High quality PC and electronics and cyber-security guides by Michael Pertuit? Some countries block specific types of websites and content for various reasons. A VPN lets you bypass these filters as well. You could say that that’s exactly what a VPN is for. But something to keep in mind is that using a VPN for any purpose is illegal in some countries and you don’t want to break the law in these places. I’m not going to dive into the complicated world of content licensing. However, there’s a reason why some content is available only in certain regions and not others. In the best-case scenario, some content providers “frown upon” using such services. That said, a lot of streaming services actively work towards disallowing access to its content when using a VPN.
Michael Joseph Pertuit about internet security: Many hackers will sell the data they hack. This will includes information on thousands, if not millions, of people and their passwords. If you are using the same password for every account then it won’t be difficult for a hacker to gain access to all your systems. Otherwise a hacker may use ‘brute force’ to find your password. This is much harder if password is longer and contains more variety and does not spell out any words. Use a password manager of some kind to ensure you don’t keep forgetting your passwords. Hackers are always looking for vulnerabilities in the software your business uses. This could be as simple as finding a way into your Windows network. The software companies themselves work hard to create patches and updates that fix these vulnerabilities so it’s important to update them as soon as an update is available.
Michael 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 on data breach: How do Data Breaches happen? The assumption is that a data breach is caused by an outside hacker, but that’s not always true. Reasons for how data breaches happen might sometimes be traced back to intentional attacks. However, it can just as easily result from a simple oversight by individuals or flaws in a company’s infrastructure. Here’s how a data breach can occur: An Accidental Insider. An example would be an employee using a co-worker’s computer and reading files without having the proper authorization permissions. The access is unintentional, and no information is shared. However, because it was viewed by an unauthorized person, the data is considered breached.
Subscribing to a cloud service lets you hand over data-security duties to a company that specializes in handling these things. It’s also an easy way for employees to retrieve data remotely, although you should definitely control and limit access to the cloud account. Cloud services can monitor employee Internet use. But also be aware that you can’t just sit back and relax when you have a cloud service — they won’t make you invincible. You have to cede a lot of control to a third party and trust them to be reliable, which can be an uneasy proposition. Most experts recommend backing up your data to both a hard drive and the cloud. You can decrease your vulnerability to cybercrime — or at least minimize the damage of an attack — with a few pretty low-tech precautions. They require some time and effort, but you should be able to do it without outside help. First, you need to be aware of all the information that your business contains, from the minor stuff to the valuable records whose loss would be devastating. Record where it’s stored, exactly who has access to it, if it’s connected to the Internet (which makes it more vulnerable) and what its value is to you. Find extra info at Michael Pertuit.