Like it or not, device manufacturers LOVE to stuff your brand-new PC, tablet or phone full of “free” applications (they get paid to do it, so you’ve got a slim chance of getting one without a side of spamware). But clutter is the enemy of a speedy PC, and outdated apps are a breeding ground for hackers; so if you’re not using a particular software on a regular basis, it’s best to REMOVE it completely.
There are thousands of hackers who get up every morning with ONE goal in mind: to find a new vulnerability in a commonly installed software (like Adobe, Flash or QuickTime) to access your computer. That’s why these companies frequently issue patches and updates for KNOWN security bugs; and once a KNOWN vulnerability is announced via a patch, hackers get to work like crazy trying to figure out how to use the vulnerability and access those users who are lazy about installing updates.
A weak password is still one of the most common ways hackers break in.
Thanks to sophisticated brute-force-attack software readily available online, hackers can try tens of millions of possible password combinations per second. For example, hacking software can guess a five-character password in under three hours.
If you plan on catching up on some work from home AND you’re using a personal device such as a smartphone or personal laptop to log in to cloud applications – DON’T! Unless your personal device is covered under our managed services plan, you could accidentally introduce a virus to the company’s network.
Many small- and mid-sized businesses struggle to protect their data, often neglecting a critical component in their security strategy. If your organization still follows one or more of these bad security practices, correct them as soon as possible.
Open wireless networks
With just one main internet line and a couple of wireless routers, an entire office can get online.
A secure login process is an excellent way to protect your business from cybercriminals.
When it comes to verifying user identity, you can choose between two-step authentication and two-factor authentication. Learn the difference between the two so you can have a better appreciation of your cybersecurity options.
As annoying as spam email is, it’s usually pretty harmless. But hackers have been using a method called distributed spam distraction (DSD) where spam email is used to carry out illegal activities. Learn more about DSD and how you can safeguard your systems against it. What is DSD? DSD is a type of attack wherein […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) once said that a good password consisted of three things: upper- and lowercase letter, numbers, and symbols. However, the NIST recently reversed its stance on good passwords. Here’s why and what they are now recommending. The problem The issue isn’t that the NIST advised people to create […]
And What You Need To Do NOW To Protect Yourself
Everybody gets hacked, but not everything makes the evening news. We hear about big companies like Target, Home Depot, Capital One, and Facebook getting hacked. What we rarely hear about are the little guys – the small businesses that make up 99.7% of employers in the United States, according to the Small Business Administration.
In the healthcare industry, 58% of security incidents begin with an inappropriate action carried out by someone within the affected organization. Although the percentage isn't as high among other industries, it's still something you can't afford to ignore.
