Retail Security Hygiene: The Case for Seasonal Checkups
The winter holidays offer big potential for retailers, with some companies earning around 30 percent of their annual revenue during the season, according to the National Retail Federation. Big sales numbers, however, also drive increased risks of fraud and theft, and businesses are now spending on extra security measures to keep physical stores safe. But…
Why You Should Drop Everything and Enable Two-Factor Authentication Immediately
If you haven’t done so already after seeing the title of this article, please stop reading immediately and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on every system and service you use that allows it. The reality is that no matter how strong your password is — even that 48-character one with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and…
In Case of Emergency, Break Glass: Protecting User Credentials in the Event of a Data Breach
There have been countless cyberbreaches over the past few years in which personal data, such as user IDs and passwords, have been compromised. These range from attacks against government agencies, such as two recent incidents affecting the national identity systems in Spain and Estonia, to corporate breaches exposing data belonging to millions of customers. In…
Cybercriminals Are Getting Better at Using Advanced Authentication Methods
Cybercriminals are learning how to use newer authentication methods to exploit security weaknesses. As always, it is a cat-and-mouse game with serious consequences. Facial recognition software can be exploited with high-definition photos, many of which can be found on social media accounts. Fraudsters can easily bypass one-time passwords by calling cellphone companies and impersonating the…
Security Starts With People: What it Takes to Ensure Simple Yet Strong Authentication on Mobile
Before I was in the identity and access management (IAM) space, I hardly ever thought about strong authentication or the role of IAM as a standalone discipline beyond the occasional time I forgot my username or password. If I have learned one thing, however, it’s that security truly starts with people. Think about some of…