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July 2008 Newsletter
Welcome
Welcome to our Summer newsletter – a small dose of helpful news from the world of digital security. It’s also our way to remind you we’re still here, and always ready in an instant to keep your business secure.
About security
Remembering the purpose
At Heathrow Terminal 5 we’ve seen the world’s most advanced security technology plunge the world’s busiest airport into chaos.
It’s a trap waiting for any big corporation faced with tough security decisions. BAA deployed incredible digital biometric security, including fingerprint recognition and ‘advanced threat’ scanning. But in the process more basic functions were overlooked – such as getting people and their luggage on and off planes.
In our business it’s easy to be seduced by technology if you’re not clear about priorities. What’s the purpose? What’s the best way to achieve it? These are two of our favourite questions. We like helping people find the answers, then supplying the best technology to achieve it.
Société Générale revisited
Last quarter we tried to draw security lessons from Société Générale’s £4bn trading fiasco. Since then the bank has installed new authentication controls that cross-check red flags raised across different products, allowing them to monitor individual traders' histories. It’s part of a range of policies, processes and technologies that should provide a comprehensive governance framework for security.
Meanwhile Jérôme Kerviel, the trader who caused the crisis has a new job — at a computer consulting firm. A lawyer for SG said he was “delighted” that Mr. Kerviel had found employment. “It means he will be in a position to start repaying the bank.”
Make your laptop secure
About 60% * of all information theft is the result of lost or stolen equipment. No surprise then that a growing number of large organisations have banned staff from taking unencrypted laptops or drives outside secured premises.
There’s no perfect solution to the problem, but about the best is laptop encryption. It’s simple and (provided you choose appropriate encryption keys) it works.
We are already assisting clients with these requirements - user-friendly software that will work automatically off-line to protect your laptop and desktop PCs, including removable media such as USB drives. We can also help you define and manage your security policy, all as part of our Co-Managed Services.
* Checkpoint estimate.
About us
Cisco accreditation
We get a lot of homework. Every new standard means another round of exams; another qualification. Our latest badge is another from Cisco: with one of our consultants obtaining the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). It means we are recognised as experts in installing and maintaining local and wide area networks. So if you’re looking to create a new scaleable routed network, or if you need help upgrading or managing any part of an existing system, then call us for a chat…
New faces
David Hamilton joins us as Senior Technical Consultant, bringing 13 years of experience in IT, ranging from all levels of support to research and development of solutions.
"Working for ACSN represents a great opportunity to enhance my IT Security experience", says David, who enjoys researching and solving complex technical issues.
"This is an interesting time for information security, which is facing the challenge of securing the increasingly complex web content being deployed on the Internet".
About Life
Emails
- 50 billion - the number of e-mails dispatched every day wordwide; in 2001 the traffic was less than 12 billion
- 88 per cent of e-mails are junk including about 1 per cent which are virus-infected
- 32 - The average number of e-mail messages received per person per day. This is rising by 84 per cent each year
- 440 million - the number of electronic mailboxes in use, including 170 million corporate ones, growing by 32 per cent per year
In this issue