As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), Kanguru has joined staysafeonline.org as a champion partner to help educate and extend awareness of cyber security and privacy issues.  We encourage our partners and customers to join in to spread awareness of cyber security and help to educate the public on ways to stay safe online and with their personal data.

As part of our efforts, we  will be doing a free educational webinar later this month and providing some promotions on our secure, encrypted flash drives.

Stay tuned for additional information.

Data Security

Our friends over at BitDefender have released a new Internet Security Suite.  Checkout the review over on Infosec Island.

While you’re at it, also checkout Kanguru’s secure, encrypted flash drives featuring onboard BitDefender Anti-Virus for protecting your flash drives from malware.

Data Security, Malware

A recent article in Network World outlines the potential security threats of smart phones.  The article explains how, much like flash drives (or thumb drives, whichever term you prefer), mobile phones can be used to potentially spread malware when plugged into a USB port for syncing or charging.

Compromised phones will infect computers they may plug into for otherwise legitimate reasons, much the same way malware such as Stuxnet found its way onto laptops via thumb drives, according to the “Emerging Cyber Threats Report 2012″ released at the Georgia Tech Cyber Security Summit 2011″

The report warns that “mobile phones will be a new on-ramp to planting malware on more secure devices.”

The article goes on to outline several other infosec threats posed by mobile phones as well.

For the full story, click here.

Data Security, Malware

Thousands of confidential medical records were loaded on a USB flash drive, which subsequently was stolen during a car break-in.  Sound familiar?  An increase in data breach notification laws throughout the US has brought to light hundreds of incidents that would have been glossed over in the past.  In this case, the protected health information is covered under new regulations in HIPAA and the HiTECH Act of 2009.

According to the MetroWest Daily News, it’s unclear whether the incident will result in direct monetary damages but it certainly hasn’t been a public relations success:

Smith declined to say whether the loss of the records would be considered a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – known as HIPAA – or whether the company could face penalties.

Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, companies that experience a breach of health information covered by HIPAA for more than 500 patients are required to inform the patients and the media.

Data Security, Healthcare

Kanguru was featured in this months issue of “The Hacker News” with an article titled Insider Threats Vs. Hackers.

A short excerpt:

“Although the intent of a hacker is generally more insidious, the insider threat is more prevalent simply due to an employee’s access to company data.  Insiders often have access to sensitive data without having to circumvent security measures designed to keep out external threats.”

To read the entire article, see this month’s PDF issue of “The Hacker News”.

Data Security

Co-authored by Nate Cote and Emmett Jorgensen

If you believe the media reports, IT threats are everywhere.  Hackers, malware, trojans, social engineering attacks, botnets, stuxnet, zero day… It’s a wonder that any of us can safely navigate cyberspace.

Although the issue might be slightly overblown by the media, the risks are real. Case in point, a recent article posted on Information Week reports “Most Businesses Don’t Spot Hack Attacks“.  If a hack or malware is present, but goes unnoticed, how can we be certain that there is nothing lurking on a machine that might be used to access our confidential data?

“Most people use their family computer for multiple purposes.” said Matthew Losanno, Senior Product Manager at Kanguru Solutions, a manufacturer of secure, encrypted storage devices.  “Surfing Facebook, playing online games, managing the family finances, accessing retirement accounts, etc.  It’s a scenario that carries a lot of potential risk.  How will the user know if one of those pictures from a “friend” injected code onto the host machine?  The list goes on and on.”

So what can be done to protect your sensitive data? Read more…

Data Security

If you’re a fan of the comic strip Dilbert and work in IT or Infosec, this comic is for you.

(Marketing note – Must find a way to introduce Dilbert to Kanguru’s secure flash drives with onboard anti-virus!)

Data Security

According to TechEye, another NHS Trust has exposed confidential patient information by storing it on an unencrypted USB drive, which promptly disappeared.  This is a continuing issue for NHS.

The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust patient records were lost in September 2010. Shockingly, the details were on an unencrypted memory stick and worse, the 800 affected patients were never told. Leaked details include full name, date of birth and operation details.

Kanguru strongly recommends that all healthcare organizations protect patient data by using mandatory hardware encryption on all portable devices.  The Kanguru Defender Elite secure flash drive is completing Common Criteria certification and is now available in the UK and throughout Europe.  It’s an ideal solution for healthcare data protection.

Data Security, Healthcare

Bill Brenner at CSO Online recently posted an interesting Blog regarding a survey done on Social Media risks in the workplace.

A snapshot of the results:

•63 percent of respondents believe employees’ use of social media in the workplace represents a serious security threat to their organization.

•52 percent of organizations experienced an increase in malware attacks as a result of employees’ use of social media.

•Only 29 percent said that their organizations have necessary social media security controls.

To read the full blog, click here.

Data Security

Flash drives have revolutionized the business world with their convenience and portability; however, for infosec professionals, flash drives are a dual edged sword.  Their tiny size often makes them easy to lose and their storage capacity allows massive amounts of potentially sensitive data to be stored and transported on them.

If lost or stolen, a single unencrypted flash drive has the potential to cause a massive data breach.

So how can infosec professionals deal with flash drives? Read more…

Data Security