Bitdefender is one of the most popular anti- virus and anti- malware solutions out there. It has been around for a while now, and thankfully, it seems that it only got better over time. All products of the company are extremely efficient when it comes to protecting your home computer, your office computer or other devices. Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 is one of the most efficient security suites one can install on their computer at this point. It offers a great number of useful features, yet it is simple to use. You really dont have to be an IT specialist to make use of this software.

First of all, Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 is easy to install and has a clean users interface. Users wont need to go through tens or hundreds of tabs until they find what they are looking for. Everything is overseeable in this program and even a novice can easily learn how to get around the software. Users will find a series of tabs that will redirect them towards the different security components offered by the program. The security suite works great on Windows systems, Mac computers, iOS and Android devices too. However, Windows users reported a better user experience than Mac users did. Even so, the program is suitable for devices running on either of these operating systems.

As if the previous versions of Bitdefender werent great enough, Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 brings even more to the table. The latest edition of the software offers a high- grade protection against internet threats, advanced protection against ransomware attacks, a two-way firewall, and an efficient Parental Advisor. Also, the program now features an improved password manager and a File Shredder. One of the best features of the Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 is its Autopilot mode. Users wont get any annoying popups and alerts. The security suite silently works in the background, making sure that the system is protected against all the threats.

The Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 is not only easy to use, it is also extremely efficient. The security suite performs really well in tests. The software offers 100% protection againstestablished malware and zero-day threats according to AV-TEST.org. Basically, this is the ultimate level of protection one can expect from an antivirusor an anti- malware solution. The security suite almost instantly blocks ransomware attacks too. This way, all the important and sensitive data is protected all the time.

Users can also enjoy the benefits of theweb-based remote management console that now looks even better. As its name suggests, thanks to this feature, users will remotely gain access to information regarding their registered computers status and they can enable or disable Autopilot mode too. While the password manager normally performs extremely well, it seems to struggle a little bit when it comes tonon-standard password pages. To be more exact, on this kind of pages the password manager sometimes fails to fill all fields in some web forms. Other than this, the password manager is very efficient, just like its browser extension.

We already mentioned the Parental Advisor featured by Bitdefender Internet Security 2017. This feature allows users to set up a different account for each child. After setting up the accounts and linking them to the specific devices, parents can get reports on the programs and apps they use. if any of them seem to be insecure, parents can simply click on them and thus prevent the child from using them again. On Android devices, parents can also block certain contacts. This way they will be unable to contact the child again. And vice-versa. To take things even further, through this feature parents can even mark certain areas as secure or insecure. The Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 will automatically let them know whenever their children enter restricted areas.

Overall, the Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 performs really well. It efficiently protects every device it is installed on, with a high grade of success in detecting and blocking threats. Some would think that this means the program will seriously slow their system down when working. Thankfully, it isnt the case with the Bitdefender Internet Security 2017. While it will have an impact on your devices performance, it wont be a notable one.

Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 is now on sale. Users can save $35 is they choose to install the security suite on three devices. In this case, they will need to pay $44.99 for a one- year subscription. This is even lower than the price they would pay for installing the suite on only one device, which would cost them $59.99. Of course, customers can install the security suite on up to 10 devices for $89.99. They can also buy two- years of three- years subscriptions.

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Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 One of the most efficient security suites - GameSinners (press release) (blog)

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"Its important that businesses, governments and individuals adopt and continually revise best practices as a way to both deter and deny malicious internet actors from profiting off of cyber vulnerabilities. Those who would never think to keep their door unlocked or ajar in a rough neighborhood don't think twice about letting malicious hackers gain access to their private data."

Individuals and governments should do more to recognize and combat insidious cyber attacks. Sen. Orrin Hatchs new bipartisan bill, the so-called Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act, is a fine first step worthy of congressional support.

Only a few weeks after the so-called WannaCry ransomware attack paralyzed tens of thousands of computers, yet another internet outbreak hit Ukraine and 64 other countries this week, including the United States.

In Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, ATMs stopped working, according to the New York Times. About 80 miles away, workers were forced to manually monitor radiation at the old Chernobyl nuclear plant when their computers failed. Well-known businesses were affected such as the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck and the chocolatiers at Cadbury.

A separate attack occurred late last month targeting members of the British parliament. Utah, which is home to one of the United States intelligence communitys largest data storage centers, is undoubtedly an international target.

According to figures from the Department of Justice, since 2016 there have been an average of 4,000 ransomware attacks a day thats a 300 percent year-to-year jump from 2015.

Many of these kinds of attacks are preventable if individuals and corporations follow what Hatch calls good cyber hygiene. His act would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish Internet security best practices." The information would be continually updated, regularly reviewed and available to the public the standards are voluntary.

Skeptics might say that publicly publishing and producing safety guidelines only helps bad actors better understand how to get around cyber security. Yet, most experts say that many attacks are not particularly sophisticated and can be stopped by taking rudimentary safety precautions.

Some of these precautions include:

These are just some basic steps for guarding against attacks.

Its important that businesses, governments and individuals adopt and continually revise best practices as a way to both deter and deny malicious internet actors from profiting off of cyber vulnerabilities. Those who would never think to keep their door unlocked or ajar in a rough neighborhood don't think twice about letting malicious hackers gain access to their private data.

Sen. Hatch anticipates bipartisan support for his bill, SB1475. This should be a priority for members of Congress. After all, ransomeware knows no partisan boundaries.

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In our opinion: Individuals and governments should do more to recognize and combat cyber attacks - Deseret News

VietNamNet Bridge - Though the APG submarine cable broke twice in six months, Vietnam Internet Associations (VIA) secretary general Vu The Binh said that APG has helped improve security and provisioning capability for Vietnams internet.

The APG project attracted many Asian telecom groups, including Japanese NTT Docomo, Chinese China Telecom and South Korean KT. The four Vietnamese investors include VNPT (the Vietnam Post & Telecommunication Group) , Viettel, FPT Telecom and CMC Telecom.

With a length of 10,400 kilometers, the APG cable is located under the Pacific Ocean, connecting points in nine countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The system has a capacity of 54 terabits per second with the Internet speed of 20 times higher than AAG (Asia America Gateway).

AAG also has to be repaired so often. In the first half of 2015 alone, it was in trouble four times, on January 1, April 23, May 26 and early June.

While AAG cable plays an important role in connecting Vietnam and the world, APG is hoped to help the connection become faster and more stable, and help ease reliance on AAG.

Binh told the press in late December 2016 that APG helped improve security for Vietnams internet.

VIAs representative also said though ISPs in Vietnam still have not provided detailed information about capacity through APG, the impact on international internet connectivity was less serious than before.

However, APG twice broke down within a short time. It broke for the first time on December 31, 2016 at positions near Singapore and Chongming, China. The latest breakdown occurred on June 20, 2017 at a position just 125 kilometers from Da Nang City.

According to CMC Telecom, one of the ISPs which develop APG, the trouble caused 100 percent loss of AGP capacity to Vietnam.

When asked if APG would break down regularly like AAG, Binh said he still doesnt have enough information to compare APG with AAG.

However, he believes the APG developers have enough information about AAGs status and operation.

Problems with cables are unpredictable. Therefore, ISPs all have to prepare contingency plans to ensure smooth operation. The plans depend on their business strategies and targeted clients.

VIAs official said internet service in Vietnam is competitive, with the service fee much lower than in other regional countries.

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APG cable improves Vietnam's internet security - VietNamNet Bridge

Posted June 28, 2017 13:47:37

Cyber security experts fear the Immigration Department is dragging its feet on internet security in the wake of global ransomware attacks and may be vulnerable.

The department has failed to comply with the Australian Signals Directorate's (ASD) top four security measures including patching for years, despite repeatedly promising to do so.

A damning audit earlier this year found the department was vulnerable to external attacks that could compromise sensitive information, including national security data.

But the department's chief information officer, Randal Brugeaud, will not give a deadline for compliance with the intelligence agency's recommendations.

"The failure of key government departments to be compliant with ASD's top four mitigation strategies is alarming," Greg Austin from the Australian Centre for Cyber Security said.

"These are only the most basic measures designed to begin to get organisations on the difficult path of transforming cyber security culture."

Computer security expert Richard Buckland said he was "surprised" by the department's approach.

"They have so much data and they are in such a critical position in our overall strategy that really we would all expect them to get this right," Dr Buckland said.

"They are very good at expecting compliance from everyone else, so I am surprised that compliance mentality does not apply to their internal systems."

A department spokesman told the ABC it was taking the challenge seriously and its information communications technology (ICT) systems had not been breached.

Earlier this month, Mr Brugeaud revealed the department may not be compliant with patching processes recommended by the Prime Minister's cyber security adviser, Alistair MacGibbon.

Patching is a term used to describe updating operating systems and applications to ensure they are protected from malware or ransomware.

Mr Brugeaud told a Senate inquiry that a monthly patching cycle would not be rolled out until next financial year.

"On application patching, which is quite a challenge for all organisations over the next two to three years we will get to a point where we are able to be fully compliant in applications," Mr Brugeaud said.

The department spokesman told the ABC it was now in the second year of a five-year ICT plan that would ensure compliance with the ASD recommendations.

But Dr Buckland said the five-year time frame was "astonishing".

"A five-year plan to deal with this is just the wrong time scale it makes me concerned about how seriously they are treating this," he said.

"In five years everything will have changes. It raises the question, how seriously are they taking cyber security?"

The department's cyber security processes are now the subject of a senate inquiry led by Liberal senator Dean Smith.

Mr MacGibbon told the inquiry compliance with the ASD's recommendations were only one approach to security.

"I have found that there is a prevailing "tick box" compliance culture which is in some respects, perversely driven by a fear of audit failure," Mr MacGibbon said.

"By looking only to these snapshots, we may create a culture of fear and thereby harm our security."

In its submission, Immigration pointed out a merger with the former customs agency in 2015 presented "an enormous challenge" for its ICT department.

"Combined, the two agencies have over 900 applications, of which 569 are unique," the submission said.

"Of the 279 business critical applications, approximately 70 per cent are bespoke."

Topics: hacking, science-and-technology, internet-technology, computers-and-technology, defence-and-national-security, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia

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Immigration Department lax on cyber security and vulnerable to attacks, experts say - ABC Online

In the hectic, sometimes crazed world of healthcare cybersecurity, a little guidance can be a welcome thing for CIOs and CISOs. Thats why the Center for Internet Security pieced together its CIS Controls, a framework of 20 controls with the aim of leading healthcare organizations to better, more locked down systems and data security. And some healthcare organizations are using these controls to great effect.

The CIS Controls framework is very approachable; its organized in a prioritized manner, and even the top-level controls are presented in such a way that as technologists we can communicate them intelligently in a conversation to internal stakeholders who are concerned about risk, said Roger Lutz, interim chief information officer at Butler Health System. And we can discuss things at that level, obfuscating the deeper sub-controls, of which there are many, getting interested stakeholders to understand how we are addressing cybersecurity risk.

[Also:Outsourced cybersecurity staff, one way healthcare is getting around the talent shortage]

Healthcare organizations need to select a cybersecurity framework to work from, otherwise, they will simply be reactionary to the latest threats and whatever is in the news, Lutz said.

While your own judgement may be excellent, you may be missing something, he said. To have that framework and work toward a common set of technology controls of which a great number of very intelligent people have come to unified agreement, it helps us to make a lot of real progress over time and record that progress that shows advancement in information security and keeps us on track.

[Also:Here are the dos and don'ts when hiring healthcare cybersecurity pros]

At 20, the number of controls is small enough to manage easily, and further, its easy for both technology staff and management executives to understand all of the controls, said an auditor at a large health system in Tennessee, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of security issues.

There are other frameworks, such as the NIST framework and the ISO 27002, he said, but the Center for Internet Security CIS Controls are just a lot easier to understand.

Lutz points to control No. 5 as an example: Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges.

We identified the need some time ago to control our administrative credentials among the various staff on the information systems team, he said. We implemented a system that does centralized privileges access control. It creates a vault, our users log into the vault to pull the privileged access credentials for other systems so we can automate long, complex passwords for all of our administrators and so forth. This control was one we nailed down pretty well.

Lutz said it is interesting and helpful the way the Center for Internet Security has constructed the controls, where one measures four different categories for each sub-control of a control. Control No. 5 has nine sub-controls, from using multi-factor authentication to logging accesses to using a dedicated machine for administrative tasks. Each of those sub-controls are then measured by policy defined, control implemented, control automated, and control reported to the business.

This is an area that really allows you to demonstrate maturity in your information security programs, Lutz said. Not only are you buying a product or implementing a technology change that provides information security to an organization, you are defining how you are going to do it through policy so you have consistency and so from a governance standpoint you paid attention to the other things and implemented it properly.

And control reported to the business is an important and valuable measurement, Lutz added.

This is about having a way to demonstrate things up the chain of command, to show them what you are doing in a way that doesnt boggle them with technology but instead shows them a measurement they can understand, which over time is important, he said.

The large health system in Tennessee has seen many positive results after working with the CIS Controls.

From our audit perspective, by determining which controls are more critical, based on the audits we can give real-time feedback, here are our findings, here is what needs to be improved, here is what we are doing well, the auditor said. That gets management attention; the auditor report goes to the board of directors. There is awareness brought to the cybersecurity program both to the technical folks and management. This is a slow process, we are not able to do 20 in a year, we are trying to get through all 20 every three years.

The results of using the CIS Controls at Butler Health System include bringing focus to the IT and security teams, bringing measurement to processes and therefore the ability to reflect progress to interested stakeholders within the organization, and bringing prioritization to security projects all of which has led to information security maturity, Lutz said.

If you think of any good process, theres focus, measurement, accountability and prioritization in the face of limited resources, he said. With unlimited resources you can do everything all at once and its less of a constraint. But with constrained resources, being able to focus over the months and years and demonstrate progress in a prioritized manner is excellent. And its great working with controls predesigned by an organization that has excellent technical engineering resources at their disposal.

Twitter:@SiwickiHealthIT Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com

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Health systems tout Security CIS Controls in fight against cybercriminals - Healthcare IT News