Apr212020

COVID-19 Phishing Scams Are On The Rise — Here’s How To Stop Them

During shelter-in-place orders, businesses across the nation have transitioned into remote offices to comply with health and safety best practices. But when it comes to moving operations online, it can be easy to forget about digital health and safety practices.   Considering that COVID-19-related phishing scams are running rampant — and 1 in 3 home computers is infected with malware — establishing a set of cybersecurity guidelines for your employees to follow while working from a home office can establish a strong standard that will continue once you’re back in your traditional office space.     In last week’s blog, we mentioned that the 2019 Thales Data Threat Report found that 65%…

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April 21, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Apr132020

Navigating Cybercrimes During COVID-19

  As we are living through a time of unprecedented health concerns, a select few people are taking advantage of shelter-in-place orders, remote work-from-home models and anxiously checked inboxes for their own gain.   According to a report by Barracuda, there were more than 9,000 coronavirus-themed spear-phishing emails between March 1-23, which was a 667% increase over the 1,188 attacks detected in February. To put this spike in perspective, there were only 137 COVID-19-related scam campaigns in January.   Playing on the fear of the tangible virus, this digital virus can take many forms — but almost always has the same end goal: to steal data, often with the intent of…

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April 13, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Apr62020

How Cybersecurity Training Can Boost Your Business — And Help Prepare For A Crisis

In a time of unprecedented health and safety concerns, there is no doubt that COVID-19 has forced employers across the world to become more dependent on the internet — and with millions of users heading online for work, entertainment and online schooling, cybersecurity is more important than ever.    According to a Forbes report at the end of March, total internet hits have already surged by 50-70%. While issues of server bandwidth and feasibility for remote work-from-home models are prominent, there is an underlying issue created by this surge: as our dependence on virtual operations increases, vulnerability to malware, phishing attempts and cybercrimes follow suit.    Implementing Cybersecurity Training Providing your…

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April 6, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Mar302020

Supporting An Online Work-From-Home Model During COVID-19

  While businesses across the U.S. are shifting to virtual workplaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home was already becoming the norm for more and more employees. It’s no secret that employers are turning to a remote work model to help boost productivity and efficiency — according to a 2019 survey by Owl Labs, 91% of workers chose to work remotely for better work-life balance and 79% for increased productivity and better focus. But what happens when, instead of having one or two remote workers on your team, your entire operation has to move online?   This is now the reality of millions of businesses. With cities and…

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March 30, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Mar242020

Maintaining Collaboration And Protecting Your Data While Working Remote

  As companies are increasingly choosing to protect their employees during the COVID-19 outbreak by moving to a remote workplace, several questions and concerns arise. A work-from-home (WFH) model that is efficient, easily accessible and secure is paramount for both small and large businesses.    While adjusting to a new sense of “normal” in the workplace, it’s crucial that businesses and contractors alike equip themselves with the best tech platforms to make the virtual transition as seamless as possible. The following list of programs and software can help your company stay on track while integrating the WFH model into your day-to-day:    GoTo Meeting  An open line of communication amongst…

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March 24, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Mar182020

Tech Necessities For Your Start-Up Business

  With everything that is needed to create a successful start-up, it can be easy for things to be forgotten. But your business’ technological needs shouldn’t be one of them. From creating a security plan to making sure your software is up-to-date, technology is a crucial part of protecting your business. Because after all, according to Embroker, only 10% of start-up businesses succeed. Learn more with these simple tips and tricks to making sure your start-up is safe and secure:   Encourage a Formal Security Plan  According to QAT Global, it’s important to ask these simple questions about data security when creating a start-up.  What kind of data is being…

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March 18, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Mar112020

Three Common Data Security Mistakes To Avoid

Technology has allowed companies, big and small, the ability to access large amounts of customer data. With so much data it can be difficult, costly and, ultimately, overwhelming for companies to ensure that their private information is secure. Here are a few tips to help your company avoid common big data pitfalls and some solutions to prevent mix-ups before they happen:    1. Encrypt Your Emails To encrypt or to not encrypt? Encrypting emails is something that most companies routinely overlook, but can cause problems in the future. Some businesses choose to forgo email encryption because it can be costly and complicated, while others think encryption is insignificant and unimportant.…

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March 11, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Mar52020

What’s A Vishing Scam

Phishing scams, in which your personal and professional information can be lost in just the click of a button, are most commonly associated with fraudulent emails. But, this type of scam has also expanded to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems and has become so prevalent it has earned its own unique name – voice phishing or vishing.  What’s Vishing In a voice phishing scam, someone pretending to be in a position of authority, such as a bank representative or government official, calls or sends a message requesting confidential information. You are then sent a link where you are asked to enter your personal information. According to Lifewire, phone scams…

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March 5, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Feb242020

5 Tips To Keep Your Small Business Secure

Small businesses are an obvious target for cyberattackers because their security budgets are usually limited. However, as a business grows, so does its vulnerabilities. Nearly 50% of all cyberattacks target small businesses, and of those small businesses that are victims of a cyberattack, 60% go out of business within six months. Some small business leaders may know already that their IT security systems are lagging behind their competitors, but simply don’t know where to start. Here are five tips for small businesses to keep in mind when establishing a security strategy:    Strengthen and Varying Up Your Passwords   Strong passwords are a must as well as changing your password…

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February 24, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin

Feb172020

What You Need To Know About EKANS

A concerning evolution in ransomware is starting to take shape. Recently, researchers have started to warn against “EKANS,” also known as Snake, a type of ransomware that specifically targets industrial control systems (ICS). EKANS first emerged in December 2019, when it was found to be able to hack into Windows systems used in industrial environments. This is the second instance of file-encrypting malware that was designed to target the software used in oil refineries and manufacturing facilities, specifically.     How does EKANS work?  EKANS encrypts files (which are then renamed with a random five-character file extension) and blocks access until the user pays a cryptocurrency ransom. In order to deploy…

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February 17, 2020UncategorizedBy mdltechadmin