Beware!!! Scraping Attacks are on the Prowl!!

Whenever we imagine a thief, we envision a masked man lurking in a dark alley? Or a teenage hacker nestled in a dimly lit basement striving to break into a remote Web server? But then in real time try and move past such clichés, for data is even being swindled by big conglomerates belonging to the software, finance and event planning verticals.

Employing a technique better known as site scraping or alternatively called data harvesting, screen scraping or Web scraping, such entities resort to all means necessary for extracting data from a Website. Depending on the requirement; either manually copying Website content from Web browsers or employing software programs for an automatic extraction of data.

Fatal effects of Site Scraping

Site scraping can undermine victims’ revenues and profits by siphoning off clients and reducing competitiveness. Unfortunately, site scrapers can be very tough to differentiate from legitimate Web application users. However, when left unchecked, site scraping quickly ends up transitioning from merely being innocuous to malicious; especially when individuals or businesses end up reusing the scraped data for financial gain.

What Site Scraping intends to do?

• Harvesting user information from social network sites or user forums
• Plagiarizing content comprising of news articles, blog posts, medical information and financial research
• Gathering product and pricing data for to peg back prices of goods and services for a rival
• Collecting email IDs from Websites for spam email campaigns
• Detecting changes on a competitor’s website
• Republishing Website listings, such as job board postings, real estate listings, and phone directories
• Re-purposing the scraped content for applications such as comparison shopping sites or reverse phone look up tools. 
• “Auction sniping” or placing bids on online auction sites within minutes or seconds of the auction ending

The aforementioned actions end up violating the intended use of application data. And for Web-based companies, site scraping acts as a big threat to revenues and competitiveness; even endangering business viability.

Common Weaponry of Choice

Site scraping tools range from simple, home grown scripts to commercial scraping software embedded with Web browsers. Tools one would say not only come in good towards parsing HTML, DOM (Document Object Model) but even interpreting the most complex of Java Scripts. Often ranging from simple, custom scripts to advanced software tools with built-in browser-like capabilities designed to impersonate normal users. Many scraping tools also include Web site crawlers that help automate initial configuration. Ring and Grab Major Printer Support Virus Removal Support at +1-855-877-5848, http://www.pccare247.com/

Phising Attacks: Malafide Intentions Personified

In the times gone by, it was observed financial credentials ended up bearing the brunt of phishing attacks. But Snap!! Coming back to the present, phishing attacks have evolved; targeting sensitive corporate data. A fact evidenced by high-profile data breaches. At the receiving end have been organizations targeted with advanced persistent threats and phishing and spear-phishing emails posing as entry vectors.

So Take Care!! Representing the greatest threat to even the biggest organizations they are there to decimate the best defense put forth by you.

Phishing Attacks high on Adrenaline Rush

The seriousness of phishing threats may sound very theoretical, but a harsh reality is – “phishing attacks are achieving their malicious goals”. Organizations are on the knife’s edge thanks to devastating breaches resulting from phishing and spear-phishing attacks. With attackers leaving no stone unturned to utilize a broad spectrum of technologies and techniques. Highly focused and persistent, often these attacks are considered to be highly opportunistic in their orientation.

Specimens of a Phish Attack

• Phishing emails sent – employees are not necessarily high profile or high value targets.
• Email is crafted well enough and even if it is caught by the email security solution employees may be   tricked into retrieving it from their quarantine.
• The employee then clicks on the URL in the message, initiating a drive-by download of malware.
• Malware may be designed to coax a desktop machine to reach out to command and control servers.
• Malware propagates across the network, searching for specific user accounts with relevant privileges (initial entry points/accounts may not have sufficient administrative rights).
• With sufficient privileges and target systems reached, data is acquired and staged for exfiltration.
• Data is exfiltrated (extracted outside the organization), typically via encrypted files over available ports – FTP, HTTP, or SMTP. www.pccare247.com

Take care!! Security concerns for 2012 are knocking on the door

With 2012 just about round-the-corner, security concerns are also rather new and are being considered more than menacing in their outlook ever before. What’s more, adding to already burgeoning security hassles are the influx of bring your own devices (BYOD), social media, cloud computing and other operational challenges. In short, all we can say is buckle up, for if 2011 was a shocker, then 2012 is likely to be a motherload of all security issues.

What’s 2012 got in store?

2012 is for sure going to pain in the neck or the IT guys dealing with the security scenario. Since, as it goes the year will end up promising hassles galore in fields such as:

·         Social Media

It goes without saying identity may prove more valuable to cybercriminals than credit cards. For at the end of the day, bad guys would be actively involved in the activity of buying and selling social media credentials on online forums. And if facts are anything to go by then with Facebook nearly boasting of more than 800 million active users and over half of them logging on to the site daily, with every user nearly boasting of as many 130 friends on an average, a less than favorable scenario is not far away.  And yes with trust ending up being the foundation of social networking, if in case a bad guy does end up compromising with the logins, there is a good chance a manipulation on friends list is in the pipeline.

·         Blended Attacks

This method is considered as one of the most advanced attacks trying to sneak its way past elements social media elements such as ‘friends’, ‘mobile devices’ and the cloud. Blended attacks are generally a considered as a mix of two elements, namely E-mail and the Web. In the coming year advanced attacks are increasingly going to rely on at least two and sometimes all the emerging technologies such as social media, cloud platforms and mobile.

·         Volley of Attacks in 2012

End up expecting an increase in exposed vulnerabilities from black hats and white hats in coming year for mobile devices. In 2012, if estimates are anything to go by then nearly 1,000 different variants of exploits, malicious applications, and botnets would be ready to infect hand held devices and those plugged to the head. And yes with nearly a new variant every day the number of people falling victim to believable social engineering scams will rise manifold.

·         Containment is the new prevention 

For years, security defenses have focused on keeping cybercrime and malware out. There’s been much less attention on watching outbound traffic for data theft and evasive command and control communications. Organizations on the leading edge will implement outbound inspection and will focus on adapting prevention technologies to be more about containment, severing communications, and data loss mitigation after an initial infection.

·         Social Event Magnets

The London Olympics, U.S. presidential elections, Mayan calendar and apocalyptic predictions are events cyber criminals will try and exploit to the hilt. SEO poisoning has become an everyday occurrence and one just needs to the name the trend and it is for sure going to be poisoned. Further, as the bigger search engines have become savvier towards removing poisoned results; criminals in 2012 will end up using the same techniques ported to new platforms. So, in short Twitter feeds, Facebook posts/emails, LinkedIn updates, YouTube video comments, and forum conversations need to be handled with extreme caution. Better still searches, wall posts, forum discussions, and tweets dealing with topics listed above, as well as any celebrity death or other surprising news are considered to be magnets for unsuspecting netizens. www.pccare247.com

Malware: An ultimate nemesis for SMB’s

Malicious attacks via social networks and through other mediums are considered to be a number one cause for data breaches, surpassing lost or stolen laptops and accidental sharing.

Impacting businesses big time, the costs comprise of detection, remediation, notification efforts, tech support, credit monitoring and legal fees.

In dire situations, resources are even diverted from other sales, marketing, customer service projects to focus on repair and damage control. With effect, leading the management teams to shift tasks to emergency communication efforts in order to repair customer trust.

But that’s not all, in addition to increased costs; businesses even end up risking the loss of their intellectual property. And if in a situation a cybercriminal were to end up gaining access to a corporate network, the company stands to lose new product development plans, confidential marketing, shareholder information and even its intellectual capital.

SMB’s need to tread with caution

Malware attacks can end up playing havoc with any organization, but for SMBs (Small and Medium-Sized Businesses) the costs are magnified. And in such a situation, the best protection strategy against social networking malware would be to go in for a two-pronged approach: education and technology.

To start with the easiest way to prepare employees against malware would be by means of showing them examples. Say for instance, one could always start by showing screenshots of Facebook scams, Twitter hacks or fake LinkedIn invitations. Yet, at the same time coming up with inclusive quick tips on how to avoid social malware via creation of strong passwords, using only trustworthy news sources and not clicking on questionable links. www.pccare247.com

And yes at the end of the day when employees do up realizing how convincing such attacks might be, giving them a good understanding of how to end up avoiding them.

Source your antivirus judiciously

Only employee education won’t do, for at the end of the day blue-chip business antivirus solutions are considered as an effective solution against social malware. However, as it goes all AV solutions are equal, so the one you should end up choosing should be inclusive of:

•  A powerful scanning technology. High-quality AV solutions come in good towards analyzing and   detecting potential viruses and malware before they end up infecting user machines.
•  Active monitoring and protection as a majority of the SMBs don’t have time or resources to constantly monitor their networks for security threats. So, investing in a solution protecting your network and user machines in real time would end up helping big time.
• Web filtering for malicious elements and blocking bad URLs before they hit the network. This should  be done by implementing a solution using the latest behavioral analysis and malware URL detection technology.

How to win loyal clientele via superlative online tech support?

In spite of the best client experience initiatives being led by someone from marketing, organizations boasting of superlative programs end up having a mixture of people who are responsible for coming out with periodical reports having a bearing on entire client base of an organization.

At the same time attached to the whole process they have something better known as a "case report", a document saving up information whenever a client ends up calling a contact centre to lodge either a compliment or a complaint.

Key Initiatives for flawless online tech support

Every contact centre can end up delivering a smooth tech support experience to its clients, provided it is ready to adhere to the following points:

·         Prompt action on Feedback

Organizations failing to respond to client feedback are throwing away a chance to increase their base of satisfied and loyal clients. At the same time changes need to be deployed throughout the company and need to be communicated on a regular basis to employees and customers.

·         Client-Centric Processes

Organizations should identify processes crucial for clients rather than designing them with an objective of improving operational efficiencies.

·         Ensuring consistency via a united front  

Companies should ensure any information gleaned from a client during one interaction is not forgotten in the next channel.

·         Being receptive

Opening channels or extending hours are one way of doing it.  But it can be way more than that, say for instance it can be like building communities. It goes without saying that organizations need to be transparent, clear, open-minded and inclusive.

·         Personalization

Personalization can be complex, and it can lead to accentuated costs for the company. Companies need to evaluate the costs of personalization against sales benefits in order to improve a client’s experience in the longer run.

·         Altering company behavior and attitudes  

The most powerful actions in a client's experience are the ones taken by the employees. In a nutshell there can be three ways to alter employee behavior:

·         Recruitment of right employees

·         Laying down standards with policies, procedures and governance structures

·         Creation of training programs  for modifying employee behavior

·         Design the complete customer experience:

To just cut the whole thing short, it would be right to say - Organizations need to plan and design the client experience, rather than letting it "just happen". 

Select your Printer Brand with Prudence

With organizations having complex documentation requirements, printers as peripherals end up bearing maximum of stress. Leading to a strong reason as to why various manufacturers need to offer printer security as a part of the overall deal. In the bargain saving enterprises from the hassle of purchasing exorbitantly priced security solutions separately. So, if you are also thinking of buying a printer, just read on and get a good understanding of what various brands have on offer and how secure they are.

 

Canon

Canon with its wide range of built-in and optional hardware features and software ends up addressing print security requirements for businesses of all sizes. Canon’s security proposition ends up offering capabilities such as user authentication, usage auditing and reporting. Among all the notable features, the printer’s keyword recognition feature comprises of optical character recognition (OCR) and a unique uniFLOW technology to prevent any sort of unauthorized copy, fax or scan jobs taking place on Canon and any other third party devices. To further maximize the security, jobs can be held and checked for restricted content before they are printed or sent to their scan destination.

HP

HP boasts of a strong portfolio to help businesses manage risk and secure their print infrastructure. Established over a time span of 10 years, the organization’s Imaging and Printing Security Framework has been found on the four pillars of secure data, secure devices, well-protected printed documents, and extensive monitoring and management of printing fleet. The organization has further augmented the same framework by adding risk management and compliance considerations inclusive of features such as authentication, rules-based printing, job accounting and secure pull printing.

Konica Minolta

In Konica Minolta’s overall strategy, security is considered as a key element. The company has a comprehensive range of print and document security features considered to be a standard amongst its biz hub range of devices. Offering bizhub SECURE, a professional security service providing lock down protection on bizhub MFPs (Multi Function Peripherals), the gamut of services appeal to many enterprises given the complex mix of MFP hardware and software security features any business environment demands.  In the same instance helping Konica Minolta raise its print security offerings well beyond its standard hardware features and duly support an OPS-led approach.

Lexmark

Lexmark with its message of “Print Less, Save More,” to quite a large extent ends up addressing the business requirement of saving money in the present economic scenario. With the services portfolio of the company comprising of pull-printing, device personalization, activity tracking and reporting, Lexmark does well to authenticate devices across locations, branches and country offices. Further, by virtue of developing and owning its own core technologies, Lexmark is able to deliver a strong set of innovative solutions for a secure and cost-effective print infrastructure.

Ricoh

Security is considered to be inherent in any hardware, software and other services offered by the company. Ricoh provides a comprehensive range of advanced security solutions comprising of authentication, secure server-less pull-printing, document management and audit and reporting features. Ricoh is wisely focusing on assessing business security needs rather than presenting a complex array of hardware and software product features.

Xerox

The development, implementation and delivery of all Xerox products, services and technologies end up focusing on network security, document security, data security and authentication. Xerox builds a comprehensive range of features into its devices to help safeguard customer information, including hard drive removal, fax/network separation, image overwrite, network authentication and authorization, encryption and secure print. Ring and Grab Major Printer Support at +1-855-877-5848, http://www.pccare247.com/printer-support.html

Common Impediments derailing an Online Tech Support Experience

For those struggling with their PC, online tech support is considered nothing short of paradisiacal.  Considered to be a process where technical support executives are expected to stick their best foot forward to resolve a client’s grievances. Howbeit, in spite of such a concern, online tech providers woefully do also end up realizing they are not always fully equipped to meet every requirement. And with comparative studies further strengthening the claim, online channels do very well end up acting as a second fiddle to phone and in-person channels.

High-Fivers rubbing the wrong way

Taking the word of online tech support executives, there are five types of customer struggles coming in the way of providing a flawless experience. Classified as:

·         Blurry Path – On occasions Online Tech Support Executives feel clients are not sure about the path they need to tread. An issue forcing them to go back and forth from one page to another while experimenting with several alternative paths.    

·      Perplexing Cues – At times clients end up feeling confused about information displayed on a page. Be it the description of a product or the FAQ page they end up spending extra degree of time trying to figure it out.

·       Process Hassles  – In situations where there is a doubt of finishing a process, say for instance applying for a loan or changing around the settings of the account, it is for given a fact clients won’t be able to finish the process. Issues very often hard to spot as clients don’t even get started with the whole process.

·        Ruptured Content – There can be situations where clients while seeking information scatter content all across the site. In the hindsight, not realizing they end up creating unexpected paths for online tech support executives.  

  

·         Botched Up Systems – A site going down or returning unexpected error messages can end up being a big turn off for clients.   www.pccare247.com