Tag: cyber security

Cryptojacking is making a comeback

Cryptojacking is making a comeback

Black Squid has washed up on the cyber-shores of the United States, after first being spotted in Thailand. Unlike its oceanic counterparts, this cyber squid is destructive. Beincrypto describes the threat like this: It uses tactics such as anti-virtualization, anti-debugging,...

/ June 12, 2019
Steganography makes a comeback

Steganography makes a comeback

Steganography was malware before there was malware. In fact, the term dates back thousands of years and has only recently been used in cyber-circles. The word’s root is derived from the Greek word steganos, which means “covered” or “concealed.” Pre-technological generals used...

/ June 5, 2019
Building a defense from social engineering attacks

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....

/ May 29, 2019
Need for zero-trust IT environments bodes well for MSPs

Need for zero-trust IT environments bodes well for MSPs

As part of a concerted effort to improve their overall cybersecurity posture, most organizations are now moving towards building a true zero-trust IT environment. After years of pursuing a hodgepodge approach to IT, organizations are starting to realize that a...

/ May 23, 2019
Social engineering: a hacker’s most effective weapon

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...

/ May 22, 2019 / 1 Comment
The best defense against ransomware

The best defense against ransomware

Ransomware has been striking businesses of all sizes, including municipalities, impacting their infrastructures. In the past three months, cybercriminals have successfully attacked six major cities. In each case, the attack brought great inconvenience to the victims. The city of Baltimore...

/ May 21, 2019
Worldwide popularity of GDPR on the rise

Worldwide popularity of GDPR on the rise

The first anniversary of a move by the European Union to impose a General Data Protection Rule (GDPR) arrives at the end of this week. GDPR was enacted to protect the digital rights of anyone doing business with a company...

/ May 21, 2019
Latest Intel chip vulnerabilities represent a major challenge for MSPs

Latest Intel chip vulnerabilities represent a major challenge for MSPs

Remember the news about the Intel Meltdown and Spectre chip vulnerabilities that emerged last year? Remember all the panic and the patches? Well, get ready because you’re about to go through all of that again with the latest Intel chip vulnerability....

/ May 17, 2019
Time to appreciate the thin line of cybersecurity defense maintained by MSPs

Time to appreciate the thin line of cybersecurity defense maintained by MSPs

One of the toughest, and often thankless, roles in all of IT is that of the managed security services provider (MSSP). Most MSSPs know cyberattacks tend to come in waves. Cybercriminals like to mix up their attack vectors to avoid...

/ May 17, 2019
Catch hackers with a honeypot in your security service

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...

/ May 15, 2019