Tag: Cyber Secuity

In today’s fast-paced digital world, the importance of integrating security measures throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) cannot be overstated. This approach, known as continuous security, aims to embed security practices and checks from the initial stages of development through to deployment and maintenance. Continuous security is not merely a step in the process; it is a philosophy that, when implemented correctly, can significantly enhance the security posture of an application. This detailed blog post explores the concept of continuous security, its benefits, and how organizations can effectively integrate it into their SDLC.

The Essence of Continuous Security

Continuous security is a proactive and integral part of the SDLC that ensures security measures are not an afterthought but a fundamental component of the development process. It involves the constant application of security checks, threat assessments, and risk analyses, enabling the early detection and remediation of vulnerabilities. This approach aligns with the principles of DevSecOps, where development, security, and operations collaborate closely to build and maintain secure applications.

Why Continuous Security Matters

In the era of frequent cyberattacks and evolving threats, the traditional approach of applying security measures at the end stages of development is no longer sufficient. Continuous security matters because it:

• Reduces Vulnerabilities: By identifying and addressing security issues early in the development process, continuous security reduces the risk of vulnerabilities making it into production.
• Saves Costs: Fixing vulnerabilities in the later stages of development or after deployment is significantly more costly than addressing them early on.
• Enhances Compliance: Continuous security helps organizations comply with regulations and standards by ensuring that security controls are integrated throughout the development process.
• Improves Customer Trust: A commitment to security can enhance customer trust and confidence in an organization’s products and services.

Integrating Continuous Security into the SDLC

Integrating continuous security into the SDLC requires a shift in culture, processes, and tools. Here are key strategies for achieving this integration:

1. Cultural Shift

• Foster Collaboration: Encourage a culture where development, operations, and security teams work together seamlessly. Security should be everyone’s responsibility.
• Promote Security Awareness: Regular training and awareness programs can help team members understand their role in maintaining security.

2. Adopt Secure Design Principles

• Threat Modeling: Engage in threat modeling exercises during the design phase to identify potential security issues.
• Security Requirements: Define and integrate security requirements early in the development process.

3. Continuous Testing

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Implement SAST to analyze source code for vulnerabilities without executing it.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Use DAST tools to test the application in its running state, identifying runtime vulnerabilities.
• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Combine static and dynamic methods for comprehensive testing.
• Dependency Scanning: Regularly scan dependencies for known vulnerabilities.

4. Automate Security Processes

• CI/CD Integration: Integrate security tools into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for automated testing and deployment.
• Security as Code: Define security policies as code, allowing for automated enforcement and consistency.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Response

• Real-time Monitoring: Implement real-time monitoring tools to detect and alert on security issues.
• Incident Response: Develop and regularly update an incident response plan to quickly address security breaches.

Conclusion

Integrating continuous security into the software development lifecycle is essential for developing secure applications in today’s threat landscape. By embedding security practices from the outset and ensuring they are maintained throughout the development process, organizations can protect themselves against vulnerabilities and cyber threats. Continuous security is not just a methodology; it’s a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security in every aspect of development. As technologies evolve and cyber threats become more sophisticated, the importance of continuous security will only grow, making it a critical component of any successful software development strategy.

Imagine for a moment that you are an engineer standing in front of a real-world steam turbine. We wish to simulate certain parameters or test a new design but are unsure of the outcome. The real-world performance and data will also need to be mapped and we cannot risk creating a new prototype due to the cost and the uncertainty of the result involved. In this kind of challenge, what do we do and how do we solve this challenge?

This is where the concept of a digital twin comes in.

Suppose we had a digital version of the same turbine and are able to feed the data in real time from a normally operating turbine and do our experiments on the digital version, then our learning curve is greatly reduced, and cost and time is saved. Further, risk of damage to infrastructure or anything else is totally eliminated.

What are digital twins?

Digital twins are virtual representations of physical objects, systems, or processes. They are created by combining real-time data from sensors, IoT devices, and other sources with computer-aided design (CAD) models, simulation software, and analytics algorithms. The digital twin can be visualized through user interfaces or augmented reality (AR) applications. This allows users to interact with the virtual representation, monitor real-time data, and perform simulations.

It requires a systematic approach to create a digital twin and the steps involved are:

1. Acquiring the data to create a digital twin.
2. Deciding on the parameters and values.
3. Integrating the data to create a comprehensive view of the physical object.
4. Create a model and make it as close as possible to the real-world object.
5. Interacting and studying the virtual twin model.
6. Updating the model based on real-world data seamlessly and continuously.

Applications of digital twins include in the below areas:

1. Manufacturing

Digital twins are used to optimize manufacturing processes and innovation. By running simulations on virtual twins, product quality can be improved, and downtime reduced. One can also use such models for training purposes and for remote monitoring.

2. Aerospace

Digital twins are used in the aerospace industry for aircraft design and maintenance. Further, based on simulated flight conditions, wear and tear can be studied. By monitoring real-time sensor data from physical assets, digital twins can detect anomalies and predict failures, helping schedule maintenance proactively. This improves uptime and reduces maintenance costs. Engineers and pilots can also be trained using virtual twins.

3. Healthcare

Digital twins are used in healthcare for personalized medicine, patient monitoring, and surgical planning. They help simulate and analyze patient data to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. A key aspect of a digital twin in healthcare is effective training. One can perform surgeries virtually and have a comprehensive idea of how things will proceed in real life based on a virtual simulation. New procedures can be safely tested and tried.

4. Energy and Utilities

With the use of digital twins, one can optimize the grid and improve overall reliability and transmission performance. Energy distribution can be controlled and checked in simulated scenarios as well.

5. Construction

Digital twins are used in construction for design optimization and project management. They help simulate building performance, monitor construction progress, and plan maintenance activities.

6. Retail

One can enable virtual try-on and personalized recommendations based on virtual twins.

About Grohombus Technologies

GRhombus Technologies is among the leading EdTech companies in UK and cyber security companies in UK. Our insightful work and key implementation expertise have delivered powerful transformations to clients and created enduring value. We also offer test automation services in India and custom software development in USA. We are also well-versed in the Force.com development platform and can undertake key customization and advanced automation functions based on the business needs. For more details, contact us.

Since time immemorial, humans have used language and speech as a medium of communication of thoughts. As computers evolved, they had their own programming languages and codes. Software became advanced over time and coupled with hardware advancements, the potential for computer applications became endless.

The next step in this evolution is the case of Natural Language Processing or NLP for short. It is a field of artificial intelligence (AI), whose aim is to help computers understand and interpret human languages. The understanding and interpretation by computers must be in a way that is useful, and it is possible by advanced models, algorithms and other related developments.

The main applications of NLP include areas like

1. Machine-based translation
2. Summarization of information
3. Generation of text and language in a coherent manner based on various data sources. For example, writing about the performance of a company based on a summary of the balance sheet and other related financial data.
4. Chatbots and conversational agents

And many more such applications.

As the best software development company in USA and a leading cyber security company in UK, GRhombus Technologies analyses the recent trends in NLP in the below blog.

1. Ethics

As AI gains traction, one of the key areas to address is how NLP models can be trained to avoid bias and remain ethical. There is also an inherent fear of systems acting recklessly to take decisions. This is especially true in the case of customer-facing applications like chat bots.

2. Privacy concerns

Along with ethics, privacy concerns associated with NLP also need to be addressed. This is still a grey area and there are discussions at multiple levels on how various aspects need to be handled.

3. Quick-learning models

Humans have the inherent ability to learn new things even when the data around the project is limited. The aim is to extend this to NLP with few shot and zero shot learning. This also applies to cases where the data set is limited like in low resource languages.

4. Transparency and accountability

As NLP finds a larger scope of applications, it is important for end users to understand how decisions are made. Insights need to be provided on how the model behaves and what its limitations are.

5. Transfer Learning

There are many cases where learning in one task can be applied to a related task. More research is being undertaken in this area to quicken the evolution of NLP.

6. Multilingual capabilities

Language limitations themselves become a barrier sometimes. For example, a person may understand and speak Chinese, but not Spanish. The context also varies between different languages. So, the aim with multilingual capabilities is to bridge the divide and provide better communication and understanding across different languages.

Overall, the focus is on improving the ethical aspects around NLP as well as expanding the application across different verticals.

About GRhombus Technologies

As a leading software development company in USA and a reputed Salesforce CRM customisation company, we understand the tenets of a business and tailor the solution to a required business need. We are also well-versed in the Force.com development platform and can undertake key customisation and advanced automation functions based on the business needs.

We are also one of the leading custom app development company in UK and we offer a one stop solution for developing Web, Mobile and Cloud based applications with a responsive design that suits specific business needs. Are you interested in engaging with us and growing your business to the next level? Contact us to fly on wings of change.

It is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have revolutionized different aspects of various industries and business verticals. They have helped create new business models, add efficiency into the system and even understand customer perceptions and interactions better.

One area where AI, ML and Robotic Process Automation (ROPA) can find good applications is in the field of software testing. Oftentimes, one or more such tools can be combined to achieve stellar results. This is where the concept of hyperautomation testing comes in.

In layman terms, hyperautomation testing refers to the use of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotic process automation (RPA), to automate and streamline the testing process. The key feature of hyperautomation testing is how it is able to analyze large volumes of data by leveraging various AI and ML algorithms to identify patterns, make intelligent decisions and improve the testing process. It can also be used to validate system behavior, automate the generation of test data, reduce manual effort and perform continuous testing.

As the best software development company in the USA and a leading software development company in UK, GRhombus Technologies has done key work in this area. In our experience, some of the key advantages of hyperautomation testing are:

1. Reduced time to market

Using hyperautomation testing, many manual and repetitive tasks can be automated and this will help in faster time to market of the product. Automated tests can run 24/7 and catch issues early and human resources can focus on other important areas.

2. Increased quality

With automation, the depth of testing and the breadth of testing can be increased. This includes areas like more use cases, browsers, devises etc, which may not be possible in a manual testing setup. This will ensure that quality is built into the testing process.

3. Consistency

Since there is no fatigue involved like the case of manual testing, hyperautomation eliminates human errors and inconsistencies. Since the breadth and depth of testing is more, it also means that errors can be caught early. The feedback loop is faster and more robust.

4. Ability to scale

With an automated test setup, it is easy to scale without any corresponding loss in quality. The same may not be possible in a purely manual setup.

While we discuss the advantages, it is also important to have a balanced perspective of things. Some of the key disadvantages of hyperautomatino testing are listed below.

5. Investment in time, infrastructure and capital for setup

From the perspective of hyperautomation testing, developing automated test scripts and building out the necessary infrastructure requires significant initial investment in tools and knowhow. Hence, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons before making a final decision to go in for a hyperautomation setup in the organization.

6. Maintenance

As with all tools, even a hyperautomation testing setup needs maintenance. They have to be updated as the test cases, applications and envionments evolve. Further, when defining automated test scripts, they should be free from bugs. Else, they can lead to false positives/negatives in results. Further, a certain amount of foresight is required as automated tests must me capable of meeting future needs and should not be brittle.

7. Skill

Writing automated test scripts requires skill and deep coding expertise. Further, the modules must be clearly defined and designed and when error messages are thrown, it should be easy to identify the root cause.

Why GRhombus Technologies?

GRhombus Technologies is a leader in offering cyber security solutions and software testing solutions. We are a trusted information security partner for leading companies in Europe and USA.

Apart from cybersecurity and software testing, we are also a leading software development company in UK. Established in 2014, GRhombus Technologies has delivery centres in India at Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, and partner offices located in the USA and the Netherlands.

For additional details, please contact us.

Money is fundamental to human life and economic growth. Money allows for the exchange of goods and services and quantifying them in a tangible fashion. Similarly, the concept of money helps in storing wealth and allows for valuation and comparison. It greatly expands the scope of trade and promotes uniformity in transactions whether across the border or within the country.

With the growth of technology, the concept of money and technology have emerged to create a new avatar of cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency is a type of digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. Unlike normal currency, there is no central bank issuing the currency. A distributed ledger and blockchain technology is used to validate the transactions. The first cryptocurrency to emerge was Bitcoin. Since then, many cryptocurrencies have emerged. The value of different cryptocurrencies is calculated differently and there is no uniformity in the way they operate, as each currency has its own list of conditions. Given that this is a new area, the impact on the market is an interesting study. As a leading software developer in USA, GRhombustech has given basic inputs in this blog. We would always advice the readers to do complete research and also consult finance professionals before undertaking any investments in crypto.

1. Market Volatility

Cryptocurrencies are known for their extreme volatility in value. Prices can skyrocket to unprecedented heights or plummet in a matter of hours. Thus, returns can be high or low and there is no assured stability in the way things operate.

2. Tax challenges

Many governments do not recognize cryptocurrency as a legal form of currency. Further, many governments have enacted strict laws to curb investments in cryptocurrency or brought in taxation laws to tax the gain on capital etc. While there have been cryptocurrency exchanges and investment products like normal markets, they are mostly not completely recognized.

3. Regulatory Framework

The rise of cryptocurrencies has posed significant regulatory challenges. Because they can be used anonymously, they have been linked to illegal activities. Since the concept can be easily misused, many governments are wary and a complete framework is yet to be created. Further, while crypto operates on a global level, the same level of understanding has not yet been achieved between financial institutions, banks etc. This has made crypto a legal and regulatory soup!

4. Disruption of Traditional Banking

Cryptocurrencies can potentially disrupt traditional banking and financial systems. They offer a way to transfer funds directly between parties without the need for a trusted third party like a bank. However, crypto currencies can be manipulated and there are frequent news about hacks and attacks on exchanges. Hence, the reliability factor is less.

Why GRhombustech?

GRhombustech is a leader in offering cyber security solutions in USA and among the best software development companies in USA. We also offer iot testing services and salesforce CRM customization. Established in 2014, GRhombustech also brings rich insight to Salesforce products and solutions. Our insightful work and key implementation expertise have delivered powerful transformations to clients and created enduring value. We also offer test automation services in India and custom software development in UK.

The company has delivery centres in India at Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, and a staff strength of 200+ employees all around the globe.

For more details, please contact us.

Datafication refers to the process of turning various aspects of everyday lives of people like their behaviour, transactions made, social interactions etc into data in a structured format. This data can then be analysed using various data-analysis techniques and advanced technologies to glean information.

Technologies and developments in the arena of big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence etc have led to the increasing popularity of datafication.

Understanding Datafication with an Example

GRhombus Technologies, the best custom software development UK has to offer and among the leading cyber security companies in UK has deep experience in this domain. To understand the concept of datafication easily, let us understand the same with an example.

Consider a common health/fitness tracker or a health watch. They commonly collect data like heartbeat and pulse rate, number of steps walked, sleep patterns etc. This raw data is then stored and analysed by the system and displayed in a mobile or desktop application. The user can then get insights into their health and get personalized recommendations based on available scientific facts to help enhance their lifestyle and improve well-being.

Now consider that this data collected from various individuals is pooled. This polling and aggregation will give a larger data set. By analysing this data set, one can get insight on the general health and well-bring of a population. This can in turn help set up public health policies, investigate scientific approaches to improve health, provide specialized healthcare etc. Thus, society can benefit as a whole by this process if used correctly.

Today, datafication has led to the development of new business models, services, and products that leverage data to generate insights, create value, and drive innovation.

Some of the advantages of datafication are:

1. Robust decision-making

Datafication can help organizations make better decisions because they have access to more accurate and up-to-date information. By analyzing data, companies can identify patterns and trends that would be difficult or impossible to identify otherwise. This is especially true in sales trends, personnel productivity etc.

2. Improvement in efficiency

With a study of the data available from datafication, one can automate processes and reduce the time and effort required for tasks such as data entry, analysis, and reporting. This can lead to significant cost savings and increased productivity.

3. Achieve customer delight

By collecting and analyzing customer data with the active permissions of customers, organizations can gain insights into customer behaviour and preferences. Thus, companies can offer custom solutions and delight customers with their offerings.

4. Innovation

By analysing the data, organizations can identify trouble spots and innovate to achieve value both for the organization and for customers.

5. Manage and mitigate risk

By analyzing data, organizations can identify potential risks and take proactive measures to mitigate them, reducing the likelihood of costly incidents. This is especially true in the financial domain where analysis of data can help prevent fraud.

GRhombus Technologies

GRhombus Technologies is a leading software development company in USA and has the best cyber security experts in the business. From smart devices to technology stacks, we have end-to-end capabilities in the IoT domain and Salesforce implementation.

We are led by a dedicated and experienced team and take pride in offering cutting edge solutions to any business challenge. We have helped many businesses unlock potential and deliver value.

For any additional queries or business needs, feel free to contact us!

With the Internet becoming a part and parcel of our lives, cybersecurity has emerged as a key aspect. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, and data, from wilful or malicious attacks, damage, or unauthorized access from both internal and external sources. It is a comprehensive term that covers all areas including preventing and detecting cyber-attacks, user training, implementing security policies and procedures, monitoring, and upgrades.

Among the leading cyber security companies in US, GRhombustech explains some of the trending cybersecurity issues and their solutions in this blog. They are

1)    Ransomware attacks

The term ransom is self-explanatory. In such attacks, the hackers simply encrypt the files on a computer or network drive and demand a ransom from the victim in order for the victim to regain access. Often, the ransom is in bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency, and only then will a decryption key be supplied. Well-known examples of ransomware are Wanna Cry, Petya, Locky, Ryuk, etc

Some of the ways to prevent ransomware attacks are:

A.    Constant awareness and user training, caution when opening emails or attachments from unknown sources.

B.     Always have the latest security patches installed at both the OS level and for the antivirus solution in place. One should also use reputed antivirus software.

C.     Create backups of data. Test and check these backups regularly.

D.    Use well-configured firewalls to prevent unauthorized network access.

2)    Phishing Scams

Phishing refers to the case where people are tricked into providing sensitive information and personal data by disguising it as a legitimate communication or need. From emails to unsolicited calls from banks or customer service agents, the attacker in a phishing scam poses as a legitimate entity to perpetuate the fraud. Victims can be tricked into clicking on a link or opening an attachment that will install malware. There are also cases of redirecting the victim to a fake website where their information can be collected. 

Some ways to prevent phishing are:

A.    User training to be wary of unsolicited emails, phone calls, and messages.

B.     Verifying the sender’s identity and looking for suspicious email addresses

C.     Keeping the system OS and the antivirus solution up-to-date and implementing an anti-phishing software suit.

D.    Incorporating 2-factor authentication

3)    Cloud Security

Cloud computing has emerged as a powerful force and the data, applications, and assets need to be protected from many factors like unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. Comprehensive security measures are required right from the physical security of data centers, network security, and the security of the applications and data that are hosted in the cloud. Multi-factor authentication, strong encryption, the use of private VPN tunnels and the latest security patches are some of the other ways to ensure cloud security. Data privacy is also another aspect that has to be considered when cloud computing operations are undertaken, and appropriate measures must be put in place. 

4)    IoT Security

IoT is the hottest topic today and it refers to physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity provisions to collect and exchange data. Automation and monitoring possibilities are unlimited with IoT and this helps to improve efficiency and reduce cost in many touchpoints. 

Some of the methods to ensure IOT security is the use of strong passwords, secured networks between devices, end-point security solutions for devices, implementing the latest security patches, use of network monitoring tools, secure authentication, etc

5)    Security in Remote Work

The COVID pandemic has caused tremendous disruption on various fronts. Remote working and hybrid working arrangements are now slowly becoming the norm. In this background, protecting company assets and sensitive data is more challenging. Some tangible measures to ensure good cybersecurity in remote working are the use of virtual private networks, educating employees on best practices, regular refresher training, implementing endpoint security like antivirus and firewalls, strong enforcement of organizational security policies and testing the policies in real-time, close monitoring of network traffic, undertaking penetration testing by external parties, etc.

Why GRhombustech?

GRhombustech is among the leading software development companies in UAE. We are also a leader in offering Edtech solutions in the USA and the best software testing company in the UK. Apart from these areas, GRhombus has established itself as a pioneer in Data Visualization, IoT Testing, Salesforce Development, and Cloud Testing. Driven by the guidance of experts with more than 25 years of industry experience, the GRhombus family now has over 200 employees spread all over the globe.

For additional details, please contact us

Security threats are everywhere these days, and they’re only getting worse as more of our day-to-day activities move online. To counter this, some companies are adopting Zero Trust cybersecurity practices as part of their security strategy. But what exactly does it mean? And does it work? This guide will answer all your questions about Zero Trust in Cybersecurity so you can decide whether or not it’s the right fit for your company’s defense plan.

What Is Zero Trust?

The term Zero Trust is becoming increasingly popular in cybersecurity circles, but what does it mean? Simply put, Zero Trust is a trust-less security model. That means that instead of relying on centralized access control mechanisms or federated identity models, the system assumes that any user or device (e.g., from an IoT network) can be malicious and should be treated accordingly. This includes requiring authentication for every request and expecting data to be authenticated by the originator (e.g., via encryption).
What are the advantages of Zero Trust?
The primary advantage of Zero Trust is that it’s highly secure; even if your credentials are compromised, they’re useless if you don’t have access privileges on specific devices or services.

Benefits Of A Zero Trust Security Policy

Adopting a Zero Trust Security policy is one of the most important ways that organizations can protect their data. This model requires the complete removal of all trust, including even trust between departments and business partners. It’s more secure because it forces users to prove they have permission before accessing any information, which adds an extra layer of protection against hackers who may be attempting to steal data from your network. A Zero Trust Security Policy also eliminates single points of failure by decentralizing systems and authentication methods.

How Does It Work?

The Zero Trust model is predicated on the idea that no single entity or process can be trusted without verification. This includes the administrator, an endpoint’s security software, and any network hardware. To avoid unnecessary risk, Zero Trust networks only allow access to resources on a need-to-know basis. From an operational perspective, this means that any data or system access request must first be verified before it is granted. This requirement might sound like a hindrance at first but it actually has some significant benefits that make it worth considering for your next cybersecurity project. For example, Zero Trust networks are very easy to set up and administer because they are self-organizing and self-regulating.

Core Principles of Zero Trust

The four core principles of Zero Trust Security are as follows:

1. Identify and authenticate devices and users with strong authentication (with the goal of making it not possible for unauthorized devices or users to access the system).
2. Deploy data isolation, restricting information flows between networks, applications, and platforms.
3. Monitor the entire environment with a security operations center that monitors all traffic in and out of your network perimeter, including virtual systems that may reside on the same physical hardware as your production systems.
4. Make use of a layered defense model that employs an array of tools across many different categories so that you can be sure no single event will cause catastrophic failure for your organization.

Going Beyond The Basics

In the world of cyber security, a Zero Trust approach means that networks are not implicitly trusted. This differs from the traditional trust everybody model of security, which some companies still use.
The concept behind Zero Trust is that nobody should be fully trusted and there should be no reliance on a perimeter around the network to keep intruders out. Instead, all resources are hardened (made as resistant to attack as possible) and monitored for potential issues or malicious activity. The end result is a more secure environment than with traditional methods alone.

Best Practices for Implementing Zero Trust

At a high level, Zero Trust is an information security model designed to better protect the organization’s data by not granting any privileges automatically. This means that all actions are verified and authorized before they are executed.
At a more granular level, there are six principles of Zero Trust that can be implemented using security tools:
1) Identify users and devices with an Identity system.
2) Authorize access to applications, data, and network resources on demand.
3) Encrypt everything.
4) Secure everything from endpoint to endpoint.
5) Monitor everything.
6) Isolate risky functions or traffic for additional protection.

Challenges of Implementing Zero Trust Security Policies

• There is no such thing as 100% security – there will always be a vulnerability, but with zero trust you can minimize the risk.
• Employees need to be trained on the new policies and procedures so they don’t take shortcuts or assume what should happen. This takes time and resources.
• Zero trust may not work for all organizations, and even if it does it will require a significant transition period that could disrupt productivity for some employees.