Posted by Mark Sarro on Mon, May 04, 2009
If we all recall on April 1
st; just a little over a month ago the "Conficker C" worm was a media superstar. "Will the worm get us? Are we Safe? What will it do?" These are all questions that everyone was asking... Ah ha! Low and behold April 1
st came and yet nothing happened. The reality was that if you're Microsoft based computer is getting patches and has been getting patches since 2006 then you were safe... Or if your Anti-Virus definitions were up to date you were safe as well.
Ok, so it's always good to ask these kinds of questions, are we safe? Is my computer protected? But, let's all remember that the media is doing what it has always been good at; making a mountain out of a mole hill! It's very simple; keep your computer up to date! Don't fear the yellow shield sitting in your system tray! That's Microsoft telling you that updates are ready to be installed on your PC. Whether it's your business PC or your home PC; keep your computer up to date! "But wait a minute! I've had Microsoft updates crash my computer or application!" You might say... Yes, unfortunately from time to time a Microsoft update may cause a hardware or software conflict, but what is worse? A Microsoft update that may cause a conflict and have to be un-installed or rolled back? Or, a piece of malware, virus or other nasty critter that could potentially steal your information and cause your system to have a non-recoverable system crash? I will leave you to ponder that thought, but I'll side with Microsoft anytime! It's much easier to rollback an update than to try and recover from a virus or Trojan everytime!
Posted by Austin Herrera on Fri, Mar 27, 2009
Identity theft- pretty scary to think a hacker could steal your identity and exploit you for as much as they possibly can, isn't it? Well now think what it would mean if that hacker got a hold of your business information - larger lines of credit, stealing of your customer information, more people to exploit, etc. Hackers have all the more reward by targeting your business, and believe me - they are.
On top of the confidential business information that hackers might be able to get into, others can also steal your business identity. How could they do that you may be asking? It is easy to setup online advertising that may look and resemble your business and then they click on the link and get diverted to what they believe is a legitimate business.
So what can you do to protect your business? Below we provide 8 simple steps to a safer business:
1. Defend your business!
Make sure you have adequate firewalls and antivirus protection to safeguard you from hackers who could steal your customers and company identity? Think of it like it is your home: if you leave the doors open all the time eventually you are going to get robbed. Make sure your network is secure by using firewall that is on your router.
You can also use the services of a managed provider which will safeguard you from pretty much all threats. The reasoning is Managed Services Providers go beyond standard protection to improve the performance of your infrastructure. An MSP can protect your business from viruses, spyware, and hackers. The MSP will also help you back up all your important files and proactively maintain your systems by routinely defragmenting your hard drives, compressing temporary files, downloads security fixes, and much more. You may not realize all that goes on in the background but as long as you are using an MSP you should be covered.
2. Encrypt as much as possible
Annoying as it may be encrypting your sensitive data can safeguard you from hackers. By encrypting you give the hacker more work to do which he or she may very well just not be in the mood to do. If a hacker sees you have taken the preventive steps to stay secure - they will more than likely move on. If you take one thing out of #2 here it should be: do not allow transferring of company sensitive data electronically unless it is encrypted.
3. Do NOT store credit cards numbers
Pretty simple concept to grasp: If it is stored - more than likely a hacker can get to it.
4. Run updates
Updates are there for a reason - to protect you! If you aren't running updates for your antivirus or even operating system - you are putting yourself at risk. They update the software because there are slight flaws in the system or possible loopholes - avoid the issues by running updates.
5. Get your employees to pitch in
Some basic ways that your employees can help keep your business a bit safer is by doing things like changing passwords periodically and using general security and software tools to ensure that their computers are safeguarded against attacks and malicious programs. Hackers can take information from an employee's computer, without anyone even knowing it.
6. Be careful with your mobile devices
You set your briefcase down for a minute while you go to the counter to pay for lunch. You turn around and your laptop with sensitive data is in the hands of a thief. Imagine what they can get a hold of if you haven't encrypted your data - pretty much everything. The same goes for cell phone, Blackberrys and other smartphones can provide a thief with a ton of information to exploit.
7. Know what to do when the worst occurs
Have a security compliance/disaster recovery plan in place for when worst case scenario becomes real life. It is an inexpensive way to make sure you know how to act if the issue ever arises and it will help keep you up and running.
8. Think about Managed Services - seriously
Why do companies like Trigon exist? Because we can provide services better than you could ever possibly get in-house. Hiring an "IT guru" or using your nephew who goes to school for IT may save you in the short term but what happens when your network's security is violated and you just lost all critical data that helps you run your business. An in-house "IT person" cannot proactively and preventatively maintain your systems in a fashion that actually keeps you secure. Ohh and did I mention we don't take vacations, take sick days, cost you anything in healthcare costs, and we don't clock out at 5:00 like an employee will.