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Business owners and their employees need to be aware of phishing as it is one of the most common threats in today’s digital landscape. In everything you do online, always keep in mind that phishing may be lurking “just around the corner” of your computer. Think before you click! Be observant so you can spot phishing emails before it's too late.
What is Phishing?
Phishing refers to an attempt to steal someone’s confidential information. Typically credentials, bank account details, credit card numbers, SSNs and other related personal information is what they are after. If you fall victim to phishing attacks, cybercriminals can gain access to your personal accounts, steal more of your data, and wipe out your bank account.
Adding layers of security will go a long way in protecting sensitive data. We have tailored 6 basic tips in spreading Data Phishing Awareness:
- Verify sender information: Check the sender's email address for legitimacy. Be cautious of emails from unknown or suspicious addresses.
- Use two-factor authentication: Enable 2FA for added security on your accounts.
- Educate yourself and others: Learn about common phishing tactics and share tips with friends and family.
- Don't click unknown links: Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments from unfamiliar sources.
- Beware of urgent requests: Be wary of emails or messages that create a sense of urgency and pressure you to act quickly.
- Report suspicious activity: If you suspect phishing, report it to the right authorities promptly.
The saying "Prevention is better than cure" applies to protecting your sensitive data. Putting together different tools and programs is crucial in preventing cybercriminals from getting into your network. Paul General, CEO and Cybersecurity Specialist of General Technologies has witnessed different damages caused by phishing attacks. Our team can help your organization mitigate the risk.
Plan ahead and start your cyber strategy before it’s too late!
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Identify theft is a crime in which attackers use personal or financial information from a victim to commit fraud and/or unauthorized access. Identity theft occurs in different ways where victims are left devastated by the damage not only to their finances but also to their reputation.
How does identity theft work?
- Identity theft is often linked to phishing or other social engineering attacks. Criminals use the victim's sensitive information to gain money or goods.
- There are several forms of identity theft, but the most common and dangerous is financial.
- Various cybersecurity tools and programs can help users keep track of their credit reports, unauthorized use of Social Security Numbers, and other financial activity.
- Recovering from identity theft is not a "walk in a park" scenario. According to The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it takes roughly 6 months and 200 hours of work to recover from an identity theft.
Identity Workflow:
THE SCAM
A phishing attack that's designed to capture someone's password or other credentials.
THE GOAL
To acquire credentials that allow cybercriminals to log into company systems and applications. Highly privileged passwords that belong to administrators or executives are specially prized.
THE SETUP
Credential theft can happen through email, SMS text, instant messaging - even by phone. This slippery foe can wear many disguises like:
A message that directs the recipient to enter a password on a webpage
An alert that it's time to update your password
An inquiry about a password that's needed for a seemingly routine task
A notice that an app has changed, and you'll need to create a new account
THE DAMAGE
Cybercriminals use the stolen credentials to walk right in the front door of a company, enabling them to install malware, steal data, or gain access to systems without raising suspicion until it's too late.
Cybercrimes are not going away anytime soon. That is why our CEO and Cybersecurity Specialist - Paul General along with his team at General Technologies are continuously working to stay on top of these bad actors making sure that each company we're working with is fully protected from any form of attacks.
Get your cyber strategy in line now! Contact us today!
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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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Cyber hygiene has become a popular discussion in all types of business segments. Cyber hygiene begins with enhancing security awareness and ends with building a structured and smart cyber strategy to avoid possible risks.
Basic Steps in Promoting Cyber Hygiene:
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication: Requiring users to verify who they say they are via two or more unique security factors will virtually eliminate more than half the threats and risks associated with exposed user credentials.
- Consider Single Sign On (SSO) and Password Management Solution: The combined benefits of a Secure SSO and Password Management platform will enable your entire workforce to adapt and thrive in a security-first environment while reducing password frustration and fatigue for users and empowering increased productivity.
- Ongoing Security Awareness Training for Users: Establish ongoing security awareness training for all users and turn your weakest link into your strongest security defense.
- Perform Regular Risk Assessments: Performing regular assessments will allow you to stay in the know and enable you to achieve and maintain a more preventative approach to security, often eliminating issues or problems before they arise.
- Back-Up Everything: You must ensure your business and customer data is protected and secured against any incident or disaster such as system failure, human error, hackers, ransomware, and everything in between.
- Invest in Cyber Insurance: A hacker only needs a single gap or weak point in your security systems to slip past your defenses like a trojan horse. Every business in operation today needs cyber liability insurance to protect their business when all else fails.
A good cyber hygiene strategy must be comprehensive, detailed, integrated, and optimized. Paul General and the team at General Technologies truly care about and prioritize keeping your business data safe. We can accomplish this by providing your business with a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment to reveal your cyber risks. After we locate your security gaps, we can help you make amends and completely manage your risk!
What to know more? Book a FREE CYBERSECURITY RISK CONSULTATION now!
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Each day, we are becoming more vulnerable online as cybercriminals are creating advanced strategies and tactics to defeat us.
Organizations and individuals must implement cyber safety to protect their networks and systems from all kinds of cyberattacks. IT services and IT consulting handled by an outsourced organization, like General Technologies, will help you avoid downtime and protect your business data.
Tips to keep your confidential data safe:
- Set complex passwords: The first line of security for your sensitive information is your password. Ensure your passwords are lengthy, challenging, and specific to you.
- Don't share too much on social media: Hackers may utilize information about your life to respond to the challenge questions on different accounts. Never share your full name, SSN, address, phone number, PIN, or account numbers on websites that are accessible to the general public.
- Be wary of free WiFi: These put you in danger of having your online activities tracked by others, and some malware can be transmitted via WiFi.
- Invest in antivirus software: Installing a reliable antivirus tool on your computer can further strengthen your protection. There are many basic and free antivirus programs available, along with more advanced paid options that add additional protection options.
- Make a data backup: Whether you go for hardware (external hard drive) or software (cloud-based), be sure your data is backed up to a secure location. This lessens the possibility of ransomware, in which hackers hold your data captive in exchange for a fee.
Data breaches should be taken very seriously by organizations and individuals. Data breaches involve losing personal information, business confidential data, and in some cases, even selling your data to the dark web. Paul General, our CEO/Cybersecurity specialist, is experienced in servicing different kinds of companies and will work to build a strong cybersecurity culture at your small or medium-sized business.
Don't let cybercriminals ruin your business. Get your cyber strategy in line now.
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Cybercriminals are in every corner of the World Wide Web. Cyberattacks are skyrocketing. Cyber threats are countless. If you are not scared yet, then YOU SHOULD BE. Cybercriminals are hungry to get their next pot of gold. No matter how big or small your company is, you should have a plan of defense and defined strategies to keep your business safe online. If you don’t have the proper security protection then YOU will be the next target!
USE THESE TIPS TO SECURE YOUR BUSINESS:
1. USE MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION
This tool can protect and can stop up to 90% of password-based cybercrime.
2. INCREASE SECURITY AWARENESS
Be CYBERSMART! Be CYBERALERT! Companies that are conducting regular security training have 70% fewer cybersecurity incidents.
3. SAY “NO” TO PHISHING
Looking at statistics, more than 80% of all cyberattacks are phishing-based. Companies should implement an email security solution that will identify and separate phishing emails before it gets to your employee’s inbox.
4. BUILD A CYBER RESILIENCE PROGRAM
Make sure that your company has a strong and reliable cyber resilience program, such as backup policies for all your business data including your employee’s private data.
5. A STRONG PASSWORD IS THE KEY
81% of data breaches are caused by poor password security. Implementing good password habits in your employees will prevent the risk of cyberattacks that are password related.
Protecting your company from cybercriminals may be complex, but with the right CYBERSECURITY program in place, you are on the right track.
General Technologies is focused on our client’s business technology security. We understand that promises mean nothing if the details are overlooked or neglected.
To talk to one of our IT specialists about your security solutions, call the General Technologies team today at (412) 990-1414 today.
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