Outdated Software and Your Privacy and Safety

By now everyone has heard of Malaysian Air Flight 370, the plane that disappeared somewhere over the Indian Ocean. Early reports were speculative that the aircrafts systems may have been hacked, causing it to become unresponsive and even be remote controlled from somewhere else. There were even claims of proof of concept ideas that this has already been demonstrated using models and Android phones. Is it possible? Yes, it might be.

The Importance of Independent Auditing

There are some simple concepts that we encounter regularly within information security - conflict of interest, least privilege, and separation of duties to name a few. These simple concepts are what make independent auditing such an important concept. The concept of independent auditing is a requirement in order to get an honest, and true-to-life review. An accurate audit is important because it could identify weaknesses and/or flaws in processes. These weaknesses and/or flaws could lead to public embarrassment if not handled properly before becoming exploited, loss of trust, or even legal implications in some cases.

Security Awareness Programs

These days just about every organization has a security awareness program, and yet people are still the weakest link. Why? How could this be? People are generally good natured. They want to help. This simple characteristic is what makes social engineering such an excellent tactic even today. The tactics are simple. Ask someone a series of questions, start out simple, and progress into other more revealing questions. Another tactic of social engineering is to make regular contact. By doing this you develop a persona and become someone likable to the target. Each time you call not only are you developing a persona, but you are also slowly collecting useful information that you can use for research in between contact. All the while the person being targeted has no idea. Those that are really good at this tactic essentially hack the mind. They can lead a conversation directly into the direction that they want it to go.