Fahmida Y. Rashid

Hacking: Exploiting Default of Guessable Credentials Attackers exploited default or easily guessable credentials for about 29 percent of the breaches analyzed by the Verizon RISK team. Many vendors often ship devices, appliances and software with a default password assigned. While it is possible to change them, that is not always the case. Industrial control systems […]

Learn From Past Incidents Insider attacks are common enough that there will be repeat incidents. Take precautions so that the latest incident can’t be repeated again. IT can write an automated script that can monitor and detect if someone else gets recruited to run the scam again. The company can invest in technology to flag […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was under heavy attack over the past two years, as adversaries tried to infect machines with malware or use advanced persistent threats to get into the network, according to Congressional testimony. Attackers from a Chinese-based IP address had breached the network at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and gained full […]

The three biggest information security risks in 2012 are the rise of big data, ill-conceived regulations and the prospect of cyber-war, a prominent security expert told attendees at the 2012 RSA Conference. The people who are taking advantage of technology to further their own business models threaten the Internet, Bruce Schneier, a renowned security expert […]

Information security professionals are faced with two difficult questions when trying to secure the network. They can either lock down the network, or €œfree up€ the technology, according to Cisco’s newly appointed head of security. The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend and the consumerization of IT pose significant challenges to the enterprise. While many security professionals want […]

Law-enforcement officials, IT security providers and executives at the RSA 2012 Conference were concerned about the kind of damage hacktivists can cause on networks and on a company’s reputation. Still, while some see chaos, others see potential, and a panel of experts worried about all this technical knowledge going to waste. Eric Strom, unit chief […]

SAN FRANCISCO €” The United States is taking the lessons it has learned from combating global terrorism and is starting to apply those to fighting cyber-crime, as well as a cyber-spying, said FBI Director Robert Mueller, who spoke at the 2012 RSA Conference. The key to all of this, Mueller added, is cooperation. The private […]

Google and Apple harnessed the power of the cloud the benefits of working in the cloud with Chrome OS and iCloud, but according to a Kaspersky researcher, there are security issues with both platforms. However, there are significant design flaws in both Google’s Chrome OS and Apple’s iCloud service that may make them unsuitable for […]

Smartphones running Google’s Android mobile operating system are secure enough to make top-secret and classified phone calls from the field, according to the National Security Agency. The NSA is currently conducting a pilot program of 100 Motorola smartphones running a modified version of Android, Margaret Salter, a technical director of the Information Assurance Directorate at […]

McAfee: Database Security McAfee Database Security offers reliable, real-time protection for business-critical databases, including MySQL and Teradata. The platform integrates McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases into the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator centralized security management console to make it easier for an organization to incorporate database security into its overall management. Lieberman Software: Enterprise Random Password Manager […]