MacKeeper Strengthens Database Security

This article discusses how Chris Vickery, a security researcher signed a partnership with the (notoriously questionable) anti-virus software firm MacKeeper.  Chris Vickery is a security researcher who discovered an openly available database of MacKeeper’s users online, as well as several other databases.  Vickery will now lead the Analytical and Security Center, as well as head the Security Watch blog.

These databases are not simply databases in the Internet that happen to be hidden from the public.  Rather, they are inappropriately leaked, sometimes by human error, sometimes on purpose.  There are several issues with these wrongly available databases.  Most importantly, the databases most commonly leaked provide personal information about the customers intended to be kept confidential.  Worse yet, many companies have established programs that make searching this released data easy – easy to find specific names and potentially steal information and ruin an individual’s reputation (à la the infamous Ashley Madison leak).  Further, the company’s image is often tainted after their data is leaked.  Customers have a hard time trusting the company, as they assume the company’s security to be insufficient.  In these ways, private data can have ruinous results if publicly published.

Vickery made a point to advise staff in Information Technologies.  He said that there is a simple test IT employees can use to determine whether the database is freely accessible: employees should try to access the IP addresses and servers they use through their personal computers outside of the office.  Vickery explained that if an IT employee can reach the database from his or her personal computer, then anyone in the world can access the database.  Vickery noted that this simple process was the downfall of most of the databases he found – many employees were careless enough to pass over this crucial, yet effortless detail.

MacKeeper has formed plans to strengthen their security as to be better defended from potential database leaks.  The firm intends to focus on auditing the security software, examining and verifying the software is being used at its maximum potential without any errors.  In addition, MacKeeper will be fully utilizing its partnership with Chris Vickery.  Vickery, known for discovering wrongly published databases and delivering news of hacks and data breaches, will maintain MacKeeper’s Security Watch blog where he will provide advice on security and new vulnerabilities, as to further protect the information of firms and the public.

I wish this article provided more information about how Chris Vickery located MacKeeper’s openly available database – did he use a program, and if so, which one did he use?  I am also interested in who assembles and publishes these databases to the Internet (I later found the answers to these questions in this article: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/database-13-million-mackeeper-users-easily-accessed-online/ ).

Article from: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/mackeeper-partners-with-security-researcher-that-discovered-its-vulnerabilities/