by Felicien | Jun 28, 2018 | Education
2018 Top Cybercrime Facts and Why You Should Care
2017 saw some of the most devastating high-profile cyber attacks in the history of business. This happened despite tech giants constantly releasing security patches and updates. As the number of such attacks continues to rise, 2018 requires businesses of all sizes to be even more prepared given that cyber-criminals are not often selective when choosing their targets.
Below are some startling cybercrime facts that should inform your approach to cybersecurity in 2018 and beyond.
A hacker attacks an internet-connected computer every 39 seconds in the US.
The University of Maryland’s Clark School recently found that that 1 in every 3 Americans has already been on the receiving end of a cyber-attack.
While this statistic may apply to the United States, your business does not have to be located there for you to care. Cybercriminals exist on the World Wide Web and do not discriminate their targets based on geographies when perpetrating their crime. So, you can never really tell when you’re going to be targeted.
1 in 5 businesses faced at least 25-hours’ downtime from ransomware attacks in 2017.
Ransomware is the form of malware (malicious software) that a bad actor injects into your computer enabling them to take control of your system, denying you access to your data and threatening you with harm unless you pay up. The attacker usually demands a ransom in exchange for access to your files, even though, in some instances, the criminals do not fully grant access. Paying the ransom doesn’t always guarantee that everything will be restored.
A survey by Osterman Research found that ransomware attacks were the most common in 2017, leading to massive losses to businesses from the inflicted downtime. Many businesses had to shut down their systems for extended periods of time – up to 100 hours or longer.
Small to medium-sized businesses are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
The number of SMBs that experienced a cyber-attack over the course of 2017 was 61 percent. This number was 55 percent in the previous year. Approximately 54 percent of these organizations lost employee and customer data due to cyber theft.
This information is consistent with a separate survey that found smaller organizations to be increasingly targeted because of their tendency to discover security breaches late. Small Business Trends reports that the percentage of cyber-attacks targeting small organizations rose from 15 to 43 percent of total attacks between 2011 and 2015. Smaller businesses and organizations tend to have fewer cybersecurity resources, hence are a favorite target for ransomware and crypto-jacking attacks.
Most threats emanate from the employees.
The human element within organizations remains the main point of weakness as far as cyber security is concerned. Negligent employees or contractors result in up to 54 percent of all data breaches. This is up from 48 percent the year before, according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 report on the State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-sized Businesses.
Cybercriminals frequently target the workforce with malicious emails and websites which an employee may easily click on, setting themselves up for malware attacks.
One recommended way to mitigate these kinds of threats is to train employees to practice some level of cybersecurity housekeeping. This can include simple acts such as logging out of their systems, not logging into company databases from unsecured Wi-Fi, as well as keeping their passwords secret.
Reminding employees of the importance of such good cybersecurity practices can go a long way in staving off ransomware and other cyber threats.
Global toll of ransomware attacks hit $5 billion in 2017.
Estimates indicate that the cost of ransomware damage reached $5 billion in 2017, which is more than 15 times the cost incurred in 2015; barely two years earlier. Businesses experience massive losses in downtime, related fines, and productivity losses. The actual amount of the ransom you pay only comprises a fraction of this overall cost.
The annual cost of cybercrime projected to reach $6 trillion by 2021.
The global toll of cybercrime damage is estimated to hit a whopping $6 trillion annually by 2021. This is because state-sponsored hacking and organized crime are projected to rise steeply making cybercrime more profitable compared to the worldwide drug trade. Unlike drug traffickers, cyber-criminals are difficult to catch and rarely are punished for their crimes.
Cybercrime continues to become more lucrative, making it more appealing to prospective and current perpetrators. And with the growing sophistication of the tech world, you can expect the tactics that cybercriminals use to evolve.
What can be done?
Expert assessments hold that organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity through some very basic measures. These foundational steps can readily be implemented.
Since most of the successful cyber attacks exploit the human element, plugging this loophole can work for both small and big companies alike. Start by educating your personnel about the cybersecurity Dos and Don’ts through such simple acts as putting up memos around the office with messages such as “do not share your password with anyone” or “log out the system when you finish.” Ask a local IT expert to come out and speak to your employees about the importance of cybersecurity.
Adopt the use of more secure emerging technologies.
Organizations that use various emerging solutions that are more hardwired to withstand cyber threats, such as Microsoft Office 365 products, report better protection against cyber-attacks. In light of the increasing cyber threats, consider using solutions that can not only detect existing threats, but also pre-empt, investigate, and respond to new threats even before they are executed. Most experts agree that the proactive approach to cybersecurity is the best way to go.
by Felicien | Jun 28, 2018 | Education
A foolproof guide for increasing efficiency in Excel
Excel often gets a bad rap. It is misunderstood as the groan-inducing, spreadsheet monster with tricky-to-navigate features. However, the truth about Excel lies in the user’s commitment to making the most out of the feature-rich platform. If we put aside Excel’s tedious reputation, creating step-by-step guides for mastering Excel efficiency really is a no-brainer.
The Marvelous Macro: How Macros Make Your Life Easier
What better place to start than by creating a macro in Excel. Creating a macro is hands-down the best possible way for users to automate repetitive tasks and get tedious work done more efficiently. Can you think of something that you or one of your team members does repeatedly in Excel? Whether it’s data entry or calculations, creating a macro can help streamline team processes and seriously boost productivity.
Basically, a macro lets you record an action or series of actions that can then be run repeatedly as needed. The creation of a macro is essentially a duplication of some specific set of mouse clicks and keystrokes, which gets recorded and saved to help you work smarter not harder. The best part about macros? They’re completely customizable. Once you’ve created your macro, you can make tweaks and edits to ensure they work just the way you want them to.
Productivity Game Changer: Working Smarter Not Harder with Excel
When you think about it, this is a game-changer that’s super easy to implement. Consider this. Perhaps one of your team members creates daily, weekly or monthly reports for managers, customers or other staff members. The creation of these reports, on a repetitive basis, can be extremely tedious when done manually each time. This results in long completion times and a huge decline in morale for your tied-up workers.
Creating an Excel macro for projects like these helps keep your team moving forward while still staying on top of boring, yet mission-critical reports. An Excel macro can be tailored to help workers format names, color-coded report data, and customize formatting and presentation. The macro can then be run and applied to any selected cells, meaning monotonous tasks really do become as easy as the click-of-a-mouse.
How to Create a Macro in Excel – A Fool-Proof Guide
Alright, ready to cut to the chase? How exactly can you and your team start taking advantage of the Excel macro feature in hopes of improving productivity, efficiency, and morale? Check out the fool-proof step-by-step guide below.
Creating a Macro in Excel
Initial Steps
Before you record a macro, you must ensure the Developer tab is visible on the ribbon. As a default, Excel keeps the Developer tab hidden. In order to get it front and center, complete the following steps:
Go to Excel > Preferences > Ribbon & Toolbar
Under the Main Tabs list, select the Customize the Ribbon
Then, select the check box beside Developer and then click
Record Your Macro
You’re now ready to record your series of actions to create your macro. With your desired keystrokes and mouse-clicks in mind, follow these steps to record your macro:
Under the Developer tab, select Record Macro.
If you wish, enter a name for the macro in the Macro Name
Enter a shortcut key in the Shortcut Key
Enter a description in the Description
Select OK to start recording.
Carefully perform the series of actions you wish to automate.
Once you’ve finished the sequential actions, select the Developer tab from the Code group and select Stop Recording.
Fine Tuning Your Macro
In order to make the most out of your creation, be sure to check out the different ways you can customize and edit your macro. To edit a recorded macro, follow these steps:
Under the Developer tab, click
Select the name of the macro you wish to customize and choose
This will open the Visual Basic Editor. Here, you can witness how your recorded actions play out as macro code.
This is where the creativity comes in. Experiment with your code, then close the editor to run your macro again. Tweak and customize as much as you wish until the macro is running just as you envisioned.
Back to Basics: Reaping the Productivity Benefits Already Built into Your Infrastructure
It’s that simple! Suddenly, your team members have a more streamlined and efficient way of completing even the most tedious of Excel tasks. This means increased productivity, a boost in morale and a more efficient team overall. By keeping your team moving and productive, you keep your team occupied and happy, which can only have positive impacts on your day-to-day operations and ultimately, on your bottom line.
In an increasingly crowded marketplace of digital productivity solutions, it can become easy to get lost in the shuffle and postpone the mastering of your operational pains. However, when professionals remember to get back to basics, a world of difference can be discovered.
Excel has been on the scene for decades and Microsoft is working all the time to optimize features and prioritize user experience.
By paying attention to what your existing digital infrastructure can do for your business, professionals can save time, money, and frustration. Good leaders understand the trials their employees endure each day. Any organization can make solid improvements without subscribing to new or trending efficiency solutions.
IT experts know that helping professionals make better use of their existing infrastructure is a core part of the managed-service mission. Professionals don’t need all the very latest tools and gadgets to help their team navigate technology more productively. They simply need to learn how to maximize those tools they’re already using.
With a humble and level-headed approach, a strategic IT partner will be committed to helping every client make better use of what they have and become the masters of their own tech infrastructure.
If you’re looking to get a better handle on the tech resources your team uses daily, don’t hesitate to reach out to a team of IT experts for advice and consultation. One phone call can put your company on the path to revamping your existing infrastructure and mastering operational needs.
by Felicien | Jun 28, 2018 | Education
Common Security Threats and How Microsoft Security Helps Mitigate Them
Advanced modern technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization have completely revolutionized the workforce. Remote working arrangements have now become increasingly commonplace. Along with this advancement is an expanded network footprint characterized by myriads of virtualized workloads. This includes personal devices and computers that represent multiple points of connectivity as well as potential vulnerabilities.
In the middle of all this, we find every organization’s weakest link as far as cyber security is concerned: the human element. Untrained employees, who comprise a huge percentage of the workforce in most organizations, will readily click malicious URLs or browse suspicious websites. All without realizing that they may be enabling malicious scripts to run and allowing weaponized documents to get past their systems’ standard defenses.
Bad actors are well aware of these human tendencies and are always out to exploit them in dozens of different ways. This represents a few of the numerous ways in which organizations are susceptible to potential cyber-attacks.
Attack vectors that commonly lead to data leaks within organizations
Security threats within an organization can originate from within the organization or from outside.
Internal threat
The threat originates from within the organization itself and includes acts of espionage or various methods of employee data theft.
External sharing of sensitive information
In some instances, a competitor or some other party interested in the company’s data can approach an employee and offer them payment in exchange for sensitive, privileged information.
Compromised employees or industrial spies may share sensitive data with outsiders. They pose a serious internal threat to data security.
Lost device(s)
With mobile or remote employees, a lost device may fall into the hands of anyone who can then access their files and download them for use in any harmful way.
Mobile employees, especially cloud users, may also attempt to log into the company’s database remotely from an unknown PC. If the PC is infected, this can seriously compromise the security of the data itself.
External threat
This threat is initiated by forces from outside the organization and often exploits various weaknesses in the data security system or network infrastructure. Unintentional data leakage can occur through any of the following:
Phishing attack
Phishing refers to the fraudulent attempt by bad actors to obtain sensitive information including usernames, passwords, and sometimes credit card data – depending on the intentions of the attacker. They often do this by disguising themselves as a trustworthy party in electronic communication methods such as emails.
Normally, the data thief creates a Web page replicating an existing one to trick a user into submitting their personal, financial, or login details that the cybercriminal can then use for illicit purposes.
In many cases, the untrained individual receives an email from what appears to be a reliable source asking for reauthentication. Upon clicking the link and providing the requested information – often a username and password – this individual allows the attacker to infect their machine with malware. The cyber-thief may additionally be able to steal the individual’s identity.
Once an employee’s device is compromised, the attack can spread throughout the organization in any of the following forms.
Internal sharing of malware
Through an infected device, an attacker can spread the malware throughout the organization’s network. They may be able to access various databases to which the victim has privileged access. They can then steal whatever data they want once the network is compromised.
Identity theft
With stolen credentials, an attacker will have unrestricted access to sensitive information while disguised as an employee. A stolen identity gives the bad actor an easy way into the organization’s network. Once inside, they can set about moving around, searching for sensitive information to steal while impersonating a legitimate user.
How Microsoft Security increases your protection against these threats
Microsoft has multiple ways in which it can increase your protection against various threat scenarios at different levels. For starters, there is the Windows Defender Antivirus program which could block known threats on user’s devices.
Microsoft also has the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection program that can detect, investigate, and respond to new or unknown threats using the power of AI – eventually mitigating the infection on personal devices.
Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection allows for a reputation check, making sure that the URLs you’re clicking on are legitimate. This can be a great way to safeguard employees from phishing attacks.
This also comes with Multifactor Authentication that is specifically designed to prevent hackers from logging in to the potential victim’s account. This is a perfect way to protect users from identity theft. Requiring the device to be compliant also helps prevent the spread of malware from one infected device to another.
Cloud Protection
Microsoft has the Office 365 Cloud App Security which spots abnormal behavior. This means it can prevent intentional data leakage and seal off that loophole.
To protect the data itself, Microsoft has Azure Information Protection which allows for policy controls to be put in place ensuring that only certain people can view these files.
Intune, a security management tool, also allows users to create conditional access rules in their device around the data itself. This ensures the safety of data in the case of a lost device or attempted login from unknown PCs. An untrusted device wouldn’t be able to access files protected by Intune.
Conclusion
With these protection metrics, Microsoft 365 is the go-to solution for any organization. These security measures work to safeguard your network from various security threats by preventing, controlling, detecting, and responding to any threat scenario.
by Felicien | Jun 28, 2018 | Education
Exploring strategies for understanding and responding to online gaming addiction
It’s no secret that professionals across the healthcare and technology industries have been scratching their heads about online gaming for years. More and more, professionals – particularly in the healthcare sector – have developed a growing concern about just how impactful online gaming can be – especially for the smartphone generation.
For modern youth who spend an increasing amount of time plugged into laptops and smartphones, professionals worry that the allure of online gaming can result in a downright addiction—an addiction that results in irrational cravings and an uncontrollable need to keep playing.
There’s no doubt that just like with any other addiction, this type of compulsive online game use can have serious detrimental consequences in the real lives of over-users. A strong compulsion for internet games can have negative impacts on youth relationships, schooling, and employment, in addition to their physical and mental health. That’s why, healthcare professionals across the globe are emphasizing the need to recognize over-gaming for what it is – a behavioral addiction.
Concerns Take Effect: World Health Organization Declares Gaming Disorder as Classified Disease
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that ‘gaming disorder’ will be officially recognized under their International Classification of Diseases. This is an incredibly significant move by the WHO and the formal classification will greatly improve awareness and understanding of the disorder. Further, with a formal classification, impacted youth and families will have more options for treatment, help, and funding.
The official WHO classification defines online gaming addiction as such:
“…impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation of escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
Thanks to this informed decision by the WHO, families looking for more serious and dynamic treatment options will have global support behind them. This means the opening up of spots for gaming addicts at inpatient clinics and long-term rehabilitation facilities.
Keeping a Watchful Eye: Is Your Child Showing Signs of Gaming Addiction?
Understandably, the WHO announcement has many parents giving a second thought about their own children’s online habits. Young kids play video games – this is not a new phenomenon and games are not inherently dangerous to kids. However, there are key warning signs to be on the lookout for if you’re concerned your child’s gaming borders on over-use or addiction.
Check out these top 4 warning signs to ensure your child’s game use isn’t out of control:
1. Preoccupation & Compulsion
Does your child spend all their time playing a specific game or set of games? Do they have a hard time talking about anything else when they are offline? If your child seems to have a compulsive need to log on and play or if they can’t seem to think or talk about anything else, gaming addiction could be present.
2. Over Spending Time & Money
Are you constantly catching your child red-eyed and up way past a normal bedtime, playing an online game? Does your child have a habit of overspending their money or yours on video-game related purchases? If all your child’s time and money are being directed toward their game use, they could be suffering from gaming addiction.
3. Erratic Emotions
Does your child get irrationally emotional when they are unable to access or play their game? Do they get very defensive when you question them about their game use? Does your child have strong emotional reactions when they aren’t doing well in their game? If you notice that your child’s emotions are hard to regulate and seem to spike and drop based on gaming outcomes, it may be time to get professional help.
4. Neglecting Other Areas of Life
Has your child recently seen their grades drop? Does your child often ask to stay home sick from school just to spend the day playing games? Does your child neglect their part-time job, friendships, or extra-curricular activities in order to game? If so, your child is likely struggling with a serious addiction to gaming.
A Playbook for Parents: How to Curb the Risk of Gaming Addiction in Your Kids
All of this information is understandably worrisome for parents – especially as the younger generations become more and more reliant on technology for occupation and entertainment. That’s why, no matter how frightening gaming addiction seems, there are always concrete strategies for parents and kids to rely on, in hopes of stopping addiction in its tracks.
Check out these strategies for managing gaming addiction:
1. Recognize the Cravings
First things first, there has to be an acknowledgment of a problem. Understanding that your child has compulsive cravings for a game will help remind both you and them that this is a disorder. Recognize when the cravings to play happen and try to get to the root cause.
2. Get Active, Get Outside, Reconnect with Friends
Encourage your child to physically move their body. Exercise or team sports are a great way to get positive endorphins pumping. Encourage your child to spend time with friends, go outside, and become more active. This can be a great first step in breaking the cycle of addictive behavior.
3. Be Aware of Viral Games
For today’s social media generation, a new game can go viral in no time at all. This is a huge trigger for kids who have a tendency to get addicted quickly. With all their friends talking about how awesome a new game is, kids will want to see what all the hype is about. Knowing what to look for is half the battle, so make sure to keep an eye on new games that are sweeping kids up in a viral tornado.
4. Be Firm
No one likes giving tough love – especially when we know our kids are struggling. But unfortunately, tough love will be required in the fight against gaming addiction. There will be times when your child is begging you to play for just one more hour. They may get nasty and try to disobey your rules. Do your best to remain firm.
5. Enlist Tech Help
In the struggle to face gaming addiction head-on, it may be helpful to install some kind of parental controls, making it harder for your kids to spend unattended time online. There are various tools available to block sites and monitor your children’s internet use so you can make sure their habits aren’t out of control.
No matter what approach you take, staying in-tune with your kids’ gaming habits and internet use is a noble task for all parents. The world our children are growing up in is increasingly digital and they’re faced with countless games and apps to avert their attention and get them hooked. Parents need not snatch away the smart-phone every time, but they do need to stay on high alert to make sure tech use doesn’t escalate into compulsion and addiction.
If you’re worried about your child’s online gaming or internet use and aren’t sure how to get better control of the issue, why not reach out to a local team of IT experts. IT professionals are well-versed in a variety of solutions that will help you better monitor and manage your kid’s online activities.
You don’t have to ban the internet completely, but you shouldn’t ignore the issue either. Consult a local team of tech specialists to help find a happy medium that will keep your kids healthy, safe, and connected.
by Felicien | Jun 27, 2018 | Education
Common Security Threats and How Microsoft Security Helps Mitigate Them
Advanced modern technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization have completely revolutionized the workforce. Remote working arrangements have now become increasingly commonplace. Along with this advancement is an expanded network footprint characterized by myriads of virtualized workloads. This includes personal devices and computers that represent multiple points of connectivity as well as potential vulnerabilities.
In the middle of all this, we find every organization’s weakest link as far as cyber security is concerned: the human element. Untrained employees, who comprise a huge percentage of the workforce in most organizations, will readily click malicious URLs or browse suspicious websites. All without realizing that they may be enabling malicious scripts to run and allowing weaponized documents to get past their systems’ standard defenses.
Bad actors are well aware of these human tendencies and are always out to exploit them in dozens of different ways. This represents a few of the numerous ways in which organizations are susceptible to potential cyber-attacks.
Attack vectors that commonly lead to data leaks within organizations
Security threats within an organization can originate from within the organization or from outside.
Internal threat
The threat originates from within the organization itself and includes acts of espionage or various methods of employee data theft.
External sharing of sensitive information
In some instances, a competitor or some other party interested in the company’s data can approach an employee and offer them payment in exchange for sensitive, privileged information.
Compromised employees or industrial spies may share sensitive data with outsiders. They pose a serious internal threat to data security.
Lost device(s)
With mobile or remote employees, a lost device may fall into the hands of anyone who can then access their files and download them for use in any harmful way.
Mobile employees, especially cloud users, may also attempt to log into the company’s database remotely from an unknown PC. If the PC is infected, this can seriously compromise the security of the data itself.
External threat
This threat is initiated by forces from outside the organization and often exploits various weaknesses in the data security system or network infrastructure. Unintentional data leakage can occur through any of the following:
Phishing attack
Phishing refers to the fraudulent attempt by bad actors to obtain sensitive information including usernames, passwords, and sometimes credit card data – depending on the intentions of the attacker. They often do this by disguising themselves as a trustworthy party in electronic communication methods such as emails.
Normally, the data thief creates a Web page replicating an existing one to trick a user into submitting their personal, financial, or login details that the cybercriminal can then use for illicit purposes.
In many cases, the untrained individual receives an email from what appears to be a reliable source asking for reauthentication. Upon clicking the link and providing the requested information – often a username and password – this individual allows the attacker to infect their machine with malware. The cyber thief may additionally be able to steal the individual’s identity.
Once an employee’s device is compromised, the attack can spread throughout the organization in any of the following forms.
Internal sharing of malware
Through an infected device, an attacker can spread the malware throughout the organization’s network. They may be able to access various databases to which the victim has privileged access. They can then steal whatever data they want once the network is compromised.
Identity theft
With stolen credentials, an attacker will have unrestricted access to sensitive information while disguised as an employee. A stolen identity gives the bad actor an easy way into the organization’s network. Once inside, they can set about moving around, searching for sensitive information to steal while impersonating a legitimate user.
How Microsoft Security increases your protection against these threats
Microsoft has multiple ways in which it can increase your protection against various threat scenarios at different levels. For starters, there is the Windows Defender Antivirus program which could block known threats on user’s devices.
Microsoft also has the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection program that can detect, investigate, and respond to new or unknown threats using the power of AI – eventually mitigating the infection on personal devices.
Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection allows for a reputation check, making sure that the URLs you’re clicking on are legitimate. This can be a great way to safeguard employees from phishing attacks.
This also comes with Multifactor Authentication that is specifically designed to prevent hackers from logging in to the potential victim’s account. This is a perfect way to protect users from identity theft. Requiring the device to be compliant also helps prevent the spread of malware from one infected device to another.
Cloud Protection
Microsoft has the Office 365 Cloud App Security which spots abnormal behavior. This means it can prevent intentional data leakage and seal off that loophole.
To protect the data itself, Microsoft has Azure Information Protection which allows for policy controls to be put in place ensuring that only certain people can view these files.
Intune, a security management tool, also allows users to create conditional access rules in their device around the data itself. This ensures the safety of data in the case of a lost device or attempted login from unknown PCs. An untrusted device wouldn’t be able to access files protected by Intune.
Conclusion
With these protection metrics, Microsoft 365 is the go-to solution for any organization. These security measures work to safeguard your network from various security threats by preventing, controlling, detecting, and responding to any threat scenario.
