How Log Management Can Help You Protect Your Systems

Log management is an essential tool in the battle against cyber-crime. It might not be as glamorous as anti-malware software, or the use of honeypots, but it can be the single most important way of preventing a potential hack. It is effectively the gathering of information from your systems. Every PC and server you use will keep an audit of its activity, which gives you valuable insight into the behaviours of its users. You are able to track exactly who logged in at any given time, and where exactly they were accessing. Read more

GCHQ and the Smart Meter Fiasco

Earlier this year, a story was brought to our attention that sent reverberations around the office. As digital security experts, we believe that tightly securing electronic items is an absolute must, and that any company or organisation releasing technology should have a plan in place from the outset. Imagine our surprise when articles regarding the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) surfaced, reporting that the intelligence agency had been forced to intervene in the roll-out of Smart Meters, due to the use of a single encryption key. Read more

The Increased Risk of Hacking Apple Macs

It is estimated that Microsoft have around 90% of the market share when it comes to operating systems. This statistic may be slightly misleading though, as it appears to be based on purchases. It doesn’t necessarily take into account the usage levels. Although most new PC’s have Microsoft windows already installed for example, it doesn’t mean that the user doesn’t install something else. Apple, the main rival to Windows, can also argue that their devices have a longer lifespan, and therefore aren’t accurately represented. Whatever the true reflection, what is clear is that having a far inferior market share isn’t protecting Apple users from hackers any more. Read more

Security for Smartphones

In an increasingly technology-driven and mobile world, our reliance on our smartphones is growing. They are getting smarter, sleeker and able to perform more and more actions that make them essential to the day to day running of our lives. We can run businesses from our phones, access and distribute funds from various banking apps and store databases. We put in private details without a thought, sending information out into the world that in other situations we keep completely confidential. Read more

The Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit 2016

The Gartner summits are some of the most renowned and highly valued conferences in the world. As a leading information technology research and advisory company, Gartner offer incredible insight into practically all areas of IT. The recent Security and Risk Management Summit 2016 was no exception, addressing the latest cybersecurity threats and introducing flexible new security architecture and governance strategies that can be implemented to combat them. Read more

The LinkedIn Scandal – How to Protect Against Social Media Hacks

In 2012, LinkedIn was infamously hacked and the password details of users released and shared across the darker reaches of the web. Old news you would think. Unfortunately, four years on in 2016, reports are again surfacing that this may not be the last we hear about this particular breach. Earlier this year, it came to the attention of security researchers that some 117 million examples of passwords and email addresses were being sold together on data sharing websites, leading to the estimation that 167 million LinkedIn users are likely to have suffered in some form.  Read more

Why Do People Hack?

Hacking as a criminal act is on the rise. As our world becomes ever more interconnected, and the Internet of Things sees all devices open to networks and communication, the risks become more real. The opportunity to hack increases, too, as more and more of what we own has the ability to be exploited. We have become a generation and economy that thrives on information and data, turning it effectively into a currency. In the same way, that highwaymen would hold up coaches with a gun, and crooks would rob banks with the same, we now have criminals who can hide weaponless behind a keyboard, for more gain than ever before.  Read more

Cybercrime

Hacking for Good and Evil

At Digital Pathways we talk a lot about ‘hackers’, generally describing them as cyber-criminals whose sole intention is to cause damage to individuals and corporations. We often describe the nefarious means by which a hacker endeavours to force entry into your system and obtain valuable information or data. We paint them as malicious, creating chaos online for no other reason than their own personal gain, or the simple destruction of others. Equally, they are highly adept computer programmers, with an in-depth knowledge of the digital world and the ways in which it can be manipulated. Read more

Digital Security Solutions for SME’s

When it comes to digital security, the attitudes of small business owners are beginning to change. Across the UK, and across multiple sectors too, we are beginning to see a shift towards companies protecting themselves more robustly online. Still though, and regardless of the media coverage of hacking scandals, there are some who still refuse to believe that there is a very real threat that surrounds them. Read more

How Will Brexit Affect Digital Security in the UK?

The decision of the United Kingdom’s electorate to vote to leave the European Union has left us all with a number of yet unanswered questions. Many are asking how this decision will affect trade. Will we really be able reduce immigration by refusing the freedom of movement, whilst still retaining access to the EU’s single market? What will happen to the 1.3 million Britons who currently live abroad and the 2.9 million (5% of the population) of European migrants who live in the UK?  In the immediate aftermath, questions were also being asked over leadership and who was best placed to take David Cameron’s position at Number 10. We now know that Theresa May will be the one to invoke the infamous ‘article 50’ and lead us through negotiations with the remaining nations. Read more