How do I increase staff cyber awareness? We often get asked this question because making sure that staff are well informed an...
A vulnerable route straight into the system. Earlier this year I sat in a restaurant (remember doing that?) awaiting the arr...
Common sense isn’t difficult or expensive There’s often a big difference between perception and reality. Cyber security...
How do I secure a WordPress website?
Any website which has an online admin panel can be a target for hackers and a well-known CMS like WordPress is especially vulnerable. So what can you do to keep the bad guys out and secure a WordPress website?
Two-factor authentication (MFA) – little pain, big gain
The rise and rise of the cloud
The use of cloud computing continues to grow rapidly. Packages such as Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite are very widely used across businesses of all sizes for a multitude of purposes, including e-mail, file storage and file sharing.
Legislative requirements are also driving wider adoption of functionally specific software, including cloud accounting to meet HMRC’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ requirements. Many businesses will be familiar with well-known packages such as Xero and QuickBooks Online.
Popular, but also a target
Regular Windows Updates are proven to be in your best interests.
NO! Please don’t do that. While it is true that Windows Updates can cause the occasional issue, the vast majority fix a multitude of sins and close security holes that have been identified as a threat to your PC or laptops security. On balance, leaving Windows Updates on and doing them regularly is hugely in your best interests.
Don’t forget Office updates. Microsoft Office is usually updated when you updated Windows and it is important for security that you do. Make sure that “Receive updates for other Microsoft Products when you update Windows” is enabled in Windows Updates Advanced Options.
What is CEO fraud and what can we do to avoid it?
CEO fraud reputedly cost companies a whopping $1.1bn in 2018 and has been increasing steadily ever since. Impacting any size of company from micro to enterprise it is essential to understand how the scam works to protect your company and employees from it.
Firstly, what is it?
CEO fraud is when scammers impersonate a company executive making urgent and sometimes confidential requests of a member of staff within the company. Their motivation is usually financial, but we have seen rare instances where confidential data has been requested.
How can I educate my team on cyber security?
“Why did I get infected? I have an antivirus” is quite a common question and a good one. Whoever named the most common method of infection “Trojan Horse” certainly knew their history; and for the few who haven’t heard the story or watched the movie; a seemingly impregnable and well defended city was broken by exploiting the trust, ignorance and superstition of otherwise sophisticated people.
Should I be concerned about cyber security and where can I start?
The threat of cyber crime is a very real one. However, there is a big difference between being sufficiently concerned that you take action and being so terrified that you behave irrationally or do nothing at all.
The problem with fear is that it sometimes drives the wrong behaviour. Faced with a predator, our instinct can be flight rather than fight. Cyber crime is not a challenge from which to run away or bury our heads in the sand and hope the aggressor picks on someone else.
We all know what bank robbers and burglars do. Understanding their common tools and techniques helps us to design appropriate defence mechanisms. Cyber crime is no different. Recognising the different tricks of the trade empowers us to implement the cyber equivalent of locking the door or fitting an alarm.
How many of the following 8 common tactics employed by cyber criminals have you heard of?