Latest Computer and PC Security News

SelectaDNA reduces the risk of burglary at Northumbria University
posted on 18/04/2011

Northumbria University, Newcastle, has a student population of approximately 24,000, with over 2,000 staff. There are 67 IT teaching labs and 6 IT open access areas available for the University’s authorised users. The University is made up of several different campuses, spread across a wide geographical area. SelectaDNA forensic marking is protecting high-value electronic equipment installed in laboratories at the University of Northumbria. The new £30 million state-of-the-art Sport Central complex at Northumbria which opened in September 2010, has been designed as a world-class training and event venue and contains £275,000 worth of IT equipment as well as a new hi-tech golf simulator worth £60,000 - all of which has been marked with SelectaDNA. IT suites containing more than £30,000 worth of Mac equipment at the university’s London School of Design have also been marked. John Anderson, Head of Security at Northumbria University, said: “We have taken delivery of some amazing top o... [more]

Reducing short to mid-term security costs without placing the organisations IT security at risk
posted on 15/04/2011

Whatever the hype and blustering that echoes through the corridors at Westminster what can categorically be said is that “Government cuts are coming”. Some of the cuts are already here with many more are on the way. The question on everyone’s mind is “how will this affect me?” As individuals this is certainly an important question but let’s spare a thought for the IT department managers who now face the even tougher predicament of maintaining the same level of service with less money. Only the very fortunate few will see their budgets untouched as Government and local councils attempt to safeguard frontline services at the expense of back-office activities. So, is it possible to make some savings and still provide a good quality of service? It would be too depressing if the answer was no so, thankfully, it can be yes. However, any areas where savings are to be made must be carefully chosen to ensure that you do not jeopardise the mission of the organisation. As an example, consi... [more]

Users feel more secure using smartphones to surf the Internet than PCs
posted on 11/04/2011

According to research from Kaspersky Lab, over 90 percent of users in most European countries store personal data, such as photos, emails or contact details, on their smartphones. Around one-third also save login information, such as PIN codes or passwords, for various services on their mobile devices, demonstrating a large gap between secure reality and user perception 1,600 smartphone users were surveyed in Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain. The survey examines the extent to which European smartphone users are aware of the current mobile malware threats and whether or not they consider smartphone protection a necessity. The new findings highlight a dangerous misconception with regards to smartphone protection and demonstrate security software is less common on mobile devices than it is on PCs: Many users feel more secure using smartphones to surf the Internet than PCs, and that a majority consider the risk of losing personal data higher on computers than on smartphones. The... [more]

Targeted malware against distributed control systems
posted on 01/04/2011

We've heard it all before: industrial control systems are at risk; they are vulnerable; our current security measures aren't up to the task of protecting these critical networks. But these systems are secure, right? They're isolated behind an air gap — and besides, nobody's actually targeting the control systems. Even if they did, they'd need to understand how control systems work, and you can't just run out and buy a control system on eBay. Right? The unfortunate truth is that whatever feelings of complacency that might have let us sleep soundly through the night are gone. The air gap started to close when SCADA and fieldbus protocols started to work over Ethernet and TCP/IP. Now, in the wake of Stuxnet, the glimmering hope that nobody would ever bother to create malware just to target a process control loop is as flawed as your enriched uranium will be if your centrifuges have already been infected. The simple truth is: there are attackers out there with the motivation, the ... [more]

Bogus Microsoft support calls hijack PCs
posted on 04/03/2011

Trusteer's Rapport for secure web access's large install base provides them with a unique view of new types of fraud as users contact their free 24x7 support center to get advice. With nearly 100 banks that offer Trusteer’s Rapport for secure web access they are now reaching 20 million installations. Mickey Boodaei, Trusteer CEO, presents one of these recent interesting incidents, reminding us that fraud can take many shapes and forms: "We recently received a report from a concerned Rapport user who said she had a phone call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Windows Solutions saying that, because of error messages from her computer, he was tasked to help fix any problems she had. In fact he was not from Microsoft and tricked her into letting him connect to her PC and then tried to con her into buying bogus security products. The recipient of the call initially thought the call was genuine and allowed the caller to remote access her computer - and show her the "viruses whi... [more]

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