But social engineering is not just a matter of adoption for cybercriminals instead of many penetration testing companies and service providers often use these methods to check the overall organization’s human network and security. This is what in true sense we call an ethical way of hacking software and application to evaluate the quality of a software product or service. 

Here are some recommendations on how an organization can prevent social engineering attacks;

Generate awareness among employees regarding publicly open information – The attacker will initially gather knowledge about the company and its employees from information obtained at any time online. From social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to corporate websites and blogs, to spy emails (see below for more details), you can discover a lot of information about a company and employees without any technologically advanced “hacking” techniques. It’s important to make employees aware of this, so both of them (1) are cautious about their own communication methods, and (2) don’t give undue trust in seemingly private information, but in fact, it can be available to anyone. 

Must create a smart data security policy – As we all have observed the Dropbox hacking incident back in 2016, the hacking incident was a result of improper password management of employees, and passwords are that essential key to protecting the company just like the key to the main door of your home is essential, without it you can not unlock the other doors in the house. For all sensitive documents, including Webmail, bank portals, medical websites, and HR portals, two-factor authentication should be used. If the service you currently use does not provide two-factor authentication, then you should consider moving your business elsewhere.

In addition, access to sensitive data should be provided as needed. For example, salary data should only be accessed by certain individuals, not by the entire accounting department.

Use secured fund transfer tools and apps – Many companies are tricked and dodged by the cyberattackers and criminals by sending funds into the accounts controlled by them.  

In order to solve this problem, you should develop clear fund transfer procedures, such as requiring all fund requests to be made through a secure bank portal instead of via email.

Implement appropriate tools to get rid of spy emails – Spymail is an email with a hidden tracking code. The email will provide its sender with information about who opened it, when and how many times it was opened, whether it was forwarded and where, and where it was opened. This gives the sender a deeper understanding of your company’s operations and puts you at risk.

Refuse to seek help or offer help – A social engineer can and will ask you to provide information or is willing to provide assistance (i.e. impersonating technical support). If you do not ask the sender for any help, please consider any request or offer fraud. Before committing to send any content, please do your own research on the sender.

Set the spam filter to high – Your email software has a spam filter. Check your settings and set it to high to prevent risky emails from flooding your inbox. Remember to check them regularly, as legitimate mail may be trapped in them from time to time.

Conclusion

No matter how much preventive measures or testing you may do, but still, there’s a major chance of cyber attacking. All you need to do is to generate awareness among employees regarding how to tackle the situation when an attacker attacks your systems, software, and other sensitive digital assets. The better the homework you will do, the better the results you’ll achieve. 

The post How to Prevent Social Engineering Cyber Attacks? appeared first on Read Dive.

• Lost money
• Data theft
• Expensive recovery costs
• Diminished customer trust

As cyber-attacks become more frequent and more sophisticated, the onus is on organizations to ensure that they are using the most up-to-date security technology available.

1. Data Protection Regulation Goes Global

In May 2019, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) celebrated its first birthday. GDPR provides a set of guidelines to help make data security practices more organized, transparent and protected. Several locations around the world have introduced similar regulations including:

• Australia: The Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme
• Brazil: The General Data Protection Law (LGPD)
• California: The Consumer Privacy Act of 2018
• Canada: The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
• Japan: The EU Commission’s “adequacy decision” ruled that Japan’s data protection regime offers equivalent protection to GDPR

Even if you are not affected by GDPR, you should plan to align your organization’s data protection policies with GDPR as it is likely that similar regulation will eventually be implemented in your region.

2. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Security Solutions Go Mainstream

According to data from Cylance Blackberry:

• 2% of surveyed security professionals plan to use artificial intelligence for cybersecurity defense
• 5% use it for malware prevention
• 6% use it for advanced threat prevention

Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies could potentially be used to identify and respond to cyber-threats as they occur. This tech would gather and analyze enough data to facilitate decision-making; allowing it to act predictively, rather than reactively, to security threats. Intelligence-driven security will facilitate dynamic cybersecurity responses to the changing threat landscape.

3. Cloud Security Continues to Grow in Importance

“Public cloud is a secure and viable option for many organizations, but keeping it secure is a shared responsibility… Organizations must invest in security skills and governance tools that build the necessary knowledge base to keep up with the rapid pace of cloud development and innovation.” – Peter Firstbrook, research vice president at Gartner

As more organizations migrate to the cloud, cloud security will remain a top concern. Around 29% of organizations have a potential cloud account compromises. The biggest risks to cloud security include customer misconfiguration, mismanaged credentials or insider theft. 64% of cybersecurity professionals cite data loss and leakage as their main concern. 62% say data privacy and confidentiality is their top cloud security priority. Going forward, greater education is needed for cloud protection and hygiene.

4. The Importance of Security for the “Connected Everything” Age

The number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is expected to surpass 20.4 billion by 2020. Increased adoption of IoT will also bring about increased vulnerability for enterprises and consumers alike. Many IoT devices are not secure end-to-end, this is partly due to a lack of any industry-wide security standards. Potential threats include hijacking, privacy leaks, unsecured devices, and even home intrusion. Potential targets include connected cars, smart cities, smart homes, and virtual assistants.

5. The Emergence of Next-Gen Authentication Technology

Passwords are problematic for several reasons. Firstly, today’s technology makes it easy to hack even the most complex passwords. This is exacerbated by the fact that many users practice poor password habits e.g. rarely/never changed or used across multiple accounts. More than 85% of cyberattacks are a result of people getting tricked out of their passwords. Biometric tech offers a safer alternative. This involves identifying people through their unique physical characteristics or behaviors. Examples include facial, voice, and fingerprint recognition. By 2019, the use of passwords and tokens in medium-risk use cases will drop 55% due to the introduction of recognition technologies. Multi-factor authentication will also become more commonplace. This requires the user to provide two or more independent credentials in order to verify their identity.

Read this guide from Paradyn to discover the top trends shaping cybersecurity in 2020.

The post Cybersecurity Trends to Know in 2020 appeared first on Read Dive.

1) Your Business is too Small for a Cyber Attack

This is one of the most common myths that need to be debunked right away. Hackers feed on this mindset as it’s easier to succeed when companies expect it the least. Statistics show that while attackers earn more by attacking big companies, it’s the SMEs that are affected the most.

2) Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware is Good Enough

  If that was the case, there wouldn’t be any cyber security testing company. It’s important to be noted that these tools cannot keep you safe from all kinds of cyber attacks. Although these software programs rely on a large database that has information about all the malware/viruses out there, there’s a high probability that these software programs won’t be able to detect a new kind of malware used by hackers. Therefore, you shouldn’t solely rely on these software programs. Hiring a cyber security testing company is a good option.

3) Our Passwords are Strong

No password is strong enough, no matter how many special characters you use. Therefore, it’s important to change your passwords regularly.

4) Our Industry Doesn’t Have Any Cyber Security Threat

If you’re connected to the internet, there is no way you’re safe from this threat. Movies make us believe that only finance and tech companies are prone to cyber-attacks but that’s completely wrong.

5) Bringing Your Own Device is Safe

While it’s cost-effective, having your employees bring personal employees at work brings its own set of risks. Devices range from PCs to smartphones, when connected to your network, it becomes a whole new entry point for hackers. It only takes one weak link to bring cripple and bring down the entire network. So, make sure that all users adhere to your cyber security policies before they can use their personal devices.

6) Our Cyber Security System is Perfect

Constant advancements in technology mean that your tools that were top-notch yesterday, are obsolete today. For this reason, you need to constantly adapt newer cyber security policies and practices to avoid any mishaps.

7) Threats are Only External

Who told you? Movies? According to researchers, nearly 75% of the data breaches are a result of someone on the inside. A disgruntled employee, an ex-employee with a grudge, or just an ignorant user on your network can grant access to your entire organization’s data resulting in a massive data breach. It’s always a good idea to train your employees and teach them about cyber threats.   

Conclusion

You need to stop believing in these myths associated with cyber security and up your defenses. Otherwise, you’re just in line to be the next victim.

The post Busting Cyber Security Myths appeared first on Read Dive.