Five Ways Your Employees will Invite Hackers into Your Network

Hackers in movies are glamorous, no matter if they're heroes or criminals. These hackers are those who hack into hostile foreign government databases or megacorporations to find the key. They can either rescue the day or downgrade regimes, or empty the Federal Reserve's digital vault or disable all power plants. They always win against an impassable wall of IT security.

It's not that hard in real life. You might think hackers are similar to Hollywood's hacker counterparts. They have stolen data from Equifax and stolen millions of customer records. Hackers aren't always against big companies. They're often against small and mid-sized businesses. This doesn't usually involve hacking into any actual thing. Unwitting employees often leave the digital front door open, which is approximately 60% of the cases according to Harvard Business Review.

Your employees and not a group hackers are the greatest threat to your company's IT security . Here are the reasons.

1 They will fall for it because they don’t know better.

The proliferation of technology has brought an exponential increase in digital threats. These threats are so numerous and complex that it would be difficult for anyone to keep track. Your employees' lives can be a maze of passwords, online accounts interconnected and valuable data. Their inattention at any time can make them and your company more vulnerable. Cyber-attacks are most often due to lack of cybersecurity education.

2 They will let you hack on purpose.

A large percentage of cyber attacks stem from insiders of companies leaking data to malicious organizations. It doesn't matter if it's information that is vital to your competitive advantage, passwords they sell to hackers networks to make quick buck, or sensitive data they want to make public to spite your company, it's hard to protect against a double agent.

3 They will trust the wrong person.

Many hacks require very little code. Hackers are known for pretending to be a member of your team. You may be wrong to believe you can spot an impostor from miles away. It is easier than ever to hack individual user's login credentials and e-mail passwords. Personal information is also easily accessible via social media. A quick visit to Facebook will give hackers all the information they need to hack into your business.

4 They will miss red flags when surfing the internet.

Clickbait is not just a problem that plagues your social media accounts, it's a serious threat to your reputation. Clickbait can be used by hackers to lure victims. An employee who doesn't know what makes a link or site look suspicious could expose themselves and your company to browser exploits and other types of attacks.

5 They are terrible at passwords.

Entreprenuer.com reports that 3 out of 4 consumers have duplicate passwords. Many of these passwords have not been changed for five years or more. Even worse, weak passwords can allow unsavory elements easy access. Although many people ignore the importance of strong passwords and the dangers posed by passwords like "123456" and "password", it is important to remember that they can be easily accessed by unsavory elements.

It can seem impossible to secure your valuable assets from online threats. There is one thing you can do to improve your IT security: educate your employees. A comprehensive security program that includes examples of hacker methods, such as phishing, can dramatically reduce the chance of employees accidentally opening malicious e-mails or posting sensitive information. You are much less likely to get targeted if you all work together to protect your organization from cyber-attacks.

SpartanTec, Inc. can provide more information about how managed IT services can protect your company from hackers.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

All About Online Tools During The Coronavirus Pandemic

A bigger part of the world’s workforce is transitioning to digital platforms and the tools that help with the productivity and the connection are the educational and healthcare platforms, messaging apps, and video conferencing, to name a few. It is crucial to know the ways such tools can affect your digital security and privacy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Below are a few things you need to know to help you make informed decisions when it comes to finding what works not only for you but for your communities as well. You’ll also learn how you can use privacy and security best practices to protect yourself as well as others.

Free Slacks

There are a lot of articles written about the data retention issues of Slack especially when it comes to the software’s free version. With several organizing groups and mutual aid networks coalescing on Slack to support the communities, it’s crucial for users to be aware that the firm keeps their messages when they’re using the free plan and the could not delete them automatically. Slack, by default keeps all of the messages in a channel or workplace as long as the workspace still exists.

For paid workspaces, you can alter the number of messages that are kept in the database of Slack. In case you are using the free version, this option won’t be available to you.

Schools Moving to Online Learning

Surveillance must not be a required to get an education. However, even before school districts began moving their coursework and classes to digital forums to follow the social distancing protocols, surveillance has become a common thing in schools. The possibility of surveillance to ramp up is alarming especially because of the move to digital learning.

If your school is utilizing or thinking of using Gaggle, Social Sentinel, GoGuardian, Bark, and Securly, then you should check the guide to privacy for students. It tackles several surveillance and privacy concerns that such techonlogies raise, with methods to cut back the data that’s being tracked, advocacy methods, and risk mitigation strategies.

Telehealth and Non-HIPAA Platforms

The HHS has changed the HIPPA regulations during the coronavirus pandemic, letting health care providers to utilize applications like Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Skype, Hangouts, Zoom, and etc so they’ can remotely provide care to their patients. In case your health care provider is using a platform or application that’s not covered by the HIPAA, you should ask them about the security measures they have in place to make sure that your privacy is protected at all times. You should also ask what their timelines and plans are for moving to other platforms that are HIPAA compliant.

Tools for Assessing Risk and Staying Safe Online

If you know how to minimize risk then you can keep yourself as well as others safe when there’s crisis. Here are a few tips you need to know if you want to improve your IT security Myrtle Beach.

• Assess the select the tools or software that you use to make sure that they work for you
• Find out about the very best cybersecurity practices when communicating with other people and add them into your tools and routines
• Create strong passwords by using a password manager
• Make sure that you have enabled 2FA for as many accounts as you can
• Know what your needs are and select the perfect VPN for you

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you want to know more how to protect yourself and your family from online threats as more and more people spend time online while on community quarantine due to the COVID-19 crisis.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843-420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Chrome And Firefox Should Be Updated To Stay Secure

The first update for browsers for the year 2019 has been rolled out. With that, Mozilla’s Firefoxand Google’s Chrome have received a variety of security fixes that will make users of Windows, Linux, and Mac feel more secure and safer.

The most recent build of Chrome deals with almost 60 CVE-level problems, out of which, 17 have been given a “high” severity level, and one as “critical” level.

Apart from just boosting the security, however, this recent Chrome build is offering a brand new experimental feature.

Users have to enable the said feature if they want to test it out but Google is currently experimenting with a new feature that will provide users with a visual warning in case a URL is mistyped. Hackers are fond of purchasing popular misspellings of common URLs , creating replicas of legitimate websites that are loaded with malware. Therefore, the brand new feature is considered as a good thing.

This experimental feature is bound to become one of Google Chrome’s permanent feature but for now, it is still opt-in. In case you allow it to run and you type a web address incorrectly, you will receive a dropdown box that shows different possibilities that you might have meant instead, which will allow you to fix it right away.

When it comes to Mozilla, the most recent Firefox build fixes seven CVEs. Out of 7, three were given a “critical” level and two were listed as “high.”

Although software security is important, the latest updates for two of the most popular internet browsers patches some of the most critical issues. Although you will be waiting for some time to install, you should prioritize these especially if you use Chrome, Firefox, or both in your company. Testing out the new redirect feature is well worth it. The feature will surely blow you away.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. for more information about keeping your browsers up to date and secure.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/