Selling a Password – Not a Victimless Crime

If one of your employees were approached and asked to sell their keys to your office, I suspect the vast majority would flat-out refuse. But what if they were asked for their password in exchange for cash?

They might think to themselves: “It is only a password, what harm could come from it. After all, I am always forgetting it and needing to reset the darn thing.”

Of course, those of us working in the security industry know that the difference between a key and a password is simply that one exists physically and one doesn’t – although you could argue this for passwords, given that most are written on pieces of paper. What is more, for many businesses today a data breach is likely to be far costlier than an ‘old school’ break-in.

What a lock & key and password also have in common is that they are a deterrent to the opportunist. If someone is determined to get in they will find a way, whether it is by brute force, through an open back-door or window. They will look for the weak point and in the digital world that point is the fragility of passwords and those who are in possession of them.

Worryingly, a new survey commissioned by SailPoint and reported on TechRadar, suggests that 16% of employees would be willing to sell a password to an unknown third party and more than half of those would want £700 or less. Not a bad investment when you consider the return from gaining access to company systems and valuable data.

The trouble with this type of transaction is that it is so simple and quick, the seller never meets the buyer and it can feel like a victimless crime. That is until they feel the impact – whether their involvement is found out, or their company is compromised to the point at which they lose their job and the company folds (a real risk for smaller organisations that are breached).

Thankfully, the results from the SailPoint survey show that selling passwords is something only the small minority would consider, but it also is important to remember that this is only one route used to ‘attack’ organisations using password-based systems.

For years’ security experts have stressed the need for better password management education. However, the message has not got through. People still see passwords as a pain in the neck and not as something valuable that they are the trusted custodian of.  Perhaps if they knew the real value the 16% of respondent would demand a far higher price!

The time has come for organisations of all shapes and sizes to re-evaluate their use of passwords to remove temptation from those who could be swayed and to make lives easier for those who use and administer them. A move away from passwords altogether would certainly achieve this and much more.

For more information about replacing passwords visit www.authlogics.com

Next week the Chief PR team is looking forward to its annual pilgrimage to the B-APCO conference and exhibition. As Europe's leading public safety communications event it is the ideal place for us to here from senior representatives from blue light organisations about the challenges they are facing and what they are doing to address them.

The exhibition is also great for learning about new technologies that public safety organisations will be adopting in the near future such as those from NICE Systems and Multitone.

B-APCO 2016 is a  two-day event and taking place on 22nd and 23rd March at The International Centre, Telford. What is more it is free to attend by registering at: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/

We hope to see you  there.

Graham

Multitone to Present Fire Crew Mobilisation and Management Solutions at British APCO 2016

Latest solutions and future trends at British APCO 2016, The International Centre, Telford, 22^nd-23^rd March 2016

Multitone Electronics plc, a specialist in the design, manufacture and implementation of integrated communication systems, announces its forthcoming appearance at the British APCO 2016 conference and exhibition – which is being held at The International Centre in Telford, from 22^nd-23^rd March 2016.

Amongst the highlights, Multitone will be showcasing its powerful but intuitive i-Console fire station management and communications offering. The company will also be displaying its Crew View service, as well as asking visitors for feedback on a new Multitone fire services app.

Multitone’s exhibition team at British APCO 2016 will be led by is Emergency Services Major  Accounts Manager, Peter Eborall. Reflecting upon the upcoming appearance at the show, Peter commented, “We have an exciting line up of products on the stand, with i-Console being the undoubted centerpiece.”

Peter continued, “As part of a flexible, station-end based system, i-Console works with our FireCoder to offer a managerial overview and provides a continuously visual status of the station and its equipment. This enables crews to manage all the station functions from one place and is a highly convenient way to monitor mobilisation activities. Complementing this is Crew View, which gives crews a visual countdown as they mobilise, ensuring they keep up to speed during this most vital of actions.” 

For more information about B-APCO 2016 visit: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/.

To arrange an on-stand media briefing with Multitone Electronics during the event please contact simon.hewitt@prbychief.com

NICE to Showcase Leading Digital Evidence Management and Incident Investigation Solutions at B-APCO 2016

NICE to Showcase Leading Digital Evidence Management and Incident Investigation Solutions at B-APCO 2016

NICE Systems will demonstrate why over 3,000 police forces worldwide rely on its digital policing solutions at Europe's leading public safety communications exhibition & conference - B-APCO 2016.

B-APCO 2016 takes place from 22nd until 23rd March at The International Centre, Telford, UK and on Stand C7, NICE will showcase NICE Inform and NICE Investigate. NICE Inform is the industry-leading digital evidence management solution, giving emergency communications centres better insight into how to continuously improve their operations. NICE Investigate is the leading open, digital policing solution that automates and expedites the entire digital investigation process, helping to increase case clearance rates.

Public Safety Marketing Manager at NICE Systems, Jamie Wilson, comments:

“At B-APCO 2016 we will showcase how NICE Inform and NICE Investigate enable police forces to better handle new evidence and information sources, speed up the investigation process and reduce the requirement for officers to be desk-bound. Additionally, we will demonstrate how the majority of forces already have the necessary technology foundations in place from which to build their digital policing operations.”

For more information about B-APCO 2016 visit: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/.

To arrange an on-stand media briefing with NICE Systems during the event please contact graham.thatcher@prbychief.com

Recognising Innovation in the Security Industry

This week the Chief PR team were delighted to find out that both Qognify and TDSi have both been selected as finalists for the upcoming Benchmark Innovation Awards 2016.

These annual awards recognise and reward innovative thinking and the delivery of benefits through advanced security solutions.

Qognify has been chosen for its Situator 8.0 solution which incorporates the new Operational Intelligence Center, and is nominated in the Site Protection Software category. Meanwhile, TDSi’s EXgarde Enterprise solution - fully featured Access Management PC software application - has been shortlisted in the Access Control Software category.

The award winners will be revealed in July.

It is our birthday!