​The internet has become a vital part of our lives. We do everything from communicate with friends and family, to shopping, to storing copies of our digital memories online, making our data ripe for the picking for would be thieves. The websites where we store our most sensitive data are almost always protected, requiring a username and password to be entered in order to login and gain access. Once logged in however, a wide variety of information is available, including credit card, banking, and even medical records.
 
One habit that puts a majority of users at risk is the re-use of usernames and passwords. It is tempting to use the same combination over and over again, but the problem with this is that if one site is hacked and our login credentials revealed, people will now have the keys to many of our other accounts as well. I once fell victim to this myself, and luckily for me it was simply a music streaming service that was compromised. I was made aware of the intrusion when someone was able to change the music that I was listening to in real time.
 
So how does one avoid re-using passwords while still being able to easily login and access your accounts? Two words: password manager. With a password manager, an app or browser extension generates a unique and complex password for each and every password protected site that you access, and autofill them in for you when prompted at login. Google Chrome users can use the built-in password manager, while folks who use other browsers, or prefer a 3rd party app, can utilize services such as NordPass https://nordpass.com/ .
 
And for really sensitive information such as banking, credit cards, and medical data, I strongly encourage users to utilize 2-Factor authentication. 2-Factor authentication requires an additional step to prove that you are the one who is trying to access a site. After successfully entering your username and password, the site will prompt you for a key that is delivered to you either by text message, phone call, or using an authenticator app. This ensures that even if your password should be learned by someone else, they would also need to have access to your phone in order to login to secure sites. We will dive into more info about 2-Factor authentication in a subsequent post. 

​Ransomware attacks are on the rise. Cyber criminals are using the internet to exploit security vulnerabilities in computer software running on everything from home computers to cloud service providers. Once the criminals gain access to a system, they encrypt the contents of data making it inaccessible to the owner. For home users this may be an annoyance, but for businesses it can be devastating, holding up business operations while management scrambles to react. Unfortunately, far too often victims pay a ransom in hopes that they will be able to recover their data using encryption keys provided by the attackers.
 
Another tactic for the ransomware attackers is to threaten to publish sensitive data if a victim refuses to pay the ransom demand. These files could range from sensitive business documents, to banking info, or even compromising photos and videos. This type of attack is an even more painful type to experience as there is a feeling of exposure, and vulnerability that accompanies a threat from someone who has your data.
 
In order to protect against both types of ransomware attacks both businesses and individuals need to take precautions and protect against data loss and data access. Strong passwords should be used for all accounts, limiting the number of accounts that the same password is used for. Remembering all of these complex passwords can become a nuisance, so I highly recommend using a password management utility to keep track of passwords for all of the various sites and accounts you access online. The Chrome browser has a built-in password management feature that is handy for generating and remembering/auto filling passwords for various sites. If you’d like the ability to manage passwords for more than just the Chrome browser, including cell phone and Microsoft Edge, and Mac OS, there are solutions from companies like Nord which will manage all of your passwords across all of your devices. For more info: NordPass https://nordpass.com/ .
 
Backing up data is also crucial and neglected by both businesses and individuals alike. For disaster recovery, a copy of data should be kept offsite. Luckily there are many cloud data storage utilities available. Microsoft OneDrive is a free service included with all Windows computers and MS Office subscriptions. Services like Dropbox and carbonite are excellent choices as well and can be used to backup more than just your files.
 
Most importantly, computers need to be kept up to date for both the operating system and applications that are installed. It is most often through vulnerabilities in operating systems and software that the attackers are able to gain control of computers and hold them for ransom. Antivirus and antimalware software is crucial in preventing attackers from being able to access your computer. If you are uncomfortable running updates and checking the health of your computer, we can assist. This is one of the core services that our clients receive with a support subscription. All software is automatically kept up to date, and managed antivirus and antimalware software provides us with alerts when infected files are detected, blocked, and removed. And if and when issues arise, our helpdesk can assist in cleaning your computer of malware, recovering data from backups, and avoiding the need to pay ransom to get your data back.