Smudge attack as an information security threat

Article by: Sudhir GK, CEO and Information Security Consultant, Inzinc Consulting India

Smudge Attack on Smartphones and other devices

Hackers always find new techniques to attack devices and applications. One such novel technique is the "Smudge attack". Smudge attack is a big information security threat particularly for smartphones, tablets and any touch screen devices. So, what is this Smudge attack all about? Let us learn.

A smudge attack is a method to pull out the password pattern of a touch screen device such as a smart phone or tablet computer. The method was investigated by a team of University of Pennsylvania researchers. Studies have shown that 68% of the touch screen patterns can be retrieved successfully.

So, how does a hacker pull out the touch screen pattern on devices? 

While using our smartphones, all of us leave traces of our finger prints on the devices which are epidermal oils. These oils if not cleaned will remain on the touch screen devices. These oily residues are called "smudge". Hackers can use this smudge to track the touch screen patterns and finally may be successful in entering your touch screen device and probably even applications. 

How to prevent smudge attacks on touch screen devices?

There are many ways in which smudge attack can be prevented in touch screen devices. One of the effective methods is to use complex patterns so that it becomes very difficult for the hackers to read the smudge and capture the patterns.

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What is Benchmarking?

Benchmarking is a technique of identifying, comparing and adapting the best business procedures and best practices from different Organizations who are successful in following such practices. If best practices are yielding business growth and prosperity in other Organizations, there should be no reason to adapt these practices in our own Organization.

However, it is to be noted that Benchmarking is not exactly "copying" other Organizational procedures, but to fit in the business model and philosophy into our own business taking into consideration our Organizational culture. 

What is the necessity of Benchmarking?

Benchmarking becomes necessary in Organizations for the following reasons:

• Pressure to lower prices of your product which is Customer and market driven
• Cut-throat competition in today's businesses when every competitor wants to keep its nose ahead of other similar product or service companies
• Pressure to shorten the lead time to supply to the Customers 
• Lower Organizational growth and performance as may be found from self assessments or management system audits
• Lower Technology compared to similar such Organizations can also lead to Organizations seriously think on "benchmarking" best technologies and technological practices

Benchmarking Process:

The steps involved in Benchmarking are as below:

1. Identify what needs to be benchmarked. For example, its it cost, delivery time, quality practice, technology, etc.
2. Once the benchmark metric is identified, then research Organizations who are successful in achieving this measure or metric. Also research the best practices followed by those Organizations
3. Learn about the best practices and train internally
4. Plan the implementation of best practices
5. Implement and monitor the best practices
6. Measure post implementation metric and improve

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What is Quality Circle?

A good collaborative technique of solving work related issues is that of a Quality Circle. A quality circle is a group of employees performing similar work, and who voluntarily meet on a regular basis to find out, analyze and resolve problems related to work. Usually, six to ten people with cross-functional representation form a Quality Circle.

A Brief History of Quality Circles

After the World War II ended in the year 1945, the economy of Japan was devastated and its then Government took a vow to rebuild Japan's economy and state. In this rebuilding process, they called upon two Great personalities called W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran to give lectures on how to build economy with "Quality" as a strategy.

It was during these lectures in the 1950s, the concept of Quality Circles originated. Later, this concept was spread across Japan by mainly Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese Professor at the University of Tokyo.

Key features of the Quality Circles

1. Quality Circles aim to prevent work related problems
2. Quality Circles are voluntary in nature
3. Quality Circles are based on human building and interaction
4. Quality Circles puts emphasis on participation
5. Quality Circles need Top Management support
6. Quality Circles are aimed at realizing improvements in Organization
7. Quality Circles aims for better work environment and job satisfaction
8. Quality Circles provide solutions to Organizational problems

Quality Circles Structure

The structure of the Quality Circles consists of

• Members who are trained in problem solving and who identify and help solve problems
• Leaders who lead a Quality circle to meeting its objectives
• Facilitators who organize meetings and co-ordinate between Quality circles and the other Organizational personnel including Management

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Quality Definition | Quality Meaning | Quality Management

Quality definitions by Management Gurus

Proper understanding of the meaning of the word "Quality" is to be understand by all relevant interested parties in an Organization. This will enable the holistic understanding and application of it in an Organization. Instead of thinking that the Quality word applies to a function or a department in an Organization, the definitions given by Management Gurus will influence all Stakeholders of the Organization to view Quality from the perspectives of Customer, professional work discipline, etc.

Quality definition by Dr. W. Edwards Deming:

Quality Guru and famous American Statistician Dr. W.Edwards Deming defines Quality as "Quality is defined by the satisfaction of the Customers"

Quality definition by Dr. Joseph Juran:

Quality Guru Dr. Joseph Juran defines Quality as "Quality is fitness for use"

Quality definition by Peter Drucker:

Management Guru Peter Drucker defines Quality as "Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the Customer gets from it"

Quality definition by Aristotle:

Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle defines Quality as "Quality is not an act. It is a habit"

Quality definition by Philip Crosby:

Quality Guru Philip Crosby defines Quality as "Quality is free"

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What is Quality Management and seven quality management principles?

What is Quality Management and what does it mean?

Quality Management are set of best management practices to ensure that an organization produces products or deliver services with a consistent desired quality level to meet or exceed the Customer requirements. 

Managing Organization and its processes for Quality is vital if the Organization has to meet or exceed the Customer requirements or meet or exceed its Organizational goals / objectives.

Quality management focuses on four main areas:

1. Quality Planning: Quality planning ensures setting measurable Quality objectives, planning resources and processes to meet the desired objectives
2. Quality Assurance: Quality assurance includes the set of procedures to provide confidence to the Customers that the requirements for quality will be met 
3. Quality Control: Quality control is the set of procedures that ensures that the quality requirements are fulfilled.
4. Quality Improvement: Quality improvement are set of activities to enhance the current level of quality achieved by the Organization. 

Quality Management includes the establishment of Quality Policy that serves as the Quality vision, Quality objectives that serves as Quality mission, and the processes 

Seven Quality Management principles as per ISO 9001:2015

The Seven Quality Management Principles according to ISO 9001:2015 standard are as follows:

1. Customer Focus
2. Leadership
3. Engage your people
4. Process approach
5. Improvement
6. Evidence based decision making
7. Relationship management

(Courtesy: ISO)

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What are Quality Costs? What are the 4 types of Quality Costs?

What are Quality Costs?

Quality costs or Cost of Quality (COQ) are the costs associated with the Quality related efforts by Organizational personnel. Every Organization puts a certain level of effort in maintaining the Quality level that it claims for its products and services or that meet the expectations of its Customers. These costs are called Quality Costs.

An American Quality Control expert called Armand V. Feigenbaum first introduced this concept of cost of Quality in the year 1956 in a Business Management article.

Till this concept was introduced, Financial personnel did not think that there can be costs associated in maintaining the Quality level in an Organization. It was an eye opener to understand that "Quality also costs".

What are the types of Quality Costs?

Armand Feigenbaum has identified the costs of Quality as shown in the figure below:

According to Feigenbaum, there are two major categories of Cost of Quality:

1. Costs of Conformance: Costs of Conformance are costs to ensure conformance of products and services by controlling them, and is sub-divided into: 
• Prevention Costs: These are costs that are incurred to prevent non-conformance from happening. Examples include Cost of training personnel on Quality requirements, Cost of planning for Quality, cost of implementing Statistical Quality Control techniques, development of Quality systems and costs associated with its sustenance, etc.
• Appraisal Costs: These are costs that are incurred to ensure the conformance through measurement and monitoring. Examples include audits, inspection, testing, calibration etc. Testing can be acceptance testing, field testing or testing of materials.
2. Costs of Non-conformance: Costs of Non-conformance are costs incurred in the event of failure of controls and is sub-divided into: 
• Internal Failure Costs: These are costs that are incurred because of failure of products and services and is observed before shipping the products to the Customer or before delivering services to the Customer. Examples include cost of producing defects, cost of scrapping, cost of rework, cost of repair, cost of re-design, cost of downtime, cost of time spent in sorting the scrap, etc.
• External Failure Costs: These are costs that are incurred because of failure of products and services and is observed after shipping the products to the Customer or after delivering services to the Customer. Examples include cost of complaints under warranty, cost of complaints after warranty period, cost of recall of the product, cost of returns, cost of loss of brand reputation, cost of penalties from Customers, cost of liability or lawsuit, etc.

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