We’ve said it several times before. The last line of defense for almost all bad things in IT is a good backup. Does it make sense that your Microsoft 365 data…emails, contacts, calendars, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams…should absolutely be backed up and protected. Is it (I hear you cry)?

Spoiler alert: Get rid of Flash. Ok, here's the thing. Adobe Flash was an add-on to most web browsers back in the day. It really enabled web sites to do a lot. It especially makes it easier for bad guys to do bad things.

You’ve just discovered there are compromised employee credentials or other sensitive data of your company exposed and available on the Dark Web. The reality is, once exposed on the Dark Web, your information cannot ever be completely removed or hidden.

Keyloggers are programs that capture everything you type. Passwords, credit card numbers, the webpages, answers to security questions – all by logging your keyboard strokes. The program is installed on your computer, usually through some form of spyware, and records what you type. All of this is then sent to the the bad guys use it to in a number of their bad guys ways.

A firewall is a network security system that monitors, and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Firewalls are typically used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, protect networks from malicious software, and limit the spread of malicious software.

Password managers are amazing. These smart applications make great security easy for you and your team. They generate long random passwords for all the software you use, so you’re never tempted to reuse a password. Then, they remember these passwords for you, and even autofill logins.

Ok, if you have any conversations about cyber security, you’ll hear the term “authentication.” It sounds important, but what is authentication?

So, what happens when your organization suffers from some kind of breach such as encryption theft or destruction? Does your organization have data backups or an incident response plan?

I want to show you something that we just received that is actually kind of funny. Spoiler alert it's bad guys trying to get us to give them money and we foiled it. I will show you how!

Shadow IT is a term given to IT resources…hardware, software, subscriptions, services…that are used by an organization without the knowledge of whoever’s handling IT or cybersecurity for the organization.

Keep in mind Shadow IT isn’t necessarily evil. Or destructive. It’s…well, honestly you don’t know what it is. And that’s the problem.

Every time you log onto your computer, you’re doing so with your “User Account”. That’s not just your user name and password. It’s all of the setting specific to your account. Some of it’s about how programs should behave. Some of it’s about security.

On July 5, in court, Travelers said it would not have issued a cyber insurance policy to an electronics manufacturing services company if they knew the company was not using MFA as it said. Recently that company suffered a ransomware attack.

The simple answer is that computers aren't perfect. The bad guys are using low-tech emails from using common email addresses from a legit email provider like Gmail or Yahoo.