Tuesday, April 11, 2017

secure messaging : these are among the top 5 best practices


ENTERPRISE SMS AND 6 SECURITY DISASTERS 

 As enterprises look to incorporate messaging into their employees' communication routines, deliver-ing secure SMS messages remains a top of mind priority. Taking the steps to implement a secure SMS messaging solution for communications between employees can lead to better collaboration across all facets of your enterprise.

 Secure messaging is a server-based approach to protect sensitive data when sent beyond the corporate borders and provides compliance with industry regulations such as HIPAA, GLBA and SOX. 

Some of the advantages of secure messaging over classical secure e-Mail are that  they are confidential and authenticated exchanges which can be started immediately by any internet user worldwide since there is no requirement to install any software nor to obtain or to distribute cryptographic keys beforehand 

HOW TO SECURE MESSAGING WORK: Secure messaging works as an online service. Users enroll to a secure messaging platform. The user logs into his account by typing in his username and password (or strong authentication) similar to a web-based email account. Out of a message center messages can be sent over a secure SSL-connection or via other equally protecting methods to any recipient.

If the recipient is contacted for the first time a message unlock code is needed to authenticate the recipient. Alternatively, Secure Messaging can be used out of any standard email program without installing software.

 Secure Messaging possesses different types of delivery, which are secured web interface, S/MIME or PGP encrypted communication or TLS secured connections to email domains or individual email clients.

the six best Practices for Secure SMS Messaging 

Most consumer-grade messaging apps in today's marketplace are vulnerable to serious security risks, creating a range of vulnerabilities for enterprises that rely on consumer apps for messaging in the workplace.Among them are

 • Message Visibility -- Anemic encryption creates the potential for unauthorized access and third-party viewing of messages and data

 • Spamming -- The prevalence of bulk SMS capabilities can lead to the large volumes of SMS spa clog-ging the organization's messaging pipeline.

Flooding Attacks -- Also known as Denial of Service (DoS), this involves the transmission of repeated messages to a user's phone, rendering the device inaccessible.

 • SMS Device Crashes -- Some mobile devices are vulnerable to crashing if they receive an "infected" SMS message, interrupting communication pathways.

 • SMS Viruses -- As mobile phones become increasingly sophisticated, the potential for viruses to spread through SMS is on the rise.

• Phishing -- Similar to Internet phishing attacks via email, hackers attempt to trick mobile phone users with phony text messages encourage them to access a link, which then downloads malware onto their de-vices.


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