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Working from Home Securely

Keeping Your Company Data Secure for Remote Work

The last couple of years has seen some big changes in the way that we work and communicate. Both technical advancements and the need for people to work from home has made for quick uptake of group work, online communication and collaboration software. Of course, it was always heading that way but COVID became something of an accelerator. It is being widely reported that the ways that we communicate in our personal and business lives, are forever changed.

With the added advantage of remote communication and shared files comes an added risk for the security of data and information. Managed correctly though, you can have your communication cake and eat it securely too (apologies for the bad pun 😉). We take a look at a few ways to ensure that your staff and data are safe for remote work.

General Security Principals

Hopefully by now, you have had the time to settle in to some processes and procedures that allow for your team to work uninterrupted from any location. General security is a must whether people are working remotely or on-site. Setting up those baseline configurations, processes and procedures around security are always critical to the running of an effective business.

Some businesses that have not correctly setup their IT infrastructure can be at risk of security breaches. When a single security issue can be enough to expose all of your client data, leak intellectual property or leave your system open to attacks and damage, it is of the utmost importance that you are protected.

It can be easy to assume that your system is secure as you have not experienced any problems (that you are aware of). Any business owner or manager is all too familiar with issues that occur with handover of tasks and changes in employees. Business moves quickly and as you company adapts, it is a given that some things will be missed or corners may have been cut. Businesses with a small number of staff who started with ad-hoc IT setups or which have experienced rapid growth may have holes in their security and not even know it.

One basic foundation is to ensure that all of your software is updated promptly to the latest version, especially updates with security patches. The latest software versions on all devices will ensure you are safe against current known threats. Having an automated system in place for security upgrades to automatically run at the correct time is important. People often begrudge having to update their passwords but scheduling changes of passwords regularly can save you some issues down the track. Just be sure to avoid bad passwords like password, computer and qwerty.

Cloud Solutions

The move to cloud computing brings a whole new world of collaboration and the ability for an improved workflow. Many companies have moved their on-site servers into the cloud by migrating their data, files and email into a service like Microsoft 365. By moving to the cloud, data is easily accessible and working from anywhere becomes a simpler concept once setup properly.

You need to ensure that you have a good Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) software, for protection against online threats such as viruses, which offers protection on all of your devices and compliments the protection offered by your cloud provider. For companies that still have the requirement for some on site files such as backup you can look to an integrated approach. Different regions also have data and privacy protection laws around where you are allowed to physically store client information. Microsoft allows for you to set specific server locations to meet this requirement.

With a cloud solution like Microsoft Office 365 your staff are able to work directly in a browser with options for desktop versions of software available too. You can set up a bespoke solution that ensures data security and protection.

Learn More About Cloud Solutions

Extra Protection

As a part of a complete data security approach there are plenty of solutions that will increase your protection. With people working from home or on portable devices it is wise to implement some rules around where files are stored and how they are accessed. If you have a workforce using some of their own devices, you want to ensure that you retain access to all of the work files. Extra processes such as 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) require staff to verify their details upon login through an extra app.

Rolling out a password manager across your company for sharing logins that are used by multiple staff will ensure passwords are up to date and secure. Platforms like LastPass, 1Password and Dashlane all offer an excellent product but there are also bespoke solutions available. Some even offer a browser plugin that allows for staff to login without revealing the actual password to them.

There are a range of extra steps that you can take to increase security, for more information take a look at our 3 part series on computer threats in the digital age, Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! or drop us a line.

If you would like to learn more about how protected your business is, get in touch with us for a free introductory security audit.

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The Silicon Shortage

What does the chip shortage mean for your business

You probably already know but the world is going through somewhat of a silicon chip shortage. It has been affecting auto-makers, appliances, LED lighting and of course electronics such as TVs, smart devices, desktops, printers, laptops and some accessories. Shortages are expected to last until 2023 and perhaps beyond.

What has Caused the Shortage?

The shortage has been caused by the perfect-storm of factors including COVID delays and adverse weather at different places around the world. Supply became greater than demand and manufacturers have found it hard to keep up.

So what does that mean for your business?

If you have not already been affected then you need to start planning for your business. As the range of affected products is quite broad across consumer electronics and technology, if you are considering purchasing or upgrading equipment in the next few years, it is best to plan early. Get in quickly to secure the equipment you need to grow your business.

We are currently seeing most major supplier’s stock levels being impacted in some way. Some popular products have a wait time of up to 3-6 months. You need to be building that delay into your planning.

Luckily there are key products that we sell in all of the main categories that are in stock now. Get in touch today to find out what products we currently have in our warehouse or take a look at the Geniosity Online Store to see stock levels on computers, printers, scanners, networking or displays.

Stock levels are subject to change quite quickly, so get in touch to secure something today!

Further Reading

What the global shortage of computer chips means for you – ABC News

Chip shortage is starting to have major real-world consequences

Why the chip shortage drags on and on… and on | Ars Technica

Global semiconductor shortage explained | CarsGuide

From Ford trucks to Xbox, the chip shortage is still causing problems – Vox

4 Critical Industries Affected by the Chip Shortage

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Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 3

This is part 3 of a 3 part series on keeping up with computer threats in the digital age, you can read about Viruses, Spyware & Trojans in Part 1 and take a look at Part 2 for information around Ransomware.

Phishing​

Phishing attacks attempt to trick you into providing hackers or scammers with your information. This might be your passwords, bank details or personal information. A phishing attack often arrives in the form of an email with a clickable link. The email may look like a legitimate email from a friend or trusted company or it could look like a simple link to a shared file. Hackers can target someone directly and build a profile of information on them. By using information from a data leak and some personal information they can launch a phishing attack to get more information or directly access your accounts. Some phishing systems are multi-layered and advanced, gathering a hierarchy of logins that take advantage of services such as resetting your password through email to access more and more of your data.  

Many browsers will alert you to websites that are not secure and may be fraudulent and attempting to steal your information. By not opening unknown or suspicious looking emails and not clicking on unknown links or files you will be protecting yourself a great deal. Generally banks and financial institutes will not request your login or account details via an email. Also be sure to check if the website you are on is correct by checking the address bar. Some antivirus software will also check links and websites visited and can stop malicious software from opening.  

There is an ever-increasing range of threats and the financial motivations and online anonymity make them a desirable tool for criminals across the world. Do your best to stay safe online and for further reading check out our Staying Safe Online Checklist. You can also check out our anti-virus software or for more information on how we can help you to protect your personal or businesses devices get in touch.  

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Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 2

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on keeping up with computer threats in the digital age. If you missed the first part, you can read about Viruses, Spyware & Trojans in Part 1.

Ransomware​

Ransomware is something that has been in the news a lot lately. As more of our systems and services have an online component, criminal syndicates are creating ways to take advantage of this for financial gain. A ransomware program has the ability to gain access to a system and spread, it works away in the background of a device and, in essence, can lock you out of your data by encrypting it or even moving it. Often the system will then display a message saying that the data has been locked and that you will need to pay a ransom to have it unlocked.

Ransomware is the number 1 security threat and can be highly profitable for hackers. Ransomware attacks can target individual computer users and small to medium sized businesses but increasingly large corporations and even government services and providers are being attacked. Many of these breaches have made the news lately with high profile providers such as Colonial Petroleum Pipeline and multiple hospitals, having their systems locked. At times the locking of this data can have very serious and even life-threatening consequences.

An attack on your personal system may see a request for a relatively small amount of money in the thousands but some larger targets may be required to pay millions of dollars to retrieve their data. Worryingly ransomware threats are on the increase with some hackers even offering RaaS or Ransomware as a Service where a hacker can provide a system that will take control of the whole process including the requesting of funds.

 

Similar to ransomware is Doxware or Leakware which can infect your system and leverage your sensitive photos or files. It requests a ransom, which if not paid, will see your data shared online.

Ransomware can be hard to protect against with quality antivirus software being an essential first level of protection. As ransomware can be used to remotely lock your system through the use of services like iCloud, good password security is a must. Make sure to use different passwords for each of your logins and change them often. A password manager can assist in remembering all of your passwords with some even notifying you of a breach. Two-factor authentication is another security measure that can help you to stay secure. As companies like Windows and Apple are constantly fixing security vulnerabilities as, they will release system updates which contain ‘patches’ or fixes. Keeping your computer or mobile device up to date is a great general security measure.

Keeping a regular backup that is separate from your main system is also a good option. If your device is infected with ransomware, then you will have a copy of your data to restore. You can regularly backup to your cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud or use a backup specific program that backups to an external hard drive while you work. A good practice is to have a rotating system of backup drives with one kept offsite. While external hard drives can be infected by ransomware, keeping an offsite drive will minimise this risk.

 

Continue reading this series of 3 articles in Part 3, where we take a look at the threat of Phishing. 

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Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 1

This is Part 1 of a 3 part series on keeping up with computer threats in the digital age.

Threats to computer systems are constantly evolving and getting more advanced, while also causing more serious problems. In the early days, it was enough to have a basic antivirus program on your computer that would stop viruses and malware from affecting your computer. While this is still an excellent first line of defence, as the threats become more advanced there is an increased level of vigilance needed to stay safe.

While computers are generally what comes to mind when thinking about these types of threats, any connected device carries a degree of risk and can be targeted for an attack. Criminals, hackers and scammers are constantly developing new methods to gain access, steal data and even lock the data on your device and hold it to ransom. The need for safety measures extends from your personal devices such as mobile phones, tablets, computers and even smart devices around the home; to the online platforms that you use such as your email account, cloud storage and online banking. With so much of our lives now online, scammers and hackers are regularly targeting the online platforms that people use daily.

Oh My!

While there are a lot of crossovers between the various types of threats that are out there, we have broken them down into a few of the main categories with some information on how to stay protected. While the threats are quite serious and can cause a lot of damage, by following some simple guidelines and best practices you can maximise your protection.

Viruses, Spyware & Trojans

Virus is one of the most commonly used terms people use when speaking about threats to computers and it fits under the broader category of Malware. Malware is short for Malicious Software, this umbrella term includes a range of threats including viruses, spyware, trojans, key loggers, worms and more.

Some viruses have the general goal of causing issues on your system, by deleting data and spreading itself to other computers. In the early days, the computer virus, although malicious, was often made to just cause general mayhem and spread across as many computers as possible. A virus is self-replicating and therefore able to copy itself across local computer networks and even online.

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One of the keys of a successful virus is the ability to stay hidden in your system while replicating and causing damage. Many viruses and types of malware are designed to stay hidden indefinitely such as a Trojan which disguises itself as a legitimate program and Spyware which hides in the background, collecting information such as passwords, files, location data or financial information. Adware will even display pop up ads directly on your computer. Some of these programs have a Keylogger which records every press you make on a keyboard and sends it to a third party.

One of the absolute best protections against viruses and malware generally is a good quality piece of anti-virus software. There are plenty of excellent free options out there and some paid programs that offer extra levels of protection. As viruses and the criminal systems behind them get more advanced though, we are seeing malware and viruses designed to steal information, spy through your devices and gain access to secure data. A decent Antivirus software will give you an essential base level of protection.

 

Continue reading this series of 3 articles in Part 2, where we take a look at the threat of Ransomware.Â