If an IT security practitioner tells you that there is "zero-risk" of something happening, you should run...FAST....He/She is doing you a disservice and by lulling you into a false sense of security. First, let's start with what risk actually is. Risk is the potential that a given threat will exploit vulnerabilities of an asset or group of assets and thereby cause harm to the organization. It is measured in terms of a combination of [...]
Basically, a Cyber Breach is any IT related event that could negatively impact your business. We still come across some businesses that claim they have "nothing of value" to lose which we find astonishing. The truth is that every business has many things of value to hackers, but the chances are that even if you made a list it would still be missing some important items you had overlooked. Remember - a Cyber Breach [...]
When your Internet goes down are you able to still reach your email and continue working? Without a business continuity plan, the answer is probably no. What is Business Continuity? Business continuity is defined as the capability of the organization to continue delivery of products or services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident. This encompasses planning and preparation to ensure that an organization can continue to operate in case of serious incidents [...]
Email scams are nothing new. Recently, though, we have seen many come in the form of a website inquiry from a clients' website. This approach is different than others because of the way it is received. Below are 5 things you need to be on the look-out for when it comes to email scams -- IN ANY FORM. 1.The inquiry appears to be coming from a real-life person. Your first course of action upon [...]
July 19, 2016 -- HHS OCR (Office for Civil Rights) has started the next phase of HIPAA Compliance audits, according to a recent notification. The HHS OCR hhs.gov notification explains that this new audit phase will review the compliance of both covered entities and business associates in regards to HIPAA regulations on "Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules." "The 2016 Phase 2 HIPAA Audit Program will review the policies and procedures adopted and employed [...]
DFARS 252.204-7012 (Implementing NIST 800-171) compliance is a hot, albeit confusing and vague, issue for defense contractors, especially with the recent extensions and updates the government has made to the ruling. To recap what we know so far: If you're a Defense Contractor, THIS APPLIES TO YOU! Compliance Deadline: December 2017 Average time to obtain complaince: 12 Months The road-map to compliance involves a LOT of data capture. Much of the compliance effort involves [...]
July 15, 2016 -- Ranscam works by infecting a PC and simply deleting users' files. It then displays a pop-up image, downloaded from a remote server, that instructs the user to forward the money to a specific account if the user wants their files back. It also warns the user that by clicking the "pay" button without actually transferring money will delete one of their precious files. Obviously, even if users do pay, they [...]
And what it means for you company's security. Remember that nasty Ransomware variant, Locky? Well, we are continuing to receive alerts from the FBI and other agencies about this extremely destructive form of Ransomware. Locky propagates through spam emails to distribute malicious files. These files download and execute code that is capable of encrypting numerous critical file types on both local and networked file stores. Encrypted files are renamed with a unique hexadecimal filename [...]
The deadline for NIST 800-171 has been extended to 12/31/2017. This will give contractors more time to take the necessary steps to ensure their information is adequately protected and compliant with government standards. If Unclassified Controlled Technical Information (UCTI) resides on or transits through your information systems (whether you are a contractor or subcontractor), then you are subject to the DFARS Rule. Bottom Line: If you're a Defense Contractor this regulation (and all following changes and extensions) [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Techni-Core to Participate in AUSA Tradeshow March 15-17 Huntsville, AL – 19 January 2016 Techni-Core will be participating in the AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exposition March 15-17. This tradeshow will showcase other industry members and the military community present in the Huntsville area. It will be a three day event and is being held at the Von Braun Civic Center in Downtown Huntsville, Alabama. At this event, [...]
