Walsh IT Group Blog

We know that cybersecurity isn’t the most interesting topic in the world, especially for a small business owner, this doesn’t diminish its importance. If you fail to adequately protect your business, even a low-profile SMB can fall victim to a cyber threat. It’s your job as the business owner and thought leader to make sure this doesn’t happen.

It’s good to go about your business with an abundance of caution, but sometimes this abundance of caution can lead people to see threats where they simply do not exist. In cybersecurity, this is actually quite easy to see happening, as cybersecurity is such a multi-faceted topic. But how much do these false-positive security reports wind up costing organizations?

The ransomware attack against Kaseya’s VSA servers for approximately 1,500 organizations was yet another major challenge for businesses to overcome, and while most of the affected companies did not give in to the hackers’ demands, others felt forced to pay the ransom. The problem, however, is that some of those who did pay the ransom are now having trouble decrypting their data, and with REvil MIA, they do not have the support needed to decrypt their data.

The recent hack of Colonial Pipeline has led to no shortage of problems, chief among them gasoline shortages all across the east coast of the United States. The pipeline’s operations may have been restored, but the question still remains: what could have been done to stop it, what can we learn from this incident, and what changes can we expect to see as a result?

Ransomware attacks are notorious for their expense to the victim—largely because of the various costs that come along with successful ransomware infections, including many that might not be expected at first. Let’s review some of these costs, if only to reinforce the importance of avoiding ransomware as a rule.

When most of us think of cybercrime, we’re thinking about a lone hacker in a dimly lit room—or, at most, a few hackers hunched over their computers in a dimly lit room. However, to remain restricted to this impression would be inaccurate—particularly when you consider the very real threat that state-sponsored cyberattacks can just as easily pose.

2020 has brought us a lot of news that we’d rather not hear. Just days before the end of what may be regarded as one of the worst years on record, there is more. One of the largest hacks in the history of the Internet happened earlier this year and more is being learned about it each day. Today, we will tell you what we know, who it affected, and what your business needs to do to secure itself. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how much risk your business was under, in terms of vulnerabilities and potential exploits? Believe it or not, this is entirely possible, through a process known as penetration testing. Commonly referred to as “pen testing,” this simple measure can provide a business with some very valuable insight into their security preparations.

Your business’ wireless is an important factor to consider in your operations, which means that your choice of router is crucial for your overall success. Here, we’re going into a few considerations that you should keep in mind as you select your router.

It’s a common myth that Apple computers don’t get viruses. It’s not uncommon for a Mac user to chime in and say, “you should have gotten a Mac,” when a PC user mentions getting a virus or malware. 

Let’s unpack this myth, and talk a little about how, no matter what technology you have, you need to protect it.

With remote work becoming a popular option amongst businesses nowadays, concerns and considerations should be raised about how secure the networks being used are: namely, the Wi-Fi connections many have in their homes. Just as in the office, it is important that these networks are properly secured for the good of your business.

While every aspect of your organization’s security is incredibly important to attend to, we wanted to take the time and delve into a particular aspect that many might take for granted: your digital access controls. Let’s go over a few tips and practices to ensure your access controls and policies are optimized.

Ever since it first popped up in the Wuhan Province of China, COVID-19 (better known as the coronavirus) has created quite a stir—bordering on panic—around the world. Unfortunately, as has been the case many times before, cybercriminals have been using this near panic to support their attacks. Let’s review some of the ways they do so, and how you can protect yourself and your business from these efforts.

We were recently published in Coatings Pro magazine, discussing how contractors need to be concerned about cyber threats. While directed towards contractors, the practices we discuss are also applicable to just about any industry.

When it comes to cybersecurity, automation can benefit many of your processes and protections. Let’s review how automation can be used to protect your business, and by extension, your livelihood.

The term “hacker” has firmly become a part of the public lexicon, thanks largely in part to pop culture and its liberal use of the term. However, the use of the term so frequently has effectively diluted its meaning to “someone good with computers.” In order to keep your business secure against the hackers of the real world, it may help to understand the motivations behind their activities.

Do you know the phrase, “Locks only keep out the honest?” The idea is that even though you lock your doors, there is only a thin layer of glass and good intentions stopping a criminal from entering your home through a window.

Every business has their version of risk management. Nowadays, with all the technology organizations use for productivity, collaboration, and communications, managing risk can often be difficult. There are numerous threats that come from the Internet that could put a damper on productivity, create inefficiencies, or shut down production entirely. Regardless of how large or small your business is, you need to prioritize the security of your computing network.

Ransomware has become a favorite attack vector for hackers - after all, for them, it’s pretty much a no loss game. They either get paid, or they move on to their next target. Unfortunately, cyberattackers that dispatch ransomware often do get paid, and these payments can sometimes come from a surprising source: cybersecurity firms.

For the modern business a lot of time is spent focusing on network security. The theory behind this action is that there are all types of threats that could be trying to get into your computer network. At a college, you’d expect that, since so much sensitive data, including personal, medical, and financial information--as well as intellectual property--is stored on college computers/servers, that the diligence of IT administrators would be even more conspicuous.