Frequently Asked Questions About Cybersecurity

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What Is The Best Way To Protect My Business From Breaches?

Businesses of all sizes, from large corporations to small local companies, are increasingly concerned about cyber security threats. Protecting sensitive data and information is essential for any business that wants to remain secure, compliant with industry regulations, and stay ahead of the competition. Various methods are available to protect businesses from breaches, including preventive measures such as firewall protection, antivirus software, and employee training on best practices. Also, having effective incident response protocols can help mitigate damage caused by successful attacks.

When implementing these strategies, it is vital to ensure they are tailored to meet your company’s or organization’s specific needs. For example, different forms of encryption may be suitable for different scenarios depending on the type of data being stored or processed. Business owners should also analyze their infrastructure for areas where vulnerabilities might exist and identify ways to address them before an attack occurs. Finally, regularly monitoring systems helps detect potential issues quickly and allows organizations to take appropriate action when necessary.

How Can I Ensure My Employees Are Properly Trained In Cybersecurity Awareness?

Employees are a vital component in ensuring cybersecurity protection for businesses. Proper training and awareness of potential threats can help safeguard confidential information from unauthorized access and cyberattacks. Therefore, measures must be taken to ensure employees understand the dangers associated with online security.

Organizations should invest time and resources into providing comprehensive employee education on cybersecurity best practices such as antivirus software updates, password management, data encryption techniques, email safety protocols, and more. Additionally, organizations should regularly assess their internal policies surrounding cybersecurity by conducting risk assessments or penetration tests to identify any vulnerabilities within their existing systems. Employees must also be trained to respond if they encounter suspicious activity or have witnessed a breach to mitigate further damage and consequences.

By equipping employees with the necessary knowledge and tools to protect themselves against malicious actors, organizations can reduce the risks posed by cybercriminals while creating an environment where individuals feel safe utilizing digital platforms. Such an approach will provide companies with peace of mind knowing that they have done everything possible to secure their business against future attacks.

Are There Any Additional Security Measures I Can Take Beyond Encryption?

Encryption is a security measure used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. It converts data into an unreadable format that no one can understand without the correct encryption key. However, there are additional measures businesses can take beyond encryption further to secure their systems and data from cyber threats.

Businesses should consider implementing authentication methods such as two-factor or biometric authentication to protect against potential hackers. Additionally, restricting network access on a need-to-know basis with identity and access management software helps avoid granting unnecessary access privileges to users and devices that may not require them. Furthermore, firewalls, antivirus programs, intrusion detection systems (IDS), virtual private networks (VPNs), and other monitoring tools can help detect malicious activities within the network environment. Regularly scheduled risk assessments are also crucial for identifying any weaknesses in the system’s infrastructure and addressing them before they become significant problems.

By implementing these measures alongside encryption, businesses can create a more robust defense against potential cybersecurity threats. Taking steps like training employees in best practices for online safety and physical security of equipment will also significantly reduce the chances of falling victim to malicious activity.

How Can I Stay Informed About The Latest Cybersecurity Trends?

Staying informed on the latest cybersecurity trends is essential for businesses today. It can help ensure they are adequately safeguarded against threats and data breaches. With this in mind, there are several ways to stay up-to-date with the newest developments in cyber security.

One way to keep track of current trends is by subscribing to industry newsletters or following experts on social media platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn. This will make learning about new products, services, and technologies related to cyber security easier. Additionally, attending seminars or webinars hosted by industry professionals can also be a great source of information, as these events typically feature presentations from leading experts who provide insights into the state of the field.

Moreover, joining professional organizations dedicated to cybersecurity allows business owners to network with other professionals and gain access to valuable resources. These networks often host periodic meetings where members discuss the most pressing issues facing their respective industries and share best practices for protecting against emerging threats. Additionally, many associations offer certification programs that can help business owners develop their skillset while staying up-to-date on the latest advancements in cybersecurity technology.

What Is The Best Way To Respond To A Ransomware Attack?

Ransomware attacks have become increasingly common in recent years, and they can cause significant financial losses to businesses of all sizes. It is, therefore, important for organizations to have an effective plan to respond quickly and effectively if a ransomware attack occurs.

The following are some critical steps that should be taken when responding to a ransomware attack:

  1. Immediately disconnect the infected system from any networks or other devices it may be connected to.
  2. Back up any remaining data on the infected machine so it can be recovered immediately after neutralizing the attack.
  3. Keep detailed records of every step taken during the response process, including timestamps and actions taken by the personnel involved in recovering from the attack.
  4. Seek assistance from qualified IT professionals who specialize in responding to ransomware attacks. This will help ensure the recovery process goes smoothly and efficiently with minimal disruption to operations.

Organizations must also ensure their cybersecurity posture is robust enough to prevent future attacks from occurring in the first place through measures such as regularly updating software, encrypting sensitive data, implementing multi-factor authentication, monitoring network activity closely, and training staff on best practices for safe online behavior. Taking these precautions now can save time and money by minimizing damage caused by potential security breaches due to negligence or malicious intent.

5 of the Largest Cyberattacks of 2022

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Cyberattacks of 2022 impacted businesses of all shapes and sizes, leaving companies in disrepair and still struggling to this day to rectify the issues that were caused by these hackers. Keep reading as we discover the cyberattacks that shocked the world last year.

5. Medibank

Medibank is one of Australia’s largest health insurers. The company was the victim of a ransomware attack in October, 2022. On October 13, the company noticed suspicious activity on their systems, only to realize that the whole system was compromised a few days later. The hackers tried to settle with the company, which they didn’t accept. They announced the attack about a month later, sharing that 9.7 million past, current, and potential customers had their financial and personal information leaked as a result of this attack.

The hackers released files labeled “naughty-list” and “good-list” online, sharing information on the “naughty-list” about patients with mental health conditions, drug-related treatment, and HIV positive status.

4. Lapsus$

Lapsus$ is a hacking collective that wreaked havoc in 2022 when they attacked some of the world’s largest companies. Victims of theirs included Samsung, Microsoft, and T-Mobile, as well as the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination records. A group of young individuals who used social engineering to gain access to the networks stole critical information from these companies. With their expertise in data exfiltration, we just have to hope they won’t cause more problems in the future for companies around the world.

3. Ronin Network

The biggest cryptocurrency theft of the year shocked the world when the Ronin Network was hacked by the North Korean group Lazarus. Ronin Network is an Axie Infinity property and was contacted on LinkedIn via a fake company. Unfortunately, employees fell for this connection, offering job interviews and offers to individuals. The official job PDF was then used to corrupt nodes, compromise computers, and validate transactions with Sky Mavis’ Ronin blockchain.

A shocking $625 million dollars of USDC and Ethereum cryptocurrency was exchanged during this time period. Sky Mavis was at the center of the coverage surrounding this attack, as the game developer uses an in-game currency called RON. The Ronin Network is still recovering from this attack and trying to rebuild their reputation.

2. Costa Rica

Pro-Russian hacking group Conti performed one of the biggest cyberattacks of 2022 against Costa Rica on May 8. This ransomware attack disrupted the government’s computing systems and stole information from the Ministry of Finance. They demanded $10 million to avoid exposing the data, which could have destroyed the lives of millions of citizens and business owners in Costa Rica. Rodrigo Chavez Robles, the new President of Costa Rica, worked with cybersecurity professionals from Spain, Israel, the United States, and Microsoft to resolve the issue, but things were only going to get worse.

A few weeks later on May 31, Hive Ransomware Group worked to take over the country’s Social Security system. They corrupted 9,000 endpoints and 800 servers, leaving the government with no choice but to take their systems offline to resolve the issue.

1. Ukraine Cyberattacks

While the four cyberattacks of 2022 we’ve shared so far shocked the world, nothing comes close to the cyberattacks performed against Ukraine. Back in January, the Russian Federation started to carry out huge cyberattacks following the military action on the country, causing even more disruption for this nation. Over the course of the year, 2,000 cyberattacks took place, all of which were aimed at Ukrainian organizations. 

Over 300 of these targeted security and defense organizations, while 400 directly impacted the day-to-day life of civilians. Energy companies, commercial businesses, software development companies, and telecommunication organizations were all impacted. On top of these attacks, over 1,000 separate hacks targeted the military and government of Ukraine. The Kremlin-backed hackers caused many issues for everyone living and working in the country, and we can only hope this year will see the end of these attacks.

As a business owner, you need to protect yourself from cyberattacks. Contact our team of experts today to learn more about how we can help you to secure your business this year.

What is Data Poisoning, and Why Does it Matter?

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While artificial intelligence and machine learning both offer many benefits to business owners and individuals, there are always risks when adding new technology to your workplace. Although technology can help to automate your business and save you money in the long run, data poisoning is something you need to be aware of when implementing new technology. Keep reading as we discover what data poisoning is and why you need to be aware of this risk.

Data Poisoning – What Is It?

When hackers tamper with any machine learning training data, this is what we are referring to when we use the term data poisoning. It’s very similar to other issues such as malware, where someone is hoping to attack your business. The aim of data poisoning is to gain access to the machine learning database, so that incorrect and misleading information is left for the system to learn from. This results in artificial intelligence conclusions which could be detrimental to your future business operations.

You’ll find that there are two different types of data poisoning attacks. The first works to attack the availability of the data that can be read, which is a simpler process for hackers. They just aim to add as much bad data into your database as they possibly can. On the other hand, other attacks will target the works of your database, allowing the system to be manipulated. Both of these types of attacks mean even the most complex machine learning system is useless for your business.

Why Should You Be Concerned About Data Poisoning?

More and more businesses are using artificial intelligence and machine learning in their daily processes. This means that your business is left in the hands of your systems, so when the data is corrupted, there will be more issues in your workplace. 

Many of these systems are still in their very early days, but as data continues to progress and they become more complex, even the smallest of changes could make your system completely useless. With the help of technology, we can work to simplify our business processes, but cybercriminals are doing all that they can to stop this technology from being beneficial to companies around the world.

Protecting Yourself From Data Poisoning

The good news is that there are ways you can protect any database from future issues. Good cybersecurity will help to protect AI and ML databases, stopping them from being corrupted. Make sure you also update your software on a regular basis and keep training your employees so that they are confident in protecting your workplace.

Our team is here to support you with your data security and ensure that you aren’t a victim of data poisoning in the future. Contact us today to discuss any concerns you have about protecting your databases or to learn how we can help you to have your most successful year yet by implementing new technology in your workplace.

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Tip of the Week: Improve Your Privacy When Using LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is a fantastic social platform for workers around the world, but as with any type of social media, you need to be aware of your data privacy when using this site. Today’s tip of the week will help you discover how to improve your privacy when using LinkedIn in the future. When you adjust the settings on your profile, you can reduce the chance of a breach of privacy or people seeing your profile who you would rather keep away from.

Change Your Privacy Settings on LinkedIn

Once you navigate to the LinkedIn website, you’ll find that there’s a profile icon in the top bar of this social media site. It’s located in the right corner of your screen, where you’ll find the option for Settings & Privacy. The left column has an option for Visibility, which you can then select Profile Viewing Options from.

Private Mode offers you more data privacy settings to choose from, allowing you to select your level of privacy based on your personal needs. Someone At [Insert Workplace Here] tells people where you work but not about you, whereas the other is a private and anonymous option. We encourage you to choose the one that fits best with your online presence, which is something only you can decide upon.

Regardless of what you do about your data privacy settings after reading this tip of the week, people will still find out that someone has looked at their profile. You can choose how they will see you when they find this out, such as deleting your company name. When you choose to appear private to other users on LinkedIn, they will also appear private to you. This can impact how useful this social media site is, which is especially important if you work in HR or recruiting.

Data privacy on social media is a very challenging area, and there are still constant improvements to be made by social media companies. We all know how easy it is to share too much online, but you also want to use LinkedIn in a way that could help you secure future jobs. We encourage everyone to be cautious when using any social media site, and think twice before sharing personal information online which could risk your job security.

What would you like us to discuss in our next tip of the week? Contact us today to learn more about how we can support you with data privacy or review our previous weekly tips for more useful advice about data privacy.

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Avoid Phishing Attacks by Checking Out These Link-Checking Tools

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Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of issues with security and malware attacks on computers and devices. When you receive an email or text message, you should always use a link checker to ensure that it’s not a scam. Keep reading to discover some of the top tools which will help anyone to avoid phishing scams in the future.

Why Do You Need to Use a Link Checker?

While you might think that it’s okay to just open a link and see what’s inside, you should always be aware of what you are opening from the internet today. Even when you get an email from a company or person that you know, you never know if the link could in fact have a malware risk or be a phishing scam. Sadly, we see accounts get compromised each and every day by scammers, who can hack into your email or phone account and send suspicious emails.

In business settings, this is just as important, as you never know who in your team could open a link and corrupt your systems. This is why we encourage any business owner to educate their team about the link checking tools we share here today, in order to avoid you becoming the next victim of a malware attack.

Identifying and Copying Links

Before going any further, it’s important to understand what we mean when we are discussing links. A link is defined as any piece of text or a graphic that you can click to take you to another page within your browser. This could either be a piece of hyperlinked text, an image, or it may start with https://. However, just because a link says that it’s going to send you to one site, that might not be the case at all. When links are hidden in text, icons, and graphics, you never know if they are safe, which is why you should always use the following strategy to check the full URL:

On a Desktop or Laptop:

– Hover your mouse over the link.

– Right-click the link.

– Select “Copy Link” or “Copy Link Address” or “Copy Hyperlink”

You have now copied the link and can paste it into any of the link checking tools we share below by using CTRL+V (or right-click and select Paste).

On a Tablet or Smartphone:

– Don’t click the link by accident and open it, as this is an easy mistake to make on mobile devices.

– Hold your finger over the link until the context menu appears.

– Select “Copy Link” or “Copy link address” or “Copy Hyperlink”

Once the link is covered, copy it by holding your finger over the URL field in the tool and pressing paste.

The Best Link Checking Tools to Avoid Malware and Phishing Scams

There are many link checker tools online today, all of which can help to protect you from common scams. It’s best to cross-check your links with a couple of sites, so that you reduce the risk to your business.

Norton Safe Web

https://safeweb.norton.com/

This free tool from Norton offers you a rating stating how dangerous any given link is, so you have a good idea about the risk involved with opening any link.

PhishTank

https://www.phishtank.com/

PhishTank tells you if any link has been involved in phishing scams, as these are much harder to identify than regular links.

Google’s Transparency Report

https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search

This world-famous search engine constantly trawls the internet for phishing risks and malicious websites, which are then saved within the transparency report. Your link will be matched to anything in their records so you are aware of the risk when opening it.

Scan the Link with VirusTotal

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url

Scan the Link is another popular tools that allows you to check links for viruses, however, keep in mind that if the phishing attack isn’t yet documented, it might not be identified.

Are you concerned about suspicious links and the risk they posed to your business? If so, get in touch with our team today to learn more about how we can support you in keeping your business secure this year.

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