The I-Tech News

Most business owners imagine that a data breach can be costly, but few ever consider that a data breach could cost them their business. Even if a breach is only suspected, a security audit could still result in your company having to cease operations for days, or even weeks, and according to the US National Archives and Records of Administration, 93% of all businesses that lose access to mission critical data and infrastructure for ten days or more file for bankruptcy within a year, and half file for bankruptcy immediately.

Even large companies are susceptible to these risks, and these four are particularly infamous in the business security world.

1) CardSystems Solutions

In mid-2005, CardSystems Solutions, a credit card processor whose clients included Visa and American express, revealed that more than 40 million credit card numbers had been exposed to hackers. It was the worst data breach in history at the time, and the resulting audit revealed that CardSystems had been illegally storing data in unencrypted form on their vulnerable networks. Visa and American Express were quick to drop CardSystems as a processor, and the company was acquired by Pay by Touch by the end of the year.

2) DigitNotar

DigiNotar was a certificate authority, and was seized by the Dutch government in late 2011 after it was revealed that DigiNotar had been issuing forged security certificates following a breach. Because security certificates are one of the building blocks of trusted access on the Internet, this breach had far reaching implications for the general public, compromising secure interactions with companies including Google, Microsoft, and a number of others. By the end of September 2011, DigiNotar was declared bankrupt.

3) Impairment Resources LLC

The bankruptcy of Impairment Resources LLC is a stern reminder that it’s not just electronic infrastructure that needs to be protected from would-be hackers. On New Year’s Eve in 2011, burglars broke in to Impairment Resources’ San Diego Headquarters and stole hard drives containing the medical data, including social security numbers and home addresses, of about 14,000 people. The thieves were never caught, and the cost of addressing the security breach far outstripped Impairment Solutions’ capital: the company filed for bankruptcy in March of 2012.

4) Nortel Networks Ltd.

The data breach and resulting bankruptcy of Nortel Networks Ltd might be the most infamous in history owing to the legacy of a company that had, at one time, been one of the giants of the telecommunications industry. Chinese hackers, using passwords obtained from top executives at Nortel, illegally accessed Nortel’s networks for over a decade before the breach was finally discovered. These hackers planted spyware so deeply in Nortel’s networks, it took investigators years to determine the extent of the intrusion. Since Nortel manufactured the hardware that serves as the center of many corporate networks, and their audit never included the investigation of software systems in these products, there may be no way of knowing how far-reaching the Nortel breach is. Nortel filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

Given the relatively low cost of encryption and authentication solutions, data breaches like this need never have bankrupted their companies. A modest investment in security infrastructure can go a long way to ensuring your company never experiences a significant data breach.

Like most phenomena, technology tends to move in cycles over the long run. Emergent technologies of today’s desktop computer systems trace their ancestry to the late 1960s with what were called “Dumb Terminals.” Dumb terminals are cheap machines incapable of running any but the most basic programs because they are bare-bones builds. Instead, the programs run on a host machine and the dumb terminal simply connects with the host. The user is actually using the host computer’s hardware.

Computing technology evolved from that setup, the dominant configuration in the nascent age of business application of computer systems. The boom of the personal computer in the home can trace its roots to this development. Computers became capable of running their own programs; they essentially became a combination of the host and the client systems in the dumb terminal model.

That was a great system for quite some time. Speed, memory, and storage continued to expand in size and shrink in cost. This continued up until the early 2010s. It is possible now to buy 1TB of hard drive space and 8gb of DDR3 SDRAM for under $200.

The competition, though, is no longer between the manufacturers of these parts. The desktop PCs of the very near future will more closely resemble the dumb terminals of the 1970s. They will become virtually disposable. The “desktop” will become a hobbyist’s tool; most computers will look like today’s netbooks. These machines will be like dumb terminals: they will have minimum hardware specifications. What will drive their power is cloud connectivity and colocation.

The cloud is not something that is particularly new. Google Drive has been available since 2012 and is in wide use in business. While not the first program of its kind, Google Drive exposed many people to the cloud for the first time. It offers a specified amount of “cloud” storage, which simply means that the files are stored by Google instead of a local hard drive.

This is where colocation comes in. Most large IT firms that manage any sort of data store their information in cages in data centers on racked servers. With colocation, a company can have a nearly unlimited amount of storage space and processing speed in a cage in a data center. The company can then distribute this storage space among its consumers. This is actually far better for the consumer.

Microsoft is easing end users into this transition with Office 365, which is cloud-based but nearly indistinguishable to the end user once set up. Other companies are plunging head-first into the cloud. In 2013, Adobe announced that the “Creative Suite” product line was to be replaced with “Creative Cloud,” a subscription-based service wherein users pay for the privilege of using Adobe software on Adobe servers. They’d save files there and run the programs there. Nothing is local. In other words, the user’s PC becomes a dumb terminal.

Adobe’s new model caused controversy, but it is the future of computing. There will always be dedicated enthusiasts who spend thousands on a desktop PC. The mainstream IT Ecosystem, though, is moving toward solutions that are cloud-based and heavily involve colocation. The eventual result is that computers will become so cheap that they are nearly disposable.

Welcome to the Brave New World.

It is not exactly a secret that there are identity thieves that prey upon those whose personal information they can acquire. Once a social security number of a bank account is acquired by a identity thief, all manner of financial troubles can emerge. In addition to finding out credit card debts have been amassed in your name, many will use your data for work purposes leaving you in trouble with the IRS.

Identity Theft

This is why a identity theft protection service such as LifeLock becomes so appealing. The company makes claims of being able to safeguard you from identity thieves. Can it actually do this or is the service mere hype?

LifeLock does offer a comprehensive approach to ensuring your identity is safeguarded. Monitoring of your personal bank accounts is performed in order to be sure that no unauthorized activity is occurring.

In addition to monitoring your personal data, the service will also act immediately and respond if something out of the ordinary appears to take place. Normally, the service will call you directly and inform you of what activity appears suspicious to them. At this point, you can take the necessary steps to put a stop to any unauthorized use of your identity. You can contact law enforcement and stop any serious problems before they occur. Without access to a monitoring service, you may never realize your personal data is being used without your authorization until it is too late.

There is another added benefit to signing on with LifeLock. The service will perform a comprehensive review of your credit report. The reason this is important is it will allow you to determine whether or not false data from any identity theft that occurred prior to signing on with the service. If problems exist on the credit report, you have the ability to take the necessary steps to deal with the issue.

There is another excellent benefit to signing up with LifeLock. A $1 million guarantee will cover the costs of professional services to those that have become a victim of identity theft while subscribing to the service. There is also identity theft insurance weaved into the subscription package.

LifeLock has been prominently featured in a host of radio commercials greatly hyping the service. The service, however, is not all hype and does have much to offer those seeking a legitimate and reliable means of avoiding being a victim of identity theft. Considering the serious ramifications of having your identity service, such a service is an enormous help.

Anybody who has been paying attention to the news for the past couple of years is probably familiar with Wikileaks, a website dedicated to spreading around secret information that is being hidden by governments, corporations, and other powerful entities. While some have argued and will continue to argue about the moral implications of just such a site, one thing is entirely clear: the powerful interests that are at the greatest risk do not want it to be able to keep publishing secret paperwork and videos and will do anything in their power to stop that. That’s not to mention the likely thousands of hackers who would love to be able to get their hands on that information and either release it themselves or find a way to gain financially from it.

So, how does Wikileaks keep their data secure from hackers and governments? Strangely, they employ two diametrically opposed techniques that work together to serve for some of the best security that could be asked for.

Before getting into the non-standard techniques, it’s probably best to keep in mind that the Wikileaks servers and related computer systems are among the best in the world, with highly developed security and safety measures installed in order to keep them running near constantly without having to worry about outages or DDoS attacks knocking the site down.

That being said, the first thing that Wikileaks does to keep governments and hackers from accessing the cables that they get is that the vast majority of the data that their receive is not stored on computers connected to outside sources until it’s ready to go out. Perhaps the simplest, lowest tech solution out there, but it is nearly 100% effective at keeping people from remotely accessing and either copying or deleting data. You can’t hack a computer that isn’t connected to the Internet unless you’re physically present or find somebody who is to collaborate with you. Data is moved from unconnected computers to connected ones using physical media like external hard drives when it’s time to actually publish any results.

The other technique that Wikileaks employs to keep others out of their cables is by spreading the information far and wide. What they will often do is create multi-gigabyte files, sometimes up to half a terrabyte, that they encrypt. Since encryption is both cheap and easy, there is nothing that prevents them from putting some of the best on this file and ensuring that it would take the most powerful computers in the world decades or centuries to crack into it without the proper key phrase. These “insurance” files serve as a form of passive blackmail, since anybody who moves against the company knows that they only need to publish the passphrase and potentially millions of people will be able to access that data anyway. As far as governments go, they recognize that the site is at least somewhat judicious about what it releases where random people might not be, and hackers have less incentive to steal something that is free.

Combined with the highest available security technology, Wikileaks can keep their data secure by storing it where it can’t be touched and giving it to everybody so that attempts to shut them down result in the same problems as allowing them to exist, only in a far less controlled fashion. Ultimately, these techniques have and continue to serve Wikileaks well.

Cyber crimes are becoming a major issue for many business and homeowners across the country. People are learning how to hack into other people’s computers in order to steal documents, bank account information and even to create viruses that damage computers in general. If you are afraid of the things that could happen to your computer while using the Internet, you might want to think about fully investing in cyber security. The benefits of doing so are practically limitless and can prevent a lot of stress later on for you.

1. Protect Bank Account Information

If you pay your bills online or like to shop on the Internet, chances are that your bank account or credit card information is lurking on your computer. Without the right cyber security, your computer is at risk and you may have major issues concerning other people stealing this information from you.

2. Protect Your Social Security Number

If you’ve ever applied for anything important online, such as a loan, there might be a chance that your social security number was used in the process. Cyber security measures help to protect this important number so that others cannot steal it from you.

3. Protect Computer Files and Programs

If you have important files and programs on your computer, such as a budget plan that you’ve created, this information can be wiped out if your computer gets a virus. The best way to prevent this from happening is by having a security system in place so that viruses are detected before they overcome your computer entirely.

4. Protect Family Photos

Your family’s photos are probably also on your computer and can be wiped clear if a virus destroys the computer. Cyber security systems will protect your system from being attacked by computer viruses, ensuring that all of your photos and memories are kept protected.

5. Protect Passwords and Screen Names

We all do our best to make sure that our passwords are changed frequently and that we never let anyone see our password. Unfortunately, passwords are actually quite easy to hack if someone has access to your computer. Using a security system puts a complete stop to this so that it is not anything that you will have to worry about in the future at any point.

6. Prevent Hackers and Spam Bots

If you’ve ever had anyone hack into your social media account, you know how annoying it is for hackers to spam the account with ads and other information. This can be a major problem for most people, so having a security system that prevents this will definitely save a lot of stress and headache.

7. Prevent Phishing

Phishing involves someone using your account to advertise or write things that you did not approve of. Phishing is a major issue concerning millions of people all over the world, but your new security system can help put a stop to this before it starts.

There are so many reasons why investing in cyber security is important. You can prevent a lot of things from happening to your home or business computer when you have a good system in place to use. You should definitely do some research as to what security systems are the best available for you to use.

The next generation of game consoles will have to come with a whole lot more wow factors than their predecessors when they launch. There are many rumors swirling around about when Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will introduce their successor. While older game consoles came with improved graphics and performance, many wonder what new kind of magic game developers will create using the gaming console hardware designed for the next generation.

First up, is the Nintendo Wii U, that’s scheduled to be released this holiday season. The majority of reports suggest that it’s power is comparable to the PS3 and current Xbox 360. Other than that tidbit, it’s not exactly known when the next generation of hardware will arrive, but there are a few predictions that may give gamers some hope:

Motion controllers will be as a standard feature for all next generation game consoles in the near future.
The next successor of Xbox 360 will likely launch before the PS4.
A Wii with high definition will be released in about a year and a half.
Wii 2 will probably arrive close to the time there is a Sony or Microsoft hardware update.

Out of the three video game giants, Nintendo’s Wii 2 will probably be the easiest sell, since the first Wii game console has a massive user base. As long as Wii 2 has a controller integrated with MotionPlus and adds a larger hard drive to the console and uses hardware that is similar to the next Xbox and PS4 offering at a less expensive price, it should do fine.

According to a post on VG247, Sony confidently predicts that they’ll have their game consoles stocked on store shelves first. If the Xbox 720 and PS4 consoles both ship for the holiday season in 2013, the PS4 will beat its competitor only by a few months. One thing’s for sure―whether or not the rumors about the new consoles are really true―gamers are willing to wait to get what they want! When the Xbox 720 and PS4 both launch in the 2013 holiday season, more likely than not, neither will have much of an advantage on the other.

According to details found in the latest edition of Xbox World magazine, the Xbox 720 has “Durango” development kits that are powered by “a state-of-the-art” 16-core IBM Power PC CPU.” -although there are mixed feelings about the core processor unit actually being more impressive than other game consoles. One game analyst, Michael Patcher, predicts that new game console hardware might take a while to finally launch. Video game companies need to get a significant return on their investments from the development and production of their current game console hardware. As long as older hardware can make them a considerable profit, they may continue to refrain from investing millions of dollars developing new game hardware.

Security detection is of primary concern in many businesses and residences. Cameras, motion detectors, security lighting, and alarms are a great way to alert a business owner or home owner about intruders. Many of these security systems also alert the police department. But, there are situations in which nothing can beat manned security.

RESPONSE TIME

Keep in mind that even in the best of situations, response time will delay help. Even a 5 minute response time from the civil authorities can be delayed by weather or traffic, and that can make all the difference in your safety, or in the safety of your property. However, if you have a security officer onsite, you’ll know that someone is on site to challenge any breach of security. Quite often, the mere presence of a security officer will deter prowlers and vandals. In a worst case scenario, an armed guard can stop an intruder in his tracks.

SECURITY BYPASS

Skillful thieves or intruders can bypass a mechanical security system. If you have a high profile reputation, or valuables kept in your home or business, the more sophisticated thieves will plan their activity more carefully. If your security system is bypassed, you won’t even know your security has been breached, until you come face to face with the intruder in the hallway.

Security

COMPUTER ERROR

Your manned security won’t be subject to computer error. If he calls the police, there’s no chance that the police station will interpret it as computer error. In addition, there won’t be any problem with power outages taking out your security, since manned security will be able to do his job.

MANNED SECURITY

The benefit of having feet on the ground is almost exponentially beyond that of mere security detection. When you have a security officer on site, you have an eye witness who can immediately evaluate the threat presented to you and your property, and immediately take action. With the backup of a mechanical security system, such as cameras and motion detectors, you are well covered in case of attack.

Security guards are licensed for different kinds of services. If you need surveillance of your public spaces, security officers will be trained to watch for signals that indicate brewing trouble, watch for armament, and screen suspicious activity. Door supervision may be crucial, if you have a lot of traffic in your building. Having manned security to screen people coming into the building is a major deterrent to crime and vandalism.

If you are planning on hiring one security guard, you need someone with front line licensing. This means that he is licensed to handle security breaches himself. An armed guard, or armed security officer, will have more than just a license to carry a weapon. He will have training in weapons in general, and in identifying threats. Threat identification is a major benefit of having manned security, giving you the advantage of having someone who can assess the situation and make on the spot decisions.

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If you rule out the newer, more indie consoles like the Mad Catz Mojo, or the Ouya for example, then you’re left with the two big daddies: the PS4 and Xbox One. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One have now launched in many North American and European territories. Japan will have to wait until early 2014 to enjoy both consoles, but for now it is clear that there is considerable demand for these new devices. One of the most important aspects of next gen gaming is online play. This time around, networked gaming will receive even greater focus and will help to drive the user experience. The respective online networks of each system will also function as a major point or distinction and selling point depending on user preference. With that in mind, one aspect of each system’s online platform that is worth taking into consideration is security. Will one system have a considerably more secure multiplayer network than the other?

The truth is that, at that this point, it is nearly impossible to state which online multiplayer network will be more secure over the course of the generation. All that can be done is to take available bits of information and try to connect them in order to form the most reasonable hypothesis. That said, there is still good reason to perform this speculation.

There are several reasons that suggest that the Xbox One will have the more secure online multiplayer network. First and foremost amongst them is that the Xbox One was designed with a bigger online focus in mind than the PlayStation 4. That’s not to say that the PlayStation 4 does not have ample technology and planning backing its online ecosystem, simply that the Xbox One was designed from the get go to be the most thoroughly online enabled console of all time. In the planning stages, the Xbox One was supposed to require an internet connection in order to play your games. While that feature is no longer in place, it is still certain that this design vision had an impact on the development of the system.

Another reason to suspect that the Xbox One will offer a more secure online network is that Microsoft has more experience than Sony in this field. The Xbox Live platform was alive and robust before Sony really got its online ball rolling. Of course, there are also the years of experience that Microsoft had with online systems derived from its PC and software business. For all its many years on the market, Xbox Live has proven to be a remarkably secure platform with very little in the way of security breaches or sizable threats.

The final reason that the Xbox One may wind up having a more secure online platform is one that might also suggest that this will not be the case this time around. In the previous generation, the PlayStation 3 online platform suffered a major security breach, costing Sony greatly in terms of customer trust and brand image. The company set about making sure that its security systems were in place and that such a breach could not be repeated. It is possible that Sony has learned a lot from this experience and has made the necessary efforts to ensure that these types of security problems will not be repeated. If the company has taken these steps, it will likely be a toss up as to which network is more secure. In fact, the two platforms could wind up very similar.

Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG for short) are games where people from around the world find hours of enjoyment playing with friends and strangers. The premise is simple. Take a large amount of digital real estate and populate it with NPC’s (Non Player Characters) from any number of exotic genres. Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror are just a few. Insert PC’s (Player Characters) into that world. Give them a way to meet new friends, or join friends they already have, and then give them treasures, dungeons and monsters and you have a typical MMORPG. Finding a good MMORPG can be hard. Luckily there are websites out there ready to lend a helping hand.

MMORPG.COM
This site has a ton of information that is organized into easily searchable categories tabbed for your convenience near the top of the page. On their main page you can find breakout boxes filled with everything from the latest forum postings to gameplay videos and notable news stories. They offer a link to their podcast episodes which are updated weekly. They even have a nifty little section that highlights the top MMORPG’s voted on by their community.

XMMORPG.COM
The simple clean construction of this site will make getting the information you need seem like a pleasing walk through the park. Albeit a park filled with Anime dragons, evil sorcerers and sexy pirates. The information is broken out into easily navigated access points. The top of the page cycles through a number of the most popular MMORPG’s being played now. Just below that you can find eight links to some of the best MMORPG’s voted on by the community. In each of these you can choose whether to read more about them or simply click the play now button to be taken to that particular games website.

MMOATTACK.COM
At mmoattack.com you will find information clearly broken down into news, articles and video. They have a cleanly constructed forum where you can discuss the latest trends in the MMORPG universe and a section completely dedicated to giveaways. Their Featured Videos section is a great place to catch up on their podcast series as well as watch the latest interviews with influential developers and designers behind some of the best MMORPG’s. Clicking on any of the following headings: Free MMORPG’s, Online RPG’s, Browser MMORPG’s, Free RPG Games and No Download MMORPG’s takes you to a library of titles to choose from in each genre. The amount of information to be found is virtually endless.

The next time that you are struggling to find that one MMORPG that will provide you with virtually endless entertainment, check out a few of these sites. You will be happy that you did.

Anyone who has been on the Internet for more than five minutes has probably encountered a CAPTCHA. These pesky little blockades appear whenever the content is going to be good. While these measures are intended to keep chaotic bots out of the system, they sometimes block human users too. Luckily, the security technology is rapidly evolving. Here are 6 changes to expect within this decade!
Authentication through Image Mapping

A new entry granting mechanism has risen in the form of Confident Technologies and the image-based CAPTCHA. Automated traffic can be instantly halted without the annoying inclusion of interpreting garbled text. The nonsensical two-word verification process can be replaced by a prompt to select a certain picture from a series of images. This quick process only requires the attribution of nouns to objects. As a result, anyone can gain access immediately.
Visual Implementation of Numerical Keys

This variation expands on the previous technique by ascribing alphanumeric symbols to verification images. A personalized pin is created for each individual user, but they do not type it in as a password; instead, they enter their code by selecting matching pictures in order. The images do not have to correspond with their letters or numbers, but the association will be used to instill a natural psychological pattern of choice. Overall, the thumbnails primarily exist to distract unwanted bots. Meanwhile, everyone else can connect with ease.
Multi-Factor Authentication

A simple way to maximize security is through the enforcement of a two-pronged strategy. Most versions of this approach mandate the use of multiple gadgets. For example, computer users may be asked to solve an image-based riddle on their handheld device. Mobile inclusion adds an extra layer of safety by eliminating the risk of unidentifiable fraud. Most of these multi-factor techniques take place through traceable SMS messaging.
Social Media Integration

Another way to potentially bypass CAPTCHAs is through a merger of social media accounts. When users enter sites through a major platform, they instantly prove their humanity. Furthermore, all activities can be tracked in their profile’s log, and this recorded trail of behavior ensures all practices are legitimate. Another added bonus of this format is that it enables free advertising among friends. Circles of acquaintances can naturally gravitate towards the interests of their most popular pal, and their inclination to use an alternate CAPTCHA service will garner serious notice.
Fingerprints and Eye Scanners

The human body is equipped with many one-of-a-kind elements that bots can never emulate. Fingerprints are at the top of this list, but retinas are also useful. Once everyone connects to the Web via means of physical identification, CAPTCHAs will forever be obsolete. In the meantime, they are still a necessity of the medium.
Auditory Input

As built-in microphones become more prevalent in the tech industry, users are increasingly opting in favor of vocal commands. This acceptance of speaking directly to computers is transcendental for CAPTCHA technology. All it takes to verify an identity is the utterance of some random phrase. To prevent prerecorded entries, all auditory requests are innately customized. They are also designed to pick up the unique characteristics of each person’s voice, which turns the vocal chords into another kind of fingerprint.
Final Word

It is important to note that online trends are wildly unpredictable. As such, the future of CAPTCHAs may also follow another trajectory that is currently unseen.