Category Archives: Cybersecurity
A 5 step plan to prepare and protect your business from Cyber Crime
The world economy loses more than $1 trillion to cyber-crime every year.
$1 trillion!
That’s a lot of money. And it’s a figure that’s increased by more than 50% since 2018.
In 2019, two thirds of all organizations reported some type of incident relating to cyber-crime.
You could make a sure bet this figure rose significantly last year, thanks to criminals taking advantage of the pandemic.
It’s easy to look at big figures like these, and not relate them back to your own business.
But here’s the thing. The average cost of a data breach to a business is estimated to be around $500,000.
The most common types of crime are ransomware, where your data is locked away until you pay a ransom fee.
And phishing, where criminals pretend to be someone else, to get you to click on a bad link. This is how they get access … Read the rest
Why Data Privacy Matters
Data privacy refers to the handling of personal data. When it comes to their personal information, people have very specific rights. We need customer and employee personal data to run our business successfully. We are trusted to look after this essential information. Mishandled data can have serious repercussions for us, our colleagues and our customers. Each and every employee has a responsibility to understand how to handle and protect personal data.
The Privacy Principles
COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
means we are responsible for, and are able to show compliance with the law.
FAIR AND LAWFUL PROCESSING:
means we must only collect and use personal information that is relevant.
SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Unless we obtain consent for sharing, we are not allowed to share the personal information with any 3rd party.
TRANSFER PERSONAL INFORMATION ACROSS BORDERS:
means we have to follow legal requirements which may include notification of
Who is tracking you?
We have no idea who is tracking us out there on the internet and there is no shame in saying it, we have become complacent when it comes to sharing our content in all this online technology. But you should also know that technology and cyber criminals go hand in hand as they too will get smarter with their tracking abilities and this could potentially put you and your identity at risk.
The spies of the future!
Have you ever noticed that if you happen to have searched a particular topic online, you start seeing adverts on this topic more frequently as you browse? This is no coincidence, whether you like it or not, your internet activities are being monitored every time you are online. When you are online, advertisers and various programs can track you by using your browser activities.
What information do they collect?
Purchases, Clicks & Site
Phishing Attack Exposes 447,000 Florida Patients
Phishing Attack Exposes 447,000 Florida Patients. Orlando Family Physicians, LLC began notifying 447,426 patients that it was the victim of a phishing attack on its employee email accounts.
Six things to know:
- On April 15, an unauthorized party accessed the email account of an employee by obtaining their user ID and password through a phishing email, according to a July 20 news release.
- After the attack, the physician practice launched an investigation and found that three other employee email accounts had been breached. Within 24 hours, unauthorized access to each of the four email accounts was terminated, according to the news release.
- On May 21, the investigation determined that patient data in the email accounts may have been exposed. On July 9, the patients, prospective patients, employees and other people who had data in the email accounts were identified.
- Exposed data may include names, health insurance information, Social Security
Do you bring your own device to work?
Bringing your own devices such as your personal smart phone, tablet or laptop to the work place could make you a target for cybercriminals. When used for work, your personal devices contain sensitive information, provide a gateway to the corporate network or could be used as carriers to distribute malware.
While bringing your own device has its advantages, it will most probably not be fully protected to the same degree as
your corporate device is. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that your device is protected.
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO HELP YOU PROTECT YOUR DEVICES:
- Be Aware of Policy – don’t use your own devices for work before understanding the applicable policy.
- Your Strong PIN Code – your strong pin or pass-code will lock attackers out.
- Operating Systems – on all devices, phones, tables, etc. should be the latest version. Install apps from official app stores only and
Do you know the signs of a money mule scam?
Listen, I know it’s hard out there and there are so many ways to make money that seem legit and we all want an opportunity to make quick money but if you don’t know the signs of a money mule scam you will be taken for a ride. When cybercriminals earn money via illegal means, they need a way of ‘washing’ the money to make it seem legitimate and get it back into mainstream circulation. To do this, they recruit money mules.
The mule is a person who transfers illegally obtained money between different payment accounts, very often in different countries, and earning commission for doing it.
Cybercriminals use online advertising to recruit victims via:
- Social Media
- Emails
- Get rich quick schemes
They even create fake websites that look like legitimate websites to make the job seem like it is coming from an established organization.
Keep an eye out for
… Read the rest
QUICK HIPAA FACT SHEET
This quick HIPAA fact sheet will point you in the right direction! Did you know HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was created in 1996? HIPAA is designed to maintain strict privacy over an individual’s health records.
Other acronyms you need to know for HIPAA compliance: PII (Personally Identifiable Information), EPHI (Electronic Protected Health Information) or just PHI (Protected Health Information).
HIPAA’s Goal:
To increase the privacy of medical and related information by controlling who has access to it. If you’re a healthcare professional, you are required to understand and follow HIPAA.
Examples of PHI:
Patient name, address, date of birth, phone number, medical record number, Social Security number, email, and diagnosis.
Who Has to Follow HIPAA?
Health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers. As of January 2013, with the addition of HITECH, HIPAA also now applies to lawyers, consultants, contractors, cloud providers, software vendors, and more.
How
… Read the rest
CYBER SECURITY IS UP TO ALL OF US!
Having a proper cyber security posture is up to all of us. All information created in the company is subject to the behavior of every collaborator. Use complex passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Note the sender’s and recipient’s domains when exchanging messages. When dealing with suppliers, have the confidentiality terms in mind.
THE HIGHER THE JOB POSITION, THE WORSE THE LOSSES CAUSED BY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
Managers and leaders must be an example! Decision-making roles are always on the attackers’ radar. Decision makers exchange a lot of confidential information that, if leaked, can cause great loss to the company’s reputation and finances. Use complex passwords and enable two-step verification to create barriers against the attackers.
IF YOU FIND ANYONE NOT COMPLYING WITH SECURITY PRACTICES, DEMAND PROPER BEHAVIOR
Information leaks affect the daily life of all collaborators. If you find unlocked computers, passwords on Post-it Notes, and information about … Read the rest
Back To School Safety And Security Checklist
It’s that time again, many of you are going back to school and a proper safety and security checklist will help you for the coming year. Schools hire new Administrative staff and teachers, teachers and students move to new classrooms, school buildings undergo construction. Before the new school year begins, teachers, administrators and parents should review old emergency plans and make updates accordingly. Share the below lists with the people in your community to make this upcoming school year one of the safest and most secure year yet!
Administrators
- Ensure emergency protocols are in place and posted in each classroom.
- Go over basic emergency protocols with teachers and staff (i.e.: Evacuation, Shelter in Place, Lockout and Lockdown.) Answer questions when possible.
- Review key plan elements such as alert capability, relocation sites, and transportation elements to ensure they are in place.
- Develop a drill-schedule for early and mid-year that practices the
How To Block Mobile Attacks
Mobile Attacks statistics show that more than 60% of fraud originates from mobile devices.
Much of the world has gone mobile, and so have mobile attacks. Of the world’s cyberattacks, around 60% are initiated on mobile devices. About 80% of attacks against mobile devices take place via apps. Apps give hackers access to your device under the hood, so they can easily access your mobile banking app and initiate multiple levels of cybercrime.
Here are a few ways to block mobile attacks.
Wifi  |
• Don’t allow your device to auto-join random unknown public networks. • Try to turn off the WiFi when you aren’t using it. • Never send sensitive information over unknown WiFi connections unless you’re absolutely sure it’s a secure network. |
Bluetooth  |
• Make sure you have automatic Bluetooth pairing disabled. • Always turn Bluetooth off when you don’t need it. |
Apps  |
• Only use apps available |
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