"It's summer time and the living is easy", to quote a famous song. This is true unless you are a hacker or a threat. 

 

This has been an alarming year in the number of targeted network attacks and malware threats. I can't remember ever reading about so many big-named targets like Sony, CIA, PayPal and Google, who all suffered from losses due to direct attacks. Even NBA star Dwayne Wade is in the news, having been a victim of hackers. 

 

All of this activity has increased our studies and research into the best practices to secure your network. What works - and what doesn't. Where are the threats coming from? Who's in charge of the attacks? All of those important questions. 

 

At mid-year, a couple of clear patterns have surfaced. First, the majority of web threats are now delivered from trusted and popular web sites that have been hacked for use by cybercrime. Restricting Internet access to only the known or trusted sites isn't enough anymore. The second pattern is that Search Engine Poisioning (SEP) has become a clear leader in methods used to deliver malware used for attacks. Image searches, pirated movies, social networking, and pornography rank as the top vector for malware delivery. 

 

So, the million dollar question is, are you doing enough? Do you have (and enforce) content filtering policies? Have you had a recent vulnerability assessment or penetration test? Has your firewall been updated to protect you from this year's threats? 

 

Friends, it's scary out there. If you're not scared, you're not educated. For some great reading, look at sites like NetworkWorld  and Help Net Security. 

 

Finally, call on Btech. Our experts can work with you to analyze your current processes and systems to make sure that you are doing all that you can. 

 

Be careful out there!