Test Your Vulnerabilities: The Complete Guide to Identifying and Mitigating Risk

test your vulnerabilities the complete guide to identifying and mitigating risk

 

Test Your Vulnerabilities: The Complete Guide to Identifying and Mitigating Risk

 

Test Your VulnerabilitiyVulnerability Assessment helps you identify, assess, and analyze security flaws in applications and IT infrastructure. We provide vulnerability assessment services through reliable tools to scan vulnerabilities and give in-depth and accurate final reports.

With the rapid pace of technological development in today’s digital world, companies have become exposed to new risks that are often difficult to identify and manage. However, failure to monitor these risks could result in significant damage. There are several ways that businesses can be affected by cyber threats. You must assess your own risk and other people’s risks, and potential external threats to your business. Failure to do so will leave you open to vulnerabilities; here is what you need to know about testing your vulnerabilities, mitigating risk, and how we help in vulnerability assessment.

Components Of The IT Environment We Access

We provide high-quality vulnerability assessment services at reasonable costs. Our information security team finds vulnerabilities and detects weak points in the following elements of the IT environment.

IT Infrastructure

  • Network_ We evaluate the efficiency of the network access restriction, network segmentation, firewall implementation, and the ability to connect to remote networks.
  • Email services_ We assess the susceptibility to spamming and phishing attacks.

Applications

  • Mobile applications_ We assess the mobile application security level using the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP Top) 10 mobile security risks.
  • Web applications_ We evaluate the vulnerability of web applications to several attacks using OWASP Top 10 application risks.
  • Desktop applications_ We check how data is stored in an application, how the application transfers data, and whether the authentication is provided.

Assessment Methods We Apply

Our security testing team merges the manual and automated ways to take full advantage of the vulnerability assessment process.

Manual Assessment

We tune the scanning tools manually and perform subsequent manual validation of the scanning results to remove false positives. Upon completing the manual assessment conducted by our security testing team specialists, you get reliable results with actual events.

Automated Scanning

We use automated scanning tools based on customer needs and financial capabilities to start the vulnerability assessment process. These scanning tools have databases containing the known technical vulnerabilities and enable you to determine your organization’s susceptibility to them. The key benefit of the automated approach is that it ensures comprehensive coverage of security flaws in multiple devices and hosts on the network. Moreover, it is not time-consuming.

Cooperation Models We Offer

Regardless of the cooperation model you choose, we provide you with a high-quality vulnerability assessment.

1. One-time services

One-time services let you get an impartial security level assessment and avoid vendor lock-in. Selecting this model may help you make an opinion on the vendor and decide if you want to cooperate with them afterward. We are ready to offer on-time services to evaluate the security level of your applications, network, or other elements of the IT environment. When getting familiar with the assessment target, our team thoroughly reads the details, such as understanding basic device configurations, gathering information on the installed software on the devices in the network, and collecting available data on known vulnerabilities of the vendor, device version, etc. Evaluation activities are carried out afterward.

2. Managed services

Selecting managed services means establishing a long-term relationship with a vendor. After gathering the information on your IT infrastructure during the first project, the vendor can eventually carry out an assessment reducing the cost for you and spending less time on the project. If you want to stay aware of your company’s security level, we suggest you put a vulnerability assessment regularly and provide appropriate services. We have sufficient resources to perform vulnerability assessment on a quarter, half-year, or annual basis, depending on your regulatory requirements and frequency to apply changes in your applications, network, etc.

Upon completion, we offer a final vulnerability assessment report, regardless of the selected cooperation model. The report splits into two parts_ an executive summary and a technical report. The executive summary contains the information on the overall security state of your company and the revealed weaknesses, and the technical report includes comprehensive details on assessment activities performed by security engineers. Apart from it, we provide valuable recommendations regarding corrective measures to mitigate the revealed vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability classification techniques we apply

Test Your Vulnerabilitiy medium

We have divided the detected security flaws into groups based on their types and security level while conducting the vulnerability assessment, following the classification below

  • Open Web Application Security Project testing guide
  • Web Application Security Consortium Threat Classification
  • OWASP Top 10 Application Security Risks
  • OWASP Top 10 Mobile Risks
  • Common Vulnerability Scoring System

This vulnerability classification lets our security engineers prioritize the results based on the impact they may have during the exploitation. It will take your attention to the most critical vulnerabilities to avoid security and financial risks.

Challenges We Solve

The vulnerability assessment scope is defined without foreseeing the customer’s needs.

Information security vendors may follow a familiar pattern while performing vulnerability assessments for their customers having specific requirements. Our security engineers mainly focus on getting all information regarding the customer’s request and the vulnerability assessment target at the negotiation stage. Our security specialists confirm whether a customer needs to comply with HIPAA, GLBA, PCI DSS, GDPR, and other standards and regulations, whether the firewall protection is applied in the network, and what elements are included. This information lets us estimate an approximate scope of work, efforts, and resources required to complete the project.

Advanced and more sophisticated vulnerabilities occur every day.

Cybercriminals always try to find new attack vectors to get inside the corporate network and steal sensitive data. Our security testing team stays updated with the latest changes in the information security environment by regularly monitoring the new flaws and checking updates of scanning tools databases.

Changing the elements of the IT environment can cause new security weaknesses.

There is always a chance that new flaws can occur after modification in customers’ applications and networks. Our security engineers provide vulnerability assessments after each release or significant update. It will ensure that changes implemented do not open new doors for cybercriminals to attack your IT infrastructure.

Advanced hyper-connected solutions are highly prone to evolving cyber threats.

A wide range of advanced integrated solutions exists in affiliation with each other. Thus, a vulnerability in one system can compromise the security of other systems connected to it. For example, a modern solution merging a wide variety of elements in the e-commerce environment generally includes a website, an e-commerce platform, a payment gateway, marketing tools, CRM, and a marketplace. Our security testing team looks at the vulnerability assessment process from different perspectives that helps them to evaluate the security of all possible vectors that hackers may choose to get into the complex solutions.

Conclusion

A Vulnerability Test is a great way to understand your level of risk and identify any potential gaps or issues in your security. It is essential to conduct regular tests to ensure that any weaknesses are identified and addressed as soon as possible. Once you have completed your tests, including Network Penetration Testing, it is necessary to change your passwords and passcodes and update any software or systems that need to be updated. Finally, installing and using security software is important to monitor and identify threats in your systems and networks.

Increase the security level of your organization by leveraging Protected Harbor Vulnerability Assessment services. Our security testing team will help you identify the flaws in the security of your application, network, etc. Equipped with expertise, our specialists will help you detect the loopholes in your company’s IT infrastructure and find ways to mitigate the risks associated with security vulnerabilities. We rely on a quality management system to ensure that cooperation with us doesn’t risk your data’s security.

If you want to know more about our services while opting for vulnerability assessment services, feel free to contact us. Our security experts are here to answer any query to help you make a final decision.

Many techniques to spot malicious activity in a network

Various ways to detect malicious activities in a network

 

Various ways to detect malicious activities in a network

malicious-activities-Businesses are not reacting promptly to malicious activities. Technology is constantly and rapidly evolving and expanding the attack surface in multiple ways. At the same time, cybercriminals are adapting advanced courses and escalating the threat landscape. They are adopting sophisticated ways to attack, and the struggle to deal with the changes is real. Malicious or unauthorized activities occurring inside your network are causing damage without even you knowing that. How can you detect those malicious network activities inside your network as quickly as possible and respond efficiently to avoid or reduce the potential damage?

There are a variety of network protection tools available for this purpose. Some are enhancements or evolutions of others, and some are mainly focused on certain types of malicious activities. However, all network intrusion detection systems are intended to detect malicious or suspicious activities on your network and enable you to act promptly against them. This article will discuss these tools to see malicious activities on your network. But before that, let’s discuss the malicious activities.

What is a malicious activity?

Malicious activity is an unauthorized breach of network traffic or processes on any connected device or system. Malicious threat actors perform these suspicious activities using various attack vectors and looking for financial gain. These actors differ widely in attack techniques, sophistication, and whether they are linked to a cybercriminal group or not. There are multiple types of malicious software, and cybercriminals use many of them.  Therefore, it is essential to find out how to detect malicious activities on various platforms for different uses. Evidence of what an antagonistic activity on a network can do is everywhere.

For all organizations connected to the Internet, using it to store a company’s data or communicate with the employees, it is necessary to understand what a malicious activity can do. As digital transformation is in full rage, cybercriminals know how to use this digital shift to mold and escalate the threat landscape they create.

Malicious activities can come in various forms, particularly from an organizational point of view. It includes

  • Network anomalies
  • Strange network behavior
  • Problem with the network traffic flow
  • System downtime
  • Vulnerabilities exploitation in the system
  • Data breach and compromised system
  • DDoS (Denial of service) attacks

There are several tools and best practices to avoid malicious activities. Let’s discuss some of them.

Network Security Tools

Here is a list of tools you can use to detect malicious activities in a network.

1. Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

An Intrusion Detection System analyzes activities on a network and vulnerabilities in a system to search for patterns and reasons for known threats. Here are two main types of IDS, Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) protects an individual host system, and Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) monitors an entire subnet at a network level. IDS raises flags for malicious or suspicious activities or any intrusion detected and sends notifications to the IT team. It does not take action to prevent or avoid that activity.

2. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is an evolution of IDS. The capabilities and functions of an IPS are similar to an IDS. However, there is a difference that an IPS can take action to prevent or avoid malicious or suspicious activities. IP can also be referred to as an Intrusion Detection Prevention System (IDPS).

3. Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM)

A Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) tool are designed to help companies manage the massive volume of data and signals and tie up threat information for a centralized view of IT infrastructure. SIEM comes in various sizes and shapes, but it is promising to monitor, analyze, and record network activities to detect potential security events or incidents in real-time and send alerts to IT teams. So they can take appropriate actions.

4. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Data protection is the most important thing for most organizations. It is the primary target of most cyberattacks, whether sensitive data of employees or customers, bank or credit card information, corporate data, or confidential intellectual property. Data loss prevention, also referred to as Data Leak Prevention or Data Loss Protection protects data and ensures that personal or sensitive data is secured and not exposed or compromised. DLP often enforces data handling policies based on how information is classified. In most cases, it can automatically detect things like Social Security numbers or credit card numbers depending on the data format to alert the IT team and avoid unauthorized disclosure.

5. Network Behavior Anomaly Detection (NBAD)

A simple way to identify suspicious or malicious activities is to detect a move out of the ordinary. NBAD, also termed as network detective establishes a baseline of normal activities on a network and gives real-time monitoring of activities and traffic to see unusual events, trends, or activities. Anomaly detection can identify emerging threats, such as zero-day attacks, because it looks for unusual activity instead of relying on indicators of compromise of specific threats.

 

-the-lookout-for-malicious-activitiesBest practices to prevent malicious activities in a network

Apart from these tools, you can follow these best practices to avoid malicious network activity.

  • Identify malicious emails_ Malicious actors use phishing emails to access sensitive data. It’s a growing trend in cyberspace, and employees should practice safe email protocol and must be careful while clicking on the links from unknown resources. It’s also important to have network security protection in place.
  • Report a slower-than-normal network_ A malware outbreak or hacking attempt often results in a slower network. Employees should quickly inform the IT security department when they face slower than typical network speed.
  • Identify suspicious pop-ups_ Increased security in a business environment means safe web browsing. Employees should not click on the pop-up windows appearing on the websites. Unknown pop-ups can be infected with spyware or malware that compromise a network.
  • Note abnormal password activity_ If an employee is locked out of their system and gets an email saying that a password has been changed, it can signify that the password is compromised. The best practice is to ensure that all employees use strong and unique passwords for all accounts and update the network every six months.

Educate Yourself On Different Threats

In the realm of cybersecurity, understanding and identifying various threats is paramount. Here’s a brief primer on key threats and how to spot them:

  • DDoS Attacks: These attacks flood networks with an overwhelming volume of traffic, rendering them inaccessible. Signs include sudden traffic surges, sluggish performance, and unresponsive servers. Mitigate by employing DDoS mitigation strategies and traffic analysis tools.
  • Data Protection and Secure Email: Protect sensitive information with secure email protocols, encryption, and robust authentication mechanisms. Educate users on email security best practices to mitigate the risk of phishing attacks.
  • Cyber Threats and Phishing: Cyber threats encompass phishing, malware, and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks. Phishing attempts to deceive users into revealing sensitive information. Types include spear phishing, whaling, and vishing. Implement robust email filtering solutions and educate users to identify phishing attempts.
  • MITM Attacks (Man-in-the-Middle): In these attacks, an interceptor eavesdrops on communication between two parties, potentially manipulating data. Signs include unusual network behavior and unexpected SSL certificate warnings. Mitigate by employing strong encryption protocols, digital certificates, and intrusion detection systems.

By understanding these threats and implementing proactive security measures, you can fortify your network defenses and mitigate risks effectively. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and empower yourself with the knowledge needed to safeguard your digital assets against evolving cyber threats.

 

Learn To Identify Phishing Emails

Master the art of spotting phishing emails to safeguard against cyber threats and protect your data with secure email practices. Learn the red flags, from suspicious URLs to unexpected attachments, guarding against potential DDoS attacks and MITM threats. Prioritize email security to fortify your defenses, ensuring robust data protection. Stay vigilant, empower your team with awareness training, and implement encryption measures to thwart phishing attempts. By staying informed and proactive, you can mitigate risks, bolster security, and keep your organization safe from the perils of cybercrime.

 

Keep Your Software And Hardware Up-To-Date

Ensure Data and Privacy Protection by Keeping Your Software and Hardware Up-to-Date. Maintaining up-to-date software and hardware is paramount for safeguarding your organization’s cyber infrastructure against potential threats. Using outdated technology exposes vulnerabilities to cyber attacks exploiting known security issues. Upgraded devices offer advanced security tools, bolstering your defense against digital threats.

In addition to hardware updates, regularly patching software is equally essential. Promptly installing the latest patches ensures your team’s devices remain protected. These updates often contain critical security enhancements, thwarting hackers’ attempts to exploit software vulnerabilities.

For added data and privacy protection, consider utilizing Encrypted Email Services to safeguard sensitive information against unauthorized access.

 

Control Privileges and Permissions on Your Systems

One of the most effective techniques for spotting cyber threats is to control privileges and permissions on your systems. By carefully managing who has access to what resources, you can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized activities. This approach is crucial for detecting insider threats, as it limits the ability of potentially malicious insiders to access sensitive data or systems. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that users only have the minimum level of access necessary for their roles, thereby minimizing the risk of privilege abuse. Additionally, regular audits of permissions can help identify any unusual access patterns or unauthorized changes, aiding in the early identification of malicious activity in networks. Organizations can create a more secure environment by continuously monitoring and adjusting privileges and permissions, making it easier to spot and respond to potential threats before they escalate.

 

Conclusion

The threat of a cyberattack on your organization is real. Protecting your business network comes down to ensuring that security controls exist across the organization. The security tools and best practices mentioned in the article are simple and allow organizations to focus on their core business activities. It lets them take advantage of a modern world of digital business opportunities. Adequately configured network security tools are helpful for monitoring and analyzing overwhelming network traffic in a rapidly changing, dynamic environment and detecting potentially malicious activities.

Malicious activities can often go undetected in a network because they are disguised as regular traffic. By properly configuring your security tools, you can monitor and analyze network traffic to detect any activities that may be malicious. Protected Harbor provides 360-degree security protection from most threats and malicious activities. Our expert tech team is a step ahead of phishing and malware attacks with a proactive approach. Partner with us today and be secured from malicious activities.

How Can Law Firms Protect Themselves From Cyber Threats

how can law firms protect themselves from cyber threats

 

How Can Law Firms Protect Themselves From Cyber Threats

 

Attractive-nuisance-stop-hackers-from-attacking-your-law-firmAfter the coronavirus outbreak, everyone is doing their business online. Cybercriminals are getting more chances to attack, and it is evolving day by day. Not even a single organization is safe from cyber-attacks. Law firms are at greater risk and becoming the next top target of hackers.

Criminals use ransomware for data breaches and block access to systems until they pay the ransom. They threaten these firms to publish confidential data if they don’t fulfill their requirements. Law firms are responsible for the client’s data to keep it private. They carry sensitive information, and it is their responsibility not to let their data into the wrong hands.

This article will discuss the security measures law firms can take to protect themselves from cyber attacks:

How to protect a Law Firm from Cyber-attacks?

There was a rapid business shift to remote work during the pandemic outbreak. The responsibilities of IT professionals and security experts increase. They are under more pressure to keep their organization safe from potential attacks.

Migration to remote work creates more vulnerabilities as employees are working from home. Law firms should be more cautious and take steps to protect themselves from hacker attacks.

Here are some steps you can follow to make your firm more secure.

 

Tell your employees to monitor their devices.

When employees work from home and use their devices and the internet, it can increase vulnerability if the employee’s network is not secure. Hackers always try to attack vulnerable systems as they are the weakest and easily get attacked. The consequences of such attacks include data loss and data breaches. Law firms hold confidential data, and they can’t afford to lose it. The responsibility of law firms is to educate their employees to use a VPN to protect their systems.

 

Encrypt Data

Law firms use emails and document sharing systems to send and receive data. And they use the internet to communicate with clients and employees. Try to send data in encrypted form over the internet so you can protect it from cyber-criminals. It is harder for a hacker to intercept such data. The virtual private network helps to encrypt data reliably and cost-effectively. Through VPN, they can securely send data from a computer to the internet.

 

attacking your-law-firmTell Employees to use Two-Factor Authentication.

Most people use the same passwords for all the accounts they have. Either it is a personal account or a work account. But keep in mind, using a weak and same password is not a secure way. Reused passwords increase the risk of cyber-attacks. Implement a two-factor authentication process within your organization. This process uses a code for login. Every time a user wants to log in to a system, it requires a code sent to the employee’s mobile or device. This code expires after some time. It is a way to protect the company’s systems and accounts from vulnerable users.

 

 

Educate Employees about Ransomware

Ransomware is a kind of malware that prevents users from accessing their data and files on their system. They cannot access their data until they pay the ransom that cyber-criminals demand. There is no guarantee of accessing the data even after paying the ransom. So, it is better to take precautionary measures before facing such attacks. Law firms should educate their employees about it and tell them ways to protect their data. These steps include

  • Use a secure way of file sharing
  •  Do not open malicious emails.
  • Use strong passwords
  • Keep your systems up to date
  • Use Virtual Private Network

 

Use VPNs

A law firm can protect a client’s personal information using a VPN. Lawyers keep sensitive data, and they need to keep it confidential. They can have better security if they use a VPN. All of the data is transferred in an encrypted form. VPNs are beneficial for these law firms because they meet the essential requirements. Privacy and security are the biggest concerns of a law firm that can be fulfilled using a VPN.

As mentioned above, all VPNs are not the same, so they should get one according to the firm’s needs and expectations. Prices and quality vary, so it is recommended to get a free VPN trial first, find the best one for your firm, and then buy it.

 

Conclusion

The current legal industry comprises around 1.5 million organizations, and large law firms are strongly advised to adopt cyber security measures to protect the IP they have developed over time.

When dealing with the digital world daily, security is a top priority. You must take every precaution to protect yourself from cyber threats and hackers, mainly if you deal with sensitive client information and data. Protected Harbor provides Comprehensive Legal Services Threat and Vulnerability Assessment for law firms. By partnering with Protected Harbor, you will have full access to all the safeguards and tools needed to stay protected from cyber threats, but you’ll also be partnering with one of the most respected names in the industry. Contact us today for a free network vulnerability test for your law firm.

6 Crucial Cybersecurity Technologies Every Business Needs

Why every business needs these 6 cybersecurity tools

 

Why Every Business Needs These 6 Cybersecurity Tools

 

6 Cybersecurity Tools That Every Business NeedsWith the advancement in technology, most businesses have shifted online. Due to the rapid technological shift, threats constantly evolve and become more sophisticated. Protecting the IT environment in an organization is critical, regardless of the size. Cybersecurity is the need of every business operating online, and they should take it seriously.

Cybersecurity measures protect organizations and small businesses from data breaches, malware, and security threats. No organization is safe from security issues and threats without a cyber-secure environment. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in security systems to put organizations at risk. To stay protected in a digital world, password management software for business is necessary.

In this article, you will know the best cybersecurity tools that can protect your online business against cyber threats. Let’s get started.

 

1. NordPass

Protecting your system and network with a strong password is necessary. With NordPass, you can store passwords in a single place and log into applications and websites with a click. Its password manager allows you to access your credentials on any device. It’s a highly secure, widely supported, easy to use, and more affordable tool for managing security.

Your assets like credit card details, passwords, and online notes are valuable, and they need to be protected using a reliable security tool. NordPass is a tool that uses advanced encryption algorithms that protect your valuable information.

 

2. BlueVector

The AI-powered solution of BlueVector is designed to deliver advanced network coverage and threat detection that can meet the security needs of any size business. BlueVector allows customers to use AI-based approaches to deal with the polymorphic nature of advanced cybersecurity threats with multiple privileges.

BlueVector, a leader in advanced threat detection, empowers security teams to know about real threats and allows online businesses to operate confidently so that their data and systems are protected.

6 Cybersecurity Tools

 

3. Mimecast

It’s a cloud-based platform ideal for small and large businesses and provides cyber resilience for email. With Mimecast, you can prevent your business from cyber threats before they affect your online business. It blocks ransomware, prevents data loss, stops business email compromise, and eliminates brand exploitation. Mimecast finds and neutralizes impersonation attacks before they are unleashed.

 

4. Intruder

It’s an online vulnerability scanner that detects the weaknesses in the IT infrastructure of your organization to avoid data breaches. Intruder allows you to find vulnerabilities before the hackers do. You can prevent data loss and enhance customer trust with constant cyber protection.

The intruder is a powerful and easy-to-use vulnerability scanner designed to safeguard your business from cyber threats. It reports the genuine and actionable issues that can impact your cybersecurity posture and helps you stay on top of threat detection and vulnerability management.

 

5. Avira

Avira is a comprehensive and professional-level cybersecurity tool that blocks online threats, including ransomware, malware, and spyware, through its antivirus protection feature. Avira free VPN secures and hides your online activities, and its password manager software for business secures your online accounts with unique, strong passwords. Its anti-scam protection secures you from phishing attacks and helps you find vulnerabilities through software updates.

 

6. VIPRE

VIPRE provides cloud-based email and endpoint security for your organization. It is one of the most widely used security tools that protect your business from malware, spam messages, and malicious attacks without any hassle. It lets you stay safe against advanced cyber threats and attacks. VIPRE business solution pairs AI technology with real-time threat tracking that protects your business from cybercrime.

 

Final words

This article has discussed the best six cybersecurity tools that every business needs if they do anything online. Due to the rapid increase in cyber attacks, organizations have lost their valuable assets, and this has caused irreparable damage. Therefore, these cybersecurity tools can help you safeguard your online business from unwanted data breaches and security threats.

Being aware of the cyber attacks and adequately using these tools can ensure 100% protection and safety. However, there is always a possibility of cyber attacks. Hence, having a proper cybersecurity infrastructure would come as a trump card to protect businesses from all kinds of cyber threats. Protected Harbor is one of the top cybersecurity solutions considering its clients as its partners. We are in a league of our own with 99.99% uptime, an expert tech team available 24×7, proactive remote monitoring, and more unique safety features.

The business can take a step-by-step approach by adopting a cybersecurity framework that can help the organization effectively carry out the activities of its cybersecurity policy. Protected Harbor constructs a framework, and it can be drafted and adopted only after a thorough assessment of the current risks and vulnerabilities. Be cyber secured today; contact us.

Why Is Employee Knowledge of Cybersecurity Important?

why is cybersecurity awareness for employees important

 

Why Is Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees Important?

 

Cybersecurity-Awareness-For-EmployeesOrganizations’ employees are one of the most significant risks to their cybersecurity, and their negligence is considered the leading cause of data breaches. However, these employees can be a valuable asset for organizations if provided with the required knowledge to identify cyber threats. An enterprise needs to be perceptive when it comes to cybersecurity.

Security awareness training should be mandatory for employees, and there should be an easy-to-implement ongoing training program that considerably reduces the risk of data breaches and security attacks. This blog post will cover human error with what needs to be taught in an effective cybersecurity training program.

 

What is security awareness training?

Cybersecurity awareness training is a demonstrated educational approach for improving the risky behavior in employees that may lead to compromised security. Cybersecurity training enhances employee resilience to cyber attacks by effectively delivering relevant information on social engineering, malware, information security, and industry-specific compliance topics.

Employees learn to avoid phishing, malware, and other social engineering attacks, identify potential malicious behaviors, follow security best practices and IT policies, report possible security threats and adhere to compliance regulations.

 

Why do businesses need security awareness training?

As cybercrimes continue to evolve, security awareness training helps organizations reduce help desk costs, secure their overall security investment, and protect their reputation. Implement a training program that significantly lessens the risk of data breaches and security threats via phishing simulations based on real-world cyber attacks and training covering related compliance and security topics.

Training your staff on cybersecurity safety and best practices creates a sense of empowerment. You can rest assured that your employees will be confident in decision-making while browsing the Internet, filtering through suspicious emails, or creating new passwords. Cybersecurity training will increase your employees’ cybersecurity knowledge and give them the practical skills to protect your organization from potential risks or data breaches, ransomware threats, and network attacks.

 

Best ways to improve cybersecurity awareness for employees

Here are the best practical tips to help you create the most effective security awareness training program for your organization.

 

1. Start with CEO leadership

Cybersecurity awareness is finally getting the attention it deserves. As the number of data breaches and security threats continues to rise, more emphasis should be on managing cyber risks to lower the chance of potential attacks. Cybersecurity is the responsibility of everyone in the organization, but resilient companies need strong CEO leadership. If the company CEO takes cybersecurity seriously, it will penetrate the organization and form a culture of increased cybersecurity awareness.

 

2.Know your organization’s tolerances

Your organization should evaluate the threat landscape and detect the top risks in creating an efficient cybersecurity awareness program. It will give you a better understanding of the real-world threats that can compromise your organization’s security. Your risk tolerance should be defined at the outset for implementing the proper security measures depending on the actual threats faced. Identifying the risks correctly can help effectively target your security awareness program.

 

3. Focus on high-risk groups

An essential factor in making an effective security awareness program is ensuring that the proper training is targeted at the right people. All employees are susceptible to cyber risks, but some have a higher threat profile than others. For example, your Finance and HR departments are targeted mainly by cybercriminals because of their privileged access to sensitive data. Your senior executives, CEO, and CFO are also the main target due to high-level access to valuable information. If a senior executive becomes a target, the results could be devastating.

 

Cybersecurity Awareness For Employees

4. Deploy phishing campaigns

Phishing is a significant threat to organizations’ privacy and security. It’s one of the most common cyberattacks against organizations. It gets you into providing sensitive information, such as credit card information, login credentials, or other restricted data. The simulations implemented in a safe environment test whether employees identify or become victims of a phishing scam. Moreover, deploying a phishing campaign provides training on detecting, avoiding, and reporting these attacks to protect organizations.

 

5. Get your policy management up to date

Policies are essential in making boundaries for individuals, relationships, processes, and transactions within your company. These provide a governance framework and help define compliance, essential in today’s increasingly complicated regulatory landscape. An efficient policy management system has a consistent approach to creating policies, adds shape to organization procedures, and makes tracking staff responses and attestation more straightforward. As a result, it can help you streamline your internal processes, efficiently target the flaws presenting the highest risk to data security, and demonstrate compliance with legislative requirements.

 

What Topics Should Security Awareness Training Cover?

A significant portion of cybersecurity incidents stem from human error. To address this, Employee Training in IT Security is essential for fostering secure habits and mitigating risks. However, not all training programs are equally effective—data-driven approaches can bring about lasting behavioral changes.

Here are four common methods to cover cybersecurity threats and prevention in awareness training:

1. Classroom-Based Training:
This traditional approach allows employees to step away from work for expert-led sessions on topics like password security and phishing. While immediate feedback and interaction are benefits, drawbacks include high costs, long sessions, and lower retention rates.

2. Visual Aids:
Posters, handouts, and videos simplify complex concepts, making them easy to understand. They are cost-effective but lack interactivity and may lose impact over time if not engaging.

3. Phishing Simulations:
Simulated cyberattacks are a powerful way to instill cyber threat awareness by testing responses. While effective, they can be emotionally taxing if not handled with care. Proper execution ensures lasting behavior changes.

4. Computer-Based Training:
Dynamic online modules with quizzes and multimedia formats provide flexibility and up-to-date training for evolving threats. Focus on security behavior changes over compliance checklists to maximize impact.

A well-rounded program fosters a culture of security while reducing vulnerabilities.

 

Security Awareness Statistics

What do recent figures tell us about the state of cybersecurity employee awareness? Let’s take a look.

  • In 2023, 70% of data breaches were caused by the human element.
  • The average cost of a data breach in 2022 reached an all-time high of $4.35 million.
  • Shockingly, in 2020, only 1 in 9 businesses (11%) offered a cybersecurity awareness program to non-cyber employees.
  • 1 in 3 data breaches involves phishing.
  • 20% of organizations experienced a breach due to a remote worker.

Surprising? Yes, but not unexpected. Many employees lack proper employee cybersecurity training, tools, and support to defend against threats. Strengthening workplace cybersecurity through regular training and effective cyber risk management can help bridge these knowledge gaps and protect businesses from becoming the next statistic.

 

Conclusion

Employees play an essential role in running a secure business. A negligent and untrained workforce can put your organization at risk of data breaches. Organizations should adopt a reliable security training program encompassing the crucial guidelines to prevent imminent cyber incidents. While searching for cybersecurity awareness training for employees, choose a service that goes beyond security training and focuses on skills and implementation.

For small to medium-scale businesses to maintain a cybersecurity-focused IT team. That’s why they partner with managed services providers and IT solutions providers. They take care of their IT and cybersecurity needs and conduct training programs for the employees to add a layer to cybersecurity. Similarly, Protected Harbor is one of the leading IT solutions makers who care for all your business needs. With our expert tech team available 24×7, 99.99% uptime, remote monitoring, and proactive cybersecurity strategies we strive to satisfy our customers. Learn about our Protected Harbor cybersecurity and awareness training and figure out how you can protect your organization against cyber attacks. Contact us today!

5 Common Weaknesses of Modern Day Business Cyber Security Plans

5 common weaknesses of modern day business cyber security plans

 

5 Common Weaknesses of Modern-Day Business Cyber Security Plans

 

Cybersecurity PlansA host of advanced and evolving cybersecurity threats have put organizations at risk. All it takes is a system vulnerability or a single weakness to compromise the integrity of an organization. Business owners and security experts are commonly unaware of the vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure.

If you want to protect your business from cyber threats, it’s essential to recognize the weaknesses in your security environment and take action as soon as possible. Many security experts and small business owners are unaware of cybersecurity. However, you can’t protect your business from cybercriminals if you do not know the vulnerabilities in your IT infrastructure.

Here are some common cybersecurity weaknesses of modern-day business cybersecurity plans.

 

1. Failure to cover cybersecurity basics

The most common weaknesses and vulnerabilities used by hackers in the past reveal that many organizations fail to cover cybersecurity core values. Organizations often fail to find their vulnerabilities to attack, their valuable and critical assets, and the sophistication of potential cyber criminals. Technology is not the only reason behind security risks. A company’s culture and basic strategic plans also play a significant role in preventing cyber attacks.

2. Lack of a cybersecurity policy

Cybersecurity procedures and guidelines explain how employees, partners, consultants, and end-users access internet resources and online applications. Generally, these policies define the security expectations, responsibilities, and roles in the organization. If you do not make cybersecurity policies in the first place and your employees do not engage with them, then your company may face cyber risks and threats.

Your small business cybersecurity policy should

  • identify cybersecurity risks
  • protect organization information and network
  • establish cybersecurity governance
  • detect unauthorized activities
  • detect and handle risks associated with third parties

Weaknesses-of-Modern-day-Cybersecurity

3. Confusing compliance with cybersecurity

Another reason that can put organizations at risk is that they confuse compliance with cybersecurity policies. Ensuring compliance with the organization’s rules is not like protecting it against cyber-attacks unless those rules focus on cybersecurity. A company’s risk management requires that every person in the organization play their role in keeping the security level related to them.

Maintaining security is a company-wide role and responsibility. After seeing the increasing number of cyberattacks, many organizations are still not sufficiently prepared for cybersecurity. Only a few organizations have a cyber incident response plan to protect themselves from cybercriminals.

4. Use of unsecured resources and outdated systems

If you use an unsecured network in your organization, it’s trivially easy for cybercriminals to access your system. Once they infiltrate the network, they can easily access all systems and devices connected to that network. Although it’s the most straightforward step towards a secure environment, many business owners still neglect it. Similarly, using unsecured communication channels can put your organization at risk.

Moreover, using an outdated system can potentially harm your IT infrastructure. Most hardware manufacturers and software developers keep detecting the security threats that can hurt their users. When they see a problem, they try to eliminate it by updating hardware or software. If your organization uses systems without editing them regularly, your business could be at risk.

5. Untrained employees

Almost 90% of data breaches occur due to human error. A slight mistake from an employee could provide an opportunity for cybercriminals to access your business data. Therefore, untrained employees are the most significant vulnerabilities in your organization. It’s necessary to educate your employees and provide them with security training to prevent data breaches caused by human error. By teaching them to use unique and strong passwords, identify different types of attacks, and use secure networks, you can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches in your organization.

 

Why Small Business Cyber Security is Important

Small businesses may not be as large or have as many resources as larger corporations, but they are still at risk of cyber attacks. Cybersecurity plans are important for small businesses because:

  1. Protects sensitive information: Small businesses often handle sensitive customer and financial data that must be protected.
  2. Prevents financial losses: Cyber attacks can result in financial losses for small businesses, including costs for recovery and lost productivity.
  3. Maintains customer trust: Small businesses depend on customer trust, which can be damaged by a data breach.
  4. Comply with regulations: Small businesses may be required to comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA.
  5. Competitive advantage: A strong cybersecurity posture can give small businesses a competitive advantage.
  6. Supports business continuity: A cybersecurity plan helps small businesses prepare for and recover from cyber incidents, minimizing downtime.

In short, small businesses are vulnerable to cyber threats just like larger organizations, and having a comprehensive cybersecurity plan in place is essential for protecting against these threats and ensuring the business’s long-term success.

Conclusion

Protecting your business in the digital world can be very difficult. Unfortunately, facing security risks is the price we pay for staying connected to the online world. If you are aware of the weaknesses in your security infrastructure, you can keep yourself protected from cybercriminals, or you have the potential to fight against them. Therefore, talk to your employees to ensure they understand the importance of cybersecurity and help them by providing guidance and tools to detect vulnerabilities.

You can take steps to protect yourself against cyberattacks, and you should have a plan before disaster strikes. Talk to Protected Harbor today for cybersecurity small business, so we can help you secure your internet infrastructure. With the right tools in place, such as a dedicated expert tech team available 24×7, remote monitoring, 99.99% uptime, and many more, you have the potential to detect any issues that may arise. The earlier you catch problems, the easier it will be to fix them before they hurt your business’ reputation or harm your bottom line. Contact us today!

Benefits and Challenges of the Zero Trust Security Model

benefits and challenges of the zero trust security model

 

Benefits and Challenges of the Zero Trust Security Model

benefits of security ModelThe Cybersecurity threat landscape has evolved so rapidly that it has become difficult to trust anyone in your network infrastructure. Whom can you trust inside your IT infrastructure? In a Zero Trust paradigm, the answer is no one. This trust model is based on network access control. It means that access to a network or device should only be granted after users’ verification and to the extent required to perform a task.

This article will explore the benefits and risks of the zero-trust security model. Let’s get started.

What is Zero Trust Model?

Zero Trust is a security model granting access to only verified and authenticated users. It provides an ultra-safe defense against potential threats by the user, devices, and network access control. Unlike traditional security models, it does not assume that people within an organization are safe. Instead, it requires every user to be authorized before granting any access.

The zero-trust security model is generally based on a three-step process.

  • Verify a user’s identity via authentication
  • Implement device and network access control
  • Limit privileged access.

This model promotes that organizations must not trust individuals/entities outside their network perimeters.

Zero Trust Use Cases

The Zero Trust model has increasingly been formalized as a response to secure digital transformation and a variety of complex, devastating threats seen in past years. Organizations can benefit from the Zero Trust security model.

You are required to secure an infrastructure deployment model, including

  • Hybrid, multi-cloud multi-identity
  • Legacy systems
  • Unmanaged devices
  • Software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications

It is required to address critical threats use cases, including:

  • Supply chain attacks_ generally involve privileged users working remotely and on unmanaged devices.
  • Ransomware_ a two-part problem, including identity compromise and code execution.
  • Insider Threats_ extremely challenging while users are working remotely.

Here are some considerations an organization have

  • User experience impact considerations, especially while using multi-factor authentication (MFA).
  • SOC/analyst expertise challenges.
  • Industry or compliance requirements

Each organization has unique challenges because of its business, current security strategy, and digital transformation maturity. If appropriately implemented, zero trust can adjust to meet specific requirements and ensure a return on investment (ROI) on your security strategy.

Benefits of Zero Trust Security Model

disaster recovery

Let’s outline the main benefits of the Zero Trust security model.

  • This approach requires you to regulate and classify all network resources. It lets organizations visualize who accesses resources for which reasons and understand what measures need to be implemented to secure help.
  • Implementing a Zero Trust security model is associated with deploying solutions for continuous monitoring and logging off user activity and asset states. It allows organizations to detect potential threats efficiently and respond to them promptly.
  • This model helps expand security protection across multiple containerized and computing environments, independent of the underlying infrastructure.
  • It prevents data breaches and has lateral movements using application micro-segmentation.
  • A zero trust model ensures organizational security while providing a consistent user experience.

Common Technical Challenges

Here are the most common technical challenges faced by users/organizations while implementing a Zero Trust security model.

1. Network Trust and Malware

Organizations need to ensure that each device and user can safely connect to the internet regardless of the location, without the complexity associated with the legacy techniques. Moreover, they need to proactively detect, block, and reduce the targeted threats, such as phishing, malware, ransomware, advanced zero-day attacks, and DNS data exfiltration. The Zero Trust security model can improve your organization’s security posture while reducing the risk of cyberattacks.

2. IT Resources and Complexity

Security and enterprise access are complex and change continuously. Traditional enterprise technologies are complex, and making changes often take time to use valuable resources. A Zero Trust security model can reduce the time and architectural complexity.

3. Secure data and application access

Conventional access tools and technologies like VPN rely on trust principles resulting in compromised user credentials that lead to data breaches. Organizations need to reconsider their access model and technologies to ensure their business is secure while enabling fast and straightforward access for all users. The zero-trust security model reduces the complexity and risk while providing a consistent and efficient user experience.

Final words

In this article, we have discussed some of the benefits and challenges of the Zero Trust model. The benefits of implementing this framework go far beyond security. But there are still some risks and challenges associated with this approach. Changes in the threat landscape might encourage organizations to invest in a Zero Trust security model for network access control and identity management. These organizations should be aware of all the challenges and risks of this security model.

Zero trust can be provided as a service, as Protected Harbor proposes in its zero-trust network access technique. Before introducing zero trust, you can take a phased approach, starting with your most critical assets or a test case of non-critical assets. Whatever your starting point, a best-in-class zero-trust solution will help you reduce risk and manage security right away. Protected Harbor uses various features, like remote monitoring 24 hours a day, 99.99 percent uptime, malware protection, and more, to provide an unrivaled experience and satisfaction. To learn more about how we do it, go here.

A complete guide to managed cyber security services

a complete guide to managed cybersecurity services

A Complete Guide to Managed Cybersecurity Services

The cyber-world is changing faster than ever, and it leaves organizations, individuals, and small businesses vulnerable to cybercrimes. They need to adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity plan to protect themselves against risks and threats. Implementing and testing controls, and regularly maintaining and monitoring the security management programs using reliable and trustworthy managed cybersecurity services can help mitigate risks and potential cyber-attacks.

Has your business ever dealt with malware, virus infection, or cyberattacks? Cyber attacks’ damage to companies ranges from unauthorized access through a relatively simple attack to a large-scale breach of critical data that can result in prolonged downtime. It damages your company’s reputation and the confidence of your investors and customers. Do not let a cyber incident destroy your organization. Managed services from a cybersecurity company can help you optimize your organization’s security posture.

Managed cybersecurity services are a crucial component of any organization’s cybersecurity strategy. This article will discuss managed cybersecurity services, why it is essential for organizations, and how an excellent cybersecurity company benefits you. So, let’s get started.

What are Managed Cybersecurity Services?

Third-party providers give managed cybersecurity services to administer an organization’s security processes. These small business cyber security services implement, monitor, maintain and enhance an enterprise’s cybersecurity posture. Managed cybersecurity service providers (MSSP) provide security services ranging from setting up infrastructure via security management or incident response. Some services providers specialize in specific areas, while others give complete outsourcing of an organization’s information security program.

As security threats and cyber incidents are becoming increasingly common, many businesses are partnering with managed cybersecurity service providers in addition to their existing small business cybersecurity programs. They provide expert monitoring and management, protecting data and hardware from potential cyber-attacks. MSSP manages and implements security programs for organizations. These include

  • Managed firewalls
  • Intrusion detectioncyber security
  • Blocking viruses and spam
  • Implementing upgrades or system changes
  • Setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
  • Security and compliance audits
  • Security assessment and reporting
  • System monitoring
  • Penetration testing
  • Security analytics

Moreover, a good cybersecurity company helps you monitor the security devices and systems in a workspace. Most MSSPs provide a wide range of cybersecurity small business services, such as

  • Log monitoring and management
  • Device management
  • Vulnerability management
  • Consultancy services

Managed cybersecurity service providers generally offer a whole suite of managed IT services. They typically provide cyber security to help organizations with their basic security needs.

cyber attackWhy are Managed Cybersecurity Services Necessary?

Organizations need to consider the importance of managed security services to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. MSSPs can be a valuable resource for companies that want to maximize their security but do not have the resources to manage an in-house cybersecurity team. These services provide strategies and designs to give a robust security posture.

MSSPs shield organizations against cyber threats and strengthen their cyber defense. They use a multilayered defense strategy to protect your organization from different angles. It means they do not only safeguard you from external threats, such as network intrusions or malware, but also security from the security breaches caused by employees accidentally or deliberately.

Opting for managed cybersecurity services provide

  • Information security assessment_ Examine the maturity of your company’s information security programs, identify their weaknesses and gaps, and provide opportunities for improvement. Choose a good cybersecurity company and identify the risks to your business.
  • Data governance_ These services help you handle a large volume of data and enhance your cybersecurity posture through efficient data management.
  • Advanced security solutions_ These include anti-malware software, managed firewalls, web filtering, intrusion detection, multi-factor authentication, access management, and patch management.
  • Dedicated security analysts_ MSSPs provide specialists who detect critical flaws in your IT infrastructure and recommend security measures to mitigate the risk of a security breach.
  • Security information and event management (SIEM)_ tracks security-related incidents in your IT environment, such as suspicious downloads or failed logins. It then examines the incident and creates comprehensive security reports.
  • Incident investigation and response_ If a security breach occurs, security experts immediately remediate the threat, assess the damage, and find the attack’s origin.
  • Threat hunting_ Security experts proactively identify and isolate evasive threats for existing security solutions.
  • Risk and compliance_ They align your GRC operations to business performance drivers using frameworks such as PCI/DSS, GDPR, NIST, NYDFS, ISO, and others with IT security service programs.
  • Penetration testing and phishing_ Effective security comes with a clear understanding of your IT infrastructure’s critical flaws and vulnerabilities. Phishing assessment and penetration testing protect your organization against security threats.
  • Security awareness training_ Educate your organization’s employees about your security posture’s strengths and weaknesses, and empower them against hackers. Good managed cybersecurity service providers ensure your employees stay ahead of cybercriminals.

Why is it Important to Choose an Excellent Cybersecurity Company?

A robust cybersecurity system is crucial for any organization in today’s digital landscape. Excellent cybersecurity for small business companies can help protect sensitive information and assets from potential cyber threats, prevent data breaches and cyber-attacks, maintain privacy and comply with regulations, minimize business downtime and financial losses, and enhance the organization’s overall security posture, reducing the risk of cyber incidents. In short, it helps to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical information and systems.

There is a wide range of managed cybersecurity service providers today. Identifying your organization’s security needs and engaging a good cybersecurity company to address them is essential. Before partnering with a provider dealing with cybersecurity for small business, security and IT teams need to plan carefully around which operations need to be outsourced. Once you have mapped out your requirements, it is necessary to research the best service providers and shortlist a few of them. Meet them and check customer feedback before hiring them. Because a good cybersecurity company is one that

  • Optimize controls
  • Improve governance
  • Reduce the TCO of the risk
  • Optimize security posture
  • Strengthen security processes
  • Reduce legal risks
  • Increase profitability
  • Provides scalability

Why Choose Protected Harbor for Managed Cybersecurity Services?

Protected Harbor provides managed cybersecurity services and cyber resilience regardless of the size of your organization. Our cybersecurity services provide organizations with the most effective tools, solutions, services, processes, policies, and practices to protect their intellectual properties, security posture, and financial assets. We provide cybersecurity assessments that help you understand your security posture, detect vulnerabilities in them, and set the baseline for improvement.

Moreover, our managed services include multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, next-generation firewall, device encryption, and email security. We provide a robust solution to defend against cyber-attacks and let you drastically reduce implementation efforts, cost, and maintenance requirements. With our team of highly skilled experts, we allow our clients to build cyber resilience, innovate safely, and grow with confidence. Contact us today for an IT audit.

Why Every CEO Should Understand the Basics of Cybersecurity

why every ceo should understand the basics of cybersecurity

 

Why Every CEO Should Understand the Basics of Cybersecurity

 

cyber securityWith the growing advancement in technology, their risks are also increasing. Online frauds, money laundering, and data leaks are becoming significant problems in the digital world and online businesses. Cybersecurity is becoming critical for smaller and larger corporations alike. Security threats and cyberattacks negatively impact businesses, and according to cybersecurity statistics, the majority of the CEOs are not taking appropriate actions against cybersecurity issues and risks associated with them. Security breaches and data loss cause damage to a company’s reputation and can increase the risk of cyberattacks.

It has become crucial for business owners to take steps to secure their organizations. No matter which industry, every CEO should know these five things about cybersecurity and its threats:

Cyber Risk Management

In the advanced world, every company relies on technology, which means there are more chances of cyberattacks.  For CEOs, it is necessary to know all the risks and damage that cybercriminals can cause to their business. It would be wrong to say that the larger companies are entirely safe from cyber-attacks and smaller companies are not the target value for anyone. According to cybersecurity statistics, hackers have attacked half of the small businesses in the United States in the last 12 months. So CEOs should take precautions to improve cyber risk management depending on the nature of their business.  They need to come up with appropriate contingency plans and correct preventive measures to protect their company from potential threats from cybercriminals.

Implement Data protection and System Protection in a Better Way

For a CEO, it’s his responsibility to keep in touch with the data and IT team to understand better what’s going on in the company and how. It’s unnecessary to have all the technical details, but one should be aware of the type of data they store, where and how it is stored, and at which level the data is encapsulated and secure.

There is a need to protect the system from malware to secure the data. Keep your IT team always prepared to take measures against cyber-attacks and update the systems whenever required because a security threat can enter your plan anytime.

Aware your Employees of Cybersecurity

Train your employees about security threats and breaches, and then put them in a situation and see how they respond to these kinds of attacks. CEOs should train them to keep the company’s information private. According to cybersecurity statistics, 60% of data breaches occur due to former or current employees. For data safety, try to limit employees’ access to it and secure the information. It’s also recommended to change passwords regularly and make separate accounts for each employee.

Avoid Reputational Damage

Cybersecurity threats are becoming significant challenges for CEO and business owners. Cybercriminals are attacking corporations in a sophisticated way, but data loss and breaches cause a tremendous impact on a company’s reputation. Security threats and cybercrime are increasing so fast that it is not only the responsibility of the IT team to handle such incidents, but these are the leaders who should understand the risk and be with the team to plan a quick and effective recovery from cyber-attacks.

Stay in touch with the cybersecurity issues.

Lastly, a CEO must be aware of the latest issues related to cybersecurity because hackers are constantly discovering new ways to attack the systems and get control over them. So the business owner should stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the cyber world.  They should take recommendations from the professionals or hire an expert in the cybersecurity domain for their organization. CEOs should form a strategy with experts and IT Teams according to the latest trends and plan to stand against cybercriminals.

Summary

In Today’s world, most of the business is done online, and the cybersecurity threat has become an issue that needs to be sorted out. Most CEOs are not aware of the cybersecurity threats and risks their company faces every day, and many are aware of them but do not take action or do what needs to be done. Although there’s not any single and optimized solution for this problem, these are some steps that CEOs need to follow and ensure that their organizations are fully prepared to deal with such threats and challenges.

It’s challenging for small to medium-sized companies to build their own IT infrastructure and have a dedicated IT team focusing on cybersecurity. What business can partner with an IT service provider who will manage your infrastructure for you, which will also save you costs. Protected Harbor is among the top IT and cybersecurity providers in the US. We guarantee customer satisfaction with a dedicated tech team that is available 24×7, 99.99% uptime, remote monitoring, remote desktops, and modern cybersecurity solutions. We’ve been helping several CEOs in their day-to-day operations because we understand their business and what they want. Take control of your future, be cyber secured, contact us today!

Wellstar Health System Reveals Data Breach

wellstar health system reveals data breach

 

Wellstar Health System Reveals Data Breach

 

How to avoid being the next Wellstar Health SystemsWellstar Health System announced on Friday afternoon that its email system had been hacked.

Well, it happened again. A data breach occurred at yet another healthcare firm. This time, it was Wellstar Health System. Unauthorized attackers obtained access to two email accounts two months ago, the organization discovered on Friday. Through those email accounts, gained access to patients’ health care information and it was exposed, including patient laboratory information. They missed the 2021 Healthcare Data Breach Trend Report from Protected Harbor at HIMSS.

Emails are one of the most common ways that hackers access sensitive information. This is because people often use their work email for personal purposes, so it is easier to get access to it. Hackers can use different methods and tricks to an email account. They might trick health workers into sharing their passwords, or they could send them a virus that tries to steal employee passwords from company computers.

If you are reading this, you understand that it’s essential to keep any critical emails secure when handling sensitive information. After all, Patient Health Information (PHI) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) can earn a few hundred dollars each on the dark web. That means healthcare employees are more targeted by hackers. And still, many healthcare organizations are not taking the proper steps to protect company email from hacking.

This article will go over how to defend yourself against important threats and what email security precautions you should take.

Install the Right Software

One of the essential email security precautions you can take is installing the right software to protect your emails. Many software options offer various levels of protection, so find out which one will work best for your needs. If you’re in healthcare, consider higher levels of security because you have a lot more sensitive information. Healthcare IT staff may also want to invest in Malwarebytes, a well-rounded antivirus solution, to provide another layer of protection against hacking.

Spam Hero is a software that looks for spam scans messages for infections before it reaches the Stopping malware emails before reaching an inbox can help keep hackers out of any sensitive documents you may come across in the future. Think how many emails with attachments are sent each day; if they were all scanned before recipients could open them, this would significantly decrease the chances of hackers getting a hold of sensitive information like PHI and EHR.

Monitor Your Inbox Activities

One of your email inboxes has received ten emails in one day. However, you only get about two a day, you do not remember sending out any emails that day, and it’s a Sunday. Is there a cybersecurity breach on your network? It could indicate that someone is trying to gain access to company information and has begun by accessing people’s email accounts. Monitor account activity regularly, and if you notice anything suspicious, have a playbook to implement additional security measures if you see something odd. Set up a new email address if necessary and measures such as multifactor authentication or changing all passwords. It is also important to routinely change passwords, even when there is no evidence of a breach; no system is perfect, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Educate your Employees & Staff

As exposed recently, hackers find new ways to trick healthcare employees into giving up sensitive information. Here are four easy things every HCIT department can do to improve their company’s employee cyber safety awareness:

  1. Encourage employees to come forward if they suspect an email of being bogus.
  2. Educate employees on what dangerous emails might look like. A recent study showed that over a quarter of doctors could not identify a malware email.
  3. Tell your employees not to open attachments unless 100% confident that it is a trusted source. Installing a filter those auto-checks attachments is even better.
  4. Have an Email Password Checklist for all of your employees.

We all have complex emails, but make it a requirement, set up failsafes to avoid re-used passwords, and help make it easier for your staff with some tips and how-tos. These simple tips will help protect against email cyber-attacks.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is a great way to add an extra layer of security to your online accounts and protect yourself against email cyber-attacks. 2FA prevents hackers from simply guessing passwords and lets you focus on protecting other healthcare network vulnerabilities. By implementing these simple steps, you can protect your business and its data without adding too much time or hassle into everyday workflows.

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from hacking is to turn on two-factor authentication. 2FA will help ensure your information is more secure, and it doesn’t take much more time or effort than what you were doing before.

You might think it’s unnecessary to use two-step verification when you already have high-end cybersecurity software, but that is not true. Software and two-step verification work together to make sure your information is safe. A bad actor can bypass a security measure, so it’s necessary to have other protections in place too. This is where software and 2FA come in handy again.

Wellstar Health System featureUse Encryption

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from hackers is by using encryption. Encryption scrambles the content of your email so that only you and the intended recipient can read it. It means that if a hacker does manage to intercept your email, they won’t be able to understand what it says. Even if they could break the encryption, any sensitive information in your email will be rendered indecipherable.

One such solution is ProtonMail, a secure email service that encrypts all of your messages by default. The only person who can decrypt your email is someone you sent it to or someone in the same organization (if they have a shared account).

Protect your Physical Computer and Network

Cybersecurity does not produce images of big burly security guards, but physical computer and network safety are just as crucial as virtual. This means having physical security checkpoints at entrances and exits of your healthcare organization. It would help if you also were careful about which devices employees plug into the network. Just because a power strip is plugged in doesn’t mean that it’s safe to plug in their mobile device.

Auto-lock and Remote Wipe Apps

Just think of how many texts you receive each day. You might likely be one of the unlucky people who have had their phone hacked. All someone needs to do is get a hold of your phone, and they can easily access any sensitive information on it, including work passwords. It may seem like locking your phone is a no-brainer, but not every employee does it. If your company hands out company phones or lets employees use their personal phones for work email, then decrease the auto-lock time to 30 seconds and install remote wiping.

Remote wipe is a security feature that allows a network administrator or device owner to send a command to a computer device that erases data. It’s usually used to wipe data from a lost or stolen device so that the information isn’t jeopardized if it comes into the wrong hands. It can also be used to erase data from a device that has changed owners or administrators and is no longer accessible physically.

Closing Thoughts

There are no easy answers when it comes to healthcare cybersecurity and email security. All of the things described above, and more, could have been performed by Wellstar Health System. Finally, attacks are growing more sophisticated, data is becoming more readily available, network connection points are rising, and healthcare IT professionals are being spread thin. When it comes to safeguarding your healthcare networks and servers, the first step is to determine which employees have access to sensitive information and which staff require specific data access.

Any strategy must also be adaptable and responsive to changes as they occur. Protected Harbor focuses on more than just software but hardware integration, special application connectivity, and employee workflows to create an always-safe environment. It is likely that at some point, HCIT will need to seek professional help to tackle the security breaches, so it is better to assign the task of managing the system security to an external agency. This way, you will no longer have to worry about data and network security, and your team will be able to focus on medical-related tasks.

An experienced, outside partner can help you see the bigger picture. Protected Harbor has the best practice knowledge on securing managed file transfers, HIPAA-compliant emails, data management, and security. We make sure your data is safe by using robust auditing and encryption technology that meets or exceeds HIPAA requirements for healthcare organizations.

Check out our 2021 Healthcare Data Breach Trend Report from HIMSS and our free eBook Optimizing the Healthcare Stack for Performance to learn more. We are also offering free IT Audits to all healthcare organizations for the next month following this attack. Reach out to schedule one today.