Technology Advisor Blog

A Real-World Wake-Up Call

Last week a 10-person machine shop in the Boston area reached out to us with an urgent challenge. They were eager to win Department of Defense contracts, but there was one major roadblock: compliance. Specifically, they needed to meet CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) standards to even qualify.

Ransomware attacks can destroy a business in hours, yet having a local incident response team alongside national experts provides direct support when every minute counts. A nearby team delivers immediate on-site assistance, translates complex technical information, and works directly with your staff while national teams handle remote tasks.  When a local business was recently locked out of all their systems after a ransomware attack, a nationally recognized incident response team needed "boots on the ground" and we were honored to be called to help.

One of the questions we hear all the time is:  “We have spam filters—so why are these phishing emails still getting through?” Sometimes, it’s said with a little more heat:
“Why don’t these security tools actually work?”

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 and the time to start planning is now.  We work with a lot of local businesses in the Boston area, and one of the things we hear a lot is - later!  It's always a little stressful to think about making a change, and when your "to do" list is long, this is easy to put on the back burner.  Delaying your Windows 11 upgrade will only add risk and stress later, so get started now!

If you have a relatively new system, you probably won't need to purchase a new computer - you'll likely be able to just do a software update, which keeps costs a lot lower. When you're on Windows 11, you won't need another upgrade for many years (but security updates along the way are always important).

Are you sharing too much information in your Out of Office message?  One of our core values at Ekaru is being "Friendly and Helpful".  In that spirit, I used to include a lot of information in my Out of Office Auto-Reply... because I wanted to be friendly and helpful! 

Penetration testing (or pen testing for short) is a proactive way to protect your business from cyberattacks. It simulates real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them. For small businesses, often working with limited security resources, pen testing is a critical tool to uncover hidden risks, meet compliance requirements, and strengthen defenses.

Your business data and customer information need strong protection to maintain trust and meet compliance standards. Modern automated tools make professional security testing both accessible and cost-effective for smaller companies. Through regular testing, you can build a clear roadmap to strengthen your defenses and stay ahead of emerging threats.

Cybersecurity Insurance for small business offers protection that standard business coverage often overlooks. Your company faces mounting risks from data breaches, ransomware attacks, and operational disruptions due to cyber incidents - problems that traditional insurance policies were not built to handle.

How hackers use AI for phishing attacks has become more advanced, making standard email security measures inadequate for protection. Modern cybercriminals leverage artificial intelligence to create convincing emails with flawless grammar, personal details from social media, and context-aware content that can deceive your most alert employees.  No more language barriers in cyber crime!

Every year, Verizon publishes a Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR). The Verizon DBIR is one of the most comprehensive reports illustrating REAL security incidents and breaches, not just hypothetical "this could happen" warnings.  The 2025 Report - the 18th annual report! -  was published on April 23, 2025 and as usual, its full of inciteful information for both small business AND enterprise. To generate the report, the Verizon DBIR team analyzed 22,053 real-world security incidents, of which 12,195 were confirmed data breaches. 

Starting May 5, 2025, all businesses - regardless of size - must meet Microsoft’s stricter email authentication requirements when sending to Outlook, Hotmail, and Live addresses. These changes are designed to reduce spoofing and impersonation, aligning with similar updates from Google and Yahoo to improve overall email security.