Suffolk Computer Consultants, Inc. Blog

While we may be IT professionals and—as such—take security extremely seriously, it can occasionally help to discuss business cybersecurity with a different approach… such as a daytime soap opera. What follows is one of these occasions.

Welcome to Oak Falls, a cozy little coastal hamlet shielded by the trees that give it its name. Unfortunately, these trees do little to protect the residents from the cyberthreats that loom over us all. Like bytes through the Internet, these are the Zero-Days of Our Lives.

Phishing attacks are the most common security risk your business faces, and if you’re not careful, you (or your employees) could fall victim to them with ease. All it takes is clicking on the wrong link or downloading the wrong file, and boom, your business is dealing with a full-blown security breach. To prevent this, we want to cover some of the major signs you’re dealing with a phishing message and what you can do about it.

Have you just purchased a new computer? That’s awesome! But what about your old one? You can’t just toss it in the trash—there’s a safe way to handle it to protect your personal info and help the environment. Let’s go over what you need to do.

Imagine one of your employees receiving a phishing message in their email inbox. Would they fall for it or report it to the appropriate individuals within your business? With phishing training, you can take the guesswork out of this scenario and know—for sure—that your team knows how to respond to a potential phishing scheme.

We frequently recommend using a password manager to help keep track of your credentials, given that you only use a standalone password manager—one that isn’t tied to a browser. Why the distinction?

It’s simple: it’s all in the interest of security, which means it is a rule that must be followed regardless of what browser you use.

If your business were breached by a cybercriminal, would you be able to figure out what caused the breach in the first place? If you don’t know the answer to this question, we have news for you—you’re far from the only one. A recent survey has shown that most security leaders (67% of those surveyed) don’t know what caused a cybersecurity incident, and it’s a problem that must be addressed.

Zero-trust is a data protection method that's becoming very popular in the tech world. It’s one of the best ways to keep your business safe from hackers. Let’s discuss how zero-trust started and why it’s important today.

When it comes to data access, there’s no good reason for everyone in your business to have access to all the files. There’s just too many risks involved, and you’re not about to make risk management the central part of your job duties. Therefore, it makes sense to limit who has access to what data based on their user role.

While there are plenty of cybersecurity protections for your business’ technology, it is just as critical that you and your team are prepared to stay as secure as possible. To accomplish this, we wanted to share a collection of cybersecurity basics to get you started on the right foot.

For your business to achieve true business continuity—meaning you can maintain your operations regardless of disasters or issues—a data backup is a critical element of your preparations.

As such, it is critical that your backup is designed to be as comprehensive and reliable as possible.

Data privacy is no laughing matter, and the more people learn about it, the more seriously they tend to take it. It’s quite common for you to face privacy threats in day-to-day life. Today, we want to look at some of the concerns that everyday users should be aware of with data privacy and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

News flash: just because you’re a smaller business doesn’t mean you’re a smaller target for cyberattacks. You’re not immune, and you can certainly fall prey to the unfortunate reality of the modern cyberthreat landscape. If anything, small businesses are the perfect target, and we’ll explain why.

While now may not be the most dangerous time to run a business, it is arguably a contender. Businesses are more reliant on digital technology than ever, meaning that these businesses also have to deal with more threats than ever. One such threat: the phishing scam.

Would you trust a bank that locks its doors at night but leaves all the money sitting in a big pile on the floor? Probably not—if someone got through the door, they could take all the money without any trouble.

This is kind of how cybersecurity used to work. If someone got into a company’s network, they could see and use anything they wanted. But now, many businesses are using a better system called zero-trust security.

Cybersecurity is super important for any business today, and it can make the difference between a business staying safe or failing because of a cyberattack. While there are many things you need to do to protect your business, there are some key steps you can start with to keep it secure. Let’s go over what you should do.

A lot of people don’t take cybersecurity and data privacy seriously enough, and that puts both them and others at risk. We’ve all gotten used to sharing personal information online—whether it’s on social media, shopping websites, or other digital services. But if we’re not careful, this can lead to big problems like hackers stealing your identity or money. When people don’t use strong passwords or turn on two-factor authentication, they leave gaps that hackers can take advantage of. These gaps don’t just affect individuals—they can lead to bigger cyberattacks that hurt entire organizations or communities.

Today’s businesses need an established cybersecurity strategy. It’s as simple as that.

However, many businesses need guidance to create this strategy, which is why the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed a framework for proper cybersecurity protection. Let’s walk through this framework and discuss what you need to do to meet its requirements.

Problems with cybersecurity can really sink your business. Unfortunately, more opportunists are out there today looking to profit off of business’ lack of vigilance. One example of this are large-scale scam operations that have been running in Southeast Asia, and they are now spreading to other parts of the world. These scams, called "pig butchering" scams, have caused major harm, with around $75 billion lost worldwide in 2023.

Sextortion scams are far from glamorous. These attacks involve a scammer claiming to have compromising photos or videos of their target engaged in explicit activities—often suggesting this footage was captured through their online behavior. The scammer then threatens to release this material unless a ransom is paid.

It was recently disclosed that Slim CD, a payment gateway, suffered a data breach that exposed many, many credit card accounts (nearly 1.7 million) from August 17th, 2023, until June 15th, 2024.

Let’s discuss the situation and how it provides a lesson for your business to take seriously.