Over the past 20 years we’ve watched technology become more powerful and complex. As a result, we’ve seen companies take varying measures to manage their technology needs—and making expensive mistakes along the way. In an effort to stay safe, productive, and efficient, these companies are unintentionally hurting themselves.

As the IT space (and business in general) has modernized over the past 20 years, we’ve seen people make a variety of decisions that are understandable, but unnecessary and expensive. Nobody wants to be held responsible for having unsupported, non-redundant systems—so a lot of companies wind up with a pile of unnecessary tools, redundant services, and other avoidable expenses.

The Seattle times reports that Washington state has lost “Hundreds of Millions of dollars” to unemployment fraud amid the surge in claims due to coronavirus. Attentus alone has caught several claims processed for employees who are currently working full time and did not file anything themselves. This is identity theft, plain and simple, and you need to be aware of how malicious actors are using your information. Here are some simple ways to determine if you are a victim of this identity theft in Washington State.

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the realities and dangers around phishing attacks and social engineering scams. By now you should know that these attacks are heinous attempts by criminals to trick you out of personal information,

When it comes to cybersecurity, employee training is a step that many employers neglect or undervalue. Too many companies think that installing a suite of antivirus and anti-malware software is enough to protect them from malicious attackers, but in the world of phishing scams and social engineering attacks that just isn’t enough. An untrained team of employees can be the largest security loophole in your business if you don’t keep them trained.

                                                                    “If you can’t hire a team internally, you should outsource one.”

Today we are living during an unprecedented time. Our world has become a place where people cannot congregate towards any common goal. People are getting too sick to work and are being forced into quarantine if they, or someone they have been in contact with, are or have been sick with Covid-19.

Social engineering is a term that’s become more well-used in recent years, and its one everyone with a computer should be familiar with as remote work becomes the norm.

At the time of this writing, the coronavirus outbreak has struck fear into the hearts of people worldwide. People are scared to go into crowded public places, or go outside at all—this obviously has had a disastrous impact on business of all kinds.

Anyone can be a victim of phishing—from you at your personal computer, to the largest corporations and organizations in the world. Knowing that 90% of successful hacks or data breaches are due to phishing scams proves that they can reach any user, regardless of their position in their company or their expertise in their field.

We’ve all heard talk of phishing scams and social engineering attacks—devious new ways for hackers to get access to our personal information. But what are they exactly? What is a phishing scam?

We’ve all heard the term before, “phishing”, and most of us know that it generally means some kind of online scam. But how many of us know what a phishing scam actually entails? 

 As an organization or company, you likely outsource your IT security to a group or team of professionals that help you plan out and manage your IT needs. This can be everything from disaster recovery to malware and hacking prevention. When you outsource security, you’re hiring somebody to coach you through the policies you need to put in place and the technology you need to implement for those policies.

      You may have heard the buzz about Windows 7 reaching its End of Life date, and the risks associated with the continued use of an obsolete operating system (OS). Essentially, if you or your business is relying on an OS that has reached its End of Life (EoL) date, then you are relying on software that is no longer receiving support. No more security updates or exploit patches are released for that software. That means that every new exploit or hack found for that OS is a permanent risk to you and your business. Not exactly something we want to deal with, right?

If you think large companies and government organizations are too secure for cybersecurity attacks or that your small business is safe, think again.

Although uncommon, there have been some recent malware attacks that successfully infiltrated the systems of high-profile organizations.

Keep reading to learn more about these and to understand what this means for your business.

Did you know that cyber-crime cost businesses over $3 trillion in 2016? This may seem like a huge sum, however, the bad news is that experts expect this to double to $6 trillion in the next three years.

If you are a small-to-medium-size business you may be wondering what you can do to defend yourself and your business against such threats.

The good news is that there are experts here to help. Check out our list of 5 basic security improvements that all companies should make. 

The Server Message Block, or SMB, has been the cornerstone of workplace operations for years now. With radical shifts in technology and the way we do business, things are going through changes and fast.

The SMB needs of today need to incorporate this technology. But throwing in new technology without a plan for connection and security is suicide. 

Understanding what pieces need protection, which ones need focus, and how to tie it all together will be what makes or breaks a company. 

Microsoft has announced that January 14^th, 2020, is the official End of Life date for Windows 7. On that day, the company will stop supporting Windows 7 on laptops and desktops, and will no longer patch it with security updates.

If you are among the 400 million users still using Windows 7, this news should concern you. The technology will continue to function after the expiration date, but using it will put you at great risk for cybercrime if you continue to use expired Microsoft products.

IT professionals have been talking about the importance of upgrading to Windows 10 to avoid this malicious activity, but that can be a confusing process.

Technology is inescapable. It’s integrated throughout every facet of our life. From how we work and live our lives, technology will grow for as long as humans continue to advance in their capabilities.

But for many small businesses just starting up, IT operations are probably low on the list of priorities.

As a small business, you might have outsourced IT support. Maybe hired a small IT company, or even a single “IT Guy” to manage your security and maintain your networks - but didn’t worry about investing in an end-to-end cybersecurity solution as much as finding the perfect office space - or the right employees.

Did you know that 60% of small businesses have had to deal with a ransomware attack, in which entire networks are encrypted and these businesses are having to pay big money to try and get their data back.

Massive amounts of money are being spent on cybercrime activity like ransomware attacks every year.

The thing is, it's relatively easy to protect your business from a Ransomware attack with the right plan in place - but it’s important that small businesses don't think that they're too small to be a victim.