Cybersecurity Tips For Your Work From Home Employees

Nowadays, a growing number of people have started to work from home. Several studies have shown that employees that work from home, stay productive because they no longer have to commute and there are less distractions. Although the ability to let staff to telework when required offers better flexibility to businesses, working from home also has its own set of cybersecurity risks. Remote workers will not just risk their own privacy but also cause the cybersecurity breach in their company’s network.

Letting some of your staff to work remotely for a certain period is something many firms can take care of before these last few months. But when there’s a natural disaster, few enterprises are prepared to allow a large part of their workforce to work from home.

These companies don’t have the infrastructure to handle a lot of employees working remotely, and they also don’t have the security to protect their sensitive data. For many firms, their underlying support, software, and hardware structures can only support a small part of their employee population telecommuting.

 

 

Here are few things that your company needs to make sure that your employees are secured when they work from home.

1. VPN – your work from home employees have to use a VPN. A lot of people know that using a VPN would bypass geographic restriction when accessing location specific content like Netflix. Aside from that, a VPN functions by encrypting your internet traffic, which means it will be unreadable to anybody who tries to intercept it.
2. Wi-Fi Connections – the majority of Wi-Fi connections at residential properties these days are secure. But when you’re not at home, you should be careful about using public Wi-Fi networks. This goes the same for your employees whom you’ve allowed to work from home.
3. Home Routers – A lot of people do not change their router password at home after it was first installed. This leaves their home network vulnerable to cybercriminals. It is important to tell your employees to boost their cybersecurity at home by changing the password in their home router. This will help prevent cybercriminals from access their devices and confidential information.
4. Passwords – all of your accounts have to be protected by strong passwords. Using the same passwords for multiple accounts is not advisable. It will just take one hacker to take control of their accounts
5. Two Factor Authentication – There’s more you can do than just have strong passwords. It’s better to another layer of protection using two-factor authentication. This could be through a text message or email, or even a fingerprint scan or facial recognition.
6. Backups – your files have to be backed up on a regular basis. Your employees may fall victim to ransomware. And when that happens, you won’t have to worry about the files because you have a backup.
7. Firewalls – Firewalls serve as another line of defense to stop threats from getting access to the company’s system. They make a barrier between the internet and the devices of your employees by closing up the ports to communication.
8. Antivirus Software – Install an antivirus software in the computer of your employees. Even though a firewall can help, threats will eventually get through. An advanced and good antivirus software could serve as another layer of defense by identifying and blocking common malware. Even when malware gets access to the device of your employees, an antivirus software might be able to prevent it.
9. Encryption – When your employees have to communicate confidential information to your other staff, their devices must have an updated end to end encryption.
10. Locking Devices – remind your employees to secure their device when they work in a public space to avoid data breach.
11. Phishing – you should train your employees on how to identify and deal with phishing attacks as well as other types of social engineering that involves remote devices as well as remote access to the information systems of your company. Your staff should be cautious of any suspicious email from unfamiliar people, especially when they are being asked to open a file or click on a link.
12. Contact for Reporting Issues – you should provide a phone number or email address that employees can contact to get in touch with your firm’s Incident Response Team in case they encounter potential cybersecurity Fayetteville NC problems when they are working at home.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you need help in boosting your company’s cybersecurity especially for your employees who are working from home.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

The Importance Of Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Studies have revealed that human error is the primary cause for over 90% of data breaches. It’s a scary statistic for both large and small businesses. No company is immune to cyberattacks. In order to be successful, a social engineering scam only needs to deceive one employee. It’s a fact that a single mistake by one of your staff members is the only thing that is needed to compromise a whole network. If your employees are left unaware or unprepared for social engineering cyberattacks, then your company will be vulnerable. That's why cybersecurity awareness training is important.

 

 

Tips For Training Employees For Cybersecurity

The approach matters when it comes to implementing cybersecurity awareness training effectively. The objective here is to alter the way your staff do their daily tasks by informing them on the different types of cyberattacks and making sure they follow best practices so they can keep themselves and your business protected. An average of two months is required to form a habit and that means a one time training sessions where guests are swamped with information during the discussion and sent on their way afterwards. This approach isn’t effective.

Ongoing training programs that are updated on a regular basis is required in order to keep up with the continuous transformation of the threat landscape along with the addition of new protocols. Many people learn better with hands-on method. So, incorporating simulations to theoretical training lets employees perform safe online behaviour. This will help in reinforcing the training and in improving its effectiveness.

An overview of the various kinds of cyberscams as well as how they work should be explained well to employees so they would know how to identify if there’s an existing security threat. An in-depth training program must cover the different kinds of online security threats and how they are presented. This may include phishing, spear phishing, and other social engineering scams. It must also cover smishing, vishing, baiting, and malware. BEC or business email compromise as well as water holing attacks.

Phishing and Spear Phishing

It’s better to present examples of phishing scams to show what a fabricated text or email message may appear like, and explain what approaches are used in order to lure someone in. This may be an email needing immediate action, tricking users to clicking an infected link, or a much more targeted spear phishing attack wherein the cybercriminals tries to impersonates the company’s IT manager and gets in touch with a certain person asking for a password update.

Malware

Trojans are sent through email but they could also be downloaded by visiting an infected website that lures victims to take action for it to take effect. A well known Trojan is one that pretends as an anti-virus program. It attacks, damages the device, and steals information once it’s run. Signs that your device may be infected by a virus include slow startup and performance, missing files, error messages, low storage space, and crashes.

Ransomware

A malware program, generally a Trojan, infects a system or device by visiting a compromised website, or through a phishing email. Users won’t be able to access their data or system through encryption. Cybercriminals can use this to their advantage and against the affected individual or business.

Baiting

It is a popular method when it comes to the successful installation of malware through an infected physical media like a flash drive.

Vishing and Smishing

These are types of social engineering fraud wherein the attacker uses a phone call or SMS messaging to try to get access to financial or personal information. These strategies also depend on triggering a sense of urgency in the victim so personal data can be obtained.

Business Email Compromise

A cybercriminal pretends to come from a trusted company to trick one of your staff, client, or vendor into providing personal information or transferring money to the fraudster.

Water Hole Attack

This type of cybersecurity attack aims to compromise a user by infecting the websites that they frequently visit. The primary goal of a water hole attack is to compromise a legitimate website so they could use it get access to a much bigger network through the workstation of employees.

Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Training

1. Employees will feel empowered and confident through training.
2. Established rules and protocols lowers the risks of a data breach.
3. Security protocols must be proactive and adaptive.
4. Prevention is better than cure. Having a workforce that is security aware can help your company save money and time, as well as prevent lost of revenue and downtime by following a proactive approach when it comes to security training.

 

SpartanTec Inc. provides cybersecurity training for your employees. This training can be live or virtual. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to discuss this important training opportunity.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Securing Devices

 A lot of changes have happened in 2020 and the year isn’t even over yet. How people socialize, learn, and work has changed dramatically. An increasing number of people are now working from home and that means their professional and personal lives have become more intertwined. This has led to the introduction of new cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

During the National Cybersecurity in Fayetteville Awareness Month or NCSAM, businesses and consumers are encouraged to concentrate on the steps organizations and users can take in order to protect their interconnected equipment and devices for both professional and personal use.

There are many different steps to take to secure devices used at home or at work.

 

 

Tips To Improve Cybersecurity At Home or Office

1. Be careful what you click. Cybercriminals send phishing emails to the email account of businesses as they try to get access to the company’s network and system. You might unknowingly install spyware or malware in your system if you click on these links.

 

• You should ignore unsolicited social media messages, texts, calls, and emails especially when they trigger a sense of urgency and ask you to respond to a concern right away.
• Be careful if these requests involve your package delivery, taxes, bank account, or online account. A lot of scammers these days try to mimic the emails, texts, and even websites of legitimate companies.
• It’s better not to respond if you are not sure. This is one of the best network security practices you need to follow. If you are in doubt of the legitimacy of a certain message claiming to be from a contact at a government agency or business, call the organization involved right away using a legitimate channel. Do not use the number that’s provided in the unsolicited message. Don’t click on any links on a social media post or email.

 

2. Back up your data. Your hard drive can crash anytime. Not to mention, files can be deleted, stolen, or attacked by a malware. In order to protect yourself against data loss, you have to back up your data regularly. You should follow the policies set in place by your employer for work backups. This can be done using cloud storage or physical storage. It is a crucial part of computer security.

 

• Examples of physical storage include local backups like removable media such as external hard drives and USB flash drives. This allows for accessible and fast storage. However, it can also be costly and at risk to physical failure.
• Cloud backups allow data to be stored in online locations that are secured but can be accessed anywhere and by different devices. This method is considered to be the most secured. Plus, it can also be accessed anywhere. You can set the backups to happen real time. It is an efficient way of protecting your data but it generally requires regular internet access and subscription cost.

 

Once you’ve chosen which backup method to choose, here are the steps you need to do to complete the set up.

1. Prepare the files, documents, and folders that need to be saved. The most important files should be backed up first.
2. Come up with a backup schedule that suits your needs.
3. Check the backup by loading data from the storage back to your device.

 

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER: UNDER ATTACK: THE GLOBAL YEAR IN BREACH

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts help secure your devices at home and work against potential online threats.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Is Cybersecurity Important In The Digital Age?

The way people see and experience the world has been changed significantly by the digital age. Although collectively the setting where the world works has become much smaller, it’s brought its own share of concerns. Connectivity has increased but the risk of cyberattacks also rose exponentially. So why is cybersecurity crucial in today’s digital age?

 

Understanding Cybersecurity

 

Nowadays, there exist different kinds of processes and technologies that are made to protect the sensitive data, which is continuously at risk. The data that’s being referred to here may include information that’s saved on programs, devices, software, etc. Any kind of unauthorized access to such data is a breach in cybersecurity and therefore, effective measures must be taken in order to prevent it.

Data breach is now a serious issue because of the rising cases in cyber threats. Any company that suffers a cyberattack will have a damaged reputation and credibility in the eyes of their clients. It will also place the customers at risk because their valuable data will be exposed and can even be used for different purposes. These setbacks can be prevented by hiring a provider of managed IT services.

 

 

 

Why Cybersecurity?

 

Information technology has closed the gap between nations. It can also be between individuals or organizations. Everybody is keeping their information on the cloud and that means digital footprint is growing rapidly and in a massive scale. Hackers know all these and they can misuse technology for their benefit.

 

Factors Associated With Cybersecurity

 

Data security – prevents unsanctioned access to the network and system of firms and organizations. It is a crucial aspect of IT security.

Mobile security – also referred to as wireless security. It helps protect portable computing devices such as smartphones and laptops from online threats.

Network security – hardware and software technologies are utilized to safeguard computer networks.

Application security – the security features are integrated into the application to ensure that they’re safe from cyberattack.

Endpoint security – protects wireless devices like phones and laptops because their connectivity also pose risks.

Identity management – a detailed and established procedure will check the accessibility to systems, networks, and applications.

Disaster recovery – Companies offering IT services will create a security plan that will help keep unplanned scenarios in check.

 

Does Your Company Need Cybersecurity

If you believe that governments and nations are the only ones that should be careful of cyberattacks. The corporate sector and even individuals are also at risk and they have to make sure that they are not vulnerable. That’s why it is crucial to take the right steps to setting up a good IT security. You can do this in house or you can also consider IT outsourcing.

 

Protecting your company against various online threats is not an easy pursuit. Fortunately, SpartanTec, Inc. is here to help you. Call us now and learn more.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

What's the Difference Between a Breach and Security Incident?

If you think a data breach can’t happen to you, think again: According to the Ponemon Institute’s Fifth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy and Security of Healthcare Data,criminal attacks are up 125 percent compared to five years ago. And that’s just in the healthcare sector. Now more than ever, organizations need a primer on how to protect sensitive data. With cyber crime attacks on the rise, it’s critical to understand what a data breach is, how it differs from a security incident and how to plan a data breach response.

 

Incident vs. Breach

Think of a security incident as a pesky cold that may sideline you for a couple days, but clears up fairly quickly. It’s any event that violates an organization’s security or privacy policies around sensitive information like Social Security numbers or confidential medical records. This can be anything from a misplaced drive to missing paper files. A data breach Fayetteville NC, on the other hand, is like the nastiest flu bug ever — a whopper of a virus that will knock you off your feet.  The folks at ID Experts define it as a security incident that meets specific legal definitions per state and federal laws. Specifically, data breaches require notification to the affected individuals, regulatory agencies, and sometimes credit reporting agencies and media.  

 

 

Security Incidents Are Status Quo

Security incidents are, sadly, part of the status quo — with 65 percent of healthcare organizations reporting having experienced electronic information-based security incidents over the past two years, according to the Ponemon study. While not all security incidents escalate into data breaches, there’s a regulatory obligation to complete an incident risk assessment when PHI (protected health information) or PII (personally identifiable information) is compromised.

 

Responding Effectively

When an incident does escalate into a data breach, a quick and effective response is critical. This requires close collaboration across the company or organization, not just IT. Stakeholders in legal, marketing, public relations, the C-Suite and other functions have to be prepared to own a piece of the incident response and work together in a fairly seamless manner. The first two, vital steps following a data breach are 1) Quantify the damage; and 2) Determine your response. To address the first, quantifying damage, it helps to know at any point in time what information requires the most protection, where it’s stored and how it’s protected. At SpartanTec, Inc. we recommend performing periodic cyber threat assessments to develop this understanding. In respect to step two, determining response, this is essential to managing enterprise risk and can quell fears, especially when the breach is more serious than initially thought, when credit monitoring isn’t enough and when media interest is high. It requires data breach agility. Organizations with high data breach agility are more likely to have cybersecurity platforms that optimize visibility and the sharing of actionable threat intelligence between prevention and detection tools and across endpoints, data centers and the cloud.  

 

This is among the advantages of the security fabric. Based on open APIs, it links together different security sensors and tools to collect real threat data, enabling technology and people to more effectively coordinate and respond to potential threats. Contact SpartanTec, Inc. to learn more.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

5 Overlooked Security Measures When Using Mobile Devices

Implement a mobile device policy. This is particularly important if your employees are using their own personal devices to access company e-mail and data. If that employee leaves, are you allowed to erase company data from their phone? If their phone is lost or stolen, are you permitted to remotely wipe the device – which would delete all of that employee’s photos, videos, texts, etc. – to ensure YOUR clients’ information isn’t compromised? Further, if the data in your organization is highly sensitive, such as patient records, credit card information, financial information and the like, you may not be legally permitted to allow employees to access it on devices that are not secured, but that doesn’t mean an employee might not innocently “take work home.” If it’s a company-owned device, you need to detail what an employee can and cannot do with that device, including “rooting” or “jailbreaking” the device to circumvent security mechanisms you put in place as part of the IT service.  

 

 

Require STRONG passwords and passcodes to lock mobile devices. Managed IT service providers say that passwords should be at least 8 characters and contain lowercase and uppercase letters, symbols and at least one number. On a cell phone, requiring a passcode to be entered will go a long way in preventing a stolen device from being compromised.

Require all mobile devices be encrypted. Experts of IT services Fayetteville NC suggest that encryption is the most effective way to achieve data security. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that unlocks (decrypts) the data.

Implement a remote wipe software for lost or stolen devices. If you find a laptop was taken or a cell phone lost, remote “kill” or wipe software will allow you to disable the device and erase any and all sensitive data remotely. 

Backup remote devices. If you implement step 4, you’ll need to have a backup of everything you’re erasing. To that end, make sure you are backing up all MOBILE devices including laptops so you can quickly restore the data. While these 5 are a good start, many organizations that are heavily using mobile devices or are handling highly sensitive data such as credit card numbers, financial information, social security numbers or medical records need to be far more diligent about monitoring and securing all mobile devices.  

 

For those of you who fit into that category, we have a special report that details X more security measures and strategies that you need to implement and know about that most IT firms don’t know or won’t tell you. For a free copy, simply call SpartanTec, Inc. or shoot me an e-mail at lcarter@spartantec.com with “Mobile security report” in the subject line.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Email Archiving Is Important

Email archiving is something that a few people do. Have you ever tried to archive your emails? It all boils down to how you want to manage your emails. For some, they prefer the whole Inbox Zero idea while others are satisfied to let their unread emails accumulate. Without worrying about the collective weight of unanswered queries or forgotten newsletters.

But email archiving Fayetteville NC goes beyond just emptying your inbox. As a matter of fact, for a lot of individuals, email archiving is an important aspect of transparent business practice and better organization. It offers several benefits when you click that archive option and you will be surprised at how simple this email management practice is once you get make it a part of your routine.

What is email archiving?

Email archiving refers to the process of getting rid of emails from your inbox and storing them in a different yet accessible location. You can do this automatically or manually depending on your preference and you can search your archived emails by keyword, contact, or date. The purpose of archiving is to provide you with a central location where you can store your emails that you don’t need direct access to. It makes sure that your inbox is clean and files and attachments are safe.

Why archive your emails?

There are a few things you need to consider when it comes to email archiving. Many people use this function whenever they would like to clean their inbox without having to delete emails. This could be particularly useful if you do not want to sort old emails but don’t want to see a cluttered inbox either.

Other people use email archiving for legal protection and compliance or to make sure that data is not accidentally lost or deleted. This function allows essential attachments and emails to be stored safely in a different folder, which can be referred back to later or deleted when no longer required.

What are the benefits of email archiving?

1. Cleaner inbox that’s easy to manage

• You’ll regain control of your inbox.
• Archiving allows you to remove the email from your inbox and moving it to the archive folder.
• Future reply to these emails will move the archived emails back to your inbox.
• Helps you draw a line underneath completed tasks.
• An integral part of best business practices.

2. Never lose important data again

• Email archiving lets you keep a record of all sent and received emails.
• You’ll always have a copy of your emails and their attachments.
• Important documents and data are stored safely in a different folder.
• You’re less likely to delete or lose important emails.
• You can easily access the digital copy of your important data.
• It helps improve your email security.

3. Access important data quickly

• You can open the archive folder easily whenever needed.
• You’ll be in control of your archives

4. Keeps your business compliant

• Lets you store important data while giving you easy access.
• Keeps your business data compliant

5. Protects your business from possible litigation

• Email archiving offers you a fallback for litigation discovery in case your business gets involved in any kind of legal proceedings.

How to archive emails?

You can generally archive emails with just one click and based on the kind of software you are using, this is commonly found within the drop down menus or by right clicking your mouse. Archiving is simple and quick so you can easily access the archiving features.

Where to find archived emails?

In many cases, you will find the archived emails in a separate folder that’s marked as archive. For certain apps, you may have to set up this folder ahead of time, but the process is easy. All you have to do is follow the instructions provided.

Do I need email Encryption?
https://www.spartantec.com/2020/08/11/meet-growing-need-email-encryption/

Do I need to be concerned about malware in email?
https://www.spartantec.com/2020/08/15/this-new-malware-added-an-email-attachment-stealer/

 What is a phishing scam and how do I avoid one?
https://www.spartantec.com/2020/08/20/phishing-scams-how-to-avoid/

Is email maintenance becoming a problem? SpartanTec Inc. is your local AppRiver partner. We can help you organized and, more importantly, secure your emails. In today’s cyber world email communication is not only imperative but also vulnerable. Call us today – (910) 745-7776 – to discover how we can save you time and give you peace of mind.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence