Tag Archives: IT Security

SHIELD Act a must for all businesses with NY residents as customers

August 5, 2019 Does your business have New York state residents as customers? Then you must take “reasonable” cybersecurity measures to protect any private information you collect or hold regarding those customers. A new law, called the “Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act” (SHIELD Act) took effect two weeks ago. The Albany Business Review reported that … Continue reading "SHIELD Act a must for all businesses with NY residents as customers" Read More

Small financial institutions need a virtual information security officer

August 4, 2019 Community Banks and Credit Unions face unceasing attacks on their security along with expanding government requirements and increasingly sophisticated consumer expectations. But for small- to medium-sized institutions, meeting all those demands may be near impossible. The budget may not be there for sufficient staff to tackle such demands. One person may be wearing too many … Continue reading "Small financial institutions need a virtual information security officer" Read More

Why GSRM Law relies on ImageQuest’s IT Compliance services

July 28, 2019 Nashville’s Gullett Sandford Robinson & Martin PLLC hired ImageQuest to provide IT Compliance services. GSRM’s Chief Operating Officer, M. Suzanne Hartness, was kind enough to explain why in this short video. GSRM has an IT department but it “lacked the bandwidth” to make sure GSRM was fully “buttoned up” with its security measures and compliance … Continue reading "Why GSRM Law relies on ImageQuest’s IT Compliance services" Read More

Preparation for data breach can save $1.2 million, study says

July 25, 2019 A new study by IBM and the Ponemon Institute shows the costs of data breaches continue to rise, in part because of increased regulation and “the complex process of resolving criminal attacks.” The study found breaches hit small and midsize businesses rather hard, with the average loss due to a breach costing more than $2.5 … Continue reading "Preparation for data breach can save $1.2 million, study says" Read More

Mayors Conference resolves to stop paying ransoms to hackers

July 18, 2019 In an effort to “de-incentivize” hackers attacking municipalities with an increasing amount of ransomware the U.S. Conference Mayors issued a resolution to stop paying ransoms. At least 170 county, city, or state government systems have experienced a ransomware attack since 2013, and that 22 of them had occurred so far this year, the mayors’ organization … Continue reading "Mayors Conference resolves to stop paying ransoms to hackers" Read More

Using data to understand customers comes with responsibilities

July 17, 2019 Using data to gather insights about your customers is the hot new thing. Everyone wants to understand their clients’ behavior to boost purchasing. But collecting data comes with responsibilities. There are regulations that will take a bite out of your business if you ignore them. And in our experience, regulators are cracking down on third-party … Continue reading "Using data to understand customers comes with responsibilities" Read More

Google’s virtual assistant recording requests and conversations

July 13, 2019 Google Home is recording you. Belgian public broadcaster VRT News posted a 12-minute video report on its site (with English subtitles) showing how Google Home is recording requests and other comments made in its presence. The story said Google Home records the comments for transcription by outside contractors and provided samples of the comments recorded. … Continue reading "Google’s virtual assistant recording requests and conversations" Read More

We recommend layered IT security. Here’s why.

July 3, 2019 Modern technology blends the convenience of speedy information access – and huge risks of being hacked. To protect your networks and critical systems, you need multiple layers of different IT security measures. Just as castle owners used multiple defensive measures to stop armed invaders centuries ago, modern technology today also requires multiple defensive tactics to … Continue reading "We recommend layered IT security. Here’s why." Read More

CISA warns U.S. businesses of potential Iranian cyber attacks

June 24, 2019 The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned U.S. businesses Saturday that Iranian cyber attacks are on the rise. The announcement follows a rise in tensions between Iran and the U.S. The cyber attacks, according to CISA Director Christopher C. Krebs, go beyond the typical data breach or account theft. … Continue reading "CISA warns U.S. businesses of potential Iranian cyber attacks" Read More

Study finds workers emotionally attached to weak passwords

June 19, 2019 Have you encountered this person? They sit through your cybersecurity training at work, learn that their chosen passwords are weak, easily guessable, and put your network at risk. Yet they continue to use them. There’s a study out now that says these folks cling to their bad passwords for two reasons. One is that humans … Continue reading "Study finds workers emotionally attached to weak passwords" Read More

Phishing “kits” – now available as template collections on the Dark Web

June 16, 2019 Hackers now sell collections of website templates that are near-perfect copies of brand websites, Akamai Technologies reports. The collections - and phishing "kits" - are coming out so fast new ones are developed within hours, a top company researcher says. Read More

WannaCry ransomware still out there, attacking healthcare, manufacturing

June 10, 2019 Healthcare and manufacturing organizations with unpatched legacy systems are still at risk from the ransomware known as WannaCry. You may think a security researcher activated a killswitch in the malware code, and that was the end of WannaCry. But WannaCry is still out there, being used in attacks. Citing a report from a security firm, … Continue reading "WannaCry ransomware still out there, attacking healthcare, manufacturing" Read More