Category Archives: Vigilant

Improve Your Tech IQ: What is Single Sign-On?

August 13, 2021 Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method that gives users access to multiple applications after a single login. The multiple services must be related to gain access. A well-known example is when you sign in to Google. Once you sign in to Google, you can access your Gmail, YouTube, Drive, and other accounts. With Microsoft … Continue reading "Improve Your Tech IQ: What is Single Sign-On?" Read More

Two helping ImageQuest improve delivery of client services

August 13, 2021 We continue to improve our delivery of client services as we grow. That includes hiring more IT professionals, such as Edelyn Gonzaga and Tyler Nicholson. Edelyn is an overnight systems administrator for us. Edelyn responds to and resolves network alerts. She also conducts “health checks” on client systems. Edelyn is based in the Philippines, near … Continue reading "Two helping ImageQuest improve delivery of client services" Read More

Federal cybersecurity fails to protect U.S. citizens’ information

August 13, 2021 You may be outraged when you read the latest bipartisan U.S. Senate report on federal cybersecurity. In a nutshell, the report released earlier this month says U.S. federal agencies took “minimal” steps to tighten cybersecurity problems found two years ago. The failure to act leaves U.S. citizens vulnerable to foreign countries stealing our information and … Continue reading "Federal cybersecurity fails to protect U.S. citizens’ information" Read More

Banking regulators working to align Vendor Management requirements

August 4, 2021 Banking regulators may make their  requirements governing banks’ use of vendors for services and products a little easier if proposed risk management guidance is approved. The guidance “harmonizes” Vendor Management requirements among the Federal Reserve Board (Board), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Currently all three … Continue reading "Banking regulators working to align Vendor Management requirements" Read More

SEC cracking down on vendor cybersecurity measures

July 31, 2021 Doing business with a publicly-traded company? You’d better be sure your cybersecurity measures are up to date. In the wake of several so-called supply chain breaches (think SolarWinds or Kaseya), public company boards are feeling pressure from auditors to dig deep into their vendors’ security practices. It’s no longer a casual “check the boxes” task. … Continue reading "SEC cracking down on vendor cybersecurity measures" Read More

NSA, CISA, UK warn of Russian brute force attacks on networks

July 12, 2021 Do you work for, or have as a customer: Government agencies, the U.S. military, defense contractors, energy companies, higher education, logistics companies, law firms, media companies, political consultants, political parties, or think tanks? Then cybersecurity needs to be your organization’s top priority. Russia’s military intelligence unit (familiarly GRU) is using brute force attacks to break … Continue reading "NSA, CISA, UK warn of Russian brute force attacks on networks" Read More

Ransomware attacks pummeling cyber insurance industry

July 6, 2021 Have you experienced sticker shock with your cyber insurance renewal? Been unable to complete an insurer’s security questionnaire? Even been denied renewal of your policy? All this is happening as insurers stagger under the weight of growing ransomware claims. Ransomware attacks are soaring. Last year, reported ransomware attacks increased 400 percent, according to the Associated … Continue reading "Ransomware attacks pummeling cyber insurance industry" Read More

O365 – No reason to share passwords

June 10, 2021 There’s no reason to share passwords any more to provide access to a corporate email account. That’s right – whether it’s a generic company email address, such as billing@company.com, or an executive’s email, there’s a more secure method available in Office 365 (M365) you should use. What’s more – doing it our way can save … Continue reading "O365 – No reason to share passwords" Read More

Biden urges private companies to protect against ransomware

June 4, 2021 The Biden administration Wednesday urged private U.S. companies to take five key steps to protect against ransomware. These are best practices most likely to reduce an organization’s risk of succumbing to a ransomware attack. Our clients are very familiar with these five steps. They are: One of the key measures missing from this request is … Continue reading "Biden urges private companies to protect against ransomware" Read More

Don’t plan on paying to recover from ransomware

May 26, 2021 Q: What’s worse than having your systems encrypted by ransomware? A: Discovering hackers used two different strains of ransomware, meaning your data is double-encrypted. Yes, this nightmare is out there, according to a recent Wired article. The article cites cases where combinations of  REvil and Netwalker malware, as well as MedusaLocker and GlobalImposter ransomware combinations, … Continue reading "Don’t plan on paying to recover from ransomware" Read More

Meet a Cybercriminal – Kim Il

May 21, 2021 Kim Il, 27, is a North Korean U.S. prosecutors say is a member of APT38, a group of hackers working for the North Korean government. APT stands for “Advanced Persistent Threat.” APT38 is also known as “Lazarus Group.” Kim and his colleagues allegedly focus on earning money for North Korea’s sanctioned government through their hacking. … Continue reading "Meet a Cybercriminal – Kim Il" Read More

Ransomware payments may add U.S. sanctions to your costs

May 21, 2021 Did you know – the U.S. Treasury Department has warned that making ransomware payments could bring sanctions on your organization. The warning also applies to banks and insurance companies, as well as firms negotiating the payments. This is because ransomware can come from a sanctioned country or bad actor. For example, one U.S. sanctioned country, … Continue reading "Ransomware payments may add U.S. sanctions to your costs" Read More