Datalyst Blog

When you really think about it, CPA firms are really the ideal target for the financially-motivated cybercriminal. This means that these firms should be particularly on their guard against online threats. This requires an awareness of how these threats are shaped.

Let’s take a few moments to consider how today’s most prevalent threats would target an accounting firm and what can be done to help stop them.

Penetration testing is a topic that you might often hear and read about on the Internet, but you might not know exactly what it is without having it explained to you by a professional. Today, we want to clear up any misconceptions or ideas you might have about penetration testing and how it relates to your business’ network security, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

As statistics for cybercrime surge, it’s important to remember that your organization must do all that it can to protect itself. There is, however, a C-suite position that almost exclusively focuses on this task: the chief information security officer, or CISO. Many enterprises have individuals dedicated to the sole task of securing their organization, but smaller businesses might find themselves lagging behind in this regard due to no fault of their own.

There are countless cybersecurity threats out there, many of which wait until very unfortunate times to strike. One such time is over extended weekends or holiday breaks, when many companies shut down operations longer than the usual two-day weekend. In fact, this is such an issue that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and CISA have issued warnings in response to them.

Did you know that the United States is the leader in ransomware payments? According to a survey from Mimecast titled “The State of Ransomware Readiness,” the U.S. has the highest average payment for ransomware out of the entire world at more than $6 million per victim. These shocking numbers likely stem from high-profile ransomware attacks, but they are also indicative of a larger problem, that being people who still pay the ransom.

While cybersecurity is far from the most exciting thing a business can invest in, it’s certainly one of the most important parts of running any successful venture. Without cybersecurity, the endless number of threats on the Internet could infiltrate your network and create problems for your company.

Artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, is used in several different ways in various industries, but one of the most impactful has been with cybersecurity and its automation. On the other hand, however, are the hackers who use AI in ways that fly in the face of the efforts of these cybersecurity professionals and use AI for cybercrime. What are some ways that AI is used in cybercrime, and why is it so scary for businesses to handle?

With COVID cases back on the upswing here in Massachusetts, it may not be a bad idea to revisit and reevaluate how prepared your business is to manage operations as the state closes back up. Whether you had certain practices in place last time or not, you don’t want a lack of preparation and due diligence to be the reason your business fails now. 

What happens when your company configures something on its infrastructure incorrectly? It turns out, according to a recent data leak, that a lot can go wrong, especially in regards to cybersecurity and the privacy of sensitive records. The affected software was not an unknown third-party application, but was actually Microsoft! How did one of the world’s largest software developers put out software that potentially exposed millions of records? Let’s dig into the details.

All industries today are susceptible to cyberattacks, but it’s easy for certain types of businesses to feel they are the exception. Take construction for example. Many people wouldn’t anticipate the construction industry to be a viable or worthwhile target for cybercriminals and hackers. Unfortunately, cybercriminals don’t see it this way. 

To say someone is adept at a task is to say that they are a professional, or someone with a considerable amount of knowledge that contributes to their ability to complete a particular task. In cybersecurity, this is extremely important, as the entire concept of cybersecurity is complex by nature. Your business too can improve its cybersecurity practices and shift focus to a more mindful approach to network security.

Small businesses often struggle with technology, primarily because they either lack strong IT leadership or they lack the resources to ensure IT maintenance and management happens without a hitch. There are several mistakes that a small business can make when it comes to technology management. Here are four of the biggest and most common that you absolutely cannot afford to make.

Ransomware has become THE topic of conversation in the IT world, and it seems that there is a new ransomware headline every day. Unfortunately, this can lead some business owners to become indifferent to the threat, exposing their networks to compromise. Here’s why you should consider ransomware an existential threat to your business.

Data breaches have become all too common for small businesses over the past several years and when it seems like there is a solution to one problem, something even worse pops up. Part of a comprehensive risk management strategy is identifying problems and doing what you can to keep them from affecting your business. Let’s take a look at the major cybersecurity threats small businesses are facing in 2021 and what you can do to keep them from hurting your business.

Almost daily there is another data breach reported that exposes data for hundreds of thousands or millions of people. This is a troubling trend. One of the most troubling events happened recently as 700 million profiles from the social media network LinkedIn were found for sale on a popular hackers forum. What’s worse is that the company isn’t admitting that it had been breached recently. Let’s take a brief look at this situation and try to unpack what is going on with LinkedIn.

We recently went over how modern technology simplifies the processes that property management firms and property managers undergo each and every day. We wanted to circle back on this and focus more specifically on the cybersecurity aspect of this conversation, diving into how the right tools could benefit property managers in terms of their security and data protection.

Many businesses still think they can’t be targeted by cybercriminals because of their size or industry. Companies feel that if they aren’t handling millions of dollars, they have nothing to worry about. As ransomware attacks continue, cybercriminals are turning their attention to the transportation industry.

Does your business rely on a variety of unrelated technology? Are you struggling to cobble together old hardware with new software? If your organization’s technology is more miss than hit, learn how managed IT brings your business stability.

Many Massachusetts organizations have found themselves face-to-face with cyberattacks in the form of ransomware. While cyberattacks may seem inevitable, there are steps you can take to protect your business. Here is why 2FA is the one thing you can implement to reduce the chances of a data breach.

Many businesses don’t think about ransomware until they suddenly can’t access any of their data without paying off a cybercriminal. However, Massachusetts has one of the most robust data protection laws in the nation. This means that even if you manage to regain your data, your business may still be in jeopardy if you don’t follow Massachusetts’ data protection laws. Here’s how you can protect your business.