Intelligent Digital Security Solutions

Today, it is relatively easy to receive information, communicate, monitor and manage IT systems over significant distances. Modern networks play a key role in many infrastructures: e-commerce, data and voice transmission, financial sphere and healthcare, transport and defense.

Network connectivity and ubiquitous access is the main task for modern IT systems. However, the widespread access and poor connectivity of interconnected IT systems can be the primary source of widespread vulnerability. For networked systems, threats are increasing, such as a denial of service, hacking, theft of financial and personal information, network outages, disruption of voice communication and remote data transmission. The computer industry continues to take over the world, forcing people to develop digital security solutions. How to make our systems more reliable and secure?

What Is Cyber Security? 

Nowadays, we often read news about cybercriminals who manage to seize control of other people’s computers, gadgets, software, launch relevant programs against specific sites, information resources, or certain mobile app content. This malicious activity affects companies, telephone lines, industrial enterprises, strategic or even government sites. Individuals and companies may lose money from their bank accounts. This is a so-called “hack” attack on the information database of enterprises, institutions, organizations. Therefore, more and more attention is being paid to cybersecurity every day. 

Cybersecurity is the implementation of measures to protect programs, networks, and systems in general from digital attacks aimed at gaining access to sensitive data. Subsequently, the data can be changed or destroyed, which entails various kinds of problems in the normal operation of companies, loss of money and other damage.

However, the effective implementation of cybersecurity measures is a very difficult task. The number of devices susceptible to attacks increases proportionally with an increase in the number of production and operation of the devices themselves. Hence, the attackers learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and become more sophisticated.

Get advice to be protected

Front Desk Helpers has extensive experience in the development of digital security solutions. And our specialists offer a multilevel approach to cyber protection. To achieve a successful result in preventing cyberattacks we always stress the importance of the following factors:

Staff training

Employees must be aware of the main requirements needed to maintain information security. They should be trained to use them in everyday life. These include: using reliable passwords, two-factor authentication, creating data backups (backups), careful treatment of email attachments and various script links.

Technological processes

A company must use a set of basic measures to counter attacks that are being undertaken or successfully completed. This kit should explain how to: protect systems, detect digital attacks, find and eliminate threats, and restore normal operation after.

Technology allows users and organizations to use tools to protect devices from cyberattacks

These devices can be routers, computers, smart things, a network, cloud computing environments. The role of technologies for the mentioned devices may include next-generation firewalls, DNS filters, malware protection, antiviruses, and “secure email” solutions. 

Threats of Cyber Security

The world of cybercrime is constantly changing. The first viruses were mostly nothing more than a joke. However, today, according to experts, the annual damage from computer crimes is about $ 6 trillion. One of the best ways to ensure your cyber safety is to have up-to-date information about the threats spread by the Internet. 

The main cyber threats

Ransomware

This is a type of malware software that blocks access to computer system files and demands a ransom for decoding. Usually, money transfer does not guarantee file recovery or system renewal.

DDoS-attack (Distributed Denial of Service)

This is a network attack when an attacker tries to overload the site so that it starts to slow down or becomes inaccessible to ordinary clients. In other words, an attack during which the site must “deny service”. A site is attacked not from one device, but from a thousand. The more devices, the greater the load on the server is and the likelihood of making the site inaccessible.

Any device with the Internet connection can send requests and participate in the attack: smartphones, smartwatches, home appliances, hosting servers. But finding and organizing a thousand who want to carry out an attack is difficult. It is much easier to turn ordinary people’s computers into zombies and control them remotely. This is usually done using viruses.

Such viruses do not require anything from the user and are not easily spottable, so the owner of the device may not even suspect that he is involved in the attack. They can be embedded in a program for activating Windows, a pirated copy of a game or program from torrents, unofficial firmware for a smartphone.

Social engineering

It is a common tactic used by cybercriminals to collect sensitive user information. They can trick you by showing attractive advertisements, prizes, great deals, and so on, and ask you to provide your personal and bank details. All the information you enter is cloned and used for financial fraud, identity fraud, etc. Along with financial losses, social engineering attacks can load other destructive threats to the corresponding system.

Phishing

Is a spam email fraud that simulates messages from any legitimate source. Such letters have a strong topic with attachments such as bills, job offers, great offers from well-known delivery services or any important mail from senior company officials. Phishing fraudulent attacks are the most common cyberattacks aimed at stealing confidential data. For example, login credentials, credit card numbers, bank account information, etc. To avoid this, you should learn more about phishing mailings and how to prevent them. You can also use email filtering technology to avoid this attack.

The list of threats to the data transmission system includes the following:

• destruction of information and / or other resources;
• distortion or alteration of information;
• theft, movement or loss of information and / or other resources;
• information disclosure;
• interruption of service.

The threats can be classified as random or intentional, and they can be active and passive. Random threats are those that arise without prior intent. Examples of realized random threats are the operation of faulty equipment, incorrect operation of the system, gross miscalculations in work, and software errors.

Intentional threats can be classified from an unforeseen examination, using readily available monitoring tools, to complex attempts to violate protection, using special system knowledge. 

Front Desk Helpers provides a wide range of solutions to prevent any of the above-described threats. This process is difficult and requires specific knowledge and skills. You can always request a free expert analysis, visiting our consultation form.

The first step is to list resources that need protection. The next step is a threat analysis, and then a vulnerability analysis (including impact assessment) which cover:

• identification of system vulnerabilities;
• analysis of the likelihood of threats aimed at exploiting these vulnerabilities;
• assessment of the consequences if each threat is successfully completed;
• assessment of the cost of each attempt to violate the defense;
• costing of potential countermeasures; 
• the choice of security mechanisms that are justified (possibly through the use of cost-benefit analysis).

In some cases, non-technical measures, such as insurance coverage, can be a cost-effective alternative to technical security measures. In general, perfect technical safety is not possible. Thus, the goal must be to increase the cost of attempts to violate protection to a high enough value to reduce the risk to acceptable levels.

Corporate Network Security

Only in conditions of guaranteed security, a company can become successful. New partnerships, customer audience growth, and stability of the sales market are possible if the company has a well-formed security system. It largely determines not only the professional viability of the enterprise but also is an important image component. No business can be competitive if management does not guarantee the prevention of various negative factors on business processes. 

The concept of corporate security of a company includes:

• severe restriction of access to trade secrets; 
• specialists with the skills to prevent negative factors;
• the ability to conduct a quick internal investigation when threatening factors are detected; 
• professional personnel policy; 
• physical protection of employees;
• technical protection of employees. 

Do not think that a once-formed corporate security system will remain static for the entire life of the enterprise. The management should conduct ongoing analytical work in this direction and try to improve the effectiveness of security. Company efficiency is possible when management regularly works to improve security at all levels.

Front Desk Helpers Offer Remote Cyber Security Solutions to Protect your Business

Why can outsourcing become an ideal option to provide corporate security? First of all, it frees up the labor resources of the company. Besides, it is the best approach from the financial point of view as you hire a specialist only when you need him and for the time you need.

Front Desk Helpers have the experience to help you stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Our security services help you engage in global analytics, innovate without additional risks, and gradually optimize your system.

Our company provides professional cyber protection services:

• Analysis of threats to the information security of your business.
• Audit and assessment of the current state of the company cybersecurity.
• Development of a system of measures to increase cybersecurity.
• Implementation of hardware and software information protection at different levels of the company’s infrastructure.
• Training of employees and development of rules and instructions for them on safe work with information.
• Testing the effectiveness of a cybersecurity system by simulating hacker attacks.
• Quick recovery in case of hacking and investigation of this incident.

All these tools should be linked to a single information security system. Our experienced and highly qualified specialists can solve this problem.

E-Commerce Security Threats and Solutions

E-commerce is trading through the Internet. You can buy or sell a service, real estate, banking product, etc. E-commerce creates a new form of organization of trading enterprises – virtual stores. Under the influence of competition, virtual stores constantly offer new products and services for sale.

An electronic store is threatened by all internal and remote attacks inherent in any distributed computer system that interacts by transmitting data over open networks. Both participants in this business process are vulnerable to them and unprotected in terms of repelling attacks and tracking them.

In relation to e-commerce, the definition of security can be formulated as a state of protection of the interests of both parties of e-commerce deals from threats of financial losses.

Ensuring security regardless of ownership is necessary for any enterprises and institutions, ranging from state organizations to a small stall engaged in retail trade. The differences will only consist of what means and methods and to what extent are required to ensure their safety.

Vulnerabilities that lead to attacks are inherent in any software. Both vulnerabilities in the design of the e-Commerce system (for example, the lack of security features) and vulnerabilities in implementation and configuration. The last two types of vulnerabilities are the most common and are found in any organization. All this can lead to the implementation of various types of attacks aimed at violating the confidentiality and integrity of the processed data. It is especially dangerous if the client pays for the order online, the information about the customer’s credit card can be stolen.

At all stages of the electronic commerce system, it is possible to penetrate the internal network of the company and compromise the components of the electronic store. According to statistics, more than half of all computer incidents are connected with their own employees, because they, like no other, know all the work “from the inside”.

Information system-level security

Every level of the information system needs its own protection.

• The level of the operating system (OS) is responsible for maintaining the DBMS and application software.
• The network level is responsible for the interaction of the nodes of the information system.

These levels are especially important. It is very dangerous if the attacker received the ID and password of the store user database or intercepted them during transmission over the network, or picked them up using special programs. 

Tools and protection mechanisms are needed that quickly and accurately detect and block Denial of service network attacks, as well as attacks on the operating system.

Currently, routers and firewalls are used at the network level, while built-in means of access control are used at the OS level.

The database management system level (DBMS) is responsible for the storage and processing of information system data. The protection system must work effectively at all levels, otherwise, the attacker will be able to find system vulnerabilities and implement an attack on the resources of the electronic store. Security analysis tools and security scanners will help here: these tools can detect and eliminate many vulnerabilities on hundreds of nodes, including remote ones over long distances.

 The technology that ensures the security of electronic commerce is cryptography. Cryptography is the science of methods, algorithms, software, and hardware for converting information in order to conceal its content, to prevent modification or unauthorized use. Modern cryptographic algorithms in combination with powerful personal computers make it possible to implement reliable methods of encryption, authentication and information integrity verification.

Encryption or encoding of information in order to protect it from unauthorized reading is the main task of cryptography. Encryption ensures the confidentiality of information; it is used in electronic commerce to keep the content of the transmitted message secret.

Encryption is based on two concepts: an algorithm and a key. A cryptographic algorithm is a mathematical procedure by which plaintext is transformed into encrypted. The cryptographic algorithm itself is not secret and is known to all participants in the process, but the algorithm parameter called the key is secret.

The authentication problem can be solved with public-key cryptography – asymmetric encryption. In this case, key pairs are used: public and private. The open key is distributed among all correspondents, personal is known only to the owner. Messages encrypted with any of the keys can only be decrypted with another key from the same pair.

Almost all encryption systems are based on two cryptographic algorithms: DES (Data Encryption Standard), developed by IBM back in the early 70s of the last century, and is the world standard for private key encryption and RSA (named after the authors’ names – Rivest, Shamur, Adleman), introduced in the late 70s, has become the standard for public-key encryption, especially popular in banking technologies.

An electronic digital signature is a set of characters generated by an electronic digital signature and is an integral part of an electronic document. Thus, the EDS is an analog of the handwritten signature of an individual, presented as a sequence of characters obtained as a result of cryptographic conversion of electronic data using the EDS private key, allowing the public key used to establish the integrity and immutability of this information, as well as the owner of the EDS private key.

Cyber Security Solutions

Front Desk Helpers offer solutions that will satisfy cybersecurity needs in all industries and businesses. We adhere to strict views, policies, and techniques when developing our products and implementing solutions. Qualified and certified professionals will help assess risks, implement solutions for specific cyber environments and provide protection for your company for a long time.

We also suggest to follow simple rules to protect your company from potential risks and threats:

Determine what information is considered confidential

Today it is impossible to imagine a company that does not possess confidential and secret information. And it is precisely this data owned by the company that is most vulnerable to competitors and / or third parties. If such information falls into the wrong hands, then your company’s reputation may be irreparably damaged. Therefore, it is extremely important to identify critical data in order to know exactly what needs to be protected. This information can be printed on paper, recorded on a CD, it can be software, audio or visual data. Take the time to find out what you can show partners and stakeholders, and what you need to hide for the good of your business.

Make sure that you take all available measures to protect confidential data such as customer databases, employee information, financial reports, passwords, and bank details.

Control access to data

As soon as you understand what information needs additional protective measures and where it is stored, you should go to the next step. Find out who has access to this data. Restricting access prevents the disclosure of confidential information, intentionally or unintentionally. You must make sure that all employees of the company do not have full access to confidential data, including the employees of the IT service. Install software that lets you track what data employees have access to and how they use it.

Do not neglect mobile devices

In the era of smartphones and tablets, you cannot afford to lose sight of mobile security. Most of your employees use personal gadgets at work, thereby working in an open (insecure) network. They work without proper data protection on the network, which puts their smartphones/tablets at risk from a possible hacker attack or data loss. Think about creating a security policy for mobile devices, and work with secure applications.

Use a strong password and encrypted data

Many of us set a simple password that is easy to remember. However, such passwords are also easily cracked. The use of complex passwords, which include alphanumeric characters and signs, make it difficult for hackers to crack. Therefore, it is recommended to set complex passwords and change them at least once every six months. At the same time, do not write down passwords, but try to remember them. Also, encrypt data before saving it to your hard drive, as this is the best way to protect it. Even if you suddenly lose your hard drive or it is stolen, an attacker will not be able to read encrypted data.

Do not open random links

Be careful with suspicious letters and unknown links posted on your page on the social network. Never open them. Suspicious letters and links can be a trick to lure you there, which in the long run may turn out to be an open door for cybercriminals to your system. Just mark them as spam and send them to the trash.

Update cyberattack protection system

The virtual world is a playground for cybercriminals. Make sure you are constantly updating the cyberattack protection system. If your office uses Wi-Fi, provide the necessary wireless security. An unsecured network is vulnerable to penetration and hacking. To protect your Wi-Fi network, use a strong password and WPA2 encryption instead of WEP.

The role of your staff is crucial

Your employees should know that they are responsible for the security of the company’s resources, both physical and informational. The vigilance of staff and partners in many cases minimizes information security breaches. Protecting confidential information requires more than setting corporate rules, security policies, or closed doors. IT security needs increased attention and willingness to identify and address potential risks and threats.