What Can Businesses Learn From The First GDPR Fines?

GDPR Consulting

GDPR Consulting

Less than a year ago, the European Union instituted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect customer rights to data privacy.

The regulation created quite a stir in May 2018 when it was enacted, and has recently created even more of a stir because the first fines for non-compliance have been levied. While the EU granted a short amnesty period to allow organizations to comply with the regulation, the fines definitely send a clear signal that the amnesty period is indeed over.

Companies are responsible for implementing GDPR-compliant data policies; complacency about the regulation will surely not win the day. No excuses — comply or be fined; the EU has definitely made good on its promise to staunchly defend citizen rights to privacy.

Thus far, there have been three notable penalties. One of the most visible is, of course, Google, which received a €50 million fine in France, courtesy of French data regulator CNIL (Commission Nationale de L’informatique). Google’s fault according to CNIL is the lack of transparency and unclear consent regarding advertisements.

In particular, Google did not have one clear source of information regarding how data is collected. Instead, the information was interspersed into various documents and websites, creating a nearly impossible task for the end user to be aware of how their personal data is actually being used.

The bottom line is that users must be able to make an informed choice about whether (or not) to consent to Google’s use of their data. The other important factor in the Google fine is that CNIL clearly sent a signal that Google can and will be regulated by every data privacy authority (DPA) within the European Union regarding the GDPR rules. Companies that were just focusing on the data privacy rules in their own country have definitely taken notice.

Google will inevitably appeal CNIL’s decision and organizations around the world are anxiously awaiting said outcome. If CNIL’s decision stands firm, companies will have to make changes in how they conduct similar online platforms. Simply said, the outcome could possibly create a profound change in the relationship between consumer and advertiser.

In Germany, a similar social media platform was fined €20,000 for a breach that compromised personal information like passwords and email addresses from more than 300,000 users. While this fine could have been much worse for the company, many industry experts state that the company was given a much lower penalty for how they handled the breach. The company’s saving grace was a proactive notification of both customers and the German GDPR data protection authorities.

This last example of a GDPR-levied fine definitely brings home the message of the lengths the EU will go to protect their citizens. In this case, an Austrian businessman was fined for placing a camera outside his business. The camera was not clearly identified as a CCTV camera, yet it was recording a public space outside his business.

Since GDPR began, the EU has received nearly 100,000 data privacy complaints from its citizens and over 40,000 data breach notifications from companies. Experts say these numbers are low because they are based on voluntary contributions from only 21 of the 28 EU member countries. The numbers therefore are actually much higher.

So far, the GDPR has reported levying 91 fines, with 60 of those fines levied by the German DPA alone. GDPR definitely changes the compliance risk for organizations across the world. Heftier and more numerous fines are expected to be handed out in 2019 as the EU moves into GDPR with full steam.

The United States was once the trailblazer of the world when it enacted the mandatory data breach notification laws and punishment sanctions for non-compliant businesses. Now, the U.S. Congress is closely following GDPR and may soon enact similar privacy considerations to rein in companies like Google, Facebook and others who offer free products and services at the expense of a user’s personal information. Congress understands that what a consumer discloses today can have far-reaching implications years later, and they are definitely watching the implementation of GDPR as Europe nears its first anniversary of enacting the law.

Are Hackers Targeting Managed Service Providers?

Hackers and MSPs

Hackers and MSPs
 

When you think about it, it makes sense that hackers might target managed services providers (MSPs) — those organizations that are responsible for protecting the data and technology systems for hundreds or even thousands of other organizations. The Department of Homeland Security recently alerted MSPs to the potential activity from hostile actors who were targeting large organizations in a new way. These nation-state hackers were using managed service providers who provide outsourced website management and cloud functions to infiltrate a variety of companies. While any organization can potentially be vulnerable, MSPs often maintain an increased state of alert to ensure that any infiltrations are quickly discovered and remediated before the threat can expand.

How Cybercriminals Are Targeting Their Attacks

Managed service providers often maintain direct and unfettered access to client information, making them a key target for hackers. While perhaps not a daily occurrence, security breaches happen to organizations of all sizes — much more often than business leaders would like to admit. Attacks against a well-defended organization such as a managed services provider take an exceptional level of coordination, often perpetrated by high-powered, international hackers. These organizations often attempt to gain access to an MSP by using malware to steal administrative credentials before tunneling deeper into the infrastructure to gain access to additional machines and software. This business information is then packed out of the platforms, allowing hostile foreign actors to gain access to sensitive personal, financial and business information.

Are Managed Services Providers Safe?

Maintaining a secure infrastructure for your business is core for MSPs, as they have the dedicated and knowledgeable staff focused on protecting client and business information. While a compromise within a service provider can spread quickly if it is unnoticed, the active reporting and review by security professionals is likely to catch any infiltration before it becomes widespread. One of the key ways that managed services providers are being attacked is through APTs, or Advanced Persistent Threat malware. These sneaky programs are designed to gain deep access before they are noticed, but managed service providers have programs that trigger alerts for review by human security professionals to maintain a high level of security for your business at all times.

Maintaining adequate security measures as well as advanced backup and recovery mechanisms is one of the best ways to thwart these hackers before they are able to negatively impact your business or your customers. Local and cloud-based backup procedures, as well as proactive and quick recovery strategies, can mean the difference between losing access to your information for days or even weeks and being able to quickly restore full operations to your business.

Warning: Foreign Hackers Compromised Citrix Systems

Citrix Data Breach

Citrix said the FBI warned them on Wednesday, March 6th that hackers compromised its IT systems and stole “business documents.” Citrix doesn’t know precisely which documents the hackers obtained nor how they got in.

It’s suspected that this is a sophisticated cyber espionage campaign supported by a nation-state. The consequences of the Citrix security incident could affect a broader range of targets, as the company holds sensitive data for many companies, including critical infrastructures for governments and enterprises.

For more information click here. Feel free to contact us for assistance if you’re concerned about your IT security.

How To Limit What Others See From Your Browsing History

Browser History

Browser History

If you’re like most people, you’ve got valid concerns about your personal privacy while browsing the internet. After all, Facebook and other organizations with a huge online presence have recently been caught dropping the ball regarding protecting the privacy of their users, so it’s only natural to wonder if your privacy is being further compromised and how it’s being done, which leads us to the primary question: What measures can the average internet user take to help ensure that the details of their browsing histories are limited to anyone who may be keeping tabs?

Fortunately, you’re not helpless in this situation. However, if you’re like many current users, you may be already using the Do Not Track option in your browser and possibly gaining a false sense of security by doing so. Unfortunately, all this option really does is convey to the websites you visit that you don’t want them to log your browsing history, but it doesn’t prevent them from doing so, and many completely ignore the request. In fact, this option will probably be removed in the near future.

Fortunately, your browser offers other ways to help ensure your privacy. Following are several browser-specific tips and tools designed to help keep your history safe from the prying eyes of cyberspace.

Firefox

Firefox’s privacy controls are found under the Privacy & Security tab in the Options menu. You can block third-party cookies from there, accessing Content Blocking and selecting Private Mode. You can also choose to have your cookies automatically erased each time you end your browsing session. Firefox also allows users to customize this option on a site-by-site basis under the Settings menu, which results in pop-prompt requesting permission the first time you access individual websites. You can also specify and limit the kinds of data that you allow the browser itself to collect and store, such as technical details about Firefox’s performance and various extensions you’ve installed on your computer.

Safari

If you’re running Safari, you’ll be glad to know that the browser already does some of the work for you when it comes to protecting your privacy — disabling third-party cookies is Safari’s default mode. It also gives you the option of blocking all cookies, but users often consider that a pain because it creates a situation where auto-login doesn’t work, and they must log in every time they visit their favorite sites, including email and social media. Like Firefox, Safari has a private browsing mode that deletes cookies and history once the browser has been closed.

You can also access Safari’s Manage Website Data tab to see what websites have already logged and to delete that data if you want. Under the Preferences setting, you can click Websites to control which apps and sites you want to allow to access your computer’s microphone and camera.

Chrome

Chrome provides users with the capability to adjust their privacy settings using Content Settings under the Advanced Settings option. You’ll be able to disable cookies here, but that will leave you with the inconvenience of losing auto-login. Some people find the extra layer of protection worth the hassle, but cookies aren’t really a major culprit when it comes to privacy breaches because regular cookies can’t be seen by apps or other websites.

Third party cookies, on the other hand, are those used by advertisers to track the overall browsing activity of users for the purpose of creating targeted ad campaigns. You can easily disable these in Chrome by simply switching the block third-party cookies option to ON in the Content Settings permissions. You can also limit access to your location, camera, microphone, and USB devices.

Edge

Microsoft Edge functions as a part of Windows, and its user-friendly interface makes customizing privacy controls easy. Under the Privacy & Security tab in Settings, there are options allowing users to allow all cookies, disable all cookies, and disable only third-party cookies. Edge also offers a private browsing mode similar to those of the other browsers mentioned above. Under the Advanced tab in the Settings menu, you can access Manage Permissions to control who sees your location and can access your microphone or camera.

However, the browser options given here are just a part of a bigger, more complex picture when it comes to online privacy. Google still records user activity and even saves all of your search history. You can delete this by going to your My Activity page on Google, selecting Search History from its dropdown menu, and clicking on Delete. To stop it for good, you can access Activity Controls and turn off tracking for Web & App Activity. Google also saves all of your voice searches, but you can remove them by going to their Voice & Audio page and clicking on Manage Activity.

Some users opt to use a VPN when browsing the internet because it generates proxy IP addresses, so although activity is tracked, it can’t be traced back to the user. Others install various ad blockers for even more protection, and the super-vigilant often opt for the added security of using a private browser. No matter what your privacy concerns, there’s a workable cocktail of tools and strategies that can provide you with a customized solution.

What Is This Chromium Application That Just Appeared On My Computer?

Chromium Web Browser

Have you seen a new application — Chromium — suddenly appear on your computer? It’s likely that if you did not intentionally download it, the app is malware that should be removed immediately.

Chromium Web Browser

While Chromium is a legitimate product, hackers have been using it to deliver adware and potentially unwanted programs, redirect browsers to different websites and track Internet activity. The results of such unwanted software can range from minor irritation to serious privacy concerns, including identity theft.

What Is Chromium?

Chromium is an open-source browser application that was initially created by Google. Chromium is the source code for what became the Chrome browser. When Google released Chrome in 2008, it also released the Chromium code. The Chromium project is now managed by The Chromium Projects and is designed for developers to create a faster, more stable and safer form for web browsing.

Chrome itself still includes some of the Chromium source code along with proprietary features, such as automatic updates. Google owns and manages the product, which is by far the most popular browser worldwide, with 62.5 percent of the market share as of February 2019.

Why Is Chromium Popular with Hackers?

Because it’s an open-source product, Chromium is vulnerable to misuse. Browser hijackers are a type of malware that makes changes to a user’s browser settings without their knowledge or consent. Most users unintentionally download hijacking malware when clicking through online ads or when downloading or purchasing other software.

How Does Malware Chromium Work?

The malware Chromium app uses a virtual layer to push ads or redirect browsers to e-commerce websites. Other types can direct users to dangerous, malicious websites that can themselves contain infectious viruses and programs.

What’s worse is that the bad Chromium browsers track your browser activity and can grab browsing data, including personally identifying information, passwords and financial data such as credit card numbers and bank account numbers. The hackers then sell this information to third parties, who often use it illegally. This activity can mean privacy breaches, unwanted use of cards and accounts, and identity theft.

There are many different Chromium-based browser applications that are dubious, despite appearing to be legitimate. Usually, these apps claim to improve browsing speed and security and boast of having new features that other browsers lack. These claims lure users into a false sense of security and invite downloads that cause trouble. These questionable app names include BeagleBrowser, BrowserAir, Chedot, eFast, Fusion, MyBrowser, Olcinium, Qword, Torch and Tortuga, among others.

How Is Chromium Malware Installed?

Often, these rogue programs are part of the Custom or Advanced settings of an app. The most common victims of these unwanted applications are users who hastily download software and install it quickly without reviewing each step. To avoid these inadvertent downloads, it’s important to pay attention during download and installation steps. Be wary of any software that is bundled with other programs and never accept offers to install third-party programs.

How Do I Uninstall Rogue Chromium Browsers?

There are several step-by-step guides online to show how to remove the malware, do thorough scans of your computer for rogue files and registry keys, and clean and reset browsers. The steps are very specific to your operating system and browsers. Two good online guides are here and here.

Being aware of types of malware, how they infect your computer and what they do can help prevent you or your employees from the frustration, time and irritation of fake Chromium browsers.

Never Lose A Receipt Ever Again

Tired of Not Getting Reimbursed for Business Expenses? Never Lose Your Receipts Ever Again!

 

Maintaining receipts is a fact of life for many people, but it can be extremely frustrating. Tiny pieces of paper that have to be maintained and categorized long enough to submit your expenses for reimbursement — who has time for that?!? It’s not uncommon to lose receipts and then spend additional time struggling to rebuild them once you have to submit an expense report or turn them in to get your money back. This quick life hack will help you stay organized and keep your receipts and other items under control.

Tracking Your Spending

Even if you’re not getting reimbursed by your business for purchases, it’s a smart idea to keep track of receipts so you have an idea where your money is going on a monthly basis. Every year, there’s a wonderful day (for the government) called Tax Day. Capturing your personal and business receipts in a way that you can find them again makes it that much easier to be ready to organize your taxes and get the best possible return. Plus, you’re more likely to stay on budget if you are closely watching your expenses.

Quick Hacks for Receipts

Are you using a cloud-based storage system for your photos? If not, this might be reason enough to look into it! One of the best ways to maintain your receipts and ensure that you have easy access to them regardless of whether you’re in front of your computer is to save all of your receipts to the cloud. Quick and easy — as soon as you receive a receipt from a purchase, snap a picture! If you want to get really fancy, you could create a specific folder for all of your work-related or home-related receipts and save the images appropriately. Dropbox or Box are excellent options for cloud storage that are inexpensive yet provide cross-platform functionality so you can grab your receipts digitally and match them up to your expense report or budget.

Use Receipt Tracking Software

If you have a few extra moments to process your receipts, there is an interesting new trend in mobile apps around receipt management. Not only will the apps handle the issue of annoying pieces of paper, but they’ll also pay you for capturing your receipts! Some of these apps include:

Each app provides a slightly different take on the same concept: capture your purchase and receive money back. This next-gen way of couponing is being used by millions of individuals in the U.S. to earn back a small percentage of their total purchases.

Not every hack has to be difficult; sometimes the easiest ones are already in your hand — like your phone!

When Does Moving Away From The Cloud Make Sense?

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing

In 2018, Dropbox announced it was shifting away from cloud-based services in favor of managing some of its data storage and application hosting itself. The company noted that while Amazon Web Services (AWS) initially allowed Dropbox to delay the purchase and maintenance of its own infrastructure, there were limitations and obstacles that prompted the switch.

In its IPO filing, Dropbox noted that the company has no operational control or access to the AWS or other cloud facilities that host its content. If there were to be an issue with that data, Dropbox, which hosts information for its customers worldwide, would have little control of the situation.

Why is it that Dropbox and other companies are moving away from the cloud, which is touted as a service that alleviates the burden of monitoring, maintenance and upgrading what’s stored there? Are there times when it makes more sense to move away from the public cloud?

How Many Companies Are Moving Out of the Public Cloud?

In 2018, IDC reported that 81 percent of companies surveyed reported migrating applications or data that had been stored in the public cloud to a different environment, including a private cloud host, a hybrid cloud and local solution or a complete on-premises infrastructure. The companies that repatriated data and apps reported doing so the following solutions:

  • Hosted private cloud (41 percent)
  • On-premises private cloud (38 percent)
  • On-premises non-cloud (22 percent)

The survey also reported that 85 percent planned to migrate services in 2019.

Why? The most-cited reasons were:

  • Security (19 percent)
  • Performance (14 percent)
  • Cost (12 percent)
  • Control (12 percent)
  • Desire to centralize or reduce shadow IT (11 percent)

What’s Behind the Cloud Repatriation Push?

Munish Manrao of Belmont, California-based ePC Solutions noted that there can be many factors that influence a decision to move to the cloud or move back.

“Every IT decision should be based on a combination of factors: security, cost, compliance, stability, productivity, and compatibility,” Manrao said. “In some instances, a company may move an application to the cloud and then decide to pull that application out of the cloud and return it to an on-premises data center. Although this can be disruptive, any one or more of the reasons listed above could be the determining factor.”

Jason Simons of Houston IT solutions company, ICS, agreed, noting that control, performance and regulatory mandates are often the key factors to move away from the public cloud. He cited specific issues that may prompt, or force, the decision for businesses:

  • Poor performance of the application once it was virtualized in the cloud
  • A desire for ultimate control of the software or data, including upgrade management, outage scheduling and access management. Because the public cloud is a shared resource, there are often limitations and restrictions on what a company can do and when.
  • Concerns about regulation. If a company finds out that its cloud provider is no longer certified to meet the security standards of regulatory agencies, the business is responsible. Companies take on great financial risk for non-compliance.
  • The wrong provider. Companies may choose a smaller provider initially that cannot meet their business needs. Instead of moving to a larger provider, some businesses prefer to bring apps and data back in-house.

Speed is a frequent reason for moving away from the public cloud.

“Businesses that rely on public cloud servers often run into trouble if local bandwidth is unreliable, or if internet access is lost resulting in downtime or data loss,” noted Andrew Schira with Oklahoma City IT service provider, Easton Technology.

Another is the cost.

“On-premise servers are generally a one-time purchase,” Schira continued. “Moving applications can reduce operating costs and result in improved security.”

Those insights echo the reasons cited in an IDC survey of multi-cloud infrastructure among European businesses. The top data-management priorities were:

  • Managing and controlling cost (42 percent)
  • Regulatory compliance (34 percent)
  • Provisioning and management capabilities (32 percent)
  • Data portability and workload seamlessness (32 percent)
  • Retrieving data if a provider goes out of business (27 percent)

Over the next 12-18 months, 49 percent of those businesses listed data protection, including backup and recovery, replication archiving and business continuity, as a key data challenge. Another 43 percent cited security and compliance.

What Applications Are Most Likely to Move Away from the Public Cloud?

Manrao noted that there are certain applications that are prime suspects for repatriation if they have one of the following characteristics:

  • Database applications that require high I/O speeds (the rate at which data is transferred between the hard disk drive and RAM)
  • Graphics-intensive applications
  • Applications that should be accessed outside the network
  • Applications that are not cost-effective to host
  • Applications that are necessary to control local access
  • Applications that cannot be dependent on ISP speeds

“Applications that are candidates for repatriation to a business’s on-premise servers are mature, highly integrated, mission-critical applications where concerns about exponential growth are not an issue,” Schira said.

Regulatory concerns are a growing concern, too. Companies face complex and mounting data management requirements due to the passage of GDPR for European Union residents, growing U.S. state-specific privacy mandates, and the continuing presence of requirements for HIPAA, PCI and other legislative obligations.

What Are the Benefits to Rolling Back from the Public Cloud?

Companies that switch from the public cloud will see many benefits, including:

  • No risk of providers changing terms or costs
  • No threat of potential deletion of data by a provider with little or no warning
  • One-time server expenses
  • Full company control of its own data, including its use and its storage

How Can I Prepare for a Switch?

Manrao recommends that whenever an application is moved to the cloud, there should be a roll-back procedure in place. Companies should keep their local infrastructure in place for a while in case the decision is made to roll back the application to internal hosting.

These procedures should ensure the company has complete access to the database and user accounts. The cloud host should be able to export all the data in a format that’s usable to the business. These procedures also should be tested often.

And if you decide to roll back data, Simons has some advice.

“The best way to do this with minimal downtime is with proper backups and pre-planning and testing,” Simons said. The key steps are:

  • Pre-install the application at your facility and thoroughly test
  • Complete a backup or screenshot of the cloud application and load it into your on-premises version
  • Continue running the application on the cloud server until the backup is restored to on-site equipment
  • Shift users seamlessly to the on-site server
  • Make another backup of the changes that occurred in the cloud while doing the migration
  • Restore these interim changes to your on-site server

Cloud solutions continue to be valuable for many companies, especially those with small or understaffed IT staffs. However, as with many new technologies, some businesses are finding that the public cloud is not the ideal solution for their unique needs.

Learn the Power of Google Reviews for Lawyers & Law Firms

Google Reviews for Law Firms

Google Reviews for Law Firms

There’s no better means of promoting a professional business today than the use of online reviews. Positive third-party online reviews can take your law firm to the next level. Personal referrals and word of mouth have their place in drumming up new business, but they will never come close to the exposure you can receive through online reviews. Positive online reviews across multiple platforms and search engines could very well be the key to the success of your legal firm.

How Important are Reviews for Attorneys?

When consumers are looking for an attorney to represent their interests in a legal matter, where do they turn to first? Modern technology has made the Internet the number one source of information for just about any business inquiry consumers may have. This makes it essential for law firms to have a strong online presence in order to compete. Your online presence should include a fair amount of positive online reviews.

Positive online reviews can help establish your law firm as experts in the legal field. Studies show that in 2017 alone, over 97% of consumers turned to online reviews to help them choose a company to do business with. Approximately 85% of consumers acknowledged they trusted online reviews more than a referral from family or friends.

When it came to searching for an attorney, 75% of consumers indicated they used online resources to find the lawyer they needed. Approximately 65% of these said their decision to hire a certain attorney was influenced by online reviews. If perfect strangers can have such a major impact on people’s decision to hire an attorney, imagine the potential you have of increasing your customer base by petitioning your clients for reviews.

Effects of Online Reviews on a Law Firm

Positive online reviews can give your law firm greater standing in your local community as they reveal what fellow residents have to say about their experience with your firm. Positive reviews from former customers can put your name on the top of the list when people need an attorney to handle their legal affairs.

With so many people resorting to online reviews to help them find an attorney, it’s to your advantage to make reviews readily available to your online target audience. The more positive reviews your firm has, the greater your chances of being selected over your competition.

Naturally, you want to avoid having bad reviews posted online. But few or no reviews could be just as detrimental to your cause as it gives consumers the impression that your law firm is inexperienced in its field.

The goal is to encourage former clients to write positive reviews that make a good impression on individuals who are in the process of selecting an attorney to represent their legal interests. With so much competition among law firms today, people aren’t willing to settle for just an “ok” attorney- they want an attorney who stands out in his field. They’re even willing to travel to the next town to hire an attorney with excellent reviews.

Review Count and Scores

In a recent survey regarding the use of online reviews for hiring attorneys, 264 people out of the 316 interviewed indicated they would only hire law firms that received, on average, a 4- or 5-star rating on their reviews. This shows how much consumers value reviews in selecting a lawyer. If your firm’s rating falls short of these expectations, you could very well be losing clientele. Poor reviews obviously have a negative impact on people looking for the services of an attorney. To get top reviews, your law firm needs to provide top services to your current clientele.

Keep in mind that third-party reviews across various platforms will carry more weight than reviews placed on your website. Consumers expect you to post positive reviews on your site. Third-party reviews, however, generate greater validation and trust.

In addition to good ratings, consumers want to see a fair amount of reviews from former customers as this gives them a more accurate picture of how people view the services you provide. The combination of review count and review score influence consumers in selecting an attorney.

Where Should You Collect Reviews?

Quite frankly  everywhere you can! By collecting reviews across multiple platforms, you’ll reach a greater audience. You could also narrow your prospects to the most effective platforms, i.e. Google and Facebook, as these two sites are where the majority of people wind up when doing business searches.

Google reviews carry a lot of weight when consumers search for law firms due to the company’s reputation for providing relevant content. Google is well aware of the influence ratings have on consumers searching for an attorney online. For this reason, Google prioritizes law firms that have a substantial amount of positive reviews in their search results.

How to Increase Your Firm’s Reviews

Knowing the influence that positive reviews can have on your law firm should motivate you to solicit as many reviews as possible from former clients. If you’ve provided exceptional services to your customers, positive reviews shouldn’t be so difficult to obtain. Most consumers are happy to comply. In fact, the best time to request a review is immediately after services have been rendered, assuming your customers are happy with the services they received.

Once you start receiving reviews, take time to monitor what people are saying about your firm. This gives you a better idea of how you’re doing, from the perspective of your valued customers. Make an effort to respond to as many reviews as you can  positive and negative  to show you’re interested in what your clients have to say.

Never ask employees for reviews and never pay or offer incentives for reviews, as this goes against Google’s policy.

How to Handle Negative Reviews

When you ask for reviews, there’s always the chance of getting negative reviews along with the positive ones. Although negative reviews can lower your overall rating, they can also provide you with opportunities to see where you need to improve. A few negative reviews here and there can even make your law firm appear authentic.

By handling negative reviews in a positive manner, you can earn customers’ trust. Always make an effort to address issues brought up in negative reviews. Apologize to your client to wipe the slate clean. If you can rectify the problem, do so, even if it’s at your own expense. Your sincere efforts to make things right can convert an unhappy client into a satisfied client who will let others know what you have done.

In Summary

The success of your law firm depends on providing exemplary services to your current clients and drawing in more clients who are in need of legal help. Positive Google reviews will play a key role in accomplishing this goal.

Toyota Australia Hit With Data Breach

Cyber Attack Toyota Australia

Cyber Attack Toyota Australia

In late February 2019, Toyota Australia was hit by a major cyber attack that knocked out its online presence and email systems. For days, the automaker had its ability to connect with customers significantly compromised.

The Toyota incident is yet the latest reminder of the disastrous impact of cyber attacks and why companies of all sizes and in all industry sectors need to be vigilant. Systems, users and devices all need constant monitoring and robust security measures in place to prevent such incidents from having significant consequences.

What happened at Toyota?

On 21 February, it was reported that Toyota Australia had suffered from a cyber attack. The company issued a statement that confirmed the attack, which reports indicate Toyota first learned about the day before. The statement noted that the initial analysis showed that no private customer or employee data had been accessed.

The company’s IT teams were working with “international cybersecurity experts to get systems up and running again,” according to the statement.

Four days later, the company’s website continued to display a stark message detailing its effort to recover from the attack. The company created an emergency call centre to address inquiries from customers.

The company has reported it has “no further details about the origin of the attack.”

What impact is the disruption having on Toyota customers?

The web message made note of several important issues affecting its customers. The company reports having only “limited capabilities to respond” to customers. The Toyota VIN Checker function is down, for example.

Of more significant concern is the impact on two important recent recalls facing Toyota customers. One recall, begun in 2018, affects airbags inflators in Corolla and Avensis models. As the airbags age, high temperatures and humidity can cause the airbag to activate with an explosive force that could send metal fragments towards car passengers, leading to serious injury or death.

In December, the company also recalled 2,640 Corollas, this time to replace a transmission assembly that could detach, resulting in a loss of power.

How big a problem are cyber attacks in Australia?

Cyber attacks cost the Australian economy $1 billion annually. Here are some other statistics on the effect on Australian businesses (2017 numbers unless indicated otherwise):

  • 516,380 small businesses were victims of a cybercrime
  • The average payment was $4,677 for a small- or medium-sized business to recover their data after a ransomware attack
  • One in four enterprises suffered 25 hours or more of downtime after being hit by a cyber attack
  • Only one in three small- and medium-sized businesses have continuous system backup practices in place
  • It cost medium-sized companies $1.9 million to recover from a cyber attack.

In the first six weeks after enacting the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in February 2018, the Office of the Information Commissioner received 63 notifications. Those numbers have grown steadily, with 242, 245 and 262 breaches reported in the last three quarters of 2018, respectively.

Malicious or criminal attacks accounted for the largest number of data breaches reported in the fourth quarter – 64 percent of all reported incidents. Of those malicious or criminal attacks, 68 percent involved cyber incidents, including:

  • Phishing (43 percent)
  • Compromised or stolen credentials (24 percent)
  • Ransomware (10 percent)
  • Brute-force attacks (8 percent)
  • Hacking (8 percent)
  • Malware (7 percent)

A closer look at the fourth-quarter statistics gives a clearer picture of the sources of attacks, types of attacks, data affected and sectors being targeted (with percentages):

Source of attacks

  • Malicious or criminal attacks (64 percent)
  • Human error (33)
  • System faults (3)

Information disclosed due to human error

  • Personal information sent to wrong recipient-email (27.1 percent)
  • Unauthorised disclosure via unintended release or publication (17.6)
  • Loss of paperwork or data storage device (14.1)
  • Personal information sent to wrong recipient-mail (11.8)
  • Failure to use BCC when sending email (10.6)
  • Unauthorised disclosure-failure to redact (9.4)
  • Personal information sent to the wrong recipient (3.5)

Type of data affected

  • Contact information (85 percent)
  • Financial details (47)
  • Identity information (36)
  • Health information (27)
  • Tax file number (18)
  • Other sensitive information (9)

Top industries attacked

  • Health services (21 percent)
  • Finance (15)
  • Legal, accounting and management (9)
  • Private education (8)
  • Mining and manufacturing (5)

What companies can do to protect themselves?

The Reserve Bank of Australia warned in October 2018 that Australian businesses were vulnerable to cyber attacks and the catastrophic losses that could ensue.

The Cisco 2018 Asia Pacific Security Capabilities Benchmark study noted that Australia was most under attack of the 11 countries evaluated. The numbers are stunning. Ninety percent of Australian businesses report facing up to 5,000 threats daily. Of those companies, a third face between 100,000 and 150,000 daily attacks and 7 percent see more than 500,000 attacks per day.

What can Australian companies do? Here are some of the most critical areas of need.

Comprehensive protection

Companies need to invest in a multilayered approach to protection of hardware, software, systems, networks, access points, devices and users. As seen in the data above, the attacks can come from a deliberate attack by an outside source, but often come from simple human error.

A comprehensive approach includes sound policies, technology and awareness. Together, these tools give your business the right protection to combat attacks.

Firewalls

A next-generation firewall protects your computer network. Firewalls help detect, contain and eradicate unwanted intrusions before serious harm can come to your systems. They also can be used to inspect information sent to and from the company and block access to and from risky URLs.

Anti-virus software

To protect users from spam, phishing attempts, viruses and malware, your devices need installed software that automatically scans and quarantines suspicious emails and activity. These tools should be automatically updated in the background to ensure continuous protection from threats new and established.

Monitoring

Tools can be deployed that continuously monitor networks, devices, access and usage, using pre-established rules about what is and is not allowed. Automated monitoring tools can detect and detain threats while issuing alerts to key personnel about identified issues.

Business continuity and disaster recovery

Companies need to develop the policies and procedures that will allow for little to no interruptions should a natural disaster or cyberattack occur. These guidelines establish chains of command, protocols and roles (which may be different from typical job responsibilities) during a crisis. These plans should be tested to ensure all components work smoothly and plans should be modified as needed.

Employee awareness and training

It is important that companies invest in their employees to further an understanding of what cyber attacks are, what damage they can do and how workers can prevent them. Showing employees examples of suspicious emails, making sure they understand data privacy policies and testing their responses builds resilience and understanding.

The Toyota Australia incident will not be the last high-profile example of cyberattacks to hit businesses. But preparation can go a long way to reducing the number and impact of such attacks.

What Is BlockChain?

What is Blockchain

What is Blockchain

Business executives, business owners, C level executives, and business managers share Blockchain information. One of the outstanding leaders of IT service companies across the globe is known as Infiniwiz. Our IT service strives to educate and train professionals in the business arena who seeks knowledge of the newest, most up-to-date trending IT technologies.
Through the combined efforts of our team of professionals, companies across the globe realize a significant increase in profitability. Infiniwiz increases the efficiency of companies; thus they see a vast improvement in staff morale. The businesses we cater to report improved communication between business owner and employees. This higher technology is improving all levels of customer satisfaction. The outcomes we see are essential to business owners, CEOs, presidents, and technology decision makers.

The Blockchain, Changing Technologies

Our computer technology is forever changing and with these changes come more elaborate digital technologies to learn and adapt to. Business owners must keep up with current and trending digital changes to keep their businesses profitable. Even though the public arena adopted Blockchain in or around 2008, many novice computer users never heard of this form of encrypted records storage. This article targets business executives, business professionals, industry specialists, or executives of any company with a 10-250 employee base who seek knowledge about a relatively new and vital step towards the storing of essential digital data. There is now a mass collaboration over the same network on a global level.

A Bit of History

This highly technological concept came into being through the work of someone known only as his alias Satoshi Nakamoto, in 2008. The original consensus was that blockchain was to serve in the function of a ledger for the bitcoin cryptocurrency. This technology came into being with one focus in mind; to solve the problem of spending without the need for trust in another individual or a central server. The design of the bitcoin prompted the invention of other applications that could be widely used and easily read by the public using cryptocurrencies. In the beginning, the blockchain, developed for business use only, is not commonly used in the public domain but fast gaining momentum due to its incorruptible design. Cryptology is the process by which an ordinary text converts into unintelligible text and vice versa or the digital technology of the Blockchain

The Definition of The Blockchain

In the simplest of terms, the Blockchain is a growing list of digital records that link together, using cryptography that contains three elements; cryptographic hash, timestamp, and the transaction data. According to Don and Alex Tapscott of Blockchain Revolution, the Blockchain is just a chain of blocks forming digital information in each block and data stored in a digital chain; the Blockchain offers as an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transitions. According to reports from Blockchain Revolution, the Blockchain is programmed to record not just financial transactions but everything of value. The Blockchain allows senders to transfer information from a plain text to an encrypted document to the receiver with a single shared key. The Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed public ledger. There are no retroactive alterations; it’s an independent form of verification, with autonomous management.

The Blockchain, for instance, has a network with no centralized point and operates within that network. Imagine thousands of computers in the same network system receiving the same spreadsheet with the same daily updated information. This information comes as shared encrypted data over many computers in the same network with one single point of storage for the data. A Blockchain is merely a chain of blocks containing digital information in each block. Transition information, participant information and distinguishing information comprises the Blocks in a chain.

This Technology Offers Heightened Security

This data is for public use and easily verified. The great thing about this is that hackers cannot hack into the information because there is no centralized point, as millions of people share the host computer.

  • Blockchain has a decentralized network.
  • No one person controls the information in the chain.
  • There is no single point of failure.
  • Everyone in a network is accountable.
  • No one can miss a transaction.
  • There is no such thing as a machine error.
  • This system verifies transactions through the recording of that transaction on a main shared ledger.
  • This process is secured.
  • This technology offers transparency.
  • This technology offers automatic ten-minute checks by the system.
  • This system is self-auditing
  • Information is uninterruptible, non-altering, in which data cannot be manipulated or overridden inside or outside the network.
  • This new technology offers a more accurate way in which to verify transactions using an encryption technology versus the traditional username and password that is so vulnerable to hacker attack.
  • This technology is incorruptible.
  • Offers no infinite reproducibility
  • Single transfer confirmation
  • Maintains title rights
  • Compels offer and acceptance

How does Blockchain Work?

There must be a transaction that occurs. That transaction must be verified and stored, and the block must have a hash. The advent of a blockchain used extensively in the financial industry on a global level demands the education and training of more developers for this technology. Soon, we shall see the ability to decentralize sensitive and personal identity information. Sensitive data currently held in a central location is at risk for hackers. However, the blockchain eliminates those risks because there are no centralized locations. Confidential information before the Blockchain remains vulnerable to hacker attack due in part to substantial security problems.

How Does One Access Their Blockchain?

A Public Key

This system allows for public and private keys of entry. A key is a random group of numbers automatically generated for the individual. This group of numbers becomes one’s address within the blockchain. These numbers identify each recipient as the owner.

A Private Key

This system requires a private key to gain access to personal digital information. When individuals store sensitive information in the blockchain, hackers cannot gain access. The block protects all the digital data and assets such as stored bitcoins, safeguarding the information with your private key. This storage is known as a paper wallet.

The Future of The Blockchain

2017 was the year that saw a massive launch of blockchain technology for large-scale use, dispelling a considerable amount of public skepticism. This technology increased to nearly 650 percent since 2015! Advancements and strides continue in this field every day; even though this technology is in its early stages and so far shows new concepts changing the way the world does business. There are many other options that blockchain offers private citizens and companies. The following list is just a very few ideas that utilize the Blockchain.

  • Sharing sensitive documents
  • Crowd-funding
  • Auditing
  • Predictions of markets
  • Intellectual property
  • Identity management
  • Smart contracts
  • Data management
  • Stock trading
  • Sharing economy
  • Government entities possibly starting at the voter booths
  • Smart contracts
  • Crowdfunding
  • Supply chain auditing
  • File storage, decentralizing traditional file storage
  • A new incorruptible, safe, hack-free network
  • A total internet made up of only decentralized websites
  • Securely protected intellectual properties
  • Now the Disadvantages of The Blockchain

Contact Infiniwiz of Chicago to become your quality IT service provider. We have a staff of genius high-technology professionals working hard, 24/7 for businesses across the globe.