Tag Archives: cybersecurity

Why manage your IT alone when you can have a team of experts at your disposal?

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Team of IT experts working on a computer - managing a company's IT systems.

Having an expert team handling your cybersecurity burden is the best option for your business.

The more technology evolves, the more systems’ security becomes complicated. You have more cybersecurity threats now, than the average 90s person. You have to be on the lookout for hackers who may sell or buy your credentials and private information on the dark web.

Furthermore, on top of an in-built spam filter, you need an additional third party spam filter to improve email security. And if you are using cloud services, then you need to initialize multifactor authentication, otherwise hackers will easily own your accounts.

All these measures may sound overwhelming, and a solution like SentinelOne’s Singularity XDR may sound appealing. Who doesn’t want an automated, AI-integrated cybersecurity software that gives you full control over threats?

Even if you could individually monitor and deal with threats, why would you want to burden yourself when you can have experts handle your cybersecurity burden?

In this post, we look at our last 4 blog posts to show how recent security concerns require innovative tools to deal with. We elaborate why you need to outsource cybersecurity to your managed service provider instead of handling these modern security concerns by yourself.

You Need a Third Party Spam Filter

Even if you have Office 365, you need a third party spam filter for optimum protection. Office 365 uses Microsoft’s Exchange Online Protection (EOP) as the built-in spam filter. However, EOP does not provide the level of protection against malicious emails required by most organizations. Some spam and phishing emails make it past EOP’s protection and endanger the organization.

Therefore, third-party spam filters are required for optimally spam protection. Third-party spam filters are preferred because they are AI-integrated and are constantly learning to identify and block new spam and phishing threats as they occur.

These spam filters also provide DKIM and SPF email authentication protection, which ensures your emails are not spoofed. Phishing attacks are commonly launched through spoofed emails, which are difficult to detect without DKIM and SPF email authentication protection.

You Need To Protect Your System From Dark Web Hackers

The Dark Web exists, and it can really hurt your business. Hackers sell and buy stolen credentials on the Dark Web. For as little as $8, they can get hold of your organization’s usernames, and account passwords, wrecking havoc to your system.

You should make an effort to monitor the Dark Web for your details. If your credentials are already on the Dark Web, the best you can do is immediately change your passwords and initiate multifactor authentication.

You Need Multifactor Authentication for Your Cloud Services

Hackers with your credentials can access and own your accounts. Most of our data is stored in the cloud, where access is authorized to any remote user with matching credentials. Multifactor authentication activates additional security measures that confirm that the remote user is indeed an authorized user.

Multifactor authentication is a quick, easy solution to the problem of hacked credentials.

You Need an AI Assisted Cross-stack Solution to Monitor and Respond to Threats

With evolving technology, the areas of vulnerability and attack vectors have increased. Solutions like SentinelOne’s Singularity XDR give customers a unified and proactive approach to almost all potential points of attack. You can monitor and respond to threats as they occur.

Get All These Services From Your Managed Service Provider

From the above points, it is evident you need to protect yourself against a number of cybersecurity threats. Luckily, there are tools you can use to constantly keep ahead of these threats. However, it is overwhelming to operate all these cybersecurity tools effectively. That is why 41% of businesses outsource their cybersecurity needs.

Outsourcing cuts the costs that would have been used in training and hiring employees, and buying and leasing tools for cybersecurity purposes. Most significantly, outsourcing gives you access to a team of experts dedicated to your cybersecurity.

about your security for your business? Contact us here, so we can review your current policies and look at ways to protect and secure your company’s data without breaking the bank and get you back to concentrating on what you do best.

 

Why SentinelOne Is Perfect for Your Business Security

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Concept of using SentinelOne solutions - Employee using a laptop and touching a digital padlock with data protection.

Giving customers a unified and proactive security system.Technology as we know it is rapidly evolving, and many cyber-solutions are quickly being rendered obsolete. Attack vectors and areas of vulnerability multiply with evolving network technology. Hackers now have numerous points to infiltrate your system, from endpoints to the networks to the cloud.

The most innovative and quick acting enterprises have attempted to address the cybersecurity points of vulnerability independently by developing specific solutions to threats. None of the proposed technologies pre-SentinelOne attempted a single solution that connects the dots and protects all points of vulnerability.

The pre-SentinelOne solutions made it overwhelmingly difficult to solve threats that targeted all vulnerability points at once. To fix this urgent product niche, SentinelOne developed Singularity XDR, a solution that monitors and protects all potential points of attack.

The Singularity XDR gives customers a unified and proactive security system that simplifies the process of monitoring, identifying and preventing attempts at security breach. The following is why you should seriously consider using SentinelOne as your cybersecurity solution.

Cross-stack Application Facilitated by in Built Artificial Intelligence

Singularity XDR, SentinelOne’s successful creation, can be integrated into all parts of your technology system, be it the endpoint, the internet of things (IOT), cloud, threat intel, identity, email, network, or your secure access service edge (SASE). This across the board compatibility is what is referred to as cross-stack application.

Cross-stack applicability gives the SentinelOne Singularity XDR an edge over other competitors. SentinelOne applies advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software to meticulously monitor all vulnerable points and facilitate streamlined operations and workflow.

Singularity XDR employs artificial intelligence to automatically unify and extend the detection, analysis, and response. With this technology, you can seamlessly view the security status of any point in your system through simple applications and even automate your responses to threats.

With all this power in your hands, you can very easily eliminate security blind spots and stealth attacks as they occur. Singularity XDR has attracted positive reviews from well-known technology enterprises that have put it into use.

Proven Track Record Used by Enterprise Companies

Nothing points to true quality than customer approval, and SentinelOne has nothing but stellar approval ratings from some of the most successful companies in the world. SentinelOne is trusted by 3 of the Fortune 10 companies and hundreds of the Global 2000 companies.

World leading companies like Electronics Arts, Samsung, Aston Martin and TGI Fridays have satisfactorily trusted SentinelOne to protect their valuable systems. IT professionals from these companies have consistently labelled SentinelOne the best cybersecurity measure in the market.

Even though many huge enterprises use SentinelOne, it is still affordably available to businesses with limited budgets, hence making it a cybersecurity favorite for any type of enterprise.

Cost Effective for Small Business Budget

With all the positive SentinelOne reviews, you would assume that it is expensive and hence unaffordable for businesses with limited cybersecurity budgets. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

SentinelOne offers a range of ‘Singularity Platform Packages‘ which are affordable by business of any stature. Prices range from $36 to $9 per agent per month. Regardless of the size of your business, your cybersecurity is definitely worth more than $36 to $9.

Protect Your Enterprise With the Latest Technology

Take your cybersecurity to the next level with SentinelOne’s AI assisted cross-stack solution to monitor, detect, analyze and respond to security threats.

Using an antivirus is not sufficient protection for your business, cyber criminals have gotten smarter and can exploit many points of vulnerability. It’s time to take the next step to effectively protect your business. Contact us here for a review of your current policies and an assessment of possible security mechanisms.

 

What is the Dark Web and Why Should we Care?

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The Dark Web is a scary place

You’re happily humming along on the Internet thinking you’ve got a pretty good understanding. You can navigate your way around Google, Facebook, Amazon, and news sites. You’re actually only visiting four percent of the Internet. There’s a whole world (96% of the Internet) hiding beyond these safe surface-level sites, known as the Dark Web. It’s a much less hospitable place.  

 What exactly is the Dark Web?  

The Dark Web is a conglomeration of websites that cannot be found on search engines or accessed via traditional web browsers because their location and identity is hidden through encryption tools, like TOR. TOR was originally created to protect military communication but now has much broader utilization for both Dark Web purposes and for highly secure communication. You have to access Dark Web sites utilizing TOR, typically.  

 People create sites on the Dark Web in order to hide where they’re operating from, as well as to remain anonymous (TOR hides all IP information, identifying information, as well as data transfers). Over half of the sites on the Dark Web are used for criminal activities.  

 Why Do People Use the Dark Web?  

One of the most prevalent uses of the Dark Web is buying and selling illegal goods, such as recreational drugs, weapons, fake identities, and organs. The proliferation of cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, has facilitated these sales. People living within totalitarian societies that restrict communication also take to the Dark Web to share their thoughts freely.  

 The most dangerous use of the Dark Web for businesses is the exchange of credentials (usernames and passwords) and identities. An individual’s stolen credentials can typically be sold on the Dark Web for the low price of $1 to $8. Hackers utilize these purchased credentials to: 

  • Gain access to important financial information and steal identities (access to a Bank of America account holding $50,000 can be purchased for $500) 
  • Access accounts for further phishing attacks 
  • Threaten people with exposure of sensitive information (Remember the Ashley Madison hack from a few years back? Those credentials were dumped onto the Dark Web and hackers leveraged them to expose users). 
  • Compromise other accounts using the same passwords and perpetuate the sale of personal information 

 What can you do about it?  

The average citizen will never have a reason to access the Dark Web, but their credentials could easily be floating around, endangering their offline livelihoods. Once your credentials are released on the Dark Web, there is precious little you can do to have them removed. However, you should, at the very least, know when you’ve been compromised; so that you can immediately act, like changing passwords and activating two-factor authentication.  

We recommend utilizing a full Dark Web monitoring service that alerts you if credentials appear on the Dark Web.  These services constantly scan the Dark Web for your information and alert you whenever something suspicious appears. These alerts don’t necessarily mean a breach has occurred, but they are very good heads up that something bad may be coming. You can then create a plan of attack before any damage is done. Granted, there will be your fair share of false positives, but we firmly believe in operating in the better safe than sorry camp.  

How should you get started with Dark Web monitoring?  

Our team can run a preliminary scan of your domain revealing the likely breaches in the last 36 months. We’ll then review that report with you and come up with a plan of action to alleviate any major dangers. Click here to request that scan. 

Do Small Businesses Need Cybersecurity?

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Cybersecurity for small businesses - person working on a laptop showing different security icons.

Improving your small business’s cybersecurity strategies.

Reliable cybersecurity to eliminate attacks is essential for every business, regardless of size. The subject is so popular that it has earned a standalone topic on Google News. However, small and midsize businesses don’t think much of cybersecurity. The media also perpetuates this as most digital ink is dedicated to attacking large global enterprises.

The truth is, SMBs are suffering. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), cyber-attacks are a growing concern for small businesses and the US economy. Find out more below about why hackers target small businesses and the impact of cybersecurity.

Why Cyber-hackers Go After Small Businesses

Verizon‘s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report shows that 44% of the breaches affected small and midsize businesses. The reason for the high number of security risks for startups includes:

1.      Lack of Resources and Support

Most small businesses do not have a dedicated employee specializing in following trends, implementing technologies, and staying up to date with the newest technologies to mitigate risks.

In fact, about 43% SMBs admit they have no function in their company dedicated to cyber-security.

2.      Tight Budgets

Small Businesses do not have the budgets of fortune 500 companies to implement security strategies. Most avoid spending on resources, training, and consultants by ignoring the latest updates and patches, leaving their systems vulnerable to attacks.

Fortunately, there are low-cost options to start building the foundation that doesn’t break the bank.

3.      Inadequate Employee Training

Your employees are your greatest asset for your business and also the greatest cyber security vulnerability. Hackers know how to penetrate the weakest links on the networks. Employees can unknowingly download malicious content from the web or fail to secure their login credentials.

4.      Lack of Security Policies

Anyone would avoid wasting money on audits that can be thousands of dollars, but yet this is the normal first step before reviewing their current plan with their existing IT provider. Would you take a certification exam before studying and reviewing the material?

It is best to review your policies and implement a low-cost option first for a better audit report. It’s better than paying for the audit out of the gate.

5.      Security Vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals are looking for easy targets, and a vast majority of small businesses don’t prioritize cyber security.  The problem is it makes them easy targets. Think of a cybercriminal as someone going door to door and turning the handle of your home during the day. The first door that opens is their next target.

A simple lock on the door would deter this threat and send them on to the next house. There are strategies to build your defense against these thieves. Your strategy can be reviewed periodically as your business continues to grow and also when you afford other strategies that will mitigate the risks of cybercriminals

Impact of Cyber-Attack on Your Business

A successful cyber-attack can have significant repercussions on your business. It will affect your bottom line, your business standing, and the trust of customers. Here are some of the major impacts of security breaches:

  • Business downtime: Reduced productivity due to lost employee time in dealing with the situation
  • Reputational damage: Tarnished business image caused by a breach and possible exposure of customer information (credentials, personal information, etc.)
  • Loss of finances: Financial repercussions of hiring experts to repair everything and hopefully recover everything.
  • Legal consequences of a cyber breach: Every business must comply with data protection and laws for the customer data they hold. Failure to deploy appropriate security measures to keep their data safe can lead to fines and regulatory sanctions.

Looking Ahead

Studies estimate cyber-attacks led to cause $6 trillion in damages to SMBs in 2021.  Most of these company operations are lean, and those that ignore the need for robust cybersecurity can easily fall prey. Getting economical and efficient cybersecurity is possible, even without an established full-blown IT department.

Over the next month, we will be discussing different vendors that provide low-cost software to implement in your environment to fill the gaps in your business security strategy. Be sure to check back as we review how these products work.  If you want to learn more about our services and improve your cyber security strategy, contact SystemsNet today.