FTC 16 CFR Part 255 Disclosure

Since 2006, iTechGuide.com has provided independent reviews. Our reviews, ratings and awards are not based on any incentives or commissions. Notwithstanding, to keep our service online we accept compensation from some of the companies whose products we review within and outside of the IT industry, including, but not limited to, paid advertising placements, referral fees, and in-content advertising links.

Security

Cybersecurity 2024 Trends: Navigating the Evolving Digital Landscape

Key Takeaways Table:

Trend Description
AI in Cybersecurity AI's growing role in enhancing cybersecurity through predictive insights and threat detection【31†source】.
Remote Workforce Risks Persistent cybersecurity challenges associated with remote work and cloud storage【31†source】.
Mobile Security Increased mobile app usage leading to heightened cybersecurity risks【31†source】.
IoT Security Expanding IoT adoption and the need for secure interconnected devices【31†source】.
Cloud Security Focus on cloud security and compliance in the evolving digital infrastructure【31†source】.
Zero Trust Adoption Widespread adoption of zero-trust architecture in combating cyber threats【32†source】.
Generative AI Ethical Use Ethical considerations and security concerns around generative AI in cybersecurity【32†source】.
Proactive Security Tools Investment in proactive security tools for vulnerability and security gap detection【34†source】.
IoT Regulations Increasing regulatory scrutiny on connected and IoT devices for enhanced security【34†source】.
Third-party Security Continued challenges with third-party security and its impact on overall cybersecurity【34†source】.

The digital world is continuously evolving, and with it, the cybersecurity landscape is undergoing significant transformations. As we step into 2024, it's crucial to stay ahead of emerging trends to safeguard digital assets effectively. iTechGuide.com provides insights into the latest cybersecurity trends, equipping you with the knowledge to navigate this dynamic field【12†source】.

The Rise of AI in Cybersecurity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, offering predictive insights and enhancing threat detection. AI's ability to analyze vast data sets and automate repetitive tasks positions it as a key player in transitioning from reactive to proactive cybersecurity measures. However, this integration is not without challenges, as AI systems themselves can be exploited by malicious actors【31†source】. To delve deeper into AI's role in cybersecurity, explore our article on "Quantum Computing/AI."

Persistent Risk of the Remote Workforce

The shift to remote work has expanded the cybersecurity perimeter, creating unique challenges. With a significant portion of enterprise data stored in the cloud, the security of remote networks becomes a critical concern. The use of personal devices for work activities and the absence of physical security controls present in office environments further exacerbates these risks【31†source】. For comprehensive strategies on securing remote work, refer to our guide on "Work from Home Tech & Tools"【55†source】.

The Growing Concern of Mobile Security

The surge in mobile app usage brings specific cybersecurity challenges. Each app represents a potential vulnerability, exposing sensitive data or granting access that hackers can exploit. The increasing reliance on smartphones and tablets makes mobile security paramount, not just for individual devices but also for the data they access and store【31†source】.

IoT Security: A New Era of Connectivity

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed everyday objects into smart, interconnected devices, each of which can be a potential entry point for cyber threats. Ensuring the security of each IoT device is crucial to prevent cascading effects that could compromise an entire network【31†source】.

Cloud Security and Compliance Automation

The transition to cloud-based solutions has accelerated, bringing new cybersecurity challenges. Protecting data in the cloud and ensuring compliance with evolving standards are vital for maintaining digital integrity【31†source】.

Zero Trust Architecture: The New Standard

Zero trust architecture, emphasizing the principle of never assuming trust even within the network, is becoming mainstream in cybersecurity. This approach is essential in combating increasingly sophisticated cyber threats【32†source】.

Generative AI: Balancing Innovation and Risk

The use of generative AI in cybersecurity is double-edged. While it empowers stretched security teams, it also raises ethical and security concerns, especially regarding AI-driven phishing attacks【32†source】.

Embracing Proactive Security Tools

Investing in proactive security tools and technology, including risk-based vulnerability management and attack surface management, is crucial for detecting vulnerabilities and securing digital ecosystems【34†source】.

Regulatory Scrutiny on IoT Devices

As IoT adoption continues to grow, so does regulatory scrutiny, particularly concerning AI and connected devices. Organizations need to adhere to cybersecurity-by-design standards to ensure the security of connected devices【34†source】.

Addressing Third-party Security Challenges

Securing third-party vendors is increasingly important, as breaches in these systems can provide attackers access to larger, more secure networks. Creating security checklists and evaluations for vendors is essential to safeguard against these threats【34†source】.

Is NSA Killing USA Internet Business?

To Pamela Jones, undoubtedly, what’s supposed to be a war against terrorism has become an evaporation of

privacy. On August 20, PJ as she’s known on her site, announced the shutdown of Groklaw-dot-net, an

award-winning1 resource for journalists and others interested in laws pertaining to the tech industry. In a

farewell post, Ms. Jones explained that she was influenced by the closure two weeks earlier of Lavabit-dot-com,

an email service provider whose services Edward Snowden, National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower,

has used in recent weeks.

 

“The owner of Lavabit tells us that he’s stopped using email and if we knew what he knew, we’d stop

too,” Ms. Jones wrote in a farewell post. “No matter how good the motives might be or collecting and

screening everything we say to one another, and no matter how ‘clean’ we all are ourselves from the

standpoint of the screeners, I don’t know how to function in such an atmosphere.” 

 

While there seems to be a daily cascade of revelations of NSA surveillance activity, at the time of this

post the Wall Street Journal reports that roughly three-quarters of all U.S. Internet activity is –

potentially, at least – monitored by the NSA. “In some cases it retains the written content of emails

sent between citizens within the U.S. and also filters domestic phone calls made with internet technology,”

the WSJ report stated, attributing its information to current and former NSA officials.2

 

Started with Snowden

 

The surveillance, or some say spy saga, started in May when Snowden, a computer specialist under

contract at the NSA, leaked sensitive information to a British publication about the U.S. program.

As a whistleblower now charged with espionage and theft of government property, Snowden is

likely seeking help such as can be found on the website of the Goldberg Kohn law office, should he

ever return to the U.S. He has received temporary asylum in Russia. 

 

It may be too early to claim the Internet is unraveling, but U.S. government surveillance practices

are toppling some mighty timber. In addition to Groklaw and Lavabit, Silent Circle ceased providing

encrypted email, although not its mobile video and voice service.

 

Ladar Levison, owner of Lavabit, has been dealing with federal authorities over Snowden’s use

of his service. The post on his site explains: “I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to

become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of

hard work by shutting down Lavabit.”

 

“As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I

have twice made the appropriate requests,” the Lavabit post continues. “What’s going to happen

now? We’ve already started preparing the paperwork needed to continue to fight for the Constitution

in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me to resurrect Lavabit 

as an American company.”

 

Made Mark Reporting Tech Litigation

 

Taking its name from a neologism meaning “to understand completely,” Groklaw started as a blog

in 2003 and gained prominence for its coverage of litigation involving SCO Group versus Linux, 

the European Union anti-trust charges against Microsoft and creating Open XML standards.3

 

Emery Jeffries, a longtime newspaper reporter and cable news journalist in Central Florida posted

the Groklaw news on Facebook and later explained:

 

“Groklaw is the place to learn how to cut through the legal mumbo jumbo when some lawyers use

the Internet to shake down consumers. It will have a chilling effect on news gathering. If writers

can't safeguard sources, exposing corruption will be difficult on many levels. The American Bar

Association gave Groklaw the designation of being one of the top 100 websites.”

 

Ms. Jones also said of her shutdown: “They tell us that if you send or receive an email from outside

the US, it will be read. If it's encrypted, they keep it for five years, presumably in the hopes of tech

advancing to be able to decrypt it against your will and without your knowledge. Groklaw has readers

all over the world."

 

Her post supplied a link to cyber security laws posted by Harvard’s Berkman Center.4 “Not that

anyone seems to follow any laws that get in their way these days,” she wrote. “Or if they find they

need a law to make conduct lawful, they just write a new law or reinterpret an old one and keep on

going. That's not the rule of law as I understand the term.”

 

About the Author

 

Like many Americans Terry Duschinski doesn't know if NSA programs keep us safe or make us

serfs. But he's fascinated with whistleblowers and suggests if you know of questionable deeds

being done in secret, you might want to consult the Goldberg Kohn law office website for a vast

assortment of helpful resources.

How to Secure Your Wireless Network

How to Secure Your Wireless Network

If you use a wireless network, chances are good it is not secure. If you don’t make some important configuration changes on your wireless router after installing it, your wireless network is wide open to hackers, curious neighbors and people who would rather use your broadband internet service instead of buying their own.

Several of my neighbors have a wireless network set up in their home, and from my living room I can connect to three different networks in addition to my own. I do this easily, using no special skills, software or equipment. All I do is click on my wireless networking icon and select “view available wireless networks”. I choose one, click “connect”, and in an instant I am using my neighbor’s internet connection instead of my own. Kind of creepy, isn’t it?

Following are 6 things you can do to make your wireless network invisible and impenetrable to the majority of intruders.

  • Change the default password of your wireless router. This makes it harder for a would-be intruder to access the router administration controls.
  • Change the name of your SSID. The SSID (service set identifier) is the name of your wireless network, and by default is usually the brand name of your wireless router (like Linksys). Change this to a unique name of your choice. A good rule of thumb to follow when setting up any type of network is to always change the default settings to something else, which makes it harder for an intruder to get in.
  • Use an encryption key. Most wireless routers have WEP encryption capability (Wireless Equivalent Protocol), and the newer ones also have WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WEP is an older standard and less secure than WPA, so if you have both, choose WPA. Even WEP is probably good enough, and if this is all you have choose the highest bit encryption possible (usually 128 bit).
Once you set up encryption on your wireless router, write down the method you are using as well as the key (a long string of cryptic-looking characters), because you will need this to set up encryption on each of your computers that will use the wireless network.
  • Disable broadcasting of your SSID. By default, the SSID (your wireless network’s name) is broadcast to anyone with a wireless network card. Although this makes it easy to configure your computers to access your network, it also makes it easy for outsiders to know about your network. By disabling SSID broadcast, no one will ever see your network.
  • Limit the number of IP addresses your wireless router allows on the network. By default, your wireless router will assign an IP address to as many computers that request one. If you limit the number of addresses that the router’s DHCP server assigns to just the number that you need, you will “block” all other computers that try to connect to your network.
  • Use MAC address filtering. You can configure your wireless router to only allow certain computers on the wireless network by including each computer’s MAC address in the list of “allowed” users. A MAC address is a unique physical address that is hard coded onto each network interface card. It is much like a serial number, as every MAC address is unique.
Find your network card’s MAC address by opening up a command prompt and typing in ipconfig /all. Look for something that says “physical address”, and the series of letters and numbers following this is your MAC address. It will look something like this: 00-06-5B-CE-DA-B5. Key this information into the wireless router’s MAC address filtering setup under MAC address 1. Repeat this process for every computer on your network, using MAC address 2, 3, and so on.

In addition to securing your wireless network, there is one more thing you need to do to make sure your wireless network is safe:

  • Install a personal firewall on each of the computers on your wireless network. If an intruder does happen to get into your network, a personal firewall (also known as a software firewall) will keep him out of your computer. With a personal firewall running, the most an intruder can do is use your internet connection and your bandwidth; he will not be able to access your data.

Article Source: Debbie Jacobsen

Improving Network Security with a Virtual Network

A virtual network uses virtual links to connect computers rather than physical connections. A virtual link is a combination of hardware and software that provides the functionality of a network. A virtual network is a single administrative entity that may also use virtualized resources and platforms. Businesses often use virtualization to improve network security.

Deployment

RAD data communications states that virtual networks may be based on virtual protocols or devices. Networks based on virtual protocols include Virtual Local Area Networks, Virtual Private LAN Services and Virtual Private Networks. An organization can deploy a VLAN by using a VLAN ID to partition a physical LAN into logical LANs. It's also possible to combine physical LANs into a logical LAN. A single router may connect the computers on a partitioned network, or each VLAN may use its own router.

Organizations often deploy a VLAN onto a VPN, which consists of multiple endpoints connected by a tunnel through a physical network. A VPN's endpoints typically consist of VPN gateways to software clients, and a third party usually administers the physical network. Two endpoints in a VPN comprise a Point-to-Point VPN. An organization can also deploy a multipoint VPN by creating multiple tunnels.

A VPLS is a type of multipoint VPN that can be classified into Ethernet Virtual Connection Services and Transparent LAN Services. An EVCS has a VLAN ID that provides it with sub-netting capability, while a TLS does not have this capability.

Networks based on virtual devices include networks that use a hypervisor to connect virtual machines. A virtual machine is a software application that emulates the characteristics of a physical machine. A hypervisor is a program that creates and manages the virtual machines, which typically run on a single physical machine. This type of network has virtualized network components such as virtual firewalls, routers and switches. It may use virtual protocols such as IEEE 802.1Q, or it may use physical protocols such as Ethernet.

Security

Organizations often use a VPN when they need a secure virtual network. A VPN allows computers to send and receive secure data over a public network like the Internet as if they were on a physical private network. This solution has the connectivity of a public network while providing the functionality, management and security of a private network. A VPN accomplishes this by creating a virtual PTP connection between the two computers. This connection use encryption, dedicated connections or both.

A common use of a VPN is to communicate between an organization's main office and its satellite offices by using the Internet. Kent Information Services reports that this implementation of a virtual network is especially beneficial to medium-sized business. It eliminates the expense of a dedicated data line to provide the required security, which this example accomplishes with tunneling protocols and authenticated remote access.

The VPN consortium reports that the VPN security model prevents attackers from seeing plain-text data, even when they sniff the network traffic at the packet level. Authentication of the sender prevents an unauthorized user from gaining access to the VPN, and message integrity can detect when an attacker modifies a transmitted message. A VPN must authenticate the endpoints of a tunnel before it can establish a connection between computers. VPNs that allow remote access may use additional methods to authenticate users such as biometrics, two-factor authentication and passwords.

VPNs use a variety of protocols to maintain security, such as Internet Protocol Security. The Internet Engineering Task Force originally developed IPsec for IPv6, although it's primarily used in the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol and IPv4. IPsec encrypts an IP packet within an IPsec packet, sends it through the tunnel and decrypts the IP packet at the end of the tunnel. Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security can send the traffic for an entire network through a tunnel, and it can also establish a secure connection for an individual session.

Author Bio

Matt Smith is a Dell employee who writes to help raise awareness on the topic of Virtualization and other network management subjects.

Essential WordPress Security Tips

WordPress is one of the most well-known Content Management Systems worldwide, applied by around sixty million websites in the online world. But WordPress is a free web application. Because it's free, everyone contains easy access to its Programmed Code which enables him to try out new hacking strategies easily. Typically WordPress is quite safe and protected if you use some security steps as well as follow some general points to keep hackers away from your blog. The guidelines pointed out in this post are will give the security of your blog to the next level. You can secure your WordPress website by using the below mentioned points to solidify the protection.

Set a Custom Username


During the Installation process, the default username is "admin" and hackers try this username while trying to login. If your username is already set to "admin" then you cannot change it directly, first you will have to make a new user with full admin rights and then login with that username and delete the previous one. It's essential that you choose an un-common username.

Change database table prefixes


By default, WordPress table prefix is wp_. Since WordPress is Free and every hacker knows its source code and database information. If you keep the database table prefixes same, everyone know the names of your database tables and can make SQL queries easily. You can change the prefix during installation process simply by writing a 2-3 characters long prefix in its option. If you have already installed WordPress without changing the prefix then you can change with it with the help of any suitable plugin such as "WP Secure Scan".

Keep the Code Up-To-Date


Always keep all the files updated. When there's a fresh release of WordPress, update it instantly. Generally a message will be informed in the top of the dashboard as well as in the updates menu that there's a fresh release of WordPress. Always do the update process through the dashboard or in case you don't want to do it through the dashboard then don't download the new version from any other website than WordPress.org.

Password Protect WP Admin Directory


One of the best ways to keep your login page secure is to password protect your wp-admin folder because not a single find in this sensitive folder is used by the visitors who're browsing the website. It is done through the hosting. Go to the file manager and right click on the wp-admin folder and then click on the password protect option. A page will open in which you will set a username and password. When it is done, all the authorized admins will have to perform a 2 step verification process to go to the WP admin dashboard.

Delete Unnecessary Files


Delete inactivated plugins that you aren't making use of them. Just deactivating them is not sufficient because the files of the plugin remain on your hosting server. Any weak point in the plugin can be harmful and can allow the hackers to make a breaking. Double check that you delete those plugins completely from your hosting server to avoid any chance for the hackers.

Don't Show WordPress Version on Your Blog


You shouldn't show the current version of your WordPress installation publicly. The specific WordPress version you have installed will be able to help the hacker in determining the way to enter the sensitive areas of your website. It can be removed through including the below mentioned code into the functions.php file.  remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_generator' );

Limit the Login Attempts


By default WordPress makes it possible for unrestricted login tries most likely through the login web page or perhaps by delivering specific cookies. This enables automatic login attempts to guess the correct one. In order to avoid this type of hacking method, the plugin "login lock down" is used because it blocks an IP address after making the specified number of login attempts.

Regular Backups of WordPress site and database


You also have to get frequent backups of your website and the database depending upon how you update your website.

Remove WP Read Me and License Files


Do remember to delete the read me and the license files, because they contain the version of your WordPress installation as well as other sensitive information that can help the hackers.

Intelligent Solutions Systems offers SEO friendly and secured WordPress Web Design in Pakistan.

Our company also provides SEO in Pakistan with latest techniques to deliver business.

More Articles ...

  1. Internet Security Demystified
  2. Computer Security Authentication by Kent Pinkerton
  3. Need Help Defeating Denial of Service Attacks?
  4. Quantum Cryptography Email Encryption