Securing Mobile Devices
Image via CrunchBase
Trend Micro is heading towards mobile mania with the recent unveiling of Mobile Security 7, geared towards partners who want to support businesses struggling to guard corporate data housed on Android and Apple’s iOS mobile devices.
Mobile Security 7 encompasses both security and management functionality for a host of new mobile devices, including iPhones, Android, and iPads, offering threat prevention, data protection and mobile device management operated by a single console.
The new release coincided with the result of a recent Trend Micro study on the consumerization of IT, which revealed that almost two-thirds of businesses have succumbed to mounting pressure and now allow employees to use personal mobile smartphones and tablets for business functions.
There are challenges to consumerization that expose organizations to greater risk,” states Patrick Wheeler, Trend Micro, senior product marketing manager for mobile device management. “These devices are like unprotected PCs. Why would I lower the bar? You have full browsers, word processing tools, spreadsheets, collaborative tools—we’d be crazy not to try to secure them. That’s the approach that we take.”
Most of what you hear in the industry is about mobile device management,” Wheeler said. “But protecting data is the next big challenge. As much as you think your iPhone is physically attached to you, it’s not.”
To better address the risk, the product includes firewall/IDS call and message filtering, malware protection and intelligence infrastructure, and logging and password enforcement.
Related articles
- Personal Mobile Devices Still Vex IT (informationweek.com)
The easiest video-chat ever…
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For all the extroverts out there-good news, Facebook is truly going to be an up front and in your face experience. But for all the quasi-introverts like me, our hiding days appear to be over.
Thanks to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s latest announcement, video-chat from Skype will now be featured.
Much of the appeal will be in the user-friendly approach. Users can click on the “call” button at the top of their profile or by finding someone in the new “buddy list” on the right hand side and clicking on their name. As long as both parties have webcams video-chat will commence. It’s so easy, both grandma and the kids can join in.
This is “the world’s easiest one-click way” to chat face to face over the internet, Facebook engineer Philip Su asserts. The Seattle programmer was Facebook’s only full-time engineer dedicated to its development along with Skype, a Facebook representative said.
The company began implementing the new service on Wednesday.
Facebook, on Wednesday, also revealed modifications to its instant-messaging service, now allowing users to create on-the-fly group conversations. Pundits are suggesting this move is in response to Google+ which allows video-chat by invitation. Google+, unlike Facebook, offers group discussions with up to ten people.
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- HOW TO: Launch Facebook Skype Video Chat [PICS] (policyabcs.wordpress.com)
Rootkit Virus
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My boss forwarded an e-mail to the staff yesterday which was met with a universal groan.
Microsoft says Rootkit infection will require Windows reinstall
Shut the front door? The virus, named Popureb, is a deviant form of malware that hides in the PC’s Master Boot Record and prohibits any attempt to clean it up.
Bummer!
But, what I really want to know, beyond how to fix it-which we’ll get to, is who names this stuff? (the virus, that is) Popureb sounds like a cold war enemy who was such an incredible bad-ass he resisted repeated assassination attempts. Thus, this nasty virus now has the illustrious privilege of his Chuck Norris-esque legacy.
Chun Fong, an engineer with the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC) states on the Microsoft blog, that the Trojan burrows itself so deeply into the system that the only way to get rid of it is to return the operating system back to it’s out of the box pristine state.
“If your system does get infected with Trojan:Win32/Popureb.E, we advise you to fix the MBR and then use a recovery CD to restore your system to a pre-infected state,” suggests Feng.
Basically, you can’t just kill it. You have to rip it out at the root and annihilate it. (Recovery disks are available to return Windows back to its original settings)
According to Greg Keizer, with Computer World, rootkits are planted by hackers to conceal follow-on malware, for example-banking password-stealing Trojans. They are also the hardest infections to detect because they compromise the PC at such a deep level.
A similar rootkit titled “Alureon” hit machines in February of 2010 and Microsoft’s recommendation to absolve the situation was similar to what they are instructing users to do now-backup your files and completely restore the system from the recovery disk.
Sounds like my sales for backup and recovery will be pretty good this month.
Thanks Mr. Popureb!
When the Chuck Norris malware does finally reveal itself, the PC will be so messed up you will have to buy a new computer. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Related articles
- Rootkit infection requires Windows reinstall, says Microsoft (infoworld.com)
Facetime on my iPhone 4
FaceTime is my absolute favorite new obsession! For those of you technically challenged, myself included, the iPhone 4 includes straight out of the box (no messy apps) video chat, face to face. With the simple tap of a digit, you can argue with your spouse and see the fire dancing in his eyes, smile at your kids and blow them a kiss when they get a boo-boo (if you are far away at the office), and stare into the nose of your best friend as you swap secrets. It’s awesome!
The iPhone 4 has two built-in cameras, one on the front above the display and the other on the back, beside the LED flash. The front camera has been tuned for FaceTime. It has the perfect field of view and focal length to focus on your face at arm’s length. (Just keep your head down to avoid the nose hair issue) See picture here for proper head posture.
This is a pic I snapped from my FaceTime camera. This is exactly what your FaceTime buddy will see. Sometimes it can be a little disturbing to see yourself that close, so be prepared.
The only drawback is you do need to be on Wi-Fi to do FaceTime. It will not work over the 3G airwaves.
You can also tap a button and the camera will switch to the outer lens to capture moments you want to share with your FaceTime buddy. Hello shopping! Now my husband can show me the item he just has to have before he purchases it.
I am generally not a gizmo geek, but I do adore FaceTime on my iPhone 4, because in this case, it builds relationship and not isolation like so many media devices. Sometimes, technology exceeds our expectations and this device certainly delivers. I can’t wait to be able to call my kids and see their cute little faces when I am on my next vacation. That’s after I put down the Mojito of course, because now they can actually see what mommy is doing!
Related articles
- FaceTime in 3G finally comes with iOS 5 (netwidz.com)
- iOS 5 To Bring FaceTime on 3G? Better Video Quality? (macstories.net)
One Interface to Manage the Mobility Mess
Image via Wikipedia
In a previous post, I discussed the proliferation of “Planet Me,” the use of user-centric mobility devices defining emerging corporate culture and creating a nightmare for internal IT trying to standardize the network.
With employees bringing in their own phones and iPad, then wanting the tech department to make them work, sync, and have secure features, it seems like an impossible task in conjunction with waning time, budgets and resources.
But there is a nifty new solution. Now instead of hiring more staff, IT technicians can manage multiple platforms like: Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone under one system using Boxtone.
BoxTone is a cool new mobile device management software. This software can help IT pros maintain and enforce security on personal and corporate and deploy over-the-air (OTA) updates to phones to patch security holes or set device permissions.
It can also leverage the best technology across iOS, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia and make scaling your workforce into a mobile machine easier.
No one can be an expert in every area, but the smart IT professional can now confidently navigate the mobility mess with a single unified management console.
Related articles
- Security Shootout: PlayBook, iPad, Android (pcworld.com)
How to Overcome the Top 5 IT Issues: #5 Infrastructure
Image by Alex_Pink via Flickr
Issue #5: Infrastructure
It seems like every IT discussion starts and end with “You know we have no budget, right?”
This discussion is no different.
The economy once again has slowed the pace of infrastructure implementations to turtle speed, which is to say…s l o w!
Even though many companies are now outsourcing to the cloud to save money (though true cost savings here are debatable) centralized campus networks remain a critical component of the infrastructure.
All businesses need a strong backbone which includes:
- Secure firewall guarding the network edge as well as critical internal applications
- Wireless and wired access
- A robust and fully redundant network core.
Reliable and speedy Internet access continues to play an important role as webinars, Go-To Meetings, and Skype require more and more band-width intensive applications. Constant increases and reassessment of bandwidth requirements are becoming the norm.
Don’t forget the proliferation of smartphones, which means not only managing a growing number of internal network access points, but also maintaining sufficient carrier wireless networks to fully cover the institution.
Important questions for Infrastructure include the following:
- Does the business have a strategic plan for maintaining the campus network? Does the plan include the necessary upgrades needed over the next few years to meet customer demand for bandwidth and services? Does it take into consideration mobile devices?
- What analytics are being used to gauge network performance and reliability?
- Are privacy and regulatory needs being met, with both internal applications and networks and with external providers?
- What campus-wide initiatives need to be made with respect to supporting user-supplied personal devices on the network, and how will those initiatives and results be communicated and implemented?
Related articles
- Creating a VLAN for Security (brighthub.com)
- How to Build Killer Apps for Mobile Networks (readwriteweb.com)
How to Overcome The Top Five IT Issues- #4: Strategic Planning
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Issue #4: Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a lot like that old dusty generator sitting in your garage. It gets hauled out when it’s too hot and the electric company institutes a rolling blackout or conversely, if the thermometer dips below freezing, the electricity fails and grandmas’ very survival is on the line.
This is the essence of strategic planning, it’s only on the agenda when there is extra money to spend or if the coffers are empty and the budget is so tight it’s squeaking.
And, I think we can all agree the economy is a little squeaky this year.
In light of this feast or famine paradigm, every institution needs a plan to determine where to spend and where to cut.
Important questions to develop a Strategic Plan:
- Is there a technology planning process protocol, and have IT leader’s secured support from corporate leadership? Is the IT plan and budget in sync with the corporate plan and budget?
- How will information technology support the corporate values and vision to deliver institutional benefits which would not exist without the outcomes of the planning process?
- Is the plan flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances at any point of implementation?
- How will the success of the plan be measured? Is survivability, in this economy, a metric for success?
- Is there accountability in place to inform corporate leadership of progress made in the development and then in the implementation of the plan?
- Does the plan incorporate both short-term initiatives and long-term planning for potential growth?
Watch out for Top Issues #5: Infrastructure
Related articles
- The Difference Between Business Planning & Corporate Planning (thinkup.waldenu.edu)
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