WyzGuys Tech Talk

The weakest link in your security program is always going to be your employees.  Most people are too trusting, too gullible, and too uninformed when it comes to computer and network security.  A hacker does not need great skill or fancy software tools if a simple social engineering exploit such as a phone call will get them the user credentials of one of your employees.

The best solution, and possibly the only solution, is to provide training to your employees so ...

Many, if not most, small businesses keep customer information on their computers or servers.  When you collect and store customer information there is an expectation that the information will remain secure.  In some cases there are legal liabilities to the small business if client information is released.  Credit card information is regulated under PCI-DSS, and releasing this information is a $25,000 fine PER CARD NUMBER.  This can be double in the case of willful negligence.  There are other regulatory requirements ...

Engaging a computer security professional to complete a network security assessment can be the start to developing a cyber-security plan that will help you reduce and eliminate the threats and vulnerabilities that could impact your business.

The important areas to consider are:

• Prevention – the best defense is to keep the bad guys off your network in the first place.  Typical defenses include a hardware firewall, UTM (Unified Threat Management), or Intrusion Detection device, couple with a solid Internet Security software product ...

Thugs with the Nazi Park Service are pulling guns on seniors and foreign tourists at Yellowstone.

Thugs at the Nazi Park Service are telling businesses that rent canoes or provide boat trips on the St Croix that they can’t run their business during the fake government shut down.

Government WEB SITES are down (whaaaa????), evidently because the government workers who provided the electricity for them by running inside giant hamster wheels or riding stationary bikes attached to generators have been furloughed.

Congress ...

So you think your computer or network security has been breached.  What next?

Your computer support staff may have brought this to your attention already, but if not you need to make them aware as quickly as possible.  Avoid the obvious urge to wipe the hard drives and start over!  You need to preserve the compromised computers or servers for a forensic analysis.  This is work that is best performed by a qualified computer security or forensics professional.

Signs that you may ...

Because it is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, it is a great time to take a look at how you monitor cyber threats in your business operations.  Some of the things to be on guard for are:

• SPAM – not the tasty meat product manufactured in Austin Minnesota, but the rubbish the comes into your email inbox.  Did you know that SPAM is one of the top two methods used by cyber-criminals to get around your firewall and defeat your computer ...

The month of October is the tenth anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.  (NCSAM)  This is a great time to take a look at your business practices regarding computer security, network security, web site security, and data protection.  A great place to start is the StaySafeOnline.org website provided by the National Cyber Security Alliance. 

On this web site you can find tips on how to:

• Assess your risks
• Monitor threats
• Report cyber attacks
• Implement a security plan ...

It is Community Education season again at WyzGuys, and I am teaching at 9 districts this year.  The first class offering is The Secrets of Windows 8.

Who moved my cheese! Windows 8 is Microsoft’s newest operating system and represents an entirely new look on the desktop. It is completely optimized for the touch screen monitor or tablet. What happened to the Start Menu? We will compare the differences and similarities between the new Windows 8 system and Windows 7, ...

The numerous security problems and vulnerabilities of the Windows operating system are well known.  In the last two years, we have seen successful exploits written for the supposedly invulnerable Apple platform.  Now there is news of a Trojan horse written for the Linux operating system.  Named “Hand of Thief,” this exploit works against 15 of the most popular distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.

Most Linux users tend to be experienced, savvy,and most importantly, wary computer professionals.  But Linux is beginning ...

Windows XP was released in 2001, and at 12 years old is long in the tooth.  Microsoft will officially discontinue support for Windows XP in April 2014.  At that point in time, all security updates for what has been a security nightmare will cease.  Any new vulnerabilities that are discovered, and new threats that are developed to exploit them will remain unpatched.  It’s time to move on.

Sure, you wisely skipped the disappointing and troublesome Windows Vista.  But you have missed ...