New Horizons…

It has been a little while since I last blogged. My apologies – so, what happened? Well, I changed job and continents – literally and figuratively: new horizons.

I am writing this blog from here in Los Angeles, California. I took up the exciting offer of moving over here to head up the Product Management effort in establishing Norton in the brave and different world of Mobile. I have not been disappointed, in either my choice of new job, nor my new country.

The past months have been head down focused on building a team, on building technology and building products. It’s been quite a ride. To be fair it has not all been about work – mostly, mind you. However, I have found some time to attempt to learn to surf and retrain myself to play ‘soccer’.

I had time to attend CES in Las Vegas last week. The show is now not so much about the big set piece announcements, rather, a showcase as to the possible: a window to new horizons. A brave new world awaits. From my standpoint, it means that the Norton mobile team has much to ponder and to navigate in providing a whole new generation of product and services. Fundamentally, what is ‘security’ in this context? For sure, it is different. There are some things we can leverage from our past experience, most of it we will have to build anew and look to the spirit of innovation to propel us onwards. Again, new horizons come into view. It is going to be very interesting – I will be sure to give you a view and insight into just how different it all is.

January 21, 2012 | Filed Under Miscellaneous, Mobile, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

How to stay safe when scanning QR codes

Guest post from Simon Ellson.

As I went gift shopping over the festive season, I found that most adverts I walked past on the London Underground had QR codes.

I think most people are familiar with QR codes but if you aren’t;  QR (Quick Response) codes are a type of matrix barcode that companies add to adverts and posters that, if scanned using a QR reader on a mobile device, take you to a website for further information related to the advertisement or poster on which the QR code appeared.

QR codes were created and originally used by the automotive industry as an efficient way to track vehicles during the manufacturing process but they are now used widely as an advertising aid.

However, they are also open to misuse by criminals;

Imagine a wall of advertisements with their QR codes displayed.  Then imagine how easy it would  be for a criminal to stick their own QR rogue code over a bona fide one.  Someone quickly scanning the advert as they walk past probably wouldn’t notice that the original QR code has been tampered with and that they were potentially infecting their mobile device courtesy of a rogue QR code.

This type of attack on a smart phone is known as attagging.

We all need to be aware of these dangers and be vigilant when scanning QR codes for signs of tampering. 2d Code recently provided tips on how you can scan a QR code safely. One of the tips that they gave was to install an app on your mobile device. This gives an added level of security and helps to protect your stuff.

2d Code recommends using Norton Snap. This is a free QR code reader which functions as a typical reader and also provides the added benefit of security to the scan.  Norton Snap analyses web sites to see how they will affect you and your device before you actually visit that site.

You can download Norton Snap via iTunes or the Android market place.

QR is short for Quick Response  and if you act too quickly you could get a quick response you were not expecting.  Stay safe!

January 4, 2012 | Filed Under Identity theft, Mobile, Security | Leave a Comment