Tag: Virus
Who’s responsible for Internet Security?
A couple of stories in the news today caught my attention because they have very opposite perspectives on tackling cybercrime and Internet security. First, the Australian government is thinking of making home computer users responsible for security1. They’re contemplating legislation to force users to install anti-virus programs and firewalls on their home computers before being allowed to connect to the Internet. (Jun 23, 2010)
Interesting question from a customer: “Why should we block .EXEs?”
The majority of phishing attempts with drive-by-downloads try to entice you to download EXE files and run them locally. EXE files should always be blocked. You can open certain files on a case-by-case basis and in a very controlled fashion, but that’s the extent of it. (May 26, 2010)
Facebook or Faceblock? Facebook implementing their own ‘email security’?
Facebook is coming under scrutiny (again!), this time about their email scanning policies. Most of you are probably in the email security industry and are well aware that any email security solution will scan a message to divert or block spam, phishing, etc. (May 12, 2010)
Six items often overlooked when purchasing an email security solution
As discussed in an earlier post , the battle against spam is an ongoing one and requires you to do your due diligence when selecting an email security solution to protect one of your business’ most important assets: email. (Apr 26, 2010)
Policy Compliance: Keep it Simple, Stupid!
Are you getting pressured to provide some sort of regulatory compliance rules to your business that will affect your network configuration, your email flow and your end users? Do you have to deal with SOX or HIPAA or GLBA, or ‘Oh Lord, not another Acronym’ regulation (we’ll call it the OLNAA) whose apparent sole purpose is to complicate your life? (Mar 24, 2010)
“Love is in the air” ...or is it?
Ah, Valentine’s Day, the time of year when suddenly everyone is starry-eyed and declaring their love for one another. Our eagerness to please our loved ones tends to make us a little more vulnerable. And this makes us perfect prey to scammers who pounce on these vulnerabilities to spread their viruses and scams. (Feb 11, 2010)
2009 Spam Review
2009, according to the Chinese calendar, was the Year of the Ox: “People born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others.” Well that description pretty much sums up most of the spam sent in 2009: the perpetrators tended to say little in the messages, but oh did they inspire confidence – in the criminal sense! 2009 showed a remarkable increase in Phishing/Fraud content. (Jan 11, 2010)
10 Resolutions You Shouldn’t Break This Year
It's that time of the year again..time to make (and break) resolutions. Here are some things to help you keep your email and network safe from malicious attacks. Resolutions you don't want to break! (Jan 08, 2010)
You only have one reputation – don’t lose it
Having a bad reputation might have seemed cool when you were a teenager, but if your email server has been given a bad rap, it’s definitely UNcool – especially if your business depends on delivering email. Trying to get your reputation back can be time consuming and costly, so the best approach is to do your utmost not to lose it in the first place. (Dec 02, 2009)
Anti-Spam, Hacking and Virus Security: How Will Smartphones Survive?
With a double-digit market growth rate, non-existent protection and super-fast communications based on a variety of protocols and media, Smartphones clearly are a future target of choice for hackers and spammers. How will they survive, and at what cost? (Nov 13, 2009)
The Future Of Email Security: Where Do We Go From Here?
There’s no denying that anti-spam filters are imperative in the fight against junk mail and malware, but no single solution is fool-proof. Employing anti-spam and virus filters, stronger passwords, encryption, and so on, are not enough to win the battle against the ever-increasingly sophisticated attackers. (Nov 04, 2009)
Top 3 Spam Trends for October
The top 3 spots were determined by the sheer volume of messages that were tracked by our system. In third place, it was a tie between "Lose WeightInstantly" PDFs and the flood of messages that originated from Chinese (cn) domains. (Nov 02, 2009)
Drive by Downloads
This is a term I’m seeing more and more frequently in security-related web posts and, frankly, I thought it was fairly new. After doing some research, however, I found an article entitled, Anatomy of a “Drive-by-Download,” that was written in 2004 (!) by Eric L. Howes. Where have I been all this time? (Oct 21, 2009)
Who do you trust?
There were 2 major malware waves last week that caused a big impact. The first one involved the Outlook Notification virus, which some major AV providers were still unable to catch even after 12 hours in the wild. (Oct 19, 2009)
What Email Security Shouldn’t Cost you
Customized professional services contract should not cost your organization an arm and leg. (Sep 30, 2009)
Phishing threats… only by email?
You’ve all heard of the typical phishing emails that target Uncle Joe and Aunt Patty, urging them to send their personal information over the Internet because they “won the lottery.” Yes, they are the biggest fish out there, making phishing activities very attractive for scammers. But another threat is lurking quietly behind your computer: your kids. Attracted by emulators, free games and P2P, etc., this is where the dangers begin. (Aug 24, 2009)
