Author: Art Gross

Security Risk Rate vs. Spend Rate

Security Risk Rate vs. Spend Rate

According to the 2019 SMB IT Security Report from Untangle, 80% of the small to medium-sized surveyed businesses identify IT security as a top priority.  Of the 300 worldwide businesses in the study, 29% are spending less than $100 a month to address that concern.  With an annual spend of less than $1000, these businesses are likely spending more on coffee than they are on cyber safety.

A New Approach to Healthcare Cybersecurity

A New Approach to an Old Problem

Resistance to yet another government regulation, a lack of understanding the complexities of the rules, and an overall unwillingness to take on yet another area of expertise in an ever-changing technical landscape can make the sale of HIPAA compliance a tough one.

Why We Need to Go Beyond HIPAA

HIPAA – Then & Now

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA, has been around since 1996, with the intent to protect patients by properly handling their protected health information (PHI).

With good intentions, HIPAA set forth to provide both security provisions and data privacy. The legislation was passed in the age of paper records, a time that required much different security measures than what we see today.

Changing our Attitudes About Password Security

Live and Learn

Most situations teach us lessons so that we don’t repeat damaging behaviors. For example, if you touch a hot stove, you know to pause and make sure it’s off before doing it again.  If you run out of gas on a highway, on future drives, you’ll be on the lookout for a gas station anytime the tank hits the last notch.  These are valuable lessons that mark a moment in time that we move onward from, and our behavior changes as a result.

A New Kind of Cyber Threat to MSPs

There is a rise in awareness with small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) of the threat to their cybersecurity.  The problem is, it causes a subsequent rise in a risk factor to Managed Service Providers (MSPs).  That risk is of them losing their business.

Passwords: Why You Shouldn’t Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

The Excuses

 It’s not easy!

It’s a lot to keep track of.

I have no idea where I’ve used that before.

There’s nothing in there that anyone would want.

You want me to go back and change ALL of my accounts?

These are all responses when a user is told that their passwords need changed and updated because their credentials have been breached.  And quite honestly, none of them justify the lack of action that is usually taken.

Why Cyber Insurance?

Filing and Smiling 

When is the last time that you filed a piece of paper?   

It used to be that a file cabinet was like your personal bank vault – holding the papers that defined and valued a business. From employee records to bank statements, that file cabinet had everything necessary to keep things humming along.  Each drawer’s value was dependent on the information that it contained within.  

Private Sector Security

Can I Get Some Privacy in Here?

If you’re talking about your online data, probably not.  While businesses can create policies and procedures that limit the exposure of your private data, those lines are often blurred between professional and personal information.

The Real Cost of Cybercrime

What happens if your computer systems are hacked with ransomware? 

I think I’m covered by my insurance policy for that…(pause)…you scramble and try to find your policy documentation.   

It’s here somewhere. I’m sure I’m covered…I mean, I think we’re covered.  I better make sure.  

You email your insurance agent…wait for the declaration page.  Try to sort it out line by line.   

Ethical Hacking

The Ethics of Hacking

In 2013 the then National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander spoke at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference about acknowledging, and protecting, ethical hackers.  He discussed how through surveillance, these individuals would be uncovered, but also shielded, from legal jeopardy. Black Hat is a computer conference that focuses on security consulting, training, and briefings to hackers, corporations, and government agencies from around the world.