k_Street Consulting, LLC Blog

k_Street Consulting, LLC has been serving the Washington area since 2009, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Seven Reasons Deepfake Technology is a Problem

Seven Reasons Deepfake Technology is a Problem

Let’s talk a little bit about deepfakes. If you aren’t aware of this technology, deepfakes are essentially synthetic media. Typically they come in the form of videos or images that use artificial intelligence (AI) to replace a person’s likeness with another’s. With deepfake technology, people can convince an audience that a person said something they didn’t say. This deliberate digital subterfuge can bring with it a whole lot of problems. This week we will outline a few of them.

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Schools are Dangerously Valuable to Cybercriminals

Schools are Dangerously Valuable to Cybercriminals

It’s an unfortunate fact that cybercriminals are motivated to attack places that contain large volumes of sensitive data, but typically lack the budget or in-house skills to sufficiently protect it. It’s even more unfortunate that this description directly applies to many schools and school systems.

Let’s talk about what schools have to offer cybercriminals, and what they need to do as a result.

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Get Support When You Need It With Our IT Help Desk

Get Support When You Need It With Our IT Help Desk

As technology continues to advance, businesses inevitably encounter challenges and technical issues. In such scenarios, an IT help desk plays a pivotal role. Let’s delve into the operations of an IT help desk and elucidate why it stands as a valuable asset for any business.

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Social Media Phishing Gets Craftier By the Day

Social Media Phishing Gets Craftier By the Day

It’s borderline impossible to conduct any business online without seeing potential threats abound. It also doesn’t help that threats tend to disguise themselves to avoid being detected. Today, we want to share a social media threat that one of our employees discovered while going about their day, and we think even a cautious user could have been fooled by it.

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Don’t Skimp on These 3 Cloud Security Best Practices

Don’t Skimp on These 3 Cloud Security Best Practices

The cloud is an amazing tool for just about any business, allowing for countless benefits that span endless possibilities. However, because it involves the Internet and hosting data in an online environment, there are security challenges that naturally come about as a result of utilizing it. Let’s consider some of the security mistakes that businesses can experience while using the cloud.

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Compliance with the FTC Safeguards Rule is Vital to Businesses

Compliance with the FTC Safeguards Rule is Vital to Businesses

In today’s interconnected world, an organization dedicated to fraud protection like the United States Federal Trade Commission is vital, especially when you consider how advanced digital technology has become and continues to grow. The FTC works to ensure consumer data stays protected by the businesses to which they entrust it. Let’s look at the Safeguards Rule and what your business should know about it.

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Six Tools Every Security-Minded Organization Will Need

Six Tools Every Security-Minded Organization Will Need

For today’s business, there are very few threats that are as pervasive as cyberthreats. For this reason organizations that are willing to invest in their cybersecurity seem to have more control over their data and operations. With cyberthreats constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated, it is crucial to equip ourselves with the right tools to protect our digital assets. In this week’s blog post, we will explore some of the most important cybersecurity tools that every individual and organization should consider implementing.

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Security Might Slow You Down, But It’s Still Necessary

Security Might Slow You Down, But It’s Still Necessary

You might think that adding additional security measures can only benefit your business, and this is true in most circumstances, save one: security exhaustion. If you don’t make it easy for your employees to adhere to your security policies, then you could inadvertently be making them perform slower than usual and your solutions could be getting in the way of their work.

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The Insane Lengths that Cybercriminals and Con Artists Will Go to Scam You

The Insane Lengths that Cybercriminals and Con Artists Will Go to Scam You

Viruses and malware are bad. Ransomware is crippling. Data breaches in some cases can more or less shut down a business. We talk about these threats all the time, but for most people, they are just scary-sounding buzzwords. Today, we want to talk about the more personalized threats that are much more cunning, and in some ways, much more dangerous.

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Common Technology Pain Points Businesses Need to Confront

Common Technology Pain Points Businesses Need to Confront

Business doesn’t always go the way you want it to. There are numerous places that can cause problems and ruin the good thing you have going. This month, we discuss some of the most common problems we see small businesses have to confront regarding their technology. 

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Taking Cybersecurity to the Edge

Taking Cybersecurity to the Edge

Does your business rely on the strength of its information systems? If so, you understand just how important cybersecurity is to the health of your organization. In a near-constant attempt to maintain organizational cybersecurity, many organizations have started changing the way that they approach data and network security, by moving their security efforts to the edge of their network. This is called edge security, and there are some very intriguing benefits.

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2 Great Ways You Can Protect Your Business’ Data

2 Great Ways You Can Protect Your Business’ Data

If you have never imagined your business in the crosshairs of enemy hackers, you could be in for a rude awakening. Unauthorized access to important business data could be enough to bring your business’ operations grinding to a halt, among other consequences. You need to focus your efforts on security, including protecting your infrastructure and ensuring its redundancy through data backup systems.

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Client-End Encryption for Gmail and Calendar is a Major Improvement

Client-End Encryption for Gmail and Calendar is a Major Improvement

Have you ever considered the importance of client-side encryption for your Gmail and your Calendar? If you implement it, you can create meetings and send or receive emails that have been encrypted before they are sent to Google’s servers. Organizations using Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus can expect this client-side encryption tool, but personal users will be left in the dust.

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The Phishing Nightmare and What You Need to Do About It

The Phishing Nightmare and What You Need to Do About It

Phishing is the most widespread attack vector for modern day hackers. They are continuously evolving, getting more and more sophisticated, and therefore more dangerous. In this month’s newsletter, we are going to go through what makes a phishing attack and how to give your organization the best chance at keeping them from being a major problem for your business. 

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What Really Happens When a Ransomware Attack Strikes?

What Really Happens When a Ransomware Attack Strikes?

Ransomware is perhaps the nastiest threat you can encounter, and the unprepared business could potentially be crippled beyond repair if it suffers from an attack like this. We’re here to demystify the inner machinations of a ransomware attack so you know better how to respond to it.

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Using Your Browser’s Password Manager Is Poor Security Protocol

Using Your Browser’s Password Manager Is Poor Security Protocol

Many web browsers, like Google Chrome, have features that allow for convenient password-keeping, but at the cost of considerable cybersecurity risks. We recommend that all businesses utilize a password management tool, but preferably not one that is built into a web browser. Why? We’re glad you asked!

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Tip of the Week: How to Protect Your Company from Ransomware

Tip of the Week: How to Protect Your Company from Ransomware

Ransomware takes up a significant amount of our blog, and for good reason. It’s an incredibly scary threat to find yourself on the receiving end of, and modern businesses are, to be quite frank, often unprepared to handle it. We wanted to take today as an opportunity to discuss the negative effects you can expect from a ransomware attack—effects that will make you think twice about the current level of security on your infrastructure.

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Do Cybercriminals Have You in Their Sights?

Do Cybercriminals Have You in Their Sights?

We focus a lot of time and effort on securing our clients with our cutting-edge tools and industry best practices. Our adversaries, the hackers, on the other hand, have come to understand that the way they will be successful is to get their contrived messages in front of the least knowledgeable people in your organization. Let’s take a look at how hackers choose their targets to get a better understanding of what their strategy is. 

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Are You Oversharing Your Personal Information?

Are You Oversharing Your Personal Information?

Businesses tend to collect and capture consumer data in an effort to provide a better experience or find new customers. Many of these businesses will package this information together and sell it to marketing companies. Consumers often don’t know how to opt out of this kind of activity and, thus, wind up oversharing information. This week, we want to highlight these issues and address how you can keep your personal data from being collected without your consent.

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Three Ways You Can Immediately Improve Your Cybersecurity

Three Ways You Can Immediately Improve Your Cybersecurity

Cyberattacks are a major issue for everyone and especially for businesses. In fact, if you don’t have a solid handle on the actions you take, your IT may be more exposed than you think. We thought we would go through a few really simple actions you can take to enhance your security posture.

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Getting the Right Phishing Awareness Strategy Can Save Your Business From Major Headaches

Getting the Right Phishing Awareness Strategy Can Save Your Business From Major Headaches

As time goes on, businesses are doing more and more to protect their digital assets from theft and corruption. Whether that is deploying tools, providing training, or getting the support you need to successfully secure your business from the myriad of threats coming your way, you need to be deliberate about the way you go about deploying your security resources. Today, we want to touch on security training and the role it plays in your cybersecurity. 

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Insurance Companies are Starting to Require Cybersecurity—What Do I Do?

Insurance Companies are Starting to Require Cybersecurity—What Do I Do?

Cybersecurity is quickly becoming one of the leading risks that businesses of all shapes and sizes face. Cyberattacks are expensive, they risk your continuity, and they could even get you in hot water when it comes to compliance regulations, local and state regulations, and virtually any entity you are associated with.

It might feel like this is an insurance company’s way to nickel and dime business owners, as premiums will continue to rise, especially for businesses that aren’t meeting certain requirements, but the truth is, with so much risk, the entire world needs to adjust for cybersecurity.

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Beware of Phishing Scams Left in Voicemails

Beware of Phishing Scams Left in Voicemails

Phishing attacks are one of the most common security threats to your business, not only because they are effective, but because they can be utilized in many different ways. You can become the victim of a phishing attack through email, instant message, phone, or even your voicemail. These “phoicemail” attacks are quite crafty in their approach, and you should be wary of them.

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Are You Equipped to Handle Your Compliance Needs, Regarding Cybersecurity?

Are You Equipped to Handle Your Compliance Needs, Regarding Cybersecurity?

Regulations and compliance standards are in place for effectively every industry to uphold, many of which address cybersecurity in some way or another. Let’s talk for a moment about why compliance to these standards is of the utmost importance for your organization.

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Are Your Password Practices Falling Short? Let’s Build Them Up

Are Your Password Practices Falling Short? Let’s Build Them Up

When it comes to your business’ cybersecurity, passwords are a pretty critical part of the system. This means that making sure they are secure is just as critical…however, that is not to say that this is easy. We, however, wanted to make sure that creating sufficiently secure passwords for all of your accounts is a far simpler prospect by the time we’re finished here.

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Were You Targeted by Ransomware? The FBI Wants to Hear About It

Were You Targeted by Ransomware? The FBI Wants to Hear About It

At the end of January, the Federal Bureau of Investigation went public with an announcement that they had taken down the servers and Dark Web sites utilized by the Hive ransomware gang. This is a major victory, in terms of fighting cybercrime, but a certain statistic from this operation shows a somewhat disconcerting trend.

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Are You at Risk of Data Poisoning?

Are You at Risk of Data Poisoning?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are entering the mainstream technology discourse, and with software developing the ability to learn from datasets, many businesses are using this technology to automate their processes to cut down on costs and better use their current resources. There is a lot of good that comes from this, but only when you look past these benefits can you start to see the drawbacks, including an important one called “data poisoning.”

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Why Cyber Insurance is a Smart Investment

Why Cyber Insurance is a Smart Investment

Despite not wanting to think about cybersecurity incidents derailing your operations, it’s important nevertheless to consider them before it’s too late to do anything about them. These days, businesses need to invest considerable capital into protections, including a cyber insurance policy to cover all of their bases.

Let’s discuss some of your options for cybersecurity insurance and what you’ll need to know to make the most informed decisions possible.

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How to Avoid Insecure, Ineffective, and Just Plain Bad Passwords

How to Avoid Insecure, Ineffective, and Just Plain Bad Passwords

Password. 123456. Guest. Qwerty. These are just a few examples of passwords that are, in a word, terrible. To help you avoid using passwords like these, let’s go over what a good password is and how to choose one—starting with what you need to avoid.

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The Most Fundamental Security Tools Every Business Needs

The Most Fundamental Security Tools Every Business Needs

For quite a while it took an actual disaster to encourage business leaders to allocate any time and money to put towards cybersecurity. Many businesses still don’t, in fact. Those that have, while absolutely prudent in their use of resources to help ward off security problems, may forget that there are still things that need to be done aside from employee training to keep their security up. Let’s go through a few things that every organization should be doing to maintain the security of their information systems. 

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Exposing Your Staff to Every Cybersecurity Problem Can Have Problems of Its Own

Exposing Your Staff to Every Cybersecurity Problem Can Have Problems of Its Own

Cybersecurity is one part of your business’ computing that you must prioritize, as the fallout of a data breach could, in many cases, be enough to shutter your business for good. You want to be seen as a company that takes data security seriously, and to this end, you have likely implemented countless security features and measures to protect your organization’s resources and data. However, this all comes at a cost, and it’s not the one you might expect: your employees.

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Cybersecurity Needs to Be a Part of Your 2023 IT Strategy

Cybersecurity Needs to Be a Part of Your 2023 IT Strategy

In today's digital world, SMBs need to establish a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy to protect themselves from a range of potential threats. Whether it's a small business with a handful of employees or a large corporation with thousands of workers, every organization is vulnerable to cyberattacks. That’s worth stressing because so many business owners think they are immune simply because of the size of their organization.

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Could Your Business Resist a Hacker? Here’s How to Find Out

Could Your Business Resist a Hacker? Here’s How to Find Out

Let’s say that, right now, someone was attempting to break into your network…could they do it? Is there some vulnerability present on your network that has left you open to attack? This is a question you need to know the answer to so that you can resolve it.

One way to get this answer is by bringing on a professional to perform a penetration test on your business IT.

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Many Businesses are Adopting Passwordless Authentication—Including Google

Many Businesses are Adopting Passwordless Authentication—Including Google

Passwords used to be the law of the land, but in a world where passwords are more at risk of threats than ever before, people have turned to passwordless solutions. In fact, one of the biggest tech companies out there—Google—recently took steps toward passwordless authentication which we think is pretty darn important.

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Unpacking Zero-Trust’s Benefits and If It Is Right For Your Business

Unpacking Zero-Trust’s Benefits and If It Is Right For Your Business

When dealing with business computing, there are many situations where threats could potentially ruin the good thing you’ve got going. Today, a lot of businesses are getting much more serious about their IT security with what is known as a “zero-trust policy”. What exactly is a zero-trust policy? This month we will explain it. 

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Cybersecurity Month is Over, Time to Get Sloppy!

Cybersecurity Month is Over, Time to Get Sloppy!

Are you tired of hearing about the importance of secure passwords, two-factor authentication, and security updates?

We get it. All of these techno-nerds (ourselves included) have spent all of October and even the weeks leading up to it talking about the importance of cybersecurity, preaching the importance of things that, let’s face it, just get in the way of you getting work done. Thank goodness Cybersecurity Month is long over, and now we can all get back to being absolutely reckless with our data, right?

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Whoops! Microsoft Update Has Been Missing This Critical Security Vulnerability

Whoops! Microsoft Update Has Been Missing This Critical Security Vulnerability

For the most part, Microsoft takes security as seriously as it should, issuing updates and patches to maintain your Windows and Server operating systems. While you can count on receiving these updates for your supported operating systems, what you might not have known is that Microsoft accidentally overlooked a flaw in its own defenses.

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Why Security Questions are Terrible for Security

Why Security Questions are Terrible for Security

What is your mother’s maiden name? What street did you grow up on? What is your favorite movie?

How about: What good do you really think these questions are going to do to help keep your accounts any more secure?

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Your Business Is Currently At Risk: What You Should Know

Your Business Is Currently At Risk: What You Should Know

Do you know those horror stories you catch every so often where a huge business has their network hacked and millions of their customers and employees have their personal and financial information leaked onto the Dark Web? Your organization isn't likely as big as theirs, but regardless of how much money, people, and diverse revenue streams an organization has, having its network breached and its customers’, or its employees’, information strewn about over the Dark Web is not an ideal scenario. 

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Everything You Need to Know About Patch Tuesday

Everything You Need to Know About Patch Tuesday

In the technology news sector, you’ve probably noticed a trend where Patch Tuesday makes headlines at least once a month. This is generally the day when Microsoft issues patches and security updates for its many different technologies, and it’s important for your IT department to know when Patch Tuesday falls each month.

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These Are the Ways You Get Malware

These Are the Ways You Get Malware

Malware has been a problem for people that rely on technology for decades. Like the security that is designed to mitigate the effect of malware, the malware itself has grown in potency and frequency and is a major problem for businesses. Today, we will take a look at a few ways you can get malware. 

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A Few Useful Insights into Online Payment Fraud

A Few Useful Insights into Online Payment Fraud

Financially-focused cyberthreats are no joke, especially considering how digital payments now make up 41.8% of all payments made worldwide. Let’s consider a few statistics that highlight how important it is to ensure that the payment card data your business collects is sufficiently protected.

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Multi-Factor Authentication isn’t Infallible, But It Shouldn’t Be Abandoned

Multi-Factor Authentication isn’t Infallible, But It Shouldn’t Be Abandoned

We haven’t been shy about pushing for multi-factor authentication, AKA MFA, and there’s a reason for that: if implemented correctly, it can help prevent many cyberthreats. Having said that, cybercriminals have managed to find a way to undermine MFA. Let’s consider how they’ve managed to do this.

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Who’s Sitting at the Other Keyboard While You’re Being Attacked?

Who’s Sitting at the Other Keyboard While You’re Being Attacked?

It can be too easy to think about hackers and cybercriminals in an almost abstract way, diminishing them to little more than a faceless entity at a keyboard. Naturally, this is far from the truth. Let’s examine the reality of the cybercrime industry, which actually does as much harm to the perpetrators as it does to the people they scam...if not more.

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Hackers Circumvent Traditional Cybersecurity with Phishing

Hackers Circumvent Traditional Cybersecurity with Phishing

Business owners often get unsolicited emails from individuals who want to sell them goods, services, or products. Depending on the message, they might even come across as a bit suspicious, prompting you to question the authenticity of the email. If you’re not careful, you might accidentally expose your organization by clicking on the wrong link in the wrong email, thus falling victim to the oldest trick in the book: the phishing attack.

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Tip of the Week: Making Sure Your File Sharing Remains Secure

Tip of the Week: Making Sure Your File Sharing Remains Secure

Nowadays, file sharing is so ubiquitous that most people in the office likely take it for granted. However, this is not a luxury that you have, as you need to ensure the file sharing that takes part is sufficiently secure—otherwise, you could find yourself in a tight spot. That’s why we want to devote this week’s tip to a few practical steps to making sure your files get where they’re going safely.

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Prevalent IT Challenges You Need to Consider

Prevalent IT Challenges You Need to Consider

Managing business technology is a challenge that many small businesses have difficulty overcoming, and this is largely in part due to the fact that managing technology is not the focus of these small businesses. The inability to overcome IT challenges can hold businesses back that otherwise would flourish. Let’s discuss some of the biggest issues that companies have for IT and how they could potentially be addressed.

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Could You Respond Quickly Enough to a Cyberattack?

Could You Respond Quickly Enough to a Cyberattack?

Let me ask you a question… if you were a hacker, how quickly would you take advantage of newly disclosed bugs and other vulnerabilities? I’d bet it would be pretty quick, and industry experts agree. According to these experts, there’s less and less time for security professionals to react to vulnerabilities and zero-day threats… and it continues to shrink.

So, the question remains, how prepared is your business to respond when these kinds of vulnerabilities are taken advantage of?

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Don’t Let Your Guard Down While You Travel

Don’t Let Your Guard Down While You Travel

With so many workers constantly connected to screens and other technology, it is a good idea to disconnect every so often by taking a vacation somewhere. However, it’s not always this easy, especially for a business owner who is still minimally connected to the office even while technically on vacation. We’ve got a couple of tips for how you can make the most of your technology while on your vacation without putting your company at risk in the process.

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The RSOCKS Botnet Shows the Dangers of Unsecured IoT

The RSOCKS Botnet Shows the Dangers of Unsecured IoT

Botnets are nefarious entities consisting of countless connected devices, all of which have been infected by hackers to perform malicious deeds. One such botnet, a Russian botnet consisting of millions of infected Internet of Things devices, has been dismantled and taken down by the United States Department of Justice and various law enforcement agencies throughout Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

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Zero-Trust Policies Can Keep Your Business Secure

Zero-Trust Policies Can Keep Your Business Secure

The modern cyberthreat landscape is nothing to be trifled with, so it makes sense that as threats grow more powerful, so too do the solutions used to address them. Nowadays, there is a practice that is designed to address just how serious the threat of cybersecurity is: zero-trust IT. Let’s discuss these policies and how you might put them in place.

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Are You Budgeting Enough for Security?

Are You Budgeting Enough for Security?

Cyberattacks have caused many millions of dollars worth of damage to businesses over the past several years, so it makes sense that your business should invest in its cybersecurity to mitigate these damages. That said, there is only so much you can invest into your cybersecurity budget, as you have to factor in other parts of your business, too. Today, we want to share with you three ways you can invest in cybersecurity initiatives that won’t completely break your bank.

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Is Your Network a Ticking Time Bomb?

Is Your Network a Ticking Time Bomb?

Cybersecurity is not easy to manage, and even professionals have their work cut out for them against modern threats like ransomware and other high-profile security threats. Today, we want to educate you on some of the terminology used in cybersecurity, namely the relationship between a vulnerability and an exploit, as well as what you can do to keep the risks associated with both relatively low.

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Social Networking Sites are Far From Immune to Cybersecurity Threats

Social Networking Sites are Far From Immune to Cybersecurity Threats

One of the more overlooked parts of cybersecurity attacks involves social media and social engineering tactics targeting it. If you’re not careful, you could be putting yourself at risk of attacks through social media. How can you ensure that your staff members are keeping security at top of mind even when using social media? Let’s find out.

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When Working Remotely, Cybersecurity Has to Be a Priority

When Working Remotely, Cybersecurity Has to Be a Priority

Cybersecurity is something that must be reinforced both in the office and out of the office for your remote employees, and it’s unfortunately quite difficult to maintain. Let’s take a look at the unique circumstances surrounding the remote worker and how you should reinforce security best practices for them, even if they are not physically present in the workplace.

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4 Surprising Statistics about Network Security

4 Surprising Statistics about Network Security

If you aren’t making cybersecurity a priority for your business, then we urge you to review the following statistics to ensure that you understand the gravity of the consequences. Let’s take a look at some of the ways scammers and hackers are making their way around the carefully-laid defenses placed by businesses and how you can protect your own organization.

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How to Know You’re Being Targeted by a Phishing Attack

How to Know You’re Being Targeted by a Phishing Attack

Phishing attacks are serious business, so it is important that your team members know what they are, for one, and know how to spot them. To facilitate this, let’s review the signs of a phishing attack—or ideally, a phishing attempt (because by spotting it, you’re more able to stop it).

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Boosting Your Router’s Security in 3 Ways

Boosting Your Router’s Security in 3 Ways

Your wireless router handles a lot of the tough work for your business, and as such, it’s important that it’s protected and secured as best as can be. If you want to secure your router, we recommend that you use the following best practices to make it happen.

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Data Scraping Explained

Data Scraping Explained

There are times when you, as a business owner, might receive unsolicited emails from organizations asking you to try a product or asking for your input on something. More likely than not, the one responsible used data scraping to get your contact information. If it’s used appropriately, data scraping can be an effective marketing tool, but it can also be utilized by scammers to make your life miserable.

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Cybersecurity Has to Be a Consideration for Remote Workers

Cybersecurity Has to Be a Consideration for Remote Workers

With many people choosing to work remotely, and businesses more or less embracing the idea of employing mobile teams, the tools and strategies needed to keep your business’ data and infrastructure safe could be new to your business, but for the most part many of them are actions that any organization looking to secure their IT would take. Let’s take a look at some of the strategies used to secure remote endpoints.

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The FBI is Extremely Concerned About Ransomware; and You Should Be Too

The FBI is Extremely Concerned About Ransomware; and You Should Be Too

Ransomware is an incredibly disruptive threat that can put your business at risk, but it is increasingly becoming not just a fiscal risk to organizations, but also to the physical health and wellbeing of communities and individuals. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning that should have everyone concerned about the future of ransomware attacks, not just in business, but in everyday life.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to Improve Your Business Technology’s Security

Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to Improve Your Business Technology’s Security

Businesses largely rely on their information systems and other technology tools, so you need to make sure they stay secure and far from the many threats out there. To this end, we recommend that you implement security systems that prioritize business continuity and data security. Let’s examine three ways you can keep your business’ IT safe and secure.

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Businesses Should Consider Partnering with a Security Operations Center (SOC)

Businesses Should Consider Partnering with a Security Operations Center (SOC)

Cybersecurity is incredibly important for any organization that requires IT to remain operational (basically all of them), so it’s time to start thinking about your own strategies and how you can keep threats out of your network. One viable solution your business can implement is a Security Operations Center (SOC). What is a SOC, and how can you use it to keep threats off your network?

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Focusing on Access Control Can Make Your Business More Secure

Focusing on Access Control Can Make Your Business More Secure

If you are someone who gets stressed out easily by people having access to resources they shouldn’t, then you probably have heard much about how to keep your data and internal resources safe from external threats. However, access control is much more than just cybersecurity; you also need to take into account the physical space when considering your access controls.

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U.S. Lawmakers Need to Consider Overarching Data Privacy Law

U.S. Lawmakers Need to Consider Overarching Data Privacy Law

For much of the past decade, data privacy has been a big issue. Ever since information was unveiled on how major tech companies (and other companies) use the information gleaned from their users, there has been a cross-section of people who have started to fight back against it. Unfortunately for Americans, this hasn’t resulted in an overarching data privacy law that protects people and their personal data. This month, we’ll take a look at the data privacy environment and discuss why there haven’t been any moves by U.S. lawmakers to protect data privacy.

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How to Get Your People on Board with Your Security Strategy

How to Get Your People on Board with Your Security Strategy

It can be tough to get your staff to care about your business’ network security, especially if they don’t consider it part of their day-to-day tasks or responsibilities. However, network security is not just isolated to your IT department; it matters to everyone, and if you can convince your staff to adhere to best practices, your security will be that much more effective moving forward. Here are seven tips you can use to get your staff to care about network security.

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Coinbase’s Super Bowl QR Snafu is Sending Shockwaves Through IT Security Circles

Coinbase’s Super Bowl QR Snafu is Sending Shockwaves Through IT Security Circles

During the first half of the Super Bowl last month, cryptocurrency exchange company Coinbase bought a minute of ad space to broadcast an ad that was just a QR code on the screen, meandering diagonally around the screen like the famous Windows screensaver. Millions of people took out their smartphones and scanned the code and now cybersecurity professionals are publicly decrying the tactic. 

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Strategic Tips for Creating Secure Passwords

Strategic Tips for Creating Secure Passwords

When we tell you that it’s a best practice to implement complex passwords for your business, do you know what exactly a complex password is? The truth of the matter is that secure passwords are a little confusing, and the standards continue to shift back and forth. Let’s examine some of the industry-standard best practices for implementing secure passwords and how your organization can go about doing so.

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How to Properly Evaluate Your Security

How to Properly Evaluate Your Security

How effective is your cybersecurity? It seems like a simple question, but no less important to consider and determine as the answer could be the difference between a prevented breach and a successful one. In order to keep track of your business’ cybersecurity preparedness, it is important that you regularly evaluate it. Let’s go through the essential steps to performing such an evaluation.

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There is No Value in Paying a Ransom

There is No Value in Paying a Ransom

We all know at this point how dangerous ransomware can be for businesses. It can lock down files, threaten operational continuity, and in some cases subject victims to brutal fines as a result of privacy breaches. One place where you might not expect ransomware to hit, however, is customer reviews, and it all stems from the big question: do you pay to resolve a ransomware attack or not?

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Malware is Everywhere. Even Your Ads

Malware is Everywhere. Even Your Ads

Do you ever see an advertisement for a free download of a popular Windows application and think, “Wow, this sure sounds too good to be true!”? Well, it most definitely is, and hackers use these malvertisements to infect computers with malware and other threats. Specifically, malvertising is used to download three different types of malware, all of which can cause harm to unwary businesses.

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Is it Time to Move Past Passwords?

Is it Time to Move Past Passwords?

Passwords have been a staple in data security and user authentication for many, many years… to the point where the idea of using a password has become nearly synonymous with the concept of security. However, data has increasingly shown that alternative options are in fact more secure. Let’s examine some of these passwordless authentication methods, and their pros and cons.

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Is Cloud Storage as Secure as We Need It To Be?

Is Cloud Storage as Secure as We Need It To Be?

We frequently encourage our clients to consider the cloud as a viable option for their data storage needs, be they someplace to store a copy of their data backup or even their primary storage option. Having said that, it is important that we clarify that this cloud storage needs to be secure. Let’s explore how to ensure that much is true.

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Some Places Encryption Should Be Used Frequently

Some Places Encryption Should Be Used Frequently

Protecting your organization’s data is a major focus of businesses these days, especially as threats grow more powerful and they better learn to penetrate the countless safeguards put into place. Let’s go over how encryption can help you cover all your bases—especially if hackers do manage to get through your security precautions.

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Here are Some of the Most Popular Technology Resolutions for 2022

Here are Some of the Most Popular Technology Resolutions for 2022

With every new year comes new resolutions designed to help you defeat bad habits and bring better ones into your organization. Here are a couple of resolutions you can adopt for your business, particularly in terms of technology management and IT.

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Let’s Look at Some of the Virtual Threats

Let’s Look at Some of the Virtual Threats

Network security is challenging for many businesses, and it’s largely because of the large number of various threats that populate the Internet. Some companies simply don’t know what the correct measures to take are, leaving themselves vulnerable to these threats on both a security standpoint and an employee training standpoint. We’ll delve into some of these threats and how they can be addressed.

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Remember These Tips if You Are Traveling During the Holidays

Remember These Tips if You Are Traveling During the Holidays

If you are traveling this holiday season to bridge the gaps created during the COVID-19 pandemic, then you’ll want to take specific precautions about your technology. Here are some of the best ways you can keep your technology secure while you travel from point A to point B, as well as how we can help you do so!

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WARNING: Widespread Log4j Vulnerability is a Massive Danger to Businesses

WARNING: Widespread Log4j Vulnerability is a Massive Danger to Businesses

Before this week, you probably never heard about Log4j. Right now, though, it’s the biggest topic in cybersecurity due to a massive vulnerability that is estimated to affect millions of devices. Your business needs to take this seriously.

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Hackers Aren’t Always Thieves

Hackers Aren’t Always Thieves

When we think about security and hackers, it’s easy to think of them all as the bad guys. However, this is far from the truth. Just like with other areas of life, there is a shade of gray involved with hacking, and there are good guys that use these skills to benefit others while the bad guys try to exploit them for their gain.

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Cybersecurity is a Multifaceted and Strategic Issue for Small Businesses

Cybersecurity is a Multifaceted and Strategic Issue for Small Businesses

There are a lot of threats out on the Internet, and many of them have absolutely a slim chance to threaten your business. Unfortunately, there are plenty that can and it only takes one to set your business back. Many IT professionals currently working for enterprise businesses deal with threats day-in and day-out, so they are experienced and knowledgeable. Small business owners, who for all intents and purposes are the lead IT decision-makers, don’t always consider these risks; they just need to keep their business running effectively. 

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Preparing for the Next Wave of Cyberthreats

Preparing for the Next Wave of Cyberthreats

The past couple of years have been difficult for businesses, regardless of if they are large organizations or small businesses. Likewise, cybersecurity has been a challenge. Let’s take a look at what 2022 could pose for cybersecurity, especially considering recent trends.

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91% of IT Professionals Are Torn Between Security and Business Continuity

91% of IT Professionals Are Torn Between Security and Business Continuity

When it comes to your business, what do you prioritize? Do you focus more on security, or do you focus more on the business continuity side of things? The reality here is that both are of critical importance. Unfortunately, however, it seems that many executives feel like the current circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have led them to prioritize one over the other.

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Why Is Microsoft Warning Users About Password Spraying?

Why Is Microsoft Warning Users About Password Spraying?

As modern warfare has evolved, so too has cyberwarfare. There is always a war occurring in cyberspace, where hackers attempt to outdo security researchers. One such example of hackers—often sponsored by government agencies—attempting to engage in cyberwarfare can be seen in the United States and Israeli technology sectors, which have become the target of password spraying.

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U.S. Government Making an Effort to Stop Exploits

U.S. Government Making an Effort to Stop Exploits

Earlier this year, there was a string of high-profile ransomware attacks leveraged against major companies. Now, the United States has issued an order that dictates guidelines for how to patch various vulnerabilities in affected systems within federal agencies and organizations. It’s a huge move in an effort to stop hackers and other cyberthreats from becoming more serious problems in the future.

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Network Security Cannot Be Ignored

Network Security Cannot Be Ignored

You see the headlines every single day while browsing the Internet: “So-and-So Suffers Massive Data Breach” or “Huge Data Breach Leaves Thousands of Credentials Exposed to Hackers.” Maybe you don’t see these specific headlines, but you get the idea; cybersecurity is a big deal these days, and you need to take it seriously before your business encounters problems that it cannot recover from.

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In the Wrong Hands, AI is Dangerous

In the Wrong Hands, AI is Dangerous

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a technology that many industries have found themselves benefiting greatly from, especially in the domains of cybersecurity and automation. Unfortunately, for every one great use of something, hackers will find two bad uses for it. AI has dramatically changed the landscape of cybersecurity and, more interestingly, cybercrime. Let’s take a look at why these threats are so concerning.

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Companies Are Using AI to Shield Their Network from Outside Threats

Companies Are Using AI to Shield Their Network from Outside Threats

Businesses need all of the advantages they can get against threats, especially considering the fact that many of them adapt and evolve in response to advances in security measures. Some security researchers are seeing great success with artificial intelligence measures, a concept that could eventually become the future of network security in the business world.

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Three Signs Your Computer Has Been Hacked

Three Signs Your Computer Has Been Hacked

Dealing with a hacked computer can be scary, but depending on the severity of the hack, you might not even know your infrastructure has been breached until it’s too late to stop it, putting you in a reactionary position. Let’s go over some of the telltale signs of a computer hack and what you should do about it.

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It May Be Time to Upgrade Your Remote Network Security

It May Be Time to Upgrade Your Remote Network Security

Today’s cybersecurity landscape is dangerous, to say the least, prompting many organizations to adopt what is called a zero-trust policy for their security standards. Is a zero-trust policy the best solution for your company’s cybersecurity woes, and how effective is it toward preventing security issues? Let’s take a look.

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Why Encryption is Crucial for Your Company’s Success

Why Encryption is Crucial for Your Company’s Success

While reading our blog and newsletters, you might come across the word “encrypted” quite a lot. Sometimes it’s in the form of ransomware encrypting data, while other times it might be regarding the encryption of passwords within a password manager. Regardless, one thing is certain: encryption is an important part of the modern workplace.

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The Dangers of Near-Constant Phishing Attacks

The Dangers of Near-Constant Phishing Attacks

For twenty years, hackers have tried to breach organizational networks by finding or breaking holes in the network’s perimeter, or in exposed servers. This led to the cybersecurity industry creating software designed specifically to stop these threat actors in the act. This, in essence, created a situation where the perimeter of an organization’s network was extremely hard to breach. The problem was that as soon as something was able to get through the outer defenses, there was no end to the devastation a hacker could cause inside a network.

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The OnePercent Group: A Slightly Different Approach to Ransomware

The OnePercent Group: A Slightly Different Approach to Ransomware

A recent trend even amongst ransomware threats is that the FBI is issuing warnings regarding how dangerous it is or how difficult certain variants are. This particular threat—the OnePercent ransomware gang—is no exception. Let’s break down what you need to know about the OnePercent Group and how you can prepare to handle attacks not just from this threat, but most ransomware threats.

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You Need to Reduce Your Exposure to Insider Threats

You Need to Reduce Your Exposure to Insider Threats

One of the most difficult things to do in business is to imagine a scenario in which someone you trust puts your organization at risk. We focus so much on the external threats that the internal ones often go unnoticed. How can you make sure that your organization does not fall victim to the several different types of insider threats out there? Let’s take a look.

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Read This if You Don’t Believe That Ransomware is a Major Problem for Businesses Like Yours

Read This if You Don’t Believe That Ransomware is a Major Problem for Businesses Like Yours

You’d think that cybercriminals would use ransomware to target high-profile businesses with loads of money to extort, but this is not always the case. Even a small business can fall victim to these particularly devastating threats. Ransomware, just like other threats out there, has continued to evolve and adjust its approaches based on the current cybersecurity climate, so what are some of the latest developments in ransomware?

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A Simple 3-Step Process for Implementing New Business Technology

A Simple 3-Step Process for Implementing New Business Technology

Technology has always been ingrained in the operations of businesses to an extent, but it was only recently (in the grand scheme of things) that standard business technology such as desktops, server units, and other computing hardware really started to take off. That said, it’s now a staple, so your organization should be making informed decisions regarding any new hardware that you implement.

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Outsource Your Cybersecurity Needs to Ensure You Get the Best Talent

Outsource Your Cybersecurity Needs to Ensure You Get the Best Talent

To be adept at a task is to say that the one doing the task is a professional, or someone with substantial knowledge that can be used to effectively complete the task. Cybersecurity is one such area where having a considerable amount of knowledge is of particular importance to help navigate the complex environment surrounding it. How can your organization achieve this level of mindfulness and expertise?

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REvil Vanishes, Along With Some Companies’ Hopes to Decrypt Their Data

REvil Vanishes, Along With Some Companies’ Hopes to Decrypt Their Data

The Kaseya ransomware attack targeting VSA servers for approximately 1,500 organizations was another notable attack in a recent string of high-profile ransomware attacks, and while most organizations did what most security professionals recommend and did not pay the ransom, others did not listen. Now those who did pay the ransom are having trouble decrypting their data, and REvil is nowhere to be found to help them in this effort.

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Cloud Security is a More Pressing Issue

Cloud Security is a More Pressing Issue

The cloud is a popular choice for businesses that need access to tools to sustain operations, but there is an innate flaw that comes from hosting anything in an online environment: security. Do not pretend that security is not an issue for your cloud-based resources—failing to acknowledge the importance of security could be a fatal mistake for organizations that leverage cloud-based technology resources.

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Access Control is Critically Important for Businesses

Access Control is Critically Important for Businesses

Access control can be a touchy subject for some employees, especially for those who might feel they can do their jobs more effectively if they were to be given access to certain files or sensitive information. That said, in the interest of network security and data protection, it is your responsibility to consider who amongst your staff has access to certain information and why.

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These Are the Most Likely Threats Your Small Business Will Face

These Are the Most Likely Threats Your Small Business Will Face

Data breaches are a well-known fact in the business environment, and small businesses in particular have many challenges that threaten their operations. It is important that you consider these security issues when putting together your risk management strategy, especially as it pertains to cybersecurity. Let’s take a look at how you can overcome some of the security challenges present for small businesses in 2021.

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