Tag Archives: Security

The Biden administration has enacted an immediate ban on the sales and distribution of Kaspersky security software in the United States, effective June 20th 2024. The ban is due to national security concerns linked to the Russian Federation and vulnerabilities in Kaspersky’s (ICTS Information and Communications Technology and Services) products.

From September 29th, Kaspersky will also be prohibited from providing software updates to its antivirus and cybersecurity tools to existing customers in the US, including both individuals and organisations.

In response to the ban, Kaspersky has now announced plans to shut down its US operations, with employee layoffs starting this month.

We recommend that organisations using Kaspersky software transition to alternative security solutions as soon as possible. This is particularly crucial for entities handling sensitive and/or government information and data.

You can see the internet security software that we recommend here. Please get in touch if you’re concerned about risks to your infrastructure or to make a purchase to ensure your systems remain protected.

With Google and Yahoo’s new email authentication and spam prevention requirements in place earlier this year, DMARC authentication is now essential. From February 2024, top tier email providers began mandating all senders authenticate their emails.

June 2024 marks the final step in Google’s “gradual and progressive” timeline for the enforcement of these measures and all non-compliant traffic will be rejected.

These developments underscore the need for effective email security protocols and policies in every organisation.

What is DMARC and how does it work?

DMARC stands for ‘Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance’. In short, it’s an email authentication protocol designed to combat email spoofing, phishing, and other forms of email fraud. DMARC works by allowing domain owners to specify policies for handling emails that fail authentication checks (such as SPF and DKIM), and therefore streamlines the approach for both senders and receivers. It helps you to protect your brand reputation, enhance email deliverability, and reduce the risk of email-based attacks.

DMARC provides a way for domain owners to:

• Authenticate their emails using existing authentication mechanisms like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail).
• Specify what action should be taken if an email fails authentication checks, such as sending it to spam, quarantining it for review, or rejecting it.
• Receive reports from the receiver on email authentication failures, which can help identify unauthorised use of your domain, and thus improve overall email security.

What problems does it address?

Email communication is a, if not the, primary business communication channel, but the prevalence of phishing and spam poses significant challenges. Cybercriminals exploit email vulnerabilities to compromise sensitive information, impersonate trusted brands, and send unauthorised bulk emails.

A number of methods have been developed to try to identify phishing and spam emails over the years, but they all work in isolation from each other, which leaves recipients vulnerable to fraudulent emails. DMARC attempts to address this by providing a coordinated, standardised method. It also facilitates collaboration between senders and receivers. This is why Yahoo and Google have taken these steps to increase security. We expect the other top tier providers to follow suit as a result.

Why do you need DMARC?

• By bolstering email security and trust, DMARC helps safeguard both customers and organisations from the impacts of phishing and spam. It reduces the likelihood of unauthorised emails being sent from your domain, protecting your brand reputation.
• In some industries, regulatory compliance mandates the implementation of these measures to protect sensitive information and ensure data privacy. DMARC helps you become compliant.
• You’re more likely to have your legitimate emails delivered to recipients’ inboxes, particularly bulk emails and email marketing emails. Google and Yahoo’s new requirements extend to third-party email service providers that use your domain, such as MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, MailerLite, etc. If you do not have DMARC in place, or they do not pass DMARC requirements, your emails will not be delivered.

Our Infrastructure Support service includes full DMARC compliance as standard. You can check whether your domain currently has DMARC in place by utilising our free DMARC checker tool.

If you do not have DMARC in place, please contact us to discuss adding it to your services.

Approximately 26 billion accounts records have been discovered on an unprotected site by cybersecurity experts. Nicknamed the “Mother of All Breaches,” this significant leak comprises data from well-known platforms such as LinkedIn, Snapchat, Venmo, Adobe, and X (previously known as Twitter).

The open site – whose owner has not been identified – incorporates thousands of records of reindexed leaks, previous breaches, and privately sold databases. Most of the leaked dataset consists of information from historical breaches. However, the high number of records means it’s likely that the “Mother of All Breaches” also includes newly stolen data.

The scale of the breach has raised concerns about cybercrime; the Cybernews team, who were involved in identifying the unknown site, expressed concerns about the potential misuse of the compromised data by malicious actors. They’ve highlighted that the breach encompasses more than just logins and passwords; a portion of the data is deemed “sensitive,” heightening its value. This makes the breached accounts potentially vulnerable to a range of attacks, such as identity theft and phishing schemes.

The news serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritising online security. This should include:

• • Using strong, complex passwords
  • Avoiding and replacing duplicate passwords
  • Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Monitoring accounts for unusual activity or logins
  • Reporting phishing and spam emails

You can check the status of your login credentials and account information by using Cybernews’ personal data leak checker and haveibeenpwned.com.