Technology Advisor Blog

Maybe you can relate to this: Your local business finally takes the plunge and starts getting serious about cybersecurity and suddenly things feel like they just got a lot harder for you. It’s the end of a long workday, and you go online to search for your favorite whiskey you want to enjoy over the weekend, and a security warning pops up that the site is blocked by your security. The website may be blocked because it falls into the broad category of “drugs and alcohol” but you’re not looking to abuse any substances, you’re just looking forward to enjoying a class of fine whiskey.

On Friday July 19, 2024, the world woke up to a major tech outage as a routine update from security software vendor CrowdStrike inadvertently caused computers to crash worldwide. Flights were cancelled, hospitals were shut down, and banking was disrupted. CrowdStrike clarified early in the day that the incident was NOT a cyber attack, but rather a (really) bad update, and a fix was available pretty quickly.  Still, undoing the damage was a major effort.  What can we learn from this?

The more you know about the various types of cyber scams out there, the safer you'll be online. We recently received a question from someone in our community who's doing a lot of hiring and reported that someone had posted a job on a spoofed website - "domaincareers.com" instead of "domain.com".  Why do scammers do this?  They're trying to trick people into providing personal information like a social security number and possibly financial information so they can steal it.  It is true that before you start a job, you'll need to give your employer your social security number and you'll probably want to set up direct deposit of a paycheck, but if a company is asking for this information too early, its a scam.   Both employers and potential employees need to know about these scams.

Business continuity planning helps your business operate nearly seamlessly in the event of a natural disaster, critical hardware malfunction, or even a cybersecurity breach. These events can cripple or even destroy your organization. But when you take precautions now before such things happen, you save yourself massive headaches down the road.

Data security in Boston, and other major business centers, is becoming a pillar of business readiness, as leaders look to proactively protect their business data.

Vulnerability scanning is a cybersecurity service designed to identify, assess, and help manage security weaknesses in your computer systems, networks, and software. Think of it as a health check-up for your business's digital environment. This service uses specialized software tools to scan for known vulnerabilities, such as outdated software, missing security patches, or configurations that could easily be exploited by hackers.  We talk to a lot of small businesses in the greater Boston area, and we're seeing more and more insurance companies and banks ask for vulnerability scans.

QR codes, short for Quick Response Codes, are the gateway between the physical and digital realms, offering a seamless bridge in our interconnected world.  Just point your camera at a QR Code and you'll be conveniently directed to a website.  Easy, right?   However, their simplicity and widespread adoption have opened the door for innovative cybercriminals to exploit. These tech-savvy fraudsters ingeniously manipulate QR codes, turning them into tools for executing scams, potentially leading to significant security breaches and financial damage. As a small business owner in the digital age, it's imperative to understand the nature of QR code scams and the strategies to effectively recognize and thwart them. This article will arm you with essential tips and insights, empowering you to safeguard your business against the hidden dangers of these seemingly innocuous codes.

The award winners were hand-selected by ScalePad's Sales and Success teams as leaders in the industry.

As small business owners, it's crucial to be aware of the increasing risk of cyber crime, a concern that's rapidly escalating in today's digital world. Experts from Cybersecurity Ventures predict that by 2024, cybercrime could result in global costs of up to $9 trillion each year. This alarming figure highlights the importance of protecting your business. The question is, how will this financial impact affect local small businesses? Cyber incidents at big businesses make the national headlines, but small businesses are getting hit just as hard, it's just these incidents don't make the headlines.  The goal isn't to make everyone scared - that just makes us overwhelmed.  What can you do?  The significance of regular training to develop strong, cyber-secure habits cannot be overstated. Such training is key to defending your business against these evolving digital threats.

Cybersecurity is in the news just about every day!  The balance between cybersecurity and convenience is always tough, and sometimes cybersecurity can even get in the way.