Latest Internet and Web security News

Christmas online consumers should be wary of social networking-based scams
posted on 25/11/2010

Shopping for that perfect Christmas present is exciting, though consumers often let personal security fall by the wayside as they bargain hunt for the best deals available. But as the shopping season gets underway, the risk of cyber attacks and cyber scams increase. Online holiday spending will be higher this year than last. But as consumers get ready to surf and shop the Internet, SpiderLabs, the security team within Trustwave, is warning shoppers about a new potential cyber scam aimed at stealing credit card data and other personally identifiable information. This year consumers should be particularly wary of social networking-based scams, such as “coupon codes,” that provide links for heavy discounts at popular stores or for popular toys. With many more consumers using social media such as Twitter and Facebook, this type of scam can quickly spread via innocent Tweets and Facebook posts by bargain hunters who believe they’re providing friends with legitimate money saving oppor... [more]

Securing a network is as much about anticipating future needs as it is defending against current threats
posted on 24/11/2010

According to a free guide by Redscan, businesses must appreciate that sociological and behavioural changes impact network security if security management is to keep pace with new threats. The guide, ‘The Future of Network Security’, looks at the trends in behavioural changes that will impact security, including: virtual working and increase use of cloud-based services; the increased use of social applications at work and the massive drain they cause on corporate bandwidth; businesses trusting their corporate data to third party cloud-based services like Google Docs; and the increase in use of unified communications by companies. It goes on to detail the main security responses that companies will have to implement to respond to these changes, including: securing data in the cloud; maintaining data protection; stronger identity management for remote worker access; securing against social applications, P2P software and VOIP; an increase use in managed security services as budgets constr... [more]

Tips for online shoppers to ensure that the holiday season is without a computer infection or identity theft
posted on 24/11/2010

In just the U.S. e-commerce spending for the 2010 holiday season is projected to be between seven and nine percent higher than last year, according to a preliminary forecast from comScore. A recent holiday survey from the National Retail Federation found that online shoppers will spend 25 percent more than the average in-store shopper. The growing popularity of online shopping puts consumers at risk for a malware infection during four separate stages of their e-shop experience. This risk is increasing as consumers spend more time and money online. While consumers are able to avoid the crowds, they can’t avoid digital pickpockets striking at each step in their holiday shopping. Here are four primary steps – and your vulnerabilities: · Browse – Where are you going? Cyber-criminals will infect web searches, causing the browser to bring up sites that are infected with malware. Infected sites have been both legitimate sites that have been infected or sites designed to spread ma... [more]

Kaspersky Lab provides Best Buy customers with discounted internet protection products
posted on 23/11/2010

Kaspersky Lab has announced a new attach deal with Best Buy UK, which will see the companies join forces to help Best Buy’s customers use the web with confidence. Customers visiting any of the Best Buy stores nationwide and its new transactional website will receive 50% off Kaspersky Lab’s products when purchasing any laptop or desktop computer. The promotion applies to the Internet Security and Kaspersky PURE suite of internet protection products. Kaspersky Lab’s products will also be available to Best Buy customers as a half price bundle offer with Microsoft Office Home and Student edition 2011. A larger range of Kaspersky products are available from Best Buy’s stores and website. “We know that a secure, stable and ultra-fast home hub is at the core of a fully-connected home. Our customers tell us that they want to watch, share and access their entertainment at home and on the go, and stay connected with the people they know" explains Rene Wright, Head of Computing at Best Buy ... [more]

IPv6 has the potential to open unrecognised security weaknesses in otherwise secure environments
posted on 22/11/2010

Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) is designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and ratified in 1998. The new protocol adds additional features as well as offering a 128-bit address range. Its future adoption is almost certain as available IPv4 addresses are likely to be exhausted within two years based on current consumption rates. The arrival of the slew of new and upgraded operating systems, smart phones and tablets that are enabled for IPv6 has the potential to open new and unrecognised security weaknesses in otherwise secure environments. According to Johannes Ullrich, PhD, chief research officer for the SANS Institute, “One of the problems is the accidental implementation of IPv6. You may already have IPv6 on your network without knowing about or configuring it. “Windows 7, OS X and Linux enables it by default. In the last round of operating system updates, it has tended to be turned on by default.” ... [more]

Other Security news and resources