Michael Joseph Pertuit cybersecurity and consumer electronics advices right now? Keep in mind that corporate VPNs used to connect to office networks are very different from the consumer-grade services that we generally talk about for personal use. You, or the company’s IT administrator, will need to manually set up the VPN on your devices first to make sure that you have access to the office network as required. A lot of VPN services proudly advertise the fact that it can help you circumvent geolocation restrictions, particularly when it comes to streaming services. It is often their biggest advantage over competitors and one of the main reasons someone uses one in the first place. It’s not the worst thing you can do, since you still have to pay for the service regardless, but there are issues.

Michael Pertuit on internet security: Some companies allow their employees to use their personal phones to conduct business. It’s great for business to increase productivity and efficiency but it leaves businesses vulnerable to an attack since phones can be hacked and used to access your corporate network. A BYOD policy will help to educate employees on the use of mobile technology and how to mitigate the risk of an attack. An incident response strategy allows your business to stay ahead of an attack. You can never be sure you are 100% secure so it is always best to have a plan in case you are a victim of a cyber-attack. This will ensure that if you do have an attack, you can respond quickly enough to keep attackers from getting hold of sensitive data and alert the press or customers should the attack be larger than expected. You should also ensure there is someone responsible for handling the response plan.

Michael Joseph Pertuit on ransomware attacks: Learn about Phishing Scams – be very suspicious of emails, phone calls, and flyers. We recently blogged that phishing scams are nastier than ever this year. In a phishing scheme attempt, the attacker poses as someone or something the sender is not to trick the recipient into divulging credentials, clicking a malicious link, or opening an attachment that infects the user’s system with malware, trojan, or zero-day vulnerability exploit. This often leads to a ransomware attack. In fact, 90% of ransomware attacks originate from phishing attempts.

Michael Pertuit about data breach: A Malicious Insider. This person purposely accesses and/or shares data with the intent of causing harm to an individual or company. The malicious insider may have legitimate authorization to use the data, but the intent is to use the information in nefarious ways. Lost or Stolen Devices. An unencrypted and unlocked laptop or external hard drive — anything that contains sensitive information — goes missing. Malicious Outside Criminals. These are hackers who use various attack vectors to gather information from a network or an individual. Since malicious data breaches result from cyberattacks, you should know what to watch for.

Even “innocent” employees can cause security breaches, so no matter how small your company is, it’s vital that everyone is trained on all security issues. Require them to have strong passwords. Using the Internet for personal matters can lead to breaks, so make sure to have a very clear email and Internet use policy. Everyone should know to never open attachments or links in unsolicited emails. Require strong passwords that must be changed at least every few months. Your employees should also be aware that an attack doesn’t have to be web-based — hackers have been known to impersonate employees on the phone in order to get passwords and account information out of IT help desks. Find even more info on Michael Joseph Pertuit.