Macro Systems Blog

The smartwatch is one of the most popular gifts given to technology lovers; and, they have quite a bit of utility. They can help enhance communication, health, and of course provide them with a sleek accessory. One issue that people don’t often consider is how their employer has to handle the influx of smartwatches and other IoT devices that are brought to work after the holidays. Below is a discussion on how Internet of Things devices could be security risks and what a business should do about it. 

2020 gave us a final parting gift: the news that the United States was targeted this year by the biggest cyberespionage attack ever. What were the ramifications of this attack, and what it should teach us going forward?

Over a quarter of all data breaches happen to small businesses. The cost of a data breach is really prohibitive to your business’ operational and financial health. To keep your business’ data and infrastructure free of threats and relatively secure, small businesses will need a combination of useful technology tools and well-designed strategies. Listed below are several steps your small business can take to secure itself from digital theft.

Since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, it has been clear that many businesses were not prepared to continue their operations remotely. This was largely due to their leadership being convinced in recent years that permitting people to work remotely would lead to a significant reduction in production, leading them to be unprepared to shift to remote functionality. Cybercriminals have taken advantage of many companies as a result. Below we discuss what needs to be accomplished to secure endpoints from afar.

Over the past year, entrepreneurs have focused on how to do business amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The public health crisis has been an opportunity for all kinds of cybercriminals, and the result has been an increase in losses (compared to the second-worst period on record) by over 50 percent. Below we consider the situation, and how it is, unfortunately, getting worse.

Keeping your network and infrastructure safe from cyberthreats is always a priority, but with so many people working remotely, businesses have encountered problems doing so. In fact, hackers and scammers have come out of the woodwork to try and gain entry into unauthorized networks or to steal data. Below is a look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the threats out there. 

If fortune smiles on your organization, you won’t ever have to deal with what we are about to discuss: ransomware. For the past several years ransomware has been a serious problem for businesses, governments, and individuals. Listed below is a discussion about the different types of ransomware and how some people want to put a ban on ransomware payments. 

Having success in business usually relies on building trustworthy relationships. You have to trust your vendors and suppliers to get you the resources you require, you need to trust your staff to complete their tasks without putting your business in harm's way, and you need to trust your customers to purchase the products and services that you offer. Running counter to these necessary bonds of trust are people actively soliciting people’s time, energy, money, and attention for their own selfish purposes.

Regarding ransomware, we have always stood firm in our recommendation not to pay whoever is responsible for locking down your systems. On the other hand, due to the globalized nature of technology and cybercrime, it is even more imperative that companies don’t attempt to placate their attackers with the demanded funds. Otherwise, warns the United States Treasury Department, these victimized businesses could very well pay severe fines for doing so.

As a communication tool, the video conferencing app Zoom saw a significant bump in its popularity with both personal and business users as the coronavirus pandemic made other means of meeting no longer viable. Nonetheless, this sudden increase in its user base also revealed some serious security problems with the platform. What has Zoom has done to resolve these problems since then?

Business relationships, especially between you and a service provider or you and a coworker, are imperative to a business’ success. On the other hand, maintaining these relationships can be difficult when there’s a good chance that your actions might create more work for another person. Listed below are some reasons why your relationship with IT may be strained, and a few tips to help fix it.

Security is a major part of any business, and if there isn’t a diligent approach to the implementation of it, you can be left with huge holes in your network. Below we highlight some of the best practices you can take to make sure that your organization’s security is in the best possible position to protect your digital resources. 

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve seen Macro Systems discuss phishing attacks. Whether you are being asked by some supposed Nigerian prince to hand over money or you are getting an email by what seems to be your bank that directs you to download an attachment, you are probably a potential victim of a phishing scam. The difference between being a potential victim and a victim is knowing how to identify it. Listed below are five ways to identify a phishing message so that you or your business won’t be scammed.

Smart assistants usually appear in the office and home, so much so that the novelty seems to have finally worn off and they are now just another appliance. Like any other appliance, there are a few quirks that can be frustrating to deal with. For example, anyone living around these devices has shared a particular experience: the device registering something as a wake word that certainly wasn’t meant to be the wake word.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released an emergency directive concerning a critical exploit known as Zerologon, which affects servers running Windows Server operating systems that needs to get patched as soon as possible.

Telework has become imperative for businesses to maintain themselves right now, as remote work became a hard and fast requirement in the face of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, if businesses aren’t careful, they could trade one problem for another in exposing themselves to security threats.

Since the onset of the coronavirus, many companies have managed to sustain themselves via remote work, also commonly known as telework. While this strategy has permitted quite a few businesses to survive, it has also opened them up to security threats. Listed below is a focus on one such threat: vishing, or voice phishing.

If you were told that one variable was responsible for more than 80 percent of cyberattacks, what would you guess that variable was? If you guessed “stolen access credentials,” you’d be right. The standard username/password combination may soon be a relic of the past as more tech companies transition to alternative authentication measures.

We haven't been timid about promoting the use of VPNs (virtual private networks) as a way of protecting your online security. Nevertheless, we wanted to take a bit of time to specify what a VPN can and can't do to help you.

When we think of modern cybercrime, most people’s minds go to one of two places: some think about the annoying, misspelled emails that are clearly scams, while on the other can’t help but think about the hacks that we see in movies, where a cybercriminal manages to overcome the best the government can incorporate into their defenses.