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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Ways Through Which the NGFW Acts on the Cyber Security Systems

When we use web based applications for network traffic, we come across a number of security threats. And with the rising consumption of network bandwidth, there is also an increase in the demand for a next generation firewall (NGFW).

Since the next generation firewalls use an integrated network platform that performs a comprehensive inspection of incoming traffic and blocks threats that leave your PC vulnerable, the next generation firewall includes all the standard capabilities that you can find in first generation firewalls-specifically Network Address Translation, packet filtering and state full packet inspection.

The NGFW will follow the below mentioned criteria to offer the best network security for you: Scanning- like first gen firewalls, the NGFW has the capability to detect potential threats in the form of deep packet inspection often known as DPI. They can scan applications against a growing database of signatures and provide real-time visualization into the network by taking custom applications into account. Also, the next generation firewalls extend application intelligence and control to wireless endpoints.

Performance- the NGFWs have the capability to support in line, bump-in-the-wire configuration without disrupting network operations. With the help of the state full packet inspection, the NGFW procurators each file and network connection so that it can enable DPI and degrade the performance significantly. Therefore, an ideal NGFW will provide real time DPI.

Management- to achieve excellent cyber security and strong ROI, next gen firewalls need proven distributed management solutions. By implementing the intrusion prevention system, the management platform distributes the solution effectively. If the vendor lacks the cohesive distributed management platform, it complicates the management process and adds to the solution's total cost of ownership (TCO).

Reporting- the NGFW provide support for NetFlow/IPFix. These are two industry standards used for reporting on network traffic flows to external collectors that are typically meant for switches and routers. The NetFlow exports data such as IP address source and destination, source and destination ports, Layer 3 protocol type and class of service. Both the IP Fix and NetFlow version 9 can be extended to export traditional data off the network device including application data, user data and URL data.

By integrating the intrusion detection system and intrusion prevention system, the next generation firewall will help users and the companies to regain control and provide the best network security. Before finding the best NGFW make sure that it fulfils all your cyber security requirements to ensure that it performs effectively.

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How Dangerous Is Phishing?

Have you posted in an advertisement online recently? You may soon be a victim of Phishing scam.

The way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masking as a trustworthy entity through electric communications is known as Phishing. Social websites, online payment processor, auctions sites or IT administrators are commonly used to attract the innocent people.

Hundreds and thousands had spread the threats of the internet (phishing) dangerous websites, serving viruses, spyware, stealing passwords, credit card numbers, bank account data etc. Users are recommended to have an anti virus download for you to be secured against unsafe pages with Trojans, viruses, phishing, stealing passwords etc. With antivirus, each page you load in your browser will be checked in an internet anti-phishing database. Which can probably cause your internet speed to go slow, but it's quite worth to be safe.

Having an anti virus download in your browser will notify you whenever you accidentally visited a wrong page. Scammers had been able to duplicate pages with a high degree of accuracy with the intention of stealing user information. That's why users may sometimes think that it is the real website but it is definitely not, it is a scam. Those who fall for this scam will have their accounts compromise and they may never know it.

As technologies grow more in progress, the scammer's phishing techniques being used are also moving ahead. To prevent this internet phishing, one should have Antivirus download and should have the knowledge of different types of phishing techniques and be educated about anti-phishing techniques to protect you to be a victim of phishing. Here are some of the phishing techniques:

Email / Spam

Phishing with email and spam is a very frequent phishing scam. Majority of the messages have an insistent note which obliges the user to enter identification to update account information, verify accounts and change details.

Web Based Delivery

One of the most complicated techniques. Also known as "man-in-the-middle," the hacker is connecting the original website and the phishing system. The scammer traces details throughout the transaction among the legal website and the user. As the user keeps on passing information, it is assembled by the scammers, without the innocent user knowing about it.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is the process in which the user receives a message attached with a link leading them to a fake website, which definitely have the same look and seems as the valid website. If the user won't notice to look at the URL, it's really hard to tell the dissimilarity between the true and the fake one. Antivirus download would be beneficial to you as mentioned above.

Session Hacking

In this technique, the phisher utilizes the web session control mechanism to take information from the user. With their simple session hacking procedure known as session sniffing, in this situation, the phisher can use a sniffer to catch significant information so that they can access the Web server illegally.

Database Security - Multi-Level Access Security

Application software would fail to meet its objective if there is no controlled access to information in its database. Database is a repository of data. The information contained is not meant for the consumption of just anybody and should not be accessible by just any user. Those that are highly sensitive and confidential should be viewable and updatable only by trusted users deemed worthy of such privilege while those that are less confidential should be viewable and updatable by users deserving lower privilege. Thus, it is reasonable to grant users different levels of access to database information so that while some users can only view and search certain records, those with higher privilege can insert, update and delete records and even alter table structure. This situation is called multi-level access security. The result is giving different levels of authority to users over the records in the database for effective control, accountability and security enforcement purposes. This is achieved by granting users certain privileges based on available user groups.

On your stand-alone personal computer, you can afford to create only one user account for a user who will be the only one that will be capable of accessing the database with his username and password. However, in a multi-user system, it is a different ballgame. There are multiple users accessing the database and due to this, there must be some varying levels of restrictions among the authorized users to the database depending on the level of authority the user is entitled to. The responsibility to authorize use of Database Management System (DBMS) rests with the Database Administrator (DBA) staff or the Database Administrator who must set up individual user identifiers and create individual accounts in the process. Each user identifier is associated with a password that should be known only to the user and DBMS uses this information to authenticate the user. The administrator can also set up group identifiers and create user members for each group.

Authorization is the granting of a right or privilege which enables a user to have legitimate access to database objects. The privileges are granted by an SQL GRANT statement. Authentication is a mechanism that determines whether a user is, who he or she claims to be.

Privileges are the actions that a user is permitted to carry out on a given base relation (table) or view. Examples are:

ALL PRIVILEGES - user is allowed to do anything. USAGE - user is only allowed to log in. He cannot do any other thing. ALTER - user can modify existing tables structure and indexes. CREATE - user can create new databases and tables. DELETE - user can delete table entries. DROP - user is allowed to delete tables and/or databases. INDEX - user is allowed to create and/or delete indexes. INSERT - user can add new table entries. SELECT - user can view/search table entries. UPDATE - user is allowed to modify table entries.

Consider the following SQL statement:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON assets.* TO admin identified by "adminpass";

When the SQL is run, it would grant all privileges to a user created with username admin and adminpass password. The user will have all privileges on all the tables in the assets database. In this way, you can create an admin user group which will be for the database administrator(s). There is an omission of the KEYWORD WITH GRANT OPTION in the SQL statement. This prevents user admin from automatically passing all its special privileges on to other users when he (the administrator) is creating other user accounts. When the administrator connects to the DBMS with his username admin and password adminpass using a script also having an SQL statement like the following:

GRANT SELECT, UPDATE ON assets.* TO marketing identified by "mkt" WITH GRANT OPTION;

a user account marketing is created with username marketing and mkt password and with the capability of doing only 2 things on all tables in the assets database- select and update records. This is a way of creating another user group called marketing. There is the addition of the WITH GRANT OPTION clause. This enables the user group marketing to pass privileges SELECT and UPDATE on to other users like members of the marketing user group. The users receiving the privileges may in turn grant them still to other users. With the WITH GRANT OPTION clause omitted in SQL GRANT statement creating the admin account, the administrator can maintain tight control over who has permission to use the object and over what forms of access are allowed.

Creation of user accounts can be done manually by the administrator directly in the database or programmatically using a script that connects to the DBMS with his credentials and that runs SQL GRANT statement that contains variables that can hold new usernames and passwords passed to them. He can, for instance, add more users to the user group marketing by running such script or do it manually. The SQL GRANT statement will grant same privileges granted to the marketing user group.

All previously granted privileges to a user can be removed from the user by the use of the SQL REVOKE statement. For instance, the following statement:

REVOKE SELECT, UPDATE ON assets.* FROM marketing; strips user group marketing of its SELECT and UPDATE privileges.

Copyrights reserved.

6 Key Considerations For Printing Companies Implementing a Secure File Transfer Solution

The service that printing companies offer both consumers and businesses alike seems relatively straightforward on the surface - they take graphics files and print them. This is however, as you'd expect a very simplistic overview of the business processes that a printing company goes through to produce the final product.

The business process follows a certain pattern which is the same across most printing businesses. Someone requiring a brochure, business cards, magazine or some other document will make contact with the printer. The printer will provide a price for the job, generally created from within a Management Information System (MIS) and is assigned a job number. At this point the printer anticipates the receipt of a file from the customer, but how?

Many printers have in the past received files as email attachments. However, with the increasing problems caused by email attachment limits, no guarantee of delivery and frequent file corruption taking place, email is not suitable for this purpose. Many printers now happily use FTP for receiving files but these systems don't tend to be particularly user friendly. Perhaps more importantly they don't offer much in the way of integration capabilities, depending upon the solution and the way in which it's been deployed.

So, what are the key considerations for a printer when implementing a file transfer solution. Well there are a number of things to consider, these are;

1. Keep it simple

When implementing a solution it should cater for a wide range of customers with different technical abilities. Generally a web browser based system is considered better than FTP for user adoption, which also offers branding opportunities.

2. Flexibility is key

Whilst a web browser might work for some customers, FTP or email based delivery will work for others. A range of delivery protocols is a must for non-technical customers.

3. Make sure your customers data is secure

Customers may send commercially sensitive documents or depending upon the type of printer, financial documents, reports and accounts, credit card statements and more. Providing a secure file transfer solution is essential and consideration for the security of data whilst in transit and at rest after delivery should be taken into account.

4. Auditing & notification

Tracking and logging who sent what and when, is a necessity for printing companies. All too often, disputes can arise relating to when a file was sent in, or not, specifically if they have missed a print run or a deadline. A full audit trail negates any dispute and when coupled with automated email notifications and file manifests on receipt of files, the printer can rest assured that the outcome will be better relationships with their clients.

5. Automation using XML/JDF

The problem that many printing companies have with their existing FTP solutions is the lack of integration capabilities. Printing companies rely on automation to streamline operations in a marketplace where margins are slim. Providing XML/JDF Job Tickets and workflow forwarding to integrate with CTP workflows or MIS systems is more often than not a necessity, rather than a nice to have.

6. File sending

Once files have been received, often the printer needs to send a PDF proof, preflight report or the file back to the client for changes to be made. Therefore, a printers file transfer solution needs to provide a simple way to get the files back to customer with the minimum of fuss. Using embedded links within emails for a simple one-click download is considered the norm and if it can be integrated with the workflow to further automation, even better.

If a printer manages to tick all of the above boxes when implementing a file transfer solution, the technology in most cases will be deemed to be successful. Rather than proving to be the bottleneck to the business, which many cheap online services tend to be, the file transfer solution becomes an integral technology that assists them in providing a more streamlined and automated business workflow.

Are All VPN Services Created Equally?

What is a VPN

The concept of Virtual Private Networks, also known as VPNs has continued to drive modern business. And, with the technological expansion arises VPN services that are perfect for personal or individual use. However, the use of an organizational infrastructure that relies solely on the user's ability to access the system from remote locations has opened the proverbial flood-gates to uncensored Internet access that spans continents. There are security issues that must be considered, though, and because of the varying degrees found through VPN service providers, research should always be conducted before settling on the VPN service that will maintain your personal communications and protect sensitive information.

Important Elements

Exploring the VPN marketplace should be an extensive task, as individuals looking to utilize the technology will want to keep five key points in mind: speed, reliability, encryption, customer care, and of course cost. Any provider that lacks in one of these areas can leave you frustrated.

Simply hearing how fast a VPN can be means little in the grand scheme of things. Instead, inquire about any speed limitations and learn how the system will perform when being used in less-than-optimal conditions. Further, encryption quality is always important, as much of the information being delivered across the digital infrastructure is sensitive in nature and must be protected at all costs.

VPN Providers: Free vs. Paid

Free VPN providers have raised quite a few eyebrows since emerging in the marketplace and the competition that rages with paid VPN organizations continues to escalate. There are a few key points that users should be aware of, however. Free VPN providers still cost money to operate, which means that corners are generally cut through the use of advertisements, lacking customer care, and a digital network that is very crowded. Further, they may not protect your information, as it has incredible value - beware of how your information is being used or sold!

Paid VPN companies, on the other hand, are able to use the fees to provide a quality experience to each of their clients, ensuring that privacy policies are stringent and properly implemented and that speeds are always top-notch. Even more, customer service is usually top notch with paid VPN services. Eager technical engineers are ready to solve your every issue. Even if you are a non-technical user the customer support will guide you through any steps you might have to undertake to connect your VPN.

The Importance of Intrusion Detection System Software for Internet Security

Generally, a network security system provides security and fulfills the data requirements on one's system with features that exude a sense of reliability, usability, integrity and safety at the same time. Since online hackers develop stratagems to outwit firewall security networks on a regular basis, it directly influences large firms as they become vulnerable to such threats online. Firewall protection software is specially designed to obstruct any illicit access and security threat or to deny or decrypt any random harmful information that travels through different domains online.

The best thing about a firewall internet security system is that it creates a network address translation, which directly influences one's identity behind a private address and can be utilized by proxies. It helps in regulating and spreading effective traffic and thus people who can default their internet security probably aren't making the best use of their firewall security software.

A bit of modification or the advanced use of firewall security tools can make a whole lot of difference and can subsequently hinder common problems associated with computer systems that take place frequently if they are not equipped with a dynamic firewall protection system. In the meantime, proxy servers deal with connecting two computer networks separately. This role allows them to serve different functions to protect a private network as a whole.

Firewall intrusion system helps in minimizing the vulnerability of threats thus drastically minimizes risk factor on one's PC effectively. It protects precisely and doesn't override authorized outbound connections as it can report its creator anytime to process treats on system. Since there are varied choices to choose from firewall protection software one can considerably choose the one that certainly matches with your requirement. Firewall plays an import role it helps with the concept of communication between network devices and thus breaks it down to different precise small packets. These packets enclose original messages from originator of threats to recipients and thus firewall interprets threats effectively and read it authenticity to avoid problems later.

.On the whole, firewall protection safeguards one's system from illicit and unauthorized networks and thus is an essential part of one's PC. Be cautious when going online without the protection authorized firewall protection as working without it is simply asking for trouble. Firewall protection is necessary as vulnerability to Trojans and spyware may enable unauthorized access of your system and thus risking its security to the extreme. A failure to defend your computer may indicate a failure to protect your business identity, which may ultimately steer a person towards disaster.