How Likely Are You to Get Hacked Today?

Undoubtedly, you have received one of those annoying emails from your bank or social media account alerting you of a compromise…

What happens next is extremely frustrating – the bank cancels your card…you wait a week to get a new one…or if it was your Facebook profile, you have to mass message a million people you never talk to and advise them not to click on the phony link they got “from you.”

The same kind of stuff happens in business…and usually it is linked to human error…someone did not change their password, someone clicked on a bad link, etc.

So how likely are you to get hacked today?

Do not ask your IT department – because they do not know. Try measuring your risk…It is not as easy as it sounds…

What kind of protections are in place? More importantly, are they being properly utilized?

Think about it this way – you can mount a security alarm in the entryway of your home, but if it is not connected to the security company, it will not do much for you when an intruder breaks in…

A room full of equipment is useless…and likely means you’ve been breached or are about to be…

You need visibility – where are your assets, what or who is protecting them, and are there holes waiting for the cybercriminal to break through?

Everyone has them…the question is do you know where yours are.

P.S. Also, if you’ve not received my eBook on a few important IT Security Basics, request it here for free.

Here is Why Security Consolidation is a Good Idea

IF YOU ARE RUNNING MULTIPLE LAYERS OF SECURITY – from different vendors – it is time to consolidate.

Here is why:

Small-medium size businesses do not have gigantic security budgets or big security departments…if you are one of them, you know how hard it is to protect company data with a small budget.

Multiple solutions equals FRAGMENTED visibility to certain parts of your internal environment, making it easier for hackers and cyber criminals to bypass existing security.

Visibility is critical (DETECTION) – it does not matter if you have a bunch of security solutions in your office… If you cannot adequately see (DETECT) what is going on, you are basically ASKING a hacker to choose you…

Good consolidation combined with heavy automation – enables small security teams (or an outsourced team) to do more with less…

And of course, most small teams lack the real expertise required to operate security solutions effectively…

If you are looking for an MSP provider who also knows security, you will want to consider these critical items:

• 24X7 proactive monitoring of the organization’s environment
• Real-time detection/response technologies
• Management of events, alerts, customer inquiries, and incidents
• Proactive threat intelligence and threat hunting
• Remediation guidance – emergency response.

P.S. Also, if you’ve not received my eBook on a few important IT Security Basics, request it here for free.

Employees – the Weakest Link in the Cybersecurity Chain

Do you know your company’s security plan from start to finish? Have you actively participated in a test-run of your RECOVERY PLAN in the event of an attack?

Cyberattacks are more prevalent and sophisticated than ever before. As the threat landscape multiplies in size… YOU might be placing more FAITH in YOUR EMPLOYEES than perhaps you should be…

The challenge is growing with most of your employees working from home.

What should you be doing?? 

Employee training is now at the top of cyber security expert’s lists for preventing attacks – If you are still working on prioritizing security, you can check out the NIST’s Framework to inform cybersecurity training & awareness.

You can also check out the do’s and dont’s of cybersecurity for some DIY training.

IT decision-makers are drowning in an endless sea of to-do’s that COVID ushered in – unexpectedly. EMPLOYEES ARE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE – make this a priority – SOON!

P.S. Have you seen my free guide on 8 critical IT security protection your small business should implement? Download it here and fine out 8 Critical steps SMBs should be doing.

Will the Sale of TikTok Include Your Data?

TikTok – you know, the big craze for weird dance videos…How much of your data is sitting on TikTok servers right now? Maybe none. How about your kid’s data?  Did you know your kids are a big target for hackers? 

Microsoft may be buying ByteDance…the PARENT app to TikTok.

This is a massive security concern… TikTok has close ties to the CHINESE government. And they love US data! 

If China requests data from ByteDance (And they probably will), the Chinese laws will FORCE ByteDance to turn over a shocking amount of data…data IT IS COLLECTING about us…

Yes, it’s possible ByteDance will be added to the Bureau of Industry and Security Entity list, immediately BANNING it (and TikTok) from American IP and technology…

To bypass this, Microsoft recently stepped forward as a potential purchaser of TikTok. If they follow through, it’s unlikely all breaches will be sealed…Will the Chinese government keep copies of the data they’ve already collected? …No Doubt.

The sale price of TikTok could include your personal information and data. Expect their data to also include everything collected from your employees…those using their own devices for business…YOUR BUSINESS!
So here’s the question…how much is your data worth to you? Expect Microsoft to make a decision by September 15th. Continue Reading HERE.

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