Building a defense from social engineering attacks
Last week Smarter MSP examined the security threat that social engineering poses to organizations of all sizes. Social engineering is a technique that hackers use to gain access to an organization’s network, without having to break down the metaphorical door....
Social engineering: a hacker’s most effective weapon
What is the weakest link in your client’s network? It’s not unpatched software (although you should patch) or the unimaginative passwords (although you should change it). The weakest links are humans themselves. It’s Joan in accounting or Stan in human...
Catch hackers with a honeypot in your security service
I once visited an Amish farm where green plastic 2-liter 7-Up bottles dangled from the lower branches of the fruit trees. The bottles were filled about halfway with some sort of liquid. Upon closer inspection, I could see a banana peel...
Ask an MSP Expert: Should my MSP pursue industrial clients?
Q: We serve primarily healthcare and finance companies, but our region has a robust manufacturing base. Are there many opportunities for MSPs in manufacturing? If so, are there any insights you can provide about taking clients in this vertical? If you...
Bad actors are using AI in their cyber attacks
The alarms have been going off for some time about the growing role of AI in cyber attacks. In 2017, a survey of cybersecurity professionals found that 91 percent are concerned about AI-powered attacks against companies. More recently, an article in Fortune...
Making sense of sensors
From pacemakers, to industrial thermostats, to traffic regulation devices, sensors are becoming as ubiquitous as the human population itself. Experts predict that 1 trillion networked sensors will be transmitting data around the world by 2022, emitting information from the mundane to the meaningful....
Four MSP opportunities to keep an eye on in 2019
Four months of 2019 are in the rear-view mirror, and after talking to MSP owners and security experts on a daily basis, there are some trends are emerging that I thought I’d share. AI is one area that seems to...
Ask an MSP Expert: How can we attract more students to the IT industry?
Q: I own a mid-sized MSP and I’m having trouble finding talented technicians. That has me worried about the industry as a whole. Is there any hope for getting more kids interested in the profession? MSP’s are fighting a chronic...
Human vulnerability is the biggest cybersecurity threat
The culture of cybersecurity has been training its weapons in the wrong direction, according to Dr. Arun Vishwanath, the chief technologist at Avant Research Group and a former professor at the University at Buffalo. While ransomware, spearphishers, and general hackers...
MSPs can harvest new business on the farm
When most people think of farming, they think of milking cows, hearty farmhouse breakfasts, fresh eggs, and rows of carefully cultivated crops. In reality, farming is a mix of everything, from no-tech operations to sprawling factory farms. Moreover, in almost...
