Small businesses are more vulnerable in a recession because they often lack the scale, capital assets, and tools to buffer the shock of an economic downturn.

Typical reactions to recession include cost-saving measures such as laying off employees and reducing capital expenditure and investment. If this is not properly handled, attempts to solve recession problems may hurt your business.  

In this article, we will explore various ways outsourcing and technology investment can help your business survive and thrive in a recession.

1.  Reduce Operational Costs

Operational costs and overheads can make the difference between your business sinking or thriving in a recession.  If your organization can reduce its overhead cost better than competitors, it will enjoy more stability and growth during a recession.

Outsourcing parts of your business to third-party providers is a sure way to save operational costs. Tasks that don’t require full-time employees and those that are not part of your business’s core functions can be outsourced to managed service providers(MSPs). 

In addition, jobs that require specialized technical skills are good candidates for outsourcing as it may be too costly for small businesses to maintain an in-house team. 

2. Improve Business Efficiency

The typical reaction of companies to a recession is to scale back investment. This can cause a massive dip in the company’s productivity and make it a less competitive player if mishandled.

With regards to personnel layoffs, more work is shifted to the remaining employees who are better off focusing on their core jobs. This approach leads to valuable time being wasted on tangential tasks. Employees’ productivity may reduce because retained staff lack the necessary skills or the knowledge of current best practices to execute reassigned jobs.

Outsourcing certain activities to managed service providers is an effective way to improve efficiency and boost productivity. 

3. Boost Sales With Technology

The desire to reduce expenditure in a recession may negatively impact essential departments such as sales and marketing. This can cause a reduction in sales and revenue and resultant financial woes.

With the aid of technology, your organization can maintain a functional sales and marketing system while reducing the overall cost of getting more clients.

Investment in new sales technologies and Enterprise Resource Planning software can help your business understand the sales cycle and its challenges. Technology also makes developing a better marketing strategy that works in a recession.

4. Reduce Liabilities

In a recession, the lower your company’s liabilities, the higher its chances of survival. 

Hiring third-party technical experts to handle the non-core aspects of your business is a powerful way to reduce liabilities. You will not only eliminate benefits and remuneration to maintain an in-house team but also reduce the risk of violating industry regulations or missing deadlines due to oversight from stressed-out staff.

5. Reduce Costs with Automation

When looking for ways to cut costs in a recession, automation solutions are an obvious choice.

Many organizations spend a large part of their budget and time on human resource management and other administrative functions. According to recent research, managers spend about 8 hours a week on business tasks that could be easily automated.

Automation allows businesses to tighten budgets without sacrificing critical business operations. Creating automated routines for handling various business tasks will help your company during a recession and position it for stronger growth post-recession.

6. Improve Customer Relationship

Customer relationships are a big factor in improving your company’s sales.  It is much easier and cheaper to keep an existing customer than to prospect for new ones. 

Clients may also refer more business to your company because of excellent customer service.

The stressful period of a recession may cause a weakly planned customer retention and acquisition system to collapse. Mismanaged customer relationships are one of the factors that can push your clients into the arms of competitors or make prospects lose interest in your company. 

With the right technology, your business can maintain its customer base, gain insight into clients’ behavior, adopt methods to keep existing clients, and also generate new quality leads.

7. Save Office Space

One result of outsourcing some parts of your business operations is the reduction in office space needs. Also, adopting new technologies with advanced collaborative features makes remote working more convenient for employees. 

Businesses with fewer office space requirements can save money on rental costs during a recession. The savings may be invested to boost your business’ chances of surviving a recession.

8. Prevent Business Disruption

A business disruption that could be successfully managed in a booming and stable economy could prove fatal in a recession. This is because companies have fewer resources to mitigate its effects. Hence organizations must deploy solid strategies for disruption prevention and disaster recovery.

Outsourcing parts of your business operations such as cybersecurity and disaster management can reduce the risk of business disruptions by putting skilled experts in charge of critical infrastructure.

In summary, restricting your business activities until a recession blows over is a bad strategy. A better approach is to maintain your business momentum through smart investment and outsourcing.

A recession can create wide gaps in performance and revenue between companies within the same market. 

To thrive in an unstable economy and be on the winning side post-recession, invest in technology and outsource your IT tasks to experienced and skilled managed service providers such as SDTEK.

Ready to make your business recession-proof? Get in touch with SDTEK today to discuss your options.

The post 8 Ways Your Business Can Thrive in a Recession appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

As a managed IT service provider it is important to us to make sure to stay in know about the latest cyber security breaches. Every few weeks we like to share our findings with you here on our blog. Please take a peek below to learn more about some of the most recent cyber security attacks here and around the world.

The Coca-Cola Company (United States)

Beverage Manufacturer & Distributor

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “The new ransomware group Stormous claims they’ve pulled off a ransomware attack against The Coca-Cola Company, claiming that it snatched 161 gigabytes of data. The hacking group has been linked with Russian nationalist cybercrime following its public statement vowing to take action against companies that pulled out of Russia in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Financial data, passwords and commercial account records are said to be among the stolen data. Coca-Cola says that it is investigating the matter.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Russian-linked hackers says they’ve HACKED Coca-Cola: Stormous claims it has stolen financial data, passwords and accounts as they put it up for sale for $640,000 or 16 million Bitcoin

Sunwing Airlines (Canada)

Passenger Air Carrier

The Hack: Supply Chain Attack

Quick Summary: “Sunwing Airlines passengers are finding themselves delayed or stranded in airports across the Caribbean after a cyberattack brought down boarding and check-in services maintained by Illinois-based service provider Airline Choice. The airline has been forced to manually check in passengers and handwrite boarding passes, causing massive delays, with passengers stranded in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, some for days. The company says it’s working to resolve the situation and get stranded passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Cyber-Attackers Hit Sunwing Airlines

American Dental Association (United States)

Professional Organization

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “The American Dental Association (ADA) was hit by a ransomware attack, allegedly conducted by new ransomware group Black Basta. The attack disrupted various online services, telephones, email, and webchat. Outage at the ADA website has caused some online services to be inaccessible, including the ADA Store, the ADA Catalog, MyADA, Meeting Registration, Dues pages, ADA CE Online, the ADA Credentialing Service and the ADA Practice Transitions.
” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> American Dental Association hit by new Black Basta ransomware

The City of Rio de Janeiro (South America)

Municipal Government

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “The LockBit ransomware group claimed to have attacked systems connected to the Finance department of the city government in Rio de Janeiro, stealing about 420 GB of data. The Secretary of State for Finance confirmed the attack. The ministry has said that the attackers only captured a small fraction of the ministry’s data. Spokespeople also said that the gang was demanding an unspecified ransom to keep the data from publication. Rio de Janeiro’s economy ranks 30th in GDP among all cities in the world.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Rio de Janeiro finance department hit with LockBit ransomware

Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods (United States)

Grocery Brand

The Hack: Malware

Quick Summary: “Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods has announced that it has experienced a data breach after data scraping malware was found to be operating on its website. The company said on April 15 that the malware was in operation between February 23 and March 1, 2022. The company’s initial investigation did not uncover any exfiltration, but after a customer complaint that has changed.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Bob’s Red Mill Reports Data Breach

Funky Pigeon (United Kingdom)

Retailer

The Hack: Hacking

Quick Summary: “Gift card retailer Funky Pigeon, a division of UK retail giant WHSmith, has announced that it was the victim of a cyberattack that has seriously impacted its operations. Funky Pigeon was forced offline, suspending sales temporarily. The company was quick to reassure consumers that no payment data was at risk and did not believe any account passwords were compromised. The incident remains under investigation. ” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Funky Pigeon pauses all orders after ‘security incident’

To learn more about how to keep your company safe and secure from cyber security attacks, click here to explore our San Diego IT Services & IT Security plans that are offered by SDTEK.

The post Recent Cyber Security Breaches: The Coca-Cola Company, Sunwing Airlines and More appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

URLs are integral to using the internet. Operating bank accounts, using social media, file storage, and reading your favorite blog involves URLs. Due to the ubiquity of URLs, many people don’t pay attention to security before clicking them. Hackers take advantage of this fact to create harmful links to compromise users’ information or system when opened. These links are known as malicious URLs.

What are Malicious URLs?

Malicious URLs also known as “virus links” or “infected links” are links created by cybercriminals to promote scams, launch cyberattacks, and infect systems with malware. These URLs can be used in spam, phishing, and spear-phishing campaigns. They are considered to be one of the biggest threats to email and organization security.

These links are distributed via email, social media, text messages, mobile applications, infected websites as well as online advertisements. Clicking on a malicious URL can lead to the installation of viruses, trojans, and malware on your system or the entire network of your organization.

Types of Malicious URLs

SPAM URLs

Malicious URLs are included in spam emails to unsuspecting victims.

Spammers send out massive emails in the hope that many will reach the end-user and generate a return on investment. 

PHISHING LINKS

Malicious URLs are also used in phishing attacks.  Cybercriminals craft special URLs to deceive victims into clicking them.

Phishing URLs are created to impersonate businesses, individuals, or government institutions in order to steal data or hijack accounts.

Malicious URLs take victims to a malicious website or end up infecting victims’ systems and networks with malware.

Effects of Malicious URLs

These sneaky URLs are used for the following:

• Steal the login credentials of users in order to access their personal or organization accounts.
• Compromise the victim system and encrypt files in a ransomware attack
• Execute phishing attacks to obtain personal information from victims.
• Compromise network with trojans.

How to Spot Malicious URLs

Precautions against phishing are valid for malicious URLs. Links related to password reset, due invoice, account suspension, and an investment opportunity should be treated with suspicion.

Avoid Shortened URLs

Cybercriminals often use URL shortening services to hide the destination website. Shortened link helps to hide malicious URLs as they cannot be inspected without first visiting the webpage.  

Hover over the URL

The URL displayed on the web page or email may not be the actual destination website. Hackers can mask URLs to hide suspicious links.  

Before clicking any link hover over the URL to see the real website the link is pointing to. 

Check the Context of the Email

If the general context of the email looks like a scam or spam, it is safe to assume that any embedded link is malicious and should not be opened.

Too Much Focus on Links

Hackers place emphasis on victims clicking on malicious URLs via repeated calls to action. If the email appears to be all about getting you to click a link, treat the URL with suspicion and investigate further.

Mismatch URL and Brand Identity

If the URL included in the body of an email is different from the brand identity claimed by the sender, then you may be dealing with a bad URL.

Spammy Embedded Links

Some emails, websites, or documents are designed in such a way that any place you click automatically opens a new webpage.

Clicking a malicious link can spell disaster for your organization, here are some ways to stay safe.

Deploy Secure Email Gateway

A secure email gateway is a device or tool that is used for monitoring incoming and outgoing emails for malicious content and link.

They can be configured to block malicious URLs.

DMARC Email Protection

According to a Webroot report, about 25% of malicious URLs are discovered on good domains. Hence, another verification method such as DMARC is needed to secure your company’s domain.

Proper DMARC configuration will ensure that any attempt by malicious actors to spoof your organization’s domain will be flagged by email clients.

Install browser Security Plugins and Toolbars

Security toolbars and plugins can perform quick checks on visited websites to detect their presence on the list of malicious websites. The tools can be configured to block malicious URLs.

Use An Email Sandboxing Tool

Sandboxing tools can scan incoming emails on your business’ network. The links in the emails are opened in a controlled environment so the organization’s system and network are not affected in the case of an attack.

Security Awareness Training 

Your employees are a valuable asset for cybersecurity.  Any email with malicious links that land in an employee’s inbox can potentially affect the entire organization. When your employees are properly trained they can identify and block such threats.

Malicious URLs pose serious dangers to businesses. Follow the tips discussed above to protect your organization from being compromised via unsecure links. 

For protection from malicious URLs and general email security solutions for your business, get in touch with us at SDTEK today.

The post Malicious URLs and How to Fight Them appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

According to the FTC, about $86 million was lost in 2020 in fraud related to spam text.

Spam texts also known as SMS spam are messages sent by spammers, hackers, and other malicious actors to illegally obtain information or steal money from targets. They are usually sent as part of a massive campaign to trick unsuspecting victims.

Why Spam Text?

Spammers are increasingly using SMS over other spamming methods because people respond quicker and at a higher rate. 

Text messages are also subjected to less scrutiny, unlike other spam methods.

In addition, SMS is used by legitimate advertisers and businesses giving spammers a good cover.

How to Spot Spam Texts

Spam texts vary in content and style. While there is no universal method of identifying spam text messages, there are telltale signs that you can use in identifying suspicious SMS. These include:

Service Subscriptions

While SMS-based subscriptions have significantly reduced, it is still used by spammers.

Services that are marketed to victims via SMS are often scams. On replying to such messages, targets are automatically subscribed to expensive services and are then billed. 

Unfortunately, canceling such a subscription is usually difficult leaving the victims with huge recurring bills.

Long Phone Numbers

Legitimate business SMS usually originate from shortcodes of 5 to 6 digits. They can also be sent local business phone or standard 10 digits numbers.

If you receive an SMS from an unusually long number, you should be suspicious of such messages as they are likely from spammers regardless of who the sender claims to be.

Messages from Own Number

A recent trend of spam SMS involves sending messages that appear to be from the victim’s own phone number. 

By spoofing the receiver’s phone number, spammers are able to bypass many email filtering systems and applications and get their spam messages delivered directly to the victims’ message inbox. 

Even security-conscious users can fall for this trick as users believe that SMS with the receiver’s number as sender could only have originated from the carriers.

Irrelevant Messages

Spammers don’t tailor messages to each recipient. Instead, they compose a message and send it en masse to potential victims in the hope that some target will fall for it.

If you receive an SMS that is completely random and has no connection to you or any of your current activities, then such text message is spam. A message about your birthday at the wrong time of the year or a vacation update when you are not planning for one should be treated as spam.

Incorrect Grammar and Spelling

Another sign of fake text messages is the use of poor grammar.  

The awkward use of English and misspellings in an SMS body means either the spammer did not bother to correct the text or they lack the knowledge to spot and correct grammatical and spelling errors.

Legitimate business text messages will use proper grammar, correct punctuations, and spelling.

SMS with Suspicious Links

Spammers often include suspicious links in text messages. The malicious links point to websites controlled by the spammer. The websites may be designed to steal users’ personal information, serve harmful content to victims or install a malicious app.

If you receive any message containing any suspicious link, it is likely spam.  Do not follow the prompts of the message. 

To increase their odds of success, spammers may mask the destination URL to hide the real target website.

Rewards Text Messages

In order to increase conversion rates, spammers promise certain rewards or offer important information in spam text. These rewards can entice victims to follow the hacker’s instructions.

Some examples of reward spam texts include refunds from the IRS and notifications about a big prize win.

Ways to Fight Spam Text

When you respond to spam SMS in any way, you are telling the spammers that your number is active. 

Consequently, your number will be added to the active spam list and sold to other spammers who will use it in future campaigns.

Never Reply to a Spam Message

When you respond to spam SMS in any way, you are telling the spammers that your number is active. 

Consequently, your number will be added to the active spam list and sold to other spammers who will use it in future campaigns.

Use Anti-Spam Apps

iPhone and Android smartphones have inbuilt app settings for blocking unwanted messages. 

There are also third-party anti-spam applications in various app stores. These apps often have more customization and advanced anti-spam filters than inbuilt ones.

Using any of these options, you can block spam messages from reaching your SMS inbox.

Report all Spam messages 

Before deleting any text messages you can help with the fight against spam text by forwarding the message to 7726 which is the universal spam reporting number for US carriers.

Doing this will help carriers protect other users from receiving the message.

Safeguard Your Phone Number

Don’t submit your phone number to random websites. Also, avoid sharing your phone number with untrusted people.

 If you indiscriminately share your phone number, it can end up in the hands of malicious actors who would flood your phone with spam messages.

The incidence of spam text is increasing because of its efficiency and rewards. A report by Robokiller revealed that Americans receive about 87.8 billion spam text messages in 2021 which is a 58 percent increase over the previous year.

There are various ways scammers can weaponize spam text against businesses such as in smishing attacks.

The tips above will help you identify, report, and delete spam text messages from your phone.

Be on the lookout for spam texts and do not reply or supply the information requested by suspicious senders to stay safe. 

The post How to Identify Spam Text appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

As a managed IT service provider it is important to us to make sure to stay in know about the latest cyber security breaches. Every few weeks we like to share our findings with you here on our blog. Please take a peek below to learn more about some of the most recent cyber security attacks here and around the world.

Microsoft (United States)

Software Company

The Hack: Unauthorized Access

Quick Summary: “The Lapsus$ gang has released 37GB of source code that they snatched in a brazen hit on Microsoft’s Azure DevOps server. Microsoft confirmed the incident, saying that the threat actors gained access through a compromised employee account. The source code looks to pertain to various internal Microsoft projects, including for Bing, Cortana and Bing Maps. Microsoft made a blog post about its recent operations to track and potentially interfere with Lapsus$ last week. The company was quick to state, “Microsoft does not rely on the secrecy of code as a security measure and viewing source code does not lead to elevation of risk.” Lapsus$ is known to be a ransomware outfit, but no ransom activity was disclosed in this incident.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Microsoft confirms they were hacked by Lapsus$ extortion group

Panasonic (Canada)

Electronics Maker

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “TThe Conti ransomware group has claimed responsibility for an attack on Panasonic’s Canadian operations in February 2022. Panasonic confirmed that it had been the victim of a ransomware attack that impacted its systems, processes and networks. The company says that it has contracted with outside experts to investigate the attack as well as clean and restore servers and rebuild applications. No word was available about what if any data was stolen by the attackers. Panasonic says that relevant authorities have been informed.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Panasonic says Canadian operations hit by ‘targeted’ cyberattack

Morgan Stanley (United States)

Financial Services

The Hack: Social Engineering (Vishing)

Quick Summary: “Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, the wealth and asset management division of Morgan Stanley, says some of its customers had their accounts compromised in a vishing attack. The company notified clients that on or around February 11, 2022, a threat actor impersonating Morgan Stanley gained access to their accounts by impersonating a Morgan Stanley representative and persuading those victims to provide the imposter their Morgan Stanley Online account info. After successfully breaching their accounts, the attacker also electronically transferred money to themselves using the Zelle payment service. No specifics have been given regarding the number of customers swindled, but the firm has stated that those clients were reimbursed.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Morgan Stanley client accounts breached in social engineering attacks

Scottish Association for Mental Health (Scotland)

Healthcare Provider

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “The RansomEXX ransomware group hit the Scottish Association for Mental Health, snatching 12 GB of sensitive client data from the charity. The organization confirmed the attack in a statement, explaining “We are devastated by this attack. It is difficult to understand why anyone would deliberately try to disrupt the work of an organisation that is relied on by people at their most vulnerable.” Attackers reportedly gained access to internal employee communications as well as other data sources. The charity has also said that they’re working with Police Scotland to resolve the situation. No ransom demand was made public.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Scottish mental health charity “devastated” by heartless RansomEXX ransomware attack

Snap On (United States)

Tool Manufacturer

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “Major tool manufacturer Snap-on has disclosed that it has been the victim of a ransomware attack. The Conti ransomware group has claimed responsibility. The group has already begun leaking Snap-on’s data online. Snap-on reported that the breach was discovered when it detected suspicious network activity, which led to them shutting down company systems. Employee and franchisee data was compromised.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Snap-on discloses data breach claimed by Conti ransomware gang

The Rehab Group (Ireland)

Disability Services Provider

The Hack: Malware

Quick Summary: “One of the largest disability services providers in Ireland, The Rehab Group has fallen victim to a cyberattack. The company says that there is no evidence that data had been accessed. The investigation is still ongoing, with the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and the National Cyber Security Centre involved.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Rehab Group falls victim to cyber attack

To learn more about how to keep your company safe and secure from cyber security attacks, click here to explore our San Diego IT Services & IT Security plans that are offered by SDTEK.

The post Recent Cyber Security Breaches: Microsoft, Panasonic and More appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

A popular business model in the IT industry is the offering of various software and infrastructure as a service to customers who may not have the finance or expertise to set up such a system. Some applications of this model include software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service which are widely used by various businesses to simplify their business processes while leaving the maintenance and upgrade of IT infrastructure in the hands of the service provider. Unfortunately, cybercriminal gangs are quickly adopting a similar business strategy to distribute and market malicious tools in a process known as Cybercrime as a Service (CaaS).

What is Cybercrime as a Service

Cybercrime as a service or Crimeware as a service is the practice of offering malicious products and services to other criminals in the cybercrime ecosystem. It covers a wide array of tools and services that malicious actors can buy or lease to carry out cyberattacks against targets.

Cybercrime as a service also includes sharing knowledge of undisclosed vulnerabilities in software applications, pre-made tools for breaching business systems and servers as well as full-spectrum fraud as a service platform that comes with potential victims’ list, customer support, quality assurance, and upgrades.

The growth of the dark web facilitates the development of cybercrime as a service platform. It enables cyber-criminals to sell malware, custom exploit kits as well as the infrastructure needed to launch various types of cyberattacks. In addition, the dark web facilitates the laundering of stolen funds generated from such sales.

Any aspect of cyberattack that can be automated is a good candidate for cybercrime as a service platform. This allows hacker masterminds to create subscription services on the dark web that any interested customers can buy and use for their illegal operations.

Consequences of Cybercrime as a Service

Advances in technology especially in the area of automation make it easier for security professionals and system administrators to monitor and manage systems. However, the same development also helps cybercriminals to execute malicious campaigns effortlessly.

These advances make sophisticated hacking tools more accessible to cybercriminals regardless of their technical skills. With the low barrier to entry, any would-be cybercriminal can acquire the necessary tool to launch a massive attack against an organization or individual.

The cost of organizing and executing a cyber attack has reduced significantly with the introduction of cybercrime as a service. Hacker groups can charge a cheap flat fee for service purchase or subscription and still be profitable as the running cost is shared among all customers. Criminals from other backgrounds can easily transition into cybercrime with this arrangement.

Cybercriminals can just purchase the tools provided by criminal gangs and use their own custom tactics and techniques in order to spread malware to unsuspecting victims. Cybercriminals may also have access to local servers where they can use the purchased tools.

This lucrative model has attracted several criminal gangs who specialize in developing tools and do not bother with the actual use of their malicious technologies.

Cybercrime as a service model is especially dangerous when applied to ransomware distribution. It expands cybercrime operations and increases pressure on security professionals by facilitating the transformation of any criminal into cyber extortionists.

How to Protect Your Business from Cybercrime as a Service Users

1. Setup Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication for your business will help harden it against compromise.

As an additional layer of security, it will serve as a stumbling block for hackers even if they manage to obtain the login credentials for your server.

With MFA in place, hackers will be dissuaded from breaching your organization’s servers and instead look for weaker targets.

2. Use Complex Password
A strong password must contain a combination of alphabets, numbers, and special characters with a length of at least 15 characters. A strong password is difficult to crack and an effective barrier against account takeovers.

3. Create a Contingency Plan
You cannot predict how or when your business might be affected by a Cybercrime incident. Hence, it is important to prepare for such by creating contingency plans such as incident response and disaster recovery plans.

Such plans will help you mitigate the effect of a cybersecurity breach should it occur.

4. Engage Employees in Security Awareness Training
One of the most effective ways of protecting your business against the surging cybercrime as a service wave is by educating them about the mode of operations of cybercrime actors.

When your employees know the methods used by hackers to compromise systems, they can be on the lookout for your business’ security and ensure that suspicious activities are detected, blocked, and reported promptly.

5. Infrastructure Inventory
Unmanaged assets are a security risk to any organization. All your organization assets both physical and virtual must be inventoried and incorporated into cybersecurity plans to protect your business systems and servers from attackers.

More organizations will become targets of cyber attacks thanks to the increasing cybercrime wave fueled by the proliferation of cybercrime as service platforms.

In this increasing threat environment, preventive measures such as those discussed above are essential for making your organization unattractive to hackers and preventing business disruption.

At SDTEK, we can help you implement robust cybersecurity measures that will reduce the risks of cyberattacks against your business. Get in touch with us to discuss your business’s cybersecurity needs.

The post The Evolving Threat of Cybercrime as a Service appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

This blog post was originally published on July 18, 2018 and has been recently updated with additional information. 

Would you like to plan ahead to monitor and prevent system breakdown or would you wait till something goes wrong and struggle to fix the problem? That question sums up two types of IT services available; the reactive computer support and the proactive computer support services.  In the reactive mode, you wait till a problem shows up, then you try to get hold of a technician to come and check your system for problems. Your business may be on hold while you wait for the technician. Proactive computer support ensures that problems are detected early and fixed before they can compromise your business.

Advantages

Outsourced proactive support services help to keep organizations’ system online and up to date. It involves a 24×7 system and network monitoring, automatic backups and updates which are designed to minimize outages. To effectively monitor your network and maintain functionality, you can either have a large in-house IT team with a wide range of technology expertise or you can outsource to professional IT companies. The former is expensive and beyond the budget of most small businesses or organizations while the latter offers a cost-effective mode of system maintenance.

There are several advantages when it comes to using outsourced proactive support. Here are a few:

1. Reduced down time even if there is an emergency.
2. Sensitive company information continues to be safe with the outside management of a professional IT company.
3. Taking a proactive approach with IT can help lessen the chance of risk to critical IT infrastructure.
4. Ongoing monitoring of IT and monthly maintenance can keep your IT running smooth.
5. Providing proactive support will help ensure updates and patches are implemented properly and on time.

Who Needs Outsourced Computer Support Services?

Now that you understand what an outsourced computer support service entails, can your business do without it? An outsourced IT company is important if any of the following applies to your business:

1. Your organization relies heavily on information technology (IT). And downtimes can cripple your business activities and affect the bottom line.
2. Your business needs a full IT department service but you need to save cost.
3. Your organization needs an on-demand, responsive and competent support personnel.
4. You want to have control over your monthly IT budget with no surprise bills.
5. You want an IT experts personalized advice that aligns with your strategic goals.

Services and Benefits of Proactive Computer Support

Two broad services provided by outsourcing IT companies are Managed maintenance and Managed helpdesk both operating with the monitoring, optimization and management lifecycle. Managed maintenance is concerned with looking out for problems and fixing them before they can cause damage while managed helpdesk provides expert and helpful support to your employees, handling their questions and requests.

Different services are rendered under Managed maintenance and they provide a variety of benefits to businesses. Some of them are:

Daily Safety Check: This involves the automated scanning of your critical IT assets, backup update, and antivirus status check on a daily basis. It was designed to provide a strong layer of security for your IT systems and give you confidence about your systems’ integrity.

Daily Health Check: This is an automated daily scan to check your networks and servers. In addition, applications running on your systems are scanned. It functions to provide comprehensive system performance reports, reduce downtimes, and remove your concerns about system breakdowns.

Server and Network Monitoring: What would your business do without a functional network? With this service, your network and internet connections are monitored nonstop. This is to allow for quick detection and fixing of errors. It is a critical part of the proactive support services that aims to contain problems and maximize system performance.

Server and Network Management: This is a comprehensive and fully outsourced computer service. It includes a safety check, health check, server and network monitoring, and helpdesk service rolled into one. This service lets you focus on your core business, provide top-notch security and minimize service outages.

Hiring A Professional

Outsourced proactive computer support offers many benefits that are difficult to replicate in-house for small businesses. Enhanced performance, reduced downtime, on-going support and freedom to focus on your core business are benefits that come with outsourced IT support.

However, you can’t just outsource your IT services to any company that comes knocking on your door and expect everything to be perfect. You need to hire professionals with the required expertise and experience to manage your business technologies. SDTEK’s comprehensive service offering is the perfect option to remove uncertainty from your IT services management, increase your business’s productivity and give you peace of mind. Contact SDTEK for your personalized proactive support services.

The post Advantages Of Proactive Computer Support From Outsourced IT Companies appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

Talking about cybersecurity is not enough. A strategic plan along with implementation is needed to protect your organization from the aggressive and rising threats of cybersecurity. One critical aspect of protecting your organization from cyberattacks is security awareness training.

Security awareness training is an organized educational training for employees to improve their understanding of security threats and ways to mitigate them. It includes training, courses, programs, and events that are designed to educate and empower employees on how to identify, report, and prevent cyber attacks.

Rather than being the weak link in an organization’s cybersecurity, properly trained employees are an invaluable asset in fighting against cybersecurity threats.

There are many advantages of security awareness training for your organization, some of which will be discussed in this article.

Advantages of Security Awareness Training

1. Protect Company’s Assets
Cybercriminals’ primary aim is to steal companies’ funds and valuable data. A successful breach can cause severe financial loss as well as reputational damage to a business.

A business can lose thousands to millions of dollars following a compromise. Such funds could have been reinvested to grow the business. Security awareness training will reduce the risk of your company losing its assets to cybercriminals.

2. Develop a Security Culture
Occasional one-off reminders about cyber security to employees is insufficient to keep your business safe.

Occasional cybersecurity discussion is often ignored or quickly forgotten by the target employees. Through regular security awareness training, your company can reinforce your employees’ knowledge of cybersecurity.

This will help them retain valuable information that can be used to block future cyber security attacks.

With time, a strong security culture will be developed in your organization and employees will be at the forefront of fighting cybercrime using acquired knowledge.

3. Increase Adoption of Security Best Practices
Merely providing brochures or guides on cyber security will not translate to the wider adoption of security best practices by employees.

Security awareness training is needed to make your employees understand the risk cyber threats pose to your organization’s survival and success.

Employees are more likely to adopt and implement cybersecurity policies when they feel like stakeholders in keeping the company safe. Such adoption will make your organization more resilient against cyber threats.

4. Prevent Business Downtime
Cyber security breaches can significantly disrupt business operations.

Recovering from such an incident can take a lot of time and resources. This translates to downtime for your business. Low productivity and loss of contracts often follow.

By helping to prevent attacks, security awareness training will reduce business downtime.

5. Reduce Threat to Business
Functional security awareness training is designed using real-world threats. This allows employees to respond effectively when faced with actual threats.

Employees who are up-to-date on the latest cyber security threats against businesses will better protect your company against malware and other threats.

6. Meet Compliance Goals
Many businesses, especially those that work with customers’ personal and sensitive information are under tight industry regulations. Regulatory compliance is essential to avoid heavy fines, customers’ distrust, and reputational damage.

Security awareness training can help your company stay compliant with relevant regulations as it educates employees on the importance of following the standards on the usage and storage of personal data. It also helps them avoid mistakes that might expose sensitive information.

7. Prevent Cyber Attacks
With the growing popularity of remote working, attackers have more opportunities for targeting unsuspecting victims.

A compromised employee’s PC can be used to stage an attack against an organization’s servers and steal sensitive information. Proper training about cyber attacks gives employees the knowledge and tools for safeguarding personal and company systems.

8. Empower Employees
Leaving employees to fend for themselves regarding cybersecurity can be dangerous. It can cause a general feeling of uncertainty or confusion as to the best way to protect an organization’s assets.

Security awareness training gives employees some responsibility for your company’s cyber security. With proper training, the adoption of new software, social media, and communication platforms can be done in a secure way.

Empowered employees are a necessity for cutting down the risk of human errors that are often exploited by hackers.

9. Save Time and Money
Due to the high cost of recovering from a cyberattack, investment in security awareness training programs will pay for itself.

By avoiding business disruption and data breaches, you will retain consumer trust and save valuable time and money for your business.

10. Encourage Proactiveness
By the time a cyber breach is discovered, a lot of damage has usually been done by attackers.

Security awareness training will help to imbibe proactive behavior among your employees so that they are on the constant lookout for attacks and take the appropriate action when necessary.

Even if you have a comprehensive cyber security plan in your organization, it is only useful when your employees understand it and are able to follow the policies recommendations. Employees who are aware of the mode of operations of cybercriminals are essential for a company’s defense.

You can maximize the safety of your business infrastructure by leveraging the knowledge and cooperation of your employees through security awareness training.

Get in touch with SDTEK for security awareness training tailored for your company.

The post 10 Reasons Your Business Needs Security Awareness Training appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

Phishing remains a major threat to businesses because it requires little investment but offers potentially big rewards to cybercriminals. While any company can be impersonated, some are widely used in phishing attacks. These phished brands are impersonated because they are trusted by the public and offer tons of valuable personal and financial information.

How Hackers Engage in Brand Phishing

One of the ways hackers trick their victims is by sending generic fake security alerts and urgent password update requests. Targets often comply due to fear of losing their accounts.

Other brands may be impersonated using highly targeted phishing methods. Attackers can calibrate their phishing infrastructure so that it only displays the phishing page when the right user clicks on a malicious link. The attackers validate the user’s identity to screen out unwanted targets.

Some cybercriminals stay under the radar by including phone numbers but not links. With this approach, phishing emails can evade filters that are designed to flag malicious links.

Favorite Industries for Phishers

Tech Industry
Industries offering technology products are often targeted by hackers. This is because companies in the sector have a lot of sensitive user and research data that can be used to extort victims or fetch good money on the dark web.

Social Media
Social media let users interact with people across the world. Users often post and store sensitive personal information on their social media accounts. Gaining access to such accounts can be lucrative for cybercriminals.

Hijacked accounts may be resold or used for further compromise of the victim’s contacts.

Financial Services
Financial and Banking service companies are heavily targeted by attackers. Cybercriminals aim to take over the account and funds of their victims. Some hijacked accounts are used as conduits for laundering proceeds of other crimes. This can ensnare the victim as a suspect in law enforcement investigations.

Online Stores
Online shopping has gained more adoption due to the pandemic lockdown. The convenience of having items delivered to the doorstep is persuasive for many shoppers.

Hackers are aware of online shopping trends and relentlessly impersonate major online merchants to steal the personal and financial information of users. They may also hijack victims’ accounts to carry out unauthorized transactions.

Shipping Companies
Just like online stores, shipping companies have seen a surge in usage. Many people who have no previous dealings with freight companies now need to monitor the progress of their delivery.

This has presented hackers with phishing opportunities as they can easily take advantage of customers’ ignorance of the shipping process.

Cybercriminals can impersonate shipping companies to install malware on the victim’s computer via phishing.

The Most Phished Brands

Some brands are magnets for phishers and attract considerable impersonation attempts. This list of top phished brands was compiled by cybersecurity firm Vade.

FACEBOOK
Facebook has consistently ranked in the top five of the most phished brands for several years. It is now the most phished brand in the world.

Facebook has an impressive number of active users which makes it a prime target for phishing attacks. Hackers impersonate Facebook by sending links of cloned Facebook pages to users.

MICROSOFT
Microsoft is both a tech and a cloud giant. It is the second most impersonated brand.

Phishing attacks against Microsoft users vary according to the target. Some are just simple phishing with malicious links sent via email to unsuspecting victims.

More sophisticated Microsoft phishing attacks involved coding webpages that only engage with qualified targets according to the hackers criteria.

French Cooperative Bank Crédit Agricole is the third on the list of the most phished brands.

WHATSAPP
Another app within the Meta company makes the top fourth spot for phished brands. As a widely used instant messaging platform, WhatsApp accounts are in high demand by hackers.

French Postal bank, La Banque Postale and Telecom company, Orange take the fifth and sixth positions respectively.

AMAZON
Amazon, the retail and cloud giant makes the top phished brand at number seven. Amazon’s rapid growth as a destination for retail shopping and cloud application host makes it an attractive target for phishers.

Cybercriminals are looking for customers’ credit cards, gift cards, and other financial information from hijacked Amazon account

Chase Bank and Comcast Telecoms sit on the 8 and 9th position on the most phished brand.

PAYPAL
PayPal is the most popular online payment service. It is a regular target of impersonation by cybercriminals holding 10th position on the most phished brand. Hackers impersonate PayPal to get login details from victims in order to steal and transfer their funds or use them for online purchases. Hijacked PayPal accounts are also traded on the dark web by cybercriminals.

DHL
The increased use of shipping makes DHL a prominent target of phishing attacks by cybercriminals.

A lot of online shoppers’ goods are delivered via DHL. Hackers take advantage of these by sending fake emails about order delivery or changes to delivery schedules.

Other top phished brands include Netflix, Wells Fargo, Rakuten, and Adobe.

Staying Safe from Phishing

To protect your organization from phishing attacks, employees must be regularly trained about phishing methods detection and the threats of phishing to your business.

In addition, organizations should deploy automated anti-phishing tools and email filters to block malicious emails from reaching the user’s inbox.

While top brands are particularly targeted for phishing, SMBs are not left out of cybercriminals’ phishing schemes. Hackers target SMBs to steal financial and personal information as well as infect the victim’s machine with malware or ransomware.

For your business to avoid disruption and thrive in the long run, taking steps against phishing attacks is a must. Get in touch with SDTEK to discuss anti-phishing solutions for your company.

The post Top Most Phished Brands appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.

As a managed IT service provider it is important to us to make sure to stay in know about the latest cyber security breaches. Every few weeks we like to share our findings with you here on our blog. Please take a peek below to learn more about some of the most recent cyber security attacks here and around the world.

Viasat (United States)

Internet Service Provider

The Hack: Nation-State Cyberattack

Quick Summary: “An estimated 10 thousand people found themselves without internet access after a cyberattack took down service to fixed broadband customers in Ukraine and elsewhere on its European KA-SAT network. The attack, starting about the same time as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is suspected to be the work of Russia-aligned nation-state threat actors. No data was accessed or stolen in the incident, which is still under investigation.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Viasat says ‘cyber event’ is causing broadband outages across Europe

Samsung (Korea)

Electronics Maker

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “The Lapsus$ hacking group just published a 190-gigabyte trove of confidential data including source code that it claims to have seized from Samsung Electronics in a ransomware attack. Reports say that the stolen code contains the source for every Trusted Applet in Samsung’s TrustZone environment, which handles sensitive tasks such as hardware cryptography and access control. It may also include biometric unlock operation algorithms, the bootloader source for recent devices, activation server source code and the full source code used to authenticate and authorize Samsung accounts. Samsung says that they’re investigating the incident.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Hackers leak 190GB of data taken in alleged Samsung breach

State Bar of California (United States)

Legal Professional & Regulatory Body

The Hack: Hacking

Quick Summary: “The State Bar of California is investigating a data breach after learning that a third-party website had published confidential information about 260,000 attorney discipline cases in California and other jurisdictions. The exposed data included case numbers, file dates, information about the types of cases and their statuses, respondent and complaining witness names.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> California Bar investigates after confidential discipline records published online

Ubisoft (France)

Video Game Studio

The Hack: Ransomware

Quick Summary: “French video game company Ubisoft has admitted that a cyber security incident knocked many games, services and systems offline. Guess who claimed responsibility? If you answered “Lapsus$”, you’re right! Ubisoft says that no customer information was accessed, and games should be operating normally now. Credential compromise appears to have been a factor as Ubisoft employees have reportedly been required to change their passwords.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> After Nvidia & Samsung, gaming giant Ubisoft suffers cyber attack

Bridgestone Americas (United States)

Tire Manufacturer

The Hack: Hacking

Quick Summary: “Bridgestone is shutting down production at its factories around the US as the company deals with an unspecified cybersecurity incident. The company released a statement saying that it was immediately disconnecting and pausing production at factories in the US and Latin America, with no projected timeline for reopening provided to employees.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Bridgestone Americas ‘disconnects’ manufacturing facilities following ‘security incident’

Toyota (Japan)

Automobile Manufacturer

The Hack: Third-Party Risk

Quick Summary: “Toyota announced that it is shutting down its domestic factory operations briefly after a cyberattack at a supplier. The supplier, Kojima Industries Corp, has admitted to being attacked but offered no further information. It was not made clear how long Toyota’s Japanese factories, which total one-third of its production yearly, will be closed.” -ID Agent

Read More Here >> Toyota suspends domestic factory operations after suspected cyber attack

To learn more about how to keep your company safe and secure from cyber security attacks, click here to explore our San Diego IT Services & IT Security plans that are offered by SDTEK.

The post Recent Cyber Security Breaches: Viasat, Samsung and More appeared first on SDTEK | San Diego, CA.