Have you ever received a notification on your phone while you’re sleeping, asking if it’s really you logging in?
It’s called a fatigue attack and Microsoft Authenticator’s latest feature will help to protect you.
Bot malware is a worrying new security risk. Malware bots steal whole user profiles – that’s a complete snapshot of your ID and settings.
A typical data breach in the United States costs around $9.44 million—more than twice the global average. Healthcare is the top sector affected by pricey data breaches, but any business can be severely affected. Data protection and cybersecurity should be a top concern for Long Island, NYC business owners. A data breach can threaten your profits, your reputation, your employees, and your customers. It can also put your enterprise at legal risk.
If you’re wondering exactly what data protection entails – and why you should make it a priority – this article will answer some of your questions. It can be hard to distinguish between data protection and cybersecurity measures, since the two are so intertwined. Some people view cybersecurity as a technical field, and data security as more direct safeguarding measures. But this view is an oversimplification of both. We’ll explore the relationship between data protection and cybersecurity, and we’ll also take a look at how LI Tech Solutions can help you shield your business from harm.
Streamlining Healthcare Data Management with Managed IT Services in Long Island
Data protection is the act of shielding your information from unwanted access. You need to take steps to make sure sensitive information isn’t altered or destroyed—or leaked to unauthorized parties. LI Tech Solutions is the best cybersecurity company in Long Island, NYC. So naturally, we handle all aspects of data loss protection, including:
Cybersecurity is a more generalized term that describes the “art” of protecting digital networks, devices and data – and ensuring its privacy and accessibility. Malware, hacking, and the exploitation of programming errors that cause vulnerabilities are just a few of the threats that cybersecurity experts have to combat.
At LI Tech Solutions, we understand that if disaster or sabotage strikes your business, your quick response is critical. Your data doesn’t just sit motionless. It travels from one point to another, and it’s exposed to multiple vulnerabilities along the way. There’s no such thing as data that’s free from any possible threat.
These are some primary reasons you should invest in state-of-the-art data protection for your enterprise.
You probably have access to sensitive data about your team members and customers alike. Personally identifiable information is a broad category that includes direct identifiers and quasi-identifiers. In other words, it refers to data that can be used on its own to identify a person, or data that can be combined with other bits of information to build an identity.
Direct identifiers include information such as:
Four types of indirect identifiers include:
When you allow unauthorized users to access any personal information, you expose employees and/or customers to identity theft, fraud, and other serious threats.
Understanding IAM in the Modern Cybersecurity Landscape: Challenges and Solutions
The GDPR and CCPA are designed to protect individuals and consumers from harm by regulating entities that access and store their data. The GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, applies to all businesses that conduct any transactions within the EU. The CCPA, or California Consumer Privacy Act, safeguards consumers’ rights to control their own personal information. Failure to comply with regulatory bodies that govern your business can lead to legal action and fees: up to $7500 per violation of the CCPA, and a wide range of penalties for violating the GDPR. Clearly, prevention is the best approach.
A data breach can harm your brand’s value and reputation in ways that are hard to repair. Today’s consumers care more about whether their personal information is protected than ever before. If your clients are involved in a data breach, they’ll probably stop giving you their business. Investors are also likely to shy away from companies with a reputation for poor security measures.
Businesses in the United States lose between $180 billion and $540 billion every year when their trade secrets are stolen. On top of that, they’re often subject to hefty legal fees as they seek to rebuild after the damage caused by a data breach. When you lose control of the things that make your business unique, it can be hard to measure the financial losses involved.
Business owners often make the mistake of handling data protection and cybersecurity as two separate entities. However, this approach is costly since it involves multiple teams – and it’s also not the most effective way to ward off threats. Let’s examine a few key reasons.
As technology evolves, digital threats become more sophisticated to keep pace. Those with malicious intent will stop at nothing to gain access to your data, and their skill sets are more comprehensive than ever. To stop them, you need a multi-layered approach that integrates data protection and cybersecurity skills.
Data protection solutions are effective for what they’re designed to do. But cybercriminals can sometimes find a way around them. For example, MFA (multi-factor authentication) might protect your devices from access by non-employees. But cybercriminals can conduct a brute force attack to simply figure out both points of authentication through trial and error.
After a major cybersecurity breach, your top priority is making your data secure again. This does mean implementing measures that directly address the source of the breach. But it also means taking a comprehensive approach and revisiting all your data protection policies to safeguard against the next attack.
We’ve got a few tips that can help you form an integrated approach to protect your business.
When data is handled carelessly, hackers can more easily gain access to your systems. The best way to safeguard your information is to have your data protection and cybersecurity specialists work together – and to frequently educate your entire team about proper procedures.
Ultimately, humans are often the vulnerable points in an organization that bad actors will exploit to access sensitive data. Everyone in your organization – not just your security specialists – is responsible to keep your information safe.
An end-to-end solution is one that provides a complete answer to a problem, without having to rely on external sources. LI Tech Solutions offers end-to-end services that protect your data from start to finish, anticipating and addressing threats on all fronts.
Why hire a team of data loss protection specialists if they can’t handle other cybersecurity needs? Why invest in a cybersecurity partnership if you’ll need to find someone else to handle your data protection? If Long Island government systems are vulnerable to crippling cyberattacks, it’s clear that cybercrime is a significant threat to local businesses, too. Ultimately, the best cybersecurity company in Long Island, NYC will bring a comprehensive skill set to the table.
IT Services for Law Firms In Long Island Boost Productivity and Security
As the best MSP on Long Island, LI Tech Solutions offers all the services you need – without the burden of maintaining full-time IT staff. Is it time to outsource your IT support needs to the experts? Call 516.210.6400 today and ask for a free consultation and technology assessment!
Airports, hotels, cafés, even shopping malls, offer public charging points where you can boost your phone or laptop battery on the go. They’ve been in the news after the FBI recently tweeted advice to stop using them. Crooks have figured out how to hijack USB ports to install malware and monitoring software onto devices as they charge. The security risk …
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One of the many cool things about the new wave of Artificial Intelligence tools is their ability to sound convincingly human. AI chatbots can be prompted to generate text that you’d never know was written by a robot. And they can keep producing it – quickly, and with minimal human intervention. So it’s no surprise that cyber criminals have been …
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Your data is one of your most valuable business assets. Keeping it safe should be one of your main priorities.
Our phones are a goldmine of private information. If they’re not as secure your other devices, they can become a gaping hole in your cyber security
The need to back up data has been around since floppy disks. Data loss happens due to viruses, hard drive crashes, and other mishaps. Most people using any type of technology have experienced data loss at least once.
There are about 140,000 hard drive crashes in the US weekly. Every five years, 20% of SMBs suffer data loss due to a major disaster. This has helped to drive a robust cloud backup market that continues to grow.
But one thing that’s changed with data backup in the last few years is security. Simply backing up data so you don’t lose it, isn’t enough anymore. Backing up has morphed into data protection.
What does this mean?
It means that backups need more cybersecurity protection. They face threats such as sleeper ransomware and supply chain attacks. Cloud-based backup has the benefit of being convenient, accessible, and effective. But there is also a need for certain security considerations with an online service.
Companies need to consider data protection when planning a backup and recovery strategy. The tools used need to protect against the growing number of threats.
Some of the modern threats to data backups include:
Just backing up data isn’t enough. You need to make sure the application you use provides adequate data protection. Here are some of the things to look for when reviewing a backup solution.
Ransomware can spread throughout a network to infect any data that exists. This includes data on computers, servers, and mobile devices. It also includes data in cloud platforms syncing with those devices.
95% of ransomware attacks also try to infect data backup systems.
It’s important that any data backup solution you use have protection from ransomware. This type of feature restricts automated file changes that can happen to documents.
Continuous data protection is a feature that will back up files as users make changes. This differs from systems that back up on a schedule, such as once per day.
Continuous data protection ensures that the system captures the latest file changes. This mitigates data loss that can occur if a system crashes before the next backup. With the speed of data generation these days, losing a day’s worth of data can be very costly.
Data protection incorporates proactive measures to protect files. Look for threat identification functions in a backup service. Threat identification is a type of malware and virus prevention tool.
It looks for malware in new and existing backups. This helps stop sleeper ransomware and similar malware from infecting all backups.
Cybersecurity professionals around the world promote zero-trust security measures. This includes measures such as multifactor authentication and application safelisting.
A zero-trust approach holds that all users and applications need ongoing authentication. So, just because a user is logged into the system today, doesn’t mean they are completely trusted.
Some of the zero-trust features to look for include:
If you back up to a USB drive or CD, you have one copy of those files. If something happens to that copy, you could experience data loss.
Cloud backup providers should have backup redundancy in place. This means that the server holding your data mirrors that data to another server. This prevents data loss in the case of a server crash, natural disaster, or cyberattack.
Air gapping is a system that keeps a copy of your data offline or separated in another way. This would entail making a second backup copy of your data. Then, putting it on another server. A server disconnected from external sources.
This is a feature that you may want to seek out if you deal with highly sensitive data. It helps to ensure that you have at least one other copy of your backup. A copy walled off from common internet-based attacks.
Are You Properly Backing Up Your Business Data?
Have you updated your backup process for today’s threats? Give us a call today to schedule a chat about data backup and protection. LI Tech Solutions, a Long Island managed services provider, can help!
This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.
The holiday shopping season is taking off. This means that scammers have also revved up their engines. They’re primed and ready to take advantage of all those online transactions.
Don’t forget to stay safe online during the buying frenzy that occurs this time of year. An ounce of cybersecurity prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. It can also save you from a financial or privacy nightmare.
Here are some of the most critical safety tips to improve your online holiday shopping.
Computers, tablets, and smartphones that have old software are vulnerable. While you may not want to wait through a 10-minute iPhone update, it’s going to keep you more secure.
Hackers often use vulnerabilities found in device operating systems. Updates install patches for known vulnerabilities, reducing your risk. Make sure to install all updates before you use your device for online holiday shopping.
Yes, it’s annoying to have to type in “amazon.com” rather than just clicking a link in an email. But phishing scams are at an all-time high this time of year. If you click on an email link to a malicious site, it can start an auto download of malware.
It’s best to avoid clicking links, instead visit the website directly. If you want to make things easier, save sites as shopping bookmarks in your browser. This is safer than clicking a text or email link.
It’s always a risk when you give your debit or credit card to a website. The risk is even higher if you’re doing holiday shopping on a site you haven’t purchased from before.
Where possible, buy using a wallet app or PayPal. This eliminates the need to give your payment card details directly to the merchant. Instead, you share them with the wallet app service (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, etc.). But the retailer doesn’t get them.
There are many websites (including Amazon) that automatically save your payment card details. This is bad. Yes, it may make the next buy more convenient, but it puts you at risk. A hacker with access to your device or account could make purchases.
There is also the risk of a data breach of the retailer. These are common and can leak sensitive customer payment information. The fewer databases you allow to store your payment details, the better for your security.
Immediately after you check out, remove your payment card from the site. You will usually need to go to your account settings to do this.
HTTPS has largely become the standard for websites now. This is instead of “HTTP” without the “S” on the end. HTTPS means that a website encrypts the data transmitted through the site. Such as your name, address, and payment information.
You should NEVER shop on a website that doesn’t use HTTPS in the address bar. An extra indicator is a small lock icon in front of the website address.
We all make typos from time to time. Especially when typing on a small smartphone screen. One typo can land you on a copycat site (such as Amazonn(dot)com).
Hackers buy domains that are close to the real ones for popular retailers. Then, they put up copycat sites designed to fool users that make a mistake when typing the URL.
Take those extra few seconds to double-check that you’ve landed on the correct website. Do this before you start shopping.
When you connect your device to public Wi-Fi, you might as well expect a stranger to be stalking you. Hackers LOVE the holiday shopping season and will hang out in popular public Wi-Fi spots.
They spy on the activities of other devices connected to that same free hotspot. This can give them access to everything you type in. Such as passwords and credit card information.
Never shop online when you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network. Instead, switch off Wi-Fi and move to your mobile carrier’s connection.
Phishing scammers were very active during the holiday shopping season of 2021. There was a 397% increase in typo-squatting domains connected to phishing attacks.
While you need to be careful all the time about phishing, it’s even worse during the holiday season. Attackers know that people are expecting retailer holiday sales emails. They also get a flurry of order confirmations and shipping notices this time of year.
Hackers use these emails as templates. They impersonate brands like Target, UPS, Amazon, and others. Their emails look nearly identical to the real thing. They trick you to get you to click and/or log in to a malicious website.
Be on high alert for brand impersonation emails. This is another reason why it’s always better to go to a site directly, rather than by using an email link.
Check your bank account regularly. Look for any suspicious charges that could signal a breach. One way to automate a monitoring process is to set up banking alerts through your online banking app.
For example, many banks allow you to set up alerts for events such as:
Mobile malware is often deployed in holiday shopping scams. How secure is your device from malicious apps and malware? Contact us today for a security checkup.
This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.
As a small or medium business owner, you know that data security is essential for your organization’s success. However, as your business grows, it becomes more and more challenging to protect your data. Sadly, small and medium business owners face data breaches all too often. In fact, they’re involved in about 43% of all data breaches. Unfortunately, if you fail to set up adequate enterprise data protection for small and medium businesses, you can end up facing significant costs.
To avoid a disaster, it’s essential to find the best enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island; many MSP companies like LI Tech Solutions can help. Read on to learn more about the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses, and why they’re so important!
Enterprise data is information that users in your organization share. It might be shared across multiple sites or multiple devices. Enterprise data protection refers to practices, policies, and technologies that protect your data from being lost, stolen or corrupted.
The success of your business rises and falls on data. As technology advances, this statement becomes more and more true. That’s why enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island are so vital. Unfortunately, your small or medium-sized business faces many potential data security threats. These tend to fall into the following categories.
Bad actors are people who want to exploit your enterprise data for personal gain. This could include external threats, like disgruntled customers or former employees, competitors, or hacking groups. They could also come from within your organization. Your employees likely have access to sensitive data, which can be stolen, ransomed or sold without your knowledge.
Unfortunately, your data can also be compromised by accident. Software can become corrupted, hardware can fail, or a power outage can cause data to be lost. Employees who fail to follow proper procedures can cause data to be lost through carelessness. For example, failure to shut down systems correctly or maintain hardware properly can lead to costly data loss.
When your data is stored on hardware, it’s vulnerable to physical threats. Fires, floods, windstorms or thunderstorms, earthquakes, and power outages can damage hardware and cause data to be lost. FEMA reports that between 40% and 60% of all small businesses are unable to recover after a major natural disaster.
When your enterprise data is compromised, the price tag can be steep. On average, you can expect to pay around $160 for every individual record involved in the breach. When you consider how many separate records your organization probably holds, it’s clear that a data breach can be devastating. Costs are often incurred in many unexpected categories, but these are a few of the most common.
After a data breach, you’ll need to hire experts to help you continue operating and assess the damage done. You’ll also need help forming a plan to prevent a future crisis.
Depending on the nature of the data breach, you may need legal counsel. You may face lawsuits, fines, or other legal consequences as a result of leaked data.
Your company’s reputation can be severely damaged by a data breach. You can hire a reputation management service to try to repair the damage, but this comes at a steep price.
Cybersecurity Solutions for Long Island Businesses: Managing Compliance and Mitigating Risks
There are many reasons why finding the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses is so important. One important reason is that your business must remain in compliance with applicable regulations. When data is lost or breached, you may face costly consequences for violating these regulations.
If your business is regulated by the General Data Protection Regulation, you need to handle your contacts’ personal information with special care. You’ll need to obtain, store, and manage customers’ information in appropriate ways to protect their privacy.
HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This federal law requires you to protect patients’ health information to maintain their privacy. Small businesses often struggle to remain in HIPAA compliance. However, failure to do so can lead to costly audits and fines.
What is enterprise data protection for Long Island businesses? Your IT team is an important component of data protection. However, business owners are also responsible to help protect their data. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses.
Do your employees know how to handle sensitive data? A single training session is not enough, since you periodically onboard new team members. You’ll need to schedule regular sessions to ensure your employees are up to date on policies.
Does everyone in your organization have access to all your data? This creates unnecessary risk and raises the likelihood of a data breach. Make sure to provide data access only to those team members who truly need it.
One of the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses is to require robust authentication. Multi-factor authentication is a simple yet effective way to keep your data from falling into the wrong hands.
Your employees won’t be able to follow procedures if they’re not spelled out clearly. Effective enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island start with a clearly defined policy for all employees to follow. This should be a living document that develops over time, as your business grows and technology changes.
What is enterprise data protection for Long Island businesses? This term refers to a variety of steps you can take to keep your information safe. However, not all enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island are the same. You need the best possible service at an affordable price.
Hiring full-time IT staff for your business can be expensive. Instead, it’s best to have the flexibility to call your IT team when you need to. Partnering with LI Tech Solutions allows you to work with trusted professionals without adding more full-time staff to your payroll. Enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses can be much more affordable when you adopt this model!
Hiring different IT professionals for different issues that arise can be frustrating. You need a team that does it all. LI Tech Solutions takes both proactive and reactive steps to protect your data, so we can handle all your data protection needs.
Do you need enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island, NYC? When you partner with LI Tech Solutions, you get the best of both worlds. You’ll gain an IT partner to handle the comprehensive data protection needs of your business. However, you can avoid the cost of adding additional full-time staff to your team.
As industry leaders in enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses, we offer the peace of mind you need to run your business. We provide the best data protection solutions for Long Island NYC businesses, so you can focus on what you do best: running your business. Call 516.210.6400 today to set up a free consultation and technology assessment.
