Hacking, in the loosest sense of the term, was born in the 1950s when “phone phreakers” first figured out how to exploit the dial tone sounds produced by phones to make free long-distance calls. This form of hacking peaked in the 1960s and 1970s and has since fallen by the wayside. The 1980s brought us the term “cyberspace,” and saw … Read More
The 8 Most Expensive Cyberattacks of 2019
In 2019, governments and companies in the United States faced a barrage of ransomware attacks. In all, 103 federal, state, and municipal governments and agencies, 759 healthcare providers, and 86 universities, colleges, and school districts were impacted by ransomware attacks. The potential cost could be more than $7.5 billion, and that’s only for US-based organizations. That figure doesn’t even take … Read More
Cloud Isn’t the “Future”; It’s the Now
Technology is continually changing and evolving, creating new and innovative ways to conduct business. While many of us may still think the cloud is some futuristic concept, in reality, it’s already here and has been for a while. What is the Cloud? At its core, the cloud is a collection of web-based applications. Instead of purchasing a program, installing it … Read More
Hacked? Here’s What to Know (& What to Do Next)
Whether criminals are posting inappropriate or illegal content on your company website, sensitive data, and emails have been accessed by unauthorized users, or your data is being held hostage by ransomware, being hacked is every organization’s worst nightmare. Though there’s nothing you can do to ensure a breach never happens, there are a lot of things you can do to … Read More
Operational Technology vs. Information Technology: Differences, Similarities, & How the Intermix With Industrial Control Systems
Though traditionally operational technology and information technology were kept separate, these two worlds are becoming increasingly intertwined, and both forms of technology are becoming more likely to connect to the internet. What is Operational Technology? Operational technology (OT) refers to the hardware and software used to change, monitor, or control physical devices, processes, and events within a company or organization. … Read More
Cybersecurity Awareness is Increasingly Important, Especially With 2020 Around the Corner
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month, making it an excellent time to draw attention to this critical topic. Too many organizations continue to take their cybersecurity for granted, often with disastrous results. The foundation of any good cybersecurity policy is employee training. Even the most robust and iron-clad cybersecurity plan will fail if employees don’t understand: The importance of cybersecurity … Read More
Why Do Modern Businesses Need Managed Security Services?
Cybersecurity incidents are becoming increasingly common in the modern world, so your organization needs to have policies in place to safeguard your digital assets. While large organizations may be able to support an in-house cybersecurity team, many small and medium-sized businesses have neither the capital nor the people power to support such a resource-intensive department. This is where Managed Security … Read More
Why Your Company Could be the Next Equifax or CapitalOne
Though many of us may only hear about big cybersecurity incidents like the Equifax breach of 2017 and the CapitalOne hack of 2019, cybersecurity incidents are becoming increasingly common in the modern world. Many C-suite executives and other decision-makers likely shook their heads as they read about these and other serious cybersecurity incidents, thankful that that sort of thing could … Read More
The Capital One Hack: The Latest in a Series of High-Profile Breaches
It seems like almost every day brings news of another large, high-profile hack affecting millions of Americans and other users around the world. Though wide-reaching hacks affecting large companies and millions of users are more likely to make the news, the reality is that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized organizations as well. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving and changing … Read More
The Rising Cost of Health Care Industry Data Breaches
The 2019 edition of the Cost of a Data Breach Report, sponsored by IBM and published by Ponemonis causing quite a stir in the cybersecurity world. The annual report, which draws its data from in-depth interviews with more than 500 global companies that experienced data breaches between July 2018 and April 2019, finds that not only are data breaches becoming … Read More