Adobe and Microsoft today each issued security updates to fix critical vulnerabilities in their software. Microsoft pushed 14 patches to address problems in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer and .NET, among other products. Separately, Adobe issued an update for its Flash Player software that corrects at least 18 security issues. Microsoft announced 16 bulletins, but curiously two…
It appears that consumers are certainly becoming more proactive about protecting themselves from identity theft. But small business owners don’t seem to share their concern. According to a recent survey, small business owners are victims of fraud at a rate of 15 percent more than the general population. In 2010, small business owners lost about…
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Week One: Social Networking – Parents & Kids Social networking is no longer a new phenomenon. While previous generations often became members of social networks as an adult, the upcoming generation will be joining these sites while in elementary, middle or high school – if not earlier. Take…
Recent hacks involving several high-profile social networking accounts once again highlight the potential vulnerability of social media. The sheer volume of users and the information that gets posted on social media sites create plenty of opportunity for an attacker to use social engineering or other methods to gain access to the accounts of individuals and…
Many companies and people get confused when it comes to policies, procedures, processes and standards. Here is a short definition of each to help you understand the differences and how they work together. Policy: Business rules and guidelines of a company that ensure consistency and compliance with the company’s strategic direction. The Policies lay out…
Even as IT pros wrestle with the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend, corporate security is being further complicated by another emerging trend: bring your own network (BYON). BYON is a byproduct of increasingly common technology that allows users to create their own mobile networks, usually through mobile wireless hotspots. Security professionals say BYON requires a new approach…
The latest version of Firefox, version 16, returned to Mozilla‘s servers with the release of Firefox 16.0.1 after the discovery of vulnerabilities caused the organization to remove the just-released update for the Web browser from circulation. Mozilla described the problem as that of a malicious Web site being able to potentially determine the URLs and…
The latest update to the Windows version of Apple’s iTunes media player closes an alarming number of security holes. According to the company, iTunes 10.7 for Windows addresses 163 vulnerabilities, all of which are in the WebKit browser engine used by the media player to display HTML-based pages in its iTunes Store. Apple noted these…
The term “social engineering” refers to an attempt to gain access to information, primarily through misrepresentation, and often relies on the trusting nature of most individuals. Most users should be familiar with email phishing scams (a form of social engineering) and have been taught not to open attachments from unknown or untrusted sources or to…
Most workplaces have cyber security policies, processes, and technologies. You can create a more cyber-secure environment at home by implementing similar strategies. Policies At home, determine: A central location for your computer so you can monitor your children’s activities online. Whether you allow access to certain sites. You may choose to use parental control settings…
