Data Loss and Privacy Laws

In today’s modern interconnected world, it’s almost impossible to work with computers and have an IT department without having to think about data loss and privacy laws. This is due to the large and continually increasing number of cyber-attacks which breach hundreds and thousands of businesses each year.

Any business or company operating today have some form of online presence, be it more visible, more global, or more discreet and local. However, no matter the online notoriety your business possesses, online threats and cyber-attacks are always around the corner.

So what exactly are Data Loss and Privacy Laws?

Data loss is something that can happen from both internal and external reasons. Employees can cause internal data loss due to a variety of factors. They may not have saved some files or might have accessed an e-mail and accidentally installed a virus on the company’s IT network.

It can lead to severe data loss. If your company doesn’t have specialized people in charge of managing the backup of files, your entire business can be in jeopardy. Imagine losing the financial data belonging to some significant clients, and not being able to retrieve the data (due to lack of a backup.) Also, you may not be able to tell your customers where their private data even is.

Worst case scenario

Based on today’s online privacy laws, your company can easily be sued. Depending on the importance of the lost data, it could turn into a pretty expensive lawsuit, leaving your company and your company’s reputation tarnished.

How can I prevent Data Loss and be sure to respect Privacy Laws?

Data Loss can easily be prevented by having specialized IT security people handling your entire network. It can be done by creating an entirely new department as part of your IT team. Better yet, you can hire a specialized company which will take care of, and be held responsible, for the entire safe storage, protection and data backup.

It would help you focus on running your business while being sure that all the sensitive and private data is being taken care of by specialized professionals in the field of IT security, all while following the latest Privacy Laws.

Another way you can safely backup your company’s data and be sure that everything is safe and secured, is by creating a Disaster Recovery Plan. Of course, it is not something any IT specialist can build.

Qualified personnel is needed in case of any cyber-attack that leads to the loss of essential data belonging to your company or private data of your clients. In these situations, contracting an outside company is recommended due to their experience obtained by creating several disaster recovery plans for many other companies.

Most affected industries

Industries such as healthcare, biotech, and finance are most likely to be targeted by a cyber-threat, which also makes them the sectors that mostly need a Disaster Recovery Plan. Nobody would like to have their financial or medical data being leaked online, or have their biotech blueprints stolen. It is the worst thing that can happen to a company that handles clients’ data, and it could even lead to losing clients and eventually, the entire business.

If you’re interested in more information about Data Loss and Privacy Laws, be sure to contact our specialized consultants. Here at Managed Solution, we are ready to answer your questions and offer you any additional information you require.

IT Security Basics - What You Need to Know

There is much to unpack here, but we will try to keep it as short and easy-to-understand as possible. Information technology (IT) security encompasses a large area, making it somewhat confusing for those of us who don't know what it implies.

As hackers are becoming ever more numerous and diverse, it also becomes increasingly important for not so tech-savvy business people to know what are the different branches of IT security and how they work together to keep us safe.

The Security Chain

IT security is like a series of link-parts of a chain network. The reason for this is the digital space is already constructed on a system with elements such as databases, cloud-based servers, APIs, and all sorts of mobile applications, etc.

These many elements also provide more opportunities for hackers to find a way in, meaning that each one of these components needs a set of security measures. What's more, these security measures often work together, somewhat similar to how the network components do.

One thing that we need to clarify right off the bat is that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to IT security. Every network is comprised of different elements, which means that security measures also need to be different.

IT Security, Information Security, and Information Assurance

IT security and information security are often used interchangeably, but they do, however, differ from one another. When we talk about information security, we are referring to data protection, be it digital or physical. IT security, on the other hand, is only focusing on digital information security. In short, IT security covers all aspects of security that fall within a network.

Lastly, information assurance refers to various preventive measures that help safeguard data from all sorts of natural disasters and theft. Among these, we have things like data backup or offsite backup databases, among others.

Network Security

Network security has to do with everything that's related to the network, including both hardware and software. Network administrators have to make sure that the reliability, usability, and integrity of the system remains intact. Hackers can infiltrate the network, restrict your access, and demand a ransom.

Not sure if your network is secure? Request a Network Assessment by one of our highly experience technical engineers.

Endpoint Security

Endpoint security is in charge of both ends of the network - where data enter and leaves. But probably the weakest link in the security chain is the users, themselves. Whether it's a lack of proper education on the nature of IT security and cyber threats, weak passwords, phishing campaigns, downloading malware, and so on, end users pose a security risk for the network, and this is why endpoint security is crucial.

Internet Security

Also known as cybersecurity, internet security deals primarily with data that is sent to and from your browser, as well as how networks interact with web applications. The importance of this cybersecurity comes into focus when we realize that the entire internet is nothing more than an unsecured network.

Conclusion

Without going into any technical detail, we've presented to you the basics of IT security and how it works to keep yourself and your business secure. It is for this reason why IT security experts are probably the most critical team members that you need to hire. Contact us today to ensure the safety and security of your hardware, software, and other assets.

 

The Many Different Types of Cyber Attacks

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Cyber attacks are all too frequent nowadays. In 2010, there were roughly 3.8 million breached records. 2016 saw that number balloon to 3.1 billion. What's more, there are numerous types of cyber attacks, some more complicated than others.

The difference between each of these types of cyber attacks is mostly dependent on what the hackers want to achieve with them. They could wish to obtain your data, or maybe they are interested in taking control of your device and demand a ransom for its release.

The most common of these cyber attacks, however, are vectors and malware. Here is a short rundown of these common types of cyber attacks.

Malware

In short, malware is a piece of software designed to disrupt and gain access to a computer system. Listed below are the most common types of malware.

Viruses

A virus is a piece of malicious code. It gets downloaded onto a computer without the user's knowledge or consent and can replicate itself and spread to other networks by attaching to various files.

Ransomware

Like its name would suggest, ransomware translates to a particular type of malicious software that, once installed on the computer, will begin demanding ransom. There are different types of ransomware, particularly concerning their complexity. While tech-savvy individuals can reverse some simple ransomware, others encrypt the victim's files, which make them completely inaccessible.

Worms

Worms work more or less the same as computer viruses in that they are self-replicating. The significant difference is they do not require attachment to a program. What they do, however, is to look for vulnerabilities in the security system and report them back to the hacker.

Trojans

Trojans viruses are programs that may appear like any other program that performs specific functions but in reality, its purpose is to perform all sorts of malicious activity. Trojans typically disguise as all sorts of virus removing software.

Spyware & Adware

Spyware and adware can get installed on your computer without your knowledge, either by opening various attachments, clicking on links, or downloading infected software. These types of malware will monitor your computer's activity and collect personal information from wherever it can.

Attack Vectors

Deriving their name from biology; attack vectors is the method used by malware and viruses to propagate themselves and infect computers. The vectors come in three primary forms.

Social Engineering

Social engineering, in the context of IT security, refers to the psychological manipulation of people in performing various actions like clicking on malicious links, downloading malicious software, or divulging personal information.

Phishing, for instance, is the attempt to access sensitive information like passwords or bank information, via email or other forms of digital communication. The Nigerian Prince scam is an example. Pharming, on the other hand, is an attempt to guide people to access a fake website. It is where people will input sensitive information by pretending to be a bank or other such organization.

Man in the Middle

It is a sort of attack where the attacker manages to take control of the communication between two people, impersonating them and asking each to divulge their information. While each of the two users is under the impression that they are talking to each other, they are communicating with the hacker.

Drive-By

It is a type of cyber attack that installs malware on a computer as soon as the user visits an infected website. These websites can belong to the hackers, themselves, or it can be a legitimate website that's been compromised.

Conclusion

Each of these cyber attacks can be easily implemented within a company if it doesn't have the necessary IT security set in place. It is vital for every organization to evaluate the level of its security and educate its personnel about the dangers they are faced with online. If you don't feel up to the task, contact us today to see how we can help.

 

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Snapchat, less ghostly than ever, now lets you pay to replay snaps

SNAPCHAT managed solution

Snapchat, less ghostly than ever, now lets you pay to replay snaps

by John Zorabedian as written on https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Snapchat has just released version 9.15 of the popular messaging app, and for the first time it includes a feature that users can purchase in-app.
It's called Replay, and for 99 cents you can replay an additional three snaps per day - additional because users already have the ability to replay one snap per day for free.
The ability to buy additional replays is new (currently only available to US users), but Replay as a feature has actually been around for almost two years.
The paid replay option only allows you to replay any given snap once, but that's still one more time than you might expect for an image that's supposed to be automatically deleted after it's viewed.
When Snapchat debuted in 2012, the company marketed its app as a way to send "fleeting messages" that would "disappear forever" after they were viewed - once - by the recipient.
Well, that turned out to be a blatantly false claim - one so misleading that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stepped in to sanction Snapchat for unfairly deceiving users.
Snapchat settled with the FTC in May 2014, and since then, the company's privacy policy has explained just how un-fleeting the supposedly fleeting messages are (you have read the privacy policy, Snapchatters, haven't you?).
Snaps - the photos and videos users send to one another with written messages, drawings, and so forth - can be retrieved after sending in several ways:
With Replay, you'll get a notification whenever a recipient replays your snap.
But as GigaOm reported in 2013, when Replay first became available, you only have control over Replay on your own device, and you can't prevent recipients from replaying your snap.
That's right - there's no way to opt out.
In a post on the Snapchat blog announcing paid replays, the company said its users were "frustrated" without the ability to replay more than one snap per day:
We've provided one Replay per Snapchatter per day, sometimes frustrating the millions of Snapchatters who receive many daily Snaps deserving of a Replay. But then we realized - a Replay is like a compliment! So why stop at just one?
Here's another question for Snapchat: now that you've done away with the ruse that snaps are "fleeting" messages, isn't it time to change the ghost on your logo to something a little more permanent?
Source: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/09/17/snapchat-less-ghostly-than-ever-now-lets-you-pay-to-replay-snaps/

Do You Have A Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan? 3 Obvious Reasons You Need One

BDR managed solution

3 Obvious Reasons You Need A Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan

  1. You need to protect your company data from security threats and hackers. Did you see how cheating site Ashley Madison was breached by hackers who exposed "secure" user data?
  2. Natural disasters do occur and 90% of companies that experience one week of data downtime go out of business within 12 months.
  3. Systems do crash, data gets erased or corrupted, viruses attack.
With vast quantities of vital data moving through your business, even with limited resources and budget, it is critical for an organization to have a true business continuity and disaster recovery plan in place. This is the only solution to deliver an advanced insurance policy against loss of data and downtime.
Managed Solution provides a Business Continuity/Backup & Disaster Recovery Service to protect data from loss and prevent costly downtime in the event of a catastrophic server failure. Learn more.