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While hacks against the big boys like Target, Home Depot and Sony get more than their share of public attention, cyber-attacks on small and medium-sized companies often go unreported, and rarely make national headlines. Don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security. The number of crippling attacks against everyday businesses is growing. Cyber security company Symantec, reports that 52.4% of “phishing” attacks last December were against SMB's – with a massive spike this October. Here are just a few examples out of thousands that you’ll probably never hear about: Green Ford Sales, a car dealership in Kansas, lost $23,000 when hackers broke into their network and swiped bank account info. They added nine fake employees to the company payroll in less than 24 hours and paid them a total of $63,000 before the company caught on. Only some transfers could be canceled in time. Wright Hotels, a real estate development firm, had $1 million drained from their bank account after thiev...

Social engineering is a method cyber con artists use to lure well-meaning individuals into breaking normal security procedures. They appeal to vanity, authority or greed to exploit their victims. Even a simple willingness to help can be used to extract sensitive data. An attacker might pose as a coworker with an urgent problem that requires otherwise off-limits network resources, for example. They can be devastatingly effective, and outrageously difficult to defend against. The key to shielding your network from this threat is a keen, ongoing awareness throughout your organization. To nip one of these scams in the bud, every member of your team must remain alert to these 5 Social Engineered Tactics: Baiting In baiting, the attacker dangles something enticing to move his victim to action. It could be a movie or music download. Or something like a USB flash drive with company logo, labeled “Executive Salary Summary 2018 Q1,” Left where a victim can easily find it. Once these fil...

A survey by the National Small Business Association, 61% of small businesses reported being victims of a cyber-crime within the past 12 months. The average cost to recover from a cyber-attack skyrocketed from $8,699 per attack in 2013 to $20,752 per attack. And, of the businesses targeted, 68% said they’d been hacked more than once. Experts agree, as cyber crooks become ever more sophisticated, the threat to small businesses is going to get worse before it gets better…  So what can you do to beat these bad guys? Here are three common ploys used by hackers and how you can fend them off: Phishing – A really legitimate-looking e-mail urges you to click a link or open a file that triggers a malware installation on your computer. Best Defense: Don’t let anyone in your company open files or click links in an e-mail unless they’re certain who it came from. Cracking Your Password – Hackers can run programs 24/7 testing password combinations. The easier your password is t...

Welcome to the brave new world of cyber-warfare. Gone are the days when software patches were just for nifty little feature add-ons or updates. Today, a software update notice could mean your whole computer network is suddenly at risk. Dangers include data theft, crippling malware attacks and mischief you may not discover for months, or even years… As with graffiti on your garage door, if you don’t pay attention and clamp down on bad behavior, your problems have likely just begun… And, like those who hire a professional security firm to keep thieves out of the warehouse, thousands of CEO's and business owners are now waking up to the fact that it’s absolutely imperative to hire a pro when it comes to securing your data network. Here’s why you need a professional handling this for you: #1: Speed is of the essence. “If you didn’t update to version 7.32 within seven hours, you should assume you’ve been hacked.” That’s what software maker Drupal told millions of its customers arou...

Whether it’s opening an attachment infected by a virus, or a phishing scam where you unknowingly give up your login to a critical web site, e-mail still remains the most popular and reliable way digital thieves can rob you blind, steal your identity and wreak havoc on your network. Worst of all? You’re inviting them in! While there are a number of things you need to do to protect yourself, here are five pieces of information you (and your team) should never put in an e-mail.     1. Your social security number. Think of this as your “bank account” number with the government. You should never e-mail this to anyone because it can be used to open credit cards and steal your identity. 2. Banking information. Your bank account numbers, routing number and online banking login credentials should never be e-mailed. Further, avoid sending a voided, blank check as an attachment to an e-mail. 3. Your credit and/or debit card information. Never update a credit card via an...