Kevin Williams

All posts by Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams is a journalist based in Ohio. Williams has written for a variety of publications including the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and others. He first wrote about the online world in its nascent stages for the now defunct “Online Access” Magazine in the mid-90s.

Are chatbots the next major cyber security threat?

Are chatbots the next major cyber security threat?

Me: “Where can I find a course catalogue online?” SmooSmoo: “Yep, I believe I know this one. 😉 I’ve found there’s an answer for your question, but it is not a public article. You need to login first to reveal the...

/ January 16, 2019
Malicious memes?

Malicious memes?

We’ve all seen them and laughed at them. There’s “Grumpy Cat” or “Be Like Bill.”  In some cases, these memes have racked up over a billion views. That’s almost 20 percent of the world’s population who have been “dancing like the...

/ January 9, 2019 / 1 Comment
6 areas for MSPs to watch in 2019

6 areas for MSPs to watch in 2019

2019. We have a year to get comfortable with those four digits, and it’s a good thing because they will bring quite a few changes to the growing IoT ecosystem and a few security challenges. We know you’re busy unwrapping...

/ January 1, 2019
Can malware physically damage a computer?

Can malware physically damage a computer?

The idea that a computer virus could damage hardware is something that has plagued the cyber community. Some of the more sensational stories out there suggest that it’s possible to send a bomb via email. I stumbled upon this article,...

/ December 19, 2018 / 2 Comments
Ask an MSP Expert: How can MSPs strengthen their clients’ defenses from cryptominers?

Ask an MSP Expert: How can MSPs strengthen their clients’ defenses from cryptominers?

Q: I have some customers with fairly large networks, and one of them is a business college. It seems like all those latent CPUs would be an attractive target for cryptominers. We’ve been taking steps to protect them, but I’m...

/ December 17, 2018
Five MSP security predictions for 2019

Five MSP security predictions for 2019

The champagne hasn’t been purchased, the noisemakers are still in storage, and the ball in Times Square hasn’t fallen to usher in 2019 yet. The ball is operated and dropped using a computer network, one that we hope is well...

/ December 12, 2018
8 MSP security trends that emerged in 2018

8 MSP security trends that emerged in 2018

For MSPs, 2018 was anything but a dull year. Change is constant in the world of cybersecurity and the year delivered on that truism in spades. Before 2018 slips into the rearview mirror, let’s look back at some of the...

/ December 5, 2018
Traditional Trojans meet cryptos

Traditional Trojans meet cryptos

Students at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia were caught off guard recently as they logged online to check their grades and work on projects as they headed towards semester finals. To their surprise, the school’s network was shut-down...

/ November 29, 2018
MSPs warned that they are becoming targets

MSPs warned that they are becoming targets

MSPs are accustomed to safeguarding systems from breaches and attack. But in a recent brief, the Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) warned that MSPs themselves have been targeted and will continue to be targeted by bad actors....

/ November 21, 2018
Gone phishing

Gone phishing

When you have ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and polymorphic malware to battle, it’s easy to put phishing education on the back burner. In fact, a new study shows that 95 percent of IT professionals underestimate its impact and fail to adjust...

/ November 14, 2018