Kanguru’s Emmett Jorgensen was just featured in Government Security News (GSN) as a guest columnist with an article entitled “Flash Drive Security goes beyond Encryption“.
The article has an infosec focus on newer developments in flash drive security including remote management, on-board anti-virus and more. Here is a short excerpt: Read more…
DLP and Endpoint Security applications are the backbone of many organizational IT security efforts, and rightfully so. Managing users, data and device access within your network is a key component of securing any sensitive or proprietary data. But what do you do when devices or data leaves the boundaries of your network?
Internal Security
Think of an organization’s network as a living, breathing organic entity. The more you ponder that concept, the more it seems about right. A firm’s network is constantly changing and evolving with new patches to operating systems, updates to the applications, addition of hardware devices, and lots of generated data.
Now add users with various personal devices that they plug into the network and the whole system is immediately compromised. This would include smart phones, flash drives, external hard drives, iPods or even DVD burners; as well as wireless devices. Read more…
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.
In a July 15 memo to all Federal Agencies, OMB Director Jack Lew sent a reminder that Telework solutions must comply with security guidelines and protect sensitive government information. Federal Computer Week highlights a few of the requirements, including data security and protection from systems that are not under direct agency control.
The Telework initiative is meant to improve worker productivity, while reducing government overhead and costs. It also adds business continuity in the event of an emergency or other event when employees can not reach the office. The downside is that Administrators lose some control over the hardware and software being used by their workers. Fears about security have resulted in slower than expected implementation of Telework policies.
To meet these security requirements, Kanguru and Absolute ID have designed the RocIT Defender Elite “Virtual System on a Stick” to enable Telework while still maintaining control over hardware and software. The device is a bootable, encrypted USB flash drive that launches a secure virtual OS completely isolated from the host system. The Administrator can lock down the OS and application settings with a golden image, and monitor the devices remotely using Kanguru Remote Management Console. All data is hardware encrypted with FIPS 140-2 certified cryptography. Contact Kanguru for more info on how RocIT Defender Elite can meet your Telework challenges.
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.
The Boston Herald has details on a bank executive who resigned and then left with thousands of documents belonging to his former employer, Boston Private Bank & Trust Co.
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, Boston Private Bank & Trust accuses former lending executive Todd Rassiger of stealing proprietary information that benefits his new employer, First Republic Bank.
The 24-page lawsuit alleges that before his resignation from Boston Private Bank & Trust Co., Rassiger attached personal USB flash drives to his bank-issued computer and downloaded more than 1,500 documents, many of which included highly confidential and proprietary information.
These days, companies need to be concerned with both external cyberattacks as well as the threat posed by insiders who have access to sensitive data. Our recent post highlights the need for endpoint security, which can block personal flash drives and keep an audit log of which files are downloaded.
We also highly recommend remote management capabilities for all portable devices like smartphones and storage devices. Kanguru’s Remote Management Console can be used to instantly revoke device access from employees who are leaving the organization. Their company-issued USB drive will be remotely disabled or deleted the next time it’s plugged in.
Kanguru is pleased to announce that we have been chosen to provide a major healthcare provider in Maryland with secure flash drives and remote management software. Our encrypted flash drives will help keep their patient data safe and secure, and also help them meet HIPAA regulations relating to data security and privacy.
This is the latest of several secure flash standardizations Kanguru has recently been involved with across the government, healthcare, and financial industries. Healthcare providers have been under increasing scrutiny lately as the Dept of Health & Human Services has stepped up enforcement of HIPAA privacy rules. Kanguru’s remote management platform provides security against data breaches as well as audit logs for proof of compliance.
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.
Here at Kanguru we frequently talk about encrypting and securing your mobile data, but sometimes don’t stress enough the importance of tracking and monitoring data usage. As important as it is to secure your data, it is equally important to know where it is going.
When an employee leaves the office for the day, taking his work with him on a flash drive, where is that data going? A quick stop by the local coffee shop and opened up on one of their unsecure wireless networks? To an unsecure home computer?
These possibilities along with the risks associated with them are why Kanguru emphasizes a total security solution. This can be especially advantageous to organizations that are required to meet security regulations like HIPAA, the Hitech Act or any one of the many state-level data breach laws.
Tracking and monitoring can be done via Kanguru’s Remote Management Console and USB Device Control, a tandem of products designed specifically to allow organizations to keep tabs on and secure their portable data.
It’s time to look beyond encryption and recognize the importance of end point security as a key element to the overall big picture of securing your data. Some options to look for in endpoint security and remote management:
1.) Device Control - Control what, when and how USB devices are allowed to access your computers
2.) IP and Domain Control - Manage which IP addresses and/or domains are allowable for devices to access via whitelist and blacklist methodology.
3.) Auditing and Reporting - Get a full audit trail with detailed graphical reporting and the ability to export both customizable audit logs and graphs for external analysis to ensure proper compliance.
4.) Remote Provisioning - Remotely manage security policy changes from a single location. Control password complexity, password expiration, software updates, patches, A/V definitions, online and offline access, and more.
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.
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