Dark Web

What is the Dark Web, and Why Should Small Businesses Care?

By now, you have likely heard of the Dark Web. Linked to an ever-expanding list of high profile data breaches, identity theft, and other criminal activity, it’s a trending topic on news reports and technical blogs.
But what is the Dark Web, really? And is it different from the so-called Deep Web?
Are these shadowy corners of the internet something to actually worry about, or is the media making a big deal over nothing?
Because the Dark Web is so misunderstood by average technology users and remains a haven for cybercriminals looking to make a buck off of illegal goods like lists of stolen credit card numbers, it is critical that small business owners and managers understand the threats these criminals pose.
Here are some basics on what you absolutely need to know about the Dark Web and how you can keep your business safe.

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It Blog - Cyberwar

Tom Ridge: “We’re in a Cyberwar.” Is Your Business on the Front Lines?

Recently, former Pennsylvania Governor and first US Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, spoke during a Lancaster Chamber “Wake Up to the Issues” Forum about the alarming lack of urgency among our nation’s leaders when it comes to cybersecurity. Ridge, who is an established authority on cybersecurity, maintains that we are engaged in an all-out cyberwar, and because politicians are slow to act or take threats seriously, businesses and government agencies themselves are perpetually in danger of devastating attacks.

So, how can businesses protect themselves in this cyberwar? Constant vigilance and understanding the sophistication of the “enemy” – hackers and cybercriminals from around the globe – is key. However, there are also many practical tools and routines that you can employ right away to better defend your business and even become a true “cyber warrior.”

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7 Spam Email Examples

7 Spam Email Examples That Will Make You LOL

We get an enormous amount of spam email every day. Most of the time, we just think of spam as annoying, or perhaps dangerous. But, have you ever noticed that it can be funny, too?
Obviously, we don’t want to downplay the threats that spam email can pose. Yet, sometimes you just have to laugh at the bad wording, regrettable misspellings, and sheer weirdness that appears in our email inboxes every day thanks to spam.
And that’s what we’re doing today!
Sit back and have a good laugh at these hilarious spam emails we’ve received or just found online while researching for our posts here on the blog. We think these examples represent much of the spam universe – many promise free money (of course), some are downright confusing, but there are also those that are almost poetic in their creative use of the English language. Enjoy!

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IT Blog Social Media

The Security Risks Posed by Social Media

As companies flock to social media for their branding needs and employees continue to spend time on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites, there’s a growing concern about the risks associated with using these sites—concerns that could threaten the security of your business.

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Phishing Emails

How to Spot and Avoid Phishing Emails

While we may envision hackers sitting in dark rooms hovering over computers with lines of code scrolling down their screens, the portrait of modern hackers is much more sinister. In fact, today’s hackers and cyber attackers are much more akin to the con artist or snake oil salesman of old.
Instead of using technical skill to infiltrate complex computer networks, most attackers use good old-fashioned deception and trickery to acquire information and money from their unsuspecting victims.
Yet despite more awareness about phishing than ever before, phishing attacks have increased exponentially in recent years, with 92,000 phishing attempts every month, a reported 5,753% increase since 2004.
The truth is, cybercriminals are getting better at their craft. While it was once a fairly simple matter to identify phishing emails designed to part you with your money or personal information, it’s more difficult than ever to separate legitimate emails from fraudulent ones.
But there are ways to protect yourself and your business from being victimized. The key is education. Knowing what to look for makes it easier to unmask the marauders before you become their next victim. Here are some tips to help you identify phishing attacks and keep your money and your personal information out of the hands of cybercriminals.

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5 tips to shop safe this holiday

5 Tips to Shop Safe This Holiday

‘Tis the season… we want to be jolly, but unfortunately, hackers and scammers want to take advantage of our holiday habits. The holidays are one of the most notorious times of year for cybercrime, because hackers know that we’re spending money and we’re preoccupied. Keep your holidays merry and bright by shopping safe this holiday season. Here are a few tips you should know:

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the dark web

Hackers, Passwords and the Dark Web: What You Need to Know

Criminals love stealing credentials, and too many people are handing them the keys to the kingdom. A recent study by Verizon showed that 91% of phishing attacks targeted the user’s credentials. Why? Because stealing your username and password is the easiest way to break in to your business data, your bank account and more.
We make it even easier when we choose weak passwords or reuse the same passwords in multiple places. In fact, the study reported that 63% of confirmed data breaches involved weak, stolen or default passwords.

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7 tips to defend against a data disaster

7 Tips to Defend Against a Data Disaster

One click may be all it takes…
You’re checking your email Monday morning, cup of coffee in hand. You mark a few to follow up, confirm a meeting for the afternoon, and then delete a couple of junk promotional emails. But then you come across one that looks important – and it’s about an overdue invoice. You click on it and open the attached document to see what the problem is. Little did you know, a malicious file that was embedded in that document is now infecting your system, spreading like wildfire across your network.
Suddenly a note pops up on your screen:

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top 5 worst IT blunders of 2016

The Top 5 Worst IT Blunders of 2016

Last year was a year filled with security gaffes, data breaches, and hacks—many of which were felt country and even nationwide. Well-known organizations such as Yahoo, the NSA, and the IRS each had to deal with their own security breaches that found millions of user accounts compromised or exposed to malicious third parties. Everything from login details to personally identifiable information (PII) was released or obtained by hackers in 2016; but the attacks didn’t stop with just looted data.

Larger attacks occurred during Q3 and Q4, seeming to serve only a single purpose: disruption. There were also breaches revealed in 2016 that actually occurred years prior (much to the public’s dismay), which indicates that not only were many of these companies not capable of detecting the breach, but that they also most likely didn’t have any kind of recovery plan in place to handle the aftermath of being compromised.
While ‘blunder’ might seem like a harsh word for victims of a hack, the majority of companies could have done a lot more to mitigate the damage of their respective breaches. A noticeable percentage of the affected groups also didn’t immediately come forward about the hacks, which also constitutes a blunder, albeit a legal and PR related one.
The following summaries highlight five of the most prolific IT blunders to go down in 2016.

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