security - BT Let's Talk

Have Technology Security Measures Really Changed all that Much Over the Years?

May 16, 2013
BT Let’s Talk 0

By Mark Akass, CTO, Global Banking and Financial Markets, BT

If we look at the last 10 years, we can clearly see huge changes in the way we protect technology. The security ‘toolbox’ has grown in capability and is available to a bigger slice of the market place. This coupled with an explosion of technology providers, and an increasing need for firms to manage and keep an eye on the costs which come about when bringing said tools into action to fight each and every security threat. Only recently we witnessed Australia’s central bank admitting that it had played victim to repeated attacks from computer hackers. Was the fact that no data was lost or lasting damage done down to the effective use of the advanced tools available on the market today?

Undoubtedly we have seen certain highlights in the development of the security tool kit. Take a look at pattern matching of signature based threats¹; to anomaly detection² based on behavioural analysis; to increasing levels of sophistication in being able to identify potential threats in the context in which they are being transacted; to testing suspected transactions for executable code in real-time. The attacks may have become more advanced but then so have the tools developed to fight the war against them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financial Services, Security Tagged With: authentication, financial services, hackers, Networks, security

Is ignorance an excuse for poor security in financial services today?

May 8, 2013
BT Let’s Talk 0

Mark Akass, CTO, Global Banking and Financial Markets, BT

Today we hand over to our experts in the security field, with both of the blogs we’re publishing today having been published recently on our Let’s Talk Security blog.

The security landscape is evolving and changing every day and it is therefore critical that financial services have the right people, tools and suppliers on their team to deal with them. Companies will only get the full benefit of the security measures or tools if they are properly utilised and employees are sufficiently trained in how to use them.

Financial services firms increasingly want to offer customers a multi-channel experience where they can access services and information via mobiles, iPads, PCs and good old landlines. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financial Services, Security Tagged With: authentication, financial services, hackers, Networks, security

Social networks – Who do you think you are?

April 10, 2013
David Martin 0

We all have many different persona’s; home, work and social. So the question that arises is, “who am I really?”

The issue is that we all present different faces depending on who we are interacting with. This is true in both the physical world and the virtual world. The rise of on-line social networking means that I, like so many other people, use a variety of tools to interact with the world. The difference is that I usually consider the implications of my social interaction. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security, Social business Tagged With: data protection, online security, security, social media, social networking

Banking customers want easier switching

March 20, 2013
Mark Jopling 0

Switching bank accounts without having to change your account details is a compelling prospect — just migrate your portable ID to your bank of choice and complete the swap.

It’s what most retail bank customers want, provided they can properly trust the technology. This is the key finding of an international study that found that most customers would like a simpler way of changing their accounts, with a portable number the method most people favoured. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financial Services, Global Tagged With: Banking, IT infrastructure, mobile devices, online banking, security

Home Computer Security – Top 10 Tips

March 15, 2013
Dr. Robert Rowlingson 0

In the last of Robert’s series we look at his top 10 tips for staying safe at home on the computer.

Home users have become scapegoats for security lapses, such as the spreading of viruses, and for allowing the construction of botnets. As I mentioned in earlier posts, home users can find it difficult to secure their PCs and this can lead to problems for business.So do they deserve censure? No, they deserve our help.

There is now synergy between the security needs of home users and the needs of business that could be exploited to raise security levels across the board. Security professionals can have a bigger role in keeping this important constituency secure. One lesson we have learnt in the security profession is that there is little point having a huge policy document if no one reads it. Digesting and communicating the key messages is a priority. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, IT Infrastructure, Security Tagged With: cybercrime, global, online security, password security, security

Principles of good security

March 4, 2013
Dr. Robert Rowlingson 0

In writing my book on Home Computer Security I wanted to see if I could bring something of the professional approach to cyber security to home users. To what extent could the great experience of the information security profession be brought to the average home computer user?The answer is,quite considerably.

The principles of good security underpin enterprise security. They can also help to guide users in making good security decisions for their home computers and smartphones. The security profession’s trusted principles can help users gain what I call a ‘philosophy of security’ or ‘digital common sense’. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security, UK Tagged With: data protection, information security, password security, security

Why is home computer security difficult to achieve?

February 26, 2013
Dr. Robert Rowlingson 0

Businesses, apart from most SMEs, can usually point to an information security manager or security expert with the technical knowledge or experience to help make sound security decisions. Home computer users have to make their own decisions but have little knowledge or experience to make them wisely.

Security is everyone’s responsibility. And although we cannot blame the average home user for poor home computer security there is increasing evidence that home computers are one of the weakest links in the security of the web. But why is home computer security so difficult to achieve? It’s quite instructive to look at the main problems for home users and see how they relate to the commercial sector. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security Tagged With: data protection, network, online security, password security, security

Security challenges in the real-time world of Twitter

February 18, 2013
J-P De Clerck 0

Since a few years Twitter has become an important news source for bloggers and journalists, as Pew Research found. That’s not without dangers of course: how reliable is the information in a tweet? We witnessed quite some hoaxes in recent years. Twitter is not only a news source for media, it has also become the subject of news with Twitter users as citizen ‘journalists’ immediately commenting and forming opinions when something happens on the network itself.

Less than an hour ago before writing this, news surfaced (on Twitter first) that the Burger King Twitter account was hacked. The logo got replaced by a McDonald’s logo and the account starting sending the weirdest messages leading to jokes, all kinds of commentaries and messages on the micro-blogging platform.

Before I even had the time to go back to the hacked account and take some screenshots the account got suspended by Twitter. Damage control by the social platform itself? We’ll probably see blogs, opinions and comments popping up in all media the coming hours and days. In fact, it already started and by now most mainstream media have caught up with the Twitter buzz. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security Tagged With: anonymous, Burger King, hack, security, Twitter

Enterprise Security Begins At Home

February 18, 2013
Dr. Robert Rowlingson 0

Since writing a book on home computer security I’ve become increasingly aware of how poor security on home computers is having an effect on enterprise security. But the converse is also true; good home security can have a beneficial influence on the enterprise.

There are several ways in which deficiencies in home computer security can impact businesses. Firstly, malware on home computers is being used by criminals and hacktivists to commit fraud and to disrupt legitimate business use of the internet, through botnets for example. Secondly, more and more staff are telecommuting, or working from home, which may involve transferring documents to the home PC, or using a business laptop in an insecure environment. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security, Unified Communications Tagged With: BYOD, cyber crime, global, password security, security

Rock climbing, wiff-waff and business continuity

February 11, 2013
BT Let’s Talk 0

I went rock climbing last week, on a proper cliff. I’d done a bit in climbing centres around the UK before, but never outside and never off-piste, so to speak.

It was exciting, and a little daunting to be traipsing across a gorge in the Pyrenees to a remote cliff-face with a bag full of ropes and a belly full of nerves. I should say at this point that I was with a friend who’s a climbing instructor. But it didn’t stop it feeling like a risky business. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Global, Security, UK Tagged With: BT Assure, Finance, finance industry, risk analysis, security, uk

To Queue or Not To Queue? Only if you get Value for Effort

Queuing – it may be a British pastime but it’s not exactly something that we relish doing. How many times have you just shrugged and walked away when it’s “not worth the effort”? We are busy people who want to minimise the amount of time, energy and effort we put into things that we don’t [...]

Do you know why collaboration really matters?

There are numerous reasons why collaboration matters. Saving costs is one, for instance by lowering travel expenses. Increased productivity is another. And then there’s the fact that the ability to collaborate often comes from within the organization and your workers in these days of consumerization and BYOD. Hundreds of analysts and reports look at all [...]

Make it Easy and They Will Come

There’s a basic fact behind every purchase you make – you want it to work. Whether it’s a washing machine, a car or a broadband service, you want it to work. And the effort you have to put in to making your purchase work will influence how you feel about the company that sold it [...]

Posts by tag: security