Avoiding the Major Data Loss Pitfalls

Avoiding data loss requires the effective implementation of a well-developed information security plan. Information security is often confused with cybersecurity, but it refers to securing an organisation’s information from all types of threats that can lead to data loss.

Data loss represents a loss of valuable time and resources which can leave a lasting impact on a company’s financial standing. In 2017, 74% of all data breaches were due to external factors.

In this blog, we take a look at the major data loss pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Inadequate Security Controls

Organisations ensure adequate auditing and compliance automation, deploy encryption, and implement file and data activity monitoring but fail to reinforce common entry points of attack which are exploited by both internal and external threats. Security systems are reliant on network security appliances, endpoint security software, access management systems and a host of other measures.

Not Identifying Critical Information

An organisation’s stakeholders must first identify critical information. Failure to do so results in security programs that only focus on the protection of regulated information. The effectiveness of such an approach greatly depends on the nature of a business’s operations. Not defining critical information can jeopardise a company’s crucial assets.

Failure to Keep Up with Change

Implementing data protection programs are never a complete guarantee against data breaches. A study of insurance claims filed under data breaches reveals that most companies do not keep a track of changing network infrastructures—alterations due to changes in business strategies.

Lack of Properly Defining Governance

Optimum positioning of business units includes defining unauthorised and authorised behaviour. Due to changing behaviours, continuous involvement of business units is vital for creating an effective program. Business unit involvement is divided into two main functions:

· Working Groups: manage the routine activities necessary for continuous maintenance and support of information security programs. Such groups are comprised of security professionals and are responsible for incident response in regard to events that have significant business impact.

· Governance Groups: comprise of business leaders responsible for highlighting the strategies pertaining to information security programs. They usually gather for quarterly meetings where compliance and risk reduction strategies are discussed.

Apart from focusing on the optimal use of data to improve organisational efficiency and performance, IT departments need to evaluate the effectiveness of their data loss prevention strategies. Critical data must be highlighted, and a proactive approach needs to be taken towards its protection rather than treating it as a simple compliance issue.

It is estimated that around 70% of all business have or will experience some form of data loss due to reasons such as viruses, system failures, accidental deletion or external disasters. Our penetration testing services help your company to locate weaknesses in its security systems allowing you to bolster your defence against data theft and loss! Contact us today!

3 Major Penetration Testing Techniques

With an increasing number of companies now integrating computer systems and networks into their operations, it seems like hardly a day goes by without news of the latest cyber-security attacks. Cyber-criminals continue to steal priceless data and cause companies billions of dollars worth of damage at alarming rates. According to a report by Microsoft, cyber-security incidents result in a potential direct economic loss of AUD 29 billion for Aussie businesses.

As a result, companies are now giving more attention to cyber-security and looking at new options to enhance the security of their systems and networks. Penetration testing has emerged as one of the most efficient ways to combat the efforts of cybercriminals. This form of ‘ethical hacking’ identifies the security vulnerabilities and weaknesses of a system or network by exposing it to a simulated ‘real world’ attack. Conducting pen tests helps companies gain an idea of how strong their system’s defences are.

If your company engages in e-commerce or has an online presence, having a little knowledge about pen testing can always come in handy. Here are the 3 major penetration testing techniques used by pro testers.

Black Box Penetration Testing

Also known as the ‘trial and error’ approach, the purpose of this pen testing technique is to simulate a cyber attack where the hacker is not familiar with the IT structure of the target company and is launching a high-intensity all-out attack on the system, in the hope that they will find a weak spot and make a break through.

In this type of pen test, the tester is not provided with any information regarding the software architecture of the web application, and they must rely on automated processes to fully determine the vulnerabilities in the system. As a consequence, black box pen testing takes a considerable time to complete.

White Box Penetration Testing

In white box penetration testing, the tester is given full information regarding the web applications’ software architecture and its source code. This means that it can be completed in a considerably shorter time frame compared to black box pen testing.

Furthermore, white box pen testing is a much more thorough type of testing than black box testing. However, this type of testing requires more advanced testing tools such as debuggers and software code analysers.

Gray Box Penetration Testing

As implied by its name, this type of testing lies somewhere in between black box and white box testing. The tester only has partial knowledge on the particulars of the system and they initiate the test by focusing on those areas of the web application they know most about. Both, automated and manual processes can be used in the gray box test and there’s a higher chance of discovering the more obscure ‘weak spots’.

Lean Security’s effective penetration testing services can help you gain an insight on the security credentials of your company’s IT infrastructure. Contact us for further details.

Application Security: Why It’s Important

Cloud computing and mobile technologies have drastically transformed the business landscape. Today’s world is powered by applications, and as a consequence, all companies are investing in IT and incorporating software in their operations—regardless of their stature or what they do.

As more and more enterprises are now embracing the idea of developing their own applications, the risk of cyber attacks and hacks have also risen significantly. While they greatly enhance the way your company interacts with its customers, web applications present cybercriminals with another entry point to your important assets and sensitive data.  According to the results of a survey conducted by Telstra, nearly 60% of companies in Australia detected a breach in cyber security during 2016. Furthermore, Verizon’s Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) reveals that web applications are the number one source of data breaches.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that application security has become a necessity for organizations, rather than an option. This blog post will bring light to the importance of web application security.

Protection of Confidential Information

When it comes to e-commerce and online shopping, the main concern of most individuals is the safety of their sensitive personal information. This is why they hesitate to share personal data online. Web application security is crucial for companies to assure their customers that their data and information is in safe hands.

Maintain Market Reputation

Cyber attacks are increasing in frequency and sophistication at a daily basis and there aren’t many companies left that haven’t suffered a security breach at some point. Even Amazon, one of the world’s largest online retailers, was recently hit with a data breach. However, companies that do manage to remain safe from such attacks reap the rewards of a better industry reputation and a rise in the number of customers they serve.

Lawsuits & Penalties

Data breach or any other type of exposure of confidential information can have serious consequences for a company. In addition to loss of customer loyalty, data breaches can result in legal liabilities and lawsuits against your company.

Your company might have to pay large amounts of money as settlements. Moreover, some industries have regulations and legal compliance requirements which mandate a certain level of application security. An example is the PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Failure to meet these requirements and regulations can result in fines and even cancellation of certification.

With Lean Security’s web application scanning services, you can fortify the defences of your organization’s application and prevent cyber attacks and data breaches. Contact us for further information.

How Malware Can Impact Your Business Website

In today’s hyper-connected world where most of the business happens online, your company’s website is perhaps its most valuable asset. In addition to being the online face of your company, your website generates sales, processes transactions and promotes your business. Protecting this valuable resource from cyber threats such as malware is crucial if you want your business to be successful.

Malware is one of the major security threats that plague the online operations of organizations. According to Accenture, malware attacks cost companies an average of $2.4 million. Furthermore, malware threats are increasing in frequency and sophistication on a daily basis. According to reports from the internet security teams at Verizon and Symantec, approximately one million malware threats are released on a daily basis.

What is Malware?

In basic terms, malware is a type of insidious software created by cyber criminals. It is primarily used to infiltrate and cause damage to computer systems and networks. Malware comes in different forms, which include viruses, spyware, worms and ransomware.

Over the course of this blog, we’ll discuss how malware can affect your organization’s website.

Alter Your Website’s Appearance

Something known as defacement, cyber crooks can use malware to gain control of your website and replace its content with their own messages. The purpose of this attack is to turn away the visitors of a website by offending them with explicit messages. These messages often have a political or religious agenda and hackers commonly target important government websites. Here is an instance of hackers defacing a Western Australia Government website.

Divert Your Visitors to Other (Often Malicious) Websites

Hackers also use malware to divert the visitors of a website to other, often malicious, websites. According to data, malicious redirects account for 17% of all malware infections, making them one of the most prevalent cyber attacks.

Cause Your Site to Get ‘Blacklisted’

Major search engines, such as Google, scan websites for malware. Sites that have been infected with malware may be removed from the search results in order to prevent users from visiting them. This is called ‘blacklisting’.

A search engine my also show a warning to visitors to let them know that a site is infected. You don’t need us to tell you that if your website has been blacklisted, it will lose traffic and the reputation of your company will suffer.

Allows Cybercriminals to Gain Access to Your Site

Cybercriminals use a type of malware called ‘backdoors’ to gain access to sites. Once they have access, hackers can wreak havoc in multiple ways which include changing your website’s appearance and exposing the sensitive data of customers.

A solid defence against malware and cybercriminals is imperative to the success of your company. With Lean Security’s professional security testing services, you can protect your website from malware and automated attacks. Contact us for further details

DDoS Attacks: All You Need to Know

Most people think that high-speed internet and increasingly reliable defence methods have made DDoS attacks a thing of the past.

They’re wrong.

The threat of a DDoS attack is very much alive today and is as dangerous as ever. Statistics reveal that there are over 400 DDoS attacks per day in Australia. Furthermore, GitHub, an American web-based hosting service provider was hit with a world record-setting DDoS attack in March of this year.

Over the course of this blog, we’ll discuss what a DDoS attack is and the dangers it poses.

What is a DDoS Attack?

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make a targeted online system or service unavailable by swarming its servers with traffic from multiple addresses, until the point the server goes down. DDoS attacks target all sorts of online platforms such as banks, online merchants and news websites. If successful, DDoS attacks can make important data inaccessible. These attacks come in a variety of different forms. Here are four of the most common ones.

1. TCP Connection Attacks

This type of DDoS attack functions by consuming all the connections to infrastructure devices such as application servers, load balancers and firewalls. TCP Connection attacks are so potent that they can even take out powerful devices that have millions of connections.

2. Volumetric Attacks

All about causing congestion, volumetric DDoS attacks either use up all the bandwidth within the network of the target, or the bandwidth between the network of the targeted service and the internet.

3. Application Attacks

Application attacks swarm a particular aspect of a service or an application. It can be very challenging to detect and mitigate these as they are even effective with a low traffic rate.

4. UPnP Attack

This type of attack attempts to exploit an existing weakness in the UPnP (Universal Plug and Play Protocol) to bypass most of the integrated defence methods and swarm the target’s servers and network.

Smokescreen DDoS Attacks

In addition to bringing down the targeted online service, DDoS attacks are also used as a decoy for other cyber attacks such as financial fraud and data breaches. In many cases, an incident of data breach is preceded by a series of DDoS attacks. Hackers use DDoS attacks as a component of an attack strategy. The hacking initiates with DDoS attacks which divert the attention of the defence team, leaving an open playing field for hackers to inflict some serious damage.

To ensure that the servers and network of your organization are safe from threats such as DDoS attacks, contact us at Lean Security. We are experts in web security assessment and we offer affordable and effective security testing services.