The Equifax breach in 2017 exposed the personal information of 145.5 million people in the US and some parts of the UK and Canada, but the number of victims keeps increasing. In the beginning of March, the credit-reporting company revealed that more personal information was leaked. Read on to find out more about this latest development. What happened? On March …
Data safety: The non-technical way
Keeping up with advancements in technology as a business owner is tough, especially when those advancements relate to information security. However, it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few physical security tips you can implement to protect your data before calling us! Cover up your webcam There must be some credibility to doing this if Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, …
Think before saving logins to your browser
There are a number of reasons you should be wary of saving your password to a digital platform. Just look at Yahoo’s data breach in 2013, which leaked passwords for three billion people. Even when your password isn’t compromised, saving it to a browser could have serious implications for your privacy. Why auto-fill passwords are so dangerous In 2015, the …
A keylogger found in HP laptops
Are you using an HP laptop? If so, your machine might have a keylogger pre-installed. This means every stroke you hit on your keyboard can be recorded and your passwords and personal details can be exposed. But don’t panic. We’re about to tell you how to remove it while educating you about this sneaky software and how to steer clear …
Cybersecurity Essentials: VPN
Whether it’s because of government surveillance or cyberattacks, internet users are more concerned than ever about the privacy of their online activities. Unfortunately, security measures like firewalls and antivirus software can’t help you in this case, but there’s one that can: Virtual Private Network (VPN). What is VPN? Simply put, a VPN is a group of servers you connect to …
Google studies effects of leaked logins
Passwords are your first line of defense against hackers. But over the years, they have developed plenty of methods to steal them. To gain a deeper understanding of how cybercriminals operate, Google analyzed the causes of leaked login credentials. Here are the results. The results From March 2016 to March 2017, Google and UC Berkeley researchers examined three main ways …
The Real Costs of Downtime
Imagine yourself laying on a warm beach, cool breeze coming off the ocean, refreshing drink in hand. You’re soaking up the sun to get a “healthy” tan to show off when you get back home after vacation. Skin cancer isn’t on your mind. Heck, you’re not even worried about getting a sunburn. It won’t happen to you, you say to …
Re-secure your passwords!
In 2003, a manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) authored a document on password best practices for businesses, federal agencies, and academic institutions. Now retired, the author admits that his document was misguided. Find out why and what great passwords are made of. The problem The issue isn’t necessarily that NIST advised people to create passwords …
What you can learn from Equifax’s data leak
When it comes to security, it’s better to be safe than sorry. But as the Equifax data leak case has taught us, once a security breach does happen, it’s best not to be sorry twice. Read on so your business doesn’t experience the same fate as the giant, bumbling credit bureau. What happened to Equifax? Equifax, the huge American credit …
New phishing scam targets Office 365 users
With more than 100 million monthly active subscribers, Office 365 has attracted the attention of hackers who’ve revamped an age-old trick. This time, they come up with a highly targeted, well-crafted spear-phishing scam that’s even more difficult to identify. Here’s everything you need to know. What makes it different from other scams? The new threat comes in the form of …
New Locky ransomware: what you need to know
In 2016, the Locky ransomware infected millions of users with a Microsoft Word file. It was eventually contained, and cyber security firms have since created protections to detect and block previous Locky variants. However, a similar malware is currently spreading worldwide and has so far infected tens of thousands of computers. Quick facts According to a threat intelligence report, the …
Black and white: Not all hackers are bad
When a cyber security researcher stopped the spread of WannaCry, the headlines praised him as a savior. But just a few short months later he was in handcuffs for allegedly creating a piece of malware that steals banking information. Even if he is innocent, it’s important to understand the difference between white hat, black hat and even gray hat hackers. …