Down the Pipeline
Just as it seemed we might be seeing clear skies ahead in terms of the pandemic, another dark cloud began to rise on the horizon. The Colonial Pipeline breach hit the news and many people began to panic. We were all too familiar with uncertainty of the future and last year’s toilet paper rush was replaced with people filling gasoline in plastic containers of all sorts and sizes.
Updating Software
It’s that little alert on your desktop. The “upgrades available” indicator when you check your computer. Or when your smartphone tells you that it’s going to update later while you’re sleeping, and you defer it to another time. What if you miss an email or a text? Nah, you don’t need to do that update, your phone is working fine.
Unemployment Scams
We tend to not ask too many questions and let things slide when we aren’t certain about the situation.
Is that normal?
Should that happen like that?
I guess so. I don’t really know. I mean, it seems ok??
And as with all things related to COVID-19, there’s an air of uncertainty that hasn’t left the planet in nearly a year. So, we’re all a little uncertain. We’re all a little confused about what is actually ok or normal. It’s all new.
You Know Better
The end of the year in the usual circumstances brings about reflection even if it hasn’t given us challenges to face or decisions to look back on. This year was one of extraordinary circumstances, and while the situation was unprecedented, the summary of what transpired lends itself to the age’s old advice: Preparation is key.
The poet Maya Angelou is credited with saying “When you know better, you do better.” And in knowing better, would that have meant that:
Home Security
When establishing a safe environment at home, we put locks on the doors, latches on the gate, and home security systems that keep uninvited visitors out, and alert us to any intruders otherwise. What we see is what we address – as is the case with most things and situations.
But hidden somewhere in your house is an unlocked door – or doors – that may be giving access to information that can be accessed and stolen much more easily than the family heirlooms and jewels. Your home network is an entry point that is far too often overlooked.
Security Skill Shortage
As the need for cybersecurity awareness increases across the entire business landscape, so does the need for strong programs and a trained and competent workforce. This affects everyone in at least two ways. First, you need to have a designated leader in place who facilitates the program, and second, you need to ensure that the entire team is strong and informed in their skill set when it comes to ensuring that they are behaving in ways that reinforce the program set in place.
Safe Voting
There’s a lot to talk about in the political world right now. In the United States, we’re on the cusp of a huge election and the opinions are strong. We aren’t here to discuss that side of politics; we’re here to look at how cybersecurity factors into this election process and how it affects all of us, regardless of which “side” you fall on.
What Are the Factors?
Vote for Cybersecurity
No, this is not a political post. In fact, we know that there are some topics that don’t even merit an effort to try to discuss. They’re important, but differing opinions each hold their own value. But when it comes to cybercrime, we should all be a united front. There is one choice, and that is to make it a top priority with a solid plan to defend and uphold a business’s cybersecurity and the entire network from end to end.
Smart Appliances & Cybersecurity
And so, the season starts. Which one is it that we’re referring to? Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Prime Day…all of these sales tend to lean towards exceptional deals on electronics, and today that means the “smartest” of appliances are being purchased and set up in our homes.
By getting the latest and greatest, are we inadvertently putting a spy in our home? Do smart appliances have the ability to hear and see what we are doing?
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
October kicks off 2020’s cybersecurity awareness month, and if this year has given us any type of certainty, it’s that smart cyber practices are a necessity. The uncertain, the unexpected, and the unknown all allow for hackers to gain our trust, and eventually access, into our personal and professional records without knowledge or permission.