LSeven Solutions Blog

Any business that deals with online technology needs to be aware of the dangers that come with the territory. Hackers are more common nowadays than ever before, and organizations that don’t take a proactive approach to keeping threats out of their systems will have to suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, some organizations won’t be aware that they’ve been hacked until it’s far too late.

Small and medium-sized businesses continue to have problems shoring up their cyber security. Even with the latest solutions, like antivirus and firewalls, they still need to be wary of impending attacks. New threats are created on a daily basis, all of which want to infiltrate your network and cause harm to your business. In fact, 27.3 percent of all malware in the world was created in 2015 alone. Will we ever escape from the clutches of malware?

Google might be best known for its search engine and groups of desktop apps, but it’s also known for innovating and rattling the cages of how we live our lives. One of the ways it’s doing so is with Google Wallet, an app that’s designed to make sharing cash and money transfers online even easier. What a lot of people forget, however, is that Google Wallet, and its associated card, can still be the target of fraud.

2015 was a brutal year for major corporations, as one by one they fell victim to hacking attacks. Major organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, and even the United States Office of Personnel became victims of major hacking campaigns. A fact that’s often lost amongst these details is that not all hackers use their skill for evil actions, even if they are still illegal.

Let’s say you get an email from a close friend. It looks like it’s legitimate, until you check the contents of the message. It’s an advertisement, or it’s trying to get you to click on a link to see something “important.” Regardless of what the content of the message is, you should probably slap that bad boy in the Spam section of your email inbox. You’ve just been the target of email spoofing, and it’s more common than you might think.

Security is a huge problem for businesses that take advantage of the cloud, but never to the same degree. It’s often the nature of the industry which dictates how much a business should invest in cloud security. However, despite these differences in policy, there are some aspects of cloud security that absolutely can’t be overlooked, including data permissions, account security, vulnerability to malware, and other online issues.

Most computer users should practice the policy of ensuring optimal security on their PCs. To this end, assuming that you’ll be hacked (or at least targeted) at some point is pretty reasonable, as it allows you to plan ahead and take preventative actions. Still, there are plenty of people in the world who don’t care enough or worry enough to make security-minded decisions. Contrary to popular belief, there are countless ways that a hacker can take advantage of a hacked PC.

In the near future, there will be many new devices connecting to the Internet. Some will be useful, while others will be… not so much. Either way, the fact remains that, according to IDC, the Global Internet of Things (IoT) spending is expected to reach around $1.3 trillion by 2020. That’s a pretty huge number, and we’ll tell you why your organization needs to keep the IoT in mind when putting thought into your technology strategy.

Email is an aging communication protocol, but it’s still an important asset nonetheless. Even though society continues to push toward bigger and greater things, the modern office still depends on having an email solution for a communication medium. While we can’t get away from email completely, it’s important to make sure that using it is as easy as possible, especially for the busy business owner.

Security is a top priority in today’s business environment, especially following high-profile hacks of notable enterprises. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that these hacks could have been prevented if both the employees and employers of these organizations followed strict security best practices for their technology. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be hard to teach your team how to properly use technology.

A good business practices extreme caution when using the Internet, thanks to hackers using any means possible to unleash threats against organizations of all sizes. You teach your employees how to avoid threats and to avoid suspicious websites, but what if that’s not enough to keep hackers out of your network infrastructure?

There’s an intrusive malware on the Internet that locks a user out of their PC and directs them to a fake IT support phone number. In addition to being inconvenient, it can lead to the theft of sensitive information. If this happens to you, whatever you do, don’t call the fake phone number.

One of the most masterful arts of deception that hackers use is the phishing attack, which attempts steal sensitive credentials from unwary victims. The anonymity afforded to criminals on the Internet is what makes this possible. Using phishing attacks, hackers attempt to steal credentials or personal records by forging their identities. What’s the best way to protect your business from these attacks?

It’s natural to replace older technologies with better, more recent models. However, the future isn’t looking too bright for the world’s most common website encryption method, SHA1, which will soon be replaced by a more secure protocol. Pretty soon, browsers and devices may have some difficulty reading the latest security certificates, which could cause quite a problem if it’s not remedied.

Privacy Controversy
One of the biggest problems that most users have with Windows 10 is how the default settings are set to provide certain information to Cortana and Microsoft, in exchange for enhanced services and features. Granted, if you’re using the free versions of Gmail, Google Drive, or even Google Chrome, your information is already being collected by Google, so you’re no stranger to having your information collected as it is. It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to expose this info to Microsoft. For reference, by default, it collects:

The Internet of Things can increase efficiency, but at what cost? The Internet of Things isn’t a phenomenon that’s exclusive to the business sector; rather, all users will probably take advantage of at least one Internet of Things device at some point or another. Considering the fact that Internet-connected cars, houses, thermostats, smart watches, fitness trackers, baby monitors, and other appliances are increasing in popularity, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that hackers can take advantage of these devices in order to mess with the lives of innocent people.

As mentioned, there are other types of malware that target ATMs almost exclusively, including a backdoor called Ploutus. Just like GreenDispenser, Ploutus originated in Mexico, and allowed criminals to steal money from ATMs by sending commands through the PIN pad or through a keyboard. Later versions allowed hackers to send a text message to the ATM to distribute cash. While this ATM malware originated in Mexico, it’s suggested by Ploutus’s English localization that it was designed for use in other countries.

The first step is to sign into your Google account. Hopefully, whoever is tampering with your account hasn’t changed your password on you. Click the grid-like icon in the top right corner of the screen that appears right next to your account name. Click on My Account.

Basically, when your accounts are hacked, criminals will often attempt to sell this information on the Dark Web; a place where only those on the anonymity network, Tor, can access. Most information that’s stolen consists of personal identifiable information and financial data, but hackers will often be content with making off with anything they possibly can. The most common industries targeted by these hackers are healthcare, government, retail, and education, but it should be mentioned that all businesses are susceptible to data theft of any kind.

With many organizations heavily relying on mobile computing, malicious operators have begun targeting the “low-lying fruit” of a business’ IT infrastructure, which is often a company’s mobile devices. Kemoge, a malicious adware strain designed to corrupt Android mobile operating systems, is the latest mobile threat that your business needs to protect itself against.