4 Timeless Cyber Security Rules to Live By

Cybersecurity has become an overly complicated, increasingly important part of our lives. These days, many people are concerned about their privacy; who is collecting their data, what data is being collected, how to prevent information from being stolen, how to prevent breaches, etc. Then there are the traditional threats like malware, ransomware, and phishing that are not only becoming more commonplace but are capable of doing more damage.

Protecting yourself isn’t simple, but there are a few time-tested rules you can live by to help fend off the threats and control your data while living in an increasingly complex world.

These rules are adapted from Brian Krebs, a reporter who has written hundreds of cybersecurity stories in the Washington Post and is an avid security blogger. We’ve added our own spin based on our experience with working with NE Ohio businesses over the years.

If You Don’t Need It, or Didn’t Ask for It, Don’t Click It
Malware and other cybersecurity threats often start with an end-user doing something to get infected. Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft and security software developers, an idle computer sitting in the corner of an office at night is much less likely to be breached than a computer that a user is sitting at and actively using.

Cybercriminals understand this, and they use tactics to trick users into allowing malicious software to get installed.

For instance, most malware today is distributed through email attacks, where a legitimate-looking email comes in with an innocent-looking attachment that requires the user to click on to infect the computer. Other threats come in by installing bad applications that come bundled with malware. Remember a few years ago when browser toolbars would often get installed and slow down your computer or start manipulating how your browser worked?

While some of these threats are slowly getting weaned out of existence because the software, we generally use is getting smarter or at the very least, more security-minded, the threats are still out there. Visiting the wrong website could lead to a scareware popup stating that your computer is infected. This popup might look exactly like your antivirus, and you might make the snap-decision to install malware just because it looked legitimate and urgent. It’s really all about being aware and thinking before you click, or immediately contacting your trusted IT support before you risk being breached.

If You Do Need It, Keep It Updated

Almost all software receives occasional updates from the developer. These updates might include new features, fix bugs and compatibility issues, make the software run faster or more effectively, or patch vulnerabilities.

We all can get that tinge of paranoia when we learn that something we use every day has been changed. For example, when a Gmail app on your smartphone is updated and moved, the setting to switch inboxes from the top left of the screen to the top right, which can really upset your flow.

Updates are a fact of life though, and while some software updates may seem frivolous or downright annoying, much of the time there is also a security aspect that cannot be ignored.

Cybercriminals are constantly looking to exploit software vulnerabilities; and, if they can find a way to break into hundreds of thousands, or millions, of computers through a vulnerability in an application, that’s payday for them. They might not know about a vulnerability until the developer releases an update for that vulnerability, but hackers also know that most people don’t run their updates right away. This opens up a window of time where they can take advantage of a security flaw, and the longer you ignore your software updates, the riskier it gets.

This rule, like the first, applies to literally every single device you own. Your desktop, your laptop, both PC and Mac, your smartphone and tablet, your Kindle, your Switch/Playstation/Xbox, your smart appliances, and everything else that connects to the Internet. Fortunately, a lot of devices these days automatically pull their updates, but it’s always important to understand that failing to keep your Internet-connected devices updated will lead to security breaches.

If You Don’t Need It, Get Rid of It
Want to avoid having to run updates for an application or device that you don’t use anymore? Just remove it from the equation. If you installed some software to edit a particular type of file for a project and don’t need it anymore, uninstall it. If you have an old tablet you keep plugged in that you haven’t used in six months, check it and run the updates or shut it down and take it off of your network.

Remember, every single thing you put on your network; whether it be a device like a computer, printer, or smartphone, or software on one of those devices, needs to be kept updated and secure. The more you have, the more overhead there is. Simplify your life and dial back. You’ll likely find there is a lot of stuff you’ll absolutely need to have as it is, but there is likely a lot of clutter you can remove.

Of course, you don’t want to remove anything that is actually actively keeping your network and files safe, so you’ll need to evaluate and audit things carefully, which leads to the next point.

Audit Your Technology Regularly, and Keep Additions/Removals/Changes Documented

Chances are you’ve made a lot of decisions over the last few years that you don’t remember making. We make decisions every day that are, in the long run, inconsequential and forgettable. For example, what are the chances you will remember this morning’s breakfast six months from now? That same principle goes for that snap decision to install a free application that lets you edit GIF files. In 6 months, you won’t remember that it is sitting there on your computer, and possibly increasing your chances that a threat might get in.

The same goes for the hardware on your network, the settings on your server, and even the security permissions for your online accounts, such as bank accounts, email, and social media. Taking time every few months to audit everything is crucial because a simple inconsequential adjustment can come back to bite you later.

If you stick with these four golden rules, you can prevent a lot of headaches later, and these rules have proven to withstand the test of time, and probably will continue to for a long, long time. That doesn’t mean they are the end-all-be-all of protecting yourself and your business from online threats. For more help locking down your business and preventing cyberattacks, reach out to Net Activity.

You can also check out the blog of Brian Krebs at krebsonsecurity.com, and for more IT security news and resources, be sure to follow our blog.

This New Ransomware Can Infect A Network In Just Minutes

Not all ransomware strains are created equally. Some are designed as slow burns that will infect a target system, expanding its reach for days, or even weeks before striking and locking your business critical files. Others are designed to hit fast and hard.

Lockbit definitely falls into this latter category, based on a detailed analysis of the code conducted by researchers at Sophos.

Their conclusion is that from the time a target network is breached, Lockbit will start encrypting files in as little as five minutes, which is so fast that it doesn’t really give your IT staff an opportunity to respond to the attack. By the time they become aware of it and begin deploying resources to minimize the damage, it’s usually over.

The research team discovered that once Lockbit makes its way onto a target system, it will do a quick, keyword based scan of network drives to locate the information most valuable to the team that inserted it.

This particular malware strain is offered as “Ransomware as a Service” so the keywords Lockbit uses for this search will be different, depending on who paid for the service, who they’re attacking, and what they’re most interested in acquiring. This is because of course, the hackers will copy the information they want before they start encrypting files.

In any case, this process doesn’t take long, and once that’s done, the malware executes in memory via a Windows Management Instruction (WMI) command. The research team observed that in every case they studied, the attack began in earnest, with files being locked, within five minutes of issuing the WMI command. That’s as fast and brutal as it gets.

There’s still a lot the team doesn’t know about Lockbit, but they’re continuing to study both the code and the aftermath of the attacks made on corporate networks around the world. They will continue updating the rest of us with their findings. None of the news is good, but it’s always better to know than not.

3 Things to Consider when Incorporating Collaboration Practices for your Team

The modern business should be prioritizing its collaborative capabilities. After all, the benefits of collaboration include increased quality in products and services and customer service alike, all the while cutting costs. Of course, you may have already attempted to incorporate collaborative practices, but for some reason, they didn’t take. Let’s consider a few reasons that might have been the case.

Your Team Lacks the Right Solutions

It isn’t enough to just say that your business is collaborative, and that your team is to conduct themselves as such. You need to have the means of collaboration in place for your team to use in their processes, which will require the strategic use of specific technology resources. This includes many that you should already have, like your Internet access, email solution, and phone systems. The part that many businesses lack is the strategy behind their use to embrace the full functionality that these resources offer.

Investing the time, capital, and energy into properly devising such a strategy and appropriately equipping your team to fully embrace collaborative processes will prove to be well worth it. One effective solution to consider is a company intranet. Having such an intranet gives your team a convenient place to share ideas, review everyone’s contributions, store files, and generally solve business problems by working together. In addition, your team members can use this intranet to better get to know one another, an invaluable component to any cooperative effort. However, this brings up an additional challenge that many businesses face:

Your Team Isn’t Interested in Working Together

Unsurprisingly, it can be challenging for people to work cooperatively if they aren’t fond of one another. Now, the hard truth is that not everyone you hire is going to be the best of friends, but any animosity or ill will could actually impact your business financially. Not only could these feelings sap productivity, encourage redundancy, and lead to inefficiency, any productive conversation about improving your business’ processes is simply unlikely.

No, your employees don’t have to be close to work closely with one another. All it takes is a shared understanding of their common goal, and the knowledge that if they can’t handle interpersonal issues, they will be handled for them.

Your Team Members Are Unaware of Each Other’s Objectives

Finally, we come to perhaps the most common problem many businesses experience when attempting to be collaborative. While you have likely assigned people to be responsible for different elements of a process, this information may not be known to the rest of your team. As a result, nobody knows who to assign next or who to turn to for help with a problem. This kind of environment breeds inefficiency and redundancy—something you probably don’t want in your business.

While it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to have full knowledge and awareness of everyone else’s responsibilities, some grasp on each department’s duties will be helpful. You might consider cross-training your team members so that it will be easier for them to identify the best resources to help solve their problems later.

While establishing a collaborative workplace is going to be an ongoing process, it will ultimately deliver some significant benefits to your business, as well as the team members you’ve employed. To learn more about the tools and strategies that can help you encourage collaborative behaviors amongst your team, give Net Activity a call at 216-503-5150.