Passwords are essential to your cyber-safety.  You know it, but if you’re like the rest of the digital society, you probably have dozens of passwords to remember.  It’s a lot.  So, you might take shortcuts.  Taking advantage of your laissez-faire attitude is one way bad guys access your passwords.

Incredibly, there are still people out there using “password” or “123456” in their access credentials.  Some people don’t change the default passwords on their devices.  So, anyone can pick up a router, look at the sticker identifying the password, and access that network.

Tip: Avoid the obvious passwords! When you have to create a password, make an effort.  When it’s time to update a password, do so.  Steer clear of simple, easily guessed patterns.

Cybercriminals can also guess your password.  With a little bit of research about you online, they can make some informed guesses.  Common passwords include pet names, birthdays, and anniversaries.  These are all easy to find via your social media accounts.

Tip: Be careful what you share on social media!  Don’t befriend strangers, as you are giving them access to a goldmine of info for personalizing an attack on you.

If that doesn’t work, criminals may try brute force.  They might script an automation bot to run thousands of password permutations until they get a hit.  The software will try a long list of common passwords and run through dictionary words to gain access.

Tip: Use a complex password with numbers, letters, and symbols or a passphrase.  A passphrase is typically at least 19 characters long but is more memorable, as it unique to you.

The criminal may also be working with info from a data breach.  In early 2019, a security researcher found more than 2.7 billion email/password pairs available on the Dark Web.  Criminals accessing that database could use the data as a starting point, as many people duplicate their passwords across accounts.

Tip: Use a unique password for each site.  Yes, that’s overwhelming to remember, and that’s also why you should use a password manager to keep track of it all for you.

Criminals can also access your account if you’ve used a hacked public computer.  The bad guys may have installed a key logger on the computer.  The logger records every key you press on the keyboard.  Or they might have compromised a router or server to be able to see your information.

Tip: Be cautious about your online activity on computers or networks you don’t trust.

Of course, there’s one more method of getting your password that we haven’t addressed yet. It’s the familiar phishing attack.  For instance, you get an email that looks like it was sent by your bank.  Phishing typically has an urgent message and a link that directs you to what looks like a credible page.

Tip: Pay attention to who is sending the email and hover the mouse over the link to see where it goes.  If you are concerned about your bank account, for example, open up a browser and type the URL manually rather than clicking the link.

These tips can help you to protect your valuable passwords.  Still, setting up a password manager and amping up your internet security can help too.  Need support getting ahead of the cybercriminals?

Contact us today!  Call us at 470-236-2584 or fill out our contact form to learn more today!

Cybersecurity attacks on big-name brands or governments are familiar headlines these days.  Millions of access credentials are breached, and millions of dollars are lost to ransomware attack.  You may think you’re protected, but a single undetected misconfiguration could mean trouble.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know no one is immune from cyberattack.  Your business has been proactive by:

• putting firewalls and antivirus protection in place;
• establishing a bring-your-own-device policy;
• educating employees about password strength, social engineering, and cyber hygiene;
• updating software promptly;
• upgrading end-of-life hardware and software.

The threat landscape is evolving rapidly, the number of devices connected to a business network is exploding, more employees work on their own devices, and a greater number of people are working remotely.  Plus, connected devices are all different types.  If your wireless is unsecured, you could end up with devices you don’t know at all connected to your network.  Yet it’s difficult to manually monitor every single configuration for security.

Push notifications advising us to update software come in fast and furious, but we’re busy.  We have other things on our mind, we don’t get around to it right away, or, having clicked “never show again” on that popup, we forget the notification altogether.  No action is taken.

At least no action on the business side.  Out in cyberspace, bad actors actively seek out unattended or unpatched vulnerabilities.

What You Can Do About It

Think of the risk this way: you wouldn’t install a steel door and assign guards at both the front and back entrances, then leave a side window open.

Of course, an open window is something you can detect with the naked eye, but misconfigurations are more difficult to detect.  A vulnerability scan helps detect insecurities in your systems and software.  Sometimes a file share is configured incorrectly: you think the connection shares to one person, but instead it’s 100% open to the public.

An automated scan proactively identifies network, application, and security vulnerabilities.  This process aims to find any points of entry.  A scan also predicts the effectiveness of any countermeasures you may have in place.

The scan detects and classifies system weaknesses in networks, communications equipment, and computers.  It then compares details about those vulnerabilities with a database of known exploits.  This includes known flaws, coding bugs, packet construction anomalies, default configurations, and more.

A thorough managed service provider takes several scanning approaches.  To scan your external exposure, they’ll look at all applications, ports, websites, services, networks, and systems facing the internet.  An internal scan identifies system and application security holes that cybercriminals might exploit once they get in.  Environmental scanning considers any IoT devices, websites, cloud-based services, and mobile devices.

Securing your business assets is critical.  Identify the system security holes with vulnerability scanning before the bad guys find them.

Partner with us to review your security posture.  We can scan your network for misconfigurations, malware, known exploits, or open reports.  We’ll produce a report that outlines any vulnerabilities, and recommend what you can do about them.

Call us at 470-236-2584 now or fill out our contact form to learn more today!

Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the prime target for attackers because they tend to be easier targets. They’re often less secure and unprepared for attack. Think about burglars that go after houses where they know no one is home. With more cybercrime automation and the rise of hacking kits, the cost and time it takes to launch a successful attack have decreased, increasing the amount of cyber-attacks executed.

You, like many SMBs, may not think you are a target

82 percent of SMBs say they’re not targets for attacks as they don’t have anything worth stealing (Towergate Insurance).

However, 55 percent of SMB respondents have experienced a cyber-attack in the past year, and another 50 percent have experienced a data breach involving customer and employee information (2016 State of SMB Cybersecurity).

You may underestimate the value of your information

It doesn’t always seem like it, but every business has data worth stealing. Did you know that the average cost per lost or stolen record is $158? It may not seem like a lot, but this number grows quickly once these records are stolen by the hundreds (Cost of Data Breach Study).

This means you might not be prepared to defend yourself

Did you know that 79 percent of small businesses do not have an incident response plan? Without one, you may never be able to fully recover when a security incident becomes a reality (Nationwide Cyber Security Survey).

However, the consequences are significant and often business-crippling.

An IBM and Poneman Institute study found that the average cost of a data breach has increased to a staggering $3.79 million (Cost of Data Breach Study).

Similarly, 60 percent of companies that lose their data due to an attack or disaster will shut down within six months (Boston Computing Network).

Work with an MSP to receive the data protection you need.

Invest in an outsourced cybersecurity solution to protect against the expanding cyber threat landscape, and mitigate damages inflicted upon your business. Gain the expertise, technology and support you may be lacking, and grow your IT budget without growing your payroll.

Work with us today!

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