Passwords are essential to our cybersafety. We all know it, but if you’re like the rest of the digital society, you probably have dozens of passwords to remember. It’s a lot. So, you might take shortcuts.  We understand. But taking advantage of our laissez-faire attitude is one way bad guys access your passwords.

Incredibly, there are still people out there using “password” or “123456” in their access credentials. Some people don’t change the default passwords on their devices when they first set them up. So, anyone can pick up a router, look at the sticker identifying the password, and access that network.  Even if the bad guys are not around to physically look at your device, they can hack into your network from the outside and wreak some real havoc.

Tip: Avoid the obvious passwords! When you have to create a password, make an effort. When it’s time to update a password, don’t ignore it and change it now. Steer clear of simple, easily guessed patterns.

Cybercriminals can also guess your password. With a little bit of research about you online, they can make some informed guesses. Common passwords include pet names, birthdays, and anniversaries. These are all easy to find via your social media accounts.

Tip: Be careful what you share on social media! Don’t befriend strangers, as you are giving them access to a goldmine of info for personalizing an attack on you.

If that doesn’t work, criminals may try brute force. They might get really sophisticated and script an automation bot to run thousands of password permutations until they get a hit. The software will try a long list of common passwords and run through dictionary words to gain access to your stuff.  Not cool.

Tip: Use a complex password with numbers, letters, and symbols or a passphrase. A passphrase is typically at least 19 characters long but is more memorable, as it unique to you.  Try some song lyrics and some meaningful numbers.

The criminal may also be working with info from a data breach. In early 2019, a security researcher found more than 2.7 billion email/password pairs available on the Dark Web. Criminals accessing that database could use the data as a starting point, as many people duplicate their passwords across accounts.  So once a bad guy gets into one account, they can keep going and try other accounts.

Tip: Use a unique password for each site. Yes, that’s overwhelming to remember, and that’s also why you should use a password manager to keep track of it all for you.  A password manager is a piece of software that runs on your computer and smartphone and records and manages your website logins, making your life easier.  You can create a Master password that opens the vault to all your other passwords.  You can also simply use a notepad or password book.  Less sophisticated and convenient, but gets the job done.

Criminals can also access your account if you’ve used a hacked public computer.  The bad guys may have installed a key logger on the computer. The logger records every key you press on the keyboard. Or they might have compromised a router or server to be able to see your information if you’ve connected to free wifi (we say that’s always a No-No!).

Tip: Be cautious about your online activity on computers or networks you don’t trust.

Of course, there’s one more method of getting your password that we haven’t addressed yet. It’s the familiar phishing attack. For instance, you get an email that looks like it was sent by your bank or other familiar place. Phishing typically has an urgent message and a link that directs you to what looks like a credible page.  You click a link and it asks for your email address and email password.  Once you’ve done that, you gave the bad guys your credentials.

Tip: Pay attention to who is sending the email and hover the mouse over the link to see where it goes. If you are concerned about your bank account, for example, open up a browser and type the URL manually rather than clicking the link.  Or if you’re really nervous, call the number on the back of your credit card or ATM card and ask the bank if they sent you the email.  Another trick is to simply hit the REPLY button and see where the email is going…if it looks sketchy and unusual it’s probably bad.

 

One of our favorite exercises is to have everyone change their email and banking passwords when you change the clocks for daylight savings.  That way your oldest password is just 6 months and you will be familiar with the process in case you’re away from your computer and need to get into one of your accounts.

Finally, turning on 2FA (2-factor Authentication) or MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) is a great way to secure your accounts.  Basically, when you login to your email or bank it will send a one-time code to your cell phone in order to get into the account.  So, if a bad guy tries to hack into your account, he won’t be able to because he needs the code sent to your phone.  It’s a good thing.

 

These tips can help you to protect your valuable passwords. Still, setting up a password manager and amping up your internet security can help too. Need support getting ahead of the cybercriminals?  Contact our experts today! Call us at (732) 747-0020.

This may or may not be something you want to do.  The question is do you NEED it?  Let me first explain what it is.

Managed Services is the process of providing computer hardware and software (collectively known as IT) support to a company.  Everything from managing the anti-virus software on your computer, your hosted website and email, not to mention the most popular use of this…replacing or augmenting your own in-house IT department.

Most businesses are in the business of doing what they do best…and it’s usually not IT support, unless they’re an IT company (duh).  So instead of paying a staff to manage the internet, network/wifi, website, email, software questions and hardware problems, businesses will contract for Managed Services.  Those companies are known as MSPs…Managed Service Providers.  Many things are being outsourced these days.  In fact, it’s been going on for decades.  MSPs have been developing over the last decade, with a big growth spurt in just the past few years.  Breakthroughs in technology, inexpensive online storage and super-fast internet have helped to make this a viable alternative for many businesses.  Why pay a staff that needs sick and vacation days, not to mention benefits and other related things provided to an employee when you can outsource it?  Signing on with an MSP can let your business do what they do best.  Period.

Some micro-businesses (less than 10 people), like retirement specialists, wealth managers and other financial services providers often broker for a bigger firm and have security rules they need to abide by.  Having an MSP handle the complex firewall needs, data encryption and protection can be a blessing for these “little guys” because the costs to bring that in-house can be overwhelming.  Yet they need to be compliant with the brokers demands.  Surprise audits by the broker reveal shortcomings that threaten their dealership.

Generic businesses have concerns beyond the simple management of their IT stuff.  They too need to be concerned about exposing their clients’ data to the “bad guys”.  That can be a big problem if you’re storing Social Security numbers, birth dates and credit card information.  If that gets out, identity theft is sure to follow and your business will be liable for the damages.  We always recommend that clients storing this type of data seek out a Cyber insurance policy.  That’s not enough though because if you haven’t adequately protected your network and the data, the policy won’t pay if you get breached.  And speaking of breached…

A breach is when bad guys get past your network security and start poking around your internal network and computers until they find some data.  Often times they will then encrypt your data making it impossible to open and then try to sell you the key to unlock it.  It’s a dirty, dirty business and is happening all over to small and large businesses alike.  It’s called Ransomware and can cost thousands of dollars.  If one of your employees clicks on a bad link in an email or social media post taking them to a poison website, that can start this nastiness.  If your network typically allows for remote access by employees, you are particularly prone to an attack because the access exists, even if there’s username/password to get in.  The bad guys are good at “brute force” attacks that can crack that info and get in.  You need to treat your business like a medieval castle; you need a moat, a drawbridge, vats of hot oil, archers in the towers and my favorite…a dragon!  Just a lock on your front door is not enough for these types of attacks.

An MSP can provide network protection, hardware support, handle software installations and questions and perhaps the most important thing is protecting you from yourself with managed anti-virus and web-filtering to make sure if you do click that bad link it will prevent any bad stuff from coming back in.

 

What about a home user…do they need an MSP?  Maybe not to the extent a micro-business needs it, unless there’s a home-based business being run out of the house.  Home users still may need or want robust network security as well as support when something goes wrong.  The needs of the home user are a bit different, if not the same but on a smaller scale than a business.  They still need a managed anti-virus, web-filter and a good firewall to be truly protected.  Maybe just a moat and a drawbridge will do.  But a dragon would be super-cool!

Home users are also worried about identity theft and password management (jeez, what a mess that has become for us all), not to mention internet access rules for the kids.  Seeking out a company that can put a security blanket around your house (maybe decorated with dragons?) can be very comforting.  With all the tech in our homes these days, the concept of a breach using those devices is becoming more and more possible.

 

So, do what you do best and let the MSP handle the rest.  And don’t forget the dragon!