Soteria Cloud Backup News

We have all encountered devices that require biometrics to operate such as Apple’s Touch ID and even Samsung’s Galaxy heart rate monitor. While it presents a convenience, no one has really considered the potential that biometrics can offer in terms of healthcare, when used with a smartphone.

At SXSW, a themed panel on biometrics was presented, where Dr. Leslie Saxton, who is the founder of The Centre for Body Computing in LA, shared her exceptional vision with attendees. What is her vision? Dr. Saxton described a future where smartphones will be used to collect biometric data from users. The data collected would be used to keep personal medical records and even help to detect major disease outbreaks globally, such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

How will your smartphone gather this essential data?

If you think about it, you probably check your cell phone a few hundred times a day. Consider then how valuable the data could be, if every time you checked your device it would be taking a scan that measures your blood pressure, heart rate and so on. It would be able to detect abnormalities or changes with relative ease and record them. Of course in terms of big data, scientists and medical professionals could then analyse this huge biometric cloud of medical data and notice trends that could point to major disease outbreaks.

It appears that Saxon’s vision is to see a technologically and digitally fixated world using these obsessions to benefit health care too.

Where too from here?

While it is obvious that smartphone technology as it stands is not quite ready for this advancement, with the release of each new wearable app like the heart rate monitors, and all of the headway we see in technology on a daily basis, Saxon feels that this revolution is not far off.

Addressing her concerns on privacy and security, Saxon believes that the current state of privacy is far too easily hacked and envisions a “U.N. for biometrics and security”.  To compliment the advancements in technology and protect the individual’s right to privacy, Saxon envisages a neutral global body not influenced by outside interests, which would oversee the data handling.

At Soteria Cloud we certainly agree with Saxon’s views on increased security for biometrics data. What do you think about these new proposed health care monitoring systems? Let us know!

Do you have a Smart TV? Have you ever wondered just how smart it really is? Well, Samsung tells us that its Smart TV is able to use its voice recognition to not only listen to what you are saying, but actually record it and pass it on to third parties. Voice recognition is a great feature for those who find using a remote a tiring experience…or for those who really just want to use the TV for what it is designed for – the ultimate convenient experience!

Open “snooping policy” – it’s there in the smallprint

If you take the time to read the small print offered by the manufacturer on how the television works, you will in fact find a paragraph that advises you of how the television voice recognition software can capture and pass along the recordings.  This is said to be for the betterment of the device, so that Samsung can provide you with an improved service going forward. Consumers however have not taken too kindly to this! Of particular concern to consumers is what appears to be a warning, included in the small print from Samsung, that states; “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.”

While it makes sense to collect voice recordings from Smart TVs to improve on the customer experience, some individuals are potentially worried about the information falling into the wrong hands.

What does Samsung have to say about this?

Apparently the company takes the privacy of their clients very seriously. Any data collected is encrypted and a variety of other security safeguards are also in place. Users can also ensure that their voice recognition microphone is off when having private conversations – it really is that simple. You can also activate or deactivate the voice recognition feature at any time or disconnect it from the Wi-Fi – problem solved.  While Samsung has been our main focus today, it’s worth acknowledging that other Smart TV manufacturers such as LG and Philips, as well as Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect and even some Android phones have also come under scrutiny when it comes to the potential collection of data and how it is protected.

At Soteria Cloud we appreciate that Samsung is taking steps to make the user experience safer and we believe that with data encryption and various security features, other manufacturers will follow suit. To learn more about how data encryption works and how it can safeguard backups and data, contact us via email or telephone at Soteria Cloud today.

The story of the office putting a chip under an employee’s skin certainly created a lot of hype and conversation in the corporate world. Any business wants to be technologically advanced, but is chipping employees perhaps going too far? The first centre to start ‘chipping’ staff members is a high-tech office block in Sweden where the chips have been offered to the 400 or so tenants. While more and more people are getting used to swiping a card to use the bus, gain entry into certain areas, hotel rooms and so on, the idea of waving your hand over a sensor has been received with mixed emotions.

Employees who work within the building in Sweden can be seen waving their hands to gain entry to the office block, their offices and even to work the photocopy machine. Soon it is expected that they will be able to purchase items at the building’s local cafe too – with the wave of a hand.

Chips the size of rice

The chip itself is said to be no larger than a grain of rice with radio frequency identification. Implanting the chip takes just a few moments and the pain to be expected is minimal, “not much worse”, according to BBC’s technology reporter and chip ‘implantee’, Rory Cellan-Jones, “than any injection. While only some tenants have been chipped within this particular office block, others are showing mixed emotions of enthusiasm and hesitance.

The chipping system, which has been created by a Swedish Biohacking group, is being designed for the future but at this point they are looking to understand the technology more, before the big corporates approach them. With the evolving technology and buzz of the “Internet of Things” – the complete connection of all one’s personal devices to the internet – there is no limit to what can be stored and accessed from the chip in an internet-enabled building, although at this point only specific information can be stored on the chip. Obviously with time and further development, it could be transformed into a complete system whereby chipped individuals no longer have to worry about carrying around cash, credit or even business cards, and can gain access to buildings and areas without the need for keys, access codes or similar.

Debatable

Our questions of course are numerous, and we’re not alone. Importantly, how will the information stored on these chips be kept safe and of course, is the data stored on a chip encrypted? Just how easy will it be for unscrupulous professionals to hack into the data that is stored on your hand chip?

At Soteria Cloud we understand the benefits of the technology, after all, animals have been chipped for years, but humans – that’s still debatable! To learn more about our thoughts on this and many other issues, and of course our services, check out our website or get in touch with us today.

Unplanned downtime and data loss can and does cost South African businesses a great deal in terms of revenue and time in trying to retrieve lost information.  Close on 52% of organisations in South Africa have lost a hefty chunk of their revenue due to unplanned downtime with 23% having suffered data loss, and business owners are certainly not smiling about this.

The EMC found in a recent survey that out of 24 countries, South Africa ranks 7th in terms of local businesses data protection strategies and just how ready companies are for potential data loss scenarios and unexpected down time, and this against a staggering 87% of businesses worldwide being “behind the curve for data protection maturity”. Stats show that over the past year, South African businesses have lost as much as R8.95 billion as a result. These statistics should be just as shocking to you as they are to the businesses that form part of them! By being prepared and having a reliable data backup system and strategy in place, you can ensure that your business does not become a statistic!

Since 2012, data loss figures have shown a 400% increase in the number of data loss incidences. Particularly disturbing is that 71% of organisations have little faith in their recovery systems and their overall ability to retrieve data after an incident.

At Soteria Cloud we understand that data loss and unexpected down time can be of serious concern to business owners. Our team members are always standing by to provide professional advice on how to go about protecting your data and thus protecting the profitability of your business. We strongly advise each and every business, regardless of size, to consider their various cloud backup options and to ensure that their important business documentation and data is safely backed up to the cloud on a regular basis. Our systems are also designed to automatically backup data according to a schedule which means that your staff members won’t be required to do a thing, once the software is running.

Say goodbye to your old filing and data storing systems and backup to the cloud! We encourage all businesses interested in protecting their data to ensure that they do not fall victim to data losses. Learn more about our packages and how we can help you at Soteria Cloud. Contact us via email or telephone today.

If you are concerned about your computer, device and general online security, you will undoubtedly know just how important it is to protect your data and back it up regularly. Forbes recently released a hefty list of the top 20 data breaches of 2014, which sheds significant light on just how real security and data breaches are these days. What are these breaches? We have focused on the top 10. Check them out below:

• Debit and credit card hack at Nieman Marcus in January affected 350 000 in-store customers. The hack was made possible with malicious software installed on the store’s computers to collect payment data.
• Debit and credit card data hack that occurred at White Lodging’s gift stores and restaurants in February. This data breach affected hotels managed by White Lodgings, such as The Sheraton, Westin and Hilton and so on.
• In March, Sally Beauty stores were used to steal over 280 000 debit cards and credit cards which were sold on an underground crime store.
• Michaels, the largest craft outlet in the USA discovered that over 2.6million credit card numbers and expiry dates, used in-store, had potentially been exposed in a data breach.
• Affinity Gaming, a company that manages 11 casinos, experienced a data breach on customers making purchases within the hotels, restaurants and gift stores of these establishments. This hack occurred between December 2013 and April 2014.
• The City of New York experienced a major data breach due to data breaches over a period of eight years. A total of 22.8 million private records were exposed.
• PF Changs, which is a chain of 33 stores across the USA, experienced a debit and credit card breach that took place over an 8-month period. All payment details of those who made a payment at PF Changs between October 2013 and June 2014 were exposed to the hack.
• Community Health Systems experienced a cyber attack that originated from China where the information on 4.5 million patients was stolen. The information stolen may have included patient names, telephone numbers, social security numbers, address, payment information and so on, although no credit numbers.
• 51 UPS stores were victim to malicious software not picked up on by the company’s anti-virus software. Debit and credit card information of clients was exposed.
• Dairy Queen International confirmed in August that it had experienced a data breach in 395 of its locations, which meant that over 600 000 debits and credit cards information was breached.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of companies that have experienced a data breach over the past year. Keep in mind that these companies probably thought that their security systems were functioning correctly and protecting their data. If you would like to ensure that your business does not fall victim to an inconvenient data breach, back up your data to a secure location and ensure that the data is encrypted. At Soteria Cloud we can assist you with this. To learn more about protecting your data, contact us at Soteria Cloud today.

Have you heard of the Ring? And no, we aren’t talking about the horror movie. The ring we are talking about is anything but scary! This device brings latest tech advancements to the fore! Now you can install a wireless doorbell that not only rings your Smartphone when someone is at your door, it also allows video streaming so that you can see and have a conversation with whoever has decided to stop by! How does it work? With Wi-Fi of course!

Visitors in High Definition

The Ring is unlike any other doorbell to hit the market. Its fisheye lens allows for a clear all round view outside your front door, and with its noise cancellation abilities and HD video quality you can expect to have a crystal clear conversation with your visitors. What’s more is that the footage collected can be available for viewing at a later time too.

How does it work? When someone rings your doorbell, The Ring will connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network and send an alert to your Smartphone. On acceptance a live stream video is opened up and you can converse with the visitor via the microphone and vice versa. Does it work well at night? Yes it does! The doorbell has infrared LED’s which ensures great night vision capabilities.

It’s wireless of course which means that it operates effectively off a battery. You won’t need to worry about charging it often – once a year should do the trick. If you would prefer to never have to worry about charging your battery, simply connect the system to your existing doorbell’s wiring. It’s that simple.

At Soteria Cloud we think this tech advancement is well worth the money! Let us know if you think that one of these doorbells is a good idea and whether you believe that your home will be safer with it installed.

To discover more tech advancements and learn more about our security packages and backup options, get in touch with us at Soteria Cloud today.

Most security systems have safety nets to fall back on if they are compromised. If your password is compromised, you simply change it to ensure it is more secure, but what do you do if you are using fingerprint technology (biometrics) as a password for your Smartphone? What do you do if your fingerprint is compromised? You certainly cannot change that.

Hackers and their fingerprint theft tricks!
The market was taken aback at just how simple it can be for hackers to duplicate your fingerprint as was demonstrated by German hackers shortly after Apple incorporated Touch ID to its iPhone range. These hackers used a flexible pad to lift the prints from the surface of the phone.

That’s not where it stopped. Hackers from Chaos Computer Club took it one step further by duplicating a user’s fingerprint with digital photography where no lifting of the print is required at all. The Chaos Computer Club made an impressive demonstration at the Cybersecurity Conference where the prints reproduced were actually those of German Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen that had been captured from a series of news photographs.

Various security professionals in the industry have argued Chaos Computer Club’s claims saying that reproducing fingerprints from photographs has its limitations. For starters you will need to have access to a high resolution image and even then, the process will have its restraints. It’s just not as easy as the hackers have made out – or so they say.

Does this mean that you cannot trust your Smartphone’s biometrics security? Not necessarily. It just means you should be more careful and don’t solely rely on it. Biometrics, whether on your handheld device or computer, is a great second layer of defence, but if you are going to use it, couple it up with a password or security question just to make sure that you don’t fall victim to potential hacks. The fact that a hacker can gain access to your fingerprint without actually having contact with anything you have touched is certainly a reason to consider stepping up your security.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can step up your computer and mobile device security, get in touch with us at Soteria Cloud. We have a wealth of options available to you.