PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
We take a look at some of the top IT security stories of the past week.
Brits affected by data breaches
42 per cent of British adults have had their personal data compromised by an organisation, potentially putting them at risk of identity theft.
According to Experian, 54 per cent of those who have been told that their information may have been lost or stolen through a data breach chose not to change their password.
Lack of cyber skills affecting IT industry
Figures have revealed that there is shortage of cyber skills, according to a 451 Research study.
Serena Gonsalves-Fersch, head of the cyber security academy at KPMG, said: “Latest figures show a projected shortfall of cyber skilled professionals to just 1.5 million globally by 2019. The dearth of appropriately skilled professionals means that larger companies with the most funds have the pick of the market. Smaller companies therefore often find themselves in a vulnerable situation, with a skills shortage and no viable means to fill it cost effectively.
“When investing in cyber certifications, organisations need to conduct a proper skills assessment and training needs analysis to ascertain what their specific needs are and what capabilities they require to keep their organisation and people safe from cyber-attacks.”
Fraud migration rising in UK
New data from FICO has found that fraud migration is making an impact across Europe, with card fraud losses rising by six per cent during 2014 in the UK.
70 per cent of card losses were due to card-not-present fraud, with 47 per cent of these fraudulent transactions taking place in the US.
HP highlights security flaws with smartwatches
This week HP has released a report revealing potential cybersecurity flaws of smartwatches.
HP states that the networking of smartwatches create an ‘open frontier for cyber-attack’, and that 100 per cent of tested devices feature vulnerabilities.
Kaspersky receives recognition for Internet Security
The latest version of Kaspersky Internet Security for Android has received the highest recognition by three independent test labs. The solution was tested by AV-Comparatives, AV-Test and PC Security Labs, which successfully detected 100 per cent of threats without a single false detection.
Businesses need to reduce time to detection
Cisco has released its annual Midyear Security Report, revealing that organisations need to reduce time to detection (TTD) in order to prevent attacks from threats.
The report shows that there are now new risks associated with Flash and the Dridex mutating malware campaign, reinforcing the need for reduced time to detection.
More websites hosting ‘malvertising’ attacks
Entertainment and news websites are among the most that are targeted by malvertising, according to Bromium Labs.
More than 58 per cent of malvertisments were delivered through news and entertainment websites, while Flash experienced eight exploits during the first six months in 2015.
UK unaware of cyber threats
Research carried out on behalf of Sophos by Dods Research has found that there is a low level of awareness of cyber security and cybercrime across the local government workforce.
It found that 41 per cent of respondents thought that their current IT security practices would offer suitable protection against cyber crime, while 50 per cent revealed they did not know if their current practices would protect them.
Bitdefender enhances security software to work with Windows 10
Following the launch of Windows 10, Bitdefender has overhauled its existing product line to ensure it works with the operating system (OS).
The new security features in Windows 10 include the new browser Edge and Windows Hello, as well as biometric features including fingerprint, iris or facial recognition.
New Android threats
Researchers have found new flaws affecting almost all Android devices, which could infect smartphones and tablets with a malicious code.
Zimperium Labs revealed that the threat, dubbed Stagefright, is ‘one of the worst Android vulnerabilities to date’.
