Latest Internet and Web security News

Trusteer's Rapport secure browsing service secures online banking for Bank of Cyprus UK customers
posted on 09/12/2010

Bank of Cyprus is working with Trusteer to launch an additional security service to its customers. Available as a free download, Trusteer’s Rapport secure browsing service can be installed on a customer’s personal PC to lock down the browser and create a safe tunnel for communication between the customer and Bank of Cyprus UK, preventing fraud. Bank of Cyprus UK supplies its customers with a Digipass® as part of its three pronged approach to security. Rapport is being introduced to complement this technology and provide extra confidence to those using its online banking facilities. Should a fraudster attempt to take over a user’s account Rapport issues an alert of the unusual behaviour immediately, allowing the Bank of Cyprus UK to take action and prevent loss. Soteris Antoniades, Assistant Chief Executive - Service for Bank of Cyprus UK said, “We short-listed and evaluated two products and Trusteer won hands down. The other solution was complicated, requiring the customer to perform... [more]

NetIQ joins Cloud Security Alliance to further promote security best practices and standards
posted on 09/12/2010

NetIQ has joined the Cloud Security Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation formed by end users, vendors and other stakeholders to further educate the market on the impact of cloud computing on security and compliance programs. Security standards and practices currently vary considerably from one cloud vendor to another, making it difficult for end users to confirm appropriate IT controls are in place. In response, the Cloud Security Alliance - comprised of noted experts across governance, law, network security, audit, application security, storage, cryptography, virtualization and risk management - aims to: • Develop and publish best practices recommendations for addressing security, audit and compliance needs specific to cloud computing, and • Encourage vendors to implement these standards and market them as a competitive advantage. With a focus on providing comprehensive security, compliance and identity management solutions that can meet ever-changing end user needs and demand... [more]

Avoid transactions via public Wi-Fi systems to ensure safe online shopping
posted on 08/12/2010

CyberMonday results for previous years indicate that more and more Americans are shopping online for holiday gifts, according to recent reports. Comodo is cautioning consumers to use an ounce of prevention while shopping this holiday season by avoiding transactions via public Wi-Fi systems such as those found in airports, hotels or local coffee shops due to increased Internet security risks. Comodo advises them that by using products such as TrustConnect on their laptop, consumers can be safe when making purchases online because they are protected. "During this season of holiday buying, you don't want to unknowingly give away your credit card information by not having your laptops protected with an extra level of trust as an added precaution" said Melih Abdulhayoglu, Comodo CEO and chief security officer."Without Comodo TrustConnect on your laptop, hackers can have a field day with laptop users on Public Wi-Fi systems who become easy prey to these bad guys trolling for unprotected cre... [more]

The technical security challenges of online shopping at work
posted on 08/12/2010

A recent survey by ISACA has found while online shopping at work, or on a work device, many people are doing activities that could put their employer at risk, e.g., clicking on links in e-mails (52%), providing work e-mail addresses to online shopping outlets (28%) and clicking on a link at social networking sites (19%). The run up to the holiday season is a period of intense shopping - especially for employees. According to Astaro, this means that employers have to contend with a massive fall in employee productivity coupled with technical security challenges. Astaro CEO Jan Hichert provides his tips for how employers can handle this situation and also highlights a fundamental problem: 1. A question of "how" rather than "whether" During the pre-holiday period, a large number of employees are tempted to complete their online shopping during work hours. Depending on their workload, this may be entirely understandable. However, accessing unknown or unsecured websites presents ... [more]

Blocking a phishing site after 10 hours is almost irrelevant
posted on 07/12/2010

Trusteer has conducted research into the attack potency and time-to-infection of email phishing attacks. One of their findings was that 50 per cent of phishing victims’ credentials are harvested by cyber criminals within the first 60 minutes of phishing emails being received. Given that a typical phishing campaign takes at least one hour to be identified by IT security vendors, which doesn’t include the time required to take down the phishing Web site, we have dubbed the first 60 minutes of a phishing site’s existence is the critical ‘golden hour’. The fact that so many Internet users visit a phishing website within such a short period of time means that blocking a phishing Web site - which is sometimes a cracked legitimate site - within this golden hour has become absolutely critical. During the golden hour, the research suggests that: • More than 50 per cent of stolen credentials are harvested • Within five hours, more than 80 per cent are collated and become usable by cybercr... [more]

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