Data Storage Security

Investigators have uncovered a publicly listed rogue call-centre which offers services catered exclusively for cyber-criminals, credit and identity theft fraudsters.

Researchers at Trusteer, an online security vendor, found that the firm was offering to make calls to UK and international lines for individuals, banks, building societies and credit companies at £10 per call in a bid to gleam sensitive information. Said information would then be compiled to provide reports on an individual, which could in-turn be used to fraudulently gain access to bank accounts and steal funds.

The rogue firm would use a variety of social engineering techniques in various languages in order to trick individuals into disclosing potentially sensitive information.

Trusteer opted to pose as these individuals who may be easily compromised in order to bait firms such as this and eventually aid the authorities in their prosecution.

In this case the rogue firm is still operational and is listed in Russia. However, the hours in which the firm appears to be active point towards their targeting of the European and British ‘market’, a stiff warning to those who may hold sensitive and potentially very lucrative information.

As such, those operating call and contact centres are being warned to ensure that all calls are properly vetted, their details properly logged and that staff are adequately trained to spot incongruous caller information as well as social engineering techniques.

Contact Elite Telecom for more information on our award winning call-centre and call-queuing solutions. We provide business telecoms services to thousands of firms worldwide.

Social media giant Facebook has announced that it records over 600,000 security breaches every day, prompting new discussion on the impact social media will have on online security in coming years.

The information was revealed after new updates were implemented to further user protection on the site, which now sees around 1 billion logins every 24 hours.

Security experts have expressed their concern over the possibility that thousands of memberships, all of which contain potentially sensitive information, may be used to further criminal cyber enterprises such as identity theft and credit card fraud.

The thoroughness of obligatory membership information is now such that it can act as a springboard for more elaborate schemes. Pieces of personal information can be pieced together using various techniques to create what is essentially a fully-fledged yet false identity.

Holes in Facebook’s security could also give criminals wider phishing capabilities, an activity whereby false pages, for example, may be used to trick users into entering sensitive information in a misguided attempt to rectify criminally generated problems.

Aside from investigation into social dangers, such as personal espionage, the news has also prompted a large-scale business security review surrounding client and employee authentication procedures in the workplace.

Here at Elite Telecom, we offer businesses a full analysis of their security status as well as award winning data storage and disaster recovery plans, and with our dedicated business telecoms systems, we can ensure that your call screening and authentication processes are of the utmost quality.

Contact our experts for more advice on how best to guarantee the safety of your customer information.

A new report conducted by Ericsson predicts mobile data traffic to increase by as much as ten times over by 2016, prompting speculation on how business data will be securely managed in the near future.

The unprecedented rise will apparently be driven by a combination of both emerging markets gaining access to a new and more affordable generation of smartphones and more established markets becoming increasingly reliant on smartphones for their communications needs.

Mobile subscription rates are expected to rise from 900m users this year to an incredible 5 billion users by 2016. This data is based on a consistent 60% increase in mobile subscriptions, which has been occurring year on year. The total user base for smartphones this year alone has tripled.

With figures such as these, it is becoming increasingly apparent to businesses worldwide that user efficiency and security will take priority in the near future. Although increased access will no doubt increase productivity, and shared information increase business innovation, the risk of data interception and data loss will rise to an unprecedented high.

In anticipation of such large-scale growth, it is more important now than ever to prepare for a massive influx of potentially sensitive company information. Here at Elitetele.com we supply the latest in data-storage and backup solutions. Elite provides you with a full back-up and disaster recovery plan, complimented by 24 hour support from our expert analysts, to ensure your business data is always secure and always retrievable.

Contact us here to find out more about our award winning services.

Industry leading sportswear manufacturer Adidas has been forced to pull down some of its sites as a precautionary measure following evidence of a highly sophisticated criminal cyber-attack.

While there is so far no evidence to suggest that the safety and privacy of sensitive consumer information was compromised, Adidas Group released a statement on Sunday to reassure customers that they are assessing all possible breaches of their sites, which include adidas.com, reebok.com, miCoach.com, adidas-group.com as well as various other commercial sites.

Since learning of the issue, Adidas Group claim to have taken extra security and anti-data loss measures in the hope of deterring future attacks to their sites. These measures aim to ‘reflect enhancements to the high standards consumers have come to expect from the Adidas Group and its brands’.

Both the identity and the motives of the hackers remain unknown, although the fact that no data loss or site vandalism appears to have occurred points towards hacker groups potentially exposing weaknesses in the global firm to secure notoriety within certain circles.

The development comes amidst a recent spate of cyber-attacks on large corporate firms and government organisations, emphasising the importance of ensuring that adequate security measures are taken to ensure the safety and overall reputation of a company of any size.

Here at Elite Telecom we provide the latest in disaster recovery and data storage technologies to ensure that your business continuity is assumed rather than prioritised. And with our award winning customer services, available 24hrs, you can rest assured that your business telecoms are in the safest of hands.  

Contact our experts to find out more.

The UK Foreign Secretary William Hague warned on Tuesday the businesses could face a 'darker online future' if governments do not ensure safe and reliable business broadband access to businesses across the country.

He said government will face threats critical to infrastructure while private businesses and the public sector risk losing billions worth of sensitive industry information unless prosecutions for cybercrime become ‘the norm, rather than the exception’.

The announcement came as Hague opened the London Conference on Cyberspace, a two day event which saw government officials, industry leaders and security advisors come together to discuss the UK strategy to combat cybercrime in the future. It is the first of its kind to discuss online security measures whilst ensuring that censorship, the free-flow of information and user privacy remain a central concern.

Existing cause for concern became justified as India’s Minister of Communications Sachin Pilot revealed that the country was put at added risk during the country’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games last year. The news does not bode well for businesses preparing for next year’s Olympics.

To ensure that your business is not at risk of attack, contact Elite Telecom for live security analytics and risk assessment measures.

We provide safe, secure and high-speed business broadband to thousands of companies worldwide. And with our innovative approach to telecoms management, we remain the first and only point of contact for all your telecoms requirements.

Data networking allows VoIP systems to send enormous packets of data, providing a variety of ways to keep your call networking and call management costs to a minimum.

However, as VoIP systems become increasingly popular in the workplace, so too do they become increasingly attractive to thieves targeting sensitive data. Many believe these dangers represent the biggest threat to the workplace after Internet based communications.

Not to worry however; here at Elite Telecom we provide the latest in telephone security solutions for your business. Contact us to find out more. In the meantime, here are 5 quick tips to help secure your VoIP system:

1. Use a Firewall – the most immediate of requirements; firewalls are available as either stand-alone appliances or software and can provide inspection services as well as packet-filtering to block any potential threats.

2. Create a VPN – a ‘Virtual Private Network’ places the VoIP infrastructure on its own safe and secure, encrypted ‘island’, mitigating against the risk of intrusion.

3. Use DDoS protection – anti DDoS services can recognise and block an intrusion or attack before it finds a way to damage your system.  

4. Use an Intrusion Detection System – an IDS can analyse and halt incoming suspect data packages that could potentially damage your system.

5. Use an IPS – an Intrusion Prevention System is like an IDS although rather than simply issuing an intrusion alert it takes immediate action to block the intruder.

Intelligence senior, Iain Lobban, director for the government’s listening centre, warned UK businesses today of the need for greater vigilance after a ‘significant but unsuccessful” cyberattack was launched on the foreign office and other government departments this summer.

Writing in the report, Lobban said that sensitive data on government computers and servers had been targeted, along with defence and technology secrets and designs belonging to an engineering firm.

"I can attest to attempts to steal British ideas and designs – in the IT, technology, defence, engineering and energy sectors, as well as other industries – to gain commercial advantage or to profit from secret knowledge of contractual arrangements," said Lobban. "Such intellectual property theft doesn't just cost the companies concerned. It represents an attack on the UK's continued economic wellbeing.

The report comes just days after another senior government official warned of the massive losses cybercrime causes to UK industries every year, quoting figures of up to £27 billion lost between business, citizens and the government.

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Pending further developments, the government warned businesses to take extra care in ensuring that private and customer information is kept securely and to guard against potentially disastrous data loss.

Backup and recovery measures are to be taken in all instances as well as comprehensive data storage and security solutions to ensure that risk of cyber-vandalism and theft is kept to a minimum.

For more information, contact Elite Telecom. We offer the best in bespoke business solutions for data storage, security and retrieval for thousands of businesses worldwide.

Head of the Ministry of Defence’s Cybersecurity programme, Major General Jonathan Shaw has warned industry leaders that cyberattacks represent the biggest danger to UK firms today and could be costing the country in excess of £27 billion annually.

A MoD spokesman supported the senior Major’s claims, stating that the announcement comes after a report compiled by Detica, which was commissioned by the Cabinet Office and published back in February.

The report suggests that UK businesses’ vulnerability to industrial espionage and data loss, such as stealing designs and commercial secrets constitutes a third of the total £21 billion lost annually, while British citizens reportedly lose £3.1billion and the government £2.2 billion per year.

Around £1 billion per year is reportedly also lost through the theft of customer information and fraud.

"The biggest threat to this country by cyber is not military, it is economic," Maj Gen Shaw told The Daily Telegraph.

"The cyberthreat could affect anyone, and we all need to take measures to protect ourselves against the threat it poses."

What are the Solutions to Data Loss?

To find out more about how to assess the vulnerability of your business to cyberattack, contact Elite Telecom, the UK’s fastest growing business telecoms provider.

We offer a range of cutting-edge technologies specifically designed to keep your business and commercial secrets safe from theft or malicious use. And with our data storage and back-up and recovery facilities, we can ensure your data is always accessible and always protected.