A recently discovered computer bug known as “Stagefright” is being called one of the worst Android vulnerabilities ever discovered. The bug, which affects Android versions 2.2 and up, currently leaves 95% of Google Android phones open for a cyber-attack.
All a hacker needs to victimize a user is their phone number. Once they have that, the hacker can send a multimedia message called Stagefright to an affected phone. This allows them to steal the user’s data and hijack the device’s functions (such as camera and audio functions).
continue reading
In the wake of recent massive data breaches and increasing rates of credit card fraud, US card issuers are migrating to a new chip-based card technology (formally known as EMV—Europay Mastercard and Visa). Currently, most US credit cards operate by magnetic strip—technology that can be captured and copied relatively easily. Most other countries use a small chip on the credit card to authenticate transactions. This chip technology implements cryptography and a several other security features ensuring multiple dimensions of protection against card fraud, which cost US banks $8.6 billion annually [1].
American card providers are launching EMV with chip and signature—to start— with aims to migrate to more secure chip and PIN down the road.
The first round of EMV cards – many of which are already in consumers’ hands – will be equipped with both chip and magnetic-strip functions to prevent disruptions to consumer spending during the migration to chip technology. For most consumers, this card migration is trivial as they have little stake in fraud prevention—many credit cards heavily advertise zero consumer liability [2].
Unfortunately, this card shift could add substantial costs to your business if you fail to comply with new credit card policy changes from the nearing chip migration.
continue reading
Even if you spend the majority of your time nurturing the growth of your business, you’ve probably noticed some disturbing headlines lately: “Forty Million Target Customers Affected By Data Breach,” “Cyber Attack Could Cost Sony Studio As Much As $100 Million,” “Hackers Penetrate West Wing Computer Network.”
Ten years ago, reports of computer hacking were rarely published in the mainstream media. Today it’s almost as common as the local weather. As a consumer, you’ve probably been worried about the safety of your personal data and what it might cost you if it got into the wrong hands. As a business owner, though, have you given it any serious thought? After all, what’s the real possibility that a hacker group would target the data stored on the servers of your individual company?
continue reading
If you are a CEO that is concerned about employees wasting time online using non-work-related websites like Facebook or Twitter, you may be missing the boat. The bigger risk to employee productivity is a very dangerous new virus called CryptoWall which cannot be stopped by your antivirus software. Here’s how it works: your employee goes to a website that has an infected advertisement on it. When the ad loads on the computer screen a pop-up is displayed. When your employee closes or clicks on the popup, their computer becomes infected.
I know what you are thinking: big deal. The computer is infected. We will just call Dynamic Edge, and they will remove the virus, per normal. Right? Wrong. The problem is that this virus works VERY quickly. So quickly that it destroys the data on the computer and any shared data on your network before you even notice the problem! Yep, you heard me right: ALL of your data. Imagine how this would affect your business.
continue reading
Do your customers ever get a busy tone when calling your office? Will you be unable to communicate with customers when the hardware fails in your office? Will it take more than a day to recover? Do your phone handsets look like they were manufactured in 1984? Are you paying more than $35 per user per month?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you need to read on…
Today, cloud based phone systems have solved the problem of aging-expensive-proprietary phone systems for thousands of companies like yours. Here are a few:
continue reading
Your company is at greater risk for a cyber attack than you may think! Though online security awareness is on the rise among businesses, many companies are still unaware of the best ways to avoid and prepare for cyber attacks.
Though there is no easy solution to preventing cyber attacks, education is the key. Ensure that your employees are able to recognize scam emails and know not to download suspicious attachments. Being able to effectively gauge the legitimacy of an online communication and having a plan in place in the event of a breach are great steps to help keep your company’s information safe.
continue reading
