If you are a technician and a network you are responsible for begins to go down because of unusually high traffic, there is a good chance you are experiencing a distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS. These attacks, which are extraordinarily difficult to prevent altogether, can be costly for a business.
Technology is often exploited by hackers for their benefit, but one avenue of attack that’s consistently neglected is the mobile device. Smartphones and tablets are arguably at greater risk than desktops and workstations due to them being exposed to more wireless networks. One of the greatest threats to these devices is the botnet, a threat that usually targets desktop computers, enslaving them and turning the machine against its owner (and the rest of the Internet).
Implementing proper IT solutions is challenging for the average small business, and difficult without the aid of a proper IT department. Unfortunately, organizations that can’t afford a full-time in-house IT department sometimes resort to methods of managing their technology that can be dangerous for business continuity, data storage, compliance, and security.
Whether it’s stealing credentials or completely taking over someone’s computer, a hacker has a plethora of targets and methods that can anger the average PC user or business executive. In fact, hackers are so crafty that they can even hack into hospital equipment.
The modern business is inundated with all types of threats, from people outside the organization phishing around for information, to employees that are aloof to their role in your network’s security. If your network’s security is like a levee, it is indisputably an IT department’s job to fill in the gaps to ensure a deluge of misfortune doesn’t swamp your company’s IT. So what happens when your company’s IT department is the biggest offender of perilous activity?
Since you run a business, you know that your business’s network requires a secure firewall to keep threats out. In fact, the firewall is the most basic of security protocol that you should be taking advantage of. Knowing what a firewall protects you from, and what it doesn’t protect you from, is an important first step toward improving your data infrastructure’s security and improving your business’s continuity.
Mobile devices in the workplace are a complex conundrum that many organizations don’t know how to face properly. On one hand, they allow workers to stay ahead of their schedules, and let them stay productive even when they’re not in the office. On the other hand, they present a serious security risk that needs to be addressed. How does your business handle mobile devices in the workplace?
Your organization is constantly at risk of being attacked by malicious entities. This is a fact that modern businesses have to live with. If this is the first time you’re seriously contemplating cyber security, you need to take all potential options into account; including the worst-case scenario, and how you would combat it.
It might seem like the obvious reason for hacks and data loss is due to technology being unpredictable, but in all reality, it’s important to remember that some of the problems we experience with technology come from the people operating it. To this end, it’s important to realize that the people operating technology can also protect themselves from hackers.
It’s the nature of technology to grow more complex over time, and as it does, the types of threats grow alongside it. Security is now more important than ever before, and if your business is not prepared to handle the threats that lurk in the shadows, your organization could be running with an unnecessary crutch.
Accessibility and mobility are important parts of a business’s data infrastructure. To this end, some businesses take advantage of a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which has the power to extend a personal network over a private network like the Internet. However, with new services like cloud computing gaining traction, is it time for businesses to switch up their VPN policies to stay relevant in their industry?
Have you ever wondered how hackers become hackers in the first place? How are tools readily available to them? Business owners might be reluctant to find out that hacking has become easier than ever over the past decade. This is partly due to the increased sophistication of the black market known to some as the Darknet.
As a business owner, you have an obligation to keep your data and network files safe from prying eyes and criminals. The latest threats, like the new Cryptowall 2.0 ransomware, can be a difficult hurdle to jump, especially when they are disguised and designed to ruin you. Thankfully, you don’t have to take on these threats alone.
Users log on and off your company's network all day long. You may think, "No big deal. It's part of the process." But data extrapolated from user logs is a big deal. It can provide your business with valuable information about network security and give you insight on how to improve operations.
Everything changes in due time. Computers grow less secure, malware grows more sophisticated, and hackers' methods change. According to Processor magazine, 80 to 90 percent of attacks are targeted at devices rather than networks and servers. Just like the weakest link in a fence, all it takes is one weak point for a hacker to take down your entire network.
Data security should be a top priority for every business. Having good security means identifying risks. Surprisingly, some of the biggest data risks come from within. If employees aren't following your organization's data management policies, then they're your biggest threats.
We talk a lot about viruses or holes in supposedly sound security structures, but today it seems as if that's all there is to talk about. It's all about the latest vulnerability, or a hacking attack that left millions of people with compromised passwords. People always concentrate on the negative aspects of things without looking at the positives.
GameOver Zeus, a member of the Zeus family of malware, has been discovered and disrupted by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice. But, this is only a temporary respite from the danger the malware poses - in two weeks, the threat will be back, and very much alive.
Take a moment to consider your answer to this question, "What would you do if all of your business's data was somehow lost overnight?" How would you react, and what would you do about it? Your data is valuable, so much in fact that your business would be lost without it, and likely wouldn't be able to run properly.
Many websites around the world are still suffering from the nasty little bug called Heartbleed that we covered last month. This prompted over 30,000 TLS/SSL certificates to be revoked and reissued, but many of them were reissued with the same keys. If this was going to happen, why revoke and reissue them in the first place? They're still just as vulnerable as before, since Heartbleed could have leaked those same keys weeks ago.
Everything DiSC
