IT Security Incident Affects Multiple Facilities Across CommonSpirit Health
One of the most significant health systems in the country, CommonSpirit Health, said that the IT security breach happened on Monday, October 3, 2022.
CommonSpirit Health, a faith-based healthcare organization, located throughout the Midwest, recently experienced an unfortunate security incident. At first glance, this security incident may appear innocuous since it only involved exposing sensitive patient information. However, the ramifications extend far beyond a breach of privacy.
In light of these developments, we have compiled a brief overview of the CommonSpirit Health IT security incident to help you identify potential vulnerabilities in your environment.
What Happened?
According to reports, a hack on CommonSpirit Health System that is still ongoing compromised facilities in Tennessee, Nebraska, and Washington. EHRs (Electronic Health Records) are currently among the offline IT systems, and patient visits have since been rescheduled.
The number of facilities impacted by the issue, which started on Monday, is still unknown, as is the number of patient records.
According to a statement from CommonSpirit, “as a result of this situation, we have rescheduled some patient visits in several of our communities.” If a patient’s appointment is impacted, their provider and care facility will contact them directly.
One of the largest health systems in the nation, based in Chicago, runs 142 hospitals and more than 2,200 care facilities throughout 21 states.
It stated, “We take our responsibility to safeguard patient privacy and IT security very seriously.”
According to CHI (Catholic Health Initiatives), the facilities are adhering to procedures for system failures and “[are] taking steps to minimize the disturbance.”
In 2019, Trinity Health and CHI merged to create CommonSpirit Health, a new nonprofit Catholic health system with a presence in 21 states.
According to The Chattanoogan.com in Tennessee, the hacking attack impacted the neighborhood of CHI Memorial hospital. According to the report, CHI officials said several patient procedures had to be rescheduled, and some systems had to be shut down.
The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle has also stated that the outage has affected their systems. St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma is one of the hospitals and clinics in the Puget Sound region run by VMFH. Given this, patients could not access MyChart, an online patient portal.
CommonSpirit is one of several renowned nonprofit health systems reporting significant losses for the most recent fiscal year.
In 2022, the company recorded losses of $1.85 billion.
Wright Lassiter, formerly with Henry Ford Health, was recently named by
CommonSpirit as its new CEO and Lloyd Dean’s replacement.
Protected Harbor’s Take on the Matter
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right? Well, this holds true when it comes to cybersecurity as well as in the case of the CommonSpirit health incident. Even the most diligent and well-intentioned companies can be the victim of a data breach. With the GDPR in effect, it’s now a matter of public record if your data has been stolen.” – Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor.
It is a proven fact that most cyberattacks happen due to negligence. Therefore, it is imperative to have a reliable security system to protect you from all sorts of online threats. At the same time, it is equally essential for you to keep your operating systems, antiviruses, firewalls, and patches up to date with the latest versions available. Without regular updates, your system can become vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Therefore, it is essential that you keep track of all the updates and install them at the right time.
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) and IAM (Identity Access Management) are the primary security requirements we suggest all businesses implement to have an extra layer of security.
Cybersecurity awareness should be an integral part of your business plan. It doesn’t matter if you are a large corporation or a small business; cybersecurity is critical for everyone.
Unfortunately, many businesses are unaware of the significance a robust security plan has and thus remain vulnerable to cyber threats. If you are concerned about your business’s security and want a foolproof security plan, then hiring an expert can help you.
Protected Harbor offers a range of security services, including a Web Application Firewall (WAF), data breach response, email security, ransomware security, and cloud security to businesses of all sizes. We keep your data and systems secure, help you comply with regulations, and meet your documentation requirements. Our products are easy to use and come with 24/7 support.
Our focus on ease of use, transparency, and value for your dollar sets us apart from the competition. Protected Harbor is one of the best-reviewed cybersecurity providers. We have a 90+ Net Promoter Score.
Even if you feel you have a solid security plan, it can’t work if it’s not in use. A security audit of your network and systems is equally as important. With that being said, Protected Harbor is here to help and will be offering free cybersecurity assessments for all healthcare providers. Contact us today.
Your Smartphone Has Been Hacked If You Notice These Signs
Your smartphone is your constant companion. It’s your source of information, entertainment, and social interaction, all in one small device. Most people check their phones at least 20 times a day, which makes them an attractive target for hackers and cybercriminals.
However, security features on most smartphones have made it pretty tricky for hackers to break through and take control of the device without you knowing about it. That doesn’t mean you can let your guard down or give hackers any opportunity to breach your phone’s security measures.
It will help if you remain diligent in keeping from being hacked. If you see any signs indicating that you have been hacked, take action quickly before it has a chance to do further damage to your data and access more personal information.
What causes this to happen in the first place?
To hack into your phone, a person doesn’t necessarily need to be a hacker. While you’re sleeping, someone may bring your phone up to your face and unlock it. With only this one action, they can look through your smartphone secretly.
There is also software that accomplishes the task. Stalkerware is intended to follow you using your location, call logs, messages, photos, browsing history, and other methods. Behind another app that appears to be unimportant, this malware may be disguised.
Your phone may become infected by malicious links and files without your knowledge. Even seemingly innocent PDF files can contain dangerous information. Because of this, it’s crucial to click with caution.
How about apps? Unreliable downloads may mimic well-known applications or attempt to con you into downloading and using them. When you do this, malware is installed on your phone.
There is also a much more focused technique known as SIM swapping. The criminal disconnects your previous connection and transfers everything to the criminal’s device by calling your phone company, pretending to be you, and asking for a new SIM card.
How can you tell if your phone has been compromised? Here are some warning signs:
Your phone is being slowed down by too many processes operating at once, or it can just be malware using up many resources as the sole offender. Your phone may become heated as a result of this.
Your battery is depleting significantly more quickly than usual.
Significant increases in data usage may be a symptom of malware like adware that operates covertly.
Spammy pop-ups clearly indicate that a malicious program has been installed on your phone.
Malware can cause your internet to slow down by diverting your traffic to risky servers or simply using up all of your capacity to steal more data from you or target other people.
Off your phone, there may be some indications, such as emails you don’t recall sending or odd social media posts.
Avoid clicking on shady or uninvited links. This includes emails, internet adverts, and messages from friends.
Keep in mind that your home or business network is neither secure. For advice on how to secure it to keep snoops and bad guys out, tap or click here.
Conclusion
Take action right away if you discover any of these indicators that you’ve been hacked so the hacker can’t access more of your data or cause more damage. Your first step should be to power off your device and change your passwords, especially for social media accounts. Next, report the breach to your phone carrier and contact customer support to see what they can do to help. Finally, clean up your phone and make sure to keep your device protected in the future to avoid being hacked in the future.
Protected Harbor provides mobile security, data security, and identity protection. These services protect your company’s data, sensitive information, and valuable assets from cyber threats. In addition, we provide you with email and web security that blocks malicious content and stops data leaks. Our advanced threat protection gives you real-time protection against malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats. We also provide an integrated security operations center to monitor your network and devices, giving you complete peace of mind.
You can also contact our support team with questions or issues, and they’ll get back to you as soon as possible. With Protected Harbor, you can be sure that your company’s data is safe. So what are you waiting for? Secure your devices and network today! Contact us now.
Suffolk County Real Estate Industry Crushed by Cyberattack
Following a cyberattack on the Suffolk County government earlier this month, real estate transactions have come to a halt.
Since the cyberattack more than 20 days ago, verifying property titles and filing paperwork has been challenging, which has abruptly halted all deals in the county, according to The Real Deal. On September 8, The Suffolk Times reported that a breach by a group known as BlackCat knocked down county websites, servers, and databases.
It’s been stressful for real estate professionals in the New York area. While this may seem like just another insignificant cybersecurity issue, the implications are much deeper than we can see. In this post, we’ll dive into what happened, why it’s so concerning, and how to stay safe.
What Happened?
The Suffolk county cyber attack crippled the county clerk’s office, which is in charge of documenting paperwork and assisting with records searches for properties, and shut down the county’s internet systems last month.
Due to title companies’ inability to accurately scan county databases to confirm that the properties don’t have any liens, judgments, or other encumbrances to pass title, real estate closings have been postponed or canceled, especially on larger commercial acquisitions.
According to attorney David Rosenberg of Garden City-based Rosenberg Fortuna & Laitman, “After the Suffolk county hack, delay in restoring access to the county’s real estate records, which had been available online before the hack, is causing many title companies to withhold final clearance that would allow closings to occur.”
The ability to ascertain whether new liens, encumbrances, or property transfers have been recorded between the first title report and the closing depends on these documents. In more recent deals, it causes the title company to postpone the initial title report, which makes it impossible for lawyers, purchasers, borrowers, and lenders to close any sizeable transactions confidently.
According to The Suffolk Times, a hacker collective known as BlackCat took responsibility for the suffolk county data breach and demanded payment to allow users back into government servers. The hackers say they have taken four gigabytes of information, including information on specific citizens, from the clerk.county.suf domain.
What this Means?
Deals have slowed to a trickle since neither banks nor buyers can confirm that titles are clean — that is, the property is free of liens and that the seller is the legal owner and only owner — without checking the property out on county websites.
The process of filing claims is another problem. While some records supplied by hand are being accepted and preserved in chronological order, they won’t be officially on file until the systems are operational. Since New York is a “rush to record” state, the first party to file a title claim is the one whose claim is considered; hence incorrect document filing could result in significant issues.
According to Attorney Howard Stein, head of the Real Estate Practice Group at East Meadow-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, the damage will increase exponentially. “New title reports cannot be created, and as a result, newly signed transactions are completely blocked.” The economic implications could be disastrous if a solution cannot be found.
Some title insurers have been forced to add an exception to their Schedule B list of things they cannot insure due to the closure of county systems. This exception now states that they will not cover “any defect, lien, encumbrance, adverse claim, or other matter created by or arising out of the inaccessibility of the Office of Suffolk County, including, but not limited to, an inability to search the public records, or any delay in recording of documents in the public records.”
According to Linda Haltman of Plainview-based Hallmark Abstract Services, “If they were in process before the hack and all of the title searches were done, they have been closing,” “Underwriters are letting sellers sign affidavits if the searches have already been conducted, with the exclusion of unoccupied land, new development, and foreclosures.”
Haltman warns that delays in closing can become costly given the fast-increasing mortgage rates.
“Delays in being able to close could be costly without an extension of a rate lock-in term,” she warned. “It could cost an extra $5,000 upfront to pay down the rate on a mortgage for a $500,000 house.”
Protected Harbor’s Take on the Matter
On September 8, websites and web-based apps for Suffolk Government were shut down after officials discovered malware in county systems. Images of county documents were posted as ransomware on the website DataBreaches.net. The hackers claimed to have taken court records, sheriff’s office records, contracts with the state, and citizen personal data from the county clerk’s website.
“An immediate resolution to this issue is critical, as there will be an increasing number of damages as a result of the shutdown,” Protected Harbor CEO Richard Luna said.
Earlier, most small and mid-sized enterprises were unaware of the importance of cybersecurity. However, with the increasing number of cyber-attacks, it has become imperative for all enterprises to invest in cybersecurity. As a company that provides enterprise-grade software, we have always ensured that all our products are secure.
The first step in a new network design is to limit through segmentation of the network. Desktops, Servers, and the backup should all be on separated and isolated networks. Using this approach, an infected desktop will not be able to access the backups and will not infect the backups.
Virtualization
We can accomplish desktop and network isolation using virtualization. Virtualization allows you to back up the entire desktop, not just shared folders, databases, or scanned folders, but all folders. This means we can recover the whole office, and not pieces of the office.
Email & Web Filtering
Filtering email and web content is an integral part of the Ransomware defense. Good email filtering should include pattern recognition. The initial Ransomware attacks follow a template, and when properly configured, email filtering systems block or quarantine the attack.
Enable network monitoring
Network monitors can alert and warn on unusual traffic or traffic that is typical of an attack; for example, if specific information is transmitted out of the network, that would trigger an alert.
Geo-Blocking
Maintain enhanced network protection that includes active parameter checking and Geo-Blocking. For example, check the address of inbound requests, and if the IP is from a blocked country, then the traffic is blocked even before it reaches the client’s network.
Cyber threats are increasing daily, and it is essential to stay protected against them. It is impossible to avoid cyber threats altogether, but we can stay protected by following specific steps and implementing the best cybersecurity practices.
Protected Harbor offers a range of cybersecurity products and services that protect your business against all types of malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats. It also ensures data integrity, regulatory compliance, and system availability.
The Ransomware solution is highly scalable and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. It is easy to set up and maintain, with no technical skills required. The solution comes with a 24/7 support team that will resolve any issues quickly and efficiently. We are committed to protecting all types of businesses and organizations, offering products and services that are both affordable and easy to use.
We believe there is no better time than now to invest in cybersecurity, as it is the only way to stay ahead in this highly competitive and ever-changing digital world. October is our Annual Cybersecurity Month; we’ll be posting security blogs and videos to keep you protected. Get in touch with our expert and get a free IT Audit today.
Cybercrimes & Everything You Need to Protect Your Business
October marks the start of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It started with President George W. Bush in 2004, to help individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace. Now it is an annual event held globally every October.
The cybercrime business has become one of the most lucrative illegal ventures out there, showing no signs of slowing down. Over the past ten years, hackers have developed new and sophisticated ways of getting their hands on your most important data.
The unfortunate odds are that these cybercriminals will not be caught; meanwhile, consumers continue to face far more significant risks than ever before.
Why Is Cybercrime So Dangerous and Can You Be Safer?
If you are a small business using an off-the-shelf software, I’m sorry to inform you that you are at a higher risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime. We have all, at some point, received phishing emails or have been asked for personal information via our work email from people asking for something out of the ordinary. Most employees have work and personal information on either their company websites or social media. It’s one thing for your business to get scammed, but these bad actors will also go after your clients putting your reputation and business at risk. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to keep yourself safer.
A criminal hacker can target any employee who uses social media. It’s fairly dangerous, but we at Protected Harbor have some tips. We harden our clients’ networks and run employee training all the time. The best thing to tell your employees is to not post anything online that you would not say to your competitors or your manager.
Several social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, allow users to post their resumes. Information concerning one’s work can reveal too much about one’s personal life, giving criminals such as hackers information that may enable them to hack into one’s account. Identity theft can also be committed using resume information.
The privacy settings on most social networking sites are either pre-set or default. Suggest your staff make an effort to alter their privacy settings to block strangers and people who are not friends with them from viewing their private information.
Protecting Yourself from Spyware and Viruses
Think about utilizing safe search online browsing software, frequently included in antivirus software complete editions. This software often uses a red, yellow, or green dot next to the links on the search engine. This aids in warning employees of potentially harmful websites.
Never download a torrent file or a software crack, and never download any file that doesn’t come from a reliable website. These frequently include malware. Also, do not click on any pop-up windows that you are not expecting. Instead, either close the window or get out of your browser completely.
Most importantly, make sure that you are updating your OS’s security patches and always have the latest version of your web browser installed. It sounds simple, but companies like Windows Defender push patches and updates daily to fix vulnerabilities. If you are not fast enough in updating the software, a hacker will use it as an entry point into your system.
Understanding Social Engineering
Generally, social engineering involves some type of deception to gather information to commit fraud or gain access to a computer. For instance, our google account uses Meta for Business to run our Facebook Page. Often, we will get a general email to our work email claiming our ads were blocked or taken down due to a violation. It would be tempting to open the email and click on such a link if we actually ran ads there.
Do you know what typosquatting is? Pay attention to the spelling of website addresses. They may resemble a real website, but instead, they are misspelled, for example, GOOGLE.com vs. G00GLE.com.
Any email including an offer of any kind should raise suspicions, especially if it seems too good to be true. The same applies to receiving offers from social media or reputable internet businesses, like Facebook and Google.
Caller ID Spoofing; What You Need to Know
“ID spoofing,” is another cybercrime you must be aware of. These days, a random phone call is more likely than ever to be a scammer. Criminals can fool people by hiding their information using “spoofing.” Spoofing disguises, the telephone number from which a text is sent by creating a new one. Phony numbers with the same area code are often used to persuade recipients to answer. The scary thing for businesses is that they can make it look like your number, and call clients.
All of your business numbers and extensions represent assets that you need to protect. Software like IntelePeer and Hiya Connect Secure Call can stop scammers from mimicking your phone numbers, regardless of how many lines and extensions you have in your internal network.
Is Public Wi-Fi Safe?
Unfortunately, public Wi-Fi is not secure. Several security risks are associated with using a public Wi-Fi. These networks broadcast signals through radio frequencies, which means that anyone who has the right tools, and these tools are fairly easy to find, can intercept the data that is sent through it.
To protect yourself when using public Wi-Fi, you should use either a remote desktop or virtual desktop. DO NOT USE A VPN!
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) helps you establish a private network while using any public networks. While beneficial to provide access to employees and third parties, this access is open-ended and unsecure. All security capabilities are lost when granting third parties’ remote access via VPN. VPNs lack access controls and session monitoring, both effective means of security for network access. VPNs don’t manage, vault, or verify credentials, so password protection depends on your third parties keeping them safe.
Remote desktop solutions are becoming increasingly familiar with the increased prevalence of distributed workforces and more employees regularly working from home. It’s perfect for people who are either frequently on the go, work out of a home office, or are often out in the field and need access to their local desktop computer. RDP is encrypted by default with a higher level of encryption than VPN and requires no additional connection time.
Even if you have a virtual desktop, don’t store any type of critical data on a device, and then use it outside of a network that is not secure. That means downloading documents to your cellphone, then connecting to Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi to watch TikTok. Turn off the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your cell phone or laptop when you aren’t using them, a device that can still send wireless signals appeals to a hacker.
What Is a Credit Freeze?
If you don’t have a credit freeze on your business bank account, you are putting your business at further risk. A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, locks down a credit file so that a lender cannot check your credit. This is a good thing, as criminals cannot open any new accounts using your name or your EIN…and if a lender can’t check your credit, they are unlikely to extend a line of credit.
Remember that you must request a credit freeze from each credit bureau, including Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion. Remember you can always un-freeze your accounts whenever needed.
Keeping Your Passwords Safe and Protected
The most important thing you need to know about passwords is that there is no secure password. Some passwords are more secure than others, of course, but they can always be found. Passwords are extremely convenient for people who want to access your accounts.
Is a Password Manager a Good Idea?
It’s hard to keep track of all your passwords, so it’s tempting to reuse the same one across the board. However, if a hacker gets possession of your password, they’ll have free access to everything you have. Password managers, on the other hand, can simplify your life.
It’s unsurprising for us to be asked, “are password managers safe to use?” The answer is, the use of password managers is considered to be one of the most secure ways to protect your passwords. Password managers offer strong protection against cybercrime because of their encryptions. AES, the industry-standard protection used by the U.S. government to safeguard its sensitive data, is just one example.
Set Up Two Factor Authentication on All Accounts
Password authentication is when a user enters a unique ID and key compared to previously stored credentials. It is one of the quickest forms of security; you can set up your device to require some identification before letting someone access your phone. It can be in a passcode, PIN, password, fingerprint, or two-factor authentication (2FA) can be adopted as well.
An additional layer of protection is provided by 2FA, which ensures that the user is whom they say they are. Before gaining access to the account, the user must first provide their username and password. The second piece of information is then requested. Almost every major company and organization website utilizes some kind of two-step, or two-factor, identification.
Protecting Your Credit Cards
Many of us, especially in today’s world, use credit cards for not only our jobs but even our daily lives, and there are several things you can do to protect yourself from credit card fraud.
First, make sure to examine your business credit card statements often to see whether they include any unfamiliar or strange expenses. Check your credit card accounts weekly if you can. Check for both large and small charges. If the hackers want to make a large purchase, they might make a small purchase to ensure it goes through.
You can also set up “push” alerts on your company accounts to receive notifications via email or text when purchases are made. For example, you may receive a text any time purchase over $100 is made, or an email anytime there is an online credit card transaction.
Also, store your credit card numbers online at your peril. It’s safer to manually enter the digits every time you want to purchase than to auto-input via Google or Apple.
Final Words
Many businesses have already installed firewalls, spam filters, and anti-virus software in order to prevent any cybercriminals from breaking in, yet they are still concerned – and we don’t blame them. These preventions are worthless without a dedicated IT team to respond to malicious attacks and fix compromised devices. If you are worried about ransomware or cyber-attacks, bringing in an experienced team to help with the rise in threats can provide a level of service beyond what firms currently have and at a lower cost.
Outside teams like Protected Harbor bring years of actionable experience to strengthen an organization.
We will ensure that your organization is protected from outside threats with well-tested, proven, and integrated technology. Protected Harbor concentrates on six elements throughout the stack, uplink, firewall, switches, hosts, VMs configuration, and storage to safeguard our customers’ operations.
A faster network is all everyone wants nowadays. So, when our network is lagging or slower than usual, we tend to wonder, why on earth is my network so slow? Having a strong network is vital to creating an online presence, whether running a business or just having a personal blog to share your thoughts and opinions with the world.
The speed of your network can significantly impact your productivity and overall experience. A slow connection can make downloading files, streaming videos, or uploading large files a frustrating experience. There are several steps you can take to speed up your network. These tips will help you get the most out of your connection and improve the overall performance of your network.
Your network is possibly old and outdated and may not be updated with the latest technologies. This is especially true if you have an old router or modem that cannot handle the new standards.
2. Insufficient Bandwidth
If you don’t have enough bandwidth on your connection, it will take longer for your computer to send and receive files. Your device may freeze up as it struggles to get through all the data simultaneously.
3. Provider Throttling Your Connection
Several ISPs have started to throttle their customers’ connections after reaching certain limits, making it difficult for people to stream videos or browse at higher speeds. If this is happening on your account, contact your provider and request that they remove any restrictions on your connection speed.
4. Your PC has a Virus
Viruses occasionally infiltrate computers, slowing Internet speed and stealing resources without your knowledge.
5. Too Much Traffic
Suppose too many users are using your broadband connection at once. In that case, it could be causing congestion and affecting other people trying to access their services (such as streaming videos).
6. Incorrect Network Configuration
You can also find yourself with a slower network if you’ve changed settings on your router, firewall, or other devices connected to the router that affect the speed at which data travels between devices on your network.
For example, if you’ve changed how your router handles port forwarding, you may find that certain websites won’t load appropriately after making these changes.
7. Weak Wi-Fi Signals
Your Wi-Fi signal strength is the amount of power sent to your router, measured in decibels (dB). The higher the dB number, the stronger the signal. If you have an old or weak Wi-Fi router, you may not be able to get adequate signal strength on your home network.
You can try increasing the distance between your router and other devices on your home network by installing a new wireless repeater or range extender.
What is Network Optimization?
In order to monitor, manage, and enhance network performance, various technologies, tactics, and best practices are referred to together as “Network Optimization.”
It’s not enough for crucial networks to function properly in today’s highly competitive, dynamic corporate world. The world depends more and more on dependable, quick, safe, accessible, 24/7 data transfer as the digital era advances. Unfortunately, obsolete or inadequately sized hardware and subpar software can reduce available bandwidth and increase the delay. Performance issues and system vulnerability might result from outdated or underused network security solutions. Response times might be slowed down, and vital network services can be overloaded by sudden surges or traffic spikes. The list goes on, potentially leading to hundreds of growing problems that could harm the end-user experience.
Network optimization’s main objective is to provide the finest network performance and design at the lowest cost. An optimized network must encourage greater productivity and usefulness and enable effective and efficient data sharing. And to achieve this, network latency, traffic volume, capacity, and traffic direction must all be managed.
How to Speed Up My Network?
The following tips can help you speed up your network.
● Check Your Router
The first thing you should do is check the integrity of your router. If it’s malfunctioning, then it is time for an upgrade. You can check if it has been updated by going to its settings page and studying for an update.
● Check Your Web Browser
If you’re having trouble with the speed of your network, there are likely too many open tabs or windows in your browser. Close all unnecessary tabs and windows to reduce the load on the main page and see if that helps.
● Use Antivirus Software
Turning on antivirus software is a good idea because it will stop any potentially harmful files from being downloaded onto your computer. The best antivirus programs protect you against malware and spyware (malicious software).
If you’ve already installed an antivirus program, be sure to update it regularly so that it stays protected against new threats.
● Clear Your Cache
The cache is a temporary space on your computer where websites store information about what they think might be helpful for you later on — like images or videos that might not be necessary at this point (but may become so later). Clearing out this cache can make pages load faster as well.
● Change Your Router’s Channel
This step is essential because different channels have different speeds and can cause congestion on the network. If you have multiple devices connected to the same network, changing the channel will speed up things for all devices on that network.
● Change Your Modem’s Settings
Your modem is responsible for choosing which channel to use when sending data out from your network, so if you want to improve performance, try setting it on a different channel than what you’re currently using (for example, if you’re using channel 6, try operating channel 3).
● Turn Off Unused Hardware
Another way to speed up your network is by turning off any unused hardware on your computer system. This includes printers, modems, and other devices that may not be in use at the time but are still plugged into the wall or modem port.
It might be tempting to leave these devices plugged in so they will stay connected until needed again. Still, this practice can slow down your computer because it takes more power from the wall outlet or modem port than required and may even cause damage if left plugged in for too long without being in use.
● Get a Better Plan
You may only be paying for slow Internet if you’ve checked your speed and compared it to the figure your Internet provider should receive, and the numbers line up. In this situation, you might want to think about choosing an upgrade.
Final Words
There are several reasons why your network may be either running slow or not working properly, and it could be that the problem is on your side of the router. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you don’t have any options to fix it.
With an effective network management solution from Protected Harbor, you can expect a significant increase in productivity and efficiency. You can reduce latency, drop-outs, and other communication issues. You can even improve reliability with a robust and reliable security solution leaving you to feel secure with a best-in-class network security solution. It will also reduce the stress and frustration of network troubleshooting by network engineers and IT managers.
By offering the knowledge necessary to identify complicated issues and provide proactive remedies, Protected Harbor assists businesses in maintaining the functionality of their intranet and Internet applications.
With this advanced technology, your business can have the confidence to expand, explore new markets, and grow its profits without worrying about network speed or outages. You can also view our small business network security checklist here.
Get a free consultation today with one of our network engineers and stop worrying about network issues.
High Availability and Your Data: What You Need to Know
Welcome to another blog from the video series Uptime with Richard Luna discussing High Availability and Your Data and What You Need to Know. This blog will discuss data replication, high availability, and how it can impact your organization.
What is High Availability?
High availability is a phrase used by data professionals to describe systems or services that are available and resilient in the face of failures. High availability can be a challenging practice to implement, as it often requires significant infrastructure changes.
HA provides continuous access to critical resources by ensuring services remain up and running even if part of the network, devices, or services fail. It’s an IT strategy for making computer services continue to operate without interruption in response to brief interruptions, planned maintenance, unplanned outages, and other events that might prevent them from running efficiently and effectively.
For data to be useful, it must be accessible. When systems go down, data can be temporarily unavailable or completely inaccessible. Even if a system only experiences a momentary outage, it can take minutes or hours for it to be brought back online.
If a system is experiencing frequent outages, it can become tough to rely on the data it provides. Depending on the type of data, continuous unavailability can be highly harmful. Data that is used to make decisions (if, when, and how much to produce, where to sell, etc.) can be significantly impacted by only a few minutes of downtime.
It can become almost impossible to rely on if a data system is experiencing frequent outages. Additionally, data systems may be required to maintain regulatory compliance. For example, some industries must keep certain records for varying amounts.
Benefits of High Availability in a Data Environment
Increased Efficiency – Employees will be more efficient when data systems are available and do not experience frequent outages. The more you deal with system and data outages, the slower your employees will work. When you implement a high availability strategy, efficiency will increase.
Improved Revenue and Profit – Increased efficiency will also significantly impact revenue and profit. If your data systems are offline for a significant amount of time, it can be difficult to forecast revenue accurately and meet sales goals.
Helpful for Compliance – When you implement a high availability strategy and data systems are available and reliable, it is easier to ensure regulatory compliance. It is difficult to prove compliance if you are missing data or documents.
A high availability strategy can help keep your data systems running continuously, even in the face of failures, so your organization can be as productive as possible. This can significantly impact efficiency, revenue and profit, and risk reduction.
It is important to remember that when you set up your highly available systems, you want to make sure that you are using a system that can replicate your data in a way that makes it available for retrieval. The last thing you want is for your company to experience a data outage. What you want to make sure of is that your data is always available and safe.
Protected Harbor is your trusted advisor for architecting and designing a cloud-ready infrastructure for your business to ensure a smooth transition to the public cloud in case that’s your plan. We provide a range of services from server setup to high availability systems, from small businesses to enterprises.
We are passionate about our work and always strive to exceed our customers’ expectations. Get a free high-availability system demo and a free IT Audit today, contact us now.
Today’s workforce relies heavily on computers for day-to-day tasks. If a computer crashes, we tend to get more than just a little agitated.
Fear of being unable to work and get our jobs done for the day races through our minds while anger takes its place in the forefront of trying to fix whatever went wrong, throwing all logic out the window.
When a system abruptly ceases to work, it crashes. The scope of a system failure can vary significantly from one that affects all subsystems to one that is just limited to a particular device or just the kernel itself.
System hang-ups are a related occurrence in which the operating system is nominally loaded. Still, the system stops responding to input from any user/device and ceases producing output. Another way to define such a system is as frozen.
This blog will explain how to prevent crashes and outages in 6 easy steps.
A system crash is a term used to describe a situation in which a computer system fails, usually due to an error or a bug in the software. An outage may also be caused by an application program, system software, driver, hardware malfunction, power outage, or another factor.
“Asystem freeze,” “system hang,” or “the blue screen of death” are the other terms for a system crash.
An outage is a general term for an unexpected interruption to a service or network. Outages can be planned (for example, during maintenance) or unplanned (a fault occurs). Outages can last for minutes, hours, days, or even weeks.
Main Reasons for Crashes and Outages
System outages can be caused by various factors, from hardware failures to software glitches. In many cases, outages are the result of a combination of factors. The following are some of the most common causes of system outages:
Hardware failures: A defective component can cause an entire system to fail. Servers, hard drives, and other components can fail, leading to an outage.
Software glitches: Software glitches can also cause system outages. A coding error or a bug in the software can disrupt the system’s regular operation.
Power outages: A power outage can cause the entire system to fail. The system may be damaged permanently if the power is not restored quickly.
Natural disasters: Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes can damage or destroy critical components of the system.
System crashes can be caused by various things, from software defects to hardware failures. Sometimes, the crash may even be caused by something as simple as a power outage or due to a more severe issue, such as a virus or malware infection.
Overheating: When a computer’s CPU or graphics card gets too hot, it can cause the system to freeze or crash. This is often the result of inadequate cooling or dust and dirt buildup inside the computer.
Bad drivers: If a driver is outdated, corrupt, or incompatible with the operating system, it can cause the system to crash. In some cases, this can even lead to data loss or permanent damage to the computer.
Preventions Against Crashes and Outages
Nobody wants their computer to crash, but it will happen eventually. Here are a few ways to help prevent them and keep your computer running smoothly.
1. Keep Your Software Up to Date by Installing Updates
One of the best ways to prevent crashes and outages is by updating your software. This means installing updates as soon as they become available. You should also keep your operating system and programs up to date. These updates can fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, so installing them as soon as they are released is essential.
2. Avoid Clicking on Links or Downloading Files from Unknown Sources
It’s essential to be proactive in preventing crashes and outages. One way to do this is to avoid clicking on links or downloading files from unknown sources, as these can often contain malware that can harm your computer or network. Additionally, you should routinely back up your data to recover it if something goes wrong.
3. Make Sure You Have Good Antivirus and Anti-Malware Programs
One of the most important things you can do to prevent crashes is to ensure that your antivirus and anti-malware programs are up to date. These programs can help protect your computer from malware infections, which can cause crashes.
4. Close Programs You’re Not Using
One of the best ways to prevent crashes and outages is to close any programs you’re not using. When too many programs are open, your computer’s performance can suffer, leading to crashes and outages.
5. Delete Unwanted Files
Another way to improve your computer’s performance is to regularly delete files you no longer need. This will free up space on your hard drive, allowing your computer to run more efficiently.
6. Try a Trusted Disk Clean-Up to Free Up Some Space
This will help your computer run faster and smoother. You can even defragment your hard drive occasionally to keep it organized and running smoothly.
Remember to install updates for your operating system and software as soon as they are available. Keeping your computer clean and organized will help prevent crashes and outages.
Final Words
Don’t forget that you are the one running the computer, not the other way around. Therefore, it is your top priority to maintain the computers for improved performance and to continually check for any disruptions that could result in computer failures.
Try to pay attention to the little warnings your system sends you so you can save not just your computer but also yourself from a mental spiral.
Now that you know what causes crashes and outages, you can stay on top of them by following a few simple rules. Regularly monitoring your system resources, updating your software, keeping your system up to date, and having a good antivirus are the best ways to keep your computer running smoothly and keep both crashes and outages at bay.
Taking care of your data can help you to protect it from crashes and outages. You can get expert help from Protected Harbor to manage and maintain your systems and data. Protected Harbor provides an added layer of security that helps to ensure the uninterrupted flow of business-critical data. Additionally, our expert team monitors and detects any threats or updates to your system in order to ensure a smooth, efficient operation that saves it from crashing.
We help you to avoid the most common causes of data loss and system outages. These include network issues due to malicious activity, viruses, and system overload; natural disasters; power outages; and accidental deletion or corruption of data. You’re less likely to experience a system outage or lose critical data if you have a backup, plus 99.99% uptime is our guarantee.
Sign up now and get a free consultation to learn more about how Protected Harbor can keep your company’s data secure and your business up and running.
Uber blames contractors for the hack and links breach to Lapsus$ organization.
In the News
According to Uber, the hacker responsible for the breach last week is a member of the Lapsus$ extortion group, which has previously attacked Microsoft, Cisco, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Okta, among other well-known IT firms.
According to the company, the attacker conducted an MFA fatigue attack by flooding the contractor with two-factor authentication (2FA) login requests until one of them was approved using the stolen credentials of an Uber EXT contractor.
The usage of this social engineering technique has increased dramatically in recent attacks on well-known businesses worldwide, including Twitter, Robinhood, MailChimp, and Okta. Continue to read how do you prevent another uber-style breach?
What happened
The attacker gained privileged access to several tools, including G-Suite and Slack, by breaking into numerous other employee accounts, according to Uber’s updated statement.
“The attacker then modified Uber’s OpenDNS to display a graphic image to employees on some internal sites,” which was posted to a company-wide Slack channel many of you saw.
The business stated that it had not discovered proof that the threat actor could access production systems that hold sensitive user data, including financial and personal information (e.g., credit card numbers, user bank account info, personal health data, or trip history).
The FBI and the US Department of Justice assist the company’s investigation into the event.
Uber claims to have taken the following steps to stop similar approaches from being used in future breaches:
Any employee accounts that were affected or might have been compromised were found, and we either disabled their access to the Uber systems or ordered a password reset.
Many internal tools that were impacted or might have been impacted were disabled.
We changed the keys on many of our internal systems, effectively resetting access.
We restricted access to our source to stop further code additions.
We asked users to re-authenticate to regain access to internal tools. Additionally, we are enhancing our multi-factor authentication (MFA) guidelines.
We could keep all of our public-facing Uber, Uber Eats, and Uber Freight services operational and running smoothly. Because we took down some internal tools, customer support operations were minimally impacted and are now back to normal. — Uber
Is there a solution?
MFA is not an antidote on its own, but security experts believe that any level of MFA is better than none. Uber is not the only business whose network has been penetrated despite using multi-factor authentication.
By luring an employee into submitting their credentials to a phishing page, they had set up, which the hackers then used to generate a push notification delivered to the employee’s smartphones, hackers hacked into Twitter’s network in 2020.
According to an inquiry by the state of New York, the employee acknowledged a prompt, allowing the hackers to enter. More recently, a social engineering attempt that conned a worker into giving up their log in information led to another hack of Mailchimp.
Instead of focusing on the highly inspected systems for security issues, all of these attacks use the limitations of multi-factor authentication, frequently by directly attacking the individuals using it.
Cloudflare is the only company targeted in a recent wave of cyberattacks that successfully prevented a network compromise because it employs hardware security keys, which cannot be phished.
Even though some employees “did fall for the phishing messages,” Cloudflare acknowledged in a blog post that its use of hardware security keys—which require employees to physically plug a USB device into their computers after entering their credentials—had prevented the attackers from accessing its network.
According to Cloudflare, the attack “targeted personnel and systems in a manner that we believe would make it probable that most firms would be compromised.
Experts Advice MFA
The gold standard of MFA security, security keys, are not without their limitations, not the least of which are the expense and maintenance of the keys. We spend much time debating the necessity of physical security keys for everyone.
However, Tobac noted that some firms still push for mandated SMS two-factor authentication or MFA prompts for internal access.
As Uber’s breach shows, MFA by randomly generated code or push notification is far from ideal. Still, according to Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor, ” Putting the good before the perfect is not a good idea.” Minor adjustments over time have a significant impact.
One notable advance is MFA number matching, which makes social engineering attempts much more challenging by presenting a code on the user’s screen and requiring them to enter it into an app on their verified device. The notion is that, similar to a security key, the attacker would need both the target’s credentials and their confirmed device.
Microsoft, Okta, and Duo offer MFA number matching. However, as security expert Kevin Beaumont pointed out, Okta’s number matching service is wrapped in an expensive licensing tier, while Microsoft’s solution is still in preview. Uber uses Duo for MFA, but it is said that at the time of the incident, number matching was not being used.
According to Tobac, network defenders can also set alerts and restrictions on the number of push messages a user can receive. They can also begin by distributing security keys to a test group of users before expanding it every three months.
In reaction to the hack, Uber stated on Monday that it is strengthening its MFA standards. Uber may still have many questions to answer regarding how the hacker gained access to high-privilege credentials for the remaining vital systems of the company using just a contractor’s stolen password.
Bottom Line
Stay up to date with patches, upgrade your software, and apply the latest security fixes. Install an antivirus program and keep it up to date. Use a VPN to protect your traffic from being monitored and encrypted communication to protect your data from prying eyes.
Stay vigilant and aware of any trends or changes in the threat landscape, and react accordingly. Stay informed by reading best practices and security blogs and keeping up with the news to stay on top of all the latest threats.
Protected Harbor security experts recommend enabling multi-factor authentication, using encryption, and activating Identity and Access Management. These tools will help to maintain data integrity, protect private and confidential information, and keep your customers safe from identity theft and data breaches.
Identity and Access Management solutions allow you to delegate the right level of access to the right people, thereby limiting the risk of data breaches. Encryption is essential to protect data in transit and at rest. It is recommended to use TLS protocol for secure data transfer and a FIPS-certified cryptographic module for data at rest.
Get a free security IT Audit and Penetration Testing today from Protected Harbor. Contact us now!
Keeping your employees happy, engaged, and productive is challenging for every business. After all, happy employees are more productive and have higher retention rates. But it’s not easy to keep them that way. Without the proper management strategies, employee dissatisfaction can quickly become unbearable in working conditions. Working effectively with limited resources is a struggle for most businesses. That being said, there are plenty of ways to optimize your team’s performance while remaining fiscally responsible — and it all starts with your hiring strategy.
Welcome to another video in the series Uptime with Richard Luna. Every business has come across this question of how to find and retain the best talent. According to Richard Luna, here are some ways to find and keep good employees.
Hiring Strategies: Finding Good Employees
The first step to finding good employees is to define what makes for a good employee. Start by looking at the jobs you need to fill. What are the most important qualifications for those positions? Does your company culture prioritize certain traits over others? Once you’ve identified your company’s core values and hiring needs, you can create a job description. A job description can help you streamline your hiring process by making it easier to evaluate candidates who respond to your job listings. How? Job descriptions allow you to pinpoint each position’s essential duties, making sure each applicant is qualified for the job. This will save you a lot of time and energy down the line when reviewing resumes or conducting interviews and will help you avoid making a bad hire.
To keep your team members happy and engaged, you must ensure they feel their work matters. What does this mean? It means you have to give them work that feels significant and that they believe is valuable to the company. You must show them that their work is a core part of the business’s mission. This doesn’t mean that you have to change your business model or core objectives. It simply means that you have to make sure your team members see their work as something significant and that you take the time to explain why their work is so crucial.
Company-Wide Communication
Communication is crucial in any business relationship, but it’s essential between managers and employees. Managers must communicate expectations clearly and effectively, and employees must feel comfortable sharing their concerns and suggestions. If you want to keep your employees happy and engaged, you have to open lines of communication both within and outside each department. You must ensure your team members feel comfortable raising issues and speaking up when they need assistance.
Culture Instilling Practices
To keep your employees happy, you must ensure that your company’s culture is positive. This means you must be intentional about creating a positive company culture. To do this, you have to ask yourself a few questions: What are the core values of my company? What are the main traits that each of my employees possesses? What are our main goals as a company? It would help if you kept these things in mind as you make hiring decisions, promote employees, and make everyday decisions as a manager. You also have to take the time to celebrate your wins and show gratitude to your team members. You have to make sure that your team members feel like they have a voice and are appreciated as individuals and part of a team.
Conclusion
Finding and keeping good employees isn’t easy, but it’s crucial for any business. Luckily, you can do many things to make hiring easier. Start by creating a job description that identifies each essential duty, and use it when reviewing resumes. Communicate company expectations clearly, and make sure your team members feel comfortable speaking up when they have questions or concerns. And finally, make sure your company’s culture is a positive one.
At Protected Harbor, we help you drive performance and culture with awareness-based training. From diversity and inclusion to collaboration, we have the training for you.
Have you accidentally deleted an important work file or maybe even lost your precious vacation pictures from this past year with your family? These unfortunate events can be devastating, and we have all experienced the feeling of dread that comes along with losing a file. The loss of data is not usually the result of external attacks. All it takes is one negligent employee’s activity or a simple technical failure to wipe out all your essential data.
To choose a recovery method, you must understand how and why data is lost.
Hardware Failure
Hardware failures can lead to data loss in many ways. A hard drive crash is the most common type of hardware failure, but other types can also result in data loss. For example, a power surge or lightning strike could damage your computer’s motherboard or circuit board. If your computer doesn’t have a surge protector, it could be damaged by a power outage or brownout (a voltage drop). It’s also possible that a virus or other malware could damage your computer’s operating system or corrupt files on any attached storage devices, such as USB drives.
Software Corruption
The operating system’s or applications’ corruption can cause file system damage and lost data. This is often a result of bugs or viruses that corrupt your data files. These bugs are typically found in software programs or drivers used to run your computer’s hardware.
User Error
User error is another prevalent type of data loss, especially among home users who don’t understand computers very well. Education and training are the best ways to prevent this data loss. If you have a friend who doesn’t know much about computers but wants to learn, get involved in backing up their important files so they understand why it is essential for them to do so.
Malicious Action
If you have sensitive company or personal information stored on your computer, you must ensure that no one else has access to your machine. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. If you’re not careful, someone could hack into your device and delete files without you knowing about it until it’s too late. This is especially true if you use public Wi-Fi hotspots and don’t protect yourself with a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A hacker could quickly gain access to your computer and steal any sensitive information.
Overwriting Data
For the computer to store information, it needs a way to write on the hard drive and keep track of where everything is located so it knows where to find it later. When you delete files, they aren’t erased from the disk until you overwrite them with new data. If you don’t overwrite them with new data, they remain on the disk until they’re overwritten by something else — which could be years later! If someone gets their hands on your computer when there’s still old data on the disk waiting to be overwritten, they could recover that old information in some instances.
Accidental Deletion
Accidentally deletion occurs when people try to remove files from their computers but delete them by mistake. This often happens when trying to remove malware or other unwanted programs that have infected their computer systems. Even if they think they’ve deleted all traces of the infection, they might be mistaken; certain types of malware are designed to hide until they cause further damage to your system.
Hacker Attacks and Data Theft
Data thieves use sophisticated techniques to get their hands on information they can sell or use themselves. This includes using malware to infiltrate your system, stealing passwords and other login credentials, or gaining access by posing as an employee or contractor. These attacks can cause significant damage, so you must take steps to secure your data and protect against them as much as possible.
Viruses and Malware
Viruses and other malicious software (malware) can completely corrupt or delete your files. Viruses can also infect your computer’s operating system, leading to other problems. Contact a professional immediately if you suspect your device has been infected with a virus or other malicious software. Protected Harbor can protect your business from infection from ransomware, viruses, useless subscriptions, phishing attacks, and end-user problems, making your IT as strong as Protected Harbor does your business.
Accidents Involving Fires and Explosions
Explosions are uncommon, but fire will almost certainly utterly destroy your computer and any data stored on it. The backups kept in the same residence are likewise at risk from fire. For example, having weekly backups on an external hard drive held in the same building won’t assist much if the building burns down. The computer and the backup disc will be destroyed in this instance, and all data will be lost. Making regular backups and keeping them in other (different) locations is the safest strategy against fire.
Power Failures
A sudden power outage could cause your computer to lose data if it was writing an update when the power went out. This can be especially problematic if you’re storing all your data on one drive because there will be no duplicate copies stored elsewhere. Other causes include faulty batteries or power surges that cause damage to hardware components.
Memory Corruption
A bug in your code causes an unexpected result that might corrupt memory, leading to problems with reading or writing data stored in memory.
Liquid Damage
Water or any other liquid getting into your computer or digital device can cause permanent damage and make it impossible for you to re-access your files. For example, most hard drives will not be able to read the information on a damaged platter, even if the rest of the campaign is still working fine. If you spill water on your laptop while it’s running, there’s a good chance you’ll lose all of your data because moisture can cause corrosion inside your laptop’s internal components.
The Impact of Data Loss on Businesses
Data loss is more than an inconvenience—it disrupts operations, affects information security, and threatens the stability of any business reliant on data. When key files are lost, companies must divert time and resources to recover or recreate missing information. Even hard copies, if available, may not match the accuracy and relevance of digital files, compounding the issue. Loss caused by viruses or corruption creates further challenges, as the extent of damage can be difficult to assess, leading to costly efforts to repair compromised files.
The impact of data loss on small businesses is particularly severe. Productivity takes a hit, timelines are delayed, and customer loss becomes a real concern, especially if sensitive data is compromised. Disclosure of breaches can damage trust, requiring significant effort to rebuild client relationships.
The statistics are sobering:
94% of businesses that experience severe data loss fail to recover.
51% close within two years, while 43% never reopen.
70% of small firms go out of business within a year of significant data loss.
To mitigate these risks, robust backup and recovery solutions are essential. Leaving data unprotected is a costly gamble—the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to safeguard your business’s future.
Final Words
As it turns out, data loss can happen in several ways, but there are steps you can take to minimize the chance of this happening to you. It’s always important to make regular backups of your information—never keep all your eggs in one basket. Also, remember to secure sensitive information correctly especially if you’re dealing with sensitive data.
Protected Harbor enables you to store data in multiple locations and ensure that your data is safe in case any location is affected by a critical disaster. It also keeps your data protected by monitoring and securing it from viruses and other malicious software. This solution also enables you to set up a disaster recovery plan so that your business does not incur any loss of data.
Above, we have listed the most common reasons as to how and why you can lose your data; you need to be proactive and take the proper measures to secure your data. Consider partnering with a data expert like Protected Harbor. We understand that data is important; that’s why we help you keep it safe.
Get free data penetration testing, including hardware check, and Protected Harbor today.
Keeping Your Passwords Safe and Protected
How to Speed Up My Network?
Preventions Against Crashes and Outages
