MSPNetworks Blog

Maintaining network security has proven to be more difficult for organizations as time has gone on. Like the people trying to keep them out of networks they don’t have access to, hackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their cyberattacks and achieve various malicious objectives. Here are some ways in which hackers are using AI.

Automated Attacks

Hackers can use AI to automate various stages of an attack, from reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning to exploitation and data exfiltration. This can significantly speed up the attack process and allow for more efficient targeting of vulnerabilities.

Phishing Attacks

AI can be used to create highly convincing phishing emails and messages. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques can generate text that appears legitimate, making it more likely that recipients will fall for the phishing attempt.

Password Cracking 

AI can be used to accelerate the process of cracking passwords by rapidly trying different combinations and patterns. Machine learning algorithms can also analyze user behavior and patterns to predict passwords more effectively.

Malware Development 

Hackers can use AI to design and customize malware that is difficult to detect by traditional antivirus solutions. This involves using AI to obfuscate code and create polymorphic malware that constantly changes its appearance.

Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

AI can be used to launch more sophisticated DDoS attacks. AI-powered bots can adapt to defensive measures, making it harder to mitigate the attack.

Exfiltration 

AI can be employed to intelligently identify valuable data within an infected system and exfiltrate it while evading detection. This can involve compressing and encrypting data to minimize its footprint.

Social Engineering

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can be used to impersonate legitimate individuals in social engineering attacks, making it easier to manipulate victims into divulging sensitive information.

Deepfakes

AI can be used to create convincing deepfake videos or audio recordings, which can be used for impersonation or disinformation campaigns.

If hackers are using AI, it is important that your organization get the advanced AI-integrated tools needed to thwart hacking attempts. If you would like more information about how hackers go about using advanced technology, including AI, to try and circumvent attempts to keep them out of accounts and off your network, give the IT security experts at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001. 

As the threat landscape gets more concentrated with serious cyberthreats, new next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) have been developed to help stem the tide of negative outcomes that result from cyberattacks. An NGFW is an advanced network security device or software solution that combines traditional firewall capabilities with additional features and functionalities designed to provide enhanced protection and visibility into network traffic. NGFWs are designed to address the evolving and sophisticated nature of cyberthreats, including malware, intrusion attempts, and other malicious activities.

Key Features of NGFWs

• Application Awareness - These new firewalls can identify and control applications and services at the application layer. This allows them to make access decisions based on the specific applications or services being used, rather than just IP addresses and port numbers.
• Intrusion Prevention System - NGFWs often incorporate intrusion prevention capabilities, which help detect and prevent known and unknown threats by inspecting traffic for malicious patterns and signatures.
• User and Identity Awareness - These firewalls can associate network traffic with specific users or devices, enabling user-based policies and monitoring.
• Content Filtering - NGFWs can filter web content to block or allow specific types of websites, ensuring that organizations can enforce acceptable use policies and protect against malicious content.
• Advanced Threat Protection - Many NGFWs include features like antivirus, anti-malware, and sandboxing to detect and block advanced threats, including zero-day attacks.
• VPN Support - NGFWs often support Virtual Private Network (VPN) functionality, allowing secure remote access and site-to-site connectivity.
• Security Intelligence - Incorporating threat intelligence feeds and databases to keep up with emerging threats, NGFWs can update their security policies accordingly.
• Granular Control - Administrators can define granular policies for network traffic, specifying what is allowed and what is denied, based on various attributes such as application, user, content type, and more.
• Logging and Reporting - NGFWs offer robust logging and reporting capabilities to provide visibility into network activities, which can aid in incident response and compliance reporting.
• Scalability and Performance - NGFWs are designed to handle high volumes of traffic and offer scalable performance to accommodate the needs of large enterprises.

NGFWs are a crucial component of modern network security infrastructure, helping organizations protect their networks and data from a wide range of threats while maintaining control and visibility over network traffic. That is why it is so important to keep your firewalls, next-gen or not, updated with the latest threat definitions to ensure that you are getting the stated value out of it.

If you would like to learn more about outfitting your business with NGFWs, give the IT professionals at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001.

Digital security cameras have revolutionized surveillance, supplanting their analog counterparts due to their myriad advantages. Let’s outline three key benefits of deploying digital security cameras.

Exceptional Video and Image Clarity

Digital security cameras are renowned for their capability to capture high-definition video and images, setting them apart. This heightened clarity proves invaluable for recognizing people, objects, or events in recorded footage. The augmented resolution and image quality offer intricate details, facilitating the identification of faces, license plates, and other critical information. This not only aids in incident investigations but also acts as a potent deterrent for potential intruders and wrongdoers, who know their actions are being meticulously documented in vivid detail.

Remote Monitoring and Accessibility

A hallmark feature of digital security cameras is their capacity for remote monitoring and accessibility. Today’s cameras empower users to view live video feeds and access recorded content from anywhere with an Internet connection. This feature proves indispensable for both homeowners and businesses, enabling real-time monitoring, instant alerts, and the ability to check on property security, even when physically absent. Whether you're traveling or merely away from your workplace, you can utilize your smartphone, tablet, or computer to keep a vigilant eye on the premises under camera surveillance.

Scalability and Versatility

Digital security cameras exhibit remarkable scalability and versatility, rendering them suitable for a diverse range of applications and environments. They can seamlessly integrate into existing surveillance systems or be expanded to meet evolving security requirements. This adaptability renders them ideal for a broad spectrum of installations, spanning from modest residential setups to expansive commercial configurations. Additionally, digital cameras are available in various styles and feature sets, permitting users to select the optimal camera type to align with their precise security needs.

The advantages of digital security cameras are more than the enhanced video quality they provide. They bring the convenience of remote monitoring, adaptability, and scalability, resulting in more effective and flexible security strategies. For more information about how MSPNetworks can assist you in selecting the right digital security cameras for your business, give us a call today at (516) 403-9001.

When I was a kid, there was a Tex Avery cartoon where Droopy Dog was chasing down a crook who escaped from jail. There was a particular scene where the crook (I think it was a wolf in a black-and-white striped jumpsuit) takes a bus, a plane, a ship, and a taxi to a secluded cabin, and then closes a series of increasingly complex doors with a large number of locks, in order to hide away from the pursuing cartoon basset hound. 

Of course, when he turns around, exhausted by all the effort he puts in, he realizes that Droopy is standing right behind him, and greets him with a monotone “hello.”

I haven’t seen this cartoon since I was 7 years old, but I almost always think about it when I am using multi-factor authentication. 

Does Cybersecurity Feel Like It’s a Lot of Effort?

Strong complex passwords, multi-factor authentication, complex policies and rules, and not always feeling like you have total access to everything you need at any given time certainly can feel like a hurdle when it comes to getting stuff done.

Believe me, I get it. As a tech head, I love how secure my information can get, but as a business owner, as a person who just needs to get things done, it really can be just frustrating enough to make it feel like it isn’t worth it.

I’ll never stop advocating it though.

Sometimes, in my head, I might grumble and think to myself—this is stupid, I’m just trying to get into my Facebook account. But then I think, through my Facebook account, I have all of my contacts, many of which are people I do business with. I also own my business page, and a couple of groups that I rely on for networking, and my ads account, which has my business credit card…

You get the idea. It’s just Facebook, but it’s so wrapped around my life that if someone else were to get in there, it could get really messy and complicated.

The same goes for email accounts, bank accounts, and software that stores sensitive information for myself and my business. Basically, anything that you can lock down with multi-factor authentication, you really should, and your employees should all be doing the same.

The Password Just Isn’t as Secure as It Used to Be

Somewhere early on, when the world was figuring out what to do with computers and the Internet, a bunch of folks got together and decided that the password would be the ultimate authentication tool. You just type in your magic words, “open sesame!” and yep, that’s definitely you and can’t possibly be anyone else!

It wasn’t a bad idea back before we were doing banking and storing medical records and other sensitive information online, and before we were using online tools and databases to store tons and tons of client information about people besides just ourselves.

But the password just isn’t that secure. They are easy to crack, and it’s so easy to be lazy about them to the point where they don’t even offer any protection at all. A 12-character password can be cracked with password-cracking software on your average laptop in less than 14 hours, and that time could be much shorter if your password isn’t all that complex.

Plus everyone has the tendency to reuse passwords or establish a predictable pattern in their password-making behaviors… it’s a mess. It’s not a good way to rely on security.

That’s why we have things like multi-factor authentication. Yes, it adds an extra step and can be a little annoying, but it can be streamlined. Here are some tips.

How to Optimize Your Multi-Factor Authentication

• Try to stick to just one single authentication app, preferably one that can be backed up and synced between devices. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to help you pick one that works for you.
• Label your accounts in the app clearly, and try to organize them if you can.
• In your password manager, note how the multi-factor authentication works. If it has to come through SMS or email, it might feel a little more efficient if you noted that for yourself so you were prepared as you were logging in.
• Go into current accounts and check to see what your security settings allow you to do. When possible, use the authentication app so you aren’t relying on authentication information coming in from all different directions.

Cybersecurity is complicated, and it can feel like an overwhelming hurdle, but we can help you and your business use it effectively. It is important, and it is something that we should all be using as often as possible.

To get help, give us a call at (516) 403-9001.

Cybersecurity is important. Scroll through a few pages of our blog and you’ll see article after article talking about threats and ways to make yourself and your business less vulnerable to cyberthreats. As an IT professional, however, I’d be so much happier if the state of the world didn’t require such a massive effort just to protect oneself and we could just talk about cool stuff you can do with modern technology all the time!

But alas, strong cybersecurity is crucial to virtually any organization, and it’s becoming even more important by the month.

You Can’t Flub Your Cybersecurity Awareness

Cybersecurity is something that you can’t just ignore. It’s not going to ignore you—cybercriminals target the people who think they aren’t a target in the first place.

Most businesses these days have at least some level of cybersecurity-based compliance regulations to meet and follow. Some can come from the state, some can come from the industry you are in, some apply based on the type of information you work with, and some can come directly from your business insurance provider. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners and C-levels make is that they have overconfidence in their own cybersecurity. Most business owners are the least secure people I know (and I don’t mean that in an insulting way; CEOs and entrepreneurs, in general, are just wired to be efficient, and cybersecurity practices can feel like a big roadblock to efficiency.)

Heck, I lose sleep at night when I suspect that the owner of a company we work with refuses to use multi-factor authentication, but I catch myself longing to turn that feature off because of the extra couple of seconds it adds to getting into an account every day. 

The point is, even as a leader, you can’t skimp on security. In fact, you should be the shining example of it in your organization.

You Have to Know If You Are Compliant or Not

Depending on the regulations your organization needs to meet, you likely have a laundry list of tasks to check off quarterly or yearly. For many organizations, a part of that might include a regular penetration test.

A penetration test is a very specific set of tasks that involve an ethical hacker attempting to break into your business network using a variety of different ways. 

There are multiple phases that include reconnaissance, scanning for vulnerabilities and other weaknesses, getting in and attempting to steal, change or delete data, staying within the network undetected for a period of time, and looking for non-technical ways to exploit your organization, such as social engineering.

It’s not a small feat, and it’s far from the typical quick network audit or port sniffer scan and things that a technician might do to solve a problem or investigate an issue.

Don’t confuse the small stuff with a penetration test. I’ve talked to business owners in the past who were convinced their network was secure because a third-party ran some network audit tools that came back with devices that were out of date and fixed them. While that’s important to do, and something we do regularly, and maintain for our clients, it’s a long way from an actual penetration test.

Let’s Make Sense of Your Cybersecurity, Together

Protecting your business from modern-day threats and meeting regulatory requirements is a challenge if you try to do it by yourself. Let MSPNetworks be your trusted IT partner and keep your business operating smoothly. Get started today by calling (516) 403-9001.

When it comes to security, it can be challenging to keep up with shifting best practices. For instance, the use of a virtual private network has long been a staple to secure remote operations, and any decent IT service provider would recommend its use. However, this advice is changing with the growth of zero-trust access protocols.

Let’s compare these two security options to consider why this is.

Defining Virtual Private Networking and Zero-Trust Access

In order to properly compare these two security tools, it is important that we establish what each of them is meant to accomplish.

Virtual Private Networking, or the use of a VPN, creates a protected connection between two network endpoints via encryption. Let’s say you were stuck in an airport during a layover, but you had your work laptop with you. By using the VPN, you could connect back to your business’ infrastructure in order to access the data you need, without your activity being visible to others who may be snooping on the airport’s wireless network.

Zero-Trust Access is a strategy in and of itself that turns the principle of least privilege into an actionable approach, requiring comprehensive verification at each and every step of any business process. Fundamentally, the thesis of zero-trust is that everything and everyone is a threat until they are confirmed not to be—with this confirmation regularly verified throughout the user’s processes.

These two methods take very different approaches to securing your business. With the VPN, the focus is on keeping threats out, without particularly restricting the activities of those who have been authenticated. Zero-trust access, on the other hand, provides access to only what an authenticated user requires to fulfill their responsibilities.

What Does a VPN Do Compared to Zero-Trust Access?

Let’s break down different aspects that you need to keep in mind in terms of what each option provides.

Breach Containment

Should a breach occur, a VPN may help prevent the attacker from accessing more than what the VPN itself was directing toward, whereas a properly-configured zero-trust implementation will limit the breach specifically to the device, service, or application.

Cloud Support

Generally speaking, a VPN is hosted on-premise, although cloud options do exist. Zero-trust is typically hosted in the cloud, meaning that it works well in cloud-hosted applications.

Functionality

This is the crux of our discussion. All a VPN does is create a secure means of accessing different networks. Comparatively, zero-trust access does the same, but also restricts access within these networks based on predetermined policies.

Remote Support

With remote work being more prevalent than it has been in the past, ensuring a means of accessing the workplace securely is a more pressing need. A VPN enables remote workers to do so, while a zero-trust network does the same, but does so on a more granular level.

Security Strength

While the VPN does a great job of protecting data while it is being sent between two separate networks, that protection stops once each network is reached. The zero-trust network provides excellent security at every point, for every resource.

These comparisons make it pretty clear that both offer sincere benefits to a business’ security, and that both should have a welcome place in your business security infrastructure. That being said, it is also understandable why today’s security experts are predicting that zero-trust will ultimately take precedence.

In the meantime, MSPNetworks is here to help you ensure that your business’ technology and cybersecurity are maintained and ready for you to use it. Learn more about our managed services and how they can benefit you by giving us a call at (516) 403-9001.

We have not been shy about expounding upon the benefits of the cloud for businesses, as these benefits are both considerable and accessible. That being said, not even the cloud is completely perfect, and there are security errors that can easily be made.

Let’s go through these security errors to see if any sound familiar to your situation.

Missing Access Controls and No Multi-Factor Authentication

Here’s the thing: if your cloud resources are open to anyone, nothing in them can be considered secure. This is why proper access controls—ideally supported by multi-factor authentication—are so important to have.

The data and processes that the cloud can help you support are valuable to your business. Frankly, they’re critical. Leaving them exposed thereby puts your business at risk. Implementing access controls to limit access to your cloud resources to only the team members that actively need them is therefore necessary—and this access should also require multi-factor authentication requirements (identify authentication measures that go beyond just the username and password combination) to be met before it is granted.

You Have No Backups

Today’s businesses have various options available to them, in terms of how they put the cloud to use. Many will elect to utilize public cloud resources that are maintained and managed by an external provider, many will host and maintain their own cloud infrastructure within their business, and many will use a hybrid model that incorporates both for different purposes.

Regardless of the type of cloud you use, it is important that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Remember, the cloud is just another server that you are able to access remotely. What if something were to happen to the cloud infrastructure you were relying on?

This is precisely why it is important that you have backups for all of your cloud data—especially for that which you use a private, self-hosted cloud to store. And while it is true that most reputable cloud providers will actively store your data in numerous physical locations as a form of protective redundancy, it is always best to get this in writing in case the worst winds up happening.

Cloud Data is Left Unencrypted

Of course, backups are just one element of keeping your data safe. Again, while most public cloud providers are relatively very secure, data leaks and theft are not unheard of. Furthermore, data needs to travel back and forth between the user’s endpoint device and the cloud infrastructure, giving an enterprising cybercriminal the chance to take a peek while said data is in transit.

In this context, avoiding a breach will require you to keep your cloud data encrypted, which scrambles it to anyone who tries viewing it without the proper decryption key. This measure is actually required by many regulations that businesses of assorted kinds must abide by, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), making noncompliance a direct detriment to your business in general.

We Can Help You Ensure Your Use of the Cloud is Secure, While Remaining Beneficial to Your Business

In fact, we can say the same for all of your business’ critical technology. Here to provide New York with the best that the managed services model of technology support has to offer, we’re hoping to get the opportunity to assist you and your business in accomplishing more. Find out what we could do for you by reaching out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Passwords are one of the most important parts of keeping any account secure, and if you were to gain access to these accounts, you’d have access to personal data, subscriptions, money, and even the victim’s identity. Today, we want to show you just how easy it is to steal a password and gain access to an account.

You Too Can Steal Passwords to Almost Any Type of Account

All it takes is a little spare cash to gain access to any account, and it’s remarkably easy to pull off. We can’t show you exactly how to do it, but we want to emphasize that literally anyone can do this to your business. Let’s look into some of the intricacies of how stealing a password works.

Learn a Little Bit About the Victim

We’ll use Homer J. Simpson for our example, a name with a singular entry in the United States census from 1940. Simpson was born in 1914, and we are confident that there have not been any babies born with the name since the 90s. That said, we’re making everything up from here on out. If we want to make Simpson’s life difficult, it’s pretty easy to do so, even if we don’t know anything about him.

Imagine that Simpson had a MyFitnessPal account in 2018, which he used to track his health metrics. MyFitnessPal is one of the services that suffered a data breach back in February of 2018 in which 144 million accounts had their emails and passwords compromised. These types of data breaches happen all the time, and users need to be aware of the risks associated with trusting this information to any online accounts, whether it’s Sony, Wendy’s, or even Doordash.

Thanks to the MyFitnessPal breach, Simpson’s password is on the Internet and available to criminals on the dark web. Because of this, we know his name, his email, and the password he likes to use. That’s plenty of information to work with.

From here, you go on Simpson’s social media accounts to find things like his date of birth, the town he grew up in, and his mother’s maiden name. You can also use LinkedIn to find information about his job and his social network. It’s easy to do this in as short a time as 10-15 minutes. You can find out about his kids, his dog, his wife, and potentially even his address. This is also helpful information to know when cracking a password.

Most individuals use information close to them for their passwords, and while we always advocate that it’s just not a good idea, well, it’s easier for people to remember credentials in this way. You can make a lot of educated guesses as to the user’s password simply by knowing a little bit about them.

Use Software to Crack the Code

This is where the fun begins. Using software found on the dark web, hackers can crack even sophisticated passwords. If the user’s password isn’t very complex, maybe 9 or 10 characters long, or without some special characters, it could be cracked in a matter of minutes or maybe a day or two. If the user has an actually random password, though, it will take longer, but the fact that these systems can be cracked is concerning to say the least. Complex passwords will naturally take longer to crack, but most of these tools will try the more common renditions first, just to check if the victim is skimping on their password security.

Alternatively, Just Trick the User

No use beating around the bush; just use phishing attacks to steal the password and let the victim do all the work for you. Around 95 percent of modern cyber breaches are caused by a phishing attack, and it’s such a high rate of success that there’s no reason not to try using it.

All you have to do is send them an email claiming to be their bank. You might make up an excuse like there is something wrong with their account. This is usually enough to elicit some sort of strong response, as people’s money is generally a soft spot. Whatever you do, make the problem important enough to require immediate attention.

Next, send them to a webpage that you built to look like their bank’s website. You can then have them offer up their login credentials on a silver platter as they attempt to log into their account. This happens all the time, and you might be surprised by how easy it is, but the fact remains that it’s simply far too easy to pull off to not take it seriously.

Always Remain Vigilant to Cybercrime

Now that you know how easy it is for someone to crack a password, or even steal it for that matter, you should remain vigilant and always try to stay ahead of hackers through the use of multi-factor authentication tools and other security solutions. MSPNetworks can help you stay ahead of hackers! Call us today at (516) 403-9001 to learn more.

Ransomware is such a common occurrence these days that it has entered the public discourse, but we also want to note that it’s such an important topic to discuss with your team that you can never talk about it enough. We want to address some of the most common questions we get asked about ransomware and what can be done about it.

How Does Ransomware Affect Your Business? Why Should You Be Concerned?

Ransomware is malware that encrypts, or locks down, data on a device or system, rendering it useless until the decryption key is provided by the attacker. The criminal attacking your device essentially holds your data for ransom until you pay a price of some sort, usually through Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, but hackers can also steal your data and sell it to the highest bidder if you don’t pay up.

This is obviously bad, but it gets worse when the hackers threaten to delete data after a time period has passed—usually represented by some sort of countdown clock. There is pressure to pay the ransom coming from multiple fronts, and it can be very difficult to manage if you’re inexperienced with threats like these.

Does Antivirus Help Against Ransomware?

Ransomware enters a network in all of the usual ways, but it’s often through social engineering that it makes its way to your network. In other words, the hacker skirts around your security solutions by using your users as a means to enter the network through phishing attacks. If hackers can get the requisite amount of information and access through the use of malicious links or email attachments, and if the user provides permission, then your antivirus software is not going to help prevent it.

What Do I Do if I’ve Been Infected?

Rather than react to ransomware as it occurs, you should be preparing to prevent ransomware attacks in the first place through maintaining a comprehensive, off-site, isolated data backup. This allows you to effectively restore your infrastructure without having to pay the ransom, which can be a powerful option if there are no others present.

Should I Pay the Ransom?

It can be tempting to just pay the ransom in exchange for the decryption key, but we urge you not to do so. There is no way to guarantee that the hackers will give you what you need, and worse, you’re providing financial support to those who are wronging you and will likely harm others.

What Do I Do After a Ransomware Attack?

It might be tempting to rest on your laurels after a ransomware attack, but the work is only beginning. There is a chance that your data has been stolen or compromised as a result of the breach, meaning you could have regulatory issues from noncompliance and legal concerns stemming from the attack. Furthermore, you’ll need to address the root cause of the issue—how you were attacked in the first place—and shore up the vulnerability as quickly as possible.

You might also experience some loss of trust and customer confidence as a result of the attack. Indeed, the prolonged impacts of ransomware could last for much longer and be much more devastating than you might expect.

How Can You Protect Against Ransomware?

If you want to keep your business safe from ransomware, you’ll want to focus on protecting your data by teaching your team about ransomware, phishing, and how it could affect the business. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that your backup is prepared, tested, and ready to go at a moment’s notice. This will help you respond quickly should the need arise. There’s also the plethora of cybersecurity solutions we always recommend, as well, as you can never be too careful.

To best prepare your business for ransomware attacks and other cybersecurity threats, reach out to MSPNetworks at (516) 403-9001.

Ransomware is one of the more dangerous threats out there for businesses of all industries and sizes. To help emphasize just how dangerous it is, however, you have to look past the initial threat of having to pay a ransom and look at the other risks associated with it. We’re here to try to get the point across that ransomware is something your business should absolutely be taking seriously.

Ransomware Spreads Easily

There is a reason why ransomware is picking up in popularity, and it’s because it is a remarkably simple threat to spread. While it certainly spreads through the usual methods, like downloading infected files or clicking on suspicious links, ransomware is most effectively spread through the use of phishing attacks which trick users into falling for a trap. Whether it’s being fooled by a phony tech support email or being scammed through a social media message, you can bet that ransomware attacks will use phishing as one of their primary modes of distribution.

Restoring from a Backup is Not Enough

It never hurts to have data backups ready to go in the case of any security breach or attack, but it’s even more important in the case of ransomware as you often cannot get around the encryption on the system without them. Even if you do have a backup, however, there is always the threat that the hacker will steal your data or leak it online somewhere, creating additional problems. Simply put, restoring data from your backup might not be enough to solve all of your problems, and you should be aware of the fallout that could result from such a ransomware attack.

Ransomware Costs More Than Just the Ransom

Some individuals think that ransomware really only costs your business money in terms of the ransom, but the costs associated with ransomware are far more and far scarier than what you’ll pay the hackers for the safe return of your data. In reality, a ransomware attack is going to cause costly downtime—time that your business is not functioning as it should—and you could also be subject to compliance fines. Add in the cost of your data potentially being leaked online, and you have yourself a recipe for the downfall of your business, unless you play your cards right.

Obviously, ransomware is a scary thing to deal with, and not in the expected ways, but it’s fairly straightforward to protect against. And, thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone.

Don’t Let Ransomware Harm Your Business

If you want to ensure that ransomware doesn’t cause trouble for your company, then MSPNetworks can help. We can equip your business with preventative security solutions, train your staff on how to identify potential threats, and back up your systems so that you’re not impacted drastically in the event of an attack. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

The threats for businesses to get hacked or deal with data breaches of some type are more pressing now than at any other time in the digital age. It’s as if there are thousands of cat burglars on the prowl looking for a way into your business. If one of them is successful, it can bring some severe consequences for your business including financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal issues. In this week’s blog we will go through some of the actions you need to take in the case of a network breach. 

Identify Malicious Code and Quarantine It

The first step in responding to a data breach is to identify and contain the incident. This involves promptly reaching out for help. This means contacting IT experts, legal advisors, and public relations representatives. The team should work together to investigate the breach, determine the scope of the incident, and take immediate action to stop any further unauthorized access.

Secure the Environment

After containing the breach, it is crucial to secure the affected environment to prevent any additional damage. This may involve isolating affected systems, changing passwords, and implementing stronger security measures. Businesses should also ensure that all software and systems are up to date with the latest security patches to minimize vulnerabilities.

Assess the Impact of the Breach

Once the breach is contained and the environment secured, businesses need to assess the impact of the data breach. This involves identifying what types of data were compromised, how many individuals or entities are affected, and evaluating the potential risks associated with the breach. This assessment will help in determining the appropriate steps to take next.

Make Sure to Notify Affected Parties

It may seem like you are shooting yourself in the foot by doing so, but ethically, businesses have a responsibility to inform individuals or entities whose personal or sensitive data may have been compromised. The notification should be clear, concise, and provide relevant details about the breach, including the types of data exposed and any actions that affected parties should take to protect themselves. Consult legal advisors to ensure compliance with applicable data breach notification laws and regulations.

Communicate with Stakeholders

Maintaining open and transparent communication with stakeholders is crucial during a data breach. This includes informing employees, customers, partners, and other relevant stakeholders about the breach, the actions taken to address it, and any ongoing efforts to prevent future incidents. Clear and frequent communication will help rebuild trust and maintain a positive reputation.

Data breaches are a significant threat to businesses, but by following these best practices, organizations can effectively respond to such incidents. By prioritizing data security and implementing robust preventive measures, businesses can protect their sensitive information and maintain the trust of their customers as well as employees and other stakeholders. If you would like help setting up your business’ cybersecurity policy, give the IT professionals at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001.

When it comes to valuable data, hackers will go out of their way to try and steal it, placing businesses in dangerous situations. In particular, healthcare data is attractive to hackers, and considering how lucrative the prospect of healthcare data is, companies need to take extra precautions to protect it. But what is it about healthcare data that makes it so attractive, anyway? Let’s dig into the consequences of potential attacks on healthcare data.

It Sells for a Lot on the Black Market

You’d be shocked to see the value of data on the black market, particularly personal health information and medical records, insurance details, and prescription information. Hackers know that there is a high demand for this data, so they have no problem trying to take advantage of the market.

Personal Profiles Aid in Further Attacks

If a hacker can steal a personal profile from a healthcare provider, they gain access to all kinds of information, like medical history, genetic data, lifestyle choices, and more. This information gives hackers all they need to launch customized attacks against individuals based on their profile.

Identity Theft is a Possibility

Identity theft and financial fraud can often be a direct result of healthcare attacks. Once hackers have stolen records, they can impersonate individuals or obtain other medical information and prescription medications, as well as commit insurance fraud. Victims suffer in a variety of ways, including financial loss, damaged credit, and inability to receive medical treatment.

Blackmail and Extortion Can Scare Victims Into Acting

With sensitive personal records such as healthcare data, individuals often find themselves on the receiving end of blackmail attempts or extortion. They might threaten to reveal conditions or other personal information regarding treatments. For public figures or others in sensitive professions, this can be damaging.

Medical Research and Progress Could Grind to a Halt

Medical research requires that data be accurate, and if hackers steal or alter information in healthcare records, medical research grinds to a halt. This puts any attempt at developing new treatments, understanding disease patterns, or improving public health in jeopardy. 

Hackers Take Advantage of Weaker Security Systems

Healthcare organizations often have weaker security measures in place, putting them at greater risk of being attacked. These organizations are often more focused on providing better patient care, meaning their investment priorities are elsewhere, leading to more potential for security vulnerabilities in the process.

There is So Much Data to Steal

Consider how many patients a hospital might see over the course of a year. Now consider that the hospital will retain those records for an extremely long time. This shocking amount of data makes hospitals and other healthcare providers targets that have a lot to lose as a result.

Of course, it’s not just healthcare data that’s at risk of theft, destruction, or worse—all data is vulnerable to this type of treatment if it’s not managed appropriately. Let MSPNetworks help you address this with our managed IT services. Learn more by calling us today at (516) 403-9001.

There are quite a few platitudes that we support, in terms of business IT. Some that we haven’t really touched on, however, are Schofield's Laws of Computing. Let’s fix that today by reviewing where they came from, and what these laws entail.

So, Who’s Schofield, and What are His Laws?

Jack Schofield, born in Yorkshire on March 31, 1947, spent decades writing for The Guardian until his passing in 2020. His work appeared in numerous tech-centric media outlets throughout his tenure, but his best-known contribution is the collection of best practices that he published while working for The Guardian, which he referred to as his Laws of Computing. While the first of these laws is about two decades old at this point, they still offer critically valuable advice for businesses.

These laws are as follows:

1. Never put data into a program unless you can see exactly how to get it out.
2. Data doesn't really exist unless you have two copies of it. Preferably more.
3. The easier it is for you to access your data, the easier it is for someone else to access your data.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these tenets.

Schofield’s First Law of Computing Protects Your Data Portability

Let’s say that Jane Q. Businessperson works with Initech for her business’ cloud services, which help support her organization’s extensive data storage and software needs. However, one day, Initech is bought out by ACME, resulting in changes to the terms of service and the pricing structure. According to Schofield’s First Law, Jane Q. Businessperson should have no issue migrating her data out of Initech if she does not accept ACME’s new terms.

This principle of ensured data portability covers any reason a company would want to remove their data from a given software or service, from end-of-service events to those we highlighted above.

Schofield’s Second Law of Computing Endorses Data Redundancy

While “redundant” isn’t usually seen as a positive attribute, Schofield posits that your data absolutely needs to be—and for more reasons than we would normally emphasize, too. Naturally, data that is redundant means that you have at least one other copy to fall back on if something were to happen to the original data…and that “something” could be caused by an alarming variety of circumstances.

There’s the usual suspects, of course—lost or malfunctioning devices/infrastructure, user error, and criminal activity—but Schofield also referenced other possibilities, such as issues on the provider’s side. What if the cloud provider hosting your data goes out of business?

All of this is to say that the more copies of your data you have in different places, the better.

Schofield’s Third Law of Computing Explains Why Cybersecurity Has Become So Irritating

We’re not going to pretend that today’s necessary cybersecurity measures are any fun. They aren’t. However, with alternative means of storing data now available, and more data than ever presenting value for cybercriminals, it is important to keep in mind that the easier you find it to access your data, the more likely it is that someone without authorization will be able to as well.

Are the countless multi-factor authentication prompts annoying? Absolutely—but “annoying” doesn’t begin to describe how a successful cyberattack against your business would feel.

We’re Here to Help Ensure Your Business Adheres to All Best Practices Where Your IT is Concerned

Through the managed services that we here at MSPNetworks offer, we can ensure that your business’ technology follows all of these laws, along with many different compliance requirements and otherwise sound business security and productivity practices. Give us a call at (516) 403-9001 to learn more, and to set up a complete technology evaluation.

Your business’ computing infrastructure is a pretty resilient system. It has all types of tools added on to keep malicious code, bad actors, and even sabotage from ruining the good thing you have. This reliability has led to hackers changing the way that they go about their business. Nowadays, most of the attacks that affect businesses are phishing attacks. In today’s blog we will go through the elements of a phishing attack and how you can protect your business from them.

There are really four things you have to be aware of when you are considering if you’re looking at a phishing email. Let’s go through them now:

There is a Real Sense of Urgency to the Message

While a lot of the messages that we get in business have a demanding tone, there is something extraordinarily panicked about a phishing message. Essentially, phishing messages will urge the reader to take immediate action. This action could be in the form of clicking on links, downloading attachments, or giving over credentials that the scammer will then use to infiltrate organizational computing networks to deploy malware or siphon data.

Poor Grammar and Spelling

Many of these messages are created with the notion that the reader will be fooled by the overall legitimacy of the message. Many times they are subterfuge emails sent from a would-be financial institution or an insurance carrier; some business that has legitimacy. Typically, there are signs within the message itself that are blatant signs of its illegitimacy. Variables like misspelled words, poor use of grammar, and other red flags can tip users that the message is not legitimate. 

The Domain Is Wrong for the Message

When someone sends an official email from a business, typically the domain name of the email address that is sending the email will represent the organization that the message is coming from. If the address doesn’t come from the organization that is sending the message, that is a giant red flag. Most reputable organizations pay good money to host their own domain and if the address you are getting a message from doesn’t represent that, you have to believe that it is a scam. 

Suspicious Tone to the Message

You know the type of messages that you typically get. If a message you receive doesn’t meet the criteria of “normal”, you should immediately look to verify with the presumed sender of the message that it is legitimate. If it feels off, it probably is. Make sure you get this confirmation through a different means of communication.

Phishing attacks are everywhere. If you get messages that don't feel right, don’t interact with them—follow up. For more great tips and tricks return to our blog soon. 

The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has put together a Safeguard Rule to help establish guidelines for how businesses store and interact with customer information. Enacted in 2003, this rule was recently revamped in 2021 to stay relevant with the latest technology used by businesses. Let’s look at some of the policies and procedures that your business needs to know about the FTC Safeguard Rule.

What is the FTC’s Safeguard Rule?

The Safeguard Rule is a mandate put in place to protect personal information. Those impacted by this rule include financial institutions like mortgage lenders, payday lenders, finance companies, mortgage brokers, account servicers, check cashers, wire transferors, collection agencies, credit counselors, and other financial advisors, tax preparation firms, non-federally insured credit unions, and investment advisors that aren’t required to register with the SEC.

Compliance with the FTC Safeguard Rule involves applicable financial institutions writing out their information security program and having it address specific metrics. This plan must also be appropriate for the size and scope of the business, and it must be tailored to the specific type of information that the organization is responsible for.

With the Safeguard Rule in place and governing how businesses manage sensitive information, it should technically address challenges such as the security and confidentiality of customer information, threats to the integrity of this information, and protection from unauthorized access, theft, or destruction of that data, as well as any problems it might cause for the customer.

You Can Build an FTC-Compliant Security Platform Too

When you get into the details, the reality is that there is nothing in the FTC Safeguard Rule that you shouldn’t already be doing for your customer data. Here is a quick rundown that the FTC recommends for businesses that want to make sure their networks are FTC-compliant.

1. Designate a qualified individual to oversee organizational data security.
2. Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment.
3. Design and deploy necessary safeguards outlined in the risk assessment.
4. Monitor system and regularly test it.
5. Train employees in best practices of data security and privacy.
6. Oversee any third-party’s access and control.
7. Regularly update the security program to keep it current. 
8. Create a written response plan for necessary continuity. 

Need a Hand?

MSPNetworks knows network security and compliance laws like the back of our hands. To learn more about how we can support your business’ efforts, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.

Cloud computing is a major growth industry as businesses and individuals look to use the computing strategy to either save money or get resources that they would typically not be able to commit to. With cloud computing becoming more and more integrated into business each year, it stands to reason that the once Wild West of cloud computing would start to see a lot more regulation. This week, we’ll take a look at how the cloud is regulated and what to expect out of cloud regulation down the road. 

The Wild West

The cloud has been growing for years. Currently it is a $450+ billion market that is growing at over 13 percent annually. That’s a massive increase. All this tells you is that it is quickly becoming the priority computing model for businesses and individuals of all types and sizes. This rapid growth has started to gain the attention of lawmakers who are looking to rein in the growing power technology companies are accruing. 

Recent events have made this relationship even more tenuous. The cloud, for all of its benefits, has had a checkered security history; and due to the reliance that organizations have on cloud computing, it has perked the ears of regulators that expect that these computing structures be extremely secure; a problem that has long been identified by IT security experts.

Cloud Security

The current regulatory landscape doesn’t currently have many mandates on it. Cloud providers like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle have basically operated with very little governmental oversight. The same can’t be said for the users of cloud computing, who by-and-large all have some semblance of regulatory concerns. This creates a gap between what the cloud providers do in terms of cybersecurity, and what is the onus of the end user. Of course, regulators want to see the organizations raking in the huge profits from the use of these services do more, and that’s where this battle begins. 

The main point of contention seems to be that, since so many organizations rely on these cloud platforms for their central computing needs, that if full-scale regulation were to happen quickly, it could create problems for providers and thus have major effects on the economy. It stands to reason that regulation happens at some point, but many people in the industry are stumping for a more “light touch” approach, as the laissez-faire approach doesn’t really work for the national security of systems that are crucial to the sustainability of the world economy. 

Shared Responsibility

With security seemingly the hot-button issue, it’s important to understand where most of the cloud’s security comes into play. The provider is responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure, while the customer is responsible for the security of their own digital resources. This can get a little hairy in terms of overarching regulation, as there are several issues that need to be addressed in order for both parties to keep their computing secure. They include:

• Larger attack surfaces - With more publically available surface area to your organization’s data (from use of shared physical resources), there is simply more that can go wrong.
• User error - With phishing attacks being the predominant way hackers gain unauthorized access to computing resources, the end user becomes the choke point for your organizational cybersecurity.
• Poor configuration - The less care that is taken when setting up public cloud resources, the more apt they are to be insecure. 

Regardless of how your organization will be impacted by the incoming regulation of cloud services: Rest assured it is coming. Let’s look at a couple of actions you can take to improve your cloud security:

• Deploy Multi-Factor Authentication - One of the best ways to secure your cloud endpoints is to enact a multi-factor authentication system. This system adds an extra step of security for any cloud-based resource, significantly reducing risk. 
• Manage access better - Not all of your employees need access to every cloud resource, especially if you plan on hosting a cloud platform yourself. Doing your best to restrict cloud access to users that need it, can reduce exposure to potential security issues.
• Train employees - Having a comprehensive security training program in place has been shown to cut your exposure to end-user risks by as much as 70 percent. 
• Sufficiently monitor end-users - One of the best ways to determine if you have intruders in your network is to use technology to consistently monitor it to see who is accessing resources and when. Sometimes unauthorized access will come at unusual times of the day. 

The cloud is going through a lot of changes, and time will tell whether or not widespread regulation will be in the cards in the upcoming years. The only thing you can do is strategically enhance your security posture so as to not be caught off guard. If you would like to talk to one of our security professionals, give MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001. 

Even the solutions designed to keep businesses and organizations safe are vulnerable to the threat of a cyberattack, as when it all boils down, these tools are still software solutions, no matter how secure they might be. The company in question today—Barracuda—is a huge name in the cybersecurity industry, and it has become the victim of a zero-day exploit. Let’s go over how you can prevent your business from experiencing the same thing.

A Vulnerability Was Discovered in Barracuda’s Email Gateway Security

A vulnerability was discovered in Barracuda’s mail Gateway Security application only after it was exploited. This is the part of the email security system that scans email attachments, so it’s an important one. The breach was discovered on May 19th, and patches were swiftly deployed to resolve the vulnerability.

The official statement from the company is as follows:

“Barracuda recently became aware of a security incident impacting our Email Security Gateway appliance (ESG). The incident resulted from a previously unknown vulnerability in our ESG. A security patch to address the vulnerability was applied to all ESG appliances worldwide on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Based on our investigation to date, we've identified unauthorized access affecting a small subset of appliances. As a mitigating measure, all appliances received a second patch on May 21, 2023, addressing the indicators of potential compromise identified to date. We have reached out to the specific customers whose appliances are believed to be impacted at this time. If a customer has not received notice from us via the ESG user interface, we have no reason to believe their environment has been impacted at this time and there are no actions for the customer to take. We thank you for your understanding and support as we work through this issue and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.”

Explaining Zero-Day Exploits

Zero-day exploits are those that were previously unknown to security researchers, only having been discovered after they are actively being targeted by a threat. The severity of these exploits can vary, but they are extremely difficult to detect, as they often go undiscovered and undetected for quite a long time. After all, you can’t protect against something that you don’t know exists. Eventually, these vulnerabilities can become serious problems and logistical nightmares for security companies and businesses alike.

What Can Be Done to Stop Them

The worst part of dealing with a zero-day vulnerability is not knowing if one exists, as well as not knowing how long they have existed for. In the case of this exploit, it doesn’t appear to be too long, but any vulnerability in Barracuda’s ESG system is going to cause quite a stir. Businesses use a lot of software throughout the course of their operations, and the same issue could happen for any application on your network. You need to have a strategy in place to handle potential threats as they arise or become known, and it starts with making sure that patches are tested and deployed as soon as they are available.

MSPNetworks can help your business deploy patches and updates in a quick and efficient manner using our remote patch deployment solutions. We can keep your software secure and safe from all threats, and if zero-day exploits do arise, we’ll do what we can to deploy fixes and assess damages. To learn more, call us at (516) 403-9001 today.

Do you have an old Google account that you created years ago, only to replace it later with one that is more on-brand and less filled with spam messages? You’re not alone, but as you might expect, these accounts can create more problems than they are worth if you let them sit around unused for too long. Perhaps that is why Google is planning to shut down any old Google accounts that have remained dormant for the past two years.

The change is scheduled to start sometime in December of 2023 (although it’s possible that Google is already taking some action on older accounts), and it could impact users of Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Meet, and Google Photos. YouTube accounts with videos shared are exceptions to the rule, as are accounts with open subscriptions. Furthermore, this change will impact only users of personal Google profiles, not those tied to workplaces or educational institutions.

If you want to save your old Google account from being deleted, then you need to do one simple thing: log into it. This activity will show Google that your account is being used and, therefore, should not be deleted. Just about any activity you perform in your Google account will constitute using it, too, such as performing a Google search while signed in, opening an email, watching a YouTube video, etc.

The reasoning behind this change makes sense, too, as Google hopes that this mass deletion of unused accounts will help make security easier. Considering that these accounts are old, their credentials have not been updated in years. This means that they could very well be susceptible to security concerns and breaches. These accounts are also less likely to have two-factor or multi-factor authentication implemented for them.

So, we recommend that you consider your Google accounts and whether or not they have anything important stored in them… before it’s too late to do anything about it.

As for password security on your current accounts, we recommend that you work with complex, unique passwords or passphrases that are easy to remember and difficult to guess. Furthermore, a password manager can be used if you’re concerned about remembering the many passwords that are expected of you. There are plenty of options out there to choose from.

Additionally, multi-factor authentication—utilization of something you own (a smartphone); something you know (a password or passphrase); and something you are (biometrics)—can be remarkably helpful for account security.

For more assistance with business account security, be sure to contact us at (516) 403-9001.

We talk a lot (and we mean a lot) about cybersecurity, with ransomware getting a lot of our focus…and for very good reason. Ransomware is a huge threat that today’s businesses need to be prepared to deal with. In light of this, we wanted to share a few tips to help you avoid the negative ramifications of ransomware.

Keep Stock of Your Network and Its Protections

When you consider how many potential access points an attacker has to target your business’ network with ransomware—or any other threat, for that matter—it can be really concerning, really quickly. In short, there are a lot of ways that your business could be targeted, so you need to take the time and ensure they are all sufficiently protected. All internet-facing applications need to be fully up-to-date, every endpoint needs to be locked down, and your team all needs to be educated to help lock down security further.

The key is that you need to be aware of these needs in order to do anything about them, so make sure you’re paying attention.

Protect Your Data Through Backups

Your business relies on its data, and as such, your data is a prime target for cybercrime. The entire point of ransomware is to take advantage of this reliance, cutting off your access to it in order to coerce a payment out of you—a payment that you’re more motivated to make as your business drags to a halt without its essential resources. However, this all hinges on the fact that you wouldn’t have access to your data. If you maintain your access to this data (by keeping it safely backed up, for instance) you’ve eliminated what makes ransomware so effective, allowing you to purge the infection and start fresh.

If you aren’t sure how you should be handling your backups, you don’t have to worry. All you need to do is call (516) 403-9001 for our help.

Train Your Team

One extremely common way that ransomware is spread is through various means of manipulating your business’ users, like phishing messages, malicious attachments, and infected downloads. You can help minimize your risk by educating yourself and your team members on how to identify risks and avoid them appropriately. Remind them not to open or click on unexpected attachments or links, not to plug in random devices they’ve found, and generally act in a more secure way.

MSPNetworks can not only help keep your business productive, but secure and resilient as well. Learn more about what we can do by giving us a call today at (516) 403-9001.

There is a lot made about ransomware, for good reason. It is quite simply one of the nastiest cyberattacks out there and it demands your attention. A lot of people understand what exactly ransomware sets out to do, but they don’t understand how it got that far and how to address the situation if they have the misfortune of being put in that position. 

How a Ransomware Attack Works

Basically, the ransomware attack can be deployed in any way that malware would get into a network. Most of the time it is deployed through phishing, which is a scam that uses fear to get people to make impulsive decisions and give network or system access to hackers. Once in, it is pretty simple for them to execute malware, including ransomware. 

Once run, the ransomware will encrypt and lock down all of the files on a device or even a network and then inform the user that they have been infected. File access is replaced with a notice with a ticking clock: Pay the ransom demanded or else. 

What Do You Mean “Or Else”?

Ransomware is one of those rare attacks that can hurt your organization in many different ways. Obviously, holding your files and data isn’t exactly targeted altruism, so that is the first sign that something terrible is happening. The ticking clock telling you that you have only a short amount of time before your files are lost forever isn’t great either. While we never recommend paying the ransom, it might seem like the only viable choice to get back in action following such an incident. This is especially true in more recent ransomware cases where hackers are also threatening to release encrypted data if the victim refuses to pay the ransom. This puts businesses in a difficult situation; do they risk the security of their data as well as the fines that come from the failure to properly protect it, or do they pay the ransom? It’s a lose-lose situation, and one that is entirely preventable with enough precautions.

What Can You Do to Stop Ransomware?

Let’s look at three strategies that you should have in place to help you ward off all types of cybercrime, including ransomware attacks:

Train Your Users to Detect Phishing Messages

Phishing is the #1 attack vector for ransomware and if you train your staff about the signs that they may be dealing with a potential phishing attack, the less likely your business will ever have to deal with ransomware. Some things your staff should be on the lookout for in their correspondence include:

• Messages that ask for sensitive information.
• Messages that use different domains from legitimate sources.
• Messages that contain unsolicited attachments and links.
• Messages that tend to have poor grammar and don’t typically have the elements of personalization that you would expect.
• Messages that try to elicit panic resulting in impulsive action.

A message having any or all of these variables doesn’t automatically make it a phishing message, but the illegitimacy of phishing messages can often be ascertained by the message itself. 

Keep Your Software Patched

You will want to make sure that firmware, antivirus software, operating systems and other applications you utilize are consistently patched. New ransomware versions come out of the blue and by the time anyone catches on, the hackers that perpetuated them are counting their Bitcoin. By patching software, you ensure that your software is current and has taken into account the threat definitions necessary to keep malware of any type out of your network. The knowledgeable professionals at MSPNetworks have a patch management platform that can save you and your staff the time and effort needed to keep up on all new software updates. 

Backup Your Data

Finally, you will always want to back up your data; not only to combat ransomware, but because it could literally save your business. Having up-to-date backups can help you bypass the ransom demand and restore data and applications affected by the hacker’s encryption. Since most ransomware today is sophisticated enough to search for backup files, you will definitely want to keep a backup offsite, so that they aren’t corrupted.

If you would like to ensure that your business is set up to combat ransomware, give the IT experts at MSPNetworks a call today at (516) 403-9001.