Cyber Security Trends and Threats in 2018 (Infograph)

Do you know 54% of companies has experienced one or more successful cyber attacks that compromised their data, this year.

Here are some cyber security trends and threats in 2018 you should know about.

DDoS Attacks-Ensure That Your Sensitive Data Stays Secure

Most businesses these days have made a switch to digital technology. Although this move has proven to be quite beneficial for businesses, there are certain problems that businesses face as well. The biggest of these problems has been an increase in the rate of DDoS attacks.

Distributed Denial Of Service Attacks

Distributed denial of services attacks refer to an online attack, which prevents a website, or a service from running smoothly. It might result in the website not displaying the content available or it might affect the speed of your computer when connected to the internet.

The goal of the hackers in these cases is to steal sensitive information. Therefore, it is imperative that you prevent these attacks from occurring in the first place.

Why Do Such Attacks Succeed

In majority of the cases, companies become victim to this kind of crime because they do not have the tools to prevent these attacks from occurring. Some of the tools that companies use in order to keep their sensitive data safe include:

· Firewalls

· Routers

· Switches

However, none of these tools are effective in case of a DDoS attack. In some cases, they actually result in businesses becoming even more susceptible. For example, a firewall might create bottlenecks, which increase the chances of outages.

Types of DDoS Attacks

There are different kinds of DDoS attacks. Some of them include:

Application Layer

These types of attacks are designed to look like innocent requests. However, their goal is to actually crash the website. Experts measure the magnitude of these kinds of attacks based on the number of requests that are sent per second.

Non-Volumetric

These kinds of attack revolve around protocol attacks. Some of these include:

· SYN floods

· Pings of Death

· Fragmented packet attacks

These kinds of attacks can result in consumption of resources. They do so by overwhelming system memory so that the server ends up crashing.

Volumetric

Some of the attacks that fall under this category include:

· User datagram protocols flood

· ICMP floods

· Spoofed packet floods

The goal of these attacks is to saturate the bandwidth of a specific website. The extent of the damage is measured through bit in a single second.

How To Prevent These Attacks

There are certain measures that IT personnel within a company can undertake in order to address the issue of DDoS attacks. DDoS mitigation services can help in this regard.

The IT personnel in companies can also develop strategies for countering DDoS attacks and develop mitigation plans in order to strengthen their company’s defences.

Creating a risk profile of the company can also help companies solve this issue. Get in touch with us. We offer mobile application penetration test and services. We can conduct a data assessment and highlight the flaws in your system.

In addition to that, we can also help identify security issues for mobile apps. You can contact us at +61 (0) 2 8231 6635 or visit our website for further information.

The General Data Protection Regulation Guidelines For Businesses In Australia

The General Data Protection Regulation contains details regarding the protection of data within a region. The act will replace the national data protection laws within the region.

The goal is to enhance the trust that customers have in online services and create a legally secure environment for businesses.

Australian Privacy Act 1988

In the past, certain Australian companies were offered coverage by the Australian Privacy act. These companies will need to comply with certain rules of GDPR like having a presence in one of the companies, which are a part of the European Union.

All the information that the company provides needs to be genuine and transparent. Both of these acts require businesses to ensure that they comply with the rules that have been set up regarding privacy.

Considering the similarities between the two acts, it might not be tough for businesses to adjust their practices according to the GDPR.

What comes under GDPR?

All the data processing activities that companies engage in come under GDPR. If the company has a presence in the European Union, it will need to make sure all of the data that has been processed comes under GDPR, even if the data has not necessarily been processed in the region.

Businesses that receive coverage from GDPR but are not active in the European Union will have to appoint an individual who represents the firm in the European Union. The person appointed also needs to be a resident of the European Union.

All the data of the people within the region comes under the GDPR. In this act, additional protection is offered to the data, which has personal categories. These include:

· Race

· Political beliefs

· Religion

· Membership to the trade union

New Requirements

Some of the new requirements that are a part of GDPR include:

Governance And Accountability

The law requires the companies to undertake adequate measures to protect the rights and freedom of all the people who are customers of the business. The policies need to be designed in such a way that they minimize the need to process the data.

In addition to that, the companies need to maintain transparency while processing personal data of their customers. They should also allow the person to monitor the processing of data.

The act also requires companies to take measures to ensure that all of the data of the customers stay safe. Businesses can do so by seeking assistance from companies that offer penetration testing service and conduct network vulnerability assessment.   

Get in touch with us. Our team members can help identify security issues for mobile apps. Y0ou can drop us an email at info@leansecurity.com.au or visit our website for further information.

Network Vulnerability Assessment And Their Benefits For Businesses

Cyber security threats are a major issue that can have a significant impact on Australia’s economy and prosperity. Some of the examples of cyber threats include:

· Data breach

· Denial of services

· Compromised systems

According to research studies, fifty-six percent of privately owned businesses reported that they had faced the issue of compromised systems.

Companies can prevent these issues by engaging in a practice known as Network vulnerability assessment. Here are some benefits of this practice:

Penetration Testing

Cyber security specialists engage in a practice known as penetration testing. This practice involves companies hiring professionals who hack the company’s security system.

The aim is to identify the weak spots in the system’s security. These tests also allow companies to identify the impact a specific attack can have on their systems.

Assessment Of Network Vulnerability  

Unlike penetration testing, vulnerability assessments involve multiple tests and are overall much more detailed and thorough.

After the analysts have assessed the network, they provide the company with a list of possible solutions that they can opt for in order to make sure that their sensitive data stays safe and secure.

Network vulnerability scans are preferable since they are much more thorough and take all changes made to the software into account as well. Unlike penetration tests, network assessments do not have an impact on the operations of the company either.

Network Assessment Helps You Stay Ahead Of Hackers

Hackers are always looking for loopholes in your system’s security. Even the slightest problem with the system can give them access to data.

With network assessment, companies can prevent this from happening. Frequent assessment allows companies to identify the flaw in the system and fix them before hackers get the opportunity to exploit those weaknesses.

Business Goes On As Usual

A cyber attack can seriously affect the operations of a business. They can also lead to heavy losses as well.

Even a penetration test can slow down the operations of the business. However, this is not the case with network assessments since there are no interruptions in the business.

Gives Clients Guarantee That Their Data Is Safe

A company’s clients require guarantees from the company that their data will always stay safe. Companies can ensure this through network vulnerability assessments. This also creates a positive perception of the company in the eyes of the customers.

Are you looking for a company that offers penetration -testing services and conducts network vulnerability assessments? Get in touch with us. Our team of experts can help protect your source code before it is too late.

You can visit our website for further information or contact us at +61-(0)-2-8231 6635.

Ensure That Your Cloud Systems Stay Safe and Secure Through Automation

When it comes to cloud based systems, the words ‘automation’ and ‘orchestration’ are synonymous.

The term automation refers to the identification of weak areas within the system, detect potential threats and make changes to the system automatically.

There are certain reasons automation of cloud systems is important. Some of these include:

It Helps Make Your Systems Safer

It is the job of a date security analyst to identify if there is any kind of flaw in your system’s security. Even a slightest problem in the system’s security can allow third parties to gain access to your data.

Data security specialists use automation in order to make sure that this does not happen by simulating an attack on your system. These attacks help provide an insight into the security measures that the company has implemented.

It helps determine the extent to which an external party can gain access to the company’s sensitive data. Software these days are regularly updated and there are always new patches available.

However, these patches can have an effect on the security of the system. Keeping this in mind, through automation security analysts can also conduct a patch simulation.

This way they can determine the vulnerabilities that might occur in the system due to the installation of the software patch.  

It Helps Ensure Compliance with Company Policies

A firm needs to make sure that it is not just compliant with the regulatory policies, but also with the policies that the company itself has established concerning security.

Through automation, the firm can make sure that the cloud-based system always stays compliant with its security policies in real time. It allows the responsible personnel to keep track of all the benchmarks that the company has set for itself.

It Allows Companies To Make Changes To The System

When it comes to cloud based systems, technology is rapidly changing. Cloud systems are regularly updated. This is where automation comes in.

Making changes to the system manually leaves room for error. There are certain companies, which rely completely on cloud-based systems. For such companies even the slightest mistake with the cloud system can prove to be catastrophic.  

In case of a problem with the cloud system, you will need the services of penetration testing provider. Get in touch with us. We can conduct a data assessment of your systems. Our team members are well aware of the latest trends in penetration testing services.

You can contact us at +61-(0)-2-8231-6635 or drop us an email at info@leansecurity.com.au