Information Security, SSAE 16, ISO 27001, CISA, Cert-IN
Anything under the umbrella of IT Security, Computer Security, IT Controls
When we speak about network security, we often hear about terms like firewalls, Intrusion Detection System and Intrusion Prevention System. In this article, let us gain some understanding of these jargons.
The following table brings out a comparative analysis of firewalls, IDS, IPS and routers:
Continue reading “A comparative analysis of IDS, IPS, firewalls & routers”
Network Solutions had an IT Security incident in June this year that compromised more than 573,000 credit and debit cardholders. In what is becoming a very regular post incident debate the issue being asked is – Do certifications such as ISO27001, PCI really beef up IT Security in companies? Continue reading “Another incident and more questions”
How safe is internet banking? Online banking fraud has doubled in the first half of 2009.
Some customers are still falling foul of ‘phishing’ schemes i.e emails that pretend to be from a bank and then direct customers to bogus websites where their passwords are stolen.
But more careful online bank customers are also suffering at the hands of underground hacking technology – ‘Keylogging’ – and is largely held responsible for the rise in online fraud. Unlike Phishing, this is not an attack that alert and sophisticated users can avoid.
Continue reading “Keyloggers – 6 Simple Tips to avoid being a victim of Keylogging”
Payment Card Industry (PCI) – Data Security Standard is standard set based on a consensus based process led by 5 major credit card companies. It is not a government enforced standard and compliance is enforced by the credit companies.
Non-compliance results in higher fees and severe fines in the event of breach. All merchants and service providers collecting and processing credit card transactions are required to comply with the PCI-DSS. Version 1.2 of the standard was released in October 2008.
Section 6.6 of the PCI-DSS requires that for all public-facing applications, new threats and vulnerabilities should be addressed on an on-going basis and ensure that the applications are protected against know attacks.
Continue reading “PCI Compliance-Code Review or Web Application Firewall”
Imagine the situation of losing one’s laptop. What is the cost? It involves not only losing a significant expense but also the data stored in it which may range from personal data like photos, important numbers, music, software etc to corporate data where the cost involved could be unimaginable. A recent survey conducted by Dell and Ponemon Institute reveals that upto 12000 laptops are stolen in the United States Airport every week. This means one laptop is getting stolen every 50 seconds approximately!! Continue reading “US loses one laptop every 50 seconds in its airport!!”
Web applications are those that are accessed using web browsers like Firefox or Internet Explorer. The protocol used by web applications is called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The secure version of this protocol is HTTPS.
Botnets are suddenly in the news for all the wrong reasons. What are botnets and why are they in the news?
Information Security experts recommend that password length should be minimum 8 characters and should have a mix of alphabets (lower and upper case), numerals and special characters. What happens if a user has a password of a lower strength? In this article, you can check how strong your password is. Continue reading “How secure is your password?”
A CSRF attack forces a logged-on victim’s browser to send a request to a vulnerable web application, which then performs the chosen action on behalf of the victim. The malicious code is often not on the attacked site. This is why it is called “Cross Site”.
Continue reading “Tech Terminology Demystified – Cross Site Request Forgery”
A new study released by the Ponemon Institute reveals that there is a general lack of awareness and enforcement of computer security policies at many companies. The rate of non-compliant employee behavior appears to be getting worse over time. Continue reading “Employee IT Security behavior turns worse”