Don’t Make a Bad Situation Even Worse.  Beware of Equifax Scams.  

by Felicien | Sep 22, 2017 | Education

The Equifax breach was bad enough. Read about the most common Equifax-related scams to keep from being a victimized twice.

Over 143 million US residents have a reason to worry about the fallout of this year’s Equifax hack. As we all try to sort out how this massive breach has affected us, there are new dangers on the horizon. Consumers from all over the country are reporting an increasing number of Equifax-related scams that attempt to take advantage of the hacker’s victims.
I strongly suggest that our clients take the necessary steps to minimize exposure to this breach. Whether you sign up for aggressive credit monitoring or freezing credit reports, it’s important to take action to keep a bad situation from getting worse by recognizing Equifax scams.
Common Equifax Scams to Avoid
Fake Help Scam
Don’t trust anyone who contacts you out-of-the-blue offering to protect you from the Equifax breach. Many consumers report getting phone calls from people pretending to work for Equifax. Once the scammers convince the target that they’re from Equifax, they explain Equifax is helping vulnerable individuals sign up for credit monitoring. But before the target can sign up, he needs to verify personal information.
This scam has a high potential to trick many people, specifically because Equifax publicly promised to provide free credit monitoring for all US residents. A similar scam involves conmen posing as employees of another credit monitoring service.
If you receive a call like this, hang up instantly. Equifax won’t contact customers by phone. While Equifax did promise to provide credit monitoring, you need to sign up yourself.
Don’t let a scammer trick you into giving up your sensitive information. And just because your Caller ID says the phone call is coming from Equifax or another well-known company, it doesn’t mean you can believe it. Spammers can spoof your Caller ID to confuse you. Remember, you can check for yourself on the Equifax’s website to determine if you’re at risk because of the hack. If you are, you can sign up for their free credit monitoring for a limited time.
Tax Refund Fraud
Most people don’t realize that an identity thief can file a false tax return using their stolen information. After all, the IRS is part of the government—Don’t they keep records to prevent this thing from happening? While the IRS does maintain records on US taxpayers, they don’t scrutinize every tax return before sending out a refund check.  By the time you realize someone stole your identity, the thieves are long gone. Now you’re faced with the difficult task of explaining what happened to the IRS.
With the popularity of eFiling, the IRS saw an increase in the number of identity crimes relating to tax returns.  The good news is that this number has declined during the last few years. In 2015, there were over 700,000 reported cases of people filing tax returns using stolen identities—But in 2016, the number fell to 377,000.  This was due to tougher security checks, and people working with tax preparers to minimize fraud. However, tax experts expect an increase in the number of fraudulent tax returns this year due to the enormous amount of personal information hacks stole in the Equifax breach.
One of the best ways to protect yourself from being a victim of a tax return scam is to file your taxes as soon as possible. Once the IRS receives your tax return for the year, any subsequent tax returns it receives won’t be processed.
Spear-phishing Scams
A phishing scam is an attempt by a fraudster to persuade you to reveal useful information. I am sure there isn’t a week that goes by when you haven’t opened your inbox and discovered at least one phishing scam. These types of emails are usually easy to spot and don’t cost people much more than a momentary delay while they delete them. However, there’s a deadlier version of a phishing scam circulating—It’s called spear phishing.
A spear-phishing scam is similar to a regular phishing scam, but it’s a lot more sophisticated. These scams are extremely dangerous because the scammer customizes the email for each victim. Instead of using generic information, like in a regular phishing email, a spear-phishing email includes real information, the same type hackers stole during the Equifax breach.  In this way, they convince a victim that the email is legitimate. Spear-phishing emails can include your name, the names of your friends or coworkers, your place of employment, or even your current purchases or available credit.
Since spear-phishing scams are difficult to recognize, I tell my clients to never click links from inside an email.  Always type the name of the website in a browser to verify that it’s trustworthy. And, be especially careful when dealing with emails that ask for private information. The best way to remain safe is to never send sensitive information via email. Instead, contact the sender of the email by telephone to make sure the correct person really requested the information from you.
The Equifax hack should serve as a wake-up call for many business owners.  Take a second look at the way your business handles data. Make sure your company has a properly designed data security plan, and that your staff knows how to reduce the risk of data loss by conducting frequent training throughout the year. Feel free to contact me to find out if your data is secure.

Stay Ahead of Your Competition with The Digital Trends of the Future.  

by Felicien | Sep 22, 2017 | Education

Are you afraid of new technology disrupting the way you do business? Don’t be. These three tech trends will completely change the way people do business by 2027—And for the better. 

Technology changes, but what it takes to run a successful business never does. The most capable business owners are the ones who have the foresight to adopt new ideas and to adapt to different ways of doing things.
{company} helps our clients use advances in technology to build their companies and to help them reach their personal and business goals. We believe the best way to grow any business is keeping one eye future while working hard today.
We’re living during a time of rapid innovation when it’s close to impossible to catch your breath between each new extraordinary development. Although it’s true that tech trends come and go, we believe these three technologies are here to stay—And they just might change the way you do business five or ten years down the road.
Three Digital Trends That Will Influence Tomorrow’s Business World

Artificial Intelligence.

Embrace it or fear it, AI is coming—And it’s going to alter everything. Already, AI programs have the capability to beat human players in games like Go and DOTA 2. While that may seem impressive, within the next ten years, the abilities of companies to harness the power of AI is going to be something to behold.
When you hear the term. “AI”, don’t imagine Andrew Martin, the android from “The Bicentennial Man”, or even HAL 9000 from “Space Odyssey. Instead, picture a powerful computer with the capability of self-monitoring and correction. This is the type of AI that will have the ability to increase productivity by completing tasks and helping humans to make better decisions. They will do this in part by analyzing the big data most corporations have been collecting for years—And, AI will do it better and more quickly than any human ever could.
Companies will come to depend on AI to make major (and minor) business decisions from the best way to market products, to making extremely accurate predictions regarding financial markets.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented and virtual reality is just now on the cusp of what these technologies will become in the future. Virtual reality (VR) is the technology that most are familiar with–However, augmented reality (AR) holds more promise for businesses.
As you probably already know, VR creates a fully simulated environment by using computers much in the same way as the holodeck from Star Trek. AR. It lets a user see the real, physical world but creates and superimposes images on top of it. A popular example of this technology is the Pokémon GO game.
Within ten years, companies will be able to take advantage of both technologies in a variety of ways. Virtual reality is a natural for immersive training scenarios, virtual meetings, and inspections, or for walking a client through a computer-generated model of a home. Augmented reality will let consumers “see” how they’ll look in an outfit, or if a new sofa will look good in their apartment before ordering it.
However, this technology offers more important capabilities. The real power of AR won’t be completely realized until technicians can use it to guide them through a critical repair, or doctors to perform delicate, life-saving surgeries.
The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) will radically influence almost every aspect of the way large companies do business within the next ten years.
But what is the IoT? It’s a network of physical objects that constantly interact with one another, remotely. These connected objects can be anything from the cell phone you use to start your “smart” coffee maker, to Wifi-enabled chips to keep track of the precise, physical location of inventory items.
The IoT will also allow companies to make better and more timely decisions. This is because it can remotely monitor things. By using the IoT, companies will have access to a constant stream of up-to-date information.  This is thanks to the use of connected sensors and cameras. Whether a business uses this information to decide when to fill up a vending machine or to know when it’s time to do preventive maintenance on an engine, depends on the type of company using it.
The IoT is a marketer’s dream. Using the IoT, businesses will be able to collect enormous amounts of data about the behaviors and preferences of customers from the ways they interact with their connected devices.
The future of business is here. If you want to remain competitive in your market, you should begin to investigate which future technology is best for your particular company.  We can help. To learn more, contact the experts at {company} at: {phone} or {email}

New Ransomware Threat Strikes US Businesses

by Felicien | Sep 21, 2017 | Education

New Ransomware Threat Hitting US Businesses
On September 19th, Barracuda announced that they have been tracking an “aggressive” new ransomware threat. The ransomware attack appears to have originated largely in Vietnam, although other sources have been traced back to India, Columbia, Turkey, and Greece.

This latest attack, following right on the heels of WannaCry and Petya, has been identified by Barracuda researchers as a Locky variant with a single identifier. The significance of the single identifier is worth noting: since there are no unique identifiers for each victim, it’s impossible for the attackers to determine who has paid a ransom and who hasn’t. This indicates that the criminals have no intention of sending decryption keys to the victims who pay the ransom.

This threat should not be ignored. Barracuda monitored over 20 million attempted attacks within the first 24 hours of identifying the threat, and that number has been growing steadily since.

We’ve already seen a few businesses in {city} affected by this attack, so we wanted to remind everyone of the importance of a reliable, robust data backup system.
Here’s what you need to know:
These ransomware attacks are mainly coming through via email.
Current reports show that these attacks are coming in the form of spoof emails, usually branded with “Herbalife” logos or disguised as a “copier” file delivery. Though cybersecurity experts are working to stop this attack, the attackers are using randomly-generated payload files to stay ahead of anti-virus updates.

The latest variants include:
Email with ‘Emailing – .’ as the subject line. One example is: ‘Emailing — 10008009158.’
Email with a paragraph with legal wording to make the email seem legitimate.
Email with “payment is attached” in the subject line to entice people to click on it.

While some businesses are losing days of productivity due to encrypted workstations and servers, our clients who have chosen to protect their data and infrastructure with a reliable backup and business continuity solution are experiencing ZERO downtime. A proper business continuity strategy makes all the difference in these situations, and Datto has proven an essential part of such a strategy.
These unfortunate attacks are becoming more frequent and more difficult to contain. If your business hasn’t already been targeted, we urge you to consider the value of your data and the importance of your network’s integrity. Can you afford to lose days or weeks to a ransomware attack?
You don’t have to.
If you have any questions about this latest ransomware attack or would like to know more about business continuity solutions, {company} offers complete business continuity and cybersecurity experts at {phone} or {email}.

Debunking Common Myths About VPNs

by Felicien | Sep 21, 2017 | Education

What a Virtual Private Network Is and Isn’t.
Virtual private networks are an understandably complex topic. We shatter all the myths here—Read on so you’re informed.

VPN is an acronym for “virtual private network.” It’s a term that describes a popular way to extend a private network across a public one (like the Internet).
Think of a VPN as a special lane on the highway that only you and your employees can use. You’re still traveling up the Interstate with hundreds or even thousands of other cars— Yet, anything you do in your lane stays safe and secure at all times.
VPNs are essentially like this, just played out across the technological landscape. They’re a fast, efficient and (most importantly) a secure way for you to send and receive information over the Internet without worrying about identifying the information being compromised.
Myth #1: Free VPNs Are Perfect for Your Business.
Perhaps the biggest myth surrounding VPNs is that you shouldn’t have to pay for them because there is a wide range of free options available. When you need a VPN for business use, this is absolutely not the case. Paid VPNs not only offer a higher level of security by way of better encryption, but they also provide faster speeds and larger data allotments.
Myth #2: VPNs Are Too Slow to Use.
Many people think that because VPNs encrypt data at the device level before transmission, they’re too slow to use for most professional purposes. This is only true if you’re talking about a free option. If you’re willing to pay for your VPN service (and you should be) this isn’t an issue because you’ll get priority service.
Myth #3: VPNs Are Too Hard to Use.
Another common misconception is that they’re too hard to use unless you’ve got an advanced level of technical knowledge. This may have been the case at one point, but it isn’t today. While configuring your VPN may take some time, it really isn’t difficult to do. Once you get your service up and running, you won’t have to think about it again. You’ll be able to use the Internet the same way you always have.
Myth #4: VPNs Are Completely Anonymous.
Many people think that because VPNs offer a sophisticated level of data encryption, their online activities are totally anonymous. This isn’t so. While it’s true that 256-bit encryption is difficult to break, it isn’t impossible. Likewise, your VPN provider will keep a log of some or all of your activities for a period of time dictated by the terms of service. You’ll be more anonymous and more protected than ever before, but nothing in life is certain – especially when you’re talking about technology.
Myth #5: All VPNs Are Created Equal.
This is another myth that creates problems, particularly among enterprise users. People think that because all VPNs work in essentially the same way, those VPN providers are all the same. In reality, there are a number of factors that separate one provider from another. Speed, supported platforms, the number of available servers, and price all play significant roles in the quality of the service you’ll receive. As always, it’s best to shop around to ensure you’re teaming with a VPN provider who can meet your needs.
Myth #6: When You Use a VPN, You’re Totally Safe Online.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that because a VPN offers increased privacy and security, they are totally protected online. Just because you have a VPN doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want online (like clicking on that link in an email from a recipient you’ve never heard of without fear of consequence).
A VPN isn’t a suitable replacement for antivirus software, network protections, and good, old-fashioned common sense. All a VPN does is offer additional protection while you’re online, and allow you to keep some of your activities private. That’s it.
A virtual private network was not, nor will it ever be, designed to keep your browser safe and secure. As a business leader, you should continue to invest in additional training for your employees to prevent costly mistakes that could easily lead to a data breach or other cyber incident.
One thing’s for sure: As privacy and security become more important in today’s fast-paced digital world, technologies like VPNs are going to become more essential. However, at the same time, it’s important to always do your research to make sure you understand what a virtual private network can and cannot do. Only then, do you stand the best chance to stay safe from the types of people who want to do you harm?
If your business is in {city}, and you’d like to find out what type of virtual private networks is best for your purposes, contact {company} at {phone} or {email}.