by admin | Jul 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Dark web monitoring: What you need to know The dark web is essentially a marketplace for cyber criminals. If your data has been compromised, the dark web is the place where it is traded. It could be sold by miscreants, to miscreants, who can later hack into your system or extort money from you to prevent a data leak and so on. What can be the implications for your organization if you are on the dark web? If your data is on the dark web, it puts your business and your customers at risk. For example, as a business, you possess a lot of the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of your customers, which, if leaked can even shut down your business by Attracting lawsuits that require you to shell out large sums of money in the form of fines or settlements Causing serious damage to your brand Resulting in the loss of customers and new business What are dark web monitoring services? One way to mitigate the risks of the dark web is by signing up for dark web monitoring services. As a part of the dark web monitoring service, a company may keep an eye out for any information you specify or that is related to you that may be present or traded on the dark web. There are various avenues where such information may be made available on the dark web. Examples include Chat forums Blogs Social media platforms Online marketplaces (Dark web’s equivalent of eBay or Craigslist) Another service offered as a part of dark web monitoring includes vulnerability alerts. On the dark web, there will...
by admin | Jul 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
The dark web: An introduction Have you come across the term, dark web, recently? As a business, you might have heard that you need to keep your data safe from the dark web. So, what is the dark web anyway? Read on to find out… What is the dark web? The cybercrime landscape is evolving fast. The “Nigerian” email scams are now old. Cybercriminals are smarter and more organized now–almost functioning like professionals. In fact, there’s a sort of a parallel universe where they all operate in a very corporate-like manner. And that parallel universe is called the Dark Web. The surface web, the deep web and the dark web Essentially, the internet can be categorized into 3 parts. The surface web, which includes your ‘regular’ websites–the kinds that just show up on web searches. For example, you type, Dog Videos and links to a bunch of dog videos on YouTube shows up. YouTube, in this case, is an example of the surface web. The deep web, which shows up in web searches, but requires you to log in to view specific content. For example, your internet banking page or your netflix subscription. Then comes the dark web. The dark web is part of the internet that isn’t visible to search engines and requires the use of an anonymizing browser called Tor to be accessed. The dark web offers anonymity and hence is the hub for all sorts of illicit activities in today’s internet age. Strictly speaking, the dark web typically hosts illicit content. The kind of content that you find in the dark web include Credit card details,...
by admin | Jul 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
5 Important IT checklists that no SMB should miss: Part-2 In our last blog, we discussed 2 of the 5 important IT checklists that every SMB should have. In this post, we cover the other 3, namely, IT training, Data Backup, and BYOD checklists. IT Training checklist Your IT staff is not the only one who needs IT training. Everyone in your office does. An IT training checklist serves as a good process document for any new staff or for any staff working on new hardware or software. Following the IT training checklist can help cut down the learning curve, and ensures the hardware/software is leveraged in the best possible way, thus making your staff more efficient. Here’s what your IT training checklist can offer. Rules and regulations regarding software and hardware use Links to user manuals/instruction videos with how-tos for the software and hardware in use Information about whom to contact if there’s a need for troubleshooting Training schedules for each hardware/software, cyberthreats Information about whom to contact if there’s a perceived cybersecurity breach Your IT staff is not the only one who needs IT training. Everyone in your office does. An IT training checklist serves as a good process document for any new staff or for any staff working on new hardware or software. Here’s what your IT training checklist should contain. Data backups checklist There are a number of factors that can affect the accessibility and quality of your data. Data backups are key to ensuring your data is not lost. You should maintain a checklist or a policy document that covers this aspect. Your data...
by admin | Jul 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
5 Important IT checklists that no SMB should miss: Part-1 IT checklists are a great way to analyze, understand and take the necessary steps to meet your IT requirements. In this blog, we discuss 2 of the 5 important IT checklists–Hardware/software and Cybersecurity. When creating a checklist for hardware/software purchase, use, and installation, answer the following questions. How do you determine what hardware/software is needed? What about installation? Who will be doing it? Incorrect installation can end up resulting in loss of time and, in case of faulty hardware installation, it can also mess up the new hardware What is the process for the procurement of new hardware and software? Do you have regular vendors who you approach or do you start looking for a suitable one once the requirement arises Establish a policy for operating systems, because not all hardware/software is compatible with all OS. What about updates, security patches, and upgrades? Who will be responsible for them and how often? Who is responsible for software installation when there’s a new user requirement Cybersecurity training can help reduce incidences of cybersecurity breach due to a lapse of judgment from your employees. Here’s what your cybersecurity checklist should cover- all security-related aspects of your IT. For example Create and implement a password policy that you want your staff to adhere to. Cover password hygiene, acceptable passwords, password sharing, reuse, password update rules, etc., When someone quits your organization or no longer works in the profile that they were working in, how is the access issue addressed? Spell out the rules and regulations regarding the removal of a user from...
by admin | Jun 27, 2022 | Uncategorized
Know your IT risks Whether you have your in-house IT team, or have outsourced your IT needs to be taken care of by a Managed Services Provider, you need to know what are the possible risks to your business from the IT perspective. Having an IT risk checklist can help you be better prepared for an IT emergency. Getting started In order to assess your IT risks, you need to first know your IT landscape. Answer questions like What role is IT going to play in the success of your business What areas is IT supporting your business in, currently What new roles can you foresee for IT in improving your business efficiency Do you have any new technology in mind that you want to implement in the next year If you have your in-house IT team, what kind of staff structure do you see in the next year If you are planning to expand your in-house IT team, how many team members will you need to bring onboard and what will be the cost associated with this decision Would it be more effective and efficient to hire an MSP instead to supplement your in-house IT department What is your IT budget for the year The checklist for your IT risks The next step would be to create a checklist of your IT risks. At this stage, you should be answering questions like What IT risks are most relevant to you? For example, data privacy is a serious concern for a business operating in healthcare, while phishing can be a bigger concern for an accounting firm. Another angle to...
