A recent study states that 40% of of used digital devices still contained personal information from previous owners. This should be a worrying figure for anyone who works with sensitive personal, financial, or medical information in their organization. It should be even more worrying for those who fall under security or privacy compliance requirements. The …
Safely Disposing of Hard Drives and Other Media Formats Read More »
You need a password manager! It seems like ages ago when people started to complain about having too many passwords to remember. “Ohh, how could I possibly remember FIVE passwords?” Now we have dozens are even hundreds to remember. The promises of a single password to rule them all just haven’t materialized. Sure, there are systems …
Ransomware is the new big topic in cyber threats. It’s not really that new, though. The recent extortion model came to exist with the rise of cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin). This model of Ransomware has exploded in the last two years with almost everyone on the internet touched by it in some way. Most ransomware works much …
We’ve all seen the explosion of ransomware that hit last year. Huge payouts such as the $17,000 from Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center to regain control of critical medical devices and information were big headlines in 2016. What can we expect this year? Well, targeted ransomware, higher payouts, and advanced delivery methods. 1. Targeted Ransomware So …
As a business owner, your first goal is to keep your business running and stable. You focus on products, services, clients, sales, finances, employees, and more every single day. As the business grows, you begin hiring employees and outsourcing tasks. You may hire a sales manager, but outsource accounting. For many roles, the decision to …
Most smaller businesses have relied only on anti-virus software and firewall systems for security for many years. These have mostly worked to keep attackers and cyber criminals at bay. But as more sophisticated threats turn attention from larger businesses, governments, and banks to smaller business, it’s time to rethink that model. Today’s threats acknowledge these …
I have anti-virus and a firewall in my small business. I’m good, right? Read More »
As we start a new year, we have a great opportunity to do so securely. Here are a few ways to start the year off right: 1. Train your workforce to spot ransomware (and phishing and social engineering attacks) While backups are a great way to ensure ransomware doesn’t completely cripple your company, empowering users to detect …
A large part of any company’s security plan if the security controls. Security controls are a set of directives that must be followed within an organization. For those who have compliance requirements, you are likely already subject to a set of controls such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NERC CIP, or others. Because you are already required …
The first step in securing your small or mid-sized business is to develop a plan. This plan does not need to be complicated, extreme, or long. In face, it needs to be simple, easy to follow, and just long enough to communicate the information. There are a few key parts that need to be in …
Small and mid-sized business (SMBs) are unique in their security needs. They have received very little attention from the security industry by anything more than a drive by hardware or software salesman. Their uniqueness doesn’t come from any special security situation, but from size and resource availability. Most security standards, frameworks, and guidance are focused on large …