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Tropical Storm Barry is expected to hit Louisiana and Texas in just a few days – what steps can you take right now to make sure you’re prepared?

As of yesterday, parts of coastal Louisiana have been put on hurricane watch in anticipation of what could be the first tropical storm system to make landfall in the US this year. Watches apply specifically from the mouth of the Mississippi River and west to Cameron, LA.

Tropical Storm Barry is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico and develop into a hurricane by this Saturday, at which point it is likely to head through Louisiana and the upper Texas coast.

If you’re located in an area for which a watch has been issued, what steps can you take right now to protect your business?

Develop A Hurricane Preparedness Plan
Your hurricane plan should be carefully constructed and written down for reference and review.

Your plan should put forth policies and procedures regarding employee safety, business continuity, and contingencies that can be activated if your business’ facilities are damaged.

There are three key steps to an effective Hurricane Preparedness Plan:

Protect your property.
While so much of disaster recovery these days is focused on data continuity, it’s important to remember that your facilities are a resource as well, and they should be protected.

• Make sure your windows have proper shutters or are boarded up with plywood to keep them safe from airborne debris.
• Inspect your roof prior to each hurricane season to make sure it’s in good shape.
• Assess whether there are any aging branches or trees that could fall and cause damage during a storm. If you’re unsure, have an arborist check it out for you.
• Bring sandbags to areas that could be affected by flooding.
• Secure heavier objects, including bookcases, shelves, filing cabinets, computers, etc.
• Secure utilities, and raise them off the ground if necessary to avoid flood damage. Prior to the hurricane reaching your area, make sure they’re all turned off.
• Relocate any fragile or valuable items to less dangerous areas, if possible.

Protect your documents.

Once all your physical assets are taken care of, don’t forget about your business documentation.

• Make sure you have a backup of info on important business contacts.
• Backup documents that are not easy to reproduce or acquire in the event of water damage – insurance and legal contracts, tax files, etc.
• Keep as much of your documentation as possible in waterproof containers.

Maintain a checklist of survival resources.

Lastly, you’ll want to make sure you have an inventory of all the hurricane-specific resources you’ll need.

These are the types of items you won’t be using otherwise year-round, and so, when you do require them, you don’t want to realize you’ve forgotten something.

• • Independently powered radio/TV
  • Three-day supply of non-perishable food for as many employees as you have onsite (including 1 gallon of water per person per day)
  • Blankets, pillows, cots, and chairs
  • First Aid supplies
  • Flashlights (and additional batteries)
  • Toolkit
  • Whistles and/or signal flares
  • Tarps, plastic bags, and duct tape
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers
  • Electric generator
  • A backup supply of gas and additional jerry cans
  • Cash, credit cards and ID
  • Emergency contact info

Don’t forget to brief your employees – your hurricane plan should not be written and then left on a shelf. Every employee should be familiar with your procedures and plans to handle any future emergencies. Hold a meeting where your plan is reviewed, roles are assigned, and your staff can ask questions.

Remember – without comprehensive disaster recovery planning, you’re left vulnerable to any and all emergency situations, whether it’s a major meteorological event like a hurricane, or common — and still unpredictable — power outages. Consequences include:

• Permanent data loss as onsite copies of your data are destroyed
• Severe downtime as your business scrambles to replace hardware and get up and running again
• Major financial damages, from the cost of lost business to the cost of replacement hardware and more.

There are still a few days until the hurricane is expected to hit – follow these steps and develop your plan now to make sure you’re prepared.

Cybercriminals may be going into a stealth mode, but that doesn’t mean that cyberattacks are slowing down — quite the opposite, in fact. According to the 2018 SiteLock Website Security Report, attacks increased by 59% and accelerated going into December. Record numbers of businesses are being infiltrated by hostile actors, with data breaches affecting hundreds of millions of users in a single attack. This all comes during a time when cybersecurity costs are accelerating as more organizations scramble to bring expensive systems and well-paid IT assets online to help protect their business from attack or assist with recovery. By the year 2021, damage to businesses is expected to exceed $6 trillion annually from cybercrime alone. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to manage the complexity required for a comprehensive cybersecurity plan alone, but these basics will give you a starting point to managing the risk to your organization.

Understanding “Current State” Security Practices

Many organizations begin crafting their cybersecurity plan by reviewing and documenting the current state of their risk-reduction efforts. This could include everything from data structures and storage locations, physical and cloud-based infrastructure models, third-party vendors and other connections. This “current state” report gives you a comprehensive view of the organization and allows you to capture potential risk centers that will need to be addressed in the future.

Balancing Security Needs with Business Requirements

It’s a fact of life that IT professionals are often in top demand, making it difficult to implement the full range of cybersecurity protections that proactive leaders feel are necessary. This balancing act may take place as ongoing negotiations between business and technology teams as the risks of not taking specific steps to tighten security are weighed against the potential benefits of new functionality. IT teams need to have a full understanding of how data and applications are utilized throughout the organization, including how remote partners or staff members are connecting into business applications and databases. Going through this process prompts conversation around the replacement value of particular platforms. Where an IT team may feel that an older platform could be deprecated without undue business impact, one particular unit may be utilizing that data in an unexpected way. In this instance, business and IT leaders will have to negotiate whether it makes sense to enhance the security or simply move to a newer alternative.

Crafting Your Plan and Training Your Staff

Understanding all of the various assets that your business has available allows you to gain a more holistic view of the business, a crucial element of any successful cybersecurity plan. Define replacement or bypass recommendations for each of your core business assets, and then fully document any changes that need to be made to reduce the risk of a breach or the effect of any malware or ransomware attacks. Having the plan in place also requires determining the training level that your staff will need. According to Cisco, the majority of malicious file extensions are made up of popular files such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, making ongoing training an important part of any cybersecurity strategy.

Small and mid-size businesses are the organizations least likely to have a formal cybersecurity plan in place, but these businesses are a high-risk target that is extremely attractive to hackers. Managing the complexity associated with the various platforms and data sources is often cited as a significant challenge for over-taxed IT personnel. Making regular cybersecurity reviews a priority can help your organization not only stay safe online but also identify processes challenges that need to be addressed to improve operational efficiency. Even with a rock-solid cybersecurity plan in place, that doesn’t mean your organization is completely safe. Instead, it means that you’re ready for an attack and are able to respond appropriately and in a timely manner — which can save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars in the event of a breach.

Windows 10 comes a step closer to preventing cyberattacks and privacy threats facing users. It’s a next-generation solution that helps you fight threats from hackers and criminals who target your business. This is a big plus for cybersecurity managers. The past several years have brought some of the worst and most frequent cyberattacks in history. Security professionals are constantly on the lookout for new ways to prevent network breaches and safeguard the data of clients and the enterprise. Let’s take a closer look at how Windows 10 can help.

What Are the Security Advantages of Window 10?

Microsoft introduces Windows as a service in this version of their OS. It includes a unique way of creating, implementing and maintaining Windows. Each update adds new features to protect the security and privacy of users. The idea is that protection is layered into the functionality so that it doesn’t affect performance or distract users.

Windows; Core Services Engineering and Operations is thus better able to protect data and privacy. Built-in features identify suspicious activity that can put your business in jeopardy. This helps your security team detect and block sophisticated attacks faster. Releases focus on adding new features that combat new or anticipated risks. This is all possible thanks to the software giant’s finger on the pulse of the latest ransomware and malware hitting around the globe.

Windows 10 is considered to be the most secure version yet released. Because Microsoft has addressed cyberattacks during the engineering phase, improved security itself becomes a major bulwark, protecting your system from files and executables sent by hackers.

How Does Windows 10 Protect Your Data Better?

Here are some of the ways that Windows 10 improves its protection, including the new tools that can detect threats:

• Windows 10 disrupts malware and thwarts hackers by changing the playing field. Bad actors can’t attack systems in the same old ways.
• Device Guard acts as a shield against malware by allowing you to block unwanted apps. This gives users a proactive way to prevent ransomware and malware attacks as well as spyware.
• Windows Defender uses machine learning, the cloud and behavior analysis to respond to new threats. This is like having a smart guard dog that not only prevents intruders from entering but smells them coming a mile away.
• Microsoft Edge systemically disrupts malware, phishing and hacking attacks so that fewer threats make it through the system to trick users.
• Windows 10 has aggressive data protection that meets compliance requirements without slowing down users, who expect the same solid performance Windows has always offered.
• Windows Information Protection contains business data so it cannot be leaked to unauthorized users via apps, docs and the web.
• BitLocker helps your security team protect sensitive data from prying eyes. Military-grade encryption takes over when a device is lost, stolen or otherwise compromised.
• Azure Information Protection partners with Windows Information Protection to assign permissions that govern how certain data is shared.

What Ways Does Windows 10 Protect User Identify?

Windows 10 has built-in identity and access management protocols. This advanced technology safeguards user identities. For example, Windows Hello presents an alternative to passwords. It uses many factors to achieve solid security, such as a PIN, biometrics and a companion device.

Credential Guard uses NTLM-based authentication protocols, while Windows pass the hash (PtH) method authenticates without displaying the user’s text when a password is being entered. There’s also a hardware-based component that also limits access.

What Does This Additional Protection Mean for Security Teams?

While 57% of organizations offer training and incentives to security recruits, it’s hard to keep these resources for very long. This is due mainly to the high demand for qualified candidates. With additional protection built into applications themselves, busy cybersecurity teams can concentrate on other crucial tasks to protect the company’s data and reputation.

Ransomware attacks have caused business interruption and other lingering damage to Australian small- and medium-sized business, enough damage that 22 percent have been forced to close after an attack. Ransomware attacks have paralysed business operations so much so that new research has reported that 31 percent of organisations have yet to determine how they were infected.

A Telstra survey of IT professionals from more than 300 Australian companies found 48 percent of those surveyed had experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months. This is up from 33 percent in 2018. Of those who suffered an attack, 81 percent experienced a ransom incident, and 51 per cent of them paid it.

What Does Research on Ransomware Attacks Show for 2018?

A yearly study, Malwarebytes Labs State of Malware 2019, has confirmed that potential damage from ransomware attacks extends far beyond the original ransom. Ransomware isn’t the same wide-ranging threat as it was in 2017, however it’s still a sizable problem. Overall trends have shown a drop in volume for the year (Jan – Nov 2018), but an increase in focused, sophisticated attacks aimed at businesses.

How Does Ransomware Affect Consumers vs. Business?

Overall ransomware attacks have dropped when measured against attacks in 2017. In 2017 the study recorded 8,016,936 attacks across businesses and consumers globally. Compare that to 2018, where there were 5,948,417 detections recorded—a decline of 26 percent.

Given that businesses house so much more valuable data and critical systems, they are proving to be a more profitable ransomware target for criminals. Not only do they have the potential funds to pay a ransom, they’re also likely to have multiple pressing reasons for wanting to get back to work. Ransomware delays can be incredibly costly, especially when an affected organisation has no backup plan in place and multiple endpoints to remediate. Incident response and digital forensics all add to the cost, which is often a lot more than simply paying the ransom.

Which Industries are Targeted by Ransomware the Most?

You might be wondering which industries are popular targets for ransomware? Which verticals took the hardest hit? Malwarebytes’ data shows that consulting is the top contender, and education is second place. Here are industries listed in order of most targeted to least targeted:

1. Consulting
2. Education
3. Manufacturing
4. Retail
5. Government
6. Transportation
7. Telecommunications
8. Electronics
9. Healthcare
10. Technology

Although there were major stories throughout 2018 regarding healthcare and government ransomware attacks, other industries actually felt the brunt of the ransomware menace.

Which Ransomware Viruses Caused the Most Problems in 2018?

SamSam

SamSam caused chaos across medical networks in the US, exploiting and brute-forcing its way into systems to make over $1 million US dollars ($A1445300) for holding systems to ransom. One of its many older variants revamped to be more appealing to criminals, charging victims a more moderate price than alternative recovery methods, making significantly more money as a result. From January to March, SamSam took down everything from hospitals to city services, including departments of transportation and city-facing applications in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional major attacks took place in September, with both the ports of San Diego and Barcelona suffering outbreaks.

Although law enforcement agencies believe they know who is behind these infections, the alleged duo are still at large, and we still continue to see spikes in attacks globally. SamSam will continue to be a strong source of malware infections well into 2019.

GandCrab

GandCrab was also a major player in 2018, making use of various exploit kits shortly after its first appearance in January. Numbers steadied and remained constant for most of 2018, with a huge spike of activity in February, thanks to multiple spam campaigns in Q1. Moving to the Magnitude exploit kit for distribution, GandCrab continued to cause trouble for network admins and home users. This is partly thanks to Magnitude’s unconventional malware-loading methods. Everything from fileless techniques to binary padding (where extra data is added to files to bypass scanning) were used in the race to make it the biggest source of GandCrab.

GandCrab, the top ransomware variant of Q2 2018, is also notable for being the first ransomware to ask its victims for a cryptocurrency payment other than Bitcoin. At a time when business ransomware detections were up by 28 percent, but the overall volume remained low, it became one of the leading sources of malicious ransomware campaigns in 2018.

How Does Ransomware Compare to Other Malware?

Although ransomware has lost ground to other malware players, such as cryptominers and Trojans, it still causes quite a bit of damage, and 2018 has been a year of quiet experimentation and reassessment. The public at large are much more aware of such attacks now, and the same old tricks won’t work forever. Expect to see more innovative reworkings of older files and strengthened ties to cutting-edge exploit kits to push ransomware further still in 2019. The Australian Government tracks malware attacks on the Australian Cyber Security Centre for the public to stay updated.

You know running a successful business requires much more than just offering a great product or service. It takes constant engagement and collaboration of all of your employees to produce the best results, and it takes your best effort to remain competitive in a crowded marketplace. Collaboration between employees used to mean lots of daily and weekly meetings. Those long hours stuck in the meeting room often wind up taking a toll on productivity, and this loss of productivity is quite often negatively reflected in a company’s bottom line.

The good news is that modern technology now provides an alternative to the traditional meeting: Online meetings. Conducting meetings online not only saves employees travel time and the expense of attending a meeting in person, but quality online meeting software provides the tools that make hosting a meeting more convenient and more efficient than ever before.

Many companies used to avoid online meetings because they were complicated to set up, time-consuming to maintain, riddled with technical problems, and expensive to purchase. But now there are no more excuses. Microsoft offers businesses of any size a quick, powerful, and inexpensive way to streamline meetings: Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams Rooms.

What is Microsoft Teams and What is Microsoft Team Rooms?

Microsoft Teams is an ideal way to keep everyone who works at your company, as well as your partners and shareholders, in the loop and working in concert. Microsoft Teams is a suite of communication tools, including web-based, allow employees access to secure and private chat, file sharing, critical business apps, and the video meeting software, Team Rooms. Microsoft Team Rooms eliminates many of the hassles and time-sucking aspects of face-to-face meetings while still allowing them to be productive.

Whether you are having a 1-to-1 meeting or hosting a webinar for hundreds of people, Microsoft Team Rooms goes beyond many of the standalone online meeting solutions to give you the features which really matter to you. A few of these standout functions are easy scheduling, one-click joining, automated note-taking, extensive whiteboarding tools, along with the ability uploading files and share desktop screens. The best part is that Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Team Rooms is part of the Office 365 subscription you probably already use!

How Can Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Team Rooms Help to Make Your Next Meeting Better?

When it comes to hosting a productive meeting, you need a system that you can depend on no matter what. Microsoft Team Rooms has you covered by:

• Offering a single platform accessible through desktop computers, mobile devices, and dedicated video conferencing systems. Whether your meeting attendees are at your home office, in the field or even at home, accessing Microsoft Team Rooms is a breeze. Everyone will be able to participate fully using one seamless and secure application.
• Securing your data. As part of the Office 365 suite of applications, Microsoft Team Rooms reduces the security risk of transmitting your private data using another video conferencing solution. Microsoft is dedicated to protecting your information.
• Making administration and maintenance a snap. Even if you have a dedicated in-house IT department, you want it to concentrate on running your business, not your video conferencing software. Setting up Microsoft Team Rooms is intuitive, and if your employees ever run into problems, assistance is always available.
• Providing almost infinite scalability. Do you host a variety of meetings from small groups to large webinars? You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on dedicated video conferencing equipment, use any smart monitor or computer-attached screen. Do you have a lot of new hires? They can immediately access Microsoft Team Rooms meetings with their Office 365 account through their computer!
• Supporting post-meeting follow-ups. Since Microsoft Team Rooms is part of the Office 365 suite of applications, if you choose, your employees will continue to have access to notes and files after the meeting. This accessibility makes it a snap for your employees to work together and reduces the amount of time it takes to complete a project.

With the quality tools you need to host an online meeting, the collaborative tools you need for your employees to be productive, and a price point you can’t believe, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Team Rooms are a comprehensive online meeting solution.

Did you know that your Macintosh webcam could have been hijacked? A serious security flaw in the Zoom video conferencing application joined Mac users to video calls without their permission.

Zoom has now released a fix – click here.

A vulnerability in the MacZoom client allowed malicious websites to enable Mac cameras without users’ permissions. This is a serious flaw that was thankfully discovered by Jonathan Leitschuh.

Jonathan Leitschuh, a US-based security researcher, reported this serious zero-day vulnerability. It allowed any website to forcibly join someone to a Zoom call, and activate their video camera.

Plus, he said that the vulnerability let any webpage cause a Denial of Service (DOS) by repeatedly joining the Mac user to an invalid call.

Even if the user uninstalled the Zoom application from their Mac, it could be re-installed remotely.

What Should Mac Users Do?

To fix this particular issue, Leitschuh advised that Mac users with the Zoom application installed, update it to the latest version of Zoom and then check the box in settings to “Turn off my video when joining a meeting.”

A computer webcam is always a potential gateway for security intrusion. This is why some users put a piece of tape over their webcam just in case.

Zoom Has Since Patched The Vulnerability

The vulnerability has been patched; however, the flaw could have exposed up to 750,000 organizations around the world that use Zoom.

Leitschuh said that the Zoom vulnerability was originally disclosed on March 26, 2019, and that a “quick fix” from Zoom could have been implemented to change their server logic. However, it took them 10 days to confirm the vulnerability. And, it wasn’t until June 11, 2019, that Zoom held their first meeting about how to patch the vulnerability. This was only 18 days before the required 90-day public disclosure deadline.

He said that he contacted Zoom on March 26, giving them the public disclosure deadline of 90 days. Zoom patched the issue, so a webpage couldn’t automatically turn on a webcam, but that this partial fix regressed on July 7th, allowing webcams to once again be turned on without permission.

What Was Zoom’s Response?

“Zoom installs a local web server on Mac devices running the Zoom client…This is a workaround to an architecture change introduced in Safari 12 that requires a user to accept launching Zoom before every meeting. The local web server automatically accepts the peripheral access on behalf of the user to avoid this extra click before joining a meeting. We feel that this is a legitimate solution to a poor user experience, enabling our users to have seamless one-click-to-join meetings, which is our key product differentiator.”

Zoom also reported that they had no record of a Denials of Service or this type of weakness being exploited. They said that they fixed the security flaw back in May.

There are everyday warriors in businesses across the country, but these individuals may never have worn the uniform of their country. This next generation of cyber warriors is being groomed by organizations of all sizes in an attempt to overcome the growing skills gap in the cybersecurity world. While many current cybersecurity analysts started in general IT, there are individuals throughout the business and technology world that are moving towards this lucrative career path. Unfortunately, there are few set career paths already in place and no firm list of skills to develop to move in this direction. See what Under Armour’s VP & CISO, Matt Dunlop, is doing to arm the next generation of cyber warriors that he knows his organization desperately needs.

Background of a True Cyber Warrior

One of the key reasons that Matt Dunlop sees the value of developing these skill sets is because he’s worked throughout the fields of mathematics and computer engineering since his time in the U.S. Army as a colonel. After starting as a network engineer, he further developed his skills by completing a master’s degree in computer engineering and ultimately a doctorate in a related field. When the U.S. Army Cyber Command was created, he was a logical choice to help stand up this new division — partially due to his status as a computer science educator at West Point. In his position as CISO with Under Armour, he’s able to bring together his passion for teaching and marry it with his deep knowledge of technology and cybersecurity. “As we look into the future and project this huge job shortage, companies are looking for the silver bullet,” says Dunlop. “But I look at it as a long game.”

Creating Lifelong Learners

Cybersecurity is an ever-changing landscape and one that doesn’t have a set career path or an endpoint. Dunlap is currently working with the National Cyber Education Program to help create a generation of students that are interested in the exciting field of cybersecurity. There is a major deficit of individuals who have the breadth and depth of knowledge that would allow them to effectively provide cybersecurity protection for an organization. Sparking the interest of the next generation of smart workers is crucial, especially as automation takes the place of low-level activities and leaves plenty of room available for strategists and individuals who are able to implement more complex — and therefore more challenging — environments. Historically, cybersecurity professionals begin as entry-level IT professionals and work their way through the ranks to ensure that they gain the necessary knowledge about infrastructure and integrations to help protect an organization from both malicious actors and internal business challenges.

Cloud is Changing the Face of Cybersecurity

As cloud-based applications gain prominence in today’s business world, cybersecurity professionals will need a better understanding of data and integrations as well as hardware and servers. Transitioning from general IT to cybersecurity requires in-depth knowledge of how and where weak points can occur in an organization’s security net. From next-generation firewalls to strategies for warding off malware and phishing attacks, there are integration details that require recognition of how data flows throughout your business — and beyond. Pulling together information from disparate cloud-based platforms leaves a fail point that needs to be monitored, especially when you consider the proliferation of third-party vendors in the business ecosystem. Each link in the chain that passes data between organizations and customers must be analyzed and monitored for compliance and security throughout the sales and manufacturing cycle.

Arming the next generation of cyber warriors starts with firing the imagination of generations of children and young adults as they enter the formative years of their education. Cybersecurity is an exciting career path and one that will continue to morph as threats emerge. Encouraging staff members to become lifelong learners is one of the shorter-term ways that Dunlop encourages individuals to enter the cybersecurity field, but he is the first one to recognize that we need a broader group of future professionals to enter this critical field and support the security of businesses in the future.

A recently discovered security vulnerability could leave Mac users exposed to malware disguising itself in other programs. If your business relies on Mac, it’s important to know how you can protect your company from falling victim to a cyberattack.

What is the Security Vulnerability?

In early 2019, security expert Filippo Cavallarin discovered a bug in Apple’s Gatekeeper functionality. Gatekeeper is a service that inspects apps that you want to install on a device to ensure they are certified by Apple. If not, you’ll get an “are you sure?” message before you complete the installation.

Cavallarin discovered that there’s a flaw that lets untrustworthy apps trick Gatekeeper into giving the all-clear signal, meaning you never get that “do you really want to do this?” alert.

Instead, once bypassed, you will get a simple, “please download” message, which could contain a zip file that once unpacked, connects back to the hackers’ server.

Cavallarin gave Apple 90 days to repair the flaw, but Apple did not, leading the researcher to disclose the exploit himself in late May. The vulnerability affects all macOS versions. As of this posting, Apple has yet to address the vulnerability.

How Can the Vulnerability Be Exploited?

In late June, cybersecurity companies began noticing the first identified attempts to bypass the Gatekeeper function, now dubbed OSX/Linker. The first identified attempts were believed to be a test to see if the flaw can truly be exploited and worked by writing something to a text file on a compromised computer. Those test runs were signed with certificates used by known adware producers behind the OSX/Surfbuyer malware.

At present, it does not appear that the OSX/Linker malware has taken root outside of test environments.

The identified malware attempts also used a common technique used by malware writers. In a second strain discovered, the malware was disguised to look like Adobe Flash Player installers, a tried and true approach that tricks Apple users into downloading malware when they think they’re downloading a routine software update.

The second strain of malware, dubbed OSX/CrescentCore, checks to see if there’s evidence of common third-party anti-malware software and tools that reverse engineer code on a computer. It also checks to see if it’s being installed on a virtual machine. If so, it will not install itself. Researchers have already found OSX/CrescentCore on multiple websites. It’s also disguised as an Adobe Flash Player installer.

CrescentCore also appeared via high-ranking Google search result listings, which redirected multiple times to a suspicious website.

Once installed, OSX/CrescentCore installs a LaunchAgent folder in a Mac Library folder that includes code to be run every time a user logs in.

It appears the malware coders got access to an Apple Developer ID to deliver the sample code in some instances.

Another identified exploit, called OSX/NewTab, inserts new tabs into a Safari browser session. The injected tabs can contain loaders or malware packages.

One danger of this potential malware is that the embedded code on disk images points to a malicious app on a single linked server. That means that a malicious app could be distributed more easily at any time.

Aren’t Apple Computers Virus-Proof and Much Safer than Windows and Other Operating Systems?

It’s a longstanding myth that Macs are inherently safer than Windows PCs. In recent years, hackers have increasingly targeted Apple operating systems to exploit vulnerabilities.

In February 2018, for example, OSX/Shlayer was discovered, yet another Adobe Flash Player scam that would download additional adware and malware. Similar to the newly discovered threats, it also looked for installed anti-malware software. The year also brought the discovery of OSX/MaMi, which pointed an infected computer to a server allowing them to access websites, even those with encrypted traffic.

June 2018 was an active month for malware discovery. There were several types of malware that exploited a Firefox browser vulnerability. A cryptocurrency miner was discovered embedded in pirated copies of audio software, making it possible to take over a Mac’s processing capabilities to mine.

What Can My Business Do To Protect Our Systems?

There are several security steps to take if there are Apple operating systems in play on any devices connected to your business network.

1. Stick to What You Know and Trust
   Make sure you stick to apps you know are certified by Apple or are from highly trusted sources. Be suspicious about any apps that are downloaded from an unrecognized source, too.
2. Scan Your System
   Make sure that your anti-virus programs have added the OSX/Linker vulnerability to their detection registries. Many commercial and free anti-virus apps and tools have already added the vulnerability to their known threat lists.
3. Don’t Install Adobe Flash Player
   It’s really not necessary or helpful to install Flash at this point, as Adobe is discontinuing the product and will stop releasing security updates after 2020.
4. Partner for Security
   No matter what operating systems your organization uses, you need comprehensive network and data security. Partnering with a valued managed IT services company gives you the security and confidence that hardware and software are protected and monitored constantly. With next-generation firewalls and best-in-class anti-malware protection, you can keep hacker threats contained and minimized.

Technological downtime can make or break a law firm. Even an hour of downtime can cost a small or medium firm as much as $250,000.

What Exactly Can Go Wrong?

Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law has been known to apply in legal cases, meaning if there is an opportunity for things to go wrong they will. It is important that your firm has a dedicated professional, our team of professionals, either inside or outside the firm that can honor your firm’s confidentiality and keep potential problems at bay and/or under control. Some potential issues include

Case Management Issues

Filing is most efficient when stored electronically. They manage related documents, billing, and customer relationships

Security Problems

Reputation is everything for a law firm, and that extends to the attorneys and other staff at the firm. Still, even with so much on the line, the American Bar Association found that as many as a quarter of firms did not have security policies in place. Nothing puts a damper on a firm’s reputation, or even on specific lawyers than a security breach,

Compliance Issues and Software Integration

Various industries and professions have their own set of confidentiality agreements, that any legal team that works with the company needs to follow in order to protect clients, consumers, and any others involved. Some of these include Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Billey Act of 1999 (GLB) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). Following these privacy acts means that legal professionals are prevented from disclosing information. The same discretion needs to translate to technology compliance.It is necessary to have software in place that can handle this responsibility, and see to it that attorneys and anyone else with access can run any necessary software correctly and efficiently without violating compliance standards.

Internal Collaboration

Internal Collaboration is an issue that needs constant monitoring due to the way social media quickly evolves. It is common for attorneys to use the internet for communication, however, it is less common for them to communicate internally about a case, which would make their casework more efficient. The right social media integration can help improve communication and make casework more thorough and efficient. Salesforce, customer relationship management solutions are a common tool used by attorneys and their firms in order to produce better results for clients.

How a Managed Service Provider Can Help

Proactive and Regular Maintenance at a fixed can cost can help with all these issues by applying the knowledge to give your firm or business the right IT infrastructure that will support your needs. That means that attorneys and other employees will receive the training they need to serve your clients confidently and safely. if you have an existing system in place, we can analyze what you have been doing so that any necessary changes can be quickly set in motion.

While we at the {company} manage your system remotely, we are still there remotely to answer questions remotely that will improve customer relations and overall productivity. To learn more about how {company} can help your firm contact us today.

Patient scheduling IT doubles the output of booking agents and cuts the time needed to schedule an appointment in half. This can increase the happiness of patients and physicians by lowering the costs of healthcare. When health care professionals digitize their systems, the resulting process improvement enables them to adopt a more consumer-friendly culture.

What Are the Main Problems with Manual Scheduling?

Your staff becomes bogged down taking calls that last up to 20 minutes each. This makes manual scheduling a potential nightmare. It’s bad enough in an office environment, but for providers that rely on a call center, agents end up wasting a lot of time referring to spreadsheets to optimize the provider’s calendar. Also, they have to memorize or look up various scheduling rules that would work better in an automated system.

In a manual call center environment, many incoming calls aren’t scheduled due to poor turnaround times. This often means that patients have a poor experience and may go to competitors with a better process in place.

What Are the Main Problems With a Manual Scheduling Process?

Some providers have patient liaisons and schedulers who focus on new patients. Agents using cumbersome methods to link providers and patients have to access several provider schedules to determine the closest appointment that fits the patient’s schedule. This method can compromise access to care for the patient and revenue for providers. With manual scheduling, closer appointments are often missed. Patients may be scheduled out months in advance, and providers often end up with less than 10 appointments a day.

How Can IT Scheduling Tools Change This?

Providers who implement automated scheduling IT enjoy real-time integration that maximizes the number of appointments set up. Agents see available appointments in one interface and enter basic information to schedule appointments in another — which makes the scheduling process go faster.

Scheduling IT tools let you tailor the presentation for each provider. It designates what time slots can be filled with what type of appointment. Also, scheduling IT can do so for many providers at the same time. This leads to a streamlined process that improves the experiences of agents, patients and doctors.

What Applications Are Available on the Market?

Providers and call centers can choose from a number of patient scheduling systems. Popular vendors include

• BookSteam
• Ability
• Atlas Business Solutions
• CareCloud
• DocMeIn
• SimplyBook.me
• DrChrono Medical Scheduling
• Luma Health
• QGenda
• DoctorConnect

Information about these programs is available online and many vendors are happy to schedule a demo.

What Difference Do These Systems Make?

Before implementing a patient scheduling system, agents had to manually look through online calendars for each provider and verify insurance on another website, all while trying to determine which physicians were accepting new patients.

After implementing integrated IT scheduling systems, agents are available to view available appointments in real time, which lets them identify the most convenient appointment based on the patient’s preferences and needs.

How Does a Patient Scheduling System Improve the Process?

Comprehensive scheduling software improves not only the scheduling process but the entire care outcome. Here are some of the main improvements:

• Average call handling time can be cut in half
• Fewer booking agents are needed and more appointments are set up
• Agents efficiently book appointments and have an easier time complying with the rules of the provider and needs of the patient
• Providers get a consistently full schedule that enables them to plot out their day in advance
• Call centers and booking liaisons can maximize the capacity of providers to reduce the wait times for appointments
• Significant cost reductions enable providers to invest in other areas

What’s the Bottom Line on IT Scheduling Systems?

IT scheduling software balances the needs of the patient, scheduling agents and providers for a better overall experience. Automated systems are better equipped to evolve with the practice of each provider. Lean technology organizations benefit the most from the efficient booking process. They can leverage digital systems to improve existing workflows.