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Issue
April 2006
In this month's issue of our Security Watch Newsletter, we highlight some interesting
news stories from around the globe and nearer to home, update you on the latest happenings in BH Consulting, provide
advice on how to use your computer safely, outline what identity means in
the context of
computer security, discuss the effect of the increasing number of computer
security breaches on people's privacy, provide details on how to securely remove
your password and finally discuss that often overlooked threat to computer
security, your employees!
About BH Consulting
BH Consulting was founded in answer to demands for an independent consulting
firm to assist clients gain a competitive edge by achieving IT Operational
excellence in deploying, managing and securing their IT infrastructure. With
over 20 year’s experience, we provide you with access to in-depth expertise,
experience and technical know-how. Backed with our quality processes and
commitment to deliver, BH Consulting provides clients with quality solutions at
cost effective rates.
 Support
Focus Ireland
If you have found any items in our
Security Watch Newsletter to be of use to you we ask that you
make a donation to
Focus Ireland who
work tirelessly supporting the homeless throughout Ireland. Focus Ireland
aims to advance the right of people-out-of-home to live in a place they call
home through quality services, research, and advocacy. The objectives of
Focus Ireland are to respond to the needs of people out-of-home and those at
risk of becoming homeless, through a range of appropriate high quality services,
to provide emergency transitional and long-term accommodation for people
out-of-home, to campaign and lobby for the rights of people out-of-home
and the prevention of homelessness. No sum is too small and all is
put to excellent use.
NEWS
BH Consulting in the Press.
There is often a lot of confusion and discussion over what security
solutions should be put in place to protect important information assets.
The Irish Independent recently ran an article on hype regarding IT security.
Our very own Brian Honan contributed to the article. Click
here to read the online version of the article on the
SiliconRepublic.com web site and
see what Brian has to say on this heated topic.
Brian Honan has also been selected as an editor to the highly
regarded
SANS Institute
NewsBites electronic
newsletter. The SANS
NewsBites electronic newsletter is published twice a week to over 150,000
subscribers worldwide and provides an executive summary and expert insights into
the important news articles relating to computer security.
Coverage of news relating to BH Consulting can be found on our
news page.
Securing Wireless Networks.
The
freedom and ease of use of wireless networks is making them more and more
popular both for personal and business use. However, as with all
technologies it is important to ensure that they are deployed correctly and
securely. If you are looking a guide in how to secure your wireless
network or those of friends, business colleagues, then the following may prove
useful;
An
online
tutorial from
GetNetWise on how to
secure your wireless network with video tutorials as to how to configure
wireless routers from Linksys,
Netgear and
Apple.
Also another useful
online tutorial from the Washington Post newspaper with a series of video
guides on how to secure and protect your PC.
The following online movie gives a good overview of an
"Anatomy of a Hack". While the video
promotes Fiberlink's products it demonstrates how a hacker can quickly exploit a
vulnerability on a machine that is not properly protected.
Survey shows Internet Abuse is on the Rise.
The
UK's Department of Trade and industry's 2006 Security Breaches Survey shows
that most companies in the UK suffered from staff misusing Internet and email
resources. The survey shows that more companies have implemented
acceptable usage policies, 63% compared to 43% the previous year, however the
amount of abuse also grew from 8% to 17%. While policy development is an
important step it is equally important to ensure the policies are managed,
monitored and enforced. It would be worthwhile for you to examine your own
policies and see if and how well they are being managed, monitored and enforced.
Report on "Why
Phishing
Works"
Most of us have received an email purporting to be from a bank,
eBAy,
PayPal or
some other organisation trying to get us to disclose our personal financial
details. Very often these emails contain a link to a site that to all
intents and purpose looks real. While most of us may be able to ignore
such emails or indeed spot the fake website, this
survey from professors at the
US universities of Harvard and Berkeley shows that 90% of people could not distinguish
between a fake and a real website. This may have serious implications for
online commerce and
e-business. If your customers do not know
whether or not your website is genuine, how can they trust your site to do
business with you? If you have not done so yet, you should look at
updating your company's Anti-Fraud Policies to deal with the threat posed by
Phishing and also update your Incident Response
Plan to incorporate how to deal with a
Phishing attack.
Why Proper Change Management is
Crucial!
35,000 passengers on the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transport
(BART) system got an unwelcome lesson in how not to do change management when
they were
stranded during Wednesday's (26/03/06) rush hour.
Computer engineers attempting to resolve an ongoing software problem on the
systems that control the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains, instead crippled
the network causing all systems to shut down. The story is good example as
to why you should thoroughly test all systems and their dependencies before
implementing any changes and that you have a rapid plan to roll back the change
in the event of any issues.
Data Commissioner Publishes report
for 2005
Billy Hawkes, the Data Protection Commissioner, has published the
seventeenth
annual report of the Data Protection Commissioner for 2005. The report
contains some interesting case studies for review, especially if you are intend
deploying biometrics in the workplace or use CCTV cameras.
SiliconRepublic.com also provides good
coverage of the
report.
BH CONSULTING WEBSITE UPDATE
We strive at BH Consulting to provide information that is
relevant and useful in securing and running your business. To this end we have
updated our range of whitepapers and the following is now available for download
free from our
white papers page;
"Everything You wanted to know about SPAM"
(66 KB)
Also on our website you will find a
new page outline our
Security Assessment Service which
enables you to determine what areas of your computer network security
needs to be strengthened. Our brochure for this service is
available for download here "BH
Consulting Security Assessment Brochure"
(84
KB)
LATEST THREAT LEVELS
Get more information on the latest updates on current threats at
our online resources page;
FEATURES
Improving Your Computer Usage Safety
The amount of malicious software on the Web has increased greatly
recently. Here are some guidelines to help protect yourself: Practice Safe
Browsing. Avoid unfamiliar or untrusted Web sites, especially Web sites that
advertise... ... Click
Here for more info
Its Me, and Here's My Proof
No matter what kinds of technological or procedural advancements occur,
certain principles of computer science will remain—especially those concerning
information security. Among all the competing claims of security vendors that
their latest... Click
Here for more info
Data Security -- It's a Storage Problem
2005 was a rough year for people worried about the security of their
personal information. In compliance with California's law mandating that
companies reveal "unauthorized acquisition of [data] that compromises the
security, confidentiality, or... ... Click
Here for more info
Cleaning Up After Mass Password Changes
After you've performed mass password changes, don't leave password
strings lying around in plaintext. You might use strong encryption to encrypt
the data, or better yet, you might remove the passwords from your system
completely. To do that... Click
Here for more info
Your Worst Security Risk May Work For You
When it comes to information security, your biggest vulnerability is not
necessarily your computers. It’s your users. Every day, employees make glaring
errors such as posting their passwords where others can see them, downloading
and opening... ... Click
Here for more info
FREE SECURITY SCAN
In partnership with
Qualys, BH Consulting
are offering a for a free Network Security Scan so you can check how healthy
your network is. To find out more about what this service can do for you, visit
our free
Network Security Scan.
Alternatively contact
us or visit our website to get more details on our
risk assessment service.
This issue of Security Watch is being brought to you by BH Consulting.
If you have found this issue to be of use please support drive to raise funds
for
Focus Ireland.
Each
Security Watch eNewsletter, and the special Security Alert issues, are produced
independently by the Windows IT Pro Custom Media Group and is distributed by
various Microsoft security partners. Each eNewsletter contains up-to-date
information about security strategies, technologies, and alerts. Each Security
Alert contains the latest information about security threats.
Additional news courtesy of
Silicon Republic,
Cnet,
Silicon and
Zdnet
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