4 security threats in 2014 |
In the first few weeks of each new year, you often see business leaders and managers setting goals for the year to come. Most of these goals are determined based off of trends that have been identified as valuable. When it comes to security however, it is a good idea to not look at trends but potential threats. By knowing what could threaten your business in the year to come, you can better prepare and protect. Here are four security threats businesses should be aware of in 2014. Increased attacks on cloud end-pointsCloud-based systems saw solid growth throughout 2013, with numerous systems being introduced and older systems reaching new levels or maturity. Small to medium businesses in particular were heavy adopters of these systems. Because of this, we expect to see an increase in attacks against cloud providers. Providers know this and take steps to ensure security of systems on their end. Hackers know this too, so will be likely going after the weaker points – end users. It is expected that hackers will begin targeting users of cloud systems with various schemes that try to gain control of computers and mobile devices. Once access is gained, they will go after their main target: Corporate or personal clouds and the data stored within. This could pose a problem for many companies, especially those who access cloud systems from their mobile devices. January and February would be a good time to look into the security of all of your systems, ensuring that your cloud-based systems are secure on all devices. Mobile malware will continue to gain popularityTake a step back for a minute next time you are in public and look at how many people have smartphones or tablets in their hands. Chances are, at least 60% or higher will. It is fairly obvious that the mobile device is the most popular trend in tech at the moment, and whatever is popular is also a target. We predict there will be an increase in mobile malware attacks throughout 2014. This could see either an increase in the number of apps that have malware in their code, or websites that host malware. When you visit a site with this malware, you are informed that you need to update an app, and when you agree to this the malware is downloaded and installed. This could prove to be a tough for companies to manage, especially since the number of mobile users will likely grow. If you haven’t started looking into how to secure mobile devices, now would be a good time to start. Growth in social engineering scams targeting mobile usersSocial engineering is the act of essentially tricking people to give away confidential information. Hackers have been using this for years – for example, emailing users telling them their bank account has been compromised, and that if they click on the link in the email and enter their account info, the account will be secured. In reality, the link is to a fake site that captures information which can then be used for any number of illegal activities. As we mentioned above, the number of mobile users is steadily increasing. This means that it is highly likely that hackers will begin to target these users with mobile specific social engineering. This could be tricking them into downloading an app which then steals information stored on the phone, or simply targeting those who use just their tablet. In order to prevent this from happening, you need to brush up on how most social engineering schemes work. You should also encourage your employees to look where the links in emails lead to and be aware that generally, most major businesses like banks don’t email customers asking for passwords or user names. Windows XP will become a big targetMicrosoft will stop support for Windows XP and Office 2003 in April of this year. What this means is that they will no longer be offering security updates, software updates or support for these products. It is a sure thing that these programs are about to become a big target, and that new security loopholes and exploits will be found on a regular basis after the cessation of support. For businesses that are using a newer version of Windows like 7 or 8, you should be secure from these exploits. If you are using XP on the other hand, you might want to upgrade as soon as possible. Contact us, we can help with that. From the overall looks of things, we think this year will see a drastic increase in mobile based security threats, along with attacks on older versions of software. Now is a good time to review your strategies regarding both mobile and the software/hardware you use, to ensure that it is secure. If you would like help with this, please contact us today for a chat. |
Take screenshots on Win 7 and 8 |
To the vast majority of business and individual users Microsoft’s Windows is the backbone of their computing experience. With a wide variety of functions and features, users can do almost anything on their computer. However, many of us still use only a few features on a daily basis, with features like taking screenshots being rarely used. These are still useful to know about though. |
5 productivity apps for 2014 |
Each new year many people, business managers included, set out on a course of self improvement. The goals or resolutions they set for themselves are often ambitious. Take for example boosting productivity. It’s not easy to improve your productivity, but there are a number of tools that can help. One such tool is the various mobile apps centered around this concept. |
Social media trends in 2014 |
Social media is now so common that it’s expected that a company has a presence on at least one network. Because of the high level of use, sites have started to enter a more mature phase, where users are finding other ways to leverage the services. We will undoubtedly see a change in the way businesses use social media platforms in 2014 and new trends emerging which companies will be acting upon. |
Help, my Android's frozen! |
Android devices are among the most popular smartphones out there. These small computers have revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with one another and will continue to become increasingly integrated into our daily lives. Like their larger cousins, Android devices do freeze from time-to-time. If this happens to your device, will you know how to deal with it? |