New & Emerging Threats to Business Security

“...Now more than ever, businesses need to be concerned about the security of their networks. The number, variety and strength of the threats to computer and network security have dramatically increased and businesses need to be prepared...”

So what is Information Security? Information Security can be defined as the protection of information systems against unauthorized access or modification and against denial of service to authorized users or the provision of service to unauthorized users.

So what new emerging security threats face businesses? Regardless of location or size all business conducts work on the internet and therefore they need to be aware of malware (malicious code) and attacks they are faced with in order to prevent their systems/network from being attacked. Traditional security providers such as MacAfee are focused on protecting computer applications. This is very important; however, it is not enough businesses need to keep a close eye on their employees’ activities on their computer networks. Today’s biggest threats are targeted at the emerging online lifestyle along with the most prominent emerging threats (viruses, worms etc.).

Malware is code installed without the permission or knowledge of the user (employees in the business) such as viruses, Trojans, logic bombs, worms and so on. Two years ago, Malware became one of the leading threats to network security. There have been a number of cases of targeted malware attacks against businesses which usually employ infected MS Office files. However, other techniques were used but this was the most common. As malware continues to grow and attacks become more sophisticated, businesses should be aware of all the possible attacks and how to prevent them and employees should know what to do in the event of an attack.

Mobile Devices is an area of concern for malware attacks. Security risks rise within business with the use of mobile devices. When using mobile devices businesses need to think smart and choose a mobile device with the best built in security controls and put a policy in place to only allow those devices on the network. The device should b e capable of encrypting stored information (providing you have chosen a device with good built in security controls). Each device should require authorisation and employers should ensure that passwords are strong passwords, strong passwords are easy to remember (therefore they don’t need to be recorded) but hard for an attacker to guess. Mobile devices should have the ability to remotely disable in case they are stolen or misplaced. Third party applications must be controlled on device platforms. Firewalls should be put in place to control the types of data that can be accessed in order to limit the exposure. Traffic should be tracked on mobile devices to look for attacks, use intrusion prevention software. Employees should be told to disable Bluetooth when they are not using it.

There are many more security threats facing businesses, especially as they grow with the use of new technologies. Businesses need to be aware of new and existing threats such as spyware, Trojans, worms, spam mail, phishing and many more. Every business should consider security integrated solutions which can be deployed and managed. Organisations can’t rely on basic network security anymore as the threats facing them are more sophisticate so therefore the security of the company needs to be more sophisticated. The security integrated in the organisation should be able to proactively determine where future threats are likely to arise and to ensure the whole network is secured.

Can Neural Networks be useful for Business?

“Neural networks do not perform miracles. But if used sensibly they can produce some amazing results.”

In information technology, a neural network (NN, ANN) is a system of programs and data structures that approximates the operation of the human brain. They are biologically inspired. A neural network usually involves a large number of processors operating in parallel, each with its own small sphere of knowledge and access to data in its local memory. Typically, a neural network is initially "trained" or fed large amounts of data and rules about data relationships.

Networks provide significant benefits in business applications. Neural networks are now globally recognized as the most effective and appropriate artificial intelligence technology for pattern recognition and as a result, they are actively being used for such applications as bankruptcy prediction, predicting costs, forecasting revenue, supporting commercial gaming and processing documents or images electronically. They solve “real world” problems in business and engineering.

In order for neural networks to solve “real world” problems they must be fed information. They require correct data pre processing, correct architecture selection and correct network training. Neural networks have many components (input layers, hidden layer, output layer, connections/arcs, weights, activation functions, training set and learning) and in order for neural networks to be successful they require proper user skills. The user must be familiar with and understand all the components. Most failures in neural networks in the past have come from improper user skills in appropriate preparation of data and design of a neural network. Nowadays, business benefits of neural technology are highly underestimated still due to difficulties in appropriate data pre-processing and network construction.

I have already briefly mentioned some of the benefits of neural networks in the business environment. The question is “Can Neural Networks be useful for business?”
After attending my lectures, studying the lecture slides and after my research I think Neural Networks are extremely useful for businesses and below I have listed why I think this.

Detection of medical phenomena

A variety of health-related indices, for example, a combination of heart rate, levels of various substances in the blood, respiration rate can be monitored. The onset of a particular medical condition could be associated with a very complex (e.g., nonlinear and interactive) combination of changes on a subset of the variables being monitored. Neural networks have been used to recognize this predictive pattern so that the appropriate treatment can be prescribed.

Stock market prediction
Here is another example; a complex, multidimensional example of how neural networks are used in reality is in the fluctuations of stock prices and stock indices. In some circumstances, neural networks are being used by many technical analysts to make predictions about stock prices based upon a large number of factors such as past performance of other stocks and various economic indicators.

Credit assessment

A variety of pieces of information are usually known about an applicant for a loan. For instance, the applicant's age, education, occupation, and many other facts may be available. After training a neural network on historical data, neural network analysis can identify the most relevant characteristics and use those to classify applicants as good or bad credit risks.

‘’Neural networks have extremely powerful predictive capabilities, designed to notice anomalies in spending behaviour which could signal unauthorized card use. Suspicious transactions can be identified as they enter the payment system at the authorization stage, allowing your card issuer to quickly alert you of possible fraud -- often stopping thieves in their tracks.’’ Visa

Monitoring machinery

Neural networks can be beneficial for businesses for cutting costs by bringing additional expertise to scheduling the preventive maintenance of machines. With training, neural networks can distinguish between the sounds a machine makes when it is running normally ("false alarms") compared to when it is on the verge of a problem. After this training period, the expertise of the network can be used to warn a technician of an upcoming breakdown, before it occurs and causes costly unforeseen "downtime”, saving time and money for the business. Time is money!

Engine management

Neural networks have been used to analyze the input of sensors from an engine. The neural network controls the various parameters within which the engine functions, in order to achieve a particular goal, such as minimizing fuel consumption.

There are many more interesting facts about neural networks. The following are some interesting websites I came upon while doing my research

http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/98133/ch02/body_ch02_05.html

http://www.acm.org/ubiquity/views/v4i37_jesan_lauro.html

http://www.calsci.com/IntroToNN.html

http://ulcar.uml.edu/~iag/CS/Intro-to-ANN.html

http://www.neuroxl.com/business_forecasting.htm

The workings of Genetic Algorithms

An algorithm is as defined by Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, is "a logical sequence of steps for solving a problem, often written out as a flow chart, which can be translated into a computer program."

Since our first lecture on genetic algorithms I have been asking myself what exactly are genetic algorithms’, how they works and benefits do they have. The above is one of many definitions I have come across on the internet.

I also came across names that were very much involved in Genetic Algorithms. A man called John Holland is responsible for the invention of genetic algorithms. He had a two aims, one was to improve the understanding of natural adaptation process, and to design artificial systems having properties similar to natural systems. He began his work on genetic algorithms in the early 60s.

So what exactly is genetic algorithm? Genetic algorithms are programs that attempt to find optimal solutions to problems when it is possible to specify the criteria that can be used to evaluate the optimal solutions. They are a set of computational procedures that conceptually follow steps inspired by the biological processes of evolution.

Genetic algorithms are also known as evolutionary algorithms. They demonstrate self organisation and adaption in a similar way to the fittest biological organisms survive and reproduce. The method learns by producing offspring that are better and better, measured by a fitness to survive function. These types of algorithms have been used to solve problems such as bankruptcy prediction and web searching.

A genetic algorithm solves optimization problems by creating a population or group of possible solutions to the problem. The individuals in this population will carry chromosomes that are the values of variables of the problem.

Genetic Algorithms basically imitate evolution. Once a problem is identified, a Genetic Algorithm can be implemented. First, a fitness ranking is created, depending on certain attributes of the "candidates", or the animals that are evolving. Then, a random set of candidates, with various values for their attributes, is created, and called the first generation. Each generation, the Genetic Algorithm has a specific way of mating (combining attributes) and mutating (random changes to attributes), as well as killing off some of the candidates. After many generations, the "fittest" candidates, as well as the population as a whole, will approach a certain, most effective solution to the problem.

Reproduction, Crossover and mutating are genetic operators.

So now I know what genetic algorithms are and I am still asking myself questions. Who uses it and what is the main purpose of GA? It automates the invention process. It doesn’t take a genius to find some sort of solution to a problem; a powerful enough computer with a good genetic algorithm will be able to solve these problems.

Since Genetic Algorithms are basically a method to optimize something, it is also especially good at finding the most effective way to accomplish a very complex task, such as scheduling or factory organisation, which humans have trouble with as the factory or schedules grow. It finds solutions not based on intuition and logic, but uses the method of natural selection; it can create solutions that are unimaginable to the human mind.

Most importantly, Genetic Algorithms are one of many attempts to make computers more intelligent. As artificial intelligence comes closer and closer to human intelligence, we hope that humanity's understanding of its own mind and consciousness, as well as the source of our intelligence, will become deeper.

If I have not been able to give you a better understanding on such a complex topic there are many websites which I researched that may be able to throw more light on this topic.

http://www.wardsystems.com/ga101.asp

http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/02352/index.html

http://www.rennard.org/alife/english/gavintrgb.html

http://www.nd.com/products/genetic/crossover.htm

Project Risk Management

Throughout lectures in the past we have been given definitions for topics we have worked on, although we understood what we were learning some of us never put it into practice until we went on work placement last year.
Risk management can be defined as a structured process that allows individual risk events and overall project risk to be understood and managed proactively, optimising project success by minimising threats and maximising opportunities.
So what does all that mean to you? Is it just words or does it have meaning? Last week in our lecture we went in as a class and were broken down into groups. We were given a box of Mind Storm Lego and we were told to build a robot and meet challenges and deadlines, if these challenges were not met on time we lost out in money (chips).
We were like a group of children trying to figure out how to build and programme the robot. Although we had fun doing it none of the groups in the class actually met the challenge. None of us knew why we were doing this? As fourth year students did we really think we were been brought together to build Lego? Something we have not done since we were children. We were actually in there to learn a valuable lesson in life. In project work time is money! Thought has to be put into everything we do! As a BIS student I must think business minded. I must use my experiences and all I have gained and learned throughout my four years in National University of Ireland, Galway.
It was a fun task….some projects in life will be more enjoyable than others but project management must be put into practice. Risk Management is a key to the success of projects. Had we discussed it as a group, counted out our money and spent our time and money wisely eliminating risks we could have been very successful. If we knew how much money we had we could have budgeted, we would have known we were not being robbed.
So when we found out the topic of the lecture was risk management we were all very sickened. Could it have been anymore obvious? When you are working on a project you need to think. You need to spend your time and money wisely to meet objectives and be successful. We need to spend our money wisely, especially in this economic recession. We had money to spend; we should have budgeted and spent it wisely. We should have prioritised. Had we spent a few chips exchanging knowledge with another group we could have met at least one of our challenges. The fact I didn’t know how much money I had, how could I plan on what I was going to spend it on?!
I know this project was a small project but it still shows no matter how big or how small a project is in an organisation it will fail if the basic tasks like project management are neglected. Time must be managed carefully, projects must be planned accordingly. Risk must be eliminated and all the aspects of risk management must be taken into consideration such as Risk Identification, risk Analysis, and Risk Response Planning.

http://www.scu.edu.au/risk_management/index.php/8/

http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/failure.htm

The History of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the area of computer science focusing on creating machines that can engage on behaviours that humans consider intelligent. Alan Turing, which many considered as the Father of Computer Science had a great impact in Artificial Intelligence.
The ability to create intelligent machines has intrigued humans since ancient times and today with the advent of the computer and 50 years of research into AI programming techniques, the dream of smart machines is becoming a reality. Researchers are creating systems which can mimic human thought, understand speech, beat the best human chess player, and countless other feats never before possible.
The history of AI is quiet interesting, from 1966 through to 1977, the Artificial Intelligence Centre at SRI International (then Stanford Research Institute) conducted research on a mobile robot system nicknamed “Shakey.”

After Shakey people started to use their imaginations more and started to be more interested in Artificial Intelligence and computer science. Artificial Intelligence is more present in everyday life than one might think. Though AI technology lies hidden behind many of today’s advancements in technology & science, it is often more visible when it’s incorporated into areas such as games and sport. Games are becoming more interesting and more complex. Because of Artificial Intelligence machines are getting bigger and smarter for example, satellite navigation systems that many of us have in our cars today solve complex problems in a reasonable amount of time. AI was used in the past in big machines such as Shakey and The Stanford Cart to small machines like navigation systems and furbys. For those of you who don’t know what a furby is it is a small toy made for children in 1998 by Tiger Electronics. It was a toy that started off very basic when it came out of the box (and for many children it was a dream come true for them on December 25th 1998 if there was a furby under the Christmas tree) that just kept learning due to its artificial intelligence. This tiny toy had sensors and effectors which enabled it to “sense” information from the environment and permit a response to the environment.
AI is not just in small toys/games like Furby and Pac Man but it is also becoming popular in the US as online security device. There is a machine with a camera that goes around the house and you can track it online if you are away to make sure your house is secure. This is a typical example of how AI tries to mimic the human brain. I am sure as time passes and we look back on history books in years to come there will be more and more AI used in our every day lives by everyone all over the world.


While researching this topic I found some interesting websites:

http://www.ai.sri.com/software_list/

http://www.ai.sri.com/software_list/

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01158/toys.html

Social Networking Sites & Businesses

In the past social networking would have been carried out in person in schools, universities, in places of work and on nights out in pubs and clubs but in resent years I think there is more and more social networking carried out online. When it comes to online social networking, social networking websites are commonly used which function like an online community of internet users who wish to share information. This is because there are millions of people all over the world who use the internet to meet other people, share information and experience on a variety of topics from clothes to sport.
Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics.
Also with the current economic situation the internet is the easiest and cheapest form of communication to stay in touch with friends and family who move abroad to look for work. The quality of internet and broadband in Ireland has greatly improved and people of all ages are finding it easier to access social networking sites. The social networking sites used by friends and family to stay in touch would be general for example bebo and facebook allowing you to share information such as pictures, chat online etc.
I think businesses have realised and I think more businesses will realise in the future that social networking websites are a great form of communication, it allows diversity because the internet gives individuals from all around the world access to these websites. So from anywhere in the world you can share or access information on topics you are interested in or you are working on. It can group specific individuals and organisations together. Some websites have a main focus on particular interests or hobbies and others are more business related that share common interests and goals. More and more businesses will use social networking websites as time goes on, they are rapidly growing. Businesses can use it instead of spending time and a lot of money advertising in the media; social networking websites are a cheap form of advertising and very effective. It can offer many other great benefits to businesses of any size. It allows you to increase the circle of people you can influence to buy your product/service. Social Networking allows businesses to build a personal relationship with with people and because of the one to one communicating the business gets familiar with the needs and requirements of its customers. Helping them out with their queries and doubts and thus build a relationship of trust where the person considers you an expert in such matters. They will in turn take this awareness with them and communicate it to their friends and social circle who in turn may contact you for your professional inputs. Forums are a good way to meet more people, as you would always find people in forums who have problems that may just be up your street to solve.
Once it is established that there are certain areas where you have an in depth knowledge that can be of use to many people, you would have made a reputation for your self online, and probably lead to people recognizing you and your business as a reliable brand. You would have done this without any advertising and also gained a reputation for knowledge and reliability.
Once you have been in contact with a number of interested people you can use this to your advantage and give them information about your product and services either by email or by directing them to your website which would have all the details of your business and what it offers. This way the cost of your marketing is low, almost zero, and limited to the cost of you’re keeping your websites constantly updated. Social networking is a tool that most businesses should use. The advantages and great and the relationships that you build can enhance your reputation and allow you to market your products at a very low cost. I think social networking sites are an excellent idea, I think more and more businesses will be using them in the future as they are a simple way of communicating with the public and they are very effective. I think it will boost businesses once they remain a little personnel, communicating one on one via social networking sites.

However, like with everything in life there are disadvantages as well as advantages associated with social networking sites. Social networking sites are a very effective business tool once they are managed correctly. Businesses should weigh up there options and decide on whether or not they think it is a good tool for their business.

Below is a link to a video on how easy social networking sites are to use “Social Networking in Plain English”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing can be defined as a paradigm of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the “cloud” that supports them.

Cloud computing provides an exciting new way to work with programs and data, collaborate with friends and family, share ideas with co-workers/friends, and most of all, to be more productive! The “cloud” consists of thousands of computers and servers, all linked and accessible to you via the Internet.

With cloud computing, everything you do is now web-based instead of being desktop-based; you can access all your programs and documents from any computer anywhere in the world that is connected to the Internet. You can use it if you want to share photographs with your family and friends, share information within clubs such as football clubs, or manage a multi-faceted project in a large organization, cloud computing can help you do it more easily than ever before. If you need to collaborate, cloud computing is the way to do it.

Cloud computing comprises of numerous key characteristics which combined mould together to provide a new exciting web based facility. These characteristics include factors such as cost, reliability, scalability, security and agility.
Cost – Greatly reduced and capital expenditure is converted to operational expenditure. This lowers barriers to entry.
Reliability – Improves through the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes cloud computing suitable for business continuity and disaster recovery.
Scalability – dynamic provisioning of resources on self service basis near real time without users having to engineer for peak loads.
Security – typically improves due to centralisation of data, there are increased security focused resources. Concerns exist about loss of control over certain sensitive data and the lack of security for stored information. Security is often as good as or better than under traditional systems, in part because providers are able to devote resources to solving security issues that many customers cannot afford.
Agility – With users able to rapidly and inexpensively re-provision technological infrastructure resources agility is greatly improved. The cost of overall computing is unchanged and the providers will absorb up front costs and spread costs over a longer period.

The different types of cloud computing type include the following Public, Hybrid and Private clouds. A Public cloud also known as an external cloud is computing whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on fine grained, self service basis over the internet from an off site third party provider who shares resources and bills on fine grained computing basis. A hybrid cloud environment consisting of multiple internal/external providers will be a typical option for most enterprises. Private cloud or internal clouds are terms that vendors have recently used to describe offerings that emulate cloud computing on private networks. These products claim to deliver some benefits of cloud computing without the pitfalls, capitalising on data security, corporate governance and reliability concerns. Analysts claim that within five years a substantial percentage of small and medium enterprises will get most of there computing resources from external cloud computing providers.

There are six layer components of cloud computing.
Client – A cloud client consists of computer hardware/software which relies on cloud computing for application delivery and is essentially useless without it.
Service – A cloud service includes products, services and solutions that are delivered and consumed in real time over the internet.
Application – A cloud application leverages the cloud in software architecture, often eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer’s own computer, thus eliminating the burden of software maintenance, ongoing operation and support. Example would be Web Application (Twitter).
Platform – A cloud platform, such as a Platform as a service, the delivery of a computing platform and or solution stack as a service facilitates deployment of applications without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers.
Infrastructure – Cloud infrastructure such as infrastructure as a service, is the delivery of computer infrastructure, typically a platform virtualization environment, as a service.
Architecture – The systems architecture of the software systems involved in the delivery of cloud computing comprises hardware and software designed by cloud components communicating with each other over application programming interfaces, usually web services.

Who would be affected by a shift in the computing industry? The shift would affect companies a few different sub-industries including software companies, internet service providers and hardware manufacturers. Companies in each of these industries will face significant change if cloud computing is to be the next step for the industry. Software producers that could gain from a shift towards cloud computing include Google, Netsuite and others. Internet based companies that could gain form a shift towards cloud computing include Amazon.com, Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. With those gaining there are also others that will loose out. Traditional software producers that could have some catching up to do if cloud computing include Oracle, SAP AG, Blackdaud and Lawson Software.

However I think people and organisations should ask themselves a few questions before opting for cloud computing. Is Cloud Computing secure? This is a question you need to ask yourself before deciding to use this web based computing. Would you like all your data to be stored on the cloud? How secure is the cloud? Can unauthorized users gain access to your confidential data? Data vendors do assure you that your data is secure in the cloud but you still need to ask yourself if you trust it?Can data be lost? The theory behind cloud computing is that your data stored in the cloud is replicated across multiple machines but if your data does go missing you should have physical or local back up and in order to do so you must download all your cloud documents on your desktop as relying on the cloud puts you at risk if the cloud lets you down