Cyber Security for Small businesses

International Cyber Wars and the Impact on American Companies

Tax Security 2.0: The Taxes-Security-Together Checklist

It seems like everyone is getting on-board with Cyber Security and for good reason. Bad-actors (Hackers) are getting more and more sophisticated and we as business owners need to make a change. Bad-actors know how to get around most of the tools we use to stop them because the tools are so out-dated. Anti-virus and firewalls have been around for over 30 years without much change to the process of stopping attacks. The biggest reason is because from the beginning Security was never about having a set-it-and-forget-it mindset, this is wrong, we need to have a layered approach to security, and this is what’s missing, especially in small businesses.

Most small businesses have the mindset “if I get the latest antivirus and firewall I’m good” or “my IT provider has me covered“. These are all wrong thinking, you need to have the mindset that they can get in, and they may already be in and I just don’t know it yet. Usually when a ransomware attack happens, it is after a hackers has already been in your system for a while, the ransomware is their parting gift. You must create policies and procedures that you continuously evaluate at least every six months. You also need to continuously train your employees, not just a annual training, that doesn’t work anymore. Every 39 seconds there is an attempt to break into a computer and these attacks are performed by sophisticated AI robots, not individuals, so they never tier, so you must put you best foot forward.

The IRS has created Tax Security 2.0 – A “Taxes-Security-Together” Checklist

Leaders from the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry today called on tax professionals nationwide to take time this summer to review their current security practices, enhance safeguards where necessary and take steps to protect their businesses from global cybercriminal syndicates prowling the Internet.

Take a look at this video and see how the IRS is stepping in and urging Tax professionals of all sizes to take this serious.

It is starting to become the LAW, no more are the days of just installing an antivirus and hope for the best. Now the government is starting to step in and force companies to do more, to step up your efforts and if you don’t there are hefty fines to pay and in some cases like HIPAA, jail time.

So I urge all of my fellow business owner, office manager and alike, take this seriously, do just think that this will just pass someday, because it won’t, it’s getting worse.

As every business becomes more interconnected across the state, cybersecurity is no longer just an information technology (IT) problem, it is a business problem.

Cybertech and the State of Indiana will hold its kick-off Cybertech Midwest event on Oct. 23, 2018 for executives, managers, critical infrastructure owners and operators to learn how to strategically prepare, respond, and recover from a cyber attack. Sentree Systems, Corp. will host a booth at this awesome event, so come out and see our latest solutions.

“We are absolutely thrilled to bring the Cybertech to Indiana for our flagship U.S. event,” said Amir Rapaport, founder of Cybertech. “We see Indiana as the ideal location for our Cybertech event due to its vibrant cyber eco-system, with incredible involvement and passion from the state, industry, academia and local government when it comes to cybersecurity, protection and innovation.”

This thought-provoking conference and exhibition will present on global cyber threats, solutions, innovations, and technologies. Speakers and panelists will focus on cyber threat and strategies for meeting diverse challenges in sectors such as healthcare, utilities, small businesses and local government.

Attendees will also meet decision-makers from the leading companies, startups, government officials, investors, academics, and other professionals changing the global cyber landscape.

Speakers will include Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Rodney Petersen, as well as speakers from Eli Lilly and Company, Purdue University, Indiana University, KSM Consulting, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Office of Technology, and more.

For more information or to register, visit midwest.cybertechconference.com.

Even though many companies may be working with smaller overall IT budgets, the portions of these IT budgets that are allocated towards security is increasing. This is happening because the perceived risks and the actual risks are growing dynamically. It is a matter of self-defense.

Avoiding Security System Sprawl and Gaps

It is important not to be wasteful in planning for IT security and make sure the application of budgeted funds is producing the best results. Security system redundancy and system sprawl across multiple networks are common problems. This not only costs a company more; it can actually increase the security risks that the security systems are trying to reduce.

Such wastefulness and any security gaps are uncovered by a comprehensive IT security review by Sentree Systems serving customers in Indianapolis and all across Indiana in cities and towns like Plainfield, Noblesville, Avon, Carmel, and Fishers.

Having Adequate IT Security Monitoring

This is achieved by a combination of outside consulting assistance from Sentree Systems working with in-house IT security staff. This is a 24/7 job that should never be neglected

Best Practices for Managing IT Security Budgets

Using too many security solutions combined with a lack of properly-trained IT-security staff causes big problems. Instead, here are the best practices to follow:

Work with a single IT security vendor like Sentree Systems that provides a comprehensive solution.
Reduce redundancy in security systems to have a more cost-effective solution.
Conduct regular security audits to uncover problems proactively before a disaster occurs.
Make the security audit recommendations and fund them with the proper amount of budgeted support.

By working with a single-solution provider like Sentree Systems, a cost-effective security program can be put in place that reduces wastefulness and gets the job done. Email info@sentreesystems.com or call 317-939-3282 to schedule an IT security review.

International cyber wars have been in the news a quite a bit lately. Countries are attacking other countries. Computer servers are being hacked by sophisticated government operations. Identity theft is now so rampant that the theft of an American person’s identity happens once every few seconds. A study conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research found that during 2017 about 16.7 million Americans were subject to identity theft. This caused over $17 billion in losses from the data breaches. Businesses are not immune to these attacks either.

North Korean cyber attackers are thought to have hacked cryptocoin currency exchanges in South Korea and Japan. They got away with stealing the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars. Then, the perceived technical vulnerabilities of the cryptocurrency exchanges caused the value of all of the cryptocurrencies to decrease rapidly. About half of the value of all the cryptocurrencies disappeared in less than a few weeks, which represented more than $42 billion in lost value that evaporated during June 2018. The most popular one, Bitcoin, suffered the greatest loss of value.

Other cyber-criminal hackers distribute a vicious form of malware called “ransomware” that infects computers, encrypts the files, and then the hackers demand payment in anonymous cryptocurrency for the key needed to unlock the files. They promise to send the unlock keycode for payment; however, they may not send it, even if the ransom is paid.

Businesses that make use of bank wire transfers are seeing attacks that divert funds from their business account. Hackers get the information they need by doing “spearfishing” with keyloggers to capture personal information. They get the passcodes to bank accounts or simply use an email that seems to come from the boss to instruct a worker in the company to make a payment to the criminals.

This is an important warning for the big businesses, as well as for the small-to-medium-sized businesses, which are located in the service area for Sentree Systems in Indiana. This includes the cities of Avon, Carmel, Fishers, Indianapolis, Noblesville, Plainfield, and the surrounding areas. You need Sentree Systems on your side to fight this menace.

World War III has already started and it is a cyber war. The attacks do not even need to directly focus on your company to cause great harm. They can be against critical infrastructure, electrical power grids, banking networks etc. All of these attacks can be disruptive and damaging to every business that uses these systems.

Having high-defense IT security and a comprehensive plan for disaster response for your business is no longer something that can be left to do some time in the future. In fact, this needs to have already been done and regularly updated for the ongoing and upcoming threats. Contact Sentree Systems at 317-939-3282 or email info@sentreesystems.com to set up an appointment for a comprehensive IT security review to help mitigate the serious risks that all American businesses are now facing.

Is Your COMPANY's Data on the Dark Web, Find out TODAY!!!

GET YOUR FREE DARK WEB SCAN TODAY!!!

YES, I WANT THE SCAN