Simple Protection Can Defeat Complex Cyberattacks

Simple Protection Can Defeat Complex Cyberattacks 

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You may think that stopping complex cyberattacks by sophisticated gangs requires deploying complicated (and expensive) solutions. But that’s not always the case. It’s totally possible to protect your business from some of today’s most devastating cyberattacks without breaking the bank. In fact, you only need to use one resource to do it – yet an estimated 50% of businesses aren’t using it.

That magic tool is multifactor authentication (MFA). Microsoft has noted that multifactor authentication alone can stop up to 99% of password-based cyberattacks cold. That includes potentially damaging attacks like password-spraying, brute force hacking, systems intrusion and more – even malware like ransomware. MFA can also give you an edge against the impact of a phishing incident by making that phished password useless automatically.

MFA is an important part of secure identity and access management, a security category that empowers businesses to control who has access to what quickly and easily. It makes it simple for comianies to make sure that the right people have access to the right things – and only the right people. Keeping your data in and cybercriminals out.

Talk to your MSP about adding MFA to your security plan with an affordable, dynamic secure identity and access management solution like Passly and deploy this powerful weapon to secure your business.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

Now More Than Ever, Getting the Right Advice on Cybersecurity is Critical

Now More Than Ever, Getting the Right Advice on Cybersecurity is Critical

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These days, stories of devastating cyberattacks are in the news every day. From frightening attacks on infrastructure targets by nation-state threat actors to ransomware threats from small-time operators looking to make a quick buck, cybersecurity threats are around every corner for businesses in 2021. Last year, more than 80% of businesses saw an increase in cyber threats in a record-breaking year for cybercrime – and damaging attacks like ransomware are already up by more than 40% in 2021. How can your business stay safe from cyberattacks in this volatile atmosphere?

An assortment of variables can impact your company’s safety, from the industry that you’re in to the desirability of your data. Even the location of your company can play a part in your likelihood of experiencing cybercrime. Your employees’ habits and your staff makeup can also impact your security calculus in good and bad ways. Don’t forget to consider the conditions of the world economy and the dark web economy as factors. Plus, the way that technology is changing and potentially providing cybercriminals with new avenues of attack.

The size of your business won’t keep you safe from cybercrime either. Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) have value as strategic targets that enable cybercriminals to gain access to larger operations. Even without that aspect, SMBs aren’t a potential profit center that cybercriminals are going to overlook. Not only can they provide valuable data and other assets, but they can also be profitable sources for making a quick profit from ransoms. Two in five SMBs were the victims of a ransomware attack in 2020.

An estimated 47% of small businesses aren’t adequately prepared for a cyberattack. Are you? Make sure that you’re ready for trouble by making the right cybersecurity moves with expert guidance from a trusted partner like an MSP. to give your business an edge against cybercrime as the threat level continues to rise.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

Industry & Regional Dangers Can Complicate Your Security

Industry & Regional Dangers Can Complicate Your Security

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While you’re considering your security needs, are you also considering your unique threats by industry or region? Cybersecurity isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition in any business. you may face a higher incidence of certain threats depending on your region, as some cybercrime types are more prevalent by locale. In North America, Asia and Australia, social engineering through things like phishing reign as the leading regional cause of danger, but for European firms that factor changes to web application attacks, with social engineering in third place.

The reasons why companies are attacked change by region as well. Malicious insiders and cybercriminals have different motivations for undertaking cyberattacks in different parts of the world, and that can add variables that change your risk calculation. In North America and the Asia Pacific region including Australia, over 96% of the bad actors involved in data breach incidents are in it for the dough. While that is still the largest motivator for bad actors in Europe, that figure drops to 89%. 

Considering regional and industry risks is also important when you’re forming relationships with new vendors to determine what level of risk they may be bringing to the table. Unaddressed vulnerabilities in a supplier or service provider’s cybersecurity can have a negative impact n your business too. One great way to mitigate that risk is to add multifactor authentication (MFA) to your credentials to provide extra protection against intrusion with a stolen or compromised credential. An affordable secure identity and access management solution like Passly includes MFA and more tools to help you guard your systems and data from third-party risk. 

To make sure that you’re protecting your organization correctly and completely, schedule a cybersecurity tuneup at least once per year. By going over your resources and determining where you may have unexpected vulnerabilities because if regional variances, you’ll increase your company’s cyber resilience making it more able to withstand a dangerous cybersecurity landscape.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

Automation Reduces Delays and Headaches

Automation Reduces Delays and Headaches 

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Everyone dreads having something go wrong in IT. The process of filing tickets, looking for answers and tracking down personnel doesn’t improve your day. But there is an easier way to get the job done. By choosing security solutions that make the most of today’s smart automation technology you can save your employees time and headaches – and you won’t have to blow up your budget to do it.

Security automation is an essential tool for businesses that want to maximize every dollar that they spend on security. In a recent report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute, experts noted that security automation can save more than 80% of the cost of manual security. That’s a big chunk of change for a small investment. 

In the same report, researchers uncovered another important piece of information: an estimated 80% of leading cyber-resilient organizations rely on security automation for all kinds of tasks. Why wait for a trouble ticket to resolve when you can just reset your password immediately using automation technology. Plus, smart solutions that utilize AI are constantly learning, reducing the need for maintenance.

Best of all, today’s automation technology isn’t expensive, allowing every business to access the benefits. Talk to your MSP about adding smart automation to your security plan and you can choose from an array of affordable options including dynamic solutions from ID Agent and Graphus to secure your business without breaking the bank.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

Does a Data Breach Damage Your Company’s Financing Prospects?

Does a Data Breach Damage Your Company’s Financing Prospects? 

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The last thing that you want to discover when your company is in a bind is that a data breach that you had two years ago is impacting your ability to secure new financing at a rate that you can afford, but that’s exactly what has happened to many companies in the last few years.

In a recent study by the American Accounting Association, “Do Banks Price Firms’ Data Breaches?” it’s easy to see that a data breach can be a huge blot on a company’s financing prospects from banks and other lenders. Companies that experience a breach pay higher interest rates, face a 22% higher loan spread and a 40-basis-point increase as well as negative impacts on their collateral requirements and loan covenants.

The best way to stay out of that group is to take every possible security measure that you can to keep your systems and data safe. The most effective one for you to adopt immediately is secure identity and access management using a smart, affordable solution like Passly. Just by adding Multifactor Authentication (MFA), you’ll stay safe from 99.9% of password-based cybercrime. Plus, Passly gives you so many additional security boosters it’s like getting three solutions for the price of one.

Waiting until you’ve had a security disaster isn’t a good way to save money. Make a small investment in secure identity and access management now to ensure that you’re taking sensible precautions to protect your organization’s financial future.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

Businesses Report Increasing Cyberattacks in 2021

Businesses Report Increasing Cyberattacks in 2021

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2020 was a banner year for cybercrime, and that trend isn’t slowing down in 2021. In a recent survey, more than 35% of businesses reported double-digit increases in cyberattack threats including ransomware and nation-state threats. At the same rate, hiring people with security experience for in-house security is extremely difficult and risks are changing constantly. How can you defend your business effectively? 

By turning to the same thing that the big players are using: security automation. Today’s smart tools enable companies to make a lean team more effective in spotting and stopping security threats. In fact, more than 40% of the organizations in IBM’s most recent cyber resilience survey cited security automation as a major factor in their success at improving their cybersecurity posture.  

Strengthening your security without a big spend is especially important in an era of burgeoning risk and shrinking budgets. In the same survey, researchers reported that choosing solutions that employ security automation can save more than 80% of the cost of solutions that rely on manual security, welcome news after a year of pandemic-related expense.  

Most solutions that include security automation also include other powerful protections against cybercrime. From automated password resets that accompany multifactor authentication and single sign-on in a solution like Passly to automatically delivered security awareness training from a solution like BullPhish ID, today’s strong solutions pack a punch that knocks out cybercrime making security automation a smart choice for every business.  

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831

A Strong Security Culture is Your Secret Weapon

A Strong Security Culture is Your Secret Weapon 

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In a volatile risk landscape, businesses are looking for new ways to improve their security and avoid becoming victims of cybercrime like 2 in 5 SMBs did in 2020. But as businesses continue to grapple with the challenges of the continuing pandemic, and no one has the time or the budget to vet and purchase a bunch of new solutions.

Good news – you don’t really need to. One resource that you already have at your disposal is a more powerful defense against cybercrime than any software you can buy: your employees. By building and maintaining a strong security culture you can harness and direct the power of this asset, putting it to work to bolster your company’s security.

Making cybersecurity a priority starts with security-forward leadership at the top. If security is a priority for the boss, employees will make it a priority too. Establishing clear policies and procedures around cyber security that are enforced for everyone helps that focus carry weight for employees, and that makes them more likely to encourage compliance among their peers.

It’s also essential that everyone know that there is no penalty for reporting security concerns or mistakes to anyone. A third of employees in an IBM survey say they don’t report incidents for fear of getting in trouble, losing their jobs, being ridiculed or being forced to take security awareness training (which should never be used as a punishment). Every IT team would rather deal with a problem right away, before it becomes a nightmare, so making it easy for employees to report problems is just good business.

Provide your employees with support that they need to help out, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the result, Rely on a robust security awareness training program using a solution like BullPhish ID to teaches them about phishing and a host of other of cyber threats like ransomware and credential compromise. Empowered employees will feel like they’re part of the security team too, and that gets everyone on the same page to defend your business from cybercrime.

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas 877.860.5831