizon report of 2019 revealed about 57% of database breaches are caused by insiders.

One of the best approaches to limiting the impact of this threat is restricting the privileges of staff to critical areas.

What Are The Lessons From The Biggest Cyberattack?

The attacks mentioned above and others have consequences and lessons to avoid a repeat. Let’s explore some of them:

1. There’s nothing new about the threats

There was a similar attack like Wannacry, which affected Sony in 2014. With regular patching and firewall, organizations can still prevent infiltration or exploitation.  Interestingly, the actual patch of the vulnerability exploited by Wannacry was released two months before the event, but many organizations failed to patch it. Those who did not patch had their critical infrastructures impacted by the attacks.

2. Several organizations are unbelievably vulnerable

NotPetya cyberthreat exploited Microsoft vulnerability (SMB-1) by targeting businesses that failed to patch. As a result, organizations have to develop cyber-resilience against attacks by constantly downloading and installing patches across their systems.

3. Prioritize Data Backup

Even if you lose your critical data to a ransomware attack, a backup will help you keep your operations running. Therefore, organizations must back up their data outside of the network.

4. Develop an Incident Response Plan

Proactive response to incidents and reporting enabled most companies to halt the spread of Wannacry even before the incident. Regulators expect companies to issue warnings within 72 hours or get penalized.

5. Paying Ransom only create an opportunity for more attacks

While it is easier to pay the ransom with the expectation of having your files restored, as long as the communication link is maintained, the threat actors will always come back. Also, it is like empowering them to continue the chain of attacks.

What Would Cyberattacks Look Like In The Future?

Cybersecurity experts predicted the financial damages caused by cyber threats to reach $6 trillion by the end of 2021.  Cyber Attack incidents are also expected to occur every 11 seconds in 2021. It was 19 seconds in 2019 and 40 seconds in 2016. In the future, we would have cyberattacks possibly happening every second. As a result, we would see a surge in frequency and significant financial damages to victims.

Deepfake and Synthetic Voices

Deepfake trended in 2019 as threat actors innovate means of improving their tools and technologies for malicious and entertaining purposes such as illegal pornography featuring. In the future, cybercriminals will call into customer call centers leveraging synthetic voices to decipher whether organizations have the tools and technologies to detect their operations. One of the major sectors that will be targeted will be the banking sector.

Conversational Economy Breach

As companies begin to deploy voice technology and individuals adopt digital assistant technologies like Alexa and Siri, fraudsters will also not relent in discovering the potential opportunities locked up in the voice economy. According to Pin Drop Statistics, 90 voice attacks took place each minute in the United States. 1 out of 796 calls to the call center was malicious. Now that we are all migrating to Clubhouse, we should also expect voice data breaches around voice-based applications.

Some challenges companies would have to deal with include protecting voice interaction, privacy concerns, and supporting call centers with tools and solutions for detecting and preventing fraud.

Security Cam Video Data Breach

In March 2021, Bloomberg reported a breach of surveillance camera data. The breach gave the hackers access to live feeds of over 150,000 security cameras located in companies, hospitals, prisons, police departments, and schools. Major companies that were affected include Cloudflare Inc. and Tesla Inc. Not only that, the hackers were able to view live feeds from psychiatric hospitals, women’s health clinics, and offices of Verkada. These Silicon Valley Startup sourcing data led to the breach.

This scenario paints a vivid picture of what a security cam video data breach looks like and the consequences- privacy breach.

Apple/Google Pay Fraud

Cybercriminals are utilizing stolen credit cards to purchase via Google and Apple pay. Recently, over 500, 000 former Google+ users had their data leaked to external developers. Google offered to pay US$7.5m in a settlement to address a class-action lawsuit against it.

3 Things To Do To Stay Protected

If you are concerned about the growing rates at which these cyber-attacks occur, here are three important things you can do:

Secure Your Hardware

While it is exciting to acquire the latest equipment, securing them with the best cyber threat prevention measures is also essential. For instance, you can use a complex password and reset the default passwords established by the hardware manufacturers. After setting up a password, it is also essential to set up two-factor authentication as an additional security layer. You can also use strong endpoint security tools to secure your systems and network.

Encrypt and Backup Your Data

A formidable cyberthreat prevention measure incorporates two elements: Blocking access to confidential data and rendering the data useless peradventure it falls into the hand of cybercriminals. The latter can be actualized by encrypting the data. Encryption is one of the best solutions to protect against data breaches. Ensure you encrypt your customer information, employee information, and other essential business data.

Educate Your Employees

While banning your staff can be a security measure five years ago, the pandemic and the adoption of remote working have necessitated the “bring your own device(BYOD) approach. And security has to be fashioned in the light of this new development. One best way to achieve this is to plan a simulation on detecting and avoiding phishing links and fake websites.

It is also vital to foster a security culture in the workplace. For example, “If you see something —  say something.”

Conclusion

As new technologies continue to emerge, so will the sophistication of cyberattacks be. Trends such as hackers snooping on a conversation with Siri, Alexa will increase significantly. They can manipulate IoT devices and recruit them into an army of weaponized bots to take critical assets down, or shut down smart homes and cities. Threat actors can also leverage deep fake technology and synthetic voices in social engineering and various scams.

Thus, enterprises that want to stay protected always need to prioritize their people’s cybersecurity, data, and infrastructure.

Originally published at ReadWrite

The Future of Cyber Attacks - ReadWrite

Cyberthreats are growing in both scale and complexity and the need to secure critical infrastructure by businesses and public organizations has never been as urgent as now.

ReadWriteDeepak Gupta

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3 Steps to Maintain Total Data Visibility

3 Steps to Maintain Total Data Visibility

We live in an era where data is progressively becoming the essential and the only fuel for thriving business success. And the rapidly growing volumes of data have raised several security concerns that can’t be overlooked. Though managing the in-house data stored locally wasn’t really a tough nut to crack, cloud computing has made data visibility and monitoring a more significant…

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3 Steps to Maintain Total Data Visibility

We live in an era where data is progressively becoming the essential and the only fuel for thriving business success. And the rapidly growing volumes of data have raised several security concerns that can’t be overlooked. Though managing the in-house data stored locally wasn’t really a tough nut to crack, cloud computing has made data visibility and monitoring a more significant dilemma.

Undoubtedly, cloud monitoring is trickier than monitoring local data centers and private cloud environments, since the sheer volume of data from diverse sources can’t be easily monitored to derive valuable insights.

Hence, today’s security leaders should put their best foot forward to improve data security and enhance overall efficiency by following best data visibility practices. Let’s have a look at some of these fruitful practices.

What Is Data Visibility? Why Is It Important?

Before we inch towards understanding the aspects of data visibility best practices, let’s first understand what data visibility is.

Data visibility can be defined as the ease of monitoring, analyzing, and displaying data from different sources. Gaining data visibility within an organization is quite beneficial for multiple reasons since the gathered data can be easily used to make more informed business decisions.

Moreover, data visibility helps organizations improve capacity planning and identify the risks associated with data thefts and security breaches.

Apart from this, data visibility and monitoring also help remove network performance-related issues that further prevent application outages.

How to Maintain Total Data Visibility in Your Organization

Now that we understand what data visibility is and what its significance is, let’s look at three ways to maintain data visibility of business data.

1. Real-Time Data Reporting

Most legacy systems and programs are designed to deliver monthly or annual reports that offer valuable insights regarding the performance of the data stored in diverse areas.

However, reporting and analytics should be real-time since your business collects, processes, and stores data in real time.

A reliable analytics system can be deployed on your cloud servers to monitor data storage and provide real-time details related to data access to ensure your data isn’t in the wrong hands.

Once a business has complete control over data stored in different areas, it helps create winning strategies to ensure that consumer data is secure and organized.

2. Robust System

Admit it: The more users, the more data storage there will be, and hence the slower the systems will be.

The market is flooded with several reporting systems that work flawlessly for multiple users, but there’s a catch. Most of them weren’t designed in a way to meet the ever-surging needs of enterprises.

So, the need for a robust system increases quickly. Businesses must consider deploying a modern data analytics solution that seamlessly accommodates company-wide use systems and multiple end-user devices, including mobile, tablets, and laptops.

This would surely help in fetching better insights from data without hampering the overall user experience since the system is designed to scale even if the demand increases automatically.

3. Third-Party Tools

Unlike in-house deployment, enterprises can leverage third-party tools that can offer the deepest data visibility, which helps information security professionals to track every movement of their sensitive data, including business information and consumers’ details.

A number of tools can help organizations secure and monitor data stored on local servers or in the cloud and eventually report the IT administrators regarding any unauthorized access or movement of data in real time.

Moreover, these tools also offer protection against malware and other malicious attacks to ensure the highest level of security.

Final Thoughts

In a digitally advanced world where security breaches are becoming more common and sensitive information is being distributed across multiple servers, total visibility over the enterprise’s data becomes the need of the hour.

Since a small loophole may compromise crucial information, businesses should immediately consider choosing a reliable system or third-party tool that keeps track of data stored in diverse locations.

The ones relying on robust security systems can always ensure maximum security for their consumer data and their organization’s critical information.

The aspects mentioned above can help businesses secure their data and ensure their sensitive information isn’t compromised during storage and transit.

Originally published at Dataversity

3 Steps to Maintain Total Data Visibility - DATAVERSITY

Maintaining data visibility should be the biggest priority for any business embarking on a journey to secure data storage for the cloud.

DATAVERSITYDeepak Gupta

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In-Store Tracking: Is It A Threat To Consumer Privacy?

In-Store Tracking: Is It A Threat To Consumer Privacy?

The amount of data/information collected by retailers is anticipated to surpass 175 zettabytes by 2025, according to Deloitte. With this much data being collected, the complications from even a fraction of this data and information being leaked or compromised by cybercriminals are severe. Today, cybercrimes have increased to unprecedented levels. As digital crimes surpass a 600% increase,…