Increases in cybercrime and the potential for our personal and business information being compromised continue to accelerate.
- Facebook’s massive hack in September
- Google+ breach and subsequent shutdown (only 500,000 accounts)
With more and more of our private information now being present on the web, Cybersecurity Awareness Month seems to be more relevant than ever.
The National Cybersecurity Alliance has created a different theme for each week of October that will be followed industry-wide.
The goal is to drum home the message to individuals and businesses that they can and must do more to ensure their safety in this ever-expanding digital world.
Week 1 – Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety
Personal & business identity information are one and the same for many professionals, and most small businesses owners and employees.
16.7 million people were the victims of identity theft in 2017.
Most people associate identity theft primarily with using personal information to take over financial accounts.
However, cybercriminals can use your health insurance information to see a doctor, get prescription drugs or file claims to your insurance provider. In fact, 23% of the total data breaches in 2017 impacted medical or health care organizations.
Rising social media use also means a greater risk of stolen identities and online fraud. Posting your vacation plans/details or a new car purchase on your profile seems innocent enough. In reality, this information can be leveraged and used criminally by bad actors.
Tips for prevention:
Beware of both phone and email scams – Email phishing is now being combined with phone calls requesting or “verifying” personal information”. Cybercriminals’ methods are increasingly sophisticated, and they will continue to evolve and change.
Update your systems and software; verify any system messages or alerts – It’s easy to set your personal systems to auto-update, so just do it! As a business owner, consider a trusted partner for proactive, preventative patching and ongoing monitoring. Another common “pop-up” ploy is to notify of a security issue and request to call an “800 number” or “IT support” staff. Only contact a known, trusted source – and only by means you’re confident about, such as a number you have on file, or through their website contact forms.
Contact authorities if your identity has been stolen and you’re a victim – You also want to file a police report, contact your insurance agent if applicable and file an identity theft affidavit with the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov. Take it seriously and act quickly to prevent further harm.
We have tools that can detect and monitor your identity and credentials if and when they are compromised. Let us know if you like to learn more…
Week 2 – Educating for a Career in Cybersecurity
As an IT Cybersecurity company, Deerwood Technologies works hard to attract, train and retain our most important resource – Our employees!
Understanding our clients’ business goals, helping them develop and deploy a cohesive, comprehensive cybersecurity strategy takes TALENTED people! These individuals need business, technical and communication skills and training to be effective.
Examples of roles we’re continuously seeking can be found on our website at https://deertech.com/careers/
Additionally, we’re a Veteran-owned business and partner with Fortinet, an industry leader in Cybersecurity. They have an outstanding program, Fortivet – Hire a Vet – that other business owners may find to be a valuable resource.
We regularly meet with and interview individuals interested in joining our team, whether we have a currently budgeted position or not. Contact us anytime to learn about Deerwood Technologies.
Week 3 – It’s Everyone’s Job to Ensure Online Safety at Work
As a business owner, C-level executive or staff member of any-size organization, we all need to be educated about security. Successful companies ensure their leadership teams and employees are aware of the risk and danger of cyber-threats.
The first stage of the risk management process is to make sure everyone in the organization is involved and knows what their roles are. Lack of engagement causes disaffection, and gaps in responsibility can cause security risks.
No matter the size of an organization, additional resources, such as security providers and consultants, are important in creating and maintaining an effective security posture.
Small businesses don’t usually have access to the resources they need to create and maintain a cohesive cybersecurity strategy. Instead, they should rely on a provider that can plan and roll out the strategy affordably and efficiently.
Often boasting an in-house security team, medium-sized firms don’t expect to manage all their security processes, and they often offload their response capabilities and monitoring management to an external firm. Through this hybrid model, the company and provider can work together to both respond to incidents and remediate root causes to prevent recurrence.
While most large businesses typically have the necessary resources to implement a robust, enterprise-level, cybersecurity program, a security provider can offer access to resources outside their immediate sphere.
Week 4 – Safeguarding the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure
Securing our country’s infrastructure has never been more important. Both businesses, government agencies and member of the public have key roles in keeping it safe.
The leadership team at Deerwood Technologies and key employees are proud to be members of InfraGuard – https://www.infragard.org/ whose mission is to promote ongoing dialogue and timely communication between members and the FBI specifically concerning the security of, vulnerabilities in, and threats to critical infrastructure entities.
This organization consists of owners, operators, security directors and the staff of the 16 U.S. national key asset and critical infrastructure sectors, which includes members of local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as individuals who are involved in the security of and protected research at educational institutions.
Get Involved in Infrastructure Protection
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Stop.Think.Connect. Friends Program is an opportunity for you to help spread the word about what we can all do to enhance our safety and security online.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Special Offers
To help promote increased awareness of your own security posture, we’re offering the following 3 special offers until Midnight on Oct 31, 2018:
- A free Dark web scan
- A phishing test to your company assets
- 15% Discount on security assessments
Contact us through our contact form to get set up with these specials!
We can help your business enhance its cybersecurity posture. Contact us online or call at 218-534-5357.