| Hackers Now Prefer Small Companies |
In physics, there’s a concept called ‘the path of least resistance’. The meaning is plain enough – objects that move in a system take the path where they will encounter the least challenges and hurdles in order to quickly move to wherever they are going. Apparently, the same principle applies to hackers nowadays. Instead of targeting larger firms for that big ‘score’, hackers are now considering it more feasible and much easier to victimize smaller firms and companies, even for a much smaller amount of money. Why is that? First, smaller companies generally have much more vulnerable IT systems. Security is minimal or average at best, and the hackers don’t get as much heat or attention when compared to trying to breach the much more complicated, state-of-the-art security systems of bigger firms and businesses. Take a small newsstand business in Chicago: cyberthieves were able to install a Trojan in the cash registers which sent swiped credit card numbers to Russia. When the jig was discovered, Mastercard subsequently demanded an investigation – at the expense of the business owner – and the proprietor had to shell out a hefty $22,000.(i) A survey in the United States reveals that more than half of small or medium-sized businesses believed that they ran no risk of being victimized by hackers, and less than half of the respondents had security systems in place.(ii) That looks like a path of least resistance, as far as hackers are concerned. The loss of a few thousand bucks may not be much for a big business, but it can make a significant dent on the profits and sustainability of smaller organizations. And in the case of implanted viruses that steal credit card information, your reputation can also take a big hit. So if you want your business to stay truly safe before it’s too late, please contact us so we can discuss options and blueprints to make your business secure. |
Statistics are showing that small and medium-sized businesses are being targeted by hackers on an escalating scale. The reason for this is smaller businesses tend to have lax and weak security, making them much easier and quicker to steal from.| Scammers Now Pose as Microsoft Reps |
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When someone who identifies him/herself as a representative from Microsoft calls you out of the blue, be wary. A new scam involves people posing as Microsoft employees and scaring victims into paying for bogus service and giving up credit information, by telling them that their system has been infected by a virus or that it’s running too slowly.| Tips for Tracking and Remembering Your Passwords |
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Remembering all of your online passwords can be a difficult task. It’s just too hard to track all of the online accounts we have, especially as more and more specialized services become popular yet need secure access. Read on to learn about tools that may be able to help.| Lock Access to Your Windows Desktop Quickly |
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Leaving your computer for a short time but don’t want anyone peeking at your desktop or files? Simply lock it. When you lock your desktop, anyone who wants to use it will have to log in using their username and password.| Change the AutoRecover Interval in Microsoft Office 2007/2010 |
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A very useful feature in Microsoft Office is called “AutoRecover”, which automatically saves your document at specified time intervals so that in case of an application or system crash, Office can recover its latest version.
