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With different cyber attacks from all over the web, different channels, and in many forms... it is imperative that protection must be in place. Passwords, multi factor authentication, antivirus and malware protection are some of the ways to protect your data from hackers. However, with all these efforts in securing your data there's still a high risk that your data can and will be compromised. On the other hand, with DATA ENCRYPTION, there are absolute advantages in securing your data.
WHAT IS DATA ENCRYPTION?
Data encryption is a security method where the data is being encoded in compounded code and can only be accessed or decrypted with the correct code. Encrypted data appears disorder and illegible.
With encrypted data in place, you will worry less about your privacy. Encryption will keepunwanted visitors/users from accessing your sensitive data.
WHY DATA ENCRYPTION IS IMPORTANT?
Computers today are so vulnerable with cyberthreats and different kinds of attacks. It is very important that you know how to handle, secure, and protect your business' sensitive data from hackers. Encryption is important and cannot be understated due to it's high level of significance keeping your data from cybercriminals. The process of data encryption ensures your files can not be penetrable and compromised.
WHAT DATA SHOULD BE ENCRYPTED?
- passwords
- bank accounts
- personal information (social security number, health details, phone numbers, address)
- other confidential data
Often securing one's data is disregarded. Most people think because they backup their data up it doesn't need to be secured. . However, backing up data doesn't mean hackers can't get into it. Data encryption is your best weapon to have your data intact and secured.
ENCRYPTION STATISTICS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Cost of a data breach by number of records lost.
- As per Statista, in 2020, 56% of enterprise respondents said their internet communications had extensive encryption deployed. 27% had only partially deployed encryption for their internet communications.
- According to Varonis, a staggering 53% of companies left over 1,000 sensitive files and folders unencrypted and open to all of their employees
- Cybersecurity Ventures estimated over 300 billion passwords worldwide would need to be protected in 2020.
- A Varonis 2021 financial data risk report found that around 21.43% of companies worldwide have 1500+ account passwords that don’t expire.
How can we help?
Data encryption is vital in the cybersecurity world. To ensure your data is safe and protected start the process of the encryption now. Paul General, CEO/Cybersecurity Specialist, and his team at General Technologies know the importance of protecting your confidential data and we know exactly the service that is suitable for your business needs.
Contact us at 412-853-3708 and email at info@gcchelp.com
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Have you ever lost a file from your computer? Have you experienced losing your data due to a sudden computer breakdown?
Family photos, medical records, bank transactions - these are just a few of the data examples that we usually store on our computer. Oftentimes, we become complacent in just storing our files inside our computer's hard drive, and we are not paying attention to its need to be backup.
WHAT IS DATA BACKUP?
A data backup is a copy or stored data in your devices such as computers, mobile phones, or tablets. Data Backup is used to regain access to information or files in the event of unexpected data loss.
Data loss can occur at any time and in several forms. Data loss can happen in situations like hard drive failures, malware and ransomware attacks, user error and/or physical theft.
WHY DATA BACKUP IS IMPORTANT
The primary reason for data backup is to have a secure and safe location of your files and other important documents where you can retrieve them at any time especially in the event of data loss.
In addition to these:
113 phones are lost or stolen every minute. (Source: World Backup Day)
Over 70 million cell phones are lost each year. (Kensington)
WHAT DATA SHOULD YOU BACKUP?
- Photos
- Videos
- Financial reports/transactions
- Music
- Contacts/Address books
- Documents
- Spreadsheets
BACKUP SOLUTION OPTIONS:
- Removable media
- External hard drive
- Cloud storage
- Backup services
Backing up your data will give you peace of mind knowing that your files are safe. General Technologies, led by Paul General, CEO / Cybersecurity Specialist is providing managed services which includes a backup program that will be beneficial for businesses of any size.
Contact us to learn more!
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In today’s busy technology, data is the heart of every organization. No matter how big or small your organization protecting and securing data is vital. Securing data is your ticket to gaining customers’ trust, and business growth, and preventing costly data breach incidents.
What is Data Security?
Data security refers to the protection of sensitive information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Having strong data security measures in place is crucial for each organization. This will ensure effectiveness, business compliance, business continuity, and data breaches.
You don’t need a four-leaf clover to protect your data. Cybercrime rates are skyrocketing and cybercriminals are getting hungrier to get your pot of gold.
7 Tips To Secure Your Business Fast:
- Use Multifactor Authentication – This tool can stop up to 99% of password-based cybercrime.
- Increase Security Awareness – Companies with regular training experience 70% fewer cybersecurity incidents.
- Build Your Cyber Resilience – 51% of businesses experienced disruption from cyberattacks. Make sure backup policies are deployed for all your business data and test your recovery strategy at regular intervals.
- Don’t Get Tricked by Phishing – More than 80% of all cyberattacks are phishing-based. Implement an email security solution that will identify and quarantine phishing emails before they get to employee’s inboxes
- Practice Good Password Habits – 81% of data breaches are caused by poor password security. Ensure your staff knows and follows strong password practices.
- Avoid Unpleasant Surprises – Over 60% of the information on the dark web can harm business. Put a dark web monitoring solution in place and get alerted when compromised credentials are found.
- Beware of Third-Party and Supply Chain Risk – About 60% of data breaches are caused by third-party or supply chain vulnerabilities. To minimize risk, use a dark web monitoring service to keep tabs not just on your business credentials but also on those suppliers and partners.
Protecting and securing your confidential data is the fundamental solution to keep your business away from cybercriminals. It is your business’ responsibility to protect the data that was entrusted to you by your customers. Following the 7 tips we have provided will give you the edge and peace of mind that you are doing the right thing in protecting your data. Paul General, CEO and Cybersecurity Specialist along with his team at General Technologies will continue its campaign and promote Security Awareness to businesses in all aspects.
To learn more about cybersecurity strategy, CONTACT US TODAY!
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A massive global shift to remote working environments has created an open season for cybercriminals. No business—big or small—is safe. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) seemingly have a target on their backs, so strengthening your company’s security posture is essential right now.
There are ways to protect business data against ransomware attacks.Here are 9 tips to help yourbusiness boost resilience to cyber attacks:
- Conduct a security risk assessment. Understand the most critical threats to your business, like system failures, natural disasters as well as malicious human actions, and determine the impact they may have on your company.
- Train your employees. Conduct employee awareness training across your entire workforce to educate users on common scams and avoidance techniques.
- Use multiple layers of protection. Implement a password policy that requires strong passwords and monitor your employee accounts for breach intel through dark web monitoring.
- Keep software up to date. Unpatched or out-of-date software will allow some kind of threat to breach your security.
- Create straightforward cybersecurity policies. Write and distribute a clear set of rules and instructions on cybersecurity practices for employees.
- Back up your data. Daily (or more frequent) backups are a requirement to recover from data corruption or loss resulting from security breaches.
- Enable uptime. Choose a powerful data protection solution that enables “instant recovery” of data and applications.
- Know where your data resides. The more places data exists, the more likely it is that unauthorized individuals will be able to access it. Use data discovery tools to find and appropriately secure data along with business-class Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications that allow for corporate control of data.
- Control access to computers. Each access point poses an individual risk, so limit employee access to specific data they need to perform their jobs. Plus, administrative privileges should only be given to trusted staff.
Partnering with a managed service provider like General Technologies will help address and ease your cybersecurity concerns. Working with MSP will give you access to quality advice on what you need to protect your organization in the fight against cybercrime. Paul General, CEO and Cybersecurity Specialist is ready to help keep your business afloat with the expertise and help of his team.
To learn more about our services, contact us today.
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What is ZeroTrust?
Zero Trust security means that no one from inside or outside of an organization is trusted by default to have access unless verification method is completed. Zero Trust is a method to secure business networks and infrastructure. This tool helps companies in different aspects by securing data for remote workers or hybrid environments and ransomware threats.
Moving to a zero trust model gives organizations many benefits like stronger access controls and streamlined security operations. It’s also the preferred architecture under many industry regulations.
6 Tips For Implementing Zero Trust:
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for every user. Identity and access management (IAM) is the foundation of zero trust security, and 2FA is the cornerstone. It also stops 9% of cyberattacks.
- Maintain an access control policy. Start with identifying sensitive data and systems, then prioritize access to them. Almost 90% of employees said that they still had access to their former employers’ sensitive company data.
- Make access control easy with single sign-on (SSO). This is a multi-benefit tool that makes it easier to add and remove access to applications and data and maintain regulatory compliance.
- Only store passwords in secure password vaults. Enhancing security for all passwords is a good idea, but it’s especially important for privileged administrator or executive credentials.
- Dark web monitoring helps stop credential exposure.The average organization has 17 sets of username and password logins exposed on the dark web.
- Invest in security and compliance awareness training. When users are armed with the knowledge they need to understand security, they make fewer mistakes and take policies more seriously.
As the result of zero trust, your organization can ensure that all access is met with the highest form of security. Paul General and the rest of dedicated team from General Technologies can help your organization set up or upgrade your existing cybersecurity service.
CALL US NOW to find out!
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According to a previous study, the average person spends about 6 hours and 58 minutes per day connected to the internet. We spend time online to work, learn, and communicate with friends and family. Typically, the more time you spend online goes hand-in-hand with the number of accounts and devices. Have you thought about how this exposes you to a greater risk of cyberattacks due to your frequent online presence?
With that being said, it is vital to know how to protect yourself online.
Make sure to follow our guidelines below to stay safe and secure:
- Make sure you are using a secure internet connection: Using public WiFi can make you more vulnerable and visible to hackers. If you choose to connect, avoid completing online transactions and accessing online banking. If you’re concerned with using public WiFi, the use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is your best solution.
- Create strong passwords: Passwords are the most vital information you have when you're Avoid using your name, birthday, SSN, and other personal details. To create a strong password, use at least 12 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Keep your software and operating system up to date: Updating your software and operating system is advisable. Developers are constantly adding layers of security to protect users.
- Enable multi-factor authentication(MFA): Multi-factor authentication is an additional method to secure online transactions that add another way to verify yourself, usually seen as an email or message verification code that only you can access.
- Click before you click: Do not click suspicious/unknown attachments, links, or even website addresses.
- Make sure your devices are secure: Download antivirus software to your computer or mobile devices to protect you from viruses and other cyberattacks.
- Backup regularly: Whether you use software backup(cloud-based) or hardware backup (USB/hard drives) you are making it easy to revive or retrieve your data amid an attack.
- Be careful of your downloads: Cybercriminals use malware to attack unprotected devices. Be aware of what you are downloading and always verify that it comes from a secure and reputable website
Following these recommendations will help you mitigate your risk against the rising cyberattacks on both business and personal accounts. Phishing, malware, and ransomware are just some of the common cyberattacks to look out for. Paul General, CEO and Cybersecurity Specialist of General Technologies offers Cybersecurity Risk Assessments to businesses that want to learn more about their current cyber risks. We’ll look into your dark web breaches, open ports in your network, jeopardized passwords, employee security, and a whole lot more.
Learn about the underlying gaps that cybercriminals are waiting to exploit. Let’s start with a cyber strategy session where we’ll discuss your current security posture and our plan to move you into a secure future.
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