Like many of the past few years, this year has witnessed a significant surge in high-profile ransomware attacks. If you haven't already strategized how to safeguard your business from these threats, now is the time to act. Fortunately, you can take several proactive measures to mitigate the impact of ransomware attacks, and it all starts with preparation.
Running a business has definite highs and lows. When things start spiraling seemingly out of control, it’s important to maintain the confidence that with the right decision-making and conscientious action, you can get through any problem that a business faces. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss some of the technology that can help you get through tough situations.
Here’s something not-so-fun but incredibly important to talk about: Malware attacks.
And it’s bad news. These scary cyber threats are hitting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) harder than ever before. That means you need to know how you can defend your business.
First things first, what exactly is malware?
Think of it as the digital equivalent of the germs that make you sick. Malware, short for malicious software, is like the flu virus of the cyber world. It's designed to sneak into your computer systems or network and wreak havoc in all sorts of ways.
So, what kinds of malware are we talking about here?
Well, according to a recent report, there are a few major troublemakers: Information-stealing malware, ransomware, and business email compromise (BEC).
You might be wondering why you should care about malware. Let me set the scene. You're running your business smoothly, minding your own business, when BAM! A malware attack hits.
Suddenly, your files are encrypted, your systems are locked down, and you're being held hostage for ransom.
Sounds like a nightmare, right?
That's the reality for many SMBs facing malware attacks. It's not just about losing money - it's about the potential damage to your reputation, your operations, and your customers' trust.
But there are plenty of ways to fight back against malware and keep your business safe and sound:
Educate your team
Teach your employees to spot phishing emails (an email pretending to be from someone you trust), suspicious links, and other sneaky tactics used by cyber criminals. A little awareness goes a long way.
Armor up your devices
Make sure all your computers and devices are equipped with the best software to prevent attacks.
Back up, back up, back up
Regularly back up your data to secure offsite locations. That way, if you are attacked, you'll have a backup plan (literally) to restore your files.
Fortify your network
Improve your network security with firewalls, encryption, and other powerful weapons. We can help with all of that.
Stay skeptical
Be cautious of suspicious emails or requests for sensitive information. When in doubt, double-check the sender's identity and never click on risky links or attachments.
Have a plan
Prepare an incident response plan for dealing with malware attacks. Think of it as your emergency playbook, complete with steps for containing the threat, recovering your data, and reporting the incident.
That’s a lot to take in, but remember, knowledge is power. These are all things we help our clients with, so they don’t have to worry about it. If we can help you too, get in touch.
How can you know when your organization should upgrade its technology infrastructure? The truth is that it’s not always immediately obvious when you should do so, as there are countless factors in play to consider at any given time. Today, we want to help your business determine when to bite the bullet and upgrade your technology.
When it comes to running a successful business, customer confidence is everything. It can make or break your business’ reputation. If you’re too reckless with your customers, why would anyone else be willing to sign on with you? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can build customer confidence, and technology plays a pivotal role in many of them. Today, we want to explore how you can build customer confidence through the use of business technology solutions.
As necessary as technology is in modern business operations, a variety of common IT-related obstacles must be overcome for your efforts to succeed. Fortunately, partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) can make these obstacles less “mountain” and more “molehill.” Let’s examine some of the most often seen business technology challenges and discuss how a relationship with an MSP helps alleviate them.
One of the best things about the move towards streaming in media is that since people love watching real-life stories, studios have committed to creating documentary content that provides interesting perspectives. Many people don’t have a comprehensive understanding of technology, especially as it relates to real-world situations, so dramatized documentaries can be a good source of information. Today, we’re going to go through three riveting technology documentaries that are available on streaming services.
One of the biggest signs that your business is doing well is that it is growing. When it starts to grow, you might notice that your office suddenly feels a little cramped. While moving an office can be stressful, it is often necessary to ensure that your company can continue to flourish. From an IT perspective, it can be even more challenging.
Picture this: You're going about your day, checking your emails, when suddenly you see a message from a company you trust.
You think, "Great! That’s safe to read”. But hold on just one minute… this email is not what it seems.
It’s part of yet another scam created by cyber criminals to trick you into clicking malicious links or giving up sensitive info. It's called "SubdoMailing," and it's as dangerous as it sounds.
What's the deal?
Just like regular phishing attacks, cyber criminals pretend to be trusted brands.
But here's how it works: These cyber criminals scour the internet for subdomains of reputable companies. You know those extra bits in a web address that come before the main domain? Such as experience.trustedbrand.com. That ‘experience’ bit is the subdomain.
They find a subdomain that the brand is no longer using and is still pointing to an external domain that’s no longer registered.
Then they buy the domain and set up the scam website.
So, you believe you’re clicking on experience.trustedbrand.com… but you have no idea it automatically redirects to scamwebsite.com.
The criminals are sending out five million emails a day targeting people in businesses just like yours.
And because these emails are coming from what seems like a legit source, they often sail right past usual security checks and land in your inbox.
Here’s our advice to keep you and your data safe and sound:
As always, if you need help with this or any other aspect of your email security, get in touch.
It is important to keep modern computers clean, and laptops are no exception. However, a laptop's different form factor makes cleaning it much different from cleaning a traditional desktop computer.
Since it was first documented in 1989, ransomware has only become far more severe, ruthless, and, most of all, prevalent. Let’s review some important statistics to remember if you are to understand ransomware and, even more importantly, avoid its impact on your business.
Believe it or not, if you were to rank your business’ greatest threats, risk factors, and vulnerabilities, your users would most likely belong somewhere toward the top. Human error is a big challenge to your security simply because cybercriminals understand that your employees are, in fact, human and will, in fact, make mistakes.
Let’s explore how cyberattacks exploit this tendency and how you can better protect your business from the ramifications.
Among IT professionals, an acronym is sometimes used when discussing certain issues and challenges: “PEBKAC,” or Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. In other words, user error.
Effective teamwork is indispensable for business success. Collaboration stands out as an extremely important consideration, yet devising a strategy that expedites project completion and enhances service delivery poses challenges. This week, we get into modern collaboration practices and how technology can help you improve collaboration.
You might have noticed that some of your younger workers are leaving your business much earlier than you might expect them to. This could be because of a phenomenon called “shift shock,” which examines employee engagement and satisfaction. Let’s consider how shift shock could potentially harm your business.
Keyboard shortcuts are undeniably useful—to the point that some are almost ubiquitous. However, there are a lot that aren’t, and they are just about as useful. We wanted to introduce you to these shortcuts so you can incorporate them into your workflows.
A new security report has revealed some alarming trends.
First off, cyber attacks are becoming faster than ever. Breakout times (that’s the time it takes for a criminal to move within your network after first getting in) have dropped significantly. We're talking an average of just 62 minutes compared to 84 minutes last year.
This is not good news.
Not only are these attacks faster, but they're also becoming more common. The report has identified a whopping 34 new cyber criminal groups, bringing the total to over 230 groups tracked by the company.
And guess what? These cyber criminals aren't sitting around twiddling their thumbs. They're getting smarter and more sophisticated. The report highlights a new record breakout time of just two minutes and seven seconds. That's barely enough time to grab a coffee, let alone mount a defense.
But here's the real kicker: The human factor is increasingly becoming the main entry point for these cyber attacks.
They will try to get your people to click a link in a phishing email, which will take them to a fake login page. Once your employee enters their real login details, they have inadvertently handed them over.
Or they pretend to be someone your team trusts. This is called social engineering.
So, what can you do to protect your business from these cyber threats?
· Educate your employees
Make sure your team is aware of the latest cyber threats and how to spot them. Regular training sessions can go a long way in preventing costly mistakes.
· Implement strong password policies
Encourage the use of complex random passwords generated and remembered by password managers. Use multi-factor authentication for an added layer of security (this is where you use a second device to confirm it’s really you logging in).
· Keep your systems updated
Make sure all software and systems are up to date with the latest security patches. Cyber criminals often exploit known vulnerabilities, so staying current is key.
· Invest in cyber security software
Consider investing in reputable cyber security software that can help detect and mitigate threats in real-time (we can help with this).
· Backup your data
Regularly backup your data and store it in a secure location. In the event of a cyber attack, having backups can help minimize downtime and data loss.
When it comes to cyber security, it's better to be safe than sorry. If we can help you to stay better prepared, get in touch.
When taking stock of your business assets, technology is particularly critical to pay attention to. Let’s discuss why this is and what you must do to manage it properly.
As technology seeps into every part of everyday life, the market for technology has exploded. This has led to technology companies growing to be massive and seemingly uncontrollable entities. Let’s take a look at big tech and its effect on society.
