Kanguru is pleased to announce that it’s Kanguru Defender family of secure USB flash drives is now available through local distributors and resellers throughout the Asia-Pacific region.  Kanguru works with local partners to ensure that the security and manageability meet the requirements of a diverse user base.  Both government and private sector organizations in this region are turning to Kanguru to protect their mobile data from unauthorized use.

In Australia, Sydney-based distributor Bellridge Pty Limited can provide the full range of Kanguru Defender flash drives and the Kanguru Remote Management Console for central provisioning and control of remote devices.  Bellridge also has representatives in New Zealand.

Halodata International has launched the Kanguru product line in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Indonesia through it’s PT Halodata Indonesia subsidiary.  Halodata is a security specialist that supplies a full range of hardware and software products for protecting your network and portable devices.

Data Security

InformationWeek highlights a new study showing that malware on USB sticks is wreaking havoc on information security.  The new survey by the Ponemon Institute found:

In the past two years, 70% of businesses have traced the loss of sensitive or confidential information to USB flash memory sticks. While such losses can obviously occur when the devices get lost or stolen, 55% of those incidents are likely related to malware-infected devices that introduced malicious code onto corporate networks.

Most of the respondents do not have any form of endpoint security in place, or don’t enforce their own USB security policies.  Cost may be an important factor as “75% of respondents said they wouldn’t pay a premium to ensure that USB drives are safe and secure.”

Setting aside the fact that this is short-sighted given the cost of a data breach, you don’t need to break the bank to secure your USB drives.  The Kanguru Defender Basic features automatically enforced military-grade encryption, plus an onboard anti-virus scanner to prevent malicious code from entering your network.  Best of all, it’s available at a mainstream price.

Data Security

DaveM at Advantage Computers Blog shows just how easy it is to set up a Kanguru Defender Elite secure memory stick.  Steps include choosing an initial password and enabling the onboard antivirus or remote management options.

Residents of the UK can contact Advantage for more information on the Defender Elite and Defender V2 secure memory sticks.

Portable Storage

A recent article in Security Week outlined a dramatic increase in malware sent via e-mail.  This after the takedown of the Rustock Botnet.  Methods of spreading the malware included fake “parcel tracking information” mimicking those from UPS and DHL, PDF file attachments with script malware, explicit PowerPoint presentations and more. 

The take away from this report is to maintain a regularly updated anti-virus on your computer, scan e-mail documents before opening them, and be wary of any suspicious attachments/e-mails. 

If you work on computers that do not have anti-virus installed, you can carry a mobile anti-virus program on your Kanguru Defender Elite, Defender V2 or Defender Basic which allows you to scan any files you transfer between the unprotected computer and your flash drive.  It’s a great added layer of security, protecting your mobile documents from becoming a carrier of malicious programs.

Malware, Portable Storage

According to a new study by the Ponemon Institute, 75% of the energy and utility companies that were surveyed experienced a data breach within the last year.

“We were surprised that utility companies didn’t put a higher priority on issues like smart grid and smart meters, where there’s been a lot of concern about cyberthreats,” says Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute. “Many of the people we talked to are still more focused on physical security than on cybersecurity.”

One possible attack vector being used against power companies is unsecured USB flash drives.  This was reported to be a big factor in the spread of Stuxnet last year.  Energy, utility and manufacturing companies should be taking extra measures to be sure only secure devices are plugging into industrial control equipment.

Malware, Portable Storage

Dark Reading highlights the growing number of cyber-attacks against law firms.  The law firms themselves may not always be the primary target in these attacks.  Rather, the thieves are often going after all the data pertaining to the firm’s corporate clients.  A law firm may collect massive amounts of data during the e-discovery process and the data is not always well protected.

Firms sometimes use thumb drives to gather this information. “I attended a program on e-discovery where someone from a law firm was talking about … how [people] were collecting information on thumb drives and then taking it back to the law firm. It was very insecure … a very informal kind of ad hoc process, with really no security built in,” Thomson says.

Kanguru has first-hand experience securing flash drives for legal firms.  Our encrypted devices and remote management software ensure that all data stored on thumb drives is locked down automatically, both within the firm’s network and out at client sites.  In addition, Kanguru’s USB Device Control software prevents users from bringing in unsecure flash drives and using them on the network.  Built-in Anti-virus scanners protect each thumb drive in real-time so that no trojans or other malware can infiltrate the firm’s database.

Find out more at: https://www.kanguru.com/index.php/flash-management/krmc

Data Security

A recent security study shows just how much time administrators spend removing malware from K-12 School computers.  21% of respondents are doing this task daily!

Research shows that much of today’s common malware is spread on USB memory sticks.  That’s why Kanguru has added BitDefender antivirus protection into every Kanguru Defender Basic, V2 and Elite secure flash drive.  We know that K-12 Schools have been hit with shrinking budgets in recent years, so we have a discount program specifically for Educational organizations.  Contact us today to find out more.  Email defender (at) kanguru.com.

Data Security

You might not know the answer to that question until it’s too late.  Unfortunately, the most common response to finding a USB drive is to plug it in.  Virus-writers count on that response when they design the latest malware threats.

Network World discusses the way the Stuxnet worm has exploited this vulnerability.

Many companies have focused on the worm’s ability to spread via USB flash drives. Malicious programs spreading through infected such devices have become a major problem for corporations, because of employee curiosity. In penetration tests conducted by Leviathan Security, 8 out of 10 employees that found a USB drive plugged it into a computer. All of those workers then went on to open up a spreadsheet labeled “LayoffNotice.xls,” says Frank Heidt, CEO of Leviathan.

“You can tell your people, ‘Hey, don’t plug in USB sticks into your network,’ but that is antithetical to human nature,” Heidt says.

One way to combat this problem is to restrict unknown USB devices from your network and only allow devices with built-in antivirus protection.  Kanguru includes integrated malware protection as a standard feature on all new secure flash drives.  The network restrictions can be easily managed with Group Policy or one of the many Endpoint Security products now on the market.

Data Security, Malware, Portable Storage

Kanguru’s encrypted flash drives and remote management console have applications across a variety of industries.  Kanguru has been involved with flash drive standardizations in organizations spanning government, healthcare, and financial industries to name a few.

One such partnership we are pleased to announce involves a top ten, prestigious Maryland Law Firm. Kanguru’s secure flash drives and remote management software were chosen to help keep their confidential data safe and secure and also help them meet regulations relating to data security and privacy.  The security features built into the Kanguru Defender V2 help prevent data leaks and costly penalties for non-compliance with data breach regulations.

Kanguru’s high level of security features include: 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption, onboard anti-virus,  and remote management with KRMC Cloud. These features, coupled with an attractive price point earned Kanguru a key spot within their overall security program.

Data Security

Many organizations are looking for new ways to increase the productivity of offsite users.  This no longer includes just the field team, but is now including more general employees who can be enabled to work from home.  The US Government is extending its Telework policy with this sort of flexible arrangement in mind.

Security and managability are key issues to consider in a Telework policy.  Kanguru and Absolute ID have designed the RocIT Defender virtual platform with these priorities in mind.

1. Secure, Portable Operating System on a hardware encrypted flash drive.  (FIPS 140-2 version available)

2. Not vulnerable to infection by malware and viruses on untrusted machines. Device can bypass all of this!

3. Can be remotely managed: delete lost or stolen drives, update files on device, etc.

4. Lower total cost of ownership with stronger security than notebook and tablet computers.

Find out more about the RocIT Defender “PC on a Stick” at our website.

Data Security, Government