TechBytes

Don’t waste your money…

PremierePC was losing money on credit card fees every month. The client pays their invoice, credit card company takes a percentage for themselves, and PPC gets the rest.

We were faced with having to punish the client by raising costs or adding additional processing fees, or finding an alternative.

We found, with GoCardless, how to get easy-to-use, seamless ACH Direct Debit capabilities for our clients, at a MUCH lower fee per transaction. PremierePC is saving $1,200 in fees each month.

See our co-founder, Matthew Rydzfski, discuss the benefits to partnering with GoCardless.

GoCardless has saved us about $1,200 a month in fees, and that money can be reused to better support staff, our services, and our clients.

– Matthew Rydzfski

View full article here.

Hackers and cybercriminals launch attacks every 39 seconds, which is an average of 2,244 times per day.

More than 8 Billion records were confirmed to be compromised in the last year alone.

By now I’m sure you’ve read or heard about our Dark Web Monitoring solution, combining human and sophisticated Dark Web intelligence with search capabilities to identify, analyze and proactively monitor for an organization’s compromised or stolen employee and customer data. Well, Dark Web ID just got an upgrade!

With the new release, PII Data capabilities have been enhanced. Dark Web ID now displays non-sensitive PII (Personal Identifiable Information) values when they available.

 

What does this mean for you?

Not only can you know the type of information the bad guys know, you can know what the bad guys know.

For example, you would previously be alerted of the email address, and type of PII (such as First Name Last Name and Address.)

Now, you will be alerted of the email address and PII values (such as John Smith 345 Main Street, Greenville, SC.)

This feature update continues to differentiate this solution from other dark web monitoring providers. Interested in learning more? Click here or call PremierePC today.

I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of information about the importance of strong passwords. But what else are your doing to protect your employees’ account?

Are “strong passwords” your main defense against attacks?

Let’s start with common mistakes…

1. Having a false security due to passwords meeting “complexity requirements”

   Often people create “complex” passwords using the poor criteria. (i.e. People love to use “mangling rules” – replacing letters with symbols like @ for a or 3 for e.) Hackers and cracking software know these tricks and can guess them easily.

2. Recycling passwords

   Everyone reuses passwords, even though we know that’s not smart. Remember, once a password is stolen, it can never be safely used again.

3. Not requiring MFA

   MFA (multi-factor authentication) may take a few extra seconds to log into each account, but do not underestimate its power.

Think about this…

How many employees do you have?

How many accounts does each employee have?

Multiply these numbers and you are looking at the approximate number of security holes in your system.

Any one of your these passwords may only take THREE DAYS for a hacker to crack.

Now what?

1. Deploy mandatory multi-factor authentication

   MFA may save your organization. This simple solution can protect your accounts and data even if a password has been compromised. Requiring MFA can stop 100% of all automated attacks, 96% of bulk phishing attacks, and 75% of targeted attacks.

2. Maintain control of your network

   Do you have IT policies in place for offboarding an employee? Are you in control of employee email access on their mobile phone once terminated? Do you restrict access to data based on role? Ex employees can create a huge gaps in your security, whether intentional or not.

3. Train employees

   When employees are unaware of security risks and unable to recognize threats, they are not able to protect the organization. Do you offer Security Awareness Training? Do you simulate phishing attacks? You may not be aware of just how vulnerable you are to attacks.

4. Invest in your security stack

   Layering on multiple, intelligent solutions could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in a cyber attack. What’s your security posture?

Sounds like a lot?

You focus on what you’re good at – running your business – let PremierePC handle what we’re good at.

Let’s face it. We are all extremely busy all the time; or so it seems.

So we LOVE shortcuts. Anything that can maximize efficiency and multi-tasking gets my vote.

Here’s a review some of the most commonly used Windows keyboard shortcuts. This can increase productivity and offer a smoother workflow in day to day computing.

Note: ‘Win’ refers to the Windows Logo Key pictured below

Looking for one you don’t see?

Windows lists many more shortcuts on this page.

Stay tuned for more fun and helpful info from the PremierePC team.

Unfortunately, malware is a hot topic these days. SMBs are a target for the bad guys, and your data could be at risk.

So let’s make sure we know what malware is, what forms it can take, and how to mitigate these risks.

Malware is a piece of software designed to cause damage to a computer, server, or network of computers – this is the umbrella term for malicious software.

Virus

A computer virus modifies the system files of the host computer to execute malicious code and infect other files. This is the only form of malware that modifies other files on a computer. Viruses can be attached to emails and then downloaded by the end user.

Ransomware

This type of malware encrypts data in an information system and demands payment in exchange for regaining access. These types of attacks have increased drastically during the COVID-19 pandemic, think 72% or more. However, many ransomware variants refuse to unencrypt data and some even delete the files after ransom is paid. Ransomware is often spread through spam emails.

Trojans

This malicious software looks and behaves like legitimate software but contains malicious code. The most common entry point of a trojan is from pop-up banners on websites that indicate that the user’s computer is infected with viruses and needs antivirus software to clean it up. The “antivirus software” user download contains malicious code designed to gain backdoor access to systems, steal sensitive data, or spy on user or network activities. The important thing to remember about trojans is that the user must take some action for this to take root in the computer.

Spyware

Spyware tracks the activities of the user on the infected computer including keystrokes, passwords, pin codes, payment-related information, personal messages, and other identifiable information. This can come in the form of adware – a malicious advertisement designed to force clicks from users – spoofing emails, and freeware – bundled with other software. Spyware can infect a device when a user agrees to the terms and conditions of a legitimate software program – so always read the fine print!

Worms

Worms are able to replicate themselves in different computers in the same network as the infected computer. Software backdoors, vulnerabilities in operating systems, and flash drives all provide opportunities for worms to gain access. Once a worm has gained access, it will replicate itself, spreading from device to device, with no action from the end user. These worms can then be used to initiate a DDoS attack, steal data, or give attackers control over the system.

Bots

Bots are hybrid forms of malware, often originating in spam messages, than can execute automated tasks through remote instruction. Many bots are used for legitimate purposes, but can also be appropriated for nefarious actions. A large set of these bots creates a botnet, a swarm of bots, attacking a number of systems in sync, making them capable of large-scale attacks.

 

Now what

• Understand the risks
• Educate yourself and employees on malware and prevention strategies
• Build your security stack
• Stay up to date on cyber criminal’s attack methods
• Contact PremierePC today