Cybersecurity and Compliance

My Cyber Liability Insurance Premium Just Doubled, Now What?

Why is the average cost of cyber liability insurance starting to double from one year to the next, and what can you do about it? In the past, getting a high-quality, affordable policy was as simple as providing your revenue and some basic information about your cyber security controls. Today, you must fill out a detailed annual questionnaire about your…

3 Reasons to Make Data Privacy your New Year’s Resolution

By Jodi Daniels, Founder & CEO of Red Clover Advisors Our favorite time of the year is finally here—and yes, we know the winter holidays have already come and gone. But as much we may love warming up with a cup of hot cocoa (topped off with unreasonable amounts of marshmallows, please!), there’s one day that holds a special place…

Getting to Zero: What You Need to Know About Zero-Trust Architecture

It may seem strange to talk about cybersecurity in terms of “zero trust.” After all, if you can’t trust your systems and applications, why are you using them? But the term actually refers to a cybersecurity best practice that applies the basic concept “Never trust, always verify.” Under the zero-trust security model, no user is trusted with full access to…

The Seven Critical Layers of Cybersecurity

It’s no longer enough to just install a firewall and antivirus software and think you have robust cybersecurity protections. Today, you need a cybersecurity strategy that stands toe-to-toe with the bad guys’ methods, frequency, and vectors of attack. And rather than starting with solutions and working backwards, we recommend using a layered approach like the one below. For many small…

2021 Cybersecurity and Threat Preparedness Annual Study

Based on a survey conducted by ResearchCorp.org and sponsored by Xantrion, see how organizations responded when asked how confident they are about the effectiveness of their security measures and see how your company is doing in comparison to those surveyed.

Identity and Access Management Best Practices: The Key to Cloud and Mobile Security

When we talk about data security, we’re basically talking about two things: making sure information and applications are available to people who are authorized to use them, and keeping everyone else away. Identity management, also known as identity and access management, is key to our ability to do that. Identity management is the process of defining who you are and what you’re…

Software Vulnerabilities: Loved by Cybercriminals, Dreaded by Companies

Software is an important tool that most businesses use in their day-to-day operations. However, apps can be detrimental to organizations’ operations if they contain vulnerabilities — that is, flaws or weaknesses that can be exploited by an attacker for malicious purposes. In 2019 alone, there were 22,316 new software vulnerabilities reported. A similar total is expected for 2020, as the mid-year count…

Three Basic Security Blunders That Many SMBs Are Still Making

In the past decade, the number of known malware programs has risen from 65 million to 1.1 billion. The ways in which cybercriminals deploy the malware have also increased in number and sophistication. While advanced security technologies are available to defend against these cyberthreats, many can be thwarted with basic security practices. However, research is showing that many small and mid-sized…

Think Before You Click

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning businesses about a voice phishing (vishing) scam that targets employees working from home. Cybercriminals are using this scam to steal virtual private network (VPN) login credentials, which they use to access company networks and steal data or money. By understanding how this VPN vishing scam works,…

The Four Pillars of Microsoft 365 Enterprise-Grade Security

In the era of cloud-first and mobile-first technology, productivity and security go hand in hand. This means that when utilizing digital tools, the fact that your data remains secure, encrypted, and in the right hands is just as important—if not more so—than the increase in productivity obtained by using them. Therefore, choosing the correct applications involves a careful understanding of…

Beware This New Phishing Line: The Fake LinkedIn Profile

Just when you think you and your employees have learned how to recognize and avoid a social engineering attack, the criminals have come up with another way to trick you out of your cash and your sensitive data: the fake LinkedIn profile.

2020 Cybersecurity and Threat Preparedness Annual Study

Watch Out for This Direct Deposit Scam

Most companies use direct deposit to pay their employees. In the United States, for example, more than 80% of workers have their paychecks deposited directly into their personal bank accounts. This practice is providing many opportunities for cybercriminals to perpetuate their latest scam — trying to get businesses to deposit employee paychecks into their accounts. Variations of the Direct Deposit…

Prevent Data Leaks with Proven Security Solutions

The global average cost of a data breach is $3.6 million. Is your company prepared to deal with the fallout from a cyberattack? With our security solutions from Microsoft 365 Business, you can take advantage of the latest data-loss protection policies to ensure that your sensitive data is always protected. With a simple, cost-effective security solution that’s easy to use,…

Safeguard Company Data Across Apps and Devices

62 percent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don’t have an active or up-to-date cybersecurity strategy in place. Want to make sure that your data is protected, no matter what apps or devices you and your employees are using? Now, you can take advantage of our data protection solutions featuring Microsoft 365 Business. Check out the below infographic—which shows industry trends,…

Protect Company Data on Personal Devices

BYOD (bring your own device) refers to the practice of employees using their personal devices—such as smartphones, laptops, PCs, tablets, and other gear—on the job for the sake of convenience and comfort.

The 4 Riskiest Airports for WiFi

Most airports provide free Wi-Fi for visitors. This is convenient for business travelers who work on their laptops while waiting for their flights. Taking advantage of this convenience can be risky. The risk level, though, is not the same across all airports. Security researchers came to this conclusion after they gathered and analyzed data from the 45 busiest US airports…

Top 10 Tips for Securing your Work at Home

Even though you are no longer working within the protection of your office, you still need to safeguard the privacy of employee, client and business partner information. Follow our ten tips so you don’t let security slip now that you are working at home.

Watch Out for These Common COVID-19 Scams

One of the less deadly effects of COVID- 19 is the explosion of online scams. COVID-related email phishing attacks have spiked 667 percent since March 1, according to Barracuda. Read this article to learn more about some of the most common scams exploiting coronavirus fears, and some measures you can take to avoid falling for them.

Mac Threats Are on the Rise

In the past, Mac devices have largely been out of cybercriminals’ crosshairs. While hackers occasionally launched malware attacks against Mac machines, they targeted Windows devices much more often. But this is no longer the case.

Are you subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?

The California Consumer Privacy Act is designed to educate and protect California consumers about personal information that is being collected and sold, primarily by large, California companies.

5 Things to Know About Phishing Attacks

Only 66% of working adults correctly answered the question “What is phishing” in 2019 Proofpoint survey. This means one-third of adults do not know that phishing is a form of fraud in which cybercriminals try to scam people into providing sensitive information (e.g., login credentials, account information) or performing an action (e.g., clicking a link, opening an email attachment) in…

Using Strong Passwords Is Not Always Enough to Stay Secure

Cybercriminals commonly use compromised passwords in cyberattacks. For example, in ransomware attacks, compromised passwords have now surpassed phishing scams as the No. 1 way to gain access to the systems in which the ransomware is planted, according to F-Secure’s “Attack Landscape H1 2019” report. And compromised passwords is No. 2 on hackers’ list of tools to use to gain access…

Mitigating the Risk of a Ransomware Attack

Xantrion’s cybersecurity program takes a risk based approach to preventing, detecting and recovering from a potential ransomware attack. We provide multilayered protections which consider the various methods criminals might use to penetrate a client’s network and protect against each of these attack vectors.  We monitor client systems so that, should compromise occur, it can be quickly detected and shut down. Even…

Are your Employees Inadvertently Exposing Data?

The number is eye-opening: 83% of companies believe that employee errors have put sensitive business and customer data at risk of exposure, according to a study by Egress. More than 1,000 security professionals at US-based companies participated in this study. The study also identified the technologies that most often involved in this type of accidental data leak. Email services provided…

How to Develop a Vendor Risk Management Program

If you’re like most businesses, you have a variety of third-parties that you rely on to support your core business functions. And in many cases, they have the ability to connect to your network. By providing them remote access, you are effectively increasing your potential attack surface for cybercriminals to exploit. So what happens if their systems aren’t secure? They…

Cryptojacking: The new Ransomware and what to do About it?

Cryptojacking might not seem as dangerous as ransomware or data breaches since cybercriminals are stealing a computer’s processing power rather than money or data. However, companies that dismiss this threat might be putting their businesses at risk. Cryptojacking malware is becoming increasingly sophisticated, which could spell trouble for companies unprepared for it. The Changing Face of Cryptojacking Cryptojacking was born…

Shadow IT: What You Don’t See Can Hurt You

Shadow IT is any technology used by employees that your IT department doesn’t know about. That would never happen to us, you may say — but you’re probably wrong. According to Gartner, most companies hugely underestimate how much shadow IT their employees are using. And that’s a big problem, because what you don’t know about, you can’t secure. Outsourcing your…

How to Protect your Employees from Phishing

Phishing is one of the biggest security threats to Xantrion’s clients right now. Small and midsize businesses are low-hanging fruit for attackers because they have more worth stealing than an individual, but fewer security safeguards than a larger business. What’s more, phishing attempts, or social engineering attacks, are becoming more frequent and more sophisticated. The harder they are to spot,…