What You Need to Know About Containers Security

a large blue container sitting in front of many colorful containers

Containerization has revolutionized software deployment. It allows faster deployment cycles, easier scalability, and consistency across environments. It’s a standard part of the DevOps process. Containers provide clear benefits in security, but they offers their own challenges.

Making a containerized environment run smoothly and securely requires specialized expertise and experience. Bluwater provides the management and support to keep the software running and minimize the risks.

Understanding Containers

Software applications have many dependencies. They use runtime environments, subroutine libraries, and system services. They need to adapt to the operating system on which they run. The container puts all the dependencies into a single package that’s deployed as a unit. The software on which the application depends will always be the same.

For instance, suppose an application runs on a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Containerization ensures that each instance runs on the same version of the JVM, no matter where it’s deployed. The developers and admins don’t have to worry about having to run under an outdated or unpatched JVM.

However, a container isn’t a monolith that does everything the application needs. More commonly, it’s split up into services, each of which has its own container. Services communicate through APIs.

You can deploy many container instances on one machine. These numbers can be scaled up or down to meet current needs. Each one runs independently of the others. However, a container isn’t the same as a virtual machine. All the containers on the host run under the same instance of the operating system. Containers aren’t as fully isolated from each other as VMs are.

Security Benefits and Concerns

Containerization isn’t a total solution to all security problems. It makes some issues easier to deal with but introduces its own concerns. The NIST Application Container Security Guide gives a detailed summary of the issues and best practices.

Benefits

The big advantage of containers, from a security standpoint, is control. A software release contains tested and trusted versions of all supporting libraries and runtimes. When you keep them up to date, they will be up to date wherever you install the release. You only need to ensure that the latest patches are included once.

When software has to run in a diverse environment, it’s harder to test all the cases. Bugs can slip through, opening the way to attacks. Containers offer a consistent environment that we can test more exhaustively. There’s less need to worry about special cases.

Concerns

The negative side is that containers offer a consistent, predictable target. If a container has a vulnerability, every deployed instance has it. This simplifies the job of anyone trying to attack it.

Containers aren’t as isolated from each other as VMs are. Depositing malware into one container could mean easy proliferation of all the others on the same host. They can re-infect each other unless we take down all compromised instances simultaneously.

How to Heep Containers Secure

With proper management, a containerized environment can maintain a high-security level. The old techniques don’t always work, though. The NIST guide recommends a set of practices for keeping risks low. Here are a few tips based on it.

  • Use an OS tailored for containerization. Containers contain everything they need, so they don’t require many standard operating system components and services. Using a distribution that trims them down to a minimum reduces the attack surface.
  • Use security tools that are designed for a container environment. Developers often do not design standard anti-malware tools to handle large numbers of identical processes that appear and disappear. Ensure that your security software has a rating for containerized deployments.
  • Group only related containers under the same host. Having just one application (including all its services) running on a host reduces the opportunities for cross-application attacks.
  • Use hardware-based security to isolate containers. The less visible containers are to each other, the harder it is for infections to spread.

Bluwater provides the most up-to-date security solutions, letting you focus confidently on your business needs. Consulting, threat detection, removal, vulnerability testing, and user security are just some of the ways we can help keep your systems safe. Each kind of environment poses its own challenges, and we have the experience and expertise to protect them all.

Contact us to learn how we can help you with your security needs.

Auto Complete Passwords: Safe or Dangerous?

a computer screen with green and black numbers on it

Auto-complete for passwords is a feature commonly used on browsers today. It is a mechanism that allows usernames and passwords to be automatically entered into a web form. Only around 20% of US internet users have unique passwords for each online account. Many people have to manage dozens of different passwords and see auto-fill as a convenient feature that cuts down on time. Others use a dedicated application to manage passwords outside of the browser. However, this is much more dangerous than many realize.

A hacker can easily trick the browser or program by placing an invisible form on a compromised web page. 

MARKETERS TRACK TOO

Surprisingly, this is not only done by hackers. Digital marketers often deploy this trick to track what websites users visit. Both AdThink and OnAudience are known to do this. Their goal is gathering data for marketing purposes, but IT professionals warn it would not be hard for them to steal passwords as well. 

ONE EASY AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE SECURITY

It is quite simple to disable auto-complete in a browser. Most browsers allow easy access to privacy settings and users can disable auto-complete within a minute. Below are instructions to accomplish this. 

For Chrome users

Go to the Settings window, go to Advanced, and then disable under Manage Passwords.

For Firefox users

Go to the Options window, click the Privacy tab, then under the History heading, select “Firefox will: Use custom settings for history.” In the new window, disable “Remember search and form history.”

For Safari users

Open the Preferences window, select the Auto-fill tab, and turn off all features related to usernames and passwords.

 Unfortunately, this is just one way hackers can get your information. Modern organizations with advanced technology require more managed measures against hackers.  

Contact us today at BluWater Tech for around-the-clock security assistance.

How to Prepare Your Employees for Phishing Attacks

a close up of a computer keyboard with the word intps on it

Phishing attacks are no joke, especially for business owners. Phishing is when a criminal pretends to be a reputable company to trick you into revealing personal information. This is usually done through emails, and they’re usually after passwords. 

To prevent your business from falling victim to a phishing attack, you have to prepare your employees to combat it. With that in mind, here are four ways to go about that.

Check for Grammar Mistakes

Even though American businesses are usually targeted for phishing, the attacks originate from overseas. That means that English might not be the hacker’s first language. Tell your employees to keep this in mind as they look over any suspicious emails. If it contains misspelled words, poor punctuation, or awkward phrasing, it may be a phishing attempt. 

Phishing Scams Will Claim to Be Urgent

Phishing emails always want you to act as quickly as possible. They’ll tell you that an issue involving your credit card or password needs to be resolved immediately. If you or your staff read an email like that, take a second to analyze it. Then, remember that a reputable company probably wouldn’t try to rush you.

Be Cautious When it Comes to Phishing on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices aren’t as secure as desktops. Thus, that’s why they’re far more likely to be targeted. Communication apps like Skype, Slack, and Facebook Messenger are especially vulnerable. Additionally, tell your employees to ignore any suspicious messages received on their phones.

Have Good Dental Hygiene

Make sure your employees have good digital hygiene. They shouldn’t be posting any information on social media that hackers can use. These guys are used to utilizing tiny bits of information to amass gigantic attacks. However, if they don’t have that, they’ll be forced to try phishing anonymously. Those attacks are easier to defend against.

For more advice on combating attacks, contact us today. We offer specialized IT services to help your business succeed. 

Data Replication vs. Data Backup – Understanding the Difference

a red object is surrounded by rows of white ones

Recently, the most cost-efficient data restoration mechanism available for SMBs was simply to ensure they maintained regular data backups. This was not necessarily ideal since any restored data came from a previous point in time, and the restoration process to recover data was potentially quite lengthy. This meant a business could be down perhaps even for several days, and any data that was recovered was even older. In this post, we will point out the differences between data backups and data replication and how data replication can now outperform traditional data backups in key areas.

Data Backups 

A traditional data backup is essentially a complete snapshot of a company’s data at one given point in time. While there certainly is value in maintaining a regular complete copy of all corporate data, traditional data backups have some less-than-ideal aspects. More and more businesses rely on their data to efficiently run their business. Thus, even losing a few hours’ worth of data can be quite catastrophic. Therefore, making the less-than-ideal aspects of traditional backups even more glaring.

In the past, the best a small or medium-sized company could hope for in the event of data loss was to restore their last backup. After the restoration process, they relied on manual entrance of their business data. This would bring them to the point just prior to the system failure. This entire process was time-consuming and prone to error.

Data Replication

Up until fairly recently, maintaining a near-mirror replication of company data in a remote location was affordable only for enterprise-level organizations. Now, with cloud-based replication, the costs associated with maintaining a cloud-based, real-time copy of all corporate data is becoming realistically affordable for even smaller businesses. With cloud-based replication, in the event of a system failure, even small companies can have a fresh, up-to-date copy of corporate data available to them within minutes.

If you would like to know more about real-time data replication, please contact us.

5 Ways to Step Up Your Company’s Cyber Security

a pair of glasses sitting on top of a laptop computer

Cyber security is more important than ever in the world we live in today.

There are an increasing number of hackers who are eager to get into your company or small business’s information and use that information to do damage to either your company and/or your employees.

While no security system is completely foolproof, there are many measurable steps that your company can take to keep your information as safe as possible from those who would use it in a criminal manner.

Understand & Identify Cyber Security Threats & Evolving Defense

It’s no secret that there are more threats in the cyber world than ever before. That means that the “set and forget” mentality does not work now the way it did in the past. It is crucial that you instill good practices in your company ensuring that employees are aware of always updating security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software on your company computers and machines to keep your information as secure as possible.

You will also have to consider if employees work at an office location or work remotely as this will affect the types of safeguards that will serve each type of worker best.

The following are 5 great steps that you can take to start upgrading and increasing your company’s cyber security in an attempt to keep your company’s private and sensitive information as safe as possible:

1. Use the Power of the Cloud:

Many companies and businesses are finding out that the cloud is a very useful tool to use when it comes to protecting a company’s private information. Using the cloud allows the company or business to use app security services that help safeguard and protect their information better than they would be able to if they just stored it on (unprotected) electronic devices. It also allows you to only share sensitive information within your network of people who are authorized to access it. If you have security in place, you can investigate possible breaches early and catch these infractions so you can act on any threats to your security in a timely manner.

2. Create Cyber Security with a Unified Threat Management System:

Using a unified threat management system to help protect your company’s private information can help you avoid cyber security breaches. The main key to making this work is to have IT professionals who are specifically assigned and tasked with protecting the company’s information from such attacks. The best way most companies can do this is to outsource their IT work to an experienced company such as Bluwater Technologies. Using a third-party to help protect your information helps free up your employees to focus on other tasks and ensures that these employees at the IT firm have the proper knowledge, training, and certification to successfully implement this unified threat management system that they are using. This partnership can protect your information as closely as possible and help ensure that any breaches to your data are caught and handled immediately.

3. Invest in Quality IT Partners & Support:

There is a cost to hiring quality IT partners and support such as Bluwater Technologies to help manage your cyber security, however, that cost is a lot less than the cost of a severe cyber security breach would be. Allowing people who have the appropriate training and certifications to handle your business’s private information helps keep you safer than allowing employees to try to protect information on their own. Here at Bluwater Technologies, we are here to work with your business and protect your sensitive information to lower your risk of cyber security threats in the future!

4. Train Your Employees in Cyber Security:

In addition to outsourcing your unified threat management system through a partnership such as the one with Bluwater Technologies, train your own employees to spot cyber security threats on the devices they use each day. Having them report anything they may notice to IT specialists can help them catch any breaches that occur early or fix anything that may lead to a breach of information in the future. Emphasizing the protection of your company’s information and fostering good practices of protecting business information (i.e. Never leave unattended workstations unlocked, be sure to shred sensitive information, etc.) will help keep your information as safe as possible from cyber security threats and those who wish to use sensitive information to harm your company or business.

5. Create a Complete Business Training Program:

When you are creating a program to protect your company’s data, be proactive and include everyone from the top to the bottom of your company in the training. Ensuring that everyone knows proper practices to protect sensitive company information can help lead to less cyber security threats in the future.  This will include training employees in areas not specifically related to technology to spot threats as well. This would include employees in departments such as those that work with insurance or in human resources.

In the end, the best way to protect your company’s private information is to partner with a specialized IT company such as Bluwater Technologies whose job is to protect your company’s information from those who wish to use it to cause you harm.

Use Bluwater Technologies to Protect Your Business’s Information

Bluwater Technologies is a premier IT firm that has employees who are appropriately trained and have the credentials and knowledge as well as the experience to handle your company’s sensitive information and protect you from cyber security breaches. Our job is to protect your company and keep your information safe.

For more information on hiring Bluwater Technologies to protect your company’s private information, please feel free to contact us today.