SpartanTec, Inc. Wilmington: IT management Wilmington

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

FTC Issues Fine To Developer Of Popular Kids App Over Privacy Violations

The developer of popular Chinese app, Tik Tok, was slapped with a huge fine by the Federal Trade Commission over privacy issues. The developer was found to have gathered personal data of the children who used their application. This is a serious blow to the developers of the app, but could be potentially problematic for the users as well. This is the reason why companies must have proper IT management to prevent any data loss from such cases.

The FTC filed a complaint and handed the company a $5.7 million fine over violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC cited the data gathering practices of the company which did not require parental consent from users ages 13 and below. User credential including names, e-mail addresses, profile pictures, and other information were gathered. To add more to their violations, the company’s development team failed to keep the said data away from public viewing. Failure to keep the data private has clearly exacerbated the already sorry state of their practices.

What’s even more disturbing is the fact that in the FTC filing, it was highlighted that there were numerous attempts where adults contacted children through the app. The complaint also noted the fact that users were able to view other people’s accounts within a 50-mile radius prior to the release of their 2016 update. With this in hand, it is highly important for businesses to have IT management Wilmington to protect data of employees and the company as well.

With the FTC pounding hard on the makers of Tik Tok, it sends a message to all developers to put more time and effort into producing better security and permissions for their applications. After all, information security and preventing untoward incidents is a prime reason for such measures.

Do you require IT services for your company? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today for complete technology solutions.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255

https://spartantec-wilmingtonnc.business.site/

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Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Retails Sites Hit With Large-Scale Bot Attacks

Retails businesses that have established their online presence are in for another wave of attacks. As indicated in this year’s State of the Internet, attacks on retails sites have ramped up. According to the report, large-scale bot attacks are out targeting businesses, with retails sites being hit the hardest. This attacks are known as “credential stuffing” and is nothing new. However, due to the scale of the attacks, businesses should be on the defensive. It is suggested that businesses deploy reliable IT management protocols either in-house or through a reputable service provider.

In fact, the attacks made from May up until December of 2018, a total of 28 billion attempts at credential stuffing was made. One retail site reported to have been attacked by more than 115 million times in a single day. All of the attacks were bot-driven.

The report also indicated that the bots have the ability to target in excess of 120 retails in a single attack. With the use of certain techniques, the bots were able to evade detection and continue with the attacks.

What’s more problematic is that successful bot attacks could be undetected by the retailer. This means that retailers could see normal data but in the back end, they were already facing some serious attacks. This could deal a huge blow to customers’ information security entirely. Not only will it compromise the retailer, but it will ultimately have a bigger impact on its customers. Overall, impact of these attacks are limited compared to other schemes deployed by hackers.

Although damage dealt by such attacks are limited, it is still significant and can pose as threat to both retailer and consumer alike. With this in hand, retailers should always be vigilant in preserving their security, which would later entail to better relations with customers. With that being said, businesses must have a reliable IT management Wilmington team to aid in such situations and prevent issues from escalating.

Want to secure your business online? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today for reputable IT services.