In the last few months, three cities in Florida have all paid extremely high ransoms to obtain decryption keys from their hackers. These ransoms ranged from USD 400,000-600,000.
In each case, the ransomware infection was preventable.
In each case, an employee clicked on a questionable link or downloaded a file in an email without verifying the origin.
U.S. Cities Aren’t the Only Targets for Ransomware
The University of Calgary paid a CAD 20,000 ransom after being attacked in 2016. In 2017 a major Canadian firm (that remained anonymous) paid over CAD 400,000 to decrypt files following a ransomware attack. Last year, two Ontario municipalities, Wasaga Beach and Midland, were victims of ransomware attacks. And just last month, the Mayor of Stratford, Ontario said, “Canadian municipalities are ‘sitting ducks’ for cyber terrorists,” after being targeted by an online ransomware attack.
No one is immune. But there is much that can be done to avoid falling victim to cybercrime.
STOP Clicking Links in Email
Email does not have to be the weak link in your security, but for many organizations – not just city governments – it is certainly the easiest point of access for hackers. All it takes is convincing one person to believe a message is real, move their mouse two inches, and click to release catastrophe. And even with so much more information available, so much urging from the cybersecurity community to employ zero trust, employees continue to click on links that are potentially deceitful.
STOP Downloading Files Sent by Email
In the case of one Florida city, an employee at the police department downloaded a file sent in an email that carried the Emotet trojan. It so crippled their systems that they were forced to issue paper citations for traffic violations; payroll direct deposit was impacted, and checks had to be issued on paper and handwritten.
STOP Paying Ransoms
Paying a ransom only motivates cybercriminals to continue because there is a payoff. The more that municipalities, colleges, and businesses give in to paying ransoms, the more likely it is that there will be more attacks – and the attacks are getting more sophisticated and complex. Hackers are taking more time to infiltrate systems, they are taking their time to launch attacks, and they use readily available information to more effectively trick email recipients into believing the emails are legitimate.
Train Your Employees
To thwart hackers and prevent ransomware from proliferating, we all need to change our tactics. We need to be more aggressive in training employees, more suspicious of every email, and less trusting that any link or attachment is safe. Ongoing training is essential to help employees recognize phishing attempts and email threats.
Heightened Vigilance Is Good but Not Enough
According to a report from StorageCraft, not all ransomware comes from email. Ransomware viruses can infect legitimate websites. Trend Micro reported that big sites such as msn.com, nytimes.com, aol.com, realtor.com, and newsweek.com were victims of attacks that attempted to download Cryptolocker ransomware and malware onto users’ computers. Even when your email security is at its best, there is still a risk.
Protect Your Data
If the worst happens and your IT infrastructure is infected with malware or ransomware and hackers demand a ransom, there is one way you can avoid paying: protect your data with regular, offsite backups, virtual machine backup and replication, and disaster recovery protection. Business continuity should not come with a $600,000 price tag in the form of a ransom. You can invest far less in comprehensive disaster recovery protection with your managed services provider and have peace of mind that even if a ransomware attack were to strike your organization, you could tell hackers NO when they demand a ransom.
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning is critical to all businesses, no matter their size. Every organization faces the real possibility of a catastrophic event that could compromise its data integrity and threaten its very existence. The ITeam provides essential IT support to businesses in Alberta. We provide fully managed and personalized services designed to meet the needs of virtually any business. Our team will work with you to customize a cost-effective solution and help you develop a comprehensive IT security strategy that will help you survive any threat, whether natural or human-caused. Get in touch.
Tackling Future Threats with Strong IT Security
/0 Comments/in Business Continuity, IoT Security /by James WagnerOver the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in data breaches, email hacking schemes, and ransomware attacks across the globe. And if that wasn’t enough to consider when developing your IT security plan, here are three future threats to think about.
3 Future Threats to Include in Your IT Strategy Now
2.
Evolving challenges in protecting client data. Each year, new threats become commonplace, government shutdowns threaten the larger system infrastructure, and the conversation around data mining and selling personal data becomes more relevant and heated. Data breaches evolve both in frequency and in volume – think Target, Yahoo, and Capital One. Even thinking about data breaches can be a scary thing. Data protection procedures will need to not only comply with all laws and regulations, but must also be agile and proactive, capable of keeping up with future threats, to ensure that all your data is protected. The catch: Hackers will continue to grow more sophisticated in their efforts to fool your employees into taking their bait. Awareness, training, and sophisticated email security will be required, to stay a step ahead.
3.
5G, IoT, and other new tech will introduce more risk. Technology is changing quickly. The catch: Adopting new technology will be a means of remaining competitive and will be necessary for serving your customers, but it also introduces new risks – some of which no one can predict. The only way to protect your organization is to have a team of experts who are constantly assessing risk, proactively developing and implementing solutions, and at your side to help you navigate the complexities.
The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing businesses in Canada. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. We are dedicated to helping your business protect its systems from threats – including those on the horizon. While you are thinking about ways to keep data safe, eliminate email hacks, and manage your IT in a way that makes sense for you, contact us and let’s work together to keep you running smoothly and safely.
Lessons from Data Breaches
/0 Comments/in Business Continuity, Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery, Email Security, Managed IT, Mobile Device Management /by James WagnerFailure to Patch
Too often, a breach occurs because an organization has delayed patching, leaving them vulnerable to hackers. This often happens because the organization does not have a dedicated IT staff, leaving one or more employees responsible for IT on top of their other duties. Those other duties – their “real” jobs – take priority and patching jobs get postponed.
Partnering with a managed services provider (MSP) can help solve this problem and extend the strength of your IT team, whether your team is a whole department, or one person assigned with additional responsibilities. An MSP ensures patches are installed in a timely manner, but they’re also there to monitor your network 24/7.
Human Error
Clicking links and opening attachments in emails that appear to come from within your organization or from a trusted vendor cause more data breaches than we can measure. It’s possible your organization has malware sitting on your network right now that has been introduced by an errant employee and has yet to have been detected.
While we can never completely remove human error from the equation, we can drastically reduce the number of email-related data breaches by:
Download The ITeam Email Security Guide; then discover how you can transform your employees from your weakest link to your first line of defense through security training.
Insider Attacks
Insider attacks don’t account for many data breaches, but they can be the most devastating simply because of the betrayal involved. According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, insider threats are on the rise, accounting for 34% of data breaches. In one case highlighted in the DBIR, a hacker admitted that when all other efforts failed, he bribed an employee to get him inside the network.
Preventing insider attacks can be difficult; they are often only discovered after the fact during forensic analysis– and often after the employee is long gone. But you can minimize the risk of insider threats by having multiple layers of security, strictly limiting employee and third-party access to data, and by conducting regular audits. Often, insider attacks come from former employees whose access to the network was not terminated; make it protocol to immediately revoke all access to employees who leave – whether they leave on good terms or not.
Poor Mobile Device Management
Mobile phones are being used to conduct business whether you authorize it or not, so your best bet for protecting your organization is to have a highly sophisticated MDM security plan in place that includes the following:
Data breaches are not going away, but you can minimize the risk to your organization with strong IT security and a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. You can’t just address one of these issues; you must have a comprehensive, proactive data security program that addresses all of these risks and more.
The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing businesses in Canada. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.
Calgary Organizations Need Strong IT Security
/0 Comments/in Dental IT, Energy IT, Legal IT, Managed IT, Small Business IT /by James WagnerDentists Need Strong IT Security
Dental practices are automating services – from payments to scheduling to patient charts – and the security required to protect the data and the gateways that allow access to the data is significant. Dental practices need strong IT security, as they are among those small businesses at which 43% of all cyber-attacks are aimed. And because dental practices and other healthcare facilities have special regulatory compliance requirements to protect patient data, IT security is more important than ever.
Lawyers Need Strong IT Security
From assessing the stability of your IT infrastructure to ensuring that client files and data are secure, attorney firms and solo practice lawyers need strong IT security to prevent theft of proprietary and confidential information. In a law office, everything is confidential; therefore, everything is at risk – from privileged client information to trade secrets to litigation tactics. Hackers are always looking for information they can exploit or sell.
Oil and Gas Companies Need Strong IT Security
In recent months, there have been a growing number of reports about hackers trying to penetrate the energy sector. The vulnerability of the energy industry goes beyond simply losing clients or disrupting business; cyber-attacks could wreak havoc on entire communities and threaten the safety of individuals. The need for IT security in the energy industry cannot be overstated.
Small Businesses Need Strong IT Security
Small businesses don’t have the budget to have an in-house IT staff, but SMEs face as much risk as larger corporations. The only way to level the playing field is to implement strong IT security. Luckily, managed services do level the playing field for small businesses in Canada, offering them access to competitive levels of expertise and security.
Whether you are a healthcare firm, an oil and gas company, a legal firm, or in one of the many other industries The ITeam supports, such as construction and accounting, Calgary organizations need strong IT security. The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing Canada businesses. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.
Will Email Bring Down Your Organization?
/0 Comments/in Business Continuity, Email Security /by James WagnerIn each case, the ransomware infection was preventable.
In each case, an employee clicked on a questionable link or downloaded a file in an email without verifying the origin.
U.S. Cities Aren’t the Only Targets for Ransomware
The University of Calgary paid a CAD 20,000 ransom after being attacked in 2016. In 2017 a major Canadian firm (that remained anonymous) paid over CAD 400,000 to decrypt files following a ransomware attack. Last year, two Ontario municipalities, Wasaga Beach and Midland, were victims of ransomware attacks. And just last month, the Mayor of Stratford, Ontario said, “Canadian municipalities are ‘sitting ducks’ for cyber terrorists,” after being targeted by an online ransomware attack.
No one is immune. But there is much that can be done to avoid falling victim to cybercrime.
STOP Clicking Links in Email
Email does not have to be the weak link in your security, but for many organizations – not just city governments – it is certainly the easiest point of access for hackers. All it takes is convincing one person to believe a message is real, move their mouse two inches, and click to release catastrophe. And even with so much more information available, so much urging from the cybersecurity community to employ zero trust, employees continue to click on links that are potentially deceitful.
STOP Downloading Files Sent by Email
In the case of one Florida city, an employee at the police department downloaded a file sent in an email that carried the Emotet trojan. It so crippled their systems that they were forced to issue paper citations for traffic violations; payroll direct deposit was impacted, and checks had to be issued on paper and handwritten.
STOP Paying Ransoms
Paying a ransom only motivates cybercriminals to continue because there is a payoff. The more that municipalities, colleges, and businesses give in to paying ransoms, the more likely it is that there will be more attacks – and the attacks are getting more sophisticated and complex. Hackers are taking more time to infiltrate systems, they are taking their time to launch attacks, and they use readily available information to more effectively trick email recipients into believing the emails are legitimate.
Train Your Employees
To thwart hackers and prevent ransomware from proliferating, we all need to change our tactics. We need to be more aggressive in training employees, more suspicious of every email, and less trusting that any link or attachment is safe. Ongoing training is essential to help employees recognize phishing attempts and email threats.
Heightened Vigilance Is Good but Not Enough
According to a report from StorageCraft, not all ransomware comes from email. Ransomware viruses can infect legitimate websites. Trend Micro reported that big sites such as msn.com, nytimes.com, aol.com, realtor.com, and newsweek.com were victims of attacks that attempted to download Cryptolocker ransomware and malware onto users’ computers. Even when your email security is at its best, there is still a risk.
Protect Your Data
If the worst happens and your IT infrastructure is infected with malware or ransomware and hackers demand a ransom, there is one way you can avoid paying: protect your data with regular, offsite backups, virtual machine backup and replication, and disaster recovery protection. Business continuity should not come with a $600,000 price tag in the form of a ransom. You can invest far less in comprehensive disaster recovery protection with your managed services provider and have peace of mind that even if a ransomware attack were to strike your organization, you could tell hackers NO when they demand a ransom.
Read Our Guide: How to Create an Effective Disaster Recovery Plan
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning is critical to all businesses, no matter their size. Every organization faces the real possibility of a catastrophic event that could compromise its data integrity and threaten its very existence. The ITeam provides essential IT support to businesses in Alberta. We provide fully managed and personalized services designed to meet the needs of virtually any business. Our team will work with you to customize a cost-effective solution and help you develop a comprehensive IT security strategy that will help you survive any threat, whether natural or human-caused. Get in touch.
Managed IT Services Increase Operational Efficiency
/0 Comments/in Managed IT /by James WagnerManaged IT services provide your organization access to the most experienced minds in IT without the added expense of another employee. For companies too small to have their own IT department, as well as mid-size and larger organizations that cannot justify the cost of a full-time C-level addition to their teams, an MSP can act as their IT department, work as an extension of their existing IT team, provide strategy consultation, and function as the CIO.
The benefits of managed IT services and partnering with an MSP are quantifiable. Not only can you measurably reduce risk and improve efficiency, but you can do so with a predictable, plannable monthly cost that is scalable as you grow.
Proactive Action
When you wait for network processes to slow down or for something to go wrong with your IT infrastructure, you are forced into a costly cycle of repairs that prevents you from investing and getting ahead. When you work with an MSP, they constantly monitor the state of your infrastructure and network, heading off issues and replacing equipment before it stops your business from operating.
Extend IT Expertise
Even companies with internal IT staff are often taxed beyond their capabilities in their efforts to keep up with demands – from monitoring for risks to ensuring compliance to keeping up with necessary patching – it can be overwhelming to have the responsibilities without the support necessary to stay ahead of the demands. In many organizations, the designated IT person actually has another role on top of their IT responsibilities, making it impossible for them to really meet the needs of the organization’s IT objectives.
Level the Playing Field
SMEs are expected (by their customers and other stakeholders) to maintain the same level of security and governance as their larger counterparts. That can be nearly impossible to achieve without an MSP, which forces SMEs to stretch their budgets and manage the costs involved with meeting compliance and reporting requirements and providing the security necessary to ease customers’ minds.
Remove Distraction
Organizations that are forced to be both experts in their industries, as well as IT experts, are often unable to successfully focus on either area adequately. An MSP frees you to focus on building your business, growing your brand, making sales, and cultivating clients – all while knowing that behind the scenes, your IT infrastructure is humming like a well-oiled machine.
Significantly Decrease Costs
From having to hire less internal IT support people to having a plannable, predictable monthly expense, an MSP is an investment with a measurable ROI. You gain access to state-of-the-art equipment, technology, and talent but without the associated costs.
24/7/365 Monitoring
24/7 monitoring can minimize the risks and help you stay one step ahead of hackers. Having a team of IT professionals on call 24/7 to provide you with the right IT support, products, and services does more than just offer added protection – it gives you peace of mind.
The ITeam’s Managed IT Services are designed to meet the needs of businesses in a variety of industries in Calgary. We act as a virtual CIO, partnering with our clients to help them meet their business goals and remain globally competitive. We assess their requirements, reviewing everything from network security, systems, and application patching, to comprehensive backup and recovery services. We provide fully managed and personalized services designed to meet the needs of virtually any business.
Our team will work with you to customize a cost-effective solution and help you develop a comprehensive IT security strategy that will help you survive any threat, whether natural or man-made. A managed service approach will also provide businesses with comprehensive security, customized backup and recovery solutions, and state-of-the-art cloud storage and hosting. Are you ready to take advantage of the many benefits of partnering with an MSP? Contact us today.