Perhaps being at the top isn’t so great when pulling rank means you’re number one in malware hosting.
According to a new report by security solution provider Solutionary, four of the top 10 malware distribution sites are hosted by Amazon, and Amazon-hosted sites accounted for 6 percent of all malware discovered in the fourth quarter of 2013. The report also found that U.S. hosts 44 percent of all malware, making it the leading malware hosting nation, placing it well ahead of the second-leading malware-hosting nation, Germany, which is responsible for nine percent of all malware.
Rival hosting company, GoDaddy, which recently signed an Office 365 reseller agreement with Microsoft (News - Alert), is just as plagued with malware sites.
This means malware distributors are adopting cloud computing, either by buying services directly or by compromising legitimate accounts, as a quick and cost-effective way to bring their malware online. The cloud also offers an easy way for distributors to cover their tracks.
Solutionary said cloud providers can limit the risk associated with malware distribution by sites hosted and using domain name system (DNS) name registers but “ultimately it is still up to providers to take action to stop the proliferation of malware and to be accountable for policing the activities on their properties,” the report's authors said.
Between headlines as such, in addition to what seems like the ongoing NSA debacle, people are hyper aware of their online whereabouts, not to mention are looking into alternatives to using the Internet without so much worry as to data hacks and breaches.
This highlights the differences and benefits of using a private network versus a public one.
The obvious advantage of a private network is that, by not being connected to external networks or the Internet at large, a private network is simply not exposed to these threats. With the average data breach costing organizations thousands upon thousands in lost business and repair costs, the security of a private network can be a valuable advantage to any business dealing with sensitive content.
Services like voice over private Internet (“VoPI,” not to be confused with VoIP), from BroadConnect address denial of service attacks and other security intrusions commonly found in traditional VoIP services. Hackers with access to packet sniffers and similar tools are able to monitor pertinent call location and transmission details. They could even eavesdrop on confidential conversations.
“VoPI” speaks to these security concerns by routing voice packets securely over providers private and secure network, therefore security threats are destroyed.
Today's enterprises are faced with a number of network-related needs that are challenging from both a technology and a financial perspective. Organizations are looking for proven, cost-effective solutions to protect their assets while minimizing security issues.
Edited by Alisen Downey