Application Security Usually Neglected on the Cyber Front

Forbes published an article on March 12th, 2015, titled '#1 Cyber Security Threat to Information Systems Today'. This article was based on a research by Sungard Availability Services. According to 55% respondents, vulnerable web applications claimed the top spot.

According to Joe Caruso, CEO/CTO and founder of Global Digital Forensics (GDF), a leading cyber security solutions provider, "There are a few factors that converge to make applications a tricky cyber security concern for many organizations. First is sheer volume. There are so many web apps today which organizations use on so many different platforms that the numbers alone can be dizzying, not to mention the resources, experience, personnel and tools needed to effectively keep tabs on the security aspect of them all. Then there is the sea of developers building apps who come out of the woodwork from every corner of the globe with promises to deliver effective customized apps at bargain rates. But far too often, security is not entrenched in the DNA of these coders. if security isn't baked into the development cycle of an application, an organization can find themselves with a wide open door for hackers to exploit their most sensitive and valuable data, leaving a costly, tangled mess."

Risks Posed by Applications Can Be Managed

Cyber security solutions can help in managing application security. These measures are all about prioritizing threats from cause and effect standpoint. Complete in-depth testing of each application is usually not an option. It is meant for smaller organizations with limited amount of apps, but for bigger organizations with thousands of apps, the cost associated with testing would be very restrictive.

All apps are not the same and some pose negligible threat, as they are not concerned with important company information and client data. Such apps will not provide a gateway to intruders. The security of these apps are low in priority, while others pose medium to high risk and should be managed accordingly. There is a lot of room for interpretation and specialized tools and expertise is required to tackle the problem.

Professional Vulnerability Assessment Required

For complete web application security, a professional vulnerability assessment is required. It can determine the risks posed by every application. This along with a comprehensive penetration testing on each application can determine the vulnerabilities susceptible to cyber-attacks. Vulnerable application threats should be tested, identified and prioritized, to create remediation threats.

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5 Things You Can do to Ensure Cyber Security

Today computers including desktop or laptop have become a necessity for everyone including professionals, students, retired personnel, housewives and others. All of us need PCs to perform our day-to-day tasks - professional as well as personal. We often use our PC for web browsing, taking stock of social networking updates, uploading photos and videos and sending as well as receiving e-mails. While computer is so important to us, it also poses certain security risks to our documents and privacy.

The users connected to the Internet face most of the security issues because of the widespread presence of online threats including viruses and malware. Considering the ever increasing online threats, it becomes important to know the tips that can help you prevent cyber security attacks.

In this article you will find some really helpful tips that help you ensure cyber security.

1. Keep your device password protected

The basic yet the most effective tip to deal with cyber security threats is to keep your device always password protected. If you leave your device unprotected or without passwords then any one would be able to use it without any hindrance. He will have an easy access to your private documents, financial information, business records and other vital documents. Therefore, you should never leave your laptop without password protection.

This is the most effective way of preventing someone from accessing your private information and vital records. You are also recommended to go into the Power settings of the PC in 'Control Panel,' and set your computer to require password before getting ready for operation.

2. Keep your e-mails protected

Another effective way of keeping your cyber security uncompromised is to keep your e-mails protected. Usually, PC users use a standard POP3 account. By default, your e-mail client allows the client to login automatically without requiring any password. This jeopardizes your e-mails that may contain wealth of valuable and vital information that you don't want others to access. If you leave the email client open for all without requiring any password then your mails are almost public that can be read by anyone. Therefore, the best way to keep your mails protected is to enable passwords that are difficult to guess or crack.

3. Manage your passwords

Nowadays, we access variety of websites that relate to finance, social networking, banking, blogs, information technology and others and for most of these sites we require login passwords. In such circumstances, it becomes difficult to manage passwords as we tend to confuse or forget them. Moreover, having one or same password for all these websites is not safe because if hackers hack the password successfully for any one of these sites, they would comfortably access all the sites using the same password. Therefore, you are advised to take help of a password manager utility. This will help you in managing the passwords effectively and increase the security for your data and privacy.

4. Stay away from insecure networks

Cyber security is not easy to ensure and thus you need to take a lot of measures to protect it from cyber offenders. It becomes difficult especially if you don't have a big budget to ensure security. In such cases avoiding insecure networks becomes significantly helpful because it helps you in preventing majority of cyber frauds and scams. You become vulnerable when you are using Wi-Fi in a coffee shop, airport lounge, or hotspots because then your connection can be easily intercepted and important information and data could be shared. Security experts recommend for a VPN (virtual private network) utility because it protects your connection and enable you to browse without revealing your identity to the cyber criminals.

5. Ensure the security of your phone

Do you know the fact that the smartphone, which you usually carry in your pocket, is more powerful than early-generation computers? It carries a lot of data such as contacts, photos, videos and other personal information, so it become very important to secure your smartphone in a bid to ensure cyber security. To secure your phone, you are recommended to set up a lock screen using a PIN, swipe code, facial recognition and other security options provided with the device. Some other security measures include password management, VPN connection and anti-theft features.

If you implement the above discussed tips and tricks into practice, it would become extremely easy for you to ensure cyber security. These tricks are helpful to all those PC users who go online often and browse variety of websites.

Brooke M. Perry is an ardent technician associated with Qresolvepc security support , with wide experience of fixing issues with PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. With a strong track record of devising effective ways of online pc support and system security, she has so far helped thousands of users across the globe. Her writings on tech issues are the reflection of her in-depth interest and command she carries as a online pc repair technician. Her blogs and articles have been rated high for their lucid style and easy to understand language.

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