Home · Security

In Shift, U.S. Talks to Russia on Internet Security

The United States has begun talks with Russia and a United Nations arms control committee about strengthening Internet security and limiting military use of cyberspace.

American and Russian officials have different interpretations of the talks so far, but the mere fact that the United States is participating represents a significant policy shift after years of rejecting Russia’s overtures. Officials familiar with the talks said the Obama administration realized that more nations were developing cyberweapons and that a new approach was needed to blunt an international arms race. More...

12-13-2009 09:57

Senate Panel: 80 Percent of Cyber Attacks Preventable

If network administrators simply instituted proper configuration policies and conducted good network monitoring, about 80 percent of commonly known cyber attacks could be prevented, a Senate committee heard Tuesday.

The remark was made by Richard Schaeffer, the NSA’s information assurance director, who added that simply adhering to already known best practices would sufficiently raise the security bar so that attackers would have to take more risks to breach a network, “thereby raising [their] risk of detection.”

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security heard from a number of experts offering commentary on how the government should best tackle securing government and private-sector critical infrastructure networks. More...

11-18-2009 08:58

Small firms more susceptible to cyber crime

CHICAGO (Reuters.com) - A couple years ago a crippling cyber attack on one of Nanette Lepore's haute couture boutiques served as a wakeup call for the fashion retailer to get serious about its online security.

In 2007, Nanette's Las Vegas store had its router hacked by a cyber criminal and confidential point-of-sale information was accessed, potentially impacting hundreds of the company's well-heeled patrons. The sensitive data was then transferred to Italy, where it was used to create phony credit cards that were subsequently distributed in Spain.

After a meeting with FBI and local crime officials, the Caesars Palace store was shut down during crucial Saturday shopping hours, but the company gained a valuable lesson about protecting its data.

"If they can gain access to your network routers, you're pretty much an open book," said Jose Cruz, Nanette Lepore's director of information technology, who has since developed a Fort Knox-like security protocol for the confidential information flowing through the company's 10 boutiques and its New York headquarters. "The first thing I did was lock it all down."

Unfortunately Nanette Lepore is not alone among small and medium-sized businesses for its lack of planning for a cyber attack. A new study issued by the National Cyber Security Alliance and software company Symantec confirmed that small businesses are among the most vulnerable to Internet crime due to their unstructured approach to online security.

The study found only 28 percent of small businesses have formal Internet security policies, despite the fact they store valuable data such as credit card information, financial records, intellectual property and other sensitive content online. Only 35 percent of the small businesses polled provided any training to employees about Internet safety and security, according to the study, which surveyed 1,500 firms across the United States. At the same time, 86 percent of respondents had no single individual focused on IT issues. More...

11-08-2009 12:21

<< First < Previous [6 / 10] Next > Last >>