Cyber hygiene: What is it and why is it so important?

Cyber hygiene is a practice that organizations and individuals use to ensure the security and health of their users, data, devices and networks.

Cyber hygiene is about protecting sensitive data from theft and attacks. This concept is similar to personal hygiene. Individuals can take precautionary measures to protect their health, such as flossing to reduce cavities and handwashing in order to prevent the spread of diseases. By following cyber hygiene precautions, organizations can protect their health and avoid data breaches.

It is important that cyber hygiene does not fall solely on IT security analysts, technicians and managers. It is a shared responsibility that all users and departments must prioritize. A common way that employees can contribute to cyber hygiene is to follow current email security best practices. This includes avoiding public Wi Fi and creating strong, unique passwords.

Cyber hygiene: What are its benefits and why is it so important?

Cyber hygiene has many benefits. Organizations can reduce the likelihood of data compromise, operational interruptions and data loss by ensuring they have a good cyber hygiene.

Security posture is the enterprise’s overall cybersecurity program strength and how well it can handle emerging and existing threats. A basic cyber hygiene program can help you achieve optimal cybersecurity.

Cyber hygiene issues can result in data compromise, data loss, and security incidents. Data breaches can lead to financial loss, government fines and operational downtime. They also cause organizational upheaval and damage to the reputation of the organization.

What are the challenges in maintaining cyber hygiene?

Cyber hygiene is crucial, but it’s not easy. These are some of the common challenges:

Complexity and breadth of IT environments. It is extremely difficult to maintain cyber hygiene in today’s enterprise due to the large number of users, devices, and assets that are often scattered across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Monotony. Cyber hygiene cannot be achieved by simply crossing off a checklist. It requires end users and security professionals to engage in a constant stream of important, but often mundane, tasks.

User buy-in. IT security teams cannot achieve good cyber hygiene by themselves. They require the engagement and support of all end users within their organizations, even those who are not experts or interested in cybersecurity.

Cyber hygiene best practices for users

Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. This means that although organizations must prioritize cyber hygiene, individual users also need to be vigilant.

Users should be aware of these cyber hygiene best practices.

• Backups. Backups. Regularly back up your important files to a secure, separate location. This will ensure that you are protected and isolated in the event of a network breach.
• Education. Users should not click on attachments or links in emails. Keep abreast of new phishing techniques and malware.
• Encryption. Protect sensitive data with device and file encryption
• Firewalls. Firewalls and routers should be properly configured and set up to prevent bad actors from accessing private systems.
• Password hygiene. According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report 61% of all breaches are user credentials. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain good password hygiene and use multifactor authentication (MFA), to make it more difficult.
• Management of patches. Patch management. Install all available security patches and software updates on company-owned devices as well as personal devices.
• Online discretion. You should not post any personal information that a bad actor could use in order to reset or guess a password or gain access to private accounts. Cybercriminals may use personal information already online to launch social engineering attacks.
• Security software. Antimalware and antivirus software are essential to protect your system against malware, viruses, ransomwares, rootkits, Trojans, and other malicious programs. Regular scans are recommended to identify unusual activity.

Good Cyber hygiene  may be difficult to achieve, but, it can be accomplished with help. SpartanTec in Charleston SC is a cybersecurity company you can call on for help. We have been around since 2002 and have seen many changes in internet security. We are a company you can trust to keep your data, employees and devices secure from external and internal threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Woodhaven, Lighthouse Point, Farmington, Lynnwood, Hillside, Oak Forest, Oceanview, Mount Pleasant, Green Acres, Northbridge

What is a Managed Firewall?

Although firewalls can be equipped with all the security features necessary to keep bad guys at bay, they are only as effective and efficient as their management. You need a managed firewall service to get the full benefit of having a network firewall.

What is a managed firewall?

Monitoring your network can take up significant time, resources, and cost. Managed firewall services provided by SpartasnTec in Charleston SC, offer solutions that cover administration, operation monitoring, maintenance, and monitoring of your firewall infrastructure.

The managed firewall service includes an assessment of your security risks and monitoring network traffic. Any abnormal traffic patterns that are not “normal” will be detected and corrected once the we have established what normal traffic looks like.

Managed firewall solutions typically include network monitoring, set-up, maintenance and modification of firewall rules. They can include detailed analysis, reports, and feedback. Updates and patches are an integral part of the solution.

Firewalls are not plug-and-play devices. It is not possible to just install a firewall on your network perimeter and expect it to do its job. Firewall management requires extensive knowledge and constant monitoring. It is just the beginning of a long process. Do you have the staff to do the job?

Common firewall problems and complexities

Only a small portion of the complexity involved in managing a firewall is represented by the resources needed. Companies should also be aware of other less obvious issues.

Balance between security and user-friendliness

If protocols are too restrictive or don’t allow users to access specific data or applications, firewall rules can be a business inhibitor. Companies can be vulnerable to data theft and security breaches if they have access to more information than is necessary to perform their job duties.

Auditing is not necessary

Although it is a good practice to analyze firewall rules on a regular basis, many companies overlook this critical step. Don’t be one of them. Hire IT Support Charleston SC to help you.

Inability to keep pace with changing threats

The complexity of managing a firewall increases as the threat landscape changes and the company’s attack surface grows. Even though firewall rules and configurations may have been adequate weeks or months ago to block cyber threats, they are no longer effective today.

Multiple locations, multiple firewalls

All of the above complexity can be too much for one firewall, but many organizations need multiple firewalls. Each firewall is unique and requires its own configurations and rules. Each firewall can multiply the work.

Complexity of industry compliance standard

Your firewall must be PCI DSS compliant if your company accepts online payments. But, simply installing a firewall to protect your network may not make you PCI DSS-compliant. As a guideline for how firewalls should install, be updated, and be maintained compliant with PCI DSS, there are more than 20 sub-requirements.

The benefits of having a service provider manage the firewall

Working with a managed security provider (MSSP) such as SpartanTec, Inc. in Charleston SC for firewall management goes beyond the solutions and complexity outlined above.

Empowering digital transformation

As organizations adopt SaaS, hybrid cloud, IoT and public clouds, IT environments are changing. Digital transformation may be delayed because traditional security controls might not have the ability to adapt to these changing IT environments. Even worse, the transformation can be slowed down by inadequate security controls.

Monitor your network 24/7

Managed firewall services that are highly regarded will monitor and manage your firewalls from their SOC (security operation center). A fully redundant, secure SOC should be available to the MSSP. It should also have advanced security technology and emergency backup power.

Threats can be better managed by collecting data, monitoring your network traffic, and analyzing for known vulnerabilities.

Solutions customized to suit your environment

You can have your firewalls managed whether they are on-premise, cloud-based, hybrid or virtual. SpartanTec, Inc. can provide managed firewall solutions that are tailored to your network environment. Contact SpartanTec, Inc. now if you wish to know more about managed firewalls and IT services.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Woodhaven, Lighthouse Point, Farmington, Lynnwood, Hillside, Oak Forest, Oceanview, Mount Pleasant, Green Acres, Northbridge

IT Support Mt Pleasant SC – Cyber Security Solution for Growing Businesses

Mount Pleasant, SC is a large suburban town located in Charleston County, South Carolina. In the Low Country, it is the fourth largest municipality and largest town in South Carolina, and for several years was one of the state’s fastest-growing areas, doubling in population between 1990 and 2000.

Mount Pleasant Welcomes Businesses

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is home to stunning natural beauty, low taxes, the best schools, low crime and an unbelievable array of recreational opportunities, shopping, dining and culture. What you might not know is how attuned and attentive to business Mount Pleasant is – with incentives, support and hands-on, real-time help built for startups and smart growth.

SpartanTec, Inc.is proud to serve Mt Pleasant and surrounding Charleston County with IT Support and Managed Services for companies with no IT team or to supplement an existing IT department.

SpartanTec Mount Pleasant SC Network Security

Cybercrime targets small and medium-sized businesses in excess of 77% of the attacks. Yet, 42% of small and middle-sized businesses do not consider cyber crime a threat. While cyber security is essential for your business, it can also take away time and resources from your growth activities. Advanced attacks are more difficult to prevent than traditional security measures.

• Your growing business needs for low-maintenance, low cost, and high-value cybersecurity
• To increase your defenses, integrate with conventional cyber security products
• Protect your business from the disruption and cost of a breach
• Advanced attacks are detected in real-time — even when other security solutions fail
• Fortifies your cyber defenses

Cybercrimes today go far beyond mere nuisance attacks. It’s not surprising that 60% of victims of cyberattacks against small businesses are forced to close their doors within six months after a breach.

For specific information, well-organized groups can launch sophisticated threats against your company. Attackers often target smaller businesses that supply larger companies with products and services. They can eventually reach larger targets by establishing a foothold within smaller companies. They attack via email and the internet 90% of the times.

SpartanTec Mt Pleasant IT Support

• At a price you can afford
• Without adding stress to security resources
• Correlating email and internet activities is a way to find other solutions that are not possible. These activities can seem innocuous when seen in isolation.
• For your growing business

The Network Security solution is ideal for any IT department that has a single employee or one who needs to expand its security capabilities.

Network Security against advanced cyber threats like ransomware and spear-phishing emails. This solution will ensure that your company runs smoothly, without interruptions, disruptions, or waste of effort.

Effective defense against targeted attacks

Targeted attacks are tailored to your company’s weaknesses. The attacker will research your weaknesses, identify your key assets, and create an attack strategy to accomplish their goal.

SpartanTec Mt. Pleasant SC also creates a targeted defense. Our systems scan your email and web traffic against thousands possible computer configurations in order to detect suspicious activity. We scan both embedded URLs and attachments. Web activity is considered interactions. This means that our system scans web activity as if a person visited the pages and clicked on all the links to download different resources.

Actionable intelligence accelerates response

Alerts are indicators that something is wrong with any security system. The more security systems you have the better, as they often lack the intelligence to validate, prioritize and evaluate the alerts. Only 19% of all alerts are important. Security teams only have the ability to investigate 4% of all alerts. This means that they spend a lot of time sorting through irrelevant alerts.

SpartanTec, Inc. is a different company. Our Threat intelligence database can validate alerts and eliminate false positives. False positives are alerts that indicate malicious activities when none exist. Security staff won’t feel overwhelmed by alerts. They will be able to spend more time investigating actual threats.

Contact us today at 854-205-2881 to discuss your companies specific security needs and budget.

SpartanTec, Inc. Mt Pleasant
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
854-205-2881

Serving Woodhaven, Lighthouse Point, Farmington, Lynnwood, Hillside, Oak Forest, Oceanview, Mount Pleasant, Green Acres, Northbridge

Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics You Should Know

Small businesses, similar to all enterprises, have to manage customer data. This includes PII, which means personally identifiable Information. They are often not equipped to protect their data from cyberthreats. They are easy targets for state-sponsored and scripted criminals. That’s why cybersecurity is crucial.

Even amateur cyber criminals are aware of the likelihood that they will find a user who will fall for the phishing email, or an employee with a default password or obvious password. This is especially true in small businesses where cybersecurity training and employee awareness are often neglected in the hope that bad actors won’t be too busy hunting big-game hunters.

Small businesses can also be negligent when it comes to network security. They leave equipment with default passwords and don’t implement WPA2/WPA3 protection. Small businesses are also less likely to follow cybersecurity best practices such as strong passwords, frequent changes, patch management, principle of least privilege and revoking access when not needed.

Small businesses are at risk

Small businesses are most at risk from social engineering. This is mainly through phishing scams. Attackers can trick innocent users into giving out sensitive or confidential information or clicking on malicious files or links that contain malware. IT support professionals working with small businesses are increasingly concerned about ransomware and double-extortion attacks.

Sometimes it isn’t advanced threats that cause incidents, but little things like an employee leaving a sticky with his credentials on a desk. This can expose the entire system and lead to a variety of threats.

The Covid-19 crisis highlighted 2020 as a year marked by cyberattacks that leverage vulnerabilities in hastily created work-from-home deployments. After global lockdowns, small businesses were most at risk.

Security was often neglected in the quest for continuity. Many small businesses let employees access their internal resources from their personal devices, blurring the lines between business and personal devices. Smaller companies that have limited IT resources and staff had to deal with this large-scale, unplanned work-from-home experiment.

Cybersecurity Statistics for Small Business Owners

It is important to keep up with current cyber-attack statistics in order to understand the state of cyber threats and commonly used vulnerabilities. This will also help you to identify the implications of successful cyberattacks and how to mitigate them.

Here are 10 critical cybersecurity statistics that will help you see the lack of preventative and combative actions in small businesses despite modern cyber attacks.

1. 43% of data breaches are small- and medium-sized businesses.
2. If you are still unsure about your small business being a victim of cyberattacks, 61% have reported at least 1 in the past year.
3. A CISCO benchmark study found that 40% of small businesses were affected by a serious cyber attack and had to go offline for at least eight hours. This downtime is a significant cost in a security breach.
4. Ransomware was not one of the top cyberthreats small businesses identified in the CISCO study. MSPs may underestimate the threat of ransomware for business owners, but they aren’t. Ransomware is a concern for 85 percent of MSPs.
5. 30 percent of small businesses believe phishing attacks as the biggest cyber threat.
6. 83% of small- and medium-sized companies aren’t financially ready to recover from cyber attacks.
7. 91% of small businesses don’t have cyber liability insurance, despite the staggering statistics. This demonstrates how unprepared small businesses are to deal security breaches.
8. Only 14% of small business owners consider their cyber attack mitigation and risk mitigation abilities highly effective.
9. 43% of SMBs don’t have a cybersecurity plan.
10. One fifth of small businesses does not use endpoint protection, and 52% of SMBs don’t have IT security specialists in-house.

Moving forward: What is required?

These statistics show the dire cybersecurity situation for small businesses. While it is true that advanced cybersecurity tools, techniques and expertise are not cheap, the cost of a successful hack can be enough to take a small business out of business. It may appear that you are either damned to do it or damned not to.

Small businesses should try to cut costs wherever possible. If you don’t have the budget for security personnel, consider hiring an MSSP or MSP with security features like SpartanTec in Charleston SC. You can make a big difference by taking small steps. Focus on what is essential to survive in a complex threat environment. Even the most basic cybersecurity practices can greatly reduce the risk.

Here are some tips to improve your cybersecurity without spending a fortune:

• Most people fall for social engineering tactics that lack cybersecurity awareness. Your employees should be educated about common social engineering tactics, conduct phishing assessments and reinforce basic cybersecurity concepts.
• Make sure your OSes, apps, and security software such as antivirus and firewalls are up-to-date.
• Use multi-factor authentication and enforce password policies.
• Secure remote access to internal resources and encrypted data transfer with a VPN.
• DHS offers free scanning and cybersecurity assessments for small businesses in order to identify known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. These services can be leveraged.
• Cyber liability insurance is available.
• In case of ransomware and other malware attacks, always have an offline backup of your data.
• Security incidents are bound to happen, even if you do everything right. It is best to prepare for these incidents with an effective incident response plan. An IR plan isn’t a one-and done project. To stay on top of evolving threats, your IR plan must be regularly updated and tested.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you need help in boosting your company’s cyber security measures.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence, Charleston

Cybersecurity Beyond Firewall Protection

No longer is “Old gold”. We must stop implementing old security measures to improve our organization’s IT infrastructure. They are clearly not working.

Firewalls are an age-old security method that worked well in the early years of the internet. However, today it is not enough to rely on firewalls alone defeat the sophisticated and technologically advanced cyber-attacks. We will tell you why.

Cloud protection is lacking

Cloud technology adoption is increasing. Cloud technology is not without its cyber risks. To prevent intruders from unauthorized access to the cloud environment, it is important to set up a firewall. It is possible to extend firewalls beyond the range of the internal network to cover all data on the cloud, but this depends on the availability and capabilities of the cloud infrastructure.

Failure configuration

Capital One, the largest credit card issuer, was the victim of a huge data breach that compromised the personal information of approximately 106 million people. Cyberattacks can be as easy as having a poorly configured firewall. Configurations that do not fit well in a cloud-based environment have less restrictive access policies, fail to filter outgoing traffic, etc. Cyber threats can be barely escaped.

Inefficient monitoring

There is a shortage of IT security professionals and IT professionals are often overloaded. This means that they might not have enough time to monitor firewalls, upgrade it or reconfigure it to meet security requirements. Sometimes, a firewall that was installed many years ago may not be monitored over time. This is what bad actors use to their advantage.

Inadequacy in detection

A firewall is network security that operates according to a set “pre-determined rules”. They can detect threats and allow legitimate traffic to pass. However, this may not be very beneficial. It is easier for an attacker to plan a cyberattack if he knows the rules. Firewalls are not able to detect potential threats. They only respond to them according the predetermined rules. If the rule says that incoming data is from known sources, an attacker could easily launch a campaign to phish via these sources and expose all credentials.

You can still achieve maximum security, despite the drawbacks mentioned above.

Cyber threat intelligence: Make an investment

A firewall, as we have already mentioned, is a reactive system. It is only able to react to cyber threats, and not identify them before. Cyber Threat Intelligence is something that organizations should invest in. It is mainly made up of security professionals who are able to foresee cyber threats, and possibly detect those that have passed the firewall because of a loophole.

Internal network monitoring

Firewalls prevent access from outside networks, but that’s it. While firewalls may block unauthorized access to external networks, what about inside the firewall? One of the most serious cybersecurity threats is insider threats. It is therefore important to increase network visibility, monitor users within the network, as well as ensure that no malicious exchanges are occurring from private networks to public networks.

Advanced authentication is available

Authentication – A barrier that a cyber attacker can easily overthrow or not cross depending on its severity. Cybercriminals are able to hack passwords, even those that are extremely complex. Multi-Factor authentication is a good choice. This allows attackers to bypass one firewall (often poorly designed or unattended) and be stopped by multiple barriers created by MFA.

Install an IAM suite

This is perhaps the most important investment that an organization can make: deploying an Identity and Access Management system. A comprehensive IAM solution can provide high security despite any flaws in the firewall. It includes access management, identity governance and administration, business to consumer functions and personalized dashboards.

Cyber attackers are able to somehow find their way into the security network to cause havoc within an organization. Cyber attackers are constantly improving their methods. Organizations should implement more security measures in addition to firewalls.

Now that you know what you need to do – the question becomes HOW? SpartanTec, Inc. in Charleston SC is the answer. We have the cybersecurity solutions to keep your data secure. Call us today – 843-418-4792 – for a complete analysis of your network and security threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence, Charleston

Are Small Businesses Able To Afford Managed IT Services Providers?

Small business owners are often faced with the dilemma of trying to balance their budget and still have the right tools to grow their company. Many business owners are faced with this dilemma because they know the importance of having additional products and managed IT services Charleston SC to help their business thrive. These goals may not be possible if funds are in short supply. This is particularly true in today’s economy, where small business owners may find that financial institutions are less willing to extend credit.

Managed IT Services Charleston SC: Why Is It Important?

Many small business owners face this dilemma and must make tough decisions about where to spend their money to improve their businesses. Many business owners are unsure whether they can afford to hire a managed service provider. While there may be some situations in which the costs are not worth it, there are other instances where you will pay more over the long-term. These are just a few of the reasons IT services Charleston SC might be cheaper than the alternatives.

Technology – Small businesses need to keep up with the latest technology in order to remain competitive. This area can cost a lot of money, so it is important to have someone who can support your technology. Although the average person has a greater understanding of the basics of technology, IT support experts are still needed to ensure that your business is able to continue operating on a daily basis and in case of an emergency.

Smaller companies have the resources to fund an IT department within their company that offers support and expertise in technology. Small businesses don’t have the same resources, and are often left without support or at a steep price when they need to hire an expert.

MSP services– A small business can enlist the assistance of a managed service provider to provide specific services at a fixed price. This allows small business owners to know upfront what they will be paying and how it will fit into their budget. MSPs offer a variety of services, including computer and server support as well as data backup and disaster recovery, network security and custom software solutions. Remote network monitoring is also available. Technology evaluation and planning can also be done by them. These services can be tailored to the needs of each client depending on their business, which allows them to cut costs in certain areas.

Small business owners might not be able to afford managed IT services providers for many reasons. Small business owners often don’t realize the value of the services they receive until an emergency occurs. This is where they quickly discover that the cost to fix a problem or recover after a disaster is more costly than the costs of planning for it. It is not about whether you can afford to manage services but if it is possible to afford them.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you need help in protecting your business against cyberattacks.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence, Charleston

Phishing Emails Are Becoming Harder To Identify

Microsoft data shows that phishing emails account for 0.62 percent in all inbox receipts as of September 2019.

This is an increase of 31% from the previous year.

Although the increase in alarm is alarming, at first glance these numbers seem quite normal.

Last year, more than a billion dollars was lost by companies worldwide due to phishing emails that targeted business owners (or Business Email Compromise, or BEC). This fact makes it more terrifying to see how the number of phishing emails per year increases.

Understanding Phishing Emails

BEC campaigns are expensive and successful because scammers often impersonate CEOs or other top-ranking corporate officials. You respond quickly to emails that appear to be from your boss and are marked urgent. This is exactly what scammers want.

Scammers are becoming more skilled at creating emails. They have even taken in IT professionals in some cases. They haven’t been able to distinguish between an email sent by a scammer posing as a CEO and one from the CEO. What hope does an IT professional have if they are taken in?

This is a legitimate concern given the rapid rise in phishing emails. You can bet that scammers will become more prolific, thanks to their success.

Microsoft claims that two-factor authentication can be used across all platforms as a countermeasure. 2FA blocks 99.9% of automated attacks, which is why phishing and other cyberattacks are often automated. You are putting yourself at unnecessary risk if you don’t use it regularly.

SpartanTec, Inc. can help you train your employees to recognize suspicious email and other techniques to protect your company’s network. Contact us to learn more about dark web analysis and firewall protection.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence, Charleston