Data breaches are on pace to reach an all-time this year, and the rising frequency of these incidents is driving organizations to increase spending on IT security measures. Gartner analysts predict worldwide spending on IT security will reach $124 billion this year. Network access control (NAC) technologies rank among the top spending priorities. NAC technologies [...]
Personally identifiable information (PII) is the holy grail when it comes to cybercrime. Hackers know PII can be sold easily on the dark web or used to commit identity theft. Healthcare and tax-related information is particularly valuable as it enables criminals to commit fraud over a long period of time without getting caught. While more [...]
In a recent study conducted by MSI-ACI Europe, 61 percent of IT professionals said senior executives expect more lenient security policies for themselves than everyone else. For 65 percent of study participants, that leniency resulted in more data breaches. The obvious question is, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Given the increasingly perilous threat [...]
When you’re constantly scrambling to keep the lights on and serve customers, it can seem expedient to make a user happy by changing a configuration, installing a new application, or adding a new device or service that the user requested. This may put out the fire of the moment, but it can also make your [...]
Windows Server 2008 has enjoyed a 12-year run, but after multiple extensions, Microsoft will officially cut off support on January 14, 2020. Windows Server 2008 R2, which is just one year younger, will also reach end of support on that date. It should be quite the retirement party with the Windows 7 desktop operating system reaching [...]
In January, an image-based malware threat that targets Mac users was discovered. The malware campaign, called VeryMal, uses malicious payloads embedded in ad images, which are delivered through an ad-serving domain. The URL added to the image attempts to trick Mac users into installing a fake Adobe Flash update. When installed, the user contributes to [...]
According to the 2018 BSA Global Software Survey, unlicensed software accounts for 37 percent of all software installed on personal computers, down slightly from 39 percent in 2016. However, the majority of countries in the survey still have software piracy rates of at least 50 percent, and unlicensed software still creates significant risk. More specifically, [...]
With the clock ticking towards Windows 7 end-of-life (EOL) on Jan. 14, 2020, Microsoft recently announced that it will offer paid Extended Security Updates on a per-device basis through January 2023. The key word here is “paid.” Windows Enterprise and Microsoft 365 customers will have to cough up $25 per device for the first year, [...]
The number of successful endpoint attacks is up, the number of unknown threats is up, and the financial consequences of these attacks are more severe, according to the 2018 State of Endpoint Security Risk survey from Ponemon Institute. To make matters worse, organizations aren’t particularly confident in their ability to detect, prevent and respond to [...]
Wired magazine recently reported on the months-long struggles of a large East Coast animal shelter that had its Facebook page hacked. Using social engineering and phishing links, the hacker repeatedly accessed the account of the organization’s director, wreaking havoc on the organization. Despite exhaustive efforts to control access by implementing two-factor authentication, new antivirus software, [...]
