Technology Advisor Blog

Cryptocurrency is a term that we hear a lot, but for many of us, it remains a bit of a mystery.  We’ll take a look at it from a high level to provide some understanding.  Why? Well, it isn’t going away, and it only seems to be gaining popularity.  And also, because if you are a target of a ransomware attack, it could very likely be how the hacker demands payment. Now, we are not suggesting you pay that ransom demand - in fact, the US Department of the Treasury has issued warnings against paying -  but getting familiar with cryptocurrency will help you in understanding how these cybercriminals are able to fly under the radar.

It's Tax Season (with an extra month extension for COVID) which means its also the season for tax scams.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has just released its annual report.  Over 700,000 complaints were filed - an increase of more than 300,000 from the previous year -  and reported losses exceeded $4.2B.  

Each year the National Cyber Security Alliance promotes Cybersecurity Awareness Month during the Month of October.  It's estimated that over 90% of breaches occur as the result of user error, so developing a culture of cybersecurity in your organization is more important than ever.  Each day in October we posted a Myth or a Tip on our social media, and as much as a month of increased awareness helps, Cybersecurity is really an ongoing effort.

Ransomware threats are on the rise in recent years, and new threats are accelerating.  This type of malware is extremely destructive as it encrypts the files of infected users and locks you out of your own data unless you pay the ransom, typically in the form of Bitcoin cryptocurrency, which enables criminals to hide.  Its a big money maker for criminals, and as long as victims continue to pay the ransom, the threats will continue. 

Each year Verizon publishes the much-anticipated Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR).  The report is built on real-world data from 41,686 security incidents and 2,013 data breaches provided by 73 data sources, both public and private entities, spanning 86 countries worldwide.    We'll cover some of the key take-aways in this post, and if you're interested in more information, we recommend checking out the full report.  

The IRS has issued a reminder to all practitioners that all "Professional Tax Preparers" must create a written data security plan to protect clients.  

Last week, Ekaru hosted a Cybersecurity Awareness Training session at the Cameron Senior Center in Westford, MA.  It's part of our mission to raise cybersecurity awareness for EVERYONE.  

Big businesses make the headlines but small businesses are NOT immune to Cyber Attacks!  

Cyber threats are real and they're local.  Major corporations like Marriott make the big headlines, but too many smaller businesses and institutions think they're "under the radar".  Attacks are widespread and they're automated.  The average firewall is getting hundreds of thousands of intrusion attempts per month, over 50 ransomware attempts, and twelve phishing attempts.   All it takes is ONE user clicking on ONE wrong link and a lot of damage can be done.