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IT Security, What to you after being hacked, Have you bee hacked?, Hacking Incidence, Emergency Actions After a Hacking Incidence

Emergency Actions After a Hacking Incidence

Technological solutions are crucial for businesses to thrive in today’s highly competitive environment. Companies use sensitive and personal customer information to realize data-driven business models.

At the same time, hackers continue targeting enterprises to breach critical systems, steal data, and due to monetary gains. Currently, attacks on financial organizations have increased by 238% since the outbreak of coronavirus. Also, 80% of companies have reported a rise in cyber-attacks. Ransomware attacks had risen by 600% as of March 2020. Reputable companies, such as Marriott hotel chains and Nintendo, have been victims of cyber-attacks in 2020. Attacks on the former affected more than 5 million customers, while at least 300,000 Nintendo user accounts were hacked. Understanding emergency actions following a hacking incidence can reduce or prevent adverse impacts.

Initiate incident response measures

The first course of action is to respond to the hacking incidence once it is detected. Companies should use the incident response procedures to contain the attack and prevent further damage. An incidence response plan allows the evaluation of breached systems, stolen or corrupted data, and the identification of the root causes. Some of the measures to consider include disconnecting from the internet and corporate network, isolating the affected platform/service, and revoking access to all resources until the incidence is contained.

Understand motivations behind the incidence

A variety of factors can motivate hackers to target a business. These could be financial gains, accessing crucial information like intellectual property, revenge, or insider threats. While figuring out the reasons can be challenging during a stressful hacking scenario, they inform suitable measures for stopping and preventing the attack. Besides, it enables the affected organization to embark on the recovery journey.

Reset all credentials

Resetting credentials, such as usernames, passwords, and recovery accounts, should be a priority following a hacking incidence. Passwords provide the first line of defense, and a hacktivist incidence means cyber adversaries could have compromised them. Reset passwords of all services, even if only a single platform has been compromised. It is vital to create new, secure passwords since reusing old passwords exposes a company to recurring attacks. Ensure that all devices and account users sign out upon resetting to ensure the new passwords become effective immediately.

Inform everyone

Establishing the real intentions of a cyber-attack can be a daunting task. Therefore, it is pertinent to spread the word to all parties once a hacking incident has been detected. These include law enforcement and legal authorities, supply chain partners, customers, friends, among others. Attackers can use a breached network or account to spread malice to other organizations or individuals. Alerting them permits them to detect and report suspicious events that indicate attempted hacking attempts.

Beef up cyber defenses

Many victims often want to move on quickly after containing a hacking incidence and fail to implement measures for enhancing security. After identifying the root causes of the data breach, it is essential to deploy robust controls to avoid a recurrence in the future. Also, victims should strengthen the security of non-affected services using industry-standard practices to enhance information security.

By TeckPath Dev Team 0 Comments
Watch out for this persuasive phishing email

Watch out for this persuasive phishing email

Anglers catch fish by dangling bait in front of their victims, and hackers use the same strategy to trick your employees. There’s a new phishing scam making the rounds and the digital bait is almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Here are the three things to watch out for in Office 365 scams.

By admin 0 Comments
Enable or disable macros in Office files

Enable or disable macros in Office files

A macro is a series of commands that you can use to automate a repeated task, and can be run when you have to perform the task. This article has information about the risks involved when you work with macros, and you can learn about how to enable or disable macros in the Trust Center.

By admin 0 Comments
Not for Profit and Nonprofit IT Support

Not for Profit and Nonprofit IT Support

So, you are a “not for profit or nonprofit” organization and things like planning, budgeting, and engagement are key to providing dependable, discreet, private and comfort to those you serve. The question you should ask yourself is that; does my current IT Service provider understand that? Are they your strategic partners in BT? BT= Business and Technology.

By admin 0 Comments
How to uninstall QuickTime

How to uninstall QuickTime for Windows

To get started, you need to open the Control Panel. Windows Vista and 7 users will be able to find the Control Panel as an option after clicking Start. If you’re using Windows 8 or 8.1, Microsoft has instructions on how to open the Control Panel.

By admin 0 Comments
Business Security: Penetration Testing | Identify Your Business Vulnerabilities, Business Security: Penetration Testing, Business Security Assessment, What is penetration testing?, Managed Security for Businesses

Business Security: Penetration Testing | Identify Your Business’ Vulnerabilities

Hackers are leveraging advanced technologies, such as AI, to innovate sophisticated malware variants. Due to the increased integration of digital processes in all industries, cybercrime has risen ten-fold.

Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that cybercrime costs will reach $6 trillion every year by 2021. In a research study drawing thousands of security incidents, researchers found that the primary malware delivery mode is through email, which accounts for 94%. Also, the common vulnerabilities and exploits (CVE) database contains at least 11,000 identified vulnerabilities, with the number rising rapidly. Of these, 34% remain unpatched.

However, a study showing that 60% of data breaches involve unpatched vulnerabilities indicates that most attacks occur despite patch availability. Moreover, Dell conducted a survey that revealed that a silicon- or hardware-level security breach resulted in the data compromise of 63% of the participating companies. With the IoT surface expanding rapidly, companies should brace for increased attacks, since 2019 saw IoT attacks triple.

What is Penetration testing?

Companies turn to penetration testing to protect themselves from attacks. Penetration testing is a simulated attack on a network or computer system to identify exploitable vulnerabilities. The process enables the mitigation of security flaws to protect systems, networks, and data from attacks. WhiteHat Security involved 118 companies in penetration testing research and drew the following conclusions:

Companies that do penetration testing annuallyCompanies that don’t do penetration testing
MonitoringReactive monitoringProactive monitoring
Average security vulnerabilities1022
Average time for detecting vulnerabilities292 days431 days
Average time for mitigating vulnerabilities168 days149 days

There are numerous tools used to perform a penetration testing exercise. They include:
1. Kali Linux OS: Pentesters use Kali as the base pen-testing OS for offensive use. The OS contains most of the tools used for specialized pen testing and, therefore, the default testing OS.
2. Nmap: It is a network mapping tool for detecting open network ports and the activities on the ports. It is indispensable for the recon phase and used to scan networks for large and small organizations.
3. Metasploit: It is one of the most used pen testing tools for establishing exploitable vulnerabilities and the impacts of an attack.
4. Burp: It is a top-rated web vulnerability scanner used by pen-testers and found in numerous testing toolkits.
5. Others: The pen-testing kit features several other tools like Nessus, Fiddler, Wireshark, Aircrack-ng, John the Ripper, Hydra, and OWASP ZAP.

Types of Vulnerabilities Detected Through Penetration Testing

A wide range of companies operates networks and systems with multiple attack vectors that security teams discover through penetration testing. In some cases, ethical hackers succeed in obtaining full control of an organization’s IT infrastructure and critical resources such as SWIFT transfers, ATM control, and ICS equipment. Some of the security issues discovered in penetration testing include use of insecure information transfer protocols, dictionary passwords, vulnerable applications and software versions, storage of confidential data in clear text or exposed to the public, lack of proper user access control, remote code execution, lack of adequate user authentication, and SQL injection. Web application code vulnerabilities are a common problem that causes 75 percent of penetration vectors.

However, penetration testers face ethical challenges when performing tests. They include accessing sensitive personal information, which might violate regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA. Morality issues also arise when pen testers use malware acquired from external sources to attack a client’s systems and networks.

Get Started

By TeckPath Dev Team 0 Comments
Identity Theft and Phone Scams, protect yourself from Scams

Identity Theft and Phone Scams

Technology has changed greatly in the past ten years, and has enabled us to do things now we may not have even thought possible just mere decades ago.  We’ve shrunken computers down to fit nicely in one hand, and use them for everything from sending messages to loved ones, to making bank deposits, to online shopping. But this is not news to you — more than likely as you’re reading this on a cell phone, as 88% of Canadian households use a mobile device.1  With mobile phones being so popular and used for so many important tasks, this often exposes both individuals and companies, making us vulnerable to hackers seeking out our confidential data.

While it’s often easy to dismiss these issues as older adults that may have more of a learning curve with smartphones, it’s actually more common amongst the “Millennial” crowd.2 They are more comfortable with technology, and with that comfort can come a naivety or lax attitude regarding security or best practices in guarding their data and keeping it safe. Apparently, hacking is not as hard to do as one would think — in 2017, CBC/Radio-Canada ran an investigation using an ethical hacker to gain access to politician Matthew Dubé’s cell phone, using a weakness in Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) which can allow everything from location tracking, to accessing voicemails that would remain unregistered to the intended recipient.3  This doesn’t just provide issues for individual users, but can also be a major issue for companies that lease phones out to their employees, or unknowingly permit their employees to use poor security practices while conducting business on personal cell phones. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is so common, it’s almost expected in this day and age, even across multiple industries.4 Companies can try to mitigate damage by having a plan in place, in the event of a breach of confidential or sensitive company data.5

TeckPath can help with a security assessment – contact us for a consultation today!

Here are just some of the security breaches to look out for. Knowing what to expect may help you prepare a response later, if you do fall victim.

Caller ID Spoofing

What is it? Caller ID Spoofing is when the Caller ID information that appears on your phone has been altered from the source that is placing the call. 6 Most of us have seen this, as there are legitimate reasons for Caller ID Spoofing. For example, call centers that make calls on behalf of multiple clients, such as retail customer support, may display information reflecting the client they are representing. 6 However, this becomes illegal if a telemarketer, for example, falsifies their identity with the intention of misleading you.6  This can be done in a variety of ways, all with jargon that can be confusing for everyday mobile consumers 6:

  • “Neighbouring” which is when they match the first 6 digits of your cell phone to make it look as if someone nearby is calling you from a number you partially recognize
  • “Mirroring” which is when your own number appears on the Caller ID
  • Displaying an ID of a recognizable company or brand, common in your region

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: Caller ID Spoofing is a bit easier to avoid than other fraudulent attempts. While an illegitimate business or user may be calling you, they generally cannot get information from your phone, however, you must be wary of volunteering information.

How to protect yourself: Do not volunteer valuable or confidential information over the phone if you are unsure or do not feel comfortable. These recorded messages or telemarketers may ask you for credit card or bank account information, but the best response is to hang up if you feel suspicious.  Also, you can take further action by registering your number on the National Do Not Call List, file an official complaint, or report the issue to your local police or Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

For this and more information on Caller ID Spoofing, you can visit the Canadian Radio-television and Communications Commission website.

Port Out Scams & SIM Swapping

What is it? Port Out Scams are described as an “unauthorized mobile phone number porting, where a fraudster uses your stolen cellular account information to transfer (or “port”) your phone number and account to another carrier in order to take control of your phone while also shutting down your account”.7  This can be done using very basic information of yours, including (but not limited to) your Name, Address, Mobile Number and last four digits of your social security number.  No proof of identification is necessary, and someone can do this by claiming your phone is “lost or stolen”.7  SIM Swapping is similar, in that someone can request a new SIM card as you, use that SIM card, and render your phone (and thus, “old card”) disabled.

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: Your phone may stop working, or only allow Emergency Calls

How to protect yourself: Hide any identifying information on social media accounts, and be wary of how much information you display on public forums or online marketplaces.7 Also, shred any sensitive information displayed on mail before discarding.7

Phishing

What is it? Phishing has been around for a while, and happens when you are sent a fraudulent email, which often looks legitimate, but prompts you to click on a link, or enter information. By doing so, you can accidentally install something on your phone that sends confidential information to the hacker, without you knowing about it.8

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: If it feels odd to be clicking on a link within an email, or a pop up appears on your phone that seems to not match in branding, or there are a lot of misspelled words, back out of the email/screen on your smartphone.

How to protect yourself: Consider why you would be directed to a link within an email, instead of the email stating the information clearly in the body. Also, consider that most alerts and pop-ups stating that you’ve won a great vacation or asking you to “enter to win” are fraudulent.

Vishing & Smishing

What is it? Vishing is just like Phishing, but instead of email, you’ll receive a phone call, and Smishing is done over text message.

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: Is the caller asking you to “confirm details” or is it a recording telling you to visit a site to retrieve a gift?8  Or is this a text message demanding an immediate reaction from you to call a number or visit a website due to an account or credit card cancellation?8

How to protect yourself: If it’s vishing, don’t be afraid to end your call, and if it’s smishing, do not respond to the text message, especially if they’re asking for sensitive information. If you worry it was a legitimate business, or have concerns about your accounts/credit cards, look up the legitimate number to the bank or company (not any numbers provided to you by the person who contacted you) and speak to a customer service representative.

Malware

What is it? Malware is a program that often goes undetected and can enter your device through certain websites or by downloading corrupted or fraudulent files.8

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: Pop-ups that seem odd, slowness in navigation that seems sudden, or an app on your phone that’s running in the background that you don’t remember downloading are some of the possible signs of malware.

How to protect yourself: Don’t click on suspicious links or visit suspicious websites, and do research on apps before downloading to your phone.8 Also, keep your phone in sync with the latest security updates provided by your phone manufacturer.

Missed Call Scam

What is it? You may receive a phone call where the user hangs up after one ring, prompting you to call them back. You then may have to pay a high price for returning the call.8

Red Flags to Consider if you think you may be a victim: A quick call or hangup from a number you do not have stored in your phone or do not recognize is a clear indicator.

How to protect yourself: If you do not recognize the number, do not call back. If the call is official business, they will usually leave a message or call back, letting it ring more than once.

With all of these scams floating about, one can feel rather helpless against the dark side of technology and fraudulent businesses or hackers. Along with the steps listed above, there are other general steps you can take to better defend your phone and protect yourself or your company from identity thieves.

  • Two-Step Verification is becoming more common and is a good step in helping to protect your device. Two-Step Verification is used when you combine parts like “something you know” (such as a password or PIN) and “something you possess” (such as your actual phone).9 This helps to thwart remote hackers and is easy enough for any user to implement.
  • Two-Factor Authentication is a bit better than Two-Step Verification, in that a one-time use code can be sent to the user, and when combined with another very unique identifier (such as a fingerprint), can provide a more secure layer of protection.9 This works even better when combined with a strong password. Which leads us to the next point…
  • A strong password for both your phone and any applications or websites you use is crucial, along with making those passwords unique for each site. According to a recent survey, more than 80% of “millennials” reuse the same passwords across multiple sites. Hackers know this and if they have one password, will try to use it across any other sites you may have visited.9 Using a combination of alpha-numeric characters, as well as special characters and capitalization, is a simple first step to protect yourself and your identity.

The good news is, you don’t have to navigate through this alone. TeckPath is here to help! Reach out for a consultation and learn more about our strategic services and how we can aid in protecting your company.

References:

1   Communications Monitoring Report 2018 – Communications Services in Canadian Households: Subscriptions and Expenditures 2012-2016 

2 Millennials Are Scammed Twice As Often As Seniors. Here’s Why.

3 Hackers only needed a phone number to track this MP’s cellphone

4 Employees Working On Their Personal Devices? Here’s How You Can Protect Your Business Data.

5Is a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program the Right Choice for Your Organization?

6  Caller ID Spoofing

7 Port-Out Scams and SIM Hijacking: How to Protect Yourself

8 How to protect yourself from fraud : Mobile phone scams, SIM swap and porting fraud

9 Two-factor authentication vs. Two-step verification – you’ve probably missed this tiny difference

By TeckPath Dev Team 0 Comments
COVID-19, Business Continuity Plan, Home office setup

Home Office Setup (COVID-19) Business Continuity Plan

In the wake of the COVID-19 discovery, a lot of sudden changes have happened: schools and universities are closing, mass gatherings have been canceled, and the government is pushing companies to implement ‘Work From Home’ strategies.  This pressure can cause a large strain on employees to ensure their jobs are not in jeopardy while they juggle keeping their kids at home and continuing quality production for their employer. Not only does this stress out the public, but CEO’s of both corporations and small businesses alike are worried about how these very abrupt changes will affect their momentum, profitability, and employee morale.

With that said, there are many positive outcomes to allowing employees to work remotely, and seeing those positives can help ease the concern of the weeks to come.  Remote employees don’t have a lengthy, stressful commute, and can set enough breaks throughout the day to feel charged and focused, instead of burning out by lunch.  The goal of these COVID-19 lockdowns, is to keep people healthy — and we know healthy employees contribute to a healthy business. However, even with the positives, you may still have doubts: What about supporting my employees remotely? What if I don’t have a plan to guide me through this?

The great news is, TeckPath is here to help! We have the strategies and tools to support you and your business goals, and carry progress forward through changing times – even with COVID-19.

TeckPath Support and Monitoring

Whether you have decided to close your doors for a few weeks, or are considering it in the near future, you probably have a lot of concerns – How will employees get set up properly at home? What about security concerns with employees working remotely with sensitive customer data? How will they receive IT support going forward?  TeckPath has you covered with TECKcare Remote Support Services. Here’s just a sampling of what we offer:

  • Server and Workstation Connectivity Troubleshooting to help your employees get set up
  • Remote Dial-up for technical support
  • SSL encrypted highly secure remote connection

Click here for more of our TECKcare Remote Support Services.

Hardware Support

TeckPath is here to also offer you hardware support, as your needs may increase with not only the number of employees working remotely, but a variety of hardware needs, as well. You want to make sure your remote employees have everything they need for a comfortable and efficient work environment. In the event of a rapid uptick of hardware needs due to COVID-19, we offer laptops and desktops for your employees to use for their home set up. We know that phones are still a valuable part of a remote workstation, and offer cost-effective VoIP phone services, as well. Our services also allow you to operate a remote call center from anywhere in the world, which means your customers, whether consumers or businesses, can get the help they need and trust in your brand to be there to support them through trying times.  We also offer unified communications from a single interface with Microsoft Teams, so your face-to-face interactions can continue without a hitch.

With a lot of fluctuation revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, managing your business during this time should be as consistent as possible. 

With TeckPath, you can trust our unparalleled support and services. We’re here for you and look forward to propelling your business through the upcoming year! 

Contact us Today!

By Tecksynergy 0 Comments
The importance of Network Security Assessment

The importance of Network Security Assessment

Network Security:

The implementation and securing of corporate systems so that they won’t be interrupted by the illegal and unethical intrusion. As a way of thinking, endpoint security is enhanced by it, which circles on singular gadgets; arrange security rather than circling how those gadgets work, and the connection between them. It is implemented by the devices that prohibit the intrusion of unapproved authority from breaching the corporate systems and the gadgets which are associated with it. In general, the system won’t be hacked, if programmers can’t find a workable pace of the system. Network Security is very important for companies as it helps to avoid treachery and other fraud cases. Few other benefits are mentioned below:

Limits the degree of hazard for assaults, contaminations, and breaks (vulnerabilities):

For the majority of the companies, it could be difficult to arrive at an acceptable degree of security, if attainable, to achieve alone, on any occasion, for affiliations that have their help work domain and IT staff. With the help of correct system security devices, be that as it may, MSPs can offload the security burden from associations and ensure their customer’s systems, PC frameworks, records, and information from breaching and assaults. Keeping records liberated from contamination is especially significant in the present community-oriented working environment, where data is shared among associates inside an organization just as with accomplices, advisors, investigators, and others outside the organization.

Increase in Revenue:

Keeping PC systems working at top productivity is basic for any association. With arranging security apparatuses set up, languid frameworks and vacation, which can eat into benefits and render frameworks shaky, become a relic of past times.

Confidence of Client:

When customers know their frameworks and information are being ensured, their trust in the insurance being managed and in an organization as their guard of security, rises. A characteristic outgrowth of this certainty is that customers become slanted to buy other assistance contributions from the organization.

Safety of Confidential Data:

System security additionally keeps delicate information, for example, individual data and classified business materials, away from unapproved people. The effect coming about because of a break of this information can cause huge and durable monetary and legitimate results, shame, and destroyed notorieties. Organizations that are dependent upon the examination of administrative measures, for example, SOX and NERC CIP may likewise be dependent upon lawful consequences and heavy punishments.

Improvement in Production:

The additional time representatives spend visiting recreational sites, the less time they give to their work. System security can advance safe perusing and improve efficiency by keeping representatives from getting to these destinations. In addition, certain destinations, for example, those containing grown-up, racist, gaming, and tattle, content are infamous for containing infections, malware, and different oddities that can be handily transmitted to customer PCs and systems without the information on-site guests. Denying access to these locales diminishes the opportunity that these contaminations and malware will get brought into your system.

Enhancement in Defiance:

Organizations that stick to administrative benchmarks knows the punishments they will acquire if they should drop out of consistency. Receiving a system security framework can improve an organization’s consistency act through ongoing checking of information streams all through the association.

Evolution should be accommodated:

Customers are continually overhauling their equipment and programming to advance the challenge. What’s more, as customers thrive, that achievement, for the most part, accompanies an expansion in rush hour gridlock. The system security device ought to have the option to keep pace with this characteristic development all through an organization’s life-cycle.

The assessment of network security should be done to check the company is safe from the hackers and the confidential data is safe from reaching out to the unapproved authority. This way, efficiency would be maintained and production would not be affected. The delicate information of the client would be secured and they will have the same level of trust in the company. The chances of breaching would be minimal and the revenue won’t be affected.

By TeckPath Dev Team 0 Comments
Importance of Automation

Importance of Automation

The utilization of hardware and PC controlled gadgets to expect control of procedures. The main objective is to help productivity and unwavering quality. It incorporates many key components, frameworks, and employment works in basically all businesses.

By TeckPath Dev Team 0 Comments
How to turn on Automatic Replies (Outlook)

How to turn on Automatic Replies (Outlook)

How to turn on “Automatic Replies (Out of Office)” or the “Out of Office Assistant”

For Microsoft Office Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, 2013, 2010 and Outlook for Office 365

Click the File tab, and then click the Info tab in the menu.

Out of office Reply

Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office).

Out of office Reply

Note If you do not see this option, you are not using an Exchange account.

In the Automatic Replies dialog box, select the Send Automatic Replies check box.

If you want to specify a set time and date range, select the Only send during this time range check box. Then set the Start time, and then set the End time.

In the Inside my organization tab, type the message that you want to send within your organization, and in the Outside my organization tab, type the message that you want to send outside your organization.
Click OK.

If you selected the “Only send during this time range” option in step 4, the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) feature will continue to run until the date and time set for the End Time in step 5 is reached.

Otherwise, the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) will continue to run until you repeat step 1 and select the “Do not send automatic replies” option.

By Tecksynergy 0 Comments
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