FD Insights Issue 11 | Page 32

But an oversight in the system makes it possible for anybody to Google a doctor’s name, address and medical license number, then input that information into the online portal that physicians use to declare patients deceased. House Arrest May Not be Quite So Arresting A presentation revealed how hackers are able to hack devices that are used by law enforcement to keep individuals under house arrest. The technique allows the individual under house arrest to move freely. Fooling Security Cameras on the Cheap Independent computer researchers Eric Van Albert and Zach Banks figured out how to loop footage captured by security cameras by spending $500, splitting an Ethernet cable and re-creating innocuous video footage that would have anyone watching believe nothing’s amiss. Cellphone GPS Tracking Rears its Ugly Head Again A researcher from China demonstrated a new and easier technique to track a smartphone’s GPS systems, which allows private individuals, hackers, and governments to monitor an individual’s movements at all times. Network Security and Bodily Health First Distribution’s Security Portfolio Brand Manager Lynton Lubbe draws parallels between network security and physical health check-ups. One can draw interesting parallels between network security and physical health. Both tend to experience vulnerability only in case of an attack, but in today’s dynamic world, one cannot wait for damage to be done to networks in order to understand the actual vulnerability of a system. As with health check-ups where the entire body is checked in order to detect whether there is anything wrong in any area, so company and network security check ups should do the same. Security is all about taking care of the least probable instances, and organisations should design their security policies around least probable breach incidents so that any more obviously attack-prone areas are automatically taken care of. There’s no place like 127.0.0.1 IT managers and CIOs need to think like hackers and treat with skepticism everything that constitutes the security structure of a company. Nothing should be off-limits, as hackers will find any vulnerability and ruthlessly exploit it. Utmost care should be taken in selecting the appropriate vendor for any security solution, and product capability should be thoroughly checked. Companies should stick to reputable vendors, such as those found in First Distribution’s best-of-breed security portfolio. With IT security, as in physical health, prevention is always better than cure. Don’t get caught out! For more on First Distribution’s portfolio of security solutions, please contact Lynton on (011) 540 2640. Turn to page 43 for an overview of First Distribution’s security portfolio. Sources http://www.zdnet.com/article/opm-wins-pwnie-google-on-android-security-doj-on-cfaa-black-hat-2015-roundup/ http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1118375-black-hat-and-def-con-2015-roundup-or-what-you-missed-last-week http://www.ibtimes.com/pulse/hacking-tesla-breaking-banks-killing-people-online-best-def-con-2015-2046887 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEF_CON https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hat_Briefings 32 | www.firstdistribution.co.za