Network security breaches have been in the news lately. Hackers have targeted such large organizations as the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management and the Bank of Bangladesh. While security breaches at large institutions make the news, cyber theft from small businesses quietly takes place in the background.

Many of Miami’s small businesses handle more money through their computers and networks than through their cash registers. Credit card credentials, ACH transactions and emailed wire transfer instructions can all be targets for thieves.

Over the past two years, cyber thieves have stolen nearly $800 million dollars from over 8000 small businesses. Regulation E, the federal rule that requires banks to reimburse consumers for unauthorized transactions, does not apply to small business accounts; individual businesses have lost over a million dollars to cyber theft and not been reimbursed.

Managed IT support for Miami businesses can help to reduce your risk of cyber theft. Instead of reacting to an incident after it occurs, your managed IT support vendor can examine and secure your network to reduce the risk of a breach.

They can conduct a survey of your network to identify systems that need to be patched, and can look for systems with default passwords that a hacker might be able to guess. Developing a patch management plan and eliminating systems with default passwords can reduce the risk of a network breach.

Cyber theft is a serious issue for Miami businesses. Companies that import or export goods are especially vulnerable as they often send wire transfers. A fraudulent wire transfer is very difficult to cancel or recall.

For more information about computer and network security, please contact us.

A recent cyber attack that made the news involved a Los Angeles hospital that hackers hit with ransomware. Ransomware is a special type of malware that blocks or limits people’s access to their own data, network or devices.

The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center wound up paying hackers $17,000 to regain access to their data and restore functionality to their system. Although no patients died as a result of the hospital’s temporary lack of access to its electronic patient files, the attack still posed a danger to people’s well-being.

A number of major news websites have seen adverts hijacked by a malicious campaign that attempts to install “ransomware” on users computers, according to a warning from security researchers Malwarebytes.

Protecting against ransomware

Although there’s no safeguard that works 100% of the time, businesses and other organizations can still take important steps against these kinds of cyber attacks. Effective preventative measures include the following:

• Installing up-to-date anti-malware programs and firewalls on computing devices. In general, you want to rely on preventive measures that detect and block malicious intrusions.
• Upgrading to newer operating systems and other software. Older software generally doesn’t receive support, including critical security patches.
• Regularly performing backups on your data. Ideally, your information will get backed up and stored on a separate system or offline, better protecting it from ransomware.
• Training employees to check email and browse the Internet more safely. For example, they should remain cautious about downloading attachments or clicking on links embedded in emails; these are both common avenues for infecting a system with ransomware. Some websites or their ad content are also contaminated with malware.

Working with IT support professionals can better protect you against ransomware. Once the ransomware infects your system, you’ll have a much harder time recovering your data or regaining control of your network and devices; you may wind up having to pay cyber criminals tens of thousands of dollars.

Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss strategies for improving your system’s security and performing regular backups on your data.