Category: Training

The Importance of Ongoing Cybersecurity Training

As most of us are aware, and especially in the tech industry, cybersecurity is a critical concern for businesses of all sizes. With the increasing number of cyber-attacks and data breaches, it’s more important than ever for businesses to prioritize ongoing cybersecurity training for their employees. Not only can a lack of training lead to costly data breaches and reputational damage, but it might also impact a business’s ability to successfully

Chatbots and Human Error

Businesses face a range of challenges related to data security.  The threats are ever-changing and evolving to offset our ability to recognize them easily. With human error at the top of the list of risk factors, employees giving away sensitive information is a challenge.  The advent of large language models (LLM), chatbots, and other digital assistants like ChatGPT makes this concern particularly relevant.  Especially for companies that deal with confidential client information or proprietary data. In those cases, the consequences of a data breach can be severe.

Phishing: Targeted Attacks

The threat of phishing remains prevalent in all aspects of digital life. Both personal and professional. But a recent deep dive by Mandient into the details of a more specific kind of attack that is on the rise. This shines a light on the threat of industrial-themed email attacks and how they can affect operational technology.

What is Operational Technology?

Operational technology is the hardware or software that monitors and sometimes controls industrial equipment.

Human Error

Major Impact

Earlier this week the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a nationwide ground stop of all flights.  Approximately 9,000 flights were delayed, and over 1,000 flights were canceled. The reason why?  The NOTAM system (short for Notice to All Air Missions), which is designed to provide real-time information to pilots and air traffic controllers with critical information before takeoff, was down. This system is designed to alert you of such things as runway hazards or unsafe weather conditions and is therefore critical to safety.

New Year’s Resolution: Train More

Which resolutions have you set for yourself in 2023? Let me guess: get fit, eat healthily, and hit the gym on a regular basis. These are good choices, but how about another way to incorporate training into your schedule? And this one may pay off in dollars saved, not pounds lost.

Why Train?

Cybersecurity training should not be a negotiable part of any business structure.

Phishing

You are familiar with phishing. You’ve taught your clients and colleagues to be on alert for fraudulent emails. But are you changing your approach to education and training to match the sophistication of cybercriminals and their tactics?

Smart Phishing

Teaching effectively doesn’t necessarily mean endless bits of content and methodologies. It means that each lesson and tool should have an impact on users.

What is Deepfake

A deepfake is a portmanteau (more on that in a moment) of “deep learning” and “fake”. What is a portmanteau? It is when you take multiple words and combine them into a new word. For example, smog is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. So how exactly could deepfake affect you and your business?

If you take a photo, audio, or video and replace one person in it with someone else’s image, you’ve created a deepfake. If you create an audio file with a voice that impersonates someone else, you’ve created deepfake content. With today’s technology, this goes beyond cropping your face over someone else’s in a photograph.

MSP the Expert

Small businesses often make the mistake that they have to be cybersecurity experts to have strong security programs in place. Remind them that as their MSP, you can be their expert. The concern is often that learning how to protect their business will be overwhelming. One more thing to do. Or that they need to hire someone internally. So they put it off until they fill that role, or find the right product to enable their team.

What Is a Botnet?

You may hear the word ‘bot’ used in conversations, especially around cybersecurity.  But often we use it without really knowing exactly what it means or how it originated.

The Players

The term botnet is short for robot network.  It describes a network of computers that are infected by malware.  This malware is controlled by a single party, known as the bot-herder.  And each computer that is under that control is known as a bot. 

MSP: Leading by Example

As an MSP, your business is designed to serve your clients.  That means fixing what breaks and preparing them for what might break.  You encourage behaviors that eliminate the breaking altogether.  As a Breach Secure Now partner, you’re likely approaching this from multiple angles.  Ongoing training, social media reminders, and products that integrate with their business to assess a candidate’s cybersecurity know-how before they become a team member. You are there to show them how to reduce the risk of a cybersecurity breach.