It’s no secret that Generation Y has entered the workforce with great determination. The demand for flexible working schedules and locations has increased and a shift from employees using company own devices to individually owned devices has also greatly increased. Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) has its benefits, but it also can prevent a new cyber security challenges for big companies that wish to keep certain information encoded and a secret. Whenever personal devices interface with corporate data, you run the risk of data loss and data breaches, so with that in mind if you are a company that is interested in BYOD security, there are three threats that you, as an employer, should know about to ensure that you get the coverage necessary. Continue reading→

Cybersecurity Starts with Your Employees 

Small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) are at particular risk of cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity works best when it’s built into a system. When all levels and aspects of an enterprise are cybersecurity enabled, it’s much more resistant to penetration. At the most fundamental level, employees put policies and procedures into action. Making sure employees are well-trained in electronic security and informed of all company policies and procedures concerning cybersecurity is a great place to start.

All manufacturers need an Incident Response Plan (IRP). An IRP contains written procedures for detection, response, and damage mitigation steps to deal with a cybersecurity incident. Getting the IRP ready requires a 4-step process to be integrated into the plan. Continue reading→

New Web Filter Technology Helps Management Focus on Internet Usage Trends

Exton, PA (PRWEB) March 28, 2017

Pearl Software, the creator of real-time, mobile Internet monitoring and web filtering has released Echo Smart.Capture as part of its cybersecurity product line. Pearl Echo Version 12 R2 now includes the ability to monitor a user’s web browsing while filtering out non-pertinent traffic. Echo Smart.Capture uses heuristics to determine what monitored activity is user-based versus activity such as advertisements, style content or Facebook and Twitter tie-ins that a site may use in rendering content in a web browser. Continue reading→

It’s scary to hear the 2016 presidential candidates talk about encryption and Internet security when attempting to thwart use of the Internet as a terrorist recruiting tool. As if it’s not bad enough when Donald Trump says, “in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some way.” There exists a common misconception (particularly in Trump’s target demographic) that the US controls the global Internet. Infrastructure in foreign countries provides Internet services to people living abroad. We don’t have a pretty switch with gold brocade, Mr. Trump.

So how do we intercede and monitor communications that have been protected by encryption? Here’s what our misinformed presidential contenders are saying: Continue reading→

Pearl Echo is not a proxy server.  Internet traffic will flow via the path that it normally does when Pearl Echo is not installed.  The Pearl Echo workstation agent resident on an endpoint will only “echo” back data necessary for reporting; it also periodically gathers Internet access rules set for the user at the Pearl Echo server.

As an example of overhead, CNN.com will deliver over 10.5MB in content and images from their web page.  Pearl Echo will log 9800 bytes to the Pearl Echo server.  That’s less than 0.09% overhead!  This is described pictorially in this video.

There are generally two main enterprise architectures used to monitor and/or filter access to content available on the Internet: Choke-Point (web proxy, router, firewall, etc.) and Endpoint (client-server). Each has its advantages and disadvantages that we will explore.

Choke-Point Architecture

The Choke-Point architecture provides a central point of access to the Internet for all users.  The Choke-Point is normally a server, firewall or router with embedded filtering software or one or more “Internet appliances” – stand-alone devices for targeted applications.  Websense is an example of a caching Web proxy server that provides a nearby store of Web pages and files originating on remote Web servers, allowing local network clients to access them more efficiently.  When it receives a request for a Web page, a caching proxy looks for the content in its local cache. If the content does not exist in the proxy’s cache, the proxy server retrieves it from the appropriate Internet server in order to satisfy the request and saves a copy in its local cache for future requests. Sonicwall and Watchguard are examples of firewalls with embedded filtering software; usually third party URL filtering databases.  Since requests to access Internet sites are sent from each workstation in the managed environment, a decision about whether the site may be accessed can be made centrally at the Choke-Point. If a user requests a site that is determined to be off limits, the server or device returns a response to the user indicating that access is denied. Continue reading→

Learn about the benefits of monitoring employee internet usage. See how you can save your business both time and money.

When a business requires their employees to have open internet access, it’s necessary for them to monitor that usage closely. If they’re lax about this situation, then it can lead to them not having proper control over their employees. Continue reading→

New Web Filter Technology tests encryption strength, ensuring a safer browser experience.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 02, 2017

Pearl Software, the creator of real-time, mobile Internet cybersecurity has released HTTPSafety.Check as part of its web filtering platform. A vast number of web servers that offer weak encryption are vulnerable to attack making protected data transfer susceptible to prying eyes. Pearl Echo’s HTTPSafety.Check blocks sites that don’t maintain a current and strong level of encryption, ensuring a safer browser experience. Continue reading→

Internet Security has become an umbrella term encompassing everything from intrusion detection and antivirus to internet usage monitoring and filtering. This article discusses key concepts around the topic of Internet filtering and, more specifically, Web Filtering.

Leading Internet monitoring and filtering software solutions offer a combination of employee Internet management capabilities. Web Filtering is the method of blocking Web page access based on content classification techniques. Web Filtering is typically done either by contextual word analysis, flesh tone analysis, maintenance of a database of categorized Web sites or a combination of all three. Checking the context in which a word is used (e.g. sex as a verb versus sex as an adjective) and flesh tone analysis – looking for images that have flesh colors and thus a higher probability of nudity – provide the greatest incidence of false positives and thus tend to over-filter or over-block. Continue reading→

Pearl Software received numerous submissions for our college scholarship program. The student with the most creative and well-written essay is Occidental College’s Isaac Glanzrock who discussed the role of technology in today’s society. Thank you to all that applied and congratulations Isaac! We at Pearl Software wish you all success in your academic endeavors.  Isaac’s essay follows:

A Word of Caution Against the Consumption of Technology
By: Isaac Glanzrock

Smartphones that unlock via face detection. Car navigation systems that respond to voice. Undoubtedly, the gadgets of today have come very far from days past. The constant evolution of new technology continues to enhance human life on a daily basis. Drivers can now be routed to the nearest gas station with one voice command; cell phone users can get restaurant recommendations with just a few screen taps. Platforms such as Google Drive and Skype allow for innovation on an entirely new level, increasing efficiency by eliminating the need for physical presence. Video calls and online collaboration are the new norm for businesses, permitting ideas to be developed in one voice across thousands of miles. Continue reading→