NOCout Report 018: Spoooky IT

I hate to tell you this, but in the IT world, ghosts are real, and they are scary.

They are lurking in your server closets, under your laptop, and in the cloud. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities are lurking in every digital shadow and in the corners of the dark web. Fortunately, NOC has a flashlight, and we are here to light up a few of the goblins before they get you.

Zombie Hardware and Undead Software: Most offices are full of dying hardware and software that is more outdated than a floppy disk. In cybersecurity terms, these risks are like leaving the front gate and door of your safe house wide open during a zombie apocalypse. Don’t let this happen to you when the solution is as easy as shutting a door. To keep the nasties out, regularly update your software and replace your hardware on a consistent schedule.

Data Apocalypse: Every business thinks that total data loss is the disaster that could never strike them—until it’s too late. Running a business with insufficient or nonexistent backup is like standing on a rooftop while a doomsday asteroid burns through the atmosphere overhead. Send your business bunker by using backup. Consistent and comprehensive backup strategies can ensure that you have what your business needs to survive if the worst should ever happen. For good measure, always consider having at least one backup copy in a geographically-distinct location in order to repopulate your business world in case an actual physical disaster was ever to occur at your business site.

Possessed passwords: You’ve used your password for years. It lets you into some of the most private and protected parts of your digital life. It’s a simple password really, and it never lets you down. It would never turn on you right? Wrong. Hackers have become more and more proficient at turning your password against you. One day it’s the password you’ve always known and loved, and the next it’s a fiend—ushering attackers into your bank accounts, cloud services, and client records. Protect yourself by changing your password regularly, using password management software, and following basic complexity requirements.

Haunted Digital Portals: Would you voluntarily walk through a shimmering dark doorway guarded by the grim reaper? Of course not. Then why would you sign into your business accounts without multi-factor authentication? Never venture into dangerous digital places without adequate protection. MFA is your best defense against the unexpected, nefarious pitfalls that hackers could use to gain access to your accounts.

As we wrap up cybersecurity awareness month, remember to protect yourself, your business, and your loved ones against these very real threats—because these ghosts will get you, whether you believe in them or not!