So how to set up the company’s defense, its data, documents, and business continuity in a constantly evolving cyber context? Is a corporate antivirus still an adequate solution?

Corporate antivirus: how it works and why it’s not enough

To understand how the antivirus is positioned in today’s cybersecurity, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of its operating dynamics, which, however, do not differ from those of tools for personal/private use.

Let’s start by saying that the company must defend its endpoints since they are – in fact – the point of contact between the company and the market, and therefore also with the bad guys. The concept of endpoint protection is fundamental in the modern enterprise, regardless of the type of business.

Enterprise antivirus has been the (unique) synonym for endpoint protection for decades. 

There are two categories of antivirus: the unmanaged one, used above all at a personal level or in companies without structured IT, and the managed one, or with centralized management. The first version is installed on individual machines, and it is configured; rules and frequency of updating are defined, after which it is started and left to operate automatically. In the second case, however, the antivirus is installed on the server and protects the endpoints connected to it. Users manage unmanaged antiviruses and do not require intervention by corporate IT; in the second case, centralized management is required. 

Detecting only “known” viruses is a key feature of traditional antivirus. Their operating mechanism is quite simple and is based on the availability of signatures (signatures) that identify individual malware: the software compares the incoming files/data with the signatures available to it and, in case of a match, blocks the execution of the file and places it in quarantine (or deletes it, as the case may be).

In the contemporary cyber landscape, traditional antivirus faces many limitations. Between these:

• It cannot recognize Zero-Day attacks, i.e., those not yet known. In an era where attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated, it is necessary to move to more advanced systems that reach unknown threats.
• Unmanaged antiviruses only protect the endpoints where they are installed. All of this is hardly compatible with a working model that involves the use of many different endpoints, from the corporate desktop to the notebook, from the smartphone to the tablet. Not for nothing, antivirus was especially effective in the (only) desktop era.
• The attacker can modify the malware at any time to bypass the antivirus protections.
• Traditional antivirus signatures were updated cyclically, introducing a delay between the discovery of malware (and the creation of its signature) and the effective protection of the machine.
• Full system scans require the allocation of significant computational resources, resulting in slowdowns. Because of this, scans were often paused and never restarted.

Today’s Threats, From Zero-Day to Ransomware as-a-Service (RAAS)

The limits of traditional corporate antivirus push companies to look for more advanced solutions, which blend better with even complex corporate environments and, above all, provide real protection against today’s and tomorrow’s threats.

We have already mentioned Zero-Day malware, but let us also consider the phenomenon – particularly widespread nowadays – of RaaS, or Ransomware as-a-service. It is a service in which the team that develops the malware code (in this case, ransomware) provides it to third parties – sometimes together with low-code platforms – who configure and modify it to target specific companies. Then think of the surge in phishing in the early days of covid or how sophisticated social engineering attacks have become in recent years. In all these cases, a classic antivirus would be ineffective.

In a panorama of this type, however greatly simplified, the hypothesis of protecting the endpoints only with an antivirus, however centralized, would not be in step with the times.

The solutions: from Next Generation Antivirus to XDR

Over time, corporate antiviruses have become Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV) by incorporating various advanced technologies such as Machine Learning, behavior analysis, and anomaly detection technologies to extend the range of action and effectiveness towards new malware and, above all, modern attack dynamics.

The most significant step forward is linked precisely to Zero-Day threats, which become manageable with an NGAV. Then there are other benefits, such as the synergy with the cloud, which not only makes the solutions always up-to-date and state-of-the-art but can direct the most expensive operations in terms of computational power towards the cloud, offloading the endpoints from a burden not recently.

The limit of NGAV solutions, now very widespread, is mainly one: like the traditional antivirus, its modern version also operates at the level of individual endpoints. For this reason, NGAV is integrated into the most advanced cybersecurity strategies as a prevention tool, while EDRs – which will be discussed later – are the first line of defense. 

Defense against cyber threats goes beyond antivirus. Each company can decide the best solution to adopt according to its organization, the number of endpoints to protect, the industry in which it operates (some, such as pharma and healthcare, are highly regulated), budgets, and, far from secondary, the availability of competent IT personnel. Unlike antivirus, all systemic solutions require dedicated skills to operate effectively. Alternatively, cybersecurity management can be delegated to a specialized partner, a perfect operation in a world that evolves daily.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions are the next step to corporate antivirus. They adopt the concept of holistic protection of the whole organization. EDR solutions perform centralized monitoring of the behavior of all endpoints (detection), forward alerts to security teams, and implement automatic responses (responses) in the event of a high probability of attack. The use of AI technologies – in particular Machine Learning – provides these platforms with a powerful ability to recognize patterns and, therefore, detect the first signs of attacks.EDR platforms and NGAVs are part of a paradigm of security solutions that constantly evolves and includes even more advanced and integrated solutions such as XDR, an acronym for Extended Detection and Response, and the most advanced frontier of corporate Cybersecurity. XDR was created to extend corporate protection beyond endpoints, in the awareness that only integrating different data sources (e.g., endpoints and SIEMs) can ‘build’ and monitor accurate Indicators of Attack (IoA). XDR solutions, therefore, represent an essential step forward in the perspective of holistic protection against increasingly sophisticated attacks. 

Also Read : Cloud IT Infrastructure: How To Maximize Your Investment?

The post Why Is a Centralized Corporate Antivirus No Longer Enough? appeared first on Stuff In Post.

Services and business continuity were blocked, with consequent losses of millions of euros and considerable damage to the image of each company. And whatever the type of attack, the constant is that it almost always starts from a vulnerability.

It starts with a vulnerability. 

Whether the vulnerability is human or technological, cybercriminals will use it to break into the company’s systems. For this reason, even before thinking about how to secure corporate computer systems,  it is necessary to understand how an attacker will behave once he is faced with it. And the most effective and useful way to do this is to use companies that know how to play that attacker’s role through ethical hacking services.

Sometimes by exploiting social engineering techniques – for example, phishing – others by analyzing the attack surface and identifying vulnerabilities in the software, applications, and systems that support the infrastructure. 

Ethical hacking, why rely on expertise 

This is exactly what ethical hacking services are for exploiting real hacking techniques, the same ones used by cybercriminals, but in an ethical key, i.e., to detect which of these methods are effective. And, in cases where the ethical attack is successful,  report to the company the critical issues that have allowed it and the solutions to mitigate them.

It is a complex, delicate process that requires high-level skills since, on the one hand, it is necessary to think and operate like a cybercriminal, while on the other, it is necessary to report the results in a form that is understandable and usable by all stakeholders.   

Netmind is a system integrator with a long experience in ethical hacking services, thanks to the collaboration with the investee company  Pandigital. The offer is based not only on a series of individual services but develops as an organic path with well-defined stages, achieved through the best skills and technological innovations.

More than services, in this case, we are talking about a real security project, which begins with a  Vulnerability Assessment for advanced analysis of the internal perimeter of the company infrastructure and arrives at the  Penetration Test, in which real attack strategies are applied in an attempt to penetrate the system.

For this reason, all the procedures implemented are performed by professionals and not by automatic tools to embrace every option and take care of every detail. 

Netmind, for its ethical hacking services, adopts the  PTES  and  OSSTMM frameworks and guidelines for the infrastructural part of the tests and  OWASP  for web applications and web services. For this reason, these are very complex and specialized analyses that require competent operators and a well-regulated and organized workflow.

Very important, then, is the chain of activities that leads to the final outcome. And we are not just talking about a final report with a set of data that is difficult to read: the work of professionals such as those used is to prioritize the critical issues that have emerged and propose solutions to solve or mitigate them, thus raising the level of security of the infrastructure.   

The phases of the Penetration Test 

In the case of penetration testing, in fact, the most complex and symbolic activity, it always starts with a  kick-off meeting, in which the needs, scope of action, objectives, attack vectors, and threats to be represented are defined with the customer, as well as the deadlines to be respected.  

Following the signing of the contract, there is the drafting of the indemnity, which clarifies the responsibilities of the tests, to move on to scheduling the activities. A  kick-off call with the company’s IT department anticipates the actual training, followed by a  report and a  closing discussion. Where “closure” should be understood broadly: this meeting is followed by a follow-up to evaluate whether the solutions adopted to mitigate the vulnerabilities found are efficient and to plan any new tests to test the infrastructure again.  

In fact, if the world of digital innovation travels at x10 speed, that of cyber security travels at x20. This is why it is necessary to foresee, even in the phases following the implementation of the solutions, new analyzes and PTs such as  WPT  in black box mode (for Wi-Fi networks),  WAPT  (for Web Applications), and MAPT  (for Mobile Applications).  

A lever to allocate budget 

Ethical hacking services allow not only to verify of the real vulnerabilities of the technological infrastructure but also to invest more carefully in protection, taking into account the valuable results of the tests. This, combined with the prospect of less vulnerability to attacks capable of knocking out any type of company, and the achievement of compliance with laws and regulations, such as the GDPR, is the best leverage to highlight the importance of ethical hacking and convince managers to allocate a budget for safety.  

Also Read : Advantages Of The Cloud: What They Are And How To Exploit Them For Data And On-Premise Apps

The post Ethical Hacking And Penetration Test Services: How They Contribute To Corporate Security And Compliance appeared first on Stuff In Post.

Public administrations and listed companies are the targets of this new organized and informed crime. Most attacks aim to obtain sensitive data or corporate information assets, which, for economic compensation, are returned. Penalty for non-payment or temporary delay by the victim, publication of data, and the name of the hacked company, thus obtaining inestimable damage for the victim on duty.

But the problem of hacker attacks is related to more than just large companies or government agencies. All companies, even medium-small ones, can be involved and suffer serious damages, such as production stoppages for weeks or the failure of the business itself.

Many realities don’t even realize they’ve been attacked, and when they do, it’s often too late. In fact, cyber attacks can also be commissioned by competitors, and, in this case, it is even more difficult to identify them because the hack itself will never be made public.

What lies behind the cyberattacks is a well-organized criminal scene that is difficult to prosecute at a criminal level due to the many “grey areas” and the legislative differences of the States, which, in this case, also sin by lack of collaboration between them.

It follows that, nowadays, companies can only exempt themselves from the subject.

Fraud, phishing, and malware have increased exponentially during the lockdown, and a progressive sophistication of attacks and organizations between criminal groups has been observed. The increase in the number of systems companies expose has led to a parallel growth in attacks on network appliances, recording an attempt to gain abusive access to remote management systems. We certainly find the increase in smart working among the reasons for this exponential growth.

Last in chronological order is that of the Lazio Region, which was born from a PC of an employee in smart working.

But what are the most common attacks?

Certainly, malware still represents the most widespread threat (42%). Within this category, we also find ransomware with double expansion, which in Italy, in the last year, has led to an increase in cases of data breaches.

Ransomware is used in almost a third of the attacks. Still, among the other attack techniques, we also find phishing and social engineering, closely followed by those launched by exploiting the known vulnerabilities of the corporate network.

Here is the official data provided by the Ministry of the Interior of last year’s attacks and the first half of 2021 on individuals and companies. 

What are the solutions to prevent a cyber attack and mitigate the damage?

Surely a different approach, oriented towards the internal knowledge of one’s own vulnerabilities and the assets indispensable for the life (productive and otherwise) of the company reality, and a corporate cultural change are among the basic principles from which to start in order to defend oneself effectively.

Not just hardware and software, then! In fact, the human component determines the success of a security plan or its failure.

In almost 80% of cyber-attacks, human error gives the green light to malware via e-mail or one’s smart working station.

Educating your employees about possible threats and making them aware of the consequences of a cyber attack is the starting point for any good security policy.

Subsequently, it is necessary to foresee the implementation of adequate protection measures, the response, and the ability to recover the measures adopted.

Once the defense measures and the procedural security plan have been set up, you must constantly ensure that data recovery works correctly in your corporate network. This obviously requires considerable effort and is the reason why it is advisable to have this service managed externally. In this way, the corporate security plan will be constantly updated, tested, and tested by professionals who will periodically ascertain the good state of health and safety of the systems.

Also Read : Protecting Your Rights: The Importance Of Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney

The post Hacker Attacks Up 50%. Cyber ​​Security And Employee Training Can Save Your Business appeared first on Stuff In Post.

Business Continuity is the main objective of cybersecurity.

It is clear that one must pay attention to cybersecurity to protect one’s organization and, above all, guarantee satisfactory Business Continuity. It is a question of implementing a complete and complex strategy that starts with securing the corporate infrastructure from what may be the main external threats.

How to get cybersecurity and business continuity

This objective is achieved with a precise design of the corporate infrastructure. However, it must be accompanied by a constant updating process: the techniques used in conducting attacks change, and the response strategies must also change. Monitoring is equally essential: it detects any intrusion attempts, possible system breaches, or areas that need to be strengthened.

Cybersecurity and Business Continuity: focus on endpoints

What has just been described concerns the perimeter of the on-prem infrastructure, but the statistics of the attacks indicate the individual endpoints as possible critical points for security, whether internal to the organization or connected to the corporate infrastructure remotely. As far as possible, these risks must be evaluated and mitigated with appropriate policies, indispensable tools such as VPN, and an application setup available to the endpoint entirely managed and known by corporate IT.

The strategic vision of cybersecurity and business continuity

Cybersecurity is, therefore, a complex and virtuous process to be implemented obviously in “peacetime.” This context includes the strategic importance of a backup plan and a precise disaster recovery strategy that defines the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) or the Recovery Point Objective (RPO ) and has foreseen all the individual tasks to be performed.

WaaS, MIND Your and INTACTO by Netmind for Business Continuity and Cybersecurity

The ultimate goal is Business Continuity, defining a minimum level of service that must in any case and in any case be guaranteed in the event of an attack. In such a reasoned framework, we can speak of Cyber ​​Resiliency, or the ability of an organization to maintain its operations even in the presence of an attack.

Netmind solutions in a similar scenario can offer a granular and well-adaptable response to the different needs of organizations. The ordinary management of individual endpoints can be managed with the WaaS service, while MIND Your solutions can help us maintain, manage, and monitor the infrastructure.

INTACTO, the platform for cybersecurity and business continuity

Continuity INTACTO is an extremely flexible solution for cybersecurity and business: it offers backup management and a dedicated team for daily management, control, and restoration activities. Based on the needs of the various organizations, cloud services are also available for data backup and their redundant replication offered by Intacto. And for the more complex scenarios that require a higher Business Continuity, entire work environments can also be replicated with virtualization technologies and in the Cloud that can be activated only in the presence of problems.

Cybersecurity and Business Continuity as a service

An approach oriented towards Business Continuity and Cyber ​​resiliency requires skills and technologies that are unlikely to already belong to organizations or can be acquired on-prem also for economic reasons. The advantage of Netmind ‘s services also lies in this: organizations can address the delicate aspects of Cybersecurity, Business Continuity, and Cyber ​​resiliency through a certified partner with the major market players, such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Microsoft, able to offer and manage these solutions with a monthly fee and no initial infrastructure costs.

Also Read : Applying a Consumption-Based Model To The On-Premise Data Center: 5 Benefits

The post Cybersecurity And Business Continuity In a Single Package Of Expertise appeared first on Stuff In Post.

Cloud Video Surveillance

Among the main advantages from a technological point of view is centralized control, the fact of being able to update multiple workstations from a central location (without sending the operator on site), and remote control. However, much-improved functionality due to the covid, which has pushed digitization. But the cloud had a major impact on the business model, as it shifted the buying process from capital expenditures to operational expenses. This offers end users greater flexibility with respect to the purchase of technology, which is actually rented/borrowed according to the needs of the moment. This generates different revenue streams than in the past, being monthly but continuous fees: the vendor will therefore have a regular cash flow and will be able to upsell the products by offering different additional services. The same integrators will have to change their way of doing business and, above all, their mindset by entering into a management logic rather than a sales one. 

Artificial intelligence

But the real star of the investigation is obviously artificial intelligence. If the automatic video analysis made it possible to detect any anomalies (unattended bag, improperly parked car, crossing the line) and then alert the operator, the AI ​​solves the problem of false alarms, thus automating security processes on a large scale. But there are also some gray areas to evaluate before implementation. 

Where is the data located?

Let’s start with the cloud, where the greatest risk is data localization. How can we be sure that the cloud provider is providing us with a secure service that prevents user names and access rights from being shared externally? And if a third party checks my data, how can I mitigate contract change costs? What will prevent a provider from charging me thousands of dollars to switch to another provider and get back the data he has stored? Or, coming to a very current example, with the conflict in Ukraine, it could happen that a cloud provider suddenly cut off all the cameras produced in a certain part of the world: you would find yourself with systems that do not work out of control. All issues are to be taken into consideration.

New questions to ask

Artificial intelligence involves a total mindset shift for security system integrators. It’s not just a matter of understanding the hardware but also of understanding how the underlying software works. System integrators must ask at least five questions to their suppliers:

1. The first set of questions aims to verify the AI ​​performance as claimed by the manufacturer. Does the performance meet customer requirements? Is it easy to fool? What happens if you wear a disguise? Will the false alarms return?

2. The second set of questions is about privacy. How does AI fit into the privacy and data protection measures? The more advanced the AI, the more metadata is collected. Age, gender, what you wear, the car you drive, make, model and color are all collected and stored. Does all this expose you and your customers to any regulatory compliance risk?

3. Can you explain how AI works? Is this a magic box, or is it possible to explain why the algorithm made a specific decision?

4. The fourth set of questions concerns possible bias: Is there any bias in the way AI controls the outcome? For example, if the algorithm was only trained on Caucasians, what would it do when dealing with Asian facial features or people of color? Will the result be distorted? What is the quality of the dataset used to train the AI? 

5. Camera manufacturers offering AI rarely have an in-house team that develops algorithms. They typically use the training sets and algorithms available on the market. Therefore, when evaluating a new AI system, you need to ask what kind of dataset it uses, what its origin is, and whether it was lawfully obtained.

The Clearview AI case speaks volumes: can using such a solution get me in trouble? Where does the training set come from? Where does the algorithm come from? Could two vendors use the same training set and algorithm? And if so, how do they differ?

In the market of the future

In the coming years, software development capabilities will be the real focus: competition between vendors will be based on software capabilities rather than catalog size or price. Many AI companies will enter the market, and the competition between them will revolve around three main elements.

1. Metadata. Which vendor can give us better metadata extraction from video feeds or access control systems? How many attributes can be extracted from the image? What level of detail can be achieved?

2. Quality of inference. As you know, the same things can appear very different with varying light conditions. For example, a silver car can look white at night. Algorithms that can guarantee more accurate results and provide better inference from their engine will benefit.

3. Discover and create links between different attributes. One of the key uses of artificial intelligence today is in forensic research. Now we can type in the system: “I’m looking for a man with a blue shirt and black pants.” The next step will allow the system to automatically identify which car it arrived in, the vehicle’s make and model, and the license plate number. 

Artificial Intuition

Finally, we come to the Holy Grail of artificial intelligence solutions: artificial intuition. The human brain is able to make decisions even in totally new situations, thanks to experience and instinct. For algorithms, this is not possible. Not yet, at least, because as technology evolves and neural networks are refined, we will be able to see computerized systems with a certain intuition or the ability to understand new situations and therefore decide, independently, the best course of action. And this will naturally also open up an ethical issue.

Also Read : What bullish Candlestick Patterns Are And How To Use Them To Buy Stocks

The post Cloud, AI, And Change Of Mindset: The Security Of Today And Tomorrow appeared first on Stuff In Post.

In the course of this evolution, the physical and cyber worlds have increasingly interpenetrated, thanks to the ever deeper penetration of technology in every business process, from manufacturing production to personnel management, passing through commercial and promotional initiatives. Security has become increasingly integrated, becoming part of the totality of business processes.

At the same time, the skills of a Security Manager have also undergone constant evolution because they are directly linked to a landscape of risks that are constantly changing, following technological but also organizational developments, such as the massive adoption of intelligent working following the pandemic has shown. Similarly, the pandemic has boosted the concept of resilience, which has now become a key criterion for every business organization, also from a security perspective. 

New skills

In the last two years, in the wake of the discussions that are animating the planet, the concept of resilience and the consequent solutions have increasingly extended to the themes of sustainability (Bio Security, Environmental Crisis Management, Data Ethics & Responsibility), consequently leading Security Managers who have to expand and review their skills, also from an ESG perspective. Today, an effective integrated security model cannot ignore aspects such as governance, compliance, the environment, and the social fabric surrounding us.

Review governance models 

For companies and organizations, the expansion of the reference target has the purpose of protecting the value of the assets and guaranteeing the continuity of its mission in a two-way relationship with the users involved in any capacity, understood as employees, stakeholders, but also as communities, and social and environmental ecosystems directly or indirectly affected by the organization’s activities. For security to be sustainable, organizations must review their traditional governance and risk analysis models, following a series of distinct but strongly integrated guidelines: 

• Integrate risk scenarios – integrate risk analysis with sustainability issues (environmental protection, organizational well-being, production sustainability), thus giving new meanings to physical/logical protection measures for production systems, patents, and know-how. how of public interest;
• Balancing interests – operating a continuous balancing of interests between the company, users, and the community in the selection of high-impact surveillance security technologies and functions (facial recognition);
• Extend the scope of the solutions – include Bio Security and Access triage solutions and measures in the business security models, capable of mitigating high-impact pandemic risks on the organization’s reference communities and implementing updated and structured pandemic management plans ;
• Qualify suppliers and partners on ESG issues – extend the requalification process – on the security side – to suppliers and the consequent supply chain security processes, with the adoption of elements relating to the correct management of ESG issues also by critical collaborators; 
• Collect data correctly – promote the security and correct management of personal data relating to the reference ecosystem, promoting limits to access unauthorized use, and the dissemination of information also collected through corporate security and tracking devices (CCTV, video analysis, geolocation devices, and wearables); 
• Analyze hybrid (cross) risks – consider cross (cyber-physical) risks as the most dangerous from the point of view of sustainability because they are potentially associated with attacks on production or energy and water supply plants (e.g., smart grids and aqueducts), which are able to create the greatest impacts on the environment and on the well-being of communities, as well as obviously determining economic and production impacts on target companies.

A new approach

Only a sustainable approach to corporate security can contribute to achieving real organizational resilience, which goes beyond the ability to face single threats in the short term. The Security Manager must face a real change of mindset, dealing with issues that up to now have mainly concerned the heads of the business lines, if not the top management. For the same reason, security must become a topic of discussion at the Board level as an effective strategic tool as well as a fundamental business enabler.

Also Read : Face Biometrics: Safe, Fast, Covid-Free

The post Because Security Must Be Sustainable appeared first on Stuff In Post.

The pandemic then relaunched biometric identification by declining it to contactless recognition, that is, preferring to identify the person already from a distance and without exposing them to surfaces that should be constantly sterilized. The recognition distance is 50cm ~ 130cm, which makes access practical and, above all, quick.

The most recent face readers used in access control, therefore, aim to respond to requests (from the most common to the most professional) of all the areas in which they can be installed, even those of early identification, such as outdoor installations.

The most advanced terminals offer extraordinary Fusion Matching performance, i.e., they combine the visual recognition of the front camera with an infrared image in order to obtain the maximum identification accuracy and the best anti-spoofing performance (attempt to deceive the reading, for example, exhibiting a mask or photograph of another subject).

Identification and profiling

The contactless functions are not limited to the recognition only but also to the profiling of the admitted users: the registration can, in fact, take place remotely by inserting the photograph of the interested party in the management software, therefore without necessarily having him present. Hence the subsequent possibility of limiting access even in the absence of a mask or with a partially covered face. 

Large inflows

Important memory capacities also facilitate the use of similar terminals even in situations with numerous users for use in the corporate environment: they can manage up to 100,000 users and 50,000 faces and store up to 5,000,000 events. In such contexts, other identification technologies are often required, alternatives or to be added to face verification to raise security to the highest levels. The terminals can implement fingerprint readers, multiple frequency badges, mobile access cards based on NFC and BLE, and Template on Card, the latter option allowing authentication via biometric data stored in the cards and encrypted in accordance with the specifications provided by the GDPR, in full compliance with the most recent privacy regulations.

Anti-contagion functions

Still remaining in the pandemic environment, thermal imaging cameras can also be integrated to identify people with high temperatures and inhibit access. The terminals can also be used for multiple identifications of the subject and his Green Pass, a requirement that is now indispensable in many situations. Finally, by combining these terminals with appropriate attendance control software, personnel management is also possible in compliance with current regulations, guaranteeing integration with third-party payrol.

For everyone?

The areas of use of the aimed management terminals, as mentioned, range from the civil sector to the industrial one, passing through applications also in the medical field such as access management in operating theaters, where the sterile environment must always be preserved, and the Entry of doctors can occur without touching handles with gloves or other parts of the body. This technology is practical, efficient, fast, safe, and hygienic, and soon these characteristics will make it indispensable in many areas where it is still interpreted as futuristic or superfluous.

Also Read : Smart Parking: Technological And Professional Opportunities

The post Face Biometrics: Safe, Fast, Covid-Free appeared first on Stuff In Post.

A complete description of a Smart Lock system, in fact, focuses on three components:

• the lock (among the most common types, we find those of the magnetic and electromechanical types)
• the management system (app or desktop software)
• login credentials (PIN codes, RFID cards, fingerprints, QR codes, etc …)

The recent opportunity arises precisely in the context of credentials, which have undergone a significant revamp both in terms of smartphone use and in the direction of RFID already explored in the past. In both cases, the watchword today is undoubtedly one: contactless. That said, the modern panorama of this niche is, above all, the result of the historical evolution of the second component mentioned, namely the management system, an evolution that has taken shape both in the industrial and the civil sector in an interconnected way.

Offline systems

The first type of system developed by the sector, the “offline system,” consists of programming software installed on the desktop, the main purpose of which is to allow the writing of a master card that transfers all information relating to users and privileges to individual Smart Locks once they are read. In other words, the programming communication to the various locks does not occur directly from the software. Still, it uses the master cards so that the access permissions reach the readers (which are, in fact, not directly connected to the software and, therefore, “offline” ).

Limits and evolution

Subsequently, with the advancement of the Internet and the production capacities of manufacturing companies, the possibility of equipping each lock with a TCP / IP unit becomes concrete, making it capable of communicating directly with the software by emulating a control unit. A comfortable prospect, but one that does not convince, especially from an economic point of view.

Smartphone

More recently, we have seen the birth of smartphones and related apps. By now, there is something for all purposes, and among these could not miss security: in addition to CCTV systems and anti-intrusion systems, access control has made space by immediately taking advantage of the communication protocols typical of the Smart Home, such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Z-Wave. Hence, starting from the residential, the Smart Lock product could finally offer a fruitful connection to the management software or app.

Gateway

Everything solved? Not exactly, since the “one-to-one” control between the app and Smart Lock, so dear to the end user, is not exactly easy to project to the industrial sector. At what distance can I establish communication between the mobile phone and the lock? How many mobile phones can I give control permissions to the same lock at a time? If the smartphone on which the app was installed is lost, is it still possible to cancel the association between it and the Smart Lock?

Questions that have found a clear answer with introducing an intermediate element between network and lock: the Gateway. 

Online systems

By binding one or more Smart Locks to the elements mentioned above through one of the above protocols, it is then the task of the Gateway to connect to the network (typically via Ethernet cable) to give the software a real-time view of the locks. Ditto for programming users and credentials; direct, fast, and free of costly travel. Add to this the installation of software equipped with a communication module with the Gateways and, perhaps, a section for managing reservations that can be shared on the local network with customers to provide them with the login credentials on a mobile phone connected via WiFi: this is how we assist at the birth of “online systems.”

Contactless

While some types of biometric credentials continue to meet resistance from local legislations, the broader concept of contactless has recently gotten everyone to agree. Combining the benefits with the convenience offered by online systems, the direction of the Smart Lock market for the future seems clearer than ever.

Also Read : Chat Room Reviews -10 Popular Free Chat Rooms

The post Smart Lock: Access Control Within Reach Of a Smartphone appeared first on Stuff In Post.

In fact, it has already been widely demonstrated how video and audio can be used as a gateway for malware, and the algorithms used for deep fakes are becoming increasingly advanced. The Artificial Intelligence system activated the “detonator” through identification through biometric parameters. Some systems managed to remain silent, activating only when the intended victim was reached.

However, AI itself can – and in many examples, it already does – support and make Cyber ​​Security processes more efficient.

One component is enough.

Let’s start from the beginning and from a fundamental assumption: everything becomes central and primary; the periphery and the residual no longer exist. Equipment and individual subsystems are connected to each other and, in turn to users, as part of a single large “organism” that can be “attacked” not only directly in its “critical infrastructures” but violating any of its components – even residual ones – which then acts as a “bridge” to enter the heart of the main objective. It is, therefore, necessary to know and understand the criticalities brought about by technological convergence with relative global connection, to use all the advantages, minimizing the risks that can be mitigated by adopting technological, architectural, and procedural measures that are consistent and proportionate to the context and to the asset to be protected are its material,

How to reduce the risk

First of all, it is necessary to determine the new vulnerabilities introduced and then to protect each element that is part of the system and the communication channels between them; in any case, the basic rules for measuring risk remain unchanged and use the same reference parameters to define the probability and extent of what can happen. It is, therefore, always important to clearly carry out a context analysis and define in detail which assets are to be protected and any offenders. All this also gives balance and sustainability to protection and prevention activities that are consistent with the real risks and consequences of a criminal act.

Watch out for “intelligent agents.”

New factors come into play, which we could call Intelligent Agents, that is, any entity capable of perceiving the environment around it through sensors and performing actions through actuators. The Internet Of Things, i.e., the network of equipment, sensors, and devices other than computers, connected to the Internet: any electronic device equipped with software that allows it to exchange data with other connected objects; Artificial Intelligence, the ability of a hardware system to solve problems or perform tasks and activities typical of the human mind and ability, which creates machines (hardware and software) capable of “acting” autonomously (solving problems, performing actions, making decisions, etc. .), and, last but not least, Machine Learning, a system able to learn independently and learn from its mistakes, based on algorithms that analyze data: by learning from them, it is able to make decisions and make predictions. 

Does artificial intelligence play on defense?

It must also be said that some organizations are turning to AI not so much to solve their future problems completely but rather to shore up their current defenses.

To better understand how to address cybersecurity challenges, a major survey of 850 senior executives from IT Information Security, Cybersecurity, and IT Operations across seven industries across ten countries was conducted, which revealed:

• that global Internet business traffic will triple by 2023;
• that the increase in cyber attacks on critical operations within a company requires advanced capabilities that can only be provided through the use of AI-based systems;
• the need for effective and timely protection systems is growing.

In response to continuous attacks, the new frontier of cybersecurity can only be AI because it is with AI that hackers launch their attacks. 

Nearly one in five organizations used AI before 2019, and adoption is set to skyrocket, with two out of three organizations planning to use it immediately; three out of four IT managers say using AI has enabled their organization to respond faster to breaches. 

Three out of five companies say that using AI improves the accuracy and efficiency of cyber analysts.

Processes and procedures

The process of identifying and organizing the procedures appears fundamental, which starts from the creation of the data platform and arrives at the definition of governance through fundamental factors such as collaboration with the outside world, the implementation of the SOAR chain (Security – Orchestration – Automation – Response) and the creation of a team of cyber analysts. 

Organizations need to build a roadmap that addresses and resolves issues related to infrastructure, data systems, application landscapes, skills gaps, best practices, governance, and the selection and implementation of use cases. Taking these actions will allow organizations to avoid unnecessary losses and, in some cases, add additional income sources.

Also Read : Top 5 Oneplus Products Under Rs. 80,000

The post Artificial Intelligence And Cyber ​​Security: a Winning Combination appeared first on Stuff In Post.

This phenomenon, prevalent in recent years, is called crypto locker and has been able to bring entire companies to their knees, not just individual home users.

Yet, despite being a widespread and known problem, not everyone is preparing to protect themselves adequately. It is not a trivial question of security but more of mentality: many companies do not dedicate time and resources to backup systems.

Bad prevention is also to blame: if so many attacks are successful, it is due to the lack of attention to protecting one’s data.

And it is not enough to consider yourself attentive. It would be like thinking that you are safe from road accidents because you are sure to drive responsibly, neglecting the possibility that others are causing the rear-end collision.

A protection tool is always useful, even in the mobile phones of those who make proper use of their technology. Not for anything else: a telephone is a tool that we carry with us everywhere. It contains any information about our life, from personal data to access codes to accounts and cards, which many trivially even keep in notes files accessible to anyone.

Regardless of everything, it is always good to periodically change your accounts’ passwords and perhaps differentiate them as much as possible from each other, choosing them so that you can never forget them without having to write them down inaccessible places.

Password managers are also very common: some advise against them, arguing that they are still applications that can be accessed within products – such as a mobile phone – which could be vulnerable, but there are also excellent ones, for a fee, created by secure companies.

Another solution is given by the two-factor authentication, which is very common in bank accounts, but which can also be included, for example, in access to emails.

However, our precautions will never guarantee absolute protection; it must be taken into account that there will always be a percentage of risk. This is why we need to know how to choose the protection information systems that best suit our needs.

Also Read : What Are The Good Reasons To Use Crypto Currency?

The post Cyber ​​Security: Data Protection And Crypto Locker appeared first on Stuff In Post.