Technology Advisor Blog

The new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT is all over the news these days!  ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, and it's an AI language model that can understand human language and generate human-like responses.  It's the fasted growing tech platform ever, hitting ONE MILLION users in just FIVE DAYS!  You can ask a question and get a response.  Need help writing an email or a letter to a client?    You can automate a lot of repetitive tasks like writing an introductory email, an online ad, or even an outline of a book.  It's a tool that can save you a lot of time when used right.  If you have writer's block, or just can't think of how to start a response, just ask ChatGPT.  The responses will require some fact checking and fine tuning, but you'll never have to stare at a blank sheet of paper again (a computer screen these days).

Building on annual success Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022 is set to highlight the growing importance of cybersecurity in our daily lives and look to empower everyday individuals and business to take cybersecurity steps by making cyber more accessible.

"I'm a small business.  Why would a ransomware gang be out to get me?"  This is a question we hear a lot working with local businesses.  Everyone sees the big cyber crime headlines in the news, most recently with Uber, and last year quite visibly with the Colonial Pipeline, but what many people don't realize is that half of these kinds of threats hit small businesses - the events just don't make national news.  Why are so many small businesses impacted when there are bigger targets out there?  It's Ransomware as a Service.  What's ransomware as a service? You’re likely familiar with software as a service (SaaS) but ransomware? What does that mean?

First, let’s do a quick review of what ransomware is. It's a type of malware that holds the victim’s files and folders for ransom.  This sounds like something out of a Tom Cruise movie, but basically a giant warning shows up on your screen with a ticking clock that says pay the ransom, or you won't ever access your files again.  Most typically, malware gets on your computer network through human error with someone inadvertently clicking on the wrong link or opening the wrong email attachment (like a fake resume).   The malware is deployed and encrypts network data, with a safe return of your data being promised when the ransom is paid. And with payments usually made through cryptocurrency, these crimes are can be committed anonymously.  Cybercrime is big business!

The "Ransomware as a Service" business model was developed for criminal purposes to make it even easier for criminals to conduct crimes. Ransomware requires little effort to deploy with potentially big payouts.  Criminals with little or no technical know-how can now blast out millions of emails to potential victims.  All they need is a few mouse clicks to make a lot of money.

Ransomware as a Service

Do your passwords pose a security risk for your business?  At first this sounds like a funny question, because passwords are supposed to keep things secure, right?  Well, not if they're recycled, weak, or not protected with multi-factor authentication!  Your protection may not be as strong as you think, and getting better password practices is an important step in strengthening your cybersecurity.  World Password Day was created by cybersecurity professionals in in 2013 and designated as the first Thursday of May.  Now is a great time to help strengthen cybersecurity awareness in your team, and we've put together some resources for you to help to help foster better password practices.

January is a great time to set goals for the New Year!  But don't let this list become a bunch of "shoulds".  Without concrete action, a  goal is just a wish.  Today's local businesses run on technology and must deal with multiple issues including cyberthreats,  competition and regulatory compliance. Therefore, keeping your technology up to date is critical, and a technology audit is the best place to start.

Technology fuels local businesses these days, helping them achieve their goals and vision. At the same time, local businesses are also at increased risk for growing cyber threats worldwide – ALL businesses are impacted, not just the big ones that make national news. One of the important foundations of keeping your technology safe is to conduct a security risk assessment each year (at least!).

CMMC - Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification - has been a much-discussed topic in cybersecurity this year.  Theft of intellectual property and sensitive information from all industrial sectors as a result of malicious cyber activity threatens economic security and national security. 

Here's a new product we recently checked out. The Xebec Tri-Screen is a portable laptop attachment that adds two additional screens to any laptop, instantly boosting your productivity!  If you're used to multiple screens at your main office location, this is a great way to get the same experience on the go with the portable laptop attachment.  

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.  

An important part of staying secure on line is keeping your technology up to date.  If you're running old technology, you're not benefitting from the latest security protections.  In January of 2020, Microsoft ended support for Windows 7. This led to a massive worldwide effort to get systems upgraded to Windows 10.  However, a recent report on The Verge indicates up to 100 million PCs are still running Windows 7.  Ouch!  If you made the move to Windows 10, kudos for you, but have you kept the rest of your technology up to date?