Group items tagged

http://hassassociates-online.com/articles/security-holes/ Vulnerabilities The larger and more complex information systems are, the greater the possibility of error in logic and loopholes in algorithm. These are weak points that could enable hackers to breach a system and compromise the integrity of information stored. Programmers themselves who are not yet adept in writing software code can unknowingly misuse the code and lead to a vulnerability. A classic example of vulnerabilities that can be exploited is a weak password or its repeated use on various services or software. There are also websites containing malware that installs automatically once visited. Even legitimate software could be a venue for an exploit due to unknown errors (bugs) generated by the program. The end-user or the human element in information systems is arguably the weakest point that hackers easily utilize. 0-day exploits 0-hour or 0-day attack is the exploitation by outside parties of a security hole in a computer program which is unknown from its developers. The term comes from the premise that the attack unfolds on the "day 0, meaning no awareness as of yet from the developers so there is no opportunity and time to issue a fix for the threat. Zero-day exploits are usually shared among hackers even before the developer knew. Programmers could use the vulnerabilities via several avenues: on web browsers and email. Web browsers allow for a wider target. Meanwhile, using email, hackers can send a message that includes an executable file on the attachments, set to run once downloaded. Such 0-day threats are in the time frame where a security hole is exploited up to the time that the program developers issued a patch for it.

Hass and Associates Cyber Security/ Security Holes

Träffade dynor kraft för krig om skyhöga Internetrelaterad brottslighet Scotland Yard är att fyrdubbla antalet officerare att hantera IT-relaterad brottslighet över London, med senior polisen utarbetande i hundratals mer specialiserade utredarna att bekämpa vad de kallar "branschens tillväxt av den kriminella undre världen". Den nya cyber enheten - på grund av öppna tidigt 2014 - förväntas vara 400-stark, samma storlek som Trident, polisens anti gänget kommando. Utbyggnaden är svar på en 60 procent ökning i IT-relaterad brottslighet under det senaste året, kostar den brittiska ekonomin en uppskattningsvis £81bn. Scotland Yard budget för att bekämpa Internetrelaterad brottslighet kommer att tredubbla till mer än 15 miljoner pund per år. Officerare har dock gjort klart de kommer också att söka medel från den privata sektorn-banker, försäkringsbolag och återförsäljare är ofta riktade av online bedragare. Commander Steve Rodhouse, chef för organiserad brottslighet på Met, sade syftet var att göra London en "fientligt territorium" för cyberbrottslingar. Han sade att polisen har sett kriminella gäng "flytta från vad de historiskt sett har gjort", oavsett om det var rån eller andra våldsamma konfrontationer, till mer lukrativa och potentiellt mindre riskfyllda online brott. Läs mer: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/607c6688-52de-11e3-a73e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2lbeyJY00 Relaterat Innehåll: http://hassassociates-online.com/ http://hassassociates-online.com/articles/

(EurActiv) - Insurers are eagerly eyeing exponential growth in the tiny cyber coverage market. But their lack of experience and skills handling hackers and data breaches may keep their ambitions in check. High profile cases of hackers seizing sensitive customer data from companies, such as US retailer Target Corp or e-commerce company eBay Inc, have executives checking their insurance policies. Increasingly, corporate risk managers are seeing insurance against cyber crime as necessary budget spending rather than just nice to have. The insurance brokerage arm of Marsh & McLennan Companies estimates that the US cyber insurance market was worth $1 billion (€0.73bn) last year in gross written premiums, and could reach as much as $2 billion (€1.4bn) this year. The European market is currently a fraction of that, at around $150 million (€110mn), but is growing by 50 to 100% annually, according to Marsh. Those numbers represent a sliver of the overall insurance market, which is growing at a far more sluggish rate. Premiums are set to grow only 2.8% this year in inflation-adjusted terms, according to Munich Re, the world's biggest reinsurer.