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Four Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses

On May 11, 2021

Most small business owners ignore the threat posed by cybersecurity. There is a common myth that cybercriminals can’t attack small businesses and start-ups. However, cybercriminals are now focusing on small businesses as they are aware that they put very few measures against cybersecurity threats. Cybercriminals target small businesses with the aim of hacking and stealing vital data. A single hack may eventually lead to loss of business records, fraud, and theft of customers’ confidential information.

The following are four cybersecurity measures that small businesses should consider:

1. Encrypt and back up all business data.

Small businesses should have all their data encrypted before backing up their data. They should consider installing encryption software to encrypt all sensitive email and hardware drives. It’s advisable not to store essential business data in one place. Therefore, small businesses should back up all data in an external drive or the cloud storage, or both.

2. Install firewalls.

Why would you operate systems without an effective firewall? A firewall prevents any unauthorized access into the small business networks. Firewalls are readily available as there are multiple vendors in the market.

3. Install antivirus protection software.

Antivirus software is for protecting small businesses from viruses, spyware, and malware. Small businesses should use up-to-date antivirus software since they have improved patches; hence, cybercriminals can’t exploit the older version’s weaknesses. System users should also regularly scan all hardware for malware to ensure that the systems are secure from viruses.

4. Embrace strong passwords.

Every computer hardware, software, system accounts, and essential documents should be password-protected. Small business employees should avoid easy-to-guess passwords, e.g., date of birth, ID number, etc. When creating strong passwords, ensure you include numbers, symbols, and a combination of capitalized and small letters. Even if the passwords are strong, small businesses should regularly change them since hackers may have intercepted them and wait for the right time to attack.

With all the above four cybersecurity tips, why would any small business and start-up wait to experience data theft? A successful hack into the system may lead to financial losses and unending lawsuits from customers whose confidential information has leaked. Third parties can be a source of your cybersecurity vulnerability; hence small businesses should only deal with third parties who have embraced effective cybersecurity measures.

The Importance of Having a VPN at Home

By Chika Wonah

On April 19, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Anyone who’s been on the internet has heard of VPN services in the past couple of years. However, the average internet user might not truly understand the need to have a VPN. You should consider these reasons why you should start using a VPN service on your internet-connected devices.

Restricted Content

Whether you’re using Netflix or Hulu, you can access a catalog of content that can specific to your country. This means that you could be blocked access from the movie or TV show that you want to watch while another user in a different country gets access to that content. Fortunately, a VPN service can help out with this issue.

To solve this, a user needs to subscribe to a VPN service that offers a server in the country that their streaming content is available. From there, users can watch any restricted content as long as they are using it through their VPN service.

Public Networks

If you need to use the internet while traveling, you might be thinking of using a public network somewhere like an airport or a coffee shop. This might seem simple enough, but you can run into intruders that are on the same network. Having intruders on the same public network as you means that you could have your details and files leaked to them as you browse the internet. Fortunately, a VPN can prevent you from these attacks.

To protect yourself, make sure that you’ve subscribed to a VPN service before accessing your public network. You should then be able to connect to your VPN at any time to create a secured connection on both ends. With a secure connection, intruders won’t get any private details from you since packets coming from your computer and VPN network are encrypted.

Blocked Websites

Getting past restricted streaming content can be great, but you might be wondering more about websites that are blocked in your country. In countries like China, users can go through social media websites like Twitter and YouTube without getting a blocked message. Fortunately, having a VPN lets you bypass this.

You can bypass website restrictions on a VPN because the packets are encrypted in a way that isn’t if you are using a typical network. However, users should find out if any laws make this a criminal offense anywhere they may be living or traveling.

The Risks of Login Codes Sent via Text Message

By Chika Wonah

On April 19, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Two-factor authentication can seem very useful for securing your essential accounts from intruders. However, more and more hackers have been getting into accounts that use text messages for two-factor authentication. Look into these reasons why you should switch over the type of two-factor authentication you operate away from text messaging.

Routing Messages

When you’re holding your phone close to you, you might be thinking that an intruder will have to get into your phone by getting you to install malware. For the past couple of years, though, intruders have been more clever into how they get into mobile phones. They can do this by going directly to your mobile phone carrier.

The way they do this is by first finding some personal details about you. These can be as complicated as your social security number or as simple as the address you live on. From there, they call up your phone carrier.

Depending on the phone carrier, they can be easily convinced that you’re locked out of your mobile device, and you need your number transferred to a separate phone. Intruders can accomplish this by giving up their details and paying a small fee. If it goes successfully, an intruder will have full access to any phone calls or text messages coming your way, with no way to stop them until you’re able to call your phone carrier again. This all is why you shouldn’t ever use text messaging for your two-factor authentication.

Notifications

Sometimes, an intruder might not even be far away to the point where they can be looking at your phone screen in public. Depending on your mobile device settings, you might have notifications popping up with security codes on any screen of your device. Intruders can come up with a plan to get a security code this way.

For example, you might be live-streaming a game on your phone to the internet. Intruders will use this to their advantage by logging into your account online and checking your stream for when the phone notification appears. After that, they can log in to your account and do enough damage before you even have the chance to change the passwords on your accounts. Notifications are just another reason why you shouldn’t be using text messaging linked to your two-factor authentication.

How to Budget Properly for Your Business Cybersecurity System

By Chika Wonah

On March 23, 2021

In Chika Wonah, Digital, Technology

Today, cybersecurity is critical for any business; even though most are not doing well due to the covid-19 outbreak, they should be cyber safe. According to security experts, it’s vital to ensure that more funds are allocated to cybersecurity systems and more staff hired. It’s critical to get value for cybersecurity investment since each new software invention is vulnerable to cyberattacks. Budgeting for cyberattacks can be tricky as the process is marred with various factors that make it hard.

Eliminate Lack of Confidence in the Budgeting Process

A higher percentage of business executives are afraid that cyber spending is not in line with significant risk; hence it’s hard to measure its value. The process monitors cyber effectiveness concerning the budget expenditure. There is a lack of confidence that the current budget will link the overall budget in a strategic, risk-aligned, and data-driven way. The executives are not sure whether the budgets are enough to provide solutions for future emerging technology issues. There is a lack of confidence in the process used to fund cybersecurity, hence creating a revamp. Although some are using new budgeting processes, most agree that they can contain the situation while managing the budget.

Budgeting for Cyber Risk is a Must

To protect a business from cyber-attacks and ensure its security, privacy, and cash flow, cyber managers need to quantify cyber risk and use the information to make the right decisions. Executives who have quantified cyber risk have tangible benefits from the process; however, it comes with numerous obstacles such as lack of individuals who understand cyber risk from a business view, lack of scalability, and widely accepted models. 60% have either started to quantify cyber risk or are implementing at scale.

Instill Confidence in Budgeting Decisions

Cyber economics has long been focusing on the cost side without realizing its benefits to a business. Cybersecurity should be highly regarded in every business decision-making to ensure they achieve a strategic, risk-aligned, and data-driven solution. Investing in cyber projects allows a business to compare the cost and value of risk reduction and cost compliance. Quantification is a sure way of valuing cyber investments against business objectives. CEOs must ensure this happens since they are held accountable for cybersecurity.

Resetting Your Cybersecurity Strategies in 2021

By Chika Wonah

On March 9, 2021

In Chika Wonah, Digital, Technology

2020 was the year of the unexpected, biologically and digitally. This is true in terms of many changes and served as an eye-opener for better preparedness. It is an era that shows preparation, caution, and due diligence matters in all aspects or one would face similar consequences.

One of the significant shifts was the switch from physical interactions to compulsory digital ones, leading to an expansion in digitization. People started working from home, and many businesses joined the digital movement; this led to a more substantial focus on cybersecurity with the rise of many cyber attacks.

The Need for Cybersecurity in A Distributed Working Environment

Hackers capitalized on the ‘work from home’ trend, and there was a surge in global cyber attacks. Phishing and the use of fake accounts to access individual personal information were in vogue. Ransomware was on a rampage as many firms, companies, organizations, and even networks in their entirety were held as hostages.

Accelerated machine learning significantly impacted widespread digitization, and artificial intelligence technologies are on the rise as well. Like every other digital creation, digitization has its vulnerabilities; this leads to hackers exploiting the vulnerabilities in these creations, including networks and devices.

The Rise of Cybersecurity Must Follow

The cyber breaches of 2020 were recorded to almost double that of 2019 due to the digital expansion. An estimate of 59% of the world’s population, amounting to 4.6 billion, was the rate of active internet users as of July 2020.

As the usage went up, so did the attacks.

Statistics for online crimes reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2020 were nearly quadruple that of 2019 due to the pandemic.

Everyone is susceptible to breaches, but with actions, one can limit the damages. Indeed, individuals and organizations can attribute risks to new business models, innovations and technologies. Hence, a need to reset cybersecurity strategies so that 2021 can be better.

Simple Actions To Take

Cybersecurity organizations project that in every 11 seconds, a business may fall victim to a ransomware attack in 2021. The prediction for global ransomware damage costs is about $20 billion by 2021. However, with the right actions, one can flatten the cybersecurity attack curve.

Reviewing cyber budgets, planning for resilience, investing in security solutions, and enhancing security in organizations are part of the focus on resetting cybersecurity strategies.

Amidst rapid global digitization in businesses and every other aspect of life, a holistic cyber strategy is required. One that encompasses adequate prevention and protection and will lead to a foreseeable decline in cyber attacks.

2021 Cyber Security Predictions

By Chika Wonah

On February 15, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Many corporations have prioritized cyber-security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. PwC’s recent report shows that 96% of managers have changed their cyber-security techniques, and 40% of them claim that their digitization efforts have increased. Correspondingly, IDC anticipates that global security expenditure will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% during the 2020-2024 prediction period, reaching $174.7 billion in 2024. Similarly, Forrester’s 2021 cyber-security forecasts indicate that funding for cyber-security companies whose headquarters are outside the United States will rise by 20% in 2021. Analysis Mason also predicts that between 2019 and 2025, mobile device security will be the fastest-growing cyber-security category and will reach $13 billion with a CAGR of 17%.

In 2020, breaches became a challenging problem that was difficult to stop. For example, the U.S Depart of Health and Human Services (HHS) Breach Portal shows that in 2020, 436 breaches attacked healthcare organizations, affecting 17.3 million.

Here is a list of predictions that apprehend how cyber-security will advance in 2021:

1. In 2021, 55% of businesses will increase their cyber-security budget allocations, and 51% will hire more full-time cyber staff.

2. In The Next Three Years, the most dominant cyber-security technologies will be the Cloud Workload Protection Platform, Passwordless Authentication, and Posture Management. As Gartner’s Impact Radar for Security framework indicates, the Zero Trust Networking will have a significant impact within a period of one to three years.

3. Security services will be the fastest and largest growing security market sector, occupying half of the security budget meant for the 2020-2024 prediction period. The segment will also attain a CAGR of 10.5% in five years.

By 2021, cyber-security IT spending will reach a CAGR of 12% due to the drastic increase in cybercrimes, such as breaches, endpoint security attacks, phishing, and privilege access credential abuse.

Intellectual Property will be cyber criminals’ target in 2021.
The global cyber-security expenditure for small and medium-sized businesses will increase by 10% CAGR between 2019 and 2024, making this segment an $80 billion industry in four years.

4. Business cybersecurity spending will grow at a higher rate in four major industries- healthcare services and systems, financial and banking, technology and media, and social and public segments.

5. Improvements in AI and machine learning will contribute to 80% of devices’ capability to self-secure-and-heal, enabling IT to implement policies and remain confident that their data and devices are safe.

Many companies will struggle to reduce their vulnerability to cyber-attacks in 2021 and beyond.
Over the next five years, cyber-crime costs will increase at an annual rate of 15%, reaching $10.5 trillion per year by 2025.
Security vendors will continue to consolidate endpoint security in 2021.

In 2021, cybercriminals will devise new and innovative ways to attack personal devices to access corporate networks. While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced workers to work remotely, many organizations have not fully protected their employees. As a result, cyber attackers will exploit these gaps, leading to increased cybercrimes.

Understanding if Your Device Has Been Hacked

By Chika Wonah

On February 15, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

From social sites to banking, smart devices are increasingly becoming part of most people’s daily lives. Unfortunately, they are also exposing them to data snatchers, popularly known as hackers. The hackers may gain access to a device in many ways, but we will discuss how to know when that happens.

Receiving Random Pop-ups

Random pop-ups are not annoying, but they are among the most popular signs that a device got hacked. If one is getting random pop-ups from their browser, something has compromised their device with adware. Adware is popular with hackers when trying to force someone to view certain websites to drive revenues through viewership.

Draining Battery without Any Reason

If one notices that a device battery is quickly losing power for no reason, that is a sign that it has malware. This sudden loss of battery power is due to malware or spy-app that is operating from the background. The spy-app uses a lot of battery power to scan the device and transmit it to the hacker.

Poor Performance

One may notice that their device is suddenly crashing all the time or loading web pages much slower. When such happens, first try shutting down the machine, and take notice of what happens. If the device has gotten hacked, it may fail to shut down correctly or not shut down at all.

One can also notice slowed functionality of some operations, such as making calls or receiving text messages. Such things shouldn’t take long unless the device has a spy-app.

Increased Data Usage

Another indication of a compromised device is the exceptionally high data usage. The usage may be a result of a background running app communicating to a third-party.

Contact List Gets Call and Tests That the Owner Didn’t Make

When a device gets hacked, the hacker leaves the malware in the gadget and may use the contact list to spread it. One’s email list, text messages, or instant messages may transmit the malware to his contact through messages with links or attached files. Check out for complaints from the contact list about notifications that they supposedly received.

The Device’s Settings Change

If the hacker physically accesses a device, they may manually change its settings. For instance, one may notice that their device Bluetooth is on, despite them not switching it on. Such settings change maybe a sign of malware interfering with the device settings to spread it to other devices.

There are many ways to know when a device has gotten hacked. To prevent losing data or money, always take preventive measures. For example, one can run a malware scanner on their device.

Cybersecurity and Space Are Becoming a Key Battleground in 2021

By Chika Wonah

On January 14, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology

Outer space is more critical to the global communication system than one would think. Communications, defense, transport, and more rely on it to send their signals. The world doesn’t realize how critical space cybersecurity is to modern life.

The following industries are vulnerable:

air travel
communications
defense
finance
trade

Satellites are very vulnerable to attack by bad actors. Cyberwarfare is becoming a bigger threat. Many countries are expanding their military to compete in this space.

What are the Vulnerabilities in Space Cybersecurity?

DDOS – Distributed Denial of Service

Sending massive amounts of data can overwhelm the receiving device. Many times the device will shut down or stop receiving communications. Other times it can overheat.

Losing a connection during a disaster or conflict would be extremely dangerous. It would disrupt first-responders or ground force’s communications.

Malware

Malicious code can exploit weak points in outdated software. Sometimes malware quietly eavesdrops on private communications. Other times malware causes deliberate damage.

Signal Spoofing

Signals are susceptible to interception and distortion. False communications can pose as a legitimate order.

Spoofing can hide locations of key assets too. One side would have accurate coordinates, while the other would not. Massive amounts of defense systems rely on accurate location coordinates.

Why Do Vulnerabilities Exist in Space?

Many of these satellites have been around for decades. They were not designed with modern cybersecurity in mind. Security was simply not considered.

Many of the solutions have been band-aid solutions. The design of older software and hardware focuses on ease of use. Every device and software will have vulnerabilities. This is more true the older and more out of date something is.

What Policies Can Solve These Issues?

Officials need to create a comprehensive plan to protect critical infrastructure. More nations and organizations are developing capabilities to cause damage.

Routine threat assessments will allow decision-makers to manage risk wisely. This will streamline establishing industry guidelines.

Allied-nations will have to work together to apply these standards. Data flows between many countries at any time. If one nation is lax in its protocols, it can compromise many other nations.

It is critical to pay attention to cybersecurity in space. More of the world’s economy and defense systems will rely on secure communications. The world must work together to mitigate its risk. Otherwise, it will be at the mercy of hostile nation-states and well-organized groups.

Cybersecurity Predictions for 2021

By Chika Wonah

On December 15, 2020

In Chika Wonah, Digital, Technology

The fast advancing technology comes with a significant challenge of cybersecurity for most enterprises. Cybersecurity has become a consideration for many organizations as attackers deploy all tactics to breach any security protocol laid down by companies.
The following will be the main focus, risks, and considerations in 2021 that cybersecurity leaders and other professionals will have to deal with:

1. Cybercriminals will target remote workers in 2021.
Remote working is trending in every organization due to COVID-19 restrictions. COVID-19 guidelines have made employees be allowed by their employers to work from home. Cybercriminals will, therefore, target enterprises with employees working remotely. Cybercriminals will be very busy launching attacks on companies unprepared to secure their remote workers from such attacks. As of now, numerous organizations have incurred unexpected costs caused by security breaches into their systems. Most of the employees’ gadgets lack advanced protection from malware infections.

2. Zero Trust Network Access will replace VPNs.
After many companies allowed their workers to work remotely, they installed Legacy Security Architecture such as VPNs to prevent attacks. However, VPNs have become prone to attacks. VPNs are not long-term solutions as they grant excessive access to the company’s internal resources. Cybercriminals can easily deploy ransomware to attack the unpatched VPNs.
However, global IT security teams are aware of the threat, and they are currently developing the Zero Trust Security Model, which will be released by 2021. Zero Trust Network Access only gives users access to only the area they are working on; thus, users have no permission outside their jurisdiction.

3. Widespread adoption of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).
COVID-19 pandemic continues to make enterprises get reduced revenue; hence, many organizations have reduced their IT spending to cut down expenditures. Many companies will use multi-service integration technologies like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to cut down IT cost. The single control point will reduce IT cost, but a breach in the integrated system will allow attackers to access every resource.

4. The health sector will face significant security breaches.
Attackers will target hospitals as they face financial pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health sector will experience more financial transactions hence making it a primary target in 2021.

5. Widespread digital transformation and internet use will lead to massive data exposure.
Most organizations will continue to allow their teams to work remotely. Businesses will continue to experience digital transformation with the remote worker embracing the 5G network, AI and ML-powered analytic, and cloud data management to ease their operations. However, data breaches will increase as hackers target the adoption of new technologies like the 5G network.

However, the challenges will not stop organizations from fully implementing and integrating modern technology into business operations. The advanced security remedies will caution the remote workforce from numerous cybersecurity exposures.

What is Social Proof?

By Chika Wonah

On September 8, 2020

In Chika Wonah, Digital, Technology

Social proof is the process where a customer researches a business, whether online or from close friends and family, to determine its popularity, professionalism, or efficacy. Before a customer commits to a product or service, they are likely to find the most popular option and go with that.

Based on the need to conform, social proofing aims to guide social awareness in a specific direction. In the digital age, it occurs mostly on social media sites where a customer would research the product from a pool of friends or reviewers to validate its authenticity. With this understanding, a business stands to benefit significantly through increased sales by Social proofing.

Social proofing is accomplished through several means such as:

Celebrity endorsements: Since celebrities wield a lot of influence over their fans, an endorsement goes a long way in drawing attention to a business. This type of promotion works even better, where the celebrity uses the same product that they endorse.

Customer reviews: Hearing the feedback from different users of the same product encourages a new customer. Reviews are considered much more honest and personal than regular ads. Rating systems on products also point an uncertain buyer to the most popular product based on other customers’ purchases.

Trust & Award badges: A business awarded with a client satisfaction award or trust badge from a regulated governing body also draws many new customers. These awards eliminate or diminish the fear of poor-quality products or services. The same effect can also be accomplished with a warranty offer, making a new customer feel safe in their purchase.

Social Media: This is one of the fastest-growing means of social proofing. Most younger buyers and online purchasers use platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to determine where to focus their attention.

Businesses with an online presence specifically stand to gain from this than those without. A professional, active and engaging social media presence for businesses presents them as far more appealing options than abandoned accounts, or worse, nonexistent ones.

Other social proofing methods, such as crowd wisdom and expert testimony, serve social proofing where adequately applied. Therefore, through crowd mentality manipulation, an upcoming business can benefit significantly from utilizing social proofing well.