One of the leaders in the data protection business has produced a report that highlights the inability of most software to do what they should be doing which is protecting the networks and the information that goes through it. Sophos Their software, offered for large enterprise and small businesses allows them unsurpassed protection from a broad range of threats. It gets viruses, filters spam, prevents access to phishing sites and classifies e-mail (and their attachments) applying security as needed.
These types of multi-level software allow easy deployment of some of the best and latest security tools out on the market to date giving companies the best protection.

ERM as it is known in enterprise has long been a standard applied in large-scale businesses. This holds some promises for some of the biggest software giants like Symantec are moving to include the said approach directly combined with their anti-virus , anti-spam and firewall technologies already in place.
The invocation of DLP’s gives these already established systems more robust security capabilities eliminating the need for third or fourth party software purchases having one product that is capable of doing all of them. Software from these software giants are scalable and flexible for deployment in businesses from all scopes making it the best bet as the next generation of protection for networks and the information that travels through them.

This stiffer action when handling data includes high costs for as good as encryption systems are, they also cost a lot of money. Most have the cash to spend as in Europe and most of the Developed world but what of the millions in the developing world, should they suffer just because they could not afford the high-tech solutions available to countries and economies that have the cash to spend? That may be the case but remember that the internet connects us all in one big network and any holes in one side, is a hole in the whole net.

The IT industry hailed the coming of the social network as the next step in the evolution of the internet, and it truly is. But as much as we spend more time on our computers in the office and even when we get home, we expose ourselves to more and more threats, more than we could handle. In Europe, the trend in crime has moved into the mainstream internet with many crime organizations shifting from risky manual labor to safer online communications and operations. The various security leaks that resulted in millions of personal records being either lost or stolen have mounted to immeasurable levels the British government had to enforce stiffer data management protocol.

In a move that signifies that the US government may finally be taking cyber-security seriously, they have enlisted the help of the black hat/hacker aka. Dark Tangent, that has been responsible for some of the world’s most prolific viruses a few years back. Hiring a hacker to counter hackers may be the best way to go as there are not many options in the world of hackers where anybody can be anybody. These people are considered to be the scourge of the internet, responsible for some of the most damaging viruses, worms and other forms of attacks that exacts millions of dollars of economic damage each and every year. (Read the rest of this story.)

Encryption is also now being applied extensively in offices so if ever information does get out and falls into the wrong hands it is rendered useless without the proper cipher key. The use of military-grade encryption has random generators and multi level encryption technologies which were previously available only to the military forces. Hardware based encryption is also another developing technology where hardware components such as hard disks, network cards and other such peripherals are embedded with encryption technology on a chip thus preventing unauthorized data being useable that is transmitted or contained within them. All these technologies along with promising technologies in development such as faster multi-processors allow higher encryption levels without sacrificing performance as today�s technologies are limited to (the faster the processor, the faster the coding/decoding of information that would become almost unperceivable with future computers).

With the advent of VoIP or a revised name for a P2P (peer to peer) connection using the internet for use with voice calls while simultaneously sharing and moving file across the vast area that is the internet, more and more information that is within your computer and the information that you send through the net is at risk.
So what can we do to boost the already anti-virus protected environment that is the net and the data that may become lost? Traditionally IT experts and analysts have recommended the use of perimeter protection for a network which has sentinels or programs that defines who can access where and when. Data mining software, scans all the files on the network and determines who gets to see and use which and prevents data loss by storing them securely in servers. Software like InfoScape from the EMC Corp is just one of the many software products along with Kazeon Systems Inc.
The key is to de-centralize and distribute the security solution along with the files themselves which follows the approach that the traditional network with walls has been thrown out the window.

They also report that the amount of malware has increased significantly with them growing ever complex making it harder for industry to cope unless there is mass infections. The initial detection of a threat mobilizes emergency centers that these software company’s have who work against the clock to provide updates to their many registered subscribers which they send updates to once they have the cure. They also send out updates to virus signature databases which allows the anti-virus, Intrusion detection and Prevention Systems to counter attacks by letting them recognize them hopefully in time to prevent mass infection.

Previously we discussed the importance of having an intrusion detection system to handle the growing number of attacks on corporate networks with Intrusion Detection Systems. A better solution would be to give some form of control to the detection system giving it teeth to execute actions that would prevent intrusion such as denying access or deleting errant file attachments. This comes in the form of Intrusion Prevention Systems which have the ability to detect, analyze and take appropriate action as programmed to do so by the systems administrators who then gets a detailed report on what was done. This allows them to review and take further action if the file was simply quarantined and not deleted by the system. They can then be submitted to the software vendor so they can analyze and formulate a solution to the threat providing feedback to prevent further infections.

Apple Inc is under fire from industry experts for it’s actions in the delivery of their new web browser for Windows, Safari 3.1. Why all the fuss, they used the auto update functions of iTunes and QuickTime to install the software without the knowledge of users. This is criticized as a practice that borders on malware and should be avoided at all costs. Users must be informed of what and when updates are to be installed however the minimal effects it could have on a user’s computer system. Let’s call it full disclosure as this post in the IT Security Blog points out, software developers do this as a standard practice maybe because they’re ashamed to admit they have made such an elementary error for such a long standing and respected developer. The auto update feature of most software is placed there to facilitate the updating and patching of software without the need for user intervention which can be quite annoying if there were a lot of software products installed on your computer. The risk is highlighted by this incident which I’m sure is not the only incidence of such activities.