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Is Your Organization Prepared for a Ransomware Attack?

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HOW THE ATTACKS WORK Malicious software is used to deny access to data or systems until or unless the attacker’s ransom demands are met. Methods for delivering the malware payload vary, with the three of the most common being phishing emails, exploitation of application vulnerabilities, and delivery via remote desktop protocol (RDP). The use of phishing emails as an attack vector is currently on the rise. Once successfully delivered, the malware propagates across data storage environments and/or vulnerable systems, rendering systems and data inaccessible. Attackers then demand ransoms...

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Privacy Concerns: New Technology to Grade Meetings Through Surveillance of Attendees

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HOW IT WORKS Using sensors, cameras, and software algorithms, Microsoft’s “Meeting Insight Computing System” (MICS) will collect data on each meeting participant’s body language, expressions, and participation level. MICS will also track how much time attendees spend on activities that are not meeting-related, such as texting or reading email. For remote meeting participants, MICS factors in whether or not they activate their cameras. The system will also take environmental factors into consideration, including the temperature and level of noise in a meeting room....

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How SaaS is Changing IT Departments

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HIRING FOR DIFFERENT SKILL SETS Traditionally, IT staff have been expected to possess highly technical skills because workers needed to be able to manage and configure on-premises software and servers. However, since cloud-based servers require less technical expertise, IT departments need fewer computer science graduates with programming and database management skills. Instead, technology workers need more proficient in business analytics and savvy decision-making skills. As more companies transition to SaaS, it becomes more about creating business processes based on what the technology...

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LibreOffice: An Open Source Alternative to Microsoft Office

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A VERY BRIEF LIBREOFFICE HISTORY In the early 1970s, Richard Stallman was a Harvard-educated software engineer working on artificial intelligence projects for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As software development migrated away from the university environment and into the private sector, jobs like Stallman’s were gradually eliminated, including his in the early 1980s. Stallman was not pleased that private industry was making money writing computer programs and believed that software is meant to be free. And so began the Free Software Foundation in 1985. Developers from...

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Teleworking: Information Security Essentials for Organizational Leadership

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USING VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE (VDI) FOR SECURE REMOTE CAPABILITIES If your organization already utilizes VDI and you have enough licenses to accommodate your teleworking staff, you are ahead of the game. VDI users can be provided role-based access, giving them access to only the resources they need to perform their jobs. All of those resources remain secured inside your organization’s environment or in the cloud; thus, physical security and unauthorized access concerns are reduced. VDI also uses less bandwidth and is easier for your IT staff to manage than Virtual Private Network...

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Free, Reliable Tools to Help You Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves

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A QUICK CHECK: HAS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION BEEN COMPROMISED? If you want to run a quick search to determine whether your data has been compromised in a breach, you can do so at haveibeenpwned.com. Simply go to the site, enter your email address, and click the “pwned?” button. You will not be required to sign up for anything. When the search is complete, any breaches involving your email address and possibly other personal data can be reviewed by scrolling through the results. The information provided will include breach dates, names of the entities involved, and the...

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7 Common Myths About Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) You Shouldn’t Believe

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1. IT DOESN’T AFFECT SEO When analyzing the keywords and positions for which websites should rank, search engines place the greatest emphasis on content when calculating how websites should rank. However, HTTPS can still affect search engine optimization (SEO). If your website is powered by HTTPS, Google will favour it over your competitors’ HTTP websites. Google announced in 2014 that HTTPS websites would receive a slight boost in authority since they offer a safer and more secure experience for visitors. While Bing doesn’t use it as a ranking factor, HTTPS may indirectly...

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10 Tips for Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

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1. IDENTIFY THE RISKS Begin developing your disaster recovery plan by identifying the potential risks to your IT infrastructure. Possible dangers may include events like hardware failure, power loss, cybercrime, fire, or flood. In some cases, the type of risk will dictate the appropriate DRP action. If you identify hurricanes as a risk, for example, your DRP would need to include a provision for moving your operation to an alternative, unaffected site. 2. DOCUMENT ALL YOUR IT RESOURCES You will need to make a full inventory of all your IT resources. This inventory should include all...

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5 Ways an IT Provider can Save Your Business Money

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1. CLOUD TECHNOLOGY Technology is always changing, and purchasing the latest computer equipment can quickly devour your budget. However, a managed service provider will enable your business to use cloud technology, which gives your business access to the best tech available without any additional costs. Cloud technology also makes it more natural for employees to work together, whether they’re inside an office or in two completely different locations. An effective IT provider will also upload all of your information onto the cloud for the maximum protection against data loss. 2....

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The Psychology of Data Theft: Tricks Social Engineers Use and How to Fight Back

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SCARCITY Whether it is gold coins, gourmet foods that are hard to come by or the latest internet fad, scarcity drives demand and prices up. You may recall the fistfights over Cabbage Patch dolls back in the 1980s or the more recent physical tussles over chicken sandwiches when the principle of scarcity was on full display. Social engineers understand the value of scarcity, and they use that psychological weakness to entice their victims. They may pretend to have something everyone wants, and they count on human greed and fear-of-missing-out to do the rest. You can fight back against this...

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