October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The goals of this awareness month are to increase the understanding of cyber threats and to empower the American public to be more secure online.
If you are thinking about replacing some IT equipment, you might want to make your purchase before the end of the year. Your business can use IRS section 179 to get a deduction on your next tax filing. You can get a tax break on office equipment such as PCs/Macs, tablets, servers, printers, network equipment, security equipment, phones, and more.
The blockchain is a decentralized and distributed online ledger that holds transactional records. This technology was initially developed for running Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer form of electronic cash. However, this technology can also be used for transferring assets like cash, land, intellectual properties, and personally identifiable information.
Business Email Compromise attacks involve cybercriminals sending an email pretending to be a trusted source. The cybercriminals will request funds, account numbers, and confidential information. Attack examples include bogus invoice schemes, CEO fraud, account compromise, attorney impersonation, and data and W-2 theft.
Cryptojacking is defined as the unauthorized use of someone’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. The rise in cryptojacking activities is largely due to the increase in the value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. According to McAfee Labs, the count of total coin miner malware rose by 629% in Q1 of 2018 alone, to more than 2.9 million samples.
Whenever the term AI is mentioned, many think of robots replacing humans. In today’s reality, AI technologies are reliant on human workers. While AI can cut back on unskilled tasks, technology cannot replace human judgment and a personal touch. But, the practical use of AI in the workplace can optimize operations and create business opportunities.
Data is growing exponentially due to more use of mobile devices. Each device has valuable data, such as employee private information, customer account data, and intellectual properties. However, as mobile and cloud continue to grow, businesses will have difficulty controlling where all their streams of information are going, leading to data sprawl.
There has been an increase in phishing emails to our customers pretending to be from Office 365. These scams are designed to trick users into sending their usernames and passwords to untrusted sources. Cyber thieves can use your email account to conduct fraudulent activities and steal funds from your business.
A cryptocurrency is an anonymous digital currency tracked in an online public ledger. To investors, each initial coin offering (ICO) of a new cryptocurrency may be the moment they strike it rich. Sadly, the hype over cryptocurrency investing is another chance for con artists to steal money from people.
The IRS’s tax filing season is a prime time for identity thieves to steal money. The FTC states that tax identity theft occurs, “…when a person uses someone else’s Social Security number to either file a tax return and claim the victim’s refund, or to earn wages that are reported as the victim’s income, leaving the victim with the tax bill.”