When it comes to a business’ cybersecurity, there is no magic bullet to solve every problem. No miracle cure, no panacea, no Staples “that was easy” button. Instead, you need to deploy various means of protecting your operations. Let’s discuss how your business’ security needs to be shaped in three different environments: your physical infrastructure, your cybersecurity solutions, and your employees’ security habits.
While remote work has gained an understandable boost in popularity, many business owners and technology specialists may still be concerned about how secure the Wi-Fi connections that workers are using in the home are. To waylay those fears, you need to be sure that your employees are using their networks as securely as they can.
The COVID-19 pandemic has most of the world at home. It has completely disrupted everyday life and has businesses scrapping their normal strategies for work-at-home policies that will at least allow them to maintain some productivity. These strategies, while highly effective, carry with them additional risk. Today, we take a look at some of the risks associated with relying on remote workers.
When someone starts talking about social engineering, people often get confused. They think we’re talking about cloning. While having two of something you love may not be terrible, the social engineering we routinely cite is much, much worse. Social engineering is the act of using social interactions to get people to make cybersecurity mistakes. Today, we’ll take a look at social engineering and how it can have a negative effect on your business.
Over the last few years, there has been a meteoric rise in cybercrime, with nothing to indicate that rates will decrease anytime soon. Why would they? Bad actors and cybercriminals can make a pretty penny by attacking businesses, and they are only becoming more equipped and experienced in doing so.
Attention: You Aren’t Safe Listen up: if you are still using Windows 7–or much worse yet, Windows Server 2008 R2– and these machines are connected to a network that is connected to the Internet, that network is in jeopardy. Microsoft has retired support for both operating systems and will no longer provide crucial security updates and bug fixes making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. What Moves Should You Make? You need to do what you can to upgrade away from Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. What If You Can’t Upgrade? If your company depends on legacy titles that are only compatible with these systems, there are things you can do to protect your network. They include: Make sure firewall and antivirus are up to date – There are still risks when you keep systems running these OSs connected to your network, but by upgrading firewall and antivirus you’ll have a better chance at keeping unwanted entities off of these systems. Update other software – Along with security solutions, you’ll want to make sure other pieces of software you run on the platform are updated. For example, Google Chrome has stated it will support Chrome on Windows 7 until July 2021. Take resources offline – If your Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 systems are taken offline, they are effectively quarantined away from the rest of your computing resources. What Are Your Options Going Forward? You will need to upgrade. For Windows 7, you can upgrade to Windows 10 or you can look to the cloud. There are options offered, such as the Windows 365 bundle, that delivers Windows 10 Pro, customizable security, and Microsoft Office 365 for a monthly fee per user. Regardless of what you choose, you need to get crucial business computing systems off of Windows 7. For Windows Server 2008 R2, you’ll need to upgrade to a supported version of Windows Server. Knowing that this can come with massive upfront costs, Microsoft also provides migration solutions though their Azure cloud services. If you are still using unsupported Microsoft operating systems, you need to start planning your upgrade today! Call the IT experts at GeekboxIT to get started moving your business’ critical computing resources away from vulnerabilities by giving us a call at (336) 790-1000.
Malware is a bad thing. It’s right there in the name, as the prefix mal– comes from the Latin malus, which literally translates to “bad.” So it only makes sense to try to keep it out of your business. Let’s discuss a few basics to form the foundation of your greater cybersecurity strategy.
It won’t be long before Microsoft retires two of its most popular operating systems – but hopefully, you already knew that. Microsoft has made a point of reminding Windows 7 users that they need to upgrade before January 14 – and yet, many users haven’t done so.
Wait! If you haven’t read part one of our Facebook privacy blog yet, you may want to do that before reading this one. If you’re ready, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at your Facebook settings to make sure that your account and its data are as secure as possible. If we’re being honest, protecting this kind of data hasn’t seemed to be one of the platform’s strong suits – and user privacy has been the star of many lists of concern.
Two billion users strong, Facebook is one of the Internet’s most popular websites… which has frequently put the tech giant in the spotlight when it comes to how secure the data you’ve entrusted to them (in addition to what they’ve collected) really is. Today, we’ll discuss how you can access the information Facebook has on you.