Monday, January 14, 2019

How Work-From-Home Can Open Your Business Up to Breach

How Work-From-Home Can Open Your Business Up to Breach
As the historical debate surrounding work-from-home (WFH) policies continues to reach news headlines, an additional consideration has surfaced: IT security. Home networks in WFH environments can expose your company to security risks, as devices are connected to the internet and can serve as an entry point for hacks.
With the advent of remote working arrangements and rising adoption of smart devices, employees are accessing enterprise software such as cloud-based apps, video conferencing software, and file sharing regularly, resulting in vulnerabilities that black hats can tap into with little to no difficulty.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should discontinue your WFH policy. Instead, consider how you can arm your employees with best practices for securing their devices and networks to avoid breach possibilities.
https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/research-and-analysis/predictions/2019 

Top 3 Benefits of Using IT Support in the Workplace

Technology continues to play a vital role in today's workplace and choosing to partner with an IT support company is an excellent investment that can take your business to even greater levels of success. Whether you have a new startup business or have been around for many years, an IT support company can significantly improve efficiency and enable employees to become much more productive. If you are still undecided, here are just three ways an IT support company can benefit your organization in today's work environment.

#1 Around the Clock IT Services
One of the greatest benefits of using a managed service provider is that it gives your company access to around the clock IT services. Instead of trying to resolve technical issues on your own, you can contact an IT provider to receive immediate assistance. Ultimately, this will significantly reduce downtime for your company and allow your employees to be much more productive. An IT provider is always available at any time to answer questions and can also provide additional training for employees on a wide range of topics, such as cybersecurity or understanding how to operate new technology.

#2 Minimize Expenses
Another advantage of using an IT support company in the workplace is that it is a fantastic way to keep costs to a minimum and improve the bottom line for your business. For example, instead of hiring your own IT department, a managed service provider is a much more affordable option that will give your business access to professional IT services at an affordable rate. On the other hand, hiring your own IT employees is much more expensive, and many companies are unable to afford the additional costs.

#3 Increase Cybersecurity
New cybersecurity threats continue to emerge all of the time in the workplace, and it is important to partner with a managed service provider that focuses on offering the ultimate cybersecurity protection. Of course, these cyber threats are constantly evolving, whether it is ransomware, malware, viruses, phishing scams, or even social engineering attacks.

However, an IT provider can keep your company well-protected with around the clock monitoring services and access to the latest security updates. An IT provider also specializes in data backup and recovery services to ensure that your data is always protected and that you will never have to give in to the demands of a ransomware attack.

Technology will only continue to grow in the business world, and the use of a managed service provider offers a wide variety of benefits for companies of any size. An IT support company is one of the best investments for any business and can give you a competitive advantage over other companies by reducing expenses, increasing cybersecurity, and giving your employees access to around the clock support. Technology is continually changing, but an IT provider will ensure that your business remains on the cutting-edge of technology and can help your company reach its full potential in today's work environment. 

Robert Blake 
877.860.5831

Dark Web ID Trends:

Dark Web ID Trends:Top Source Hits: ID Theft Forums (55%)Top Compromise Type: DomainsTop Industry: High- Tech & ITTop Employee Count: 11-50 employees (32%)

United Kingdom - Steelite

United Kingdom - Steelite
Exploit: Ransomware.
Steelite: A Middleport-based company that manufactures tableware for the hospitality industry.
correct severe gaugeRisk to Small Business: 1.888= SevereThe risk to small business in this scenario is very high. Ransomware is becoming more and more prevalent in the cyber-crime scene as it is a low-risk/ high reward attack vector.
correct moderate gaugeIndividual Risk: 2.571= ModerateIt is unclear if payroll information was accessed, but due to the sensitive nature of the encrypted files, it would be best to be cautious.
Customers Impacted: The employees who work at the organization are the ones at risk.

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ BusinessPayroll information is vital for operating a business, which makes this attack particularly damaging. Many organizations would not have the resources available to rebuild their payroll servers so quickly, which would leave them in a precarious situation.

ID Agent to the RescueID Agent offers Dark Web ID™ which discovers compromised credentials that could be used to implement a crypto jacking script. Make sure your credentials are safe; for more information go to https://www.idagent.com/dark-web/.
Risk Levels:1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk*The risk score is calculated using a formula that takes into account a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.

Caribou Coffee gets roasted, and memes are being used as code.


Dark Web ID Trends:Top Source Hits: ID Theft Forums (100%)Top Compromise Type: Domains
Top Industry: Legal
Top Employee Count: 
251 - 500 employees (50%)

United States - Caribou Coffee 
Below is a link to the notification published by Caribou regarding the affected locations: https://assets.coffeeandbagels-static.com/cariboucoffee/Data-Security-Notice.pdf
Exploit: Compromise of POS systems.
Caribou Coffee: A large coffee chain in the United States.
correct severe gauge
Risk to Small Business: 1.777 = SevereA breach of this magnitude would have a negative impact on any organization for a long time. Around 40% of the company’s locations were affected by the breach, with all cards used during the breach being considered accessed.
correct moderate gauge
Individual Risk: 2.428 = SevereThose affected by this breach are at an increased risk of identity theft. Those who used a credit or debit card at the organization between August 28, 2018, and December 3, 2018.
Customers Impacted: 239 of the organization’s stores were affected by the breach.

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ BusinessCredit card information being accessed is never good for business. Customers tend not to forget the company whose breach resulted in them losing money.
ID Agent to the Rescue: Spotlight ID™ by ID Agent offers comprehensive identity monitoring that can help minimize the fallout from a breach of this type.
Learn more:Learn more: https://www.idagent.com/identity-monitoring-programs
Risk Levels:1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk*The risk score is calculated using a formula that takes into account a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Quote of the Day


"Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics." - Victor Pinchuk