What do we understand by endpoints? Traditionally, an endpoint was any device connected to the LAN or WAN such as a workstation or end-user PC, a modem, a hub or a switch. Now endpoints incorporate a multitude of additional digital devices from laptops, tablets and mobile phones sitting on the edge of the network, to network printers, consumer and industrial IoT devices and point-of-sale systems. Securing this ever-expanding portfolio has become urgent because these devices represent a significant risk to the cloud ecosystem and the global enterprises that are on or moving towards it.
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Equipping remote call centre agents to protect customer data
The challenge for call centres over recent months has been how to balance the safety of employees and support them working remotely, with a lack of access to secure systems that could connect them to customer files, policy documents, and payment processes.
Financial Services data is at risk from attacks on unprotected endpoints
The past month has seen some organisations asking their employees to return to work while others are encouraging teams to stay at home and continue to work remotely. Continue reading
Protect the chain as data flows from the keystroke to the cloud
Data is at risk from the second that a key is pressed on an endpoint to the point when it reaches the corporate cloud and is stored. In fact, the most vulnerable point in the entire process is at the very beginning when the user presses a key, and this is where protection needs to be prioritised.
Remote workers face onslaught of malicious cyber threats
At the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, I predicted that cyberattacks would increase by 30-40%, and it gives me no pleasure to see this happening before my eyes. We carried out a survey in the latter half of April amongst 1550 UK employees working remotely due to the crisis which found that 42% had received suspicious emails and 18% had already tackled a security breach since lockdown began. Continue reading
Never has a security blanket been more needed
For those that can, remote working is becoming the norm as we learn to adapt to restrictions imposed by the coronavirus crisis. But while we take measures to protect ourselves physically, when it comes to protecting ourselves and the businesses we work for, or manage, from cybercrime, the battle is only just beginning.
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Protected endpoint applications provide common security posture for enterprise cloud ecosystems
The corporate cloud is accessed by endpoints in a variety of environments – from within the corporate physical environment (managed devices), employees accessing remotely (such as from home or a café or hotel), and from customer and supplier environments: Continue reading
Coronavirus work-from-home policy introduces heightened security risk
There have been ample warnings about phishing emails capitalizing on the coronavirus outbreak, as phishing attacks tend to employ current fears to entice users. That much should be well understood as it occurs each time there are new widespread fears.
Top 3 ways to make Office 365 endpoints more secure
As business confidence in the security of the cloud continues to grow, Office 365 usage becomes more and more prevalent. Today, the Office 365 suite is used by just about every organization on the planet. It allows users to access their files from anywhere (such as from home) and from multiple devices (thin client, laptop, tablet, mobile), and it empowers collaboration. This improves work productivity and efficiency.
Malware C2 communication using Domain Generation Algorithms
Many families of malware (such as those used in APTs), as well as botnets used for DDoS attacks, periodically contact their Command & Control server (C2) in order to receive instructions, downloads of updated code, or to exfiltrate stolen data. C2 servers can also be used to provide attackers remote access to a compromised system. If the malware developer hardcodes the domain name (or a static list of domain names) of the C2 server, then a security company could reverse engineer the malware code to discover the domain name. Security organisations could then blacklist the C2 domain or authorities could take it down, a process known as sinkholing. Once C2 traffic is blocked, the malware controller can no longer communicate with any of the malware installations, and cannot receive any data.
