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RB | December 4, 2012

Is Cloud-Based Anti-Virus Ready?

Cloud computing technology is one of the most disruptive technologies in recent history. Xath Cruz at CloudTimes argues in a recent article that cloud computing is also disrupting security software such as anti-virus and he asks how effective are cloud-based anti-viruses?

The article, How Effective are Cloud-Based Anti-Viruses? claims the demand for cloud-based anti-virus software has gone up steadily as more cloud-dependent computing devices have invaded the market. Cloud-dependent computing devices like iPads, Nooks, iPhones, and Galaxy’s are as susceptible to malware as their big desktop brethren.

In order to fight the malware threats to cloud-dependent computing devices, cloud-based anti-virus has evolved. Cloud based anti-virus works differently than popular cloud-based document editors like Google Docs, where you only need a web browser and internet access. The blog post explains that cloud-based anti-virus software can’t function if it’s only in the cloud, since your PC won’t easily give the right kind of administrative access needed by antivirus software to programs hosted remotely, as that would leave your PC at risk of being intruded upon by other programs.

In order to protect a PC, tablet, or smartphone, a cloud-based anti-virus software requires a small native app to run on the device. When downloaded, the app acts as the anti-virus, with its database and heuristics data being hosted on the cloud. There is also cloud-based anti-virus software that use web browser extensions or Active X and Java to gain proper access to your PC.

Like any technology, cloud-based antivirus software has specific pros and cons when compared to native anti-virus suites, Mr. Cruz lays out some of the pros and cons of cloud-based anti-virus:

Cloud advantages

1. No Installation Required – The first advantage of cloud-based anti-virus is that there’s no need to install them on your PC. Cloud-based anti-virus does not eat up hard disk space, with its storage and memory footprint being a fraction of what local anti-virus need. Additionally, you can get them up and running immediately, and there’s no likelihood of messing up the installation (which usually results in a non-working antivirus or corrupted file volume).

2. No Updating Necessary – With cloud-based anti-virus, there is no need to update data files, since it’s hosted on the cloud, and will automatically be patched or updated by the provider. This will offer the latest in protection when it becomes available.

3. Double Security Layer – With cloud-based anti-virus software, it is possible to run a locally installed anti-malware app and run another different cloud-based antivirus without worrying about conflicts or PC slowdown. Different anti-virus software are better able to catch or inoculate different viruses.

4. An advantage of cloud-based anti-virus software the author missed is collective or community intelligence. SearchSecurity reports that when a system identifies malware, it’s able to give feedback to the cloud anti-malware provider, thus providing a wider surface area for rapidly detecting 0-day attacks.

Cloud disadvantages

1. Won’t Run in the Background – Cloud-based anti-viruses are not effective against viruses that run on startup. Cloud-based anti-viruses are not TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs and only run on an as-needed basis.

2. Limited Scan – Cloud-based anti-viruses risk missing dormant viruses in unopened or archived files. Windows’ security protocols will prevent some cloud anti-viruses from scanning the computer. They will only be able to scan core windows files and what’s currently loaded in the memory.

3. It Requires an Internet Connection – Cloud-based anti-virus is useless without access to the Internet. This is a problem for portable device users who can’t be connected 24×7. Without an Internet connection viruses will be free to do whatever they want.

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The author concludes for the best protection your PC can get, you need to use the services of both a locally installed anti-virus software and a cloud-based one.

The main concern I have about cloud-based anti-virus apps is downtime. Cloud providers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Amazon have had issues lately providing their services. Downtime at the upstream ISP on the LAN can also play havoc with cloud-based anti-malware apps.

Why You Should Rethink Your Endpoint Security Strategies Part I (webroot.com)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: 2012, AAPL, Anti-Virus, Apple, Cloud computing, Docs, GOOG, Google, iPad, iPhone, Security

RB | November 13, 2012

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Tablet Info

ComputerWorld defines post-PC devices like a tablet with four characteristics;
1. It’s an appliance.
2. It’s got a multi-touch UI,
3. It doesn’t have file management,
4. Apps function on the app-store model.

Big Drop in Tablet Average Selling Price

The Business Insider has documented the average selling price (ASP) of tablets keeps falling. The ASP fell 17 percent from 2010—when it was pretty much just the Apple (AAPL) iPad—to 2011. Through the first six months of this year alone, the ASP has fallen another 17 percent.

The drop is driven partly by the introduction of $200 mini tablets like the Amazon (AMZN) Kindle Fire, but also a fall in the price of the dominant large-screen devices.

rb- No wonder Apple is suing everybody in sight to prevent competition. They need to protect their profit margins. Way to go USPTO.

Are We in the Post PC Era

Kevin C. Tofel at GigaOM recently wrote that by looking at the numbers, it’s difficult to argue that the Apple (AAPL) iPad is anything less than a success. The company sold more iPads — 15.4 million — than any traditional computer maker sold PCs in the last quarter of 2011. Mr. Tofel argues what is debatable, however, is whether the iPad will take us to the “post-PC” era, as Apple calls it. Former Apple director Michael Mace suggests that the PC isn’t going away, agreeing with Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, who recently said “I don’t predict the demise of the PC industry, I don’t subscribe to that.”

Michael Mace observed on his personal blog that. “I think the ‘PC era’ meme from Apple is self-serving hype. Of course, they want to convince you that the world is shifting away from a market where Apple has less than 10% worldwide share to a market where Apple has well over 50% share.”

“... My thought is that PCs aren’t going to suddenly disappear, but people will continue to opt for capable tablets or hybrid devices in the place of future, new PC purchases. The mobile market is shifting traditional tasks away from PCs of old, and for people who need a PC occasionally, they will likely be able to access one remotely.”

“Apple is simply calling out the post-PC era because it has successfully transformed its business lines ahead of the curve and before its peers.“

Mr. Tofel points out that when all is said and done, Mace makes one last salient point worth noting: How will Microsoft (MSFT) respond to the iPad? We know the answer is Windows 8, but there’s still an open question about how well the platform will do on tablets. Perhaps, Mace notes, we’re not exactly on the cusp of a post-PC age, but instead, a post-Microsoft era.

Amazing Stats from Apple Q3 Earnings Prove Yet Again We’re In A Post-PC Era

Magic Cable Trio All-in-One USB Simplicity

Tested.com points out the handy Innergie Magic Cable Trio which solves an age-old problem. You never have the right USB connector when you need it. The Magic Cable Trio combines mini USB, micro USB, and 40-pin dock tips into a single cable. The handy-dandy cable will play ball with your tablet, or just about any USB device you can get your hands on according to Tested. It won’t work with printers, but the Magic Cable Trio is meant for plug-and-play accessibility, not languishing behind a desk collecting dust.

The tips are all attached and fold out-of-the-way when not in use. Tested says the extra tips could be a bit of a nuisance, but you’ll never have to worry about losing the adapters in the bottom of a backpack. The Magic Cable Trio costs $20 at Innergie’s store.

100W over USB is here with the new Power Delivery spec (semiaccurate.com)

Polycom on iPad

Analysts are forecasting that the tablet market will grow five-fold by 2015 to 320 million units sold annually. The cumulative number of tablets in use by that point will be about 900 million. Many are predicting that the tablet will continue to gain in functionality and take over the laptop in the coming years.

Polycom is pioneering high-definition video collaboration for tablets called Polycom® RealPresence™ Mobile. Polycom RealPresence Mobile is the first enterprise tablet software that lets mobile users enjoy HD video collaboration from anywhere. It is available now on the Apple (AAPL) iPad 2, Motorola XOOM, and Samsung (005930) Galaxy Tab 10.1—with more mobile devices to follow.

RealPresence Mobile extends Polycom’s HD video collaboration technology beyond the office and conference room. Iy bringing a high-quality, secure, reliable experience to tablets that is comparable to desktop and room systems.

RealPresence Mobile delivers enterprise video collaboration for the business tablet market and delivers provisioning, management, system interoperability, firewall traversal, and scalability that CIOs need, and the reliability, security, rich features, and lifelike quality that users demand.

RealPresence Mobile scales, supporting up to 75,000 devices and 25,000 concurrent calls.

You can find download a free end-user application from the Apple Store, Android Market, and Samsung Apps.

Polycom Brings Video Meetings to IPads, Android Tablets (pcworld.com)

Category: Tablet computing | Tags: 2012, AAPL, Amazon, AMZN, Apple, iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Microsoft, MSFT

RB | September 13, 2012

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Everyone Snoops Thru Smartphones

Mobile device users lose almost 70 million smartphones per year in the U.S., about 30 percent of all the phones in use at any given time. According to one report only seven percent of the lost smartphones are recovered. Only 57 percent had any security, but 60 percent have confidential contact lists, emails, Internet and security codes and credentials for business apps or mobile-payment services.

Even if an honest person finds your mobile, security company Symantec (SYMC) says that the good Samaritan will look at the confidential data stored on the smartphone while trying to return it. The study (PDF) found that 96 percent of the people who found a mobile device planted by the security vendor peeked at personal data. People who found the smartphones:

Clicked on an app labeled “online banking” 43% of the time
Tried to run a remote-access/VPN app to access the fake network 49% of the time
Clicked on a filed named “HR salaries” 49% of the time
Opened a file named “saved passwords” 57% of the time
Checked social networking tools and personal e-mail 60% of the time
Accessed a folder labeled “private photos” 72% of the time
Checked out something on the lost mobile device 96% of the time

Online storage company Carbonite (CARB) reports that the data on a mobile device is valuable enough and the headaches involved in recovering it are big enough that 50 percent of Americans would rather give up all of a year’s vacation time than lose all the files on their smartphones.

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Even though most Americans would give up their vacation then lose the data on their mobile devices they don’t take steps to prevent other from snooping through their data. Simplistic as it seems, one password will deter most casual snoops.Identity theft data lose and embarrassment can easily be prevented by using the password screen-lock that comes with all smartphones.

How to Set a Passcode

WikiHOW explains How to Set a Passcode on the iPad to prevent people from snooping through your Apple (AAPL) iPad2.

Open the “Settings” app and tap “General Settings”. Continue by opening “Passcode Lock” in the center box of options.

Scroll until you find the “Passcode” option, then tap it. If this is your first time enabling a passcode, “Turn Passcode On” will be the only selectable option. If your iPad supports Touch ID, this option will be called “Touch ID & Passcode.”

Turn Passcodes on by tapping the “Turn Passcode On” option.

Enter a six-digit passcode of your choosing. You’ll need to enter it again exactly the same way on the next screen to verify. Be sure that it is a combination you won’t easily forget, as well as one that is also hard for others to figure out. This has increased from 4 – 6 characters since I first posted this article in 2012.

Re-enter the passcode. Pay close attention as you type to avoid mistyping the passcode. If both your new passcodes match each other, you’ll be taken back to the “Passcode Lock” screen.

Press the lock button to lock your iPad. You still need to confirm that your passcode is active.

Swipe right on your iPad’s screen, then enter your passcode. Your iPad is now passcode-protected!You can change or remove your passcode at any time in the “Passcode” menu.

How to Set a Passcode on the iPad - Step 7

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Apple has updated this process since I first wrote about putting a lock on your iPad in 2012.

Tips to Security and Privacy with Mobile Devices (thedroidguy.com)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: 2012, iPad, Mobile device, Security, Symantec, SYMC

RB | July 17, 2012

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IPv6 Compromise Smartphones Users’ Privacy

IPv6 Compromise Smartphones Users' Privacy Now that the IPv4 address pool is depleted and the IPocalypse is at hand, wrinkles are emerging in IPv6. One of the wrinkles is with mobile devices. Most of the cool mobiles devices have been able to handle IPv6 for a while. Apple’s (AAPL) iPhones, iPads, and iPods have been capable of handling IPv6 Since version 4 of the iOS operating system and most Google (GOOG) Android devices have been capable since version 2.1. H Security is reporting that these mobile operating systems send information about their users to the network.

A device on an IPv6 network usually determines half of their address (the “interface identifier”) themselves, but H Security says that smartphones are sloppy with this task. According to the article, smartphones simply add the same two bytes to their globally unique MAC address and use it as their identifier. As a result, they transfer a unique hardware ID whenever they communicate with an IPv6-enabled server.

The basic problem isn’t an IPv6 issue because there are other methods for generating the address. The article says that a device can generate a random interface identifier and replace it on a regular basis. This is called the Privacy Extensions method and is the factory-set option in Windows; it can also be enabled in other operating systems. The article points out that devices running Apple’s iOS or Android offer neither the option to enable Privacy Extensions nor the option to disable IPv6, anyone who uses an affected device on an IPv6-enabled wireless network will send their ID.

The only thing the smartphones are lacking is a control option in the user interface, as the Privacy Extensions do come as part of their kernel. For instance, on a (jailbroken) iOS 4 device with root access, they can be enabled with the same command that enables them on a desktop device running Mac OS X:

sysctl -w net.inet6.ip6.use_tempaddr=1

The blog claims the problem is only affecting a small number of users because IPv6 is not yet in widespread use. However, more ISPs plan to offer IPv6 in addition to the old IPv4 in the future. In addition, there are routers like the Cisco (CSCO) Linksys E3000, which will automatically set up an IPv6 connection via a 6to4 conversion when their internet access is purely IPv4.

The author concludes that the issue is particularly sensitive because such devices tend to be used by one specific person. As a result, the MAC address, which is accessible to any server operator and network monitor, allows this user to be identified.

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If this sounds familiar, it is I wrote about mobile apps uploading UDID’s here.

IPv6 and click fraud (net-security.org)
Windows 8 moves to IPv6 Internet (zdnet.com)

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: AAPL, Android, Apple, GOOG, Google, iPad, iPhone, IPocalypse, iPod, IPv6, Networking

RB | July 3, 2012

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BYOD Notes

90% of Employees Use Personal Devices for Work

A survey by DELL Kace (DELL) found IT managers feel they lack the necessary tools to properly manage BTOD personal devices. In the study, IT managers revealed they are unable to effectively protect corporate data and intellectual property as well as ensure compliance. Help Net Security says key survey findings include:

87% of companies have employees that use a personal device for work including laptops, smartphones and tablet computers.
82% citing their concerns about the use of personal devices for business use
64% revealed they are not confident that they know of all personal devices being used for business purposes
62% specifically concerned about network security breaches
60% reported a greater demand for support of Mac OS X since the introduction of the Apple (AAPL) iPad and iPhone
59% reported their personal devices have created the need to support multiple operating systems (OS’s).
32% revealed employees use unauthorized personal devices and applications to connect to their network

On the governance side:

88% said they believe it is important to have a policy in place to support personal devices, and another 62 percent revealed their organization lacks the necessary tools to manage personal devices.

“It’s absolutely essential that IT teams deploy a strategy that provides end-to-end management capabilities on a variety of operating systems to effectively protect networks and address the consumerization and personalization of IT,” said Rob Meinhardt, general manager and co-founder for Dell KACE.

Mobility & the Risks of BYOD (businessagility.com)

Security Monitoring for BYOD Environments

Unlike other BYOD security solutions that force organizations to install software on every new device, Lancope’s StealthWatch System provides security for any device entering the network, without having to install more software on the device or deploy expensive probes. Help Net Security reports that StealthWatch performs behavioral analysis on flow data from existing infrastructure to deliver end-to-end visibility and security across an organization’s entire network.

Net flow data already exists in network infrastructure devices to monitor network and host activity. Since net flow is already in most network equipment, it provides a cost-effective tool for monitoring mobile devices. The article says flow-based monitoring can uncover external attacks like botnets, worms, viruses or APTs, as well as internal risks such as network misuse, policy violations and data leakage. It can also be leveraged for other efforts including regulatory compliance and capacity planning, and for ensuring high levels of network and mobile device performance.

Related articles

BYOD and the security fun-sponge

IT is Embracing BYOD

Cisco says that IT is accepting, and in some cases embracing, “bring your own device” (BYOD). Help Net Security reports that the networking giant found that some of the pros and cons associated with allowing employees to use their own mobile devices on their employers’ networks has become a reality in the enterprise.

The Cisco (CSCO) study BYOD and Virtualization (PDF) found most enterprises are now enabling BYOD.

95% of responding firms permit employee-owned devices in some way in the workplace.
The average number of connected devices per knowledge worker will grow from 2.8 in 2012 to 3.3 by 2014.
76% of IT leaders surveyed categorized BYOD as a positive for their companies and challenging for IT.

The survey says employees are turning to BYOD because they want more control of their work experience:

40% of respondents cited “device choice” as employees’ top BYOD priority (the ability to use their favorite device anywhere).
Employees’ second BYOD priority is the wish to do personal activities at work, and work activities during personal time.
Staff wants to bring their own applications to work: 69% of respondents said that unapproved applications, especially social networks, cloud-based email, and instant messaging, are more prevalent today than two years ago.
Employees are willing to invest to improve their work experience. Cisco employees pay an average of $600 out-of-pocket for devices that will give them more control over their work experience the report says.

The article says these findings underscore that BYOD is here to stay, and managers are now acknowledging the need for a more holistic approach, one that is scalable and addresses mobility, security, virtualization, and network policy management, to keep management costs in line while simultaneously providing optimal experiences where savings can be realized.

IBM stung by BYOD pitfalls (gigaom.com)

Category: Tablet computing | Tags: 2012, AAPL, Apple, BYOD, BYOT, Computer, Dell, iPad, iPhone, Mac OS, Security

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