Posts Tagged ‘cyber security’

FireHost Joins The Cloud Security Alliance

by FireHost Evangelist on August 3rd, 2011

FireHost is honored to announce a partnership with the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). FireHost will serve as a member on the CSA Advisory Council and will be working with the other CSA corporate members to support thought leadership and endorse best practices for providing secure cloud hosting environments.

Cloud security is a hot topic throughout the industry and the discussion is not complete without mentioning how the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) has been influential in ensuring major security issues are addressed and averted. Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), a non-profit organization formed to promote security in cloud computing and education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all environments.

FireHost’s deep experience in virtualized and secure hosting is a welcome expertise for The Cloud Security Alliance,” said Jim Reavis, executive director of the Cloud Security Alliance. “We’re confident FireHost will be an asset in helping the CSA continue to innovate in developing best practices for securing providers in the cloud.

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SSL Your Way to a Safer, More Successful Cart

by FireHost Evangelist on April 13th, 2011

SSL (secure socket layer) Technology is the web standard for securing and encrypting confidential PII (personally identifiable information) on eCommerce websites. Every piece of information transmitted on a https:// page is encrypted by an advanced cipher (often 128-bits or more) to help prevent unwanted parties from obtaining credit card numbers, home or work addresses, passwords, social security numbers, and even just your first and last name in raw format.

Consumers may not know the term SSL certificate, but they do increasingly recognize “secured by”, “protected by” and “verified by” badges on the eCommerce websites they visit.

Unfortunately, each web browser has the ability to determine where and how SSL certificates display, and some of the most popular web browsers suppress SSL badge visibility by decreasing the opacity or moving them to an inconspicuous location on the web page.

Extended Validation (EV) certificates (aka “The Green Bar” to consumers) combat browser suppression because they’re displayed front and center on every page where the SSL certificate has been installed correctly.

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US Based SMBs Targeted by Hackers More Often than International Firms

by FireHost Evangelist on August 7th, 2009

usSmbs_targetedPanda Security‘s most recent report indicates that thirty percent of small and medium size businesses worldwide have been infected with malware, and businesses based in the US are even more susceptible. Close to half (44%) of US based SMBs have lost time and productivity due to some form of cybercrime.

A lack of threat awareness is not the problem. The study shows that almost all businesses in this category have installed anti-virus programs and kept security systems up to date, but a large number of SMBs still become victims of cyber crimes. When disaster strikes, viruses (41%) followed by spyware (26%) are most often the cause.

In a conversation with SC Magazine, Luis Corrons, PandaLabs technical director suggested, “these companies often lack the in-house staff and resources to fight off increasingly sophisticated and exponentially more targeted Internet attacks.” (more…)

The US Cyber Army Takes Shape

by FireHost Evangelist on August 4th, 2009

helpwanted-adjustedRaytheon, a National Defense Contractor is actively hiring hundreds of “Cyber Warriors” in response to President Obama’s announcement that cybersecurity is one of our country’s most urgent priorities.

Steve Hawkins, Raytheon’s VP of Information Security Solutions, told FoxNews.com that there are more than 30 different job descriptions available, and applicants must pass the most stringent security clearances. Qualified individuals must understand computer systems and have a handle on the interaction between hardware and software down to the nitty-gritty. Additionally, applicants should know how the adversary [ cybercriminals ] thinks and adopt their perspective, but in an ethical way.

Raytheon isn’t alone in the movement to beef up the US cyber army. The Center for Strategic and International Studies recently kicked off a nationwide talent search for high school and college students to encourage cybersecurity as a career path. (more…)

Nine-Ball Mass Injection Attack has Compromised 40,000 Websites to Date

by FireHost Evangelist on June 23rd, 2009

9ballWebsense security labs have been tracking the Nine-Ball mass compromise attack since early June. They report to date, that over 40,000 legitimate Web sites have been compromised and are actively infected with an information-stealing trojan.

The Nine-Ball attack is deployed when a user visits a legitimate website that has been infected with the malicious code. From the legitimate website, unsuspecting users are redirected behind the scenes through a series of different sites owned by the Nine-Ball’s hackers.

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