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Every Moment Secured on Your Android

Our mobile phones are an undeniable part of our lives in the 21st century. We use them to contact our nearest and dearest, check the news, access the internet, make online purchases and even log into accounts, ideally via multi-factor authentication (MFA). Using MFA can block up to 99% of automated attacks. Undeniably, MFA is important for safe mobile use; however, have you ever thought about which types of MFA are riskiest and why?

Many individuals as well as companies are using call- and SMS-based MFA. It may seem like a great way to authenticate the user. Everyone has a mobile phone they can use to take a secure phone call or receive an SMS. Well, it may not be as straightforward as it seems at first glance.

There are many reasons why you should consider replacing SMS-based MFA:

  • SMS and voice calls are not encrypted. Unfortunately, these are transmitted in cleartext, which makes them more vulnerable to attackers.
  • They are vulnerable to phishing attacks via open source and readily available phishing tools, such as Modlishka.
  • Employees of phone network companies may fall prey to a SIM-swapping attack. They can be tricked into transferring phone numbers to a threat actor’s SIM, allowing attackers to receive MFA codes instead of the victim.
  • Phone service failure. As authentication apps and security keys work offline, SMS needs the phone service to be available. Phone network companies are also exposed to changing regulations, which may also impact the availability of MFA.
  • It is likely that SMS and voice calls are not getting more secure any time soon.

It is not a surprise, then, that in 2020 Microsoft advised its users to stop using SMS- and voice call-based MFA and instead use an authentication app or a hardware key. This by no means suggests that you should completely abandon SMS MFA; it is still better than no MFA. Microsoft itself has kept the option for its users to continue to use SMS-based MFA, proving that it is more secure than not using any form of multifactor authentication.

Keeping Your Mobile Device Secure
If you choose to keep your SMS-based MFA, make sure your mobile device is as secure as it can be. A great way to start is with ESET Mobile Security on your Android mobile devices. It is a solution that ensures security against a multitude of mobile threats while securing users’ data.

ESET Mobile Security aims to provide a safe environment by leveraging its Anti-Phishing feature. It also aims to protect and secure your device from criminal activity using manipulation of users, known as social engineering, into gaining access to sensitive data such as bank account credentials, card numbers, PIN numbers, usernames and passwords.

The feature allows the products to scan its malware and phishing database and determine a website’s security—or not—thus making sure you do not fall prey to a phishing attack. The product’s Anti-Phishing feature integrates with the most common web browsers (Chrome and many others) available on Android devices to provide protection to any and all online activities you desire to carry out.

We recommend you keep Anti-Phishing enabled at all times. All malicious websites, listed in the ESET malware and phishing database, will be blocked and a warning notification will be displayed informing you of the attempted attack.

Other features of ESET Mobile Security include:

  • Antivirus – protection against malware: intercepts threats and cleans them from your device
  • Payment protection – lets you shop and bank safely online
  • App lock – requires extra authentication to access sensitive apps; protects content when you’re sharing a device
  • Anti-Theft – a powerful feature to help protect your phone and find it if it goes missing
  • Network inspector – scans your network and all connected devices to identify security gaps
  • Call filter – blocks calls from specified numbers, contacts and unknown numbers
  • Adware detector – identifies and removes apps that display ads unexpectedly
  • Real-time scanning – scans all files and apps for malware
  • Scheduled scans – checks your device every time you charge it, or whenever you want
  • Security audit – checks an app’s permissions
  • Security report – provides an overview of how secure your device is
  • USB on-the-go scanner – checks any connected USB device for threats
    Up to 5 devices – pay once, protect 5 devices associated with the same Google account

ESET Mobile Security makes your Android phones and devices easy to find and harder to steal, and it helps to protect your valuable data. ESET helps protect the Google Play store and is trusted by millions of users like you around the world, and is dedicated to the online safety and education of children and their parents. Click here to find out more.

If you want to protect your phone with ESET Mobile Security, you’re in luck! From April 25 to May 1, the premium version of ESET Mobile Security will be 50% off. No need for a promotional code; the discount will automatically be added to your checkout! It couldn’t be easier.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

SNMP monitoring: Tips to use the Simple Network Management Protocol

SNMP protocol, whose first version was officially released on 1990 and means Simple Network Management Protocol, is the easiest and simplest way a sysadmin has in order to manage and diagnose problems inside his network devices.

Let’s see what is, how snmp works and why this simple protocol is the essential key for a smooth network environment.

What is SNMP?

In the most general terms, network monitoring means the use of available communication protocols to collect information on the status of communication systems, whether they be routers, land line communications or cell phones. Among them, SNMP raises as the most used monitoring tool.

Do you want to know more about network monitoring?

Remote networks, unified monitoring, intelligent thresholds… discover network monitoring in Pandora FMS Enterprise version.

As we previously said, SNMP works as a mechanism of communication between network devices and a network administrator. Routers, switches, servers, printers…, most of every and each network device supports SNMP protocol. Not only with informative purposes, but also to perform different actions inside those devices (such as remote configuration).

How does SNMP work?

Belonging to the application layer (7th layer of the OSI model), allows communication between network devices. Those known as SNMP agents (request receivers) work in a set of predefined UDP ports, known as SNMP port or SNMP ports. Request receiving port (sent by any available port) is UDP 161 and UDP 162 is used to receive notifications (also known as SNMP trap port).

SNMP protocol works in two different ways: SNMP polls and traps. Polling consists of launching remote queries, either actively or on demand, carrying out operation queries synchronously. Traps, meanwhile, are messages sent by SNMP devices asynchronously, according to changes or events, to configured addresses.

To get the most out of SNMP monitoring, it’s best to use both modes when setting up a monitoring system.

SNMP versions

SNMP currently has three different protocol versions, gathered in different RFCs over time (since first ones on 1988, until today).

Those versions are:

  1. SNMPv1 – defined in RFC 1155, 1156 and 1157, defines the way SNMP works.
  2. SNMPv2 – communication and security improvements of first version. It has two subversions, one on which security is community based (version SNMP2c, RFCs 1901 and 1908), and one on which security is user based (version SNMPv2u, RFCs 1909 and 1910).
  3. SNMPv3 – this third version, which includes and improves security and encryption, has struggled to find a market. The SNMP v3 is defined in RFC 3411 and 3418 and, since 2004, SNMPv3 is known as the actual standard protocol version.

SNMP alerts

Therefore, after knowing how SNMP protocol works, it is clear that one of its main uses are the alerts generated by all devices. Two types can be found in a SNMP monitoring network: synchronous alerts, those requested by an agent SNMP request (known as SNMP polling alerts), and asynchronous alerts, without agent request (known as SNMP traps or snmtraps).

This alert and notification system is the true key of SNMP protocol used in network monitoring tools base their operation of custom alerts. For example, in Pandora FMS we handle a wide range of custom alerts that can be triggered based on these SNMP alerts.

Now lets discuss in more detail what are and how monitoring works based on SNMP polling and SNMP traps.

SNMP trap monitoring

First configure your devices to send traps when specific circumstances are met, and secondly set up a tool that can collect the SNMP traps it receives, whether it be a machine with the necessary services, or a piece of monitoring software. How you configure the SNMP devices will depend on the manufacturer’s model and the device itself, and is carried out from a management interface accesible via a browser and its IP address.

Traps can be received in Linux by using the demon snmptrapd, installed as follows, e.g. on CentOS systems:

# yum install net-snmp-utils net-snmp-libs net-snmp

In our example we’re going to use Pandora FMS to receive and process the SNMP traps. If you already have a Pandora FMS server installed you won’t need any new dependencies, but you’ll have to enable it to receive the traps. Search for snmpconsole in the pandora_server.conf file and enable it as follows:

snmpconsole 1

Once the SNMP traps console is enabled Pandora FMS will be able to receive and process them and display them in the corresponding section:

snmp monitoring

To ensure the incoming traps are arriving correctly, you can consult the corresponding log file, usually at: /var/log/snmptrapd.log.

SNMP trap alerts

Alerts can also be configured via SNMP monitoring for the traps we prepared. In this case they won’t function in the same way as any other module, unlike with SNMP polling, but instead are based on filtering rules. Using these rules we can identify traps belonging to other devices, filter the contents of said trap, OID, etc..

In the next screenshot you can see various alerts created with different filtering options, and actions checking that everything is working fine:

snmp monitoring

SNMP polling monitoring

The protocol works by launching a query against an IP address and requires a specific parameter: the SNMP community string, an alphanumeric chain used to authorize the operation, and which adds an extra layer of security. When an SNMP check is launched against a compatible device, you get a list containing a lot of data that can be difficult to interpret at first:

# snmpwalk –v 1 –c public 192.168.50.14

snmp monitoring

monitorizacion snmp

Each line returned by snmpwalk has an OID (object identifier) and corresponds to a piece of data determined by the device. To better understand what the values returned by the SNMP check are, you can install the system manufacturer’s MIBs (management information base). MIBs are libraries that translate these numeric chains into a legible format allowing us to interpret the data.

Let’s look at some data we’ve got back after executing an SNMP check with the MIBs installed:

snmp monitoring

There are also web sites where you can consult any of these OIDs in case of doubt. If you know the OIDs you want to monitor, you can carry out the query like this by indicating the alphanumeric code that appears after the IP address in question:

monitorizacion snmp

# snmpwalk –v 1 –c public 192.168.1.50 IF-MIB::ifPhysAddress.2

snmp monitoring

Done like this, only the values of the SNMP object queried will be shown, so if you have a monitoring tool the data will be included in the different checks. In this case, we created a basic SNMP monitoring for a few devices using Pandora FMS, and the result is as follows:

snmp monitoring

snmp monitoring

SNMP polling alerts

Once data collection on modules via SNMP polling is being carried out, we can create alerts on Pandora FMS for those modules, executing actions proactively in function of the thresholds we’ve configured, and they work in the same way as any other alerts for any modules on Pandora FMS.

SNMP modules in Pandora FMS

We built Pandora FMS as a flexible monitoring software, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes. Among them, we have a complete SNMP module.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.

Protecting small businesses with multiple layers of defense

Post Russia unleashing its attack on Ukraine, there’s a high chance that if you’re working in the cybersecurity sector like me, you’re being asked a series of questions like: Do you think Russia will launch a cyberattack? Should I be worried? What can I do to protect my devices?

These questions are justified as the conflict prompted a series of alerts from government agencies and cybersecurity organizations, setting an expectation of a potentially devastating cyberattack on Ukraine and possibly on those supporting Ukraine. The messages keep coming. More recently on March 21, 2022, the White House issued a Statement by President Biden on our Nation’s Cybersecurity, warning that there is the potential of malicious cyberactivity by Russia against the United States in response to the economic sanctions imposed by western governments.

These messages continue to be broadcast and to encourage maintaining vigilance and ensuring that there are no weaknesses in existing cybersecurity operations and practices. Although the advice is especially targeted at organizations and businesses that fall into the critical infrastructure category, where a disruption can potentially cause chaos as witnessed in the case of Colonial Pipeline, all businesses should take heed and prepare accordingly. Malicious attacks can spread well beyond their intended targets, as has been seen with attacks utilizing the EternalBlue exploit, one of the tools chosen to deliver malicious payloads such as WannaCryptor and NotPetya, which caused unprecedented damage, disruption, and financial loss to victims.

The potential of a zero-day vulnerability being exploited as a cyberweapon is, unfortunately, a real risk. A book authored by Nicole Perlroth, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race, published in February 2021, documents the thriving underground marketplace where governments are often the main customers of zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits.

Having set the scene with the need for preparedness, what technologies and actions should cybersecurity admins at small businesses consider? First, I refer you to an article I published on WeLiveSecurity regarding cyber-resilience and the US’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Shields Up campaign. The advice mentions ESET Dynamic Threat Defense, now known as ESET LiveGuard Advanced, a technology designed to detect zero-day exploits, which should be a priority given that the conflict in Ukraine is ongoing.

ESET LiveGuard Advanced can detect new and previously unknown threats by running them in a cloud sandbox. Detecting threats the first time they are encountered can sometimes demand more processing power and memory than is readily available on employees’ machines. ESET LiveGuard offloads the task of detecting such threats to more powerful machines in the cloud. Once these samples are in the cloud sandbox, they can be subjected to multiple machine learning models and robust detection techniques to classify them as clean, suspicious, or malicious. It’s a zero-day game changer.

Another area of focus should be the reduction of the attack surface to minimize the risk of a bad actor gaining access to your network and identifying a zero-day vulnerability to be exploited either now or in the future. Employee devices typically account for a significant portion of the attack surface, and with hybrid workforces being the new norm, revisiting the policies and technology used to protect endpoint devices will assist with reducing risk. To address the heightened need to protect corporate endpoints with multiple layers of defense, a combined package of protection, such as ESET PROTECT Complete or ESET PROTECT Advanced, is recommended.

If you’re a small business and believe you’re not in danger because you’re not as interesting to bad actors as large enterprises, consider the following statistics. According to ITRC’s 2021 Business Aftermath Report, 58% of small businesses suffered at least one security or data breach, and 44% paid between $250,000 and $500,000 to cover their breach costs.

Just like large enterprises, small businesses handle sensitive data and can become collateral damage from attacks aimed at other targets. Small businesses can also be seen as stepping-stones to attack large enterprises or critical infrastructure business partners. Indeed, no company is too small to be noticed by criminals and, therefore, no company should feel exempt from basic cybersecurity practices.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

The Challenges to API Security

Some services depend on the integration between software, applications, or systems to be run by the end-user and this communication is possible due to the existence of APIs in people’s daily lives.

However, with the constant evolution of technology, these tools have been vectors for attacks by malicious agents, as explained below. Here, we also show you how important it is to invest in API security and what are the main challenges to achieving this goal.

To facilitate your reading and make our content more understandable, we divided this article into topics addressing the following subjects:

  • What is an API?
  • API Today
  • What Is API Security and How Important Is It?
  • Types of Frequent API Attacks
  • Six Best Practices for API Security
  • About senhasegura
  • Conclusion

Enjoy your reading!

  • What is an API?

The expression Application Programming Interface (API) consists of a set of programming standards that allow access to an application or platform. 

This mechanism is created when a software organization intends to develop other programs related to the service they offer. 

In this way, they provide codes to be used on other websites by their end-user. This is what happens with Google Maps, when it is adapted for use by other websites, such as hotel pages. 

This is possible with the intermediation of an API used by the developers of the hotel’s website with the Google Maps code.

This means that APIs enable communication between different applications through multiple codes, without any effort from the users. 

An API is useful for connecting several features of a website that can be used in other services, which is possible via programming. 

  • API Today

An API is typically described as an interface that connects applications. However, this generic concept no longer fully explains the features of this tool, which recently gained new ones.

APIs today adhere to models accessible and easily understood by developers. They are considered products, used by specific consumers, and present versions, which guarantees their lifecycle.

They are extremely standardized software, focused on governance and security, and one can also monitor the APIs and manage their performance. 

Their lifecycle includes the design, testing, construction, management, and version control phases. Modern APIs are still documented for consumption.

These APIs spread through plug-ins. In practice, the developers of a given application create an API and make it available to other developers, who create other plug-ins, enhancing the operation of this program. 

  • What Is API Security and How Important Is It?

With the evolution of technology, cybercriminals are going beyond their conventional targets and expanding their operations to IoT, external applications, and mobile applications. 

As a result, the large number of existing APIs has become a challenge for information security professionals. 

To complete, developers often do not have all the skills to develop a flawless API that complies with web and cloud security standards, which creates vulnerabilities to programs. Thus, many risks arise, such as:

  • Authorization Failures;
  • Data Exposure;
  • Denial of Service;
  • Failures in Security Settings;
  • Endpoints.

Vulnerable APIs open space for hackers, who can access sensitive information, medical and financial data of organizations, generating incalculable losses.

When we talk about API security, we typically refer to the protection of an application’s back-end services, including its database, user management system, or other components that interact with data storage.

Thus, it is essential to ensure the security of APIs, which covers the use of resources and the adoption of protection procedures. The security of a company’s APIs involves the services that use them and should prevent malicious agents from accessing sensitive data and performing unauthorized actions. 

It is important to mention that applications from other companies impact API security. Therefore, the risks must be evaluated by the IT team so that an efficient protection plan is created. 

Types of Frequent API Attacks

Here are the most common API attacks:

  • Injection Attack

When an API developer does not limit entries to certain applications, malicious agents can perform an API injection attack by sending a script to the server with a request that allows them to access the program. 

  • Stolen Authentication Attack

APIs configured with wrong authentication standards generate vulnerabilities for organizations, which need to prevent hackers from accessing the controls of this API and stealing data from their customers. Inadequate authentication processes can also result in brute force attacks. 

  • Man-in-the-middle Attack (MITM)

Transmission of unsigned or unencrypted messages, problems with secure session configuration, or even the use of SSL/TLS encryption with incorrect configuration can compromise API security and make an organization vulnerable to Man-in-the-middle attacks, compromising all messages with the customer.

Thus, malicious agents gain access to sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information. 

  • DDoS Attack

API endpoints have become the target of DDoS attacks. Malicious agents point a bot to the API and make multiple requests on an endpoint until it exceeds the tolerance of those requests and affects its responsiveness, making the service unavailable to users. 

To protect an API from DDoS attacks, we recommend edge protection and the Web Application Firewall with WAAP. 

Six Best Practices for API Security

Some practices are recommended to ensure API security. Below you will find what should be done for this purpose.

  • Analyze API Vulnerabilities

To ensure API security, automatic verification must be enabled in order to detect vulnerabilities and eliminate them at different stages of the software lifecycle. 

Automated verification features allow you to identify security flaws by comparing the application configuration to a known vulnerability database.

In practice, Crashtest Security Suite allows you to scan vulnerabilities, helping to establish a continuous testing process and prevent intrusions generated by a lack of API security. 

The suite also performs benchmarks referring to OWASP’s top 10 and provides a security analysis for APIs, applications, and JavaScripts. 

  • Restrict HTTP Methods

REST APIs enable programs capable of performing multiple HTTP operations. HTTP information is not encrypted, so these methods can facilitate attacks. 

For added security, it is important to prohibit unsafe HTTP methods, but if this is not possible, we recommend restricting your whitelist by rejecting all requests that are not on the list. 

Another important measure is the use of RESTful API authentication practices, which ensure the user can use the HTTP method.

  • Avoid Untrusted Entries by Implementing Input Validation Mechanisms

When the API client makes data available, do not fully trust it, since the authentication server can run an unauthorized application service or a malicious script. 

In this sense, it is recommended information security professionals implement mechanisms to validate the entry into the server and the client in order to avoid untrusted entries. 

Concerning the client, this validation has the job of indicating errors and warning about entries that must be accepted. On the server-side, it works to verify incoming data and prevent threats such as SQL Injection and XSS attacks. 

  • Set a Maximum Request Limit 

Limiting requests is an API security measure that requires setting up a temporary status for the API to analyze requests. It is usually used to prevent abuse, spam, or denial of service attacks. It also contributes to managing REST API security and preventing brute force and DDoS attacks. 

Some APIs may have flexible limits, enabling users to exceed request limits for a short time. Therefore, setting the time limit is a best practice to ensure API security. 

Also, request queue libraries make it possible to create APIs that accept a predefined number of requests, placing the others in a queue. 

  • HTTPS/TLS Must Be Used For REST APIs

HTTPS and Transport Layer Security (TLS) provide security for the transfer of encrypted information between web servers and browsers. In addition, HTTPS contributes to the protection of authentication credentials being transferred. 

Every API should implement HTTPS to ensure confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity. What’s more, security professionals are advised to use mutually authenticated client-side certificates to provide more security for sensitive information and operations. 

When creating a REST API, it is necessary to avoid redirecting HTTP to HTTPS, endangering user security. It is also important to take action to divert Cross-Source Resource Sharing (CORS) and JSONP requests for cross-domain calls.

  • Use An API Management Platform

An API gateway is intended to separate the client interface from the back-end API collection and to ensure the availability and scalability of API services. 

In addition to managing the most diverse API services, the API management platform makes it possible to manage standard functions, such as rate limitation, telemetry, and user authentication.

The API gateway is characterized by accepting API calls, coordinating resources needed to service it, performing authentication, and ensuring appropriate results. 

  • About senhasegura

For us, from senhasegura, the protection, access, and confidentiality of privileged information is a right of all individuals and legal entities. Therefore, we strive to operate as the best-privileged access management solution in the market.

Our commitment is to assist organizations to build sovereignty and security over access and privileged information.

  • Conclusion

By reading this article, you saw that:

  • APIs are a set of programming standards that allow integration between software, applications, and systems run by the end-user.
  • They contribute to the governance and security of organizations, can be monitored, and have their performances managed;
  • Nevertheless, with the evolution of technology, these tools have become vectors of attacks by malicious agents;
  • Thus, the large number of existing APIs has become a challenge for information security professionals;
  • It is essential to ensure API security with the use of tools and the adoption of procedures aimed at protecting this solution;
  • Among the types of API attacks, the following stand out: Injection Attack, Stolen Authentication Attack, Man-in-the-middle Attack (MITM), and DDoS Attack;
  • To ensure the security of APIs, it is critical to analyze their vulnerabilities; restrict HTTP methods; avoid untrusted entries by implementing input validation mechanisms; set a maximum limit of requests; use HTTPS/TLS for REST APIs and API gateway.
  • You also had the opportunity to learn a little about the work developed by senhasegura to promote its customers’ protection.

Did you like our article on API security? So, share it with someone else who is interested in this topic and keep following our posts. 

ALSO READ IN SENHASEGURA’S BLOG

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About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.

CyberLink Joins FIDO Alliance, an Open Industry Association for Authentication Standards

The end-to-end integration brings FaceMe’s industry-leading facial recognition functionalities to AXIS camera and VMS setups, fusing live stream monitoring and group tagging in a seamless solution

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — April 15, 2022 — CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a pioneer of AI and facial recognition technologies, today announced an important update to its facial recognition security software, FaceMe® Security. FaceMe Security now integrates with AXIS Communications’ AXIS Camera Station VMS (video management software), creating a robust, unified platform that brings facial recognition to AXIS’s security and access control applications. With this solution, users can now layer person-of-interest detection, group tagging and management, and visitor summaries on top of existing IP surveillance configurations with AXIS cameras and VMS.

AXIS is a global market leader in intelligent security solutions, integrating network cameras, video recorders, workstations, and video management systems. AXIS Camera Station is an easy-to-use, efficient VMS platform offering video surveillance and access control applications. Its intuitive interface and extensive compatibility make it an excellent fit for FaceMe® Security, a value-added smart surveillance software solution powered by CyberLink’s highly-ranked and precise FaceMe® AI facial recognition engine.

The unified platform, combining FaceMe’s real-time facial recognition to the AXIS Camera Station interface, delivers a unique, efficient and powerful monitoring solution. One operator can visualize up to 36 camera feeds on one screen. They can then rely on the facial recognition console running on a second display to receive real-time alerts. These alerts are triggered when individuals associated to a managed group (e.g., VIP, blocklists, employees) appear in front of a connected camera located in an area or at a time potentially requiring a certain action to be taken.

“Smart video management software is becoming an essential component to security and access control systems,” said Dr. Jau Huang, CEO of CyberLink. “Adding the facial recognition capabilities of FaceMe to the AXIS Camera Station enables a powerful, highly automated security monitoring environment, running on one intuitive platform.”

For an introduction to the FaceMe®-AXIS integration’s new features, visit the FaceMe® Security website or watch the introduction video.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is the world leader in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology. CyberLink addresses the demands of consumer, commercial and education markets through a wide range of solutions, covering digital content creation, multimedia playback, video conferencing, live casting, mobile applications and AI facial recognition.  CyberLink has shipped several hundred million copies of its multimedia software and apps, including the award-winning PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, and PowerDVD.  With years of research in the fields of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, CyberLink has developed the FaceMe® Facial Recognition Engine. Powered by deep learning algorithms, FaceMe® delivers the reliable, high-precision, and real-time facial recognition that is critical to AIoT applications such as smart retail, smart security, and surveillance, smart city and smart home. For more information about CyberLink, please visit the official website at www.cyberlink.com

When NFT Is the Creative Limit

Imagine this: It’s a nice spring afternoon and you decide to visit an art gallery. You get dressed up, grab your keys and face mask (depending on COVID restrictions in your area) and leave your house. You walk through the city to your favorite gallery, feeling the light breeze on your cheeks. You pay for a ticket and start walking around. You can see the art, almost touch it. You might meet a few people who are also admiring paintings and sculptures. You wave and smile with your eyes. Now imagine none of it is true. There is no need to physically go to the gallery and view art. We’ve arrived in an era when virtual galleries are becoming a reality. Digital art is gaining popularity, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are making it that much more profitable for artists. By now, we’re so used to sharing and viewing content online for free that it is second nature. But what if an art piece was enriched by a unique feature—an NFT? We have been hearing so much about NFTs over the past few months. But what exactly are they? Non-Fungible Tokens. That’s it. It’s a piece of digital data, embedded in a file that is unique for that piece and that piece only. Just like a physical piece of art, a digital piece with an NFT is non-replicable. There is only one of its kind. And that is what gives it its value. These pieces cannot be exchanged or substituted with similar items of the same value. Just like physical art cannot be swapped by a similar piece with the same value. NFTs have been around since 2015, but have recently gained in popularity. Many thanks to the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the US, which started selling “NBA Top Shots” in 2020—non-fungible short clips of basketball shots, similar to formerly popular basketball cards. Each is unique, has its own value and cannot be substituted by another. This new development has the potential to revolutionize the art world. NFTs act as a digital certificate of ownership of an art piece. After an NFT art piece is created, it is tokenized on a Blockchain (cryptocurrency service). This proves the artist’s legal ownership of the piece they created. And since a blockchain is secure and is hard to hack, tracking ownership is pretty easy. This helps the artist gain popularity and get their art out into the world. Anyone online can view their piece, even share and copy it. You may think that this kind of defeats the purpose. If you can freely access it, view it and share it, why pay for the ownership? The trick is, unless you purchase the NFT, you can’t fake ownership. Just like with physical art, you can take a photo of it, or even make a copy. But unless you own the original piece with a certificate, your copy/photo is not of the same value as the original. When you buy an NFT, it becomes your property and you can do with it as you please. However, the buyer does not possess any Intellectual Property Rights, such as the right of adaptation or reproduction. This is an exclusive right of the creator. Creating digital art breaks bounds artists have been bound by. Artists can now work more freely and independently. They have the right to sell their piece at a price they believe it deserves, set conditions before selling and much more. They also have the authority to rent and display their art as they please. It makes it also easier for them to distribute their art globally without limitations of their location. It all sounds great, but every digital advancement comes with its risks. NFTs are sold on digital trading platforms. Those operate similar to online shops. Vulnerabilities in these platforms are often caused by insufficient security considerations during the development phases. These oversights become the criminals’ target, once uncovered. They might either upload an artwork containing malicious code, steal people’s accounts or trade NFTs at a low price and resell them for profit. According to HKCERT, there have been several cases of cybersecurity breaches in the NFT area. One of the latest occurred in February 2022 via a phishing attack on OpenSea (an NFT trading platform). A cybercriminal sent out an email social engineering users into signing a contract and sending crypto assets to his wallet. The total amount stolen was $1.7 million. It seems that most of the attacks are of a phishing nature. But there has also been a security vulnerability found in one of the trading platforms, OpenSea. It is one of the biggest and most popular of its kind. The vulnerability allowed NFT art pieces to be sold for less than 1% of the price floor, which caused problems to creators. There are no limits to innovation and creativity. NFTs and digital art are proving that progress cannot be stopped. And it should not be. Progress is here to stay and develop. But where there is progress there are risks. ESET has been protecting progress and development since its establishment over 30 years ago. Security of digital users is priority number one; this means making sure that the progress we as humans have made is protected so we can safely step into the future. Where technology enables progress, ESET is here to protect it.
 

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

CyberLink Joins FIDO Alliance, an Open Industry Association for Authentication Standards

As a member of the FIDO Alliance, CyberLink commits to developing and supporting new biometrics-based authentication standards through FaceMe®, its facial recognition technology

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — April 21, 2022 — CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a pioneer of AI and facial recognition technologies, announces it became an Associate Member of the FIDO Alliance, an open industry association focused on authentication standards and device attestation. CyberLink joins hundreds of industry players in developing and implementing new authentication specifications and standards, including facial recognition, that will better protect user privacy.

The FIDO Alliance is an industry association centered on advancing authentication standards to decrease dependence on passwords, which can be easily stolen or hacked. These new standards make authentication simpler for consumers to use and easier for service providers to manage. The Alliance’s rich membership comprises stakeholders that include government agencies, service providers, technology players and financial services industry leaders.

Technology industry member CyberLink is dedicated to providing encrypted biometric authentication through its FaceMe AI facial recognition solutions. With its facial recognition expertise, CyberLink is well-positioned to help the Alliance promote the adoption of biometric technologies that will deliver to our society more secure and convenient authentication alternatives to those with inherent flaws that are generally used today.

“We are excited to welcome our newest Associate Member CyberLink,” said Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance. “The FIDO vision of universal strong authentication promises better security, enhanced privacy, more commerce and expansion of services throughout digital industries. CyberLink’s addition to our Alliance supports our industry goal to make user authentication easier and safer for all parties.”

“As privacy and protection are increasingly critical imperatives of our society’s reliance on technology in every facet of life, users deserve stronger yet more intuitive authentication methods,” said Dr. Jau Huang, CEO of CyberLink. “I have no doubt that CyberLink’s biometrics authentication expertise, cemented through FaceMe, our facial recognition technology, will benefit the FIDO Alliance in establishing and providing safer authentication methods for end-users.”

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is the world leader in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology. CyberLink addresses the demands of consumer, commercial and education markets through a wide range of solutions, covering digital content creation, multimedia playback, video conferencing, live casting, mobile applications and AI facial recognition.  CyberLink has shipped several hundred million copies of its multimedia software and apps, including the award-winning PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, and PowerDVD.  With years of research in the fields of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, CyberLink has developed the FaceMe® Facial Recognition Engine. Powered by deep learning algorithms, FaceMe® delivers the reliable, high-precision, and real-time facial recognition that is critical to AIoT applications such as smart retail, smart security, and surveillance, smart city and smart home. For more information about CyberLink, please visit the official website at www.cyberlink.com

Network Maps with Pandora

The wait is finally over, and the seventh version of Pandora FMS, “Next Generation” has arrived to keep your networks in working order, and more. Now including UX monitoring, transaction monitoring, extra features and visual highlights, interactive network maps and events history. It’s difficult to imagine that there is a more powerful and complete monitoring software currently available. We’re excited to talk about the new network maps upgrades, but if you’d like to find out about the other new additions click here.

The glowing iridescent Pandora FMS Omni-Brain that directs the office hive-mind has instructed the developers to make changes to the network maps function, consolidating both Open and Enterprise versions into a single tool, all-in-one. It’s now possible to display network maps totally visually and dynamically, with greater interaction possibilities, and represent any kind of network topology, including manual L2 links. You can also view all and any sub-networks that your organization is running and/or maintaining, on- or off-site; create hierarchy relations allowing a greater level of topological detail than ever before.

Creating network maps

Network maps can be created from:

  • An agent group, if there are hierarchy relations between nodes in a group and these are going to be shown on the map.
  • A network mask, to define the boundaries of a sub-network.
  • Finally, one of the most usual ways, via self-discovery tasks. A reconnaissance task can be carried out to detect your network topology, respecting the connections and relations between nodes. At network interface level and layer 2 relations, information is presented automatically.

Keep in mind the relations between modules and agents to define the network topology you want to view.

In the following screenshot the available options for map-generating can be seen. You can select a group of agents (Group), a recon task (Recon task), or a network mask (CIDR IP mask).

network maps

If “Recon task” is selected the map design will show discovered nodes and any relations detected among them:

network maps

In a wider environment the perspective is going to be different: here you can see what a network map with more connected nodes would look like:

network maps

You can see how Pandora FMS connects to intermediary locations in the node diaspora. These locations usually correspond to routers, switches or access points.

Navigating network maps

Simpler than before, once a network map has been created you can move around it by simply dragging the mouse. Double-click or scroll to zoom in.

If you zoom in on a recon task-generated map you’ll see an image like the one below, allowing you to see relations between different map elements in more detail, including those at interface level.

network maps

It’s also easier to navigate map elements; simply drag and drop the elements, or scroll around the map at your leisure.

Editing maps

But there’s more; Pandora FMS 7’s maps are completely dynamic, meaning their default design can be modified, and elements displayed in the way that best suits the user. All intuitively and by simply using the mouse.

Double-click on any node on the map and you’ll see different edit options deployed, plus their relevant details. Likewise, you can now create, delete or modify relations between nodes and also their appearance.

network maps

To create a dependent relation between nodes or interfaces simply click on the node and create the relation by defining the parent and child element. You can also change the position of the node by dragging and dropping them on the map. If you need to move various nodes simultaneously, press “ctrl” and select the groups you want to move.

network maps

Right click on a node to deploy its options, see details or create a relation between two nodes at interface level, selecting the parent and child element respectively. Right click on a blank space to see the following options:

network maps

One of the most important labor-saving tools is the automatic generation of relations. This is possible thanks to self-discovery tasks, that allow relations between existing nodes to be automatically detected.

Last but not least, Pandora FMS 7 Next Generation includes the holding area. If you need to manually add new agents and relations to a pre-existing map, or if the recon task discovers new hosts, using the “refresh holding area” option will display nodes created or discovered subsequently in the “holding area”, and the original map will maintain its aesthetic, not being sullied with elements created a posteriori. Drag the new nodes out of the holding area to see its corresponding relations by clicking refresh.

In the Pandora FMS video “Network Maps” you can see everything we’ve explained in this article, and find out how to create, edit, and use a network map in a dynamic, graphic and easier way than in previous versions.



For more info visit https://pandorafms.com/ or our YouTube channel.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.

Failed Industroyer2 attack leads to calls for heightened vigilance on ICS networks


Russian-backed Group Attempts to Compromise Ukrainian Power Grid Using Industroyer2 Malware

As part of their ongoing military assault against neighboring Ukraine, Russian-backed hacker group Sandworm launched a series of cyber attacks that threaten the critical infrastructure of the beleaguered country. 

Continue reading

You want to know whether a dangerous stranger has your passwords?

We already live in a post-apocalyptic future that has nothing to envy to great franchises like Mad Max or Blade Runner.

Proof of this are pollution, pandemics and the fact that your most intimate secrets can be violated because your most impenetrable slogans are in a database of leaked passwords.

Do you feel that pinch? It’s fear and cruel reality knocking at your door at the same time.

But, well, let’s stand by. Just as Mel Gibson or Harrison Ford would do in their sci-fi plots. Let a hard guy grimace get drawn on your face, adjust your pistol grip and put on comfortable shoes. Help us and help yourself answer this question:

Are you in a database of leaked passwords?

You already know that periodically, the security of large companies that store hundreds of data, including your passwords, is violated with total impunity.

We have repeated it countless times: No one is free from evil because, friends, evil never rests. And on top of that, there are no superheroes for these things.

That is why we will try to guide you to check, in a simple way, whether you and your passwords are in a database of leaked passwords.

That way you will find out whether you are safe or you already have to start thinking about coming up with new and original passwords.

*Remember: 

No matter how far-fetched and armored it may seem, from time to time you will have to check if it has been leaked. We do not want anyone with bad intentions to use them and take advantage of some of the services you have hired or, directly, steal your information. 

To guide you in this search what we will do is start by checking your emails. We will check whether they are included in some of these databases of leaked passwords. That way we will not only reveal if these have been filtered, but also the rest of the accounts in which you repeat the same username and password over and over again.

Is all this necessary?

Between you and me, it’s easier to memorize a password than to try it with hundreds. That’s why you repeat the same one since your teenage days! Damn it… maybe even since you met messenger and Terra chat. 

But this is a very dangerous thing! If someone has already obtained your old hotmail email and the password you used in it, and that you may continue to use, what they will do is, apart from appropriating your email, is to use that information to enter other platforms or services where you continue to use the same username and password as in that hotmail. 

Once you know whether any of the credentials that you usually repeat have been leaked, you will have in your hand the option to change them both on the site that has been violated and in the rest of the places where you use them. 

How do we do it?

To find out whether the passwords of any of the websites in which you have registered have been violated and filtered, you just have to go to:

haveibeenpwned.com

A portal that is responsible for collecting information from password databases filtered throughout the Internet.

*The page is quite intuitive. It works as a search engine. As the main Google page. So calm down.

Let’s go with a small list of steps to follow:

  1. Enter haveibeenpwned.com.
  2. Go to the main text box. In there type the email account you want to verify. You will be immediately shown the accounts or platforms, linked to it, that have been breached.
  3. If after typing your email and pressing enter, the screen turns green, you are in luck, your email has not been involved in any massive leak.
  4. However, if the screen turns to a maroon shade… Shit! The password linked to that email has been leaked! What’s more, the very attentive page will tell you where. Below you will see a list of websites where you used to enter with that email and where the passwords have been stolen.
  5. Go change passwords! Both from your email and from all the pages that appeared to you. Well, and the rest where you may be using the same username and password that you used with the compromised accounts.

Conclusions

We know it’s a hassle to change passwords every once in a while, but so is it to have your account stolen and impersonate you by putting a horrible profile picture. This among many other unmentionable bad deeds that can be done. Now that you can check whether you’re in one of those leaked password databases, we leave it to you.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.