Is your network secure? Really?

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Scenario: You work in a corporate environment in which you are, at least partially, responsible for network security. You have implemented a firewall, virus and spyware protection, and your computers are all up to date with patches and security fixes. You sit there and think about the lovely job you have done to make sure that you will not be hacked.

You have done, what most people think, are the major steps towards a secure network. This is partially correct. What about the other factors?

Have you thought about a social engineering attack? What about the users who use your network on a daily basis? Are you prepared in dealing with attacks by these people?

Believe it or not, the weakest link in your security plan is the people who use your network. For the most part, users are uneducated on the procedures to identify and neutralize a social engineering attack. What’s going to stop a user from finding a CD or DVD in the lunch room and taking it to their workstation and opening the files? This disk could contain a spreadsheet or word processor document that has a malicious macro embedded in it. The next thing you know, your network is compromised.

This problem exists particularly in an environment where a help desk staff reset passwords over the phone. There is nothing to stop a person intent on breaking into your network from calling the help desk, pretending to be an employee, and asking to have a password reset. Most organizations use a system to generate usernames, so it is not very difficult to figure them out.

Your organization should have strict policies in place to verify the identity of a user before a password reset can be done. One simple thing to do is to have the user go to the help desk in person. The other method, which works well if your offices are geographically far away, is to designate one contact in the office who can phone for a password reset. This way everyone who works on the help desk can recognize the voice of this person and know that he or she is who they say they are.

Why would an attacker go to your office or make a phone call to the help desk? Simple, it is usually the path of least resistance. There is no need to spend hours trying to break into an electronic system when the physical system is easier to exploit. The next time you see someone walk through the door behind you, and do not recognize them, stop and ask who they are and what they are there for. If you do this, and it happens to be someone who is not supposed to be there, most of the time he will get out as fast as possible. If the person is supposed to be there then he will most likely be able to produce the name of the person he is there to see.

I know you are saying that I am crazy, right? Well think of Kevin Mitnick. He is one of the most decorated hackers of all time. The US government thought he could whistle tones into a telephone and launch a nuclear attack. Most of his hacking was done through social engineering. Whether he did it through physical visits to offices or by making a phone call, he accomplished some of the greatest hacks to date. If you want to know more about him Google his name or read the two books he has written.

It’s beyond me why people try and dismiss these types of attacks. I guess some network engineers are just too proud of their network to admit that they could be breached so easily. Or is it the fact that people don’t feel they should be responsible for educating their employees? Most organizations don’t give their IT departments the jurisdiction to promote physical security. This is usually a problem for the building manager or facilities management. None the less, if you can educate your employees the slightest bit; you may be able to prevent a network breach from a physical or social engineering attack.

Useless CCTV

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How many times have you heard news on the TV where it’s impossible for the police to get a lead on the perpetrator? You might say “countless”!

Just recently this month, May of 2017, an unsuspecting guy riding his bicycle at night was hit by a speeding car who might have overtaken another car and counter-flowed on the other side of the road. The biker was hit head on full collision and since the bike is much lighter than the car, the speeding car easily swept the bike and continued his course like it was nothing. The biker and his bike flew a few meters on the sidewalk. Later, a van stopped on the side of the road and tried to help the poor guy who was later identified as one Rodolfo Daang.

The incident happened in Cavite. Thanks to the useless CCTV, the police were unable to even identify the type and model of the car, much more get its plate number. The relatives are left without justice as it is almost impossible to get a lead on the car owner who killed Rodolfo.

The government should make its move on regulating the quality of CCTV cameras installed as they can be useless in solving crimes. These low-quality CCTVs function more like a dummy CCTV used only to fake criminals into thinking its a real one deterring them from committing a crime.

Here is the video of the incident

The police said that it was difficult for them to identify the plate number because the angle of the CCTV was “against the light”. Well, if you ask the experts at Right Security Solutions, it was not the angle nor the lights, it was the quality of the resolution of the CCTV.

 

New And Emerging Alarm Systems For Added Security

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However helpful they may be, times are changing and technology has been growing more advanced. This technology encompasses security and safety as well.

Why settle for old security alarm systems when there are newer models now available in the market that offer you added security?

The latest in alarm systems nowadays have shifted to wireless. There are many advantages you can benefit from wireless security alarm systems. First of all, they are easy to install. Secondly, the components of a wireless security alarm system can be moved to different locations in your home, especially those areas you deem needs the most surveillance.

The wireless home security alarm system works through a transmitter. Each component has a transmitter that sends signals to the central control receiver of your alarm system. When a transmitter is activated, the central control receiver sounds an alarm. It seems simple enough but with the more costly wireless alarm systems, not only does an alarm sound off but it is also able to indicate which particular device was triggered. With this advanced technology, you can determine whether it is a false alarm, what triggered the false alarm, and if it isn’t a false alarm you get to know which area of your home is potentially compromised at the moment.

Another latest technology in alarm system is the IP based dual path transmission technology. This is a secure and managed type of technology that gives you the benefit that the communication from one alarm panel to the central monitoring receiver is intact. Though this new alarm system is used most often in business and corporate settings, it isn’t long before this will be made available for home use. It is only best that the businesses and corporate markets have a more advanced alarm system because these industries have a lot more to lose. Not to mention the number of potential plans of robberies and compromised security these industries have.

As advanced the technology may seem, it is still cost-effective and provides an integrated digital alarm system for all types of threats to security. This digital security alarm system does not only detect intruders, it is also capable of detecting fire as well as other types of critical alarms your company may deem necessary. It has wider video capabilities necessary for added security. Its hardware is upgradeable enabling you to integrate already existing security devices in your building.

Many of the new and emerging home security and alarm systems are not new at all. They are merely new in terms that the technology has been made available for personal use in homes. These emerging home security systems include the same advanced alarm system used in banks. The panic alarm is commonly seen used for bank security. However, measures have been made and there have been movements for it to be used for home security. It can come in handy not only for thefts but during fires and other emergencies as well.

Much of the new security systems released in the market are advanced not singly in terms of intruder alarms but also for other types of alarms as well. Home security can mean a lot of things. This can even include apartment security, fire alarms, elderly alarms, children alarms and many more. The advanced security devices of today have made it a point to incorporate these different situations into one. This is what has been featured in the wireless and IP based security systems.

This is a great benefit that advanced alarm systems are offering to consumers. It is time to face the fact that intruders aren’t all you’re worried about. If you live in an apartment, security alarm systems shouldn’t stop at the front door. There are innovative alarm solutions that have taken apartment security into consideration. There are more advanced alarm systems that are coming out in the market. It does not only detect smoke that can be elusive. Smoke can take time to rise before conventional alarms can detect them and by that time it can be too late. More advanced fire alarm systems can detect smoke as soon as possible and there are those that can even detect the amount of carbon monoxide build-up in a burning home.

A great proportion of deaths in the country accounts for accidents incurred by the elderly population. More advanced alarm systems that enable the elderly population to call for help readily and systems that are more accessible to them are now available such as silent panic buttons that give off a low frequency piercing sound that can be detected a far distance away. Lastly, added security should also include your children’s safety. More advance measures have been taken to provide your children with easy to use alarm systems in case of emergencies.

Whether it is wireless or not, the best advanced security alarm system is that which addresses security needs in all possible situations. Rest assured there are newer security technologies available that do just that, as have been mentioned. Take no compromises when it comes to security in your home or for your business. With these new and emerging security alarm systems, you are given added security whatever the setting.

Safety Barricades And Barriers

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If you are faced with the problem of effectively cordoning off an area in order to protect members of staff or the public, then having an appropriate store of safety barricades will provide you with all the equipment that you need. Easy Rack have an enormous selection of barrier systems available to suit all needs, from permanent systems through to portable, easy to install temporary solutions that can be installed in a matter of minutes and then removed just as quickly

For situations where a high visibility and robust solution is required, poly barricades are ideal. Seventy two inches long, and thirty five inches high, these temporary safety barricades are easy to place, and are brightly colored to ensure maximum impact. They are robust and weather proof and can be filled with sand to make them even more stable and resist winds.

When you want to be able to cordon off an area with a minimum of impact, a chain barricade is probably the best option. There are a number of different options available. These post and chain safety barricades are ideal for use in a situation where you need to be able to prevent access to an area but do not want to block the view of it. The posts can be placed very quickly, and are available as either a stake that can be firmly placed in the ground, or as a bollard that rests on a heavy disk. The plastic chain is supplied in a 50 foot length, and can be cut to size if less is required.

An ideal temporary barrier to cordon off an area for routine maintenance or other short term reasons is the multipurpose safety barricade. A number of units can be snapped together to prevent access to an area to prevent access. If you need to protect a spill until the cleaning team is able to deal with it, or want simply want to make it clear that an area is temporarily off limits, then these are the perfect instant solution. These safety barriers fold flat for storage, and can be in place in a matter of seconds to provide a visible and physical deterrent.

For situations where you need to be able to prevent access to an area for short periods, but need to be able to allow freedom of entry at other times, such as on a loading dock, when safety requirements mean that you do not want staff to be able to go past a certain point until a truck is ready to be loaded, a powered safety barricade is the ideal device to use. Once fitted and operational, the barrier can be raised and lowered as required, and will provide a visual as well as physical barrier to ensure safety on the dock area at all times.

All in all, no matter what kind of protection you need, and what the specific requirements of the job are, there is a safety barricade system available to meet your needs. From quick fix barriers that can be up and ready in seconds through to custom and fully adjustable systems, you can be sure that we can fulfill your expectations.

Are Fake Security Cameras Effective?

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Are fake security cameras effective? The answer is a resounding “Yes.”

Fake security cameras have helped to prevent many crimes. Mounted in high profile, totally visible locations, these cameras are not hooked up to anything, they mostly operate for a long time on batteries and sometimes have a few flashing lights or other obvious characteristics to make them look as if they are doing something.

Many a would-be robber has changed his or her mind about entering someplace illegally after spotting one of these dummy security cameras looking right at them. With today’s technology, an inexperienced thief really has no way to know whether or not he’s looking at a wireless, state of the art surveillance device or a fake security camera. Some of them actually pan back and forth, although these require more frequent battery changes.

Fake security cameras are especially effective in areas that you expect to be covered by security cameras. For instance, many of the cameras in subway stations around the world are fake security cameras and nobody can tell the difference. During hard times, when the crime rates inevitably rise and cities are strapped for cash, the ratio of fake cameras to real ones was about 2-to-1 in some metropolitan areas.

Knowing that the fake cameras would be regarded as real, the fakes were sprinkled in among the real ones to provide an extra incentive for would-be robbers and thieves to practice their trade in another location. Except for the lack of recorded footage provided by the real cameras, dummy security cameras are almost as effective in reducing crime rates in subways as the real ones are.

Only sophisticated thieves can tell — at a distance — whether they are being observed by a real security camera.

Guns And Home Security

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Guns have always been a sure way to protect yourself and your home, although things have changed quite a bit over the years. Even though those who live in the United States have a right to bear arms, there are also certain responsibilities that come along as well. Those who own guns have the responsibility of protecting their home and their family – and also their guns. Anyone who owns a gun may have self protection in mind – although he also has a priority to protect his guns as well.

Anyone who owns a guns should never allow them to fall into someone else’s hands. To ensure this never happens, the gun owner should always keep his gun collection locked away in a safe or gun cabinet. You can get many different sizes of gun safes, that will hold a variable amount of guns. Anything can happen if the wrong individual gets a hold of your guns, which is why you should always make sure that they are well protected – and locked up.

Gun owners can protect their own property as well, by storing their guns in fireproof gun safes. Fireproof gun safes can protect guns and keep them safe, even if everything else burns to the ground. Even though gun owners have the responsibility to keep their guns out of the reach of others, they also have the right to ensure that no harm comes to their guns as well.

Fireproof guns safes will also keep guns safe from children as well. All children are curious, and like to get their hands on anything they can. If you leave your guns lying around and not locked up, a child will eventually find it. You should also ensure that your guns are never loaded either, as a child can really hurt himself if he finds a loaded gun. Although you may keep your guns locked up in a fireproof safe – you should also make sure that the ammo is out of the guns and locked away in the safe as well.

Keep in mind that children may look for your gun on purpose, knowing that the guns are something that you use. Therefore, simply putting your guns on a higher shelf doesn’t really protect your children. If a child wants something bad enough, he or she will do anything possible to get it. The only real way to keep your guns safe from children is to ensure that they are always locked up in fireproof safe or traditional gun safe.

Children may show interest in guns at an early age, which can be a good thing but can also be a bad thing. At a young age, a child won’t know anything about gun safety. Therefore, if a child happens to come across your guns, bad things can happen. If you have guns if your home, you should always make a point to teach your children gun safety. This way, they will know that they aren’t allowed to handle your guns, and they’ll be aware of what can happen if they do.

By keeping your guns in a fireproof safe or traditional gun safe, you’ll keep your guns safe from children or others. Fireproof safes will also keep your guns safe from fire as well, which makes them an ideal investment. Although you can also get a traditional gun safe if you prefer, fireproof safes are by far the best way to go. You can keep your guns safe from children, others, and even fire – which makes them more than worth the money.

Intrusion Detection

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If you think of intrusion detection as you would for intrusions into your home, you will find that once someone ‘breaks in’ they have destroyed much of your hard work, both physically and emotionally. They have done damage and invaded your space. Effectively detecting whether or not these ‘break ins’ are happening is very important for your business. Effective intrusion detection can protect confidentiality, integrity and availability resources.

You have two choices here. You can go with manual intrusion detection or automated. In manual, you will need to perform searches to exam log files or look for other signs that someone has gotten in. But, with automated intrusion detection, the system will take care of the work for you allowing for a more complete exam as well as one that can be counted on and done on a timely basis. They can be host based or network based. Automated systems are generally called IDS’s.

When something is found by the IDS, it will alert you that a possible intrusion has occurred. This can be done through sending an email alert, by logging relevant information or even by contacting via mobile phone or pager. It will be up to you to determine what has happened and how it happened though. Usually, intrusion detection does not prevent intrusion, nor does it fix any problems that arise due to it. But, effective intrusion detection is still necessary and relying on an automated system will make sure you are up to date as needed.

With our economy slowing down, burglaries are up and you run the risk of someone else wanting to take your stuff for their own. While burglary rates have been declining recently, they still number about 25 per 1,000 households. It makes sense to have some sort of motion detection camera set up in your home or your office to catch any intruders.

The definition of burglary is the unlawful or forcible entry or attempted entry of a residence. Burglary usually, though not always, involves theft. The punk is usually strung out on drugs and does not work, and needs money to support their habit. The use force to break into your home or office by breaking a window or slashing a screen. They can also enter through an unlocked window or door. Whatever way they use to gain entrance to the building, as long as they have no legal right to be there, a burglary has occurred.

Also, the building need not be your home or office for a burglary to take place. Illegal entry of any garage, shed, or any other structure on the premises also constitutes a burglary. Burglary can even occur at a hotel or when you are on vacation, it’s still classified as a burglary.

Unless you have a security guard inside to watch your property 24/7, the simplest thing you can do is to have some type of surveillance camera in place to protect your property. If you can’t afford a multi-camera video surveillance system, there are a couple choices for single unit motion detection cameras that are self contained and can record pictures to internal memory.

Contact Right Security Solutions today so we can help you. This is a simple matter of applying basic security which we are confident in building even the most complex ones.

 

Why Are Biometrics Becoming So Popular With Time And Attendance Systems?

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Although biometrics had been around for many years, companies had not looked at the opportunities and benefits it provides in regards to time and attendance systems. The term biometrics is defined as utilizing one or more physical characteristics to automatically identify people. However, teaming up biometrics with a time and attendance system, can offer companies the ability to make “buddy-punching” (an employee clocking another employee in or out on their behalf) much more difficult than it has been in the past.

Companies both small and large can lose enormous amounts of money each year from this practice. Recently Nucleus Research published a report finding that annually, companies can save an average of 2.2% just by using biometric time and attendance systems. It’s no wonder that just its money saving opportunities have made it so popular.

In recent years, corporations such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Krispy Kreme have started using fingerprint-based time and attendance systems, realizing the benefits that these systems have to offer. These systems work by scanning a fingerprint (measures various points in a fingerprint) and allowing a time stamp to be recorded if the fingerprint matches. There are several benefits for companies small and large including:

• Easy and fast implementation.
• The elimination of “buddy-punching”.
• The elimination of exaggerated employee labor hours.
• Easy cancellation of terminated employee privileges.
• There are no badges that need issuing, replacing or recovering.
• Reports can be easily generated of an employee’s time such as total number of hours worked, times tardy, early outs or overtime hours.
• Ability to reduce payroll or data entry errors.
• Unauthorized access can be identified from a current or terminated employee.

Biometric time and attendance systems are available through several computer and office retailers, both in-store and online. There are many choices and options available, and it is easy to reap confusion in attempting to understand the differences. The best systems available offer a reliable, easy-to-use system that includes a set amount of licenses. They include the option to purchase additional Ethernet cables to support via network or direct to PC. They also offer several reports to analyze employee reporting, as well as offer a lifetime free technical support for your questions for the life of the product. It is important to also verify that the system offers support of the company’s payroll routine (weekly, biweekly, bimonthly and monthly) and has the ability to capture an employee’s time off, such as vacation or sick days.

Take some time today to educate yourself and check in to biometric time and attendance systems. Maximizing the profitability and production of a company is crucial to its success. Time and money saved with these systems can definitely increase both.

7 Simple Reasons Why You Need a Network Security Camera for Your Home

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Pros

1. Easy to install: Most of the network cameras on the market are plug and play and/or have very simple to follow instructions for both the hardware and software end.
2. Comparatively cheaper than other security systems: Instead of paying a highly trained technician to install a complex CCTV system, and pay him on an ongoing maintenance arrangement- you can have a network camera security system that can stand on it’s own against CCTV and traditional security systems.
3. Works with your existing computer network: If you already have a home network, then the network camera works with your settings, so you don’t need to pay more for the proper security infrastructure.
4. Provides peace of mind: watch your home, watch your childs room, watch your vacation home, watch your pets while you are on vacation, etc
5. See remote areas: as far away as across the globe, or your own front porch from a centralized area. Can even remotely view your children at the nursery (depending on the nurseries policies though this is becoming more standard)
6. Flexibility: Prefer not to be tethered to the security control panel or hire a full time security professional to monitor things, then get security alerts which you can view from cell phone, laptop, or PDA device, and provide multiple users access to the various security assets.
7. Receive alerts via email when detects motion, either when someone visits your home, or when your children leave home to hang out.

Cons

1. May have poor image quality depending on model and configuration, and wireless cameras in general have poorer image quality on the lower to mid range.
2. For more bells and whistles, like sound recording, scheduled emails, and motion capture, it varies greatly from model and software description.
3. Generally, outdoor surveillance equipment is more costly, especially if you want the ability to remotely pan/tilt, zoom in, zoom out, and want a waterproof camera. However for a home system this is probably not as urgent as opposed to for a business situation.
4. Drains computer network resources, so if you don’t have a speedy computer, then there’s a chance of a slight slow down in your collective resources.

Remember that despite the cons, the benefits outweigh them as they provide great security results at a lower installation and maintenance cost than traditional Closed Circuit Television systems.

Foreigner in the Philippines saved by CCTV

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11 days before President Duterte assumed office, Mr. Berg, an Australian working in the Philippines as a contract administrator for First Balfour, an engineering company, has been arrested and charged for selling illegal drugs specifically “ecstasy”.

According to police testimonies, he was arrested in a buy bust operation in the streets of Makati while he was selling 50 ecstasy tablets to another foreigner, Jeremy Eaton, a Canadian.

Mr. Berg’s Testimony

But Mr. Berg’s statements were different from what the police were saying. He said he was working on a report inside a hotel when the police raided his room and arrested him and not in the streets as testified by the police. He also goes on to say that the police were extorting money from him.

Nevertheless, he was locked in jail for a month with 15 other prisoners in Makati City Jail.

Acquitted

A little over 3 months have passed, Septermber 15, Damian John Berg, 35 years old, charged in violation of RA 9165, was acquitted and set free. The court found evidence in the hotel’s CCTV security system that Mr. Berg is indeed telling the truth that he was removed from his room, tied, and taken out on the streets by the police.

The CCTV footage alone may have saved Mr. Berg’s life but that same life will never be the same again. He is now back in Australia and decided to live there with his Filipina girlfriend who was then pregnant when he was arrested.

Duterte’s War on Drugs

This incident happened on June 20, 2016, 11 days before Rodrigo Duterte was sworn into the Office of the President. At this point in time, Duterte was the presumptive President of the Philippines after winning the May elections. While it is true that Duterte had influenced the PNP before he became President on June 30, 2016, this was at a time that he has no control yet of the police force. General Ronaldo “Bato” Dela Rosa was sworn as PNP Chief a day after Duterte became President.

CCTV Quality

Having a CCTV system in the area is a big help for the police but in this situation, the police lost their case. Even a low resolution, low quality CCTV system such as used in this case was able to reveal the truth of what has happened. But Mr. Berg was just so lucky to have been in a hotel where staff can identify who went in and who went out. If this happened on a barangay street like in this road rage case, the case would have continued because it would have been difficult to identify the people seen in the CCTV footage.

Right Security Solutions can help you install the most ideal CCTV System for your environment. Give us a call today.