December 2022
It may seem odd that we’re talking about October in December, especially when we’re two weeks away from the Christmas season. October is cyber-security month in Canada, during that month people are made aware of cyber-security best practices, worst case scenarios, and cyber threats. The reason why we, at 310-GEEK, bring up cyber-security in December is because we feel We feel that the importance of safeguarding your business’s data and cyber-security awareness should be a topic of conversation all year long.
Throughout this post and in future posts we’ll outline some best practices that you can take back to your business to help add a layer of protection to your data. We’ll also outline some tactics that cyber criminals use when they want to obtain important data from you or your business.
Back in August 2022, Cyber criminals in the UK mailed malware laden Microsoft Office USB sticks to random people. These unsuspecting people thought they were receiving actual software, when in fact they were not. The USB sticks contained malware, ransomware, and an assortment of other unruly programs designed to either steal your data or hold it for ransom.
If you ever find a USB stick that you’ve never seen laying around. You should never pick it up or plug it into your computer. Cyber criminals often plant these, especially, around business or industrial offices in hopes of employees taking the stick and plugging it into their computers. Once that happens, the cyber criminals have control of the computer and the employee doesn’t even realize it.
What should you do to protect yourself and others when you find a random USB stick? If you find at your office, your best bet is to turn it into your IT team or contact your managed IT service provider such as 310-GEEK.
If it is too late, and you’ve plugged the USB stick into your computer. It is best to inform your IT team or contact your managed IT service provider, such as 310-GEEK, right away. They’ll have the tools and knowledge to safely free your computer from the injected ransomware or malware.
You may be wondering, what could a cyber criminal do with my data?
Although the data stolen is your business’s data, the ramifications of having that stolen data in the possession of a cyber criminal will also affect your clients. The cyber criminal will now have access to any client information you’ve had in your data. Depending on the type of business that you operate this can have devastating consequences for both your business and your clients.
According to this article, stolen or compromised user credentials were again the most common method used as an entry point by attackers targeting Canadian organizations; those breaches were also the costliest. The average cost of a data breach by stolen and compromised credentials was as high as $8.86 million.
The above article also mentions that it takes an average of 160 days to detect an attack, that is just over 5 months before a business notice that they’ve been a victim.
Here are some best practices you can adopt to help protect your business from ransomware or malware attacks. Ensure you have a high-quality antivirus, anti-malware program running and that it is updated at a minimum once every two days. Include cyber-security best practices in your weekly meetings with staff. This doesn’t have to be long, it can the first topic and take less than five minutes. The more aware your staff are about the hazards and ramifications of being a victim of a cyber attack the more alert they are when it comes to potential attacks. Ensure your company has a password change policy that requires users to change their email, login, system passwords once every two months. The passwords should be set to contain a wide variety of upper-case letters, phrases, numbers, spaces and symbols.
As mentioned above, if you find that you’re a victim of a ransomware or malware attack contact your IT team or managed IT service provider right away. If left unattended, the cost to recover, restore and install protections can increase by the day or week. Recovery from ransomware or malware cleanup is one of the services that 310-GEEK offers. Our technicians have decades of experience dealing with these types of scenarios. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re a victim of an ransomware or malware attack. Please call us at 310-GEEK (4335) right away.
Are you interested in Managed IT Services or ransomware protection for your business? Contact us or call us at 310-GEEK (4335) today.
About 310-GEEK
310-GEEK is a full-service managed IT service provider and consultant that provides Network, Security, Cloud and On-Site technology-based solutions. We support small and medium sized businesses, large enterprises, professional corporations, healthcare providers, public-sector organizations, and utilities. Our team of professionals have a combined 40-plus years of experience that can design and build customized solutions to help our customers grow their businesses. Operating in the Edmonton market for over 10 years, 310-GEEK has the insights to understand the critical needs that businesses require to be successful in today’s competitive environment. Our goal is to deliver secure, innovative, and reliable services that respond to the changing demands of businesses and be there to support their rapid growth and digital transformation initiatives. If you’re looking for a new IT partner or would like a free network assessment call 310-GEEK (4335) or contact us today.
