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Five Rings of Security: Get the Business Network You Can Trust

People are always looking for a one-size-fits-all approach to their technology security needs. While some companies might provide that, we do things a little differently. We like to have a conversation with organizations to determine what they do, how they use technology, how much data they store, what kind of data they store, and what their biggest concerns are, just to name a few. An in-depth conversation gives us a larger picture of the customer’s wants, needs, and budgetary constraints and helps us determine the best solution for that business. …

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Phishing: It Can Hook You and Your Employees

You’ve heard us talk about ransomware and other malware that can get into your system, but we don’t go into details on HOW it gets there. Usually, it is caused by Phishing. In fact, according to Sophos, 91% of cyber attacks begin with a spear phishing email. So, what exactly is it? Well, a phishing email lands in your inbox and lures you into clicking bad links, attachments, or websites. These emails can look like emails from your bank, package delivery alerts, invoices from vendors you do business with, or …

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Countermeasures for Ransomware – like WannaCry

You may have seen the news this weekend. Criminal hackers have released a new strain of ransomware that spreads itself automatically across all workstations in a network, causing a global epidemic. If you or a co-worker are not paying attention and accidentally open one of these phishing email attachments, you might infect not only your workstation but immediately everyone else’s computer too. As more information comes in regarding this strain of ransomware (also called WannaCry, WannaCrypt0r, WannaCrypt, or WanaDecrypt0r), we know that it is infecting computers based on someone in …

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Cerber Malware – The Latest and Greatest…Just Not for You

Cyber criminals are at it again, and their latest and greatest favorite malware strain is called Cerber. Just like it’s Greek mythology namesake, Cerberus (Hound of Hades), it packs a punch and keeps your head spinning. Last week, four of our customers were held ransom by Cerber. We immediately started double checking and shutting down any remaining RDP (remote desktop protocol) ports that were still open, and are working diligently to beef up security measures to protect against this strain of ransomware. You might wonder why the sudden outbreak in …

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Malicious JPG Images on Social Media Spreading Locky Ransomware

IF YOU RECEIVE AN IMAGE FILE SENT BY SOMEONE, EVEN YOUR FRIEND, ON YOUR FACEBOOK MESSENGER, LINKEDIN OR ANY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, DO NOT CLICK ON IT. According to thehackernews.com, a new campaign attack has begun. This one is targeting all sorts of social media! Facebook Messenger and LinkedIn have reportedly been hijacked to spread the Locky Ransomware. Booby-trapping JPG images spread the ransomware. In some cases, you don’t even have to download the picture file; the malicious program forcibly downloads to your computer. Once the malware is in your system, …

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Humans: The Last Line of Defense in Cybersecurity

In this day in age, where we all hear about is malware, ransomware, and other virus attacks businesses and individual’s get nailed with on a daily basis, human error is still the number one way hackers get into your systems. That isn’t to say that anti-virus programs and system backups aren’t important, they are still critical. After the systems in place to keep your data secure, humans are the last line of defense in this battle. That questionable email attachment, the pop up on the screen that says your computer …

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Your Data is More Valuable Than You Think

Big company or small business, your data is valuable to not only you but hackers too. Don’t ever think that your firm is “too small” to be the victim of an attack. According to a recent NY times article, sixty percent of all online attacks in 2014 targeted small and midsize businesses. That number has only been growing over the past few years. With the increase in popularity of ransomware and phishing scams, individuals and businesses at every level are more prone to be targeted. It is easy money for …

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Ransomware – The New Business Security Threat

Let’s be honest. We all know someone at work (*cough* ourselves *cough*) who doesn’t always practice what the IT person preaches when it comes to security. All of those methods your IT person harps about are especially important to start adhering to with the new Ransomware schemes that are out there.