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Ransomware emails: How to identify

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    Ransomware emails: How to identify and steer clear of them   Ransomware attacks have suddenly become more prevalent. Each year sees more of them. Hospitals, NPOs, shipping giants, etc., have all been victims of ransomware attacks. Your business could be too! Did you know that emails are one of the most common gateways for ransomware to get into your systems? In this blog, we tell you how you can stay safe by following a few tips.   If you think something is amiss, it probably is Does that email seem unfamiliar? As though you weren’t meant to get it, or it doesn’t quite sound like your colleague wrote it? Perhaps it’s not. Malicious email senders often try to mask actual email IDs with something similar. For example: An email you believe to have come from billing@yourvendor.com might actually be from billing@yourvemdor.com . So take a good look at the email ID if you spot something ‘phishy’.   Attachments and form fills Does the email contain an attachment that you are being asked
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How good is your password

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    How good is your password?   Did you know that having a weak password is one of the biggest security risks you face? This blog focuses on the best practices related to passwords that you can follow to ensure passwords are not your weakest link.   Avoid sequences and repetitions: How many times have you used passwords like dollar12345 or $$$BobMckinley. Passwords containing sequences and repetitions are just easier to hack. Avoid using your personal data: Do not make your birth date, bank account number or address a part of your password. It puts your data at stake if your personal information is stolen. Don’t repeat passwords: Make sure you pick unique passwords every time. Unique, not only verbatim, but also in combination. For example, if password one is a combination of number, symbols and letters in that sequence, password two should be letters, numbers and symbols. Manual password management is not a good idea: Invest in a good password management tool. You can
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Think you are too small

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    Think you are too small to be targeted by a cybercriminal? Think again.   When I meet with clients, especially SMBs, I often hear them say that they feel their business is too insignificant to be a target of cyber-criminals. Why would someone go after my business when there are bigger ones out there, making more money? Here are a few reasons why.   Because you think so - The fact that you think you are safe makes you more vulnerable, because you are not prepared for the eventualities that arise from an attack. Most SMBs I interact with don’t have a well-defined plan in place in terms of IT security Your staff is a gateway: Smaller businesses rarely conduct formal training sessions or provide information updates to their staff about the latest cyber threats. Such sessions are never a priority when the staff is too caught up with other ‘real’ work. As a result, your staff is more likely to fall for phishing messages and unknowingly become a gateway for cybercriminals to enter
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Keeping your data safe: Access Control

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    Keeping your data safe: Access Control   Cyberattacks are a commonplace today. Malwares such as viruses, worms and more recently ransomwares not only corrupt your data or hold it hostage, but also inflict irreversible damage on your brand and business. As a norm, most businesses these days do invest in anti-virus/cybersecurity systems. But, is that really enough? The answer is--NO. Because, they often overlook one important aspect--access. Ask yourself, how easy is your data to access? How can you strengthen the walls that keep your data safe? Read this blog to find out.   Role-based access Always follow a role-based access permission model--meaning people in your organization have access to ONLY the data they REALLY need. Generally, the higher the designation, the deeper the data access permission and stronger the rights. For example, someone at the executive level may not be able to edit your MIS spreadsheet, but a manager should be able to.   Formal password controls No matter h
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Smaller firms less likely to keep up to date on the basics that protect them

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    Smaller firms less likely to keep up to date on the basics that protect them.   On the never ending problem of cyber security, small firms often do not have any/much in-house IT support. As a consequence, they may be less likely to be able to make sure their software is consistently updated to reflect any patches released by the product’s maker. This simple oversight, deliberate or not, is a major source of data breaches and ransomware attacks.Think back many years to when Microsoft pulled the plug on maintaining Windows XP. Many users refused to upgrade because there were afraid of losing compatibility with other software programs, the unintended consequences of moving to a new OS, or just not being sure how to install an upgrade. Whatever the issue, it meant those users had an operating system that was no longer updated to reflect the latest security fixes. Their operating system became an unlocked gate.   You may not be scared of technology, but as a small business owner, tra
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Cyberattacks and the vulnerability of the small business

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   Cyberattacks and the vulnerability of the small business   You cannot go a day without reading about some big name company or even government agency being hacked and critical data being compromised. What you don’t see in the media is that most of the attacks happen to small firms, and that this is where a lot of the cybercrime is occurring. What any business, but especially a small business, needs to be afraid of are cyber attacks that disable your operations, disrupt customer interaction, or breach your customer’s personal data. Contrary to what one might expect, smaller firms are far more likely to be targets of hackers than large firms. They are also likely to have less sophisticated security measures in place. Any firm’s existence can be threatened by these events, but smaller firms are often unable to rebuild after a major breach. Studies show that customers are less forgiving of smaller firms than larger ones when their personal data has been compromised. The lesson here i
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Denial is not a solution: Something you owe your customers and your employees

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    Denial is not a solution: Something you owe your customers and your employees   Why do so many people procrastinate about making a will? Why is it so hard to get young people to buy health insurance? Because it is one of those “probably won’t happen--at least in the foreseeable future, and I‘ve got more interesting things to worry about or spend my money on” issues.   Small business owners tend to take the same approach to making business continuity plans in case of a disaster. They are usually fully consumed just running the business and keeping revenues steady and growing. Diverting energies and resources to a “what if” scenario just isn't an imperative.   There are affordable, effective tools out there that will allow any smaller firm to develop effective business continuity plans, but they only work if you take action. Our best advice to overcome denial? Think of this scenario: If something happened right now and your entire operation came to a halt because of a cyber atta
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