Data loss disasters come in many forms, ranging from full-scale natural calamities to cyberattacks and even simple human errors. Disasters can bring businesses to a grinding halt. Apart from financial and reputational damage, failing to protect valuable data can also result in expensive lawsuits.
That’s why businesses, regardless of size, must have a backup and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan. By implementing a foolproof BCDR, you can quickly get your business back up and running should disaster strike. It will also help you comply with governmental and industry regulatory frameworks.
In this post, we’ll break down the different types of data loss disasters and outline the key BCDR components that can help you make it through a disruptive event with flying colors.
The Many Forms Data Loss Can Take
Let’s analyze the various types of data loss disasters that can hurt your business:
Natural Disasters
This covers everything from storms, hurricanes, floods, fires, tsunamis and volcano eruptions. In most cases, you can expect infrastructural damages, power failure and mechanical failures, which could then lead to data loss.
Hardware and Software Failure
Software and hardware disruption can cause data loss if you don’t have BCDR measures in place. These disruptions could be due to bugs, glitches, configuration errors, programmatic errors, component failures, or simply because the device is at its end of life or the software is outdated.
Unforeseen Circumstances
Data loss can happen due to random, unexpected scenarios. For instance, a portable hard disk held by an employee could get stolen, your server room may have a water leak because of a plumbing issue, or there could even be a pest infestation in one of your data centers.
Human Factor
Human errors are a leading cause of data loss incidents. These errors range from accidental file deletions, overwriting of existing files and naming convention errors to forgetting to save or back up data or spilling liquid on a storage device.
Cyberthreats
Your business may fall prey to malware, ransomware and virus attacks, which could leave your data and backups corrupt and irrecoverable. Additionally, data loss could be caused by malicious insiders with unauthorized access, which often goes under the radar.
Allowing your employees to have administrative privileges can leave holes in your cybersecurity, visit us here to learn more.
Key components of BCDR
Here are a few crucial things to keep in mind as you build a robust BCDR strategy:
Risk Assessment
Identify potential risks and threats that would impact business operations. Measure and quantify the risks to tackle them.
Databranch believes that identifying the right level of security to protect your IT infrastructure begins with a comprehensive security assessment that includes vulnerability/penetration evaluation, assessment reporting and security policy creation.
You can visit our website here to request your FREE baseline security assessment.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Assess the potential consequences of a disruptive event on critical business functions and prioritize them in the recovery plan.
Continuity Planning
Implement procedures to resume critical business operations during disruption, with minimal downtime. Databranch offers our BCDR solution from Datto, the leader in Total Data Protection. Not only will Datto backup all your data to the device itself, but it will also backup everything to 2 separate offsite cloud storage locations.
So, in the event that the local device is destroyed, your business can be up and running in just minutes.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Plan a well-defined business resumption plan to recover critical IT functions and data following a disruptive incident. With a recovery plan in place, many businesses may simply never recover.
Do you know the cost of downtime for your business? If not, visit our website here to view our Recovery Time Calculator.
Testing and Maintenance
Periodically test your disaster recovery and backup plans to ensure they can be recovered in a disaster. If they fail, you can work on the enhancement.
Wondering Where to Begin?
Developing and implementing a BCDR plan on your own can be daunting. However, we can help you build the right BCDR strategy for your business profile.
Databranch has the knowledge and experience to take care of your backup and BCDR needs. Get in touch with us today at 716-373-4467 option 6, info@databranch.com.
You can also download our infographic below to learn more about planning for potential data loss.
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Even on a good day, being a business owner is challenging. Apart from dealing with and effectively solving multiple problems, you also need the foresight to arm your business with the right tools and solutions to tackle any issues that might arise later.
One issue you should always prioritize is data loss/data corruption and business disruption that cause downtime and productivity dips. Remember that data loss/data corruption and business disruption could happen due to various reasons, such as:
- Natural calamity
- Hardware failure
- Human error
- Software corruption
- Computer viruses
Adopting a comprehensive backup and business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy is the best way to tackle this problem.
What is a comprehensive backup and BCDR strategy?
A comprehensive backup and BCDR strategy emphasizes the need for various technologies working together to deliver uptime. It even highlights technologies associated with cybersecurity. A robust strategy:
Protects All Systems, Devices and Workloads
Managing all systems, devices and workloads efficiently, securely and consistently can be challenging. Mistakes, errors, mishaps and outright failures across backup and recovery systems could happen at any time, leading to severe downtime or other costly business consequences.
That’s why it’s essential to have a reliable and secure solution to back up and protect business data as well as business systems, devices and workloads.
Ensures the Integrity, Availability and Accessibility of Data
The complexity of IT, network and data environments that include multiple sites — cloud, on-premises and remote — makes monitoring and protection difficult. It negatively affects the integrity, availability and accessibility of information and all IT network assets. That’s why it’s a best practice to simultaneously deploy tools or systems that cover all IT and network infrastructure (remote, cloud and on-site) with the same level of protection and security.
Enables Business Resilience and Continuity
A comprehensive and realistically achievable backup and BCDR strategy prioritizes, facilitates and ensures the continuity of business operations. It represents a business’ resiliency against downtime or data loss incidents.
Prioritizes Critical Protection and Security Requirements Against Internal and External Risks
No backup or BCDR solution can be effective if your business does not proactively identify and mitigate internal and external risks. You need tools that focus on internal and external threats through constant monitoring, alerting and tactical defense to empower your backup and BCDR strategy.
Databranch offers a suite of cost-effective computer managed services that proactively monitor and support your network and Technology infrastructure.
Optimizes and Reduces Storage Needs and Costs Through Deduplication
With the amount of data skyrocketing day after day, it poses serious storage and budgetary challenges for businesses. What makes things worse is the existence of multiple unnecessary copies of the same files.
Therefore, adopting the deduplication process can identify data repetition and ensure that no similar data is stored unnecessarily.
Manages Visibility and Unauthorized Access and Fulfills Data Retention Requirements
Your business data must never be visible to every employee in the same way. There must be policies and tools to ensure that an employee accesses only data essential to completing their tasks. Click here to reach more on the risks associated with Administrative Privileges.
Also, unauthorized access must be identified and blocked immediately. This is crucial not only for the success of backups and BCDR but also for maintaining compliance with all regulatory mandates related to data protection and retention.
Comprehensive Backup and BCDR for Your Business
By now, it must be clear to you that adopting a comprehensive backup and BCDR strategy is not an option but a necessity. An occasional, severe data loss incident or disruption could even open the gates for your competitors to eat into your profits and customer base.
You must do everything possible to bring all the right tools and strategies together so your business can operate seamlessly, even in the face of chaos.
Databranch offers our BCDR solution from Datto, the leader in Total Data Protection. Not only will the Datto backup all your data to the device itself, but it will also backup everything to 2 separate offsite cloud storage locations.
So, in the event that the local device is destroyed, you can still access your information even from a remote location.
With Datto you will receive daily backup verifications and screen shots of your virtual servers give you peace of mind and ensure that your backup data is working and accessible to you when you need it.
Are you ready to approach the concept of comprehensive backup and BCDR practically? It isn’t as difficult as you might think.
Databranch has the knowledge and experience to take care of your backup and BCDR needs. Get in touch with us today at 716-373-4467 option 6, info@databranch.com, or click here to learn more.
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Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to bypass security defenses. That’s why it’s essential to think like a hacker and adopt measures to stay ahead of them. This is what Defense in Depth (DiD) is all about.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines DiD as “The application of multiple countermeasures in a layered or stepwise manner to achieve security objectives. The methodology involves layering heterogeneous security technologies in the common attack vectors to ensure that attacks missed by one technology are caught by another.”
In simple terms, DiD is a cybersecurity approach in which multiple defensive methods are layered to protect a business. Since no individual security measure can guarantee protection against every attack, combining several layers of security can be more effective.
Before you start your DiD journey, it’s crucial to stay informed about the changing threat landscape.
9 Threats to Protect Your Business Against
While there are numerous threats that businesses like yours must be aware of, let’s look at some of the most common.
1. Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that threatens to disclose sensitive data or blocks access to files/systems by encrypting it until the victim pays a ransom. Failure to pay on time can lead to data leaks or permanent data loss.
2. Phishing/Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Phishing involves a hacker masquerading as a genuine person/organization primarily through emails or other channels like SMS. Malicious actors use phishing to deliver links or attachments that execute actions such as extracting login credentials or installing malware.
Business email compromise (BEC) is a scam that involves cybercriminals using compromised or impersonated email accounts to manipulate victims into transferring money or sharing sensitive information.
3. Cloud Jacking
Cloud jacking, or hijacking, entails exploiting cloud vulnerabilities to steal an account holder’s information and gain server access. With more and more companies adopting cloud solutions, IT leaders are worried about cloud jacking becoming a significant concern for years to come.
4. Insider Threats
An insider threat originates from within a business. It may happen because of current or former employees, vendors or other business partners who have access to sensitive business data. Because it originates from the inside and may or may not be premeditated, an insider threat is hard to detect.
5. Denial-of-Service/Distributed Denial-of-Service (DoS and DDoS)
These attacks are common and easy to carry out. In a DoS or DDoS attack, hackers flood the targeted system with multiple data requests, causing it to slow down or crash.
6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Hacks
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are trending topics within the IT world for their path-breaking applications. However, AI and ML help hackers more efficiently develop an in-depth understanding of how businesses guard against cyberattacks.
7. Internet of Things (IoT) Risks and Targeted Attacks
IoT devices are a favorite target of cybercriminals because of the ease of data sharing without human intervention and inadequate legislation.
8. Web Application Attacks
Vulnerabilities within web applications permit hackers to gain direct access to databases to manipulate sensitive data. Business databases are regular targets because they contain sensitive data, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and banking details.
9. Deepfakes
A deepfake is a cyberthreat that uses artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate audio/video content that can deceive end users into believing something untrue.
Get Up and Running with DiD
To keep sophisticated cyberthreats at bay, you need a robust DiD strategy. Your strategy should involve layering multiple defensive methods, like firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, endpoint detection and response (EDR) and more, to build a security fortress that’s hard to crack.
DiD is an undertaking that requires time and effort. That’s why collaborating with a partner like Databranch, who can implement and maintain your DiD strategy while you focus on your business, is ideal.
If you want to learn more about how DiD can help protect your business, download our free eBook “7 Elements of an Effective Defense in Depth (DiD) Security Strategy.”
You can also reach out to one of our experienced team members at 716-373-4467 option 6, or info@databranch.com.
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The rise of AI has sparked a revolution. Everyone, from industry giants to smaller enterprises, is captivated and eager to leverage AI’s endless possibilities.
However, amid the celebrations of AI’s merits, let’s not ignore its potential risks. A new array of cyberthreats emerges when intricate AI algorithms cross paths with malicious cyber elements. From AI-powered phishing schemes to ultra-realistic deepfakes, these dangers serve as a reminder to stay vigilant and prepared.
In this blog, we embark on a journey to explore AI benefits and risks. Our aim is to guide you in harnessing AI’s strengths while safeguarding against its potential pitfalls.
AI’s Positive Impact on Business
The top benefits of AI include:
Smart Data Analysis
AI’s expertise lies in swiftly deciphering massive data sets to uncover patterns. This ability proves invaluable in traversing through modern markets. The insights derived empower you to make well-founded decisions, steering clear of guesswork.
Boosted Productivity
AI’s automation prowess liberates your employees from mundane tasks, helping them focus on more critical tasks. Tedious and manual work can now be done seamlessly without human intervention, boosting productivity.
Faster Business Maneuvering
In an ever-evolving technological landscape, keeping up to date is paramount. AI empowers you to process and respond to real-time information promptly. This agility enables swift reactions to evolving scenarios, customer demands and opportunities.
AI’s Cyber Challenges
As we delve into the world of AI, we must also acknowledge the potential risks:
AI-powered Phishing Scams
Sneaky cybercriminals employ AI-driven chatbots to create impeccable phishing emails without the usual red flags, such as grammar errors. These attacks exploit human vulnerabilities, luring even the most vigilant to share sensitive information.
To bolster your defense, exercise caution with emails from unfamiliar sources. Scrutinize sender details, avoid suspicious links and employ anti-phishing tools for added protection.
Malicious AI-Generated Code
Cybercriminals harness AI tools for swift code generation, surpassing manual capabilities. These generated code snippets find their way into malware and other malicious software.
Defend against these intricate schemes by educating your team about them. Strengthen your defenses through layered security measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software and automated patch management.
Is your company looking for on-going cybersecurity training? Our Breach Prevention Platform and Security Awareness Training will give your employees the resources they need to spot real world phishing attempts. Contact Databranch today to learn more!
Deepfakes and Impersonations
AI-generated deepfakes can propagate misinformation, deceiving unsuspecting individuals and leading to fraud or character defamation. For example, in the current era, where many banks rely on online KYC (KYC or Know Your Customer is commonly implemented in banks to comply with regulatory requirements and mitigate the risk of financial crimes), malicious actors can create ultra-realistic videos using another person’s voice and image samples to open accounts for illegal transactions.
Identifying deepfakes necessitates a discerning eye. Among other factors, anomalies in skin texture, blinking patterns and facial shadows help distinguish genuine content from manipulated content.
Collaborative Path to Success
At the crossroads of innovation and challenges, knowledge takes center stage.
Our comprehensive eBook, “Shielding Your Enterprise: A Guide to Navigating AI Safety,” stands as your compass in the AI landscape. Fill out the form below to delve into AI’s intricacies and acquire strategies for responsible and secure utilization in your business.
If you need expert guidance, Databranch is here to help you navigate todays threat landscape. Contact us today at 716-373-4467 x6 or info@databranch.com and together, we’ll navigate AI’s realm, harness its power and ensure your organization’s safety.
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Social media has significantly transformed the way we communicate and do business. However, this growing popularity also comes with potential risks that could cause harm to businesses like yours.
Unfortunately, many organizations remain unaware of these rapidly evolving challenges. In this blog, we will explore the dangers associated with social media and share practical tips to safeguard your organization’s reputation and financial stability so that you can safely reap the benefits of social media platforms.
Exploring the Risks
Social media presents several risks that you need to address, such as:
Security Breaches
Cybercriminals can exploit social media to steal sensitive information by creating fake profiles and content to trick people into sharing confidential data. Social media platforms are also vulnerable to hacking, which can have a negative impact on your business.
Reputation Damage
Negative comments from dissatisfied customers, envious competitors or even unhappy employees can quickly spread online and cause significant damage to your brand’s image within seconds.
Employee Misconduct
Certain employees may share offensive content or leak confidential information on social media, which can trigger a crisis that can be challenging for business leaders to handle.
Legal Accountability
Social media has the potential to blur the boundaries between personal and professional lives, which can, in turn, create legal liabilities for your business. If your employees make malicious remarks about competitors, clients or individuals, the public can hold you responsible for their actions. Employees may also face the consequences if their social media behavior violates the organization’s regulations.
Phishing Threats
Social media phishing scams can target your business and employees by installing malware or ransomware through seemingly authentic posts.
Fake LinkedIn Jobs
Cybercriminals often pose as recruiters on LinkedIn and post fake job listings to collect data for identity theft scams.
Securing Your Business
Taking proactive measures is essential to avoid social media risks, including:
Checking Privacy Settings
Set privacy settings to the highest level across all accounts, restricting your and your employees’ access to sensitive information. This includes removing Local Admin Privileges for employees.
Strengthening Security
Employ robust passwords and multifactor authentication (MFA) to bolster account security.
Establishing Clear Guidelines
Enforce clear social media rules for company and personal devices, customizing policies to fit your industry’s unique risks.
Educating Your Teams
Educate your team on social media risks, imparting safe practices to thwart scams and phishing attempts. Our Employee Cybersecurity Training not only offers an annual cybersecurity training, but also contains weekly micro-trainings to keep your employees up to date on real world threats.
Identifying Impersonation
Develop protocols to detect and manage fake profiles and impersonations swiftly. Remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Vigilant Monitoring
Set up a system to monitor social media, promptly addressing fraudulent accounts or suspicious activity that could stain your brand image.
Act Now to Safeguard Your Business
Understanding the risks and adhering to social media best practices are crucial for businesses of all sizes. By following these guidelines, you can reduce your business’s vulnerability while reaping the rewards of social media.
For comprehensive insights into social media safety, download our eBook “From Vulnerability to Vigilance: Social Media Safety.”
Reach out to Databranch today at 716-373-4467 option 4 or info@databranch.com if your business is looking to increase their cybersecurity awareness.
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Databranch is partnering with Both Branch & Hendrix Inc. along with Datto to present a webinar on Wednesday, October 18th at 11AM, titled “From Cyber Risks to Resilience: A Panel Discussion on Cybersecurity and Insurance.“
In this session we will discuss:
- How A Cyberinsurance Policy Works
- What a Standard Cyber Policy Includes
- Rise in Business Email Compromises
- Good Password Hygiene
- End-User Security Training/Phishing Awareness
- Business Continuity – Recoverability in the Event of a Cyber Incident – BC/DR & Datto SaaS
- and more!
In our increasingly interconnected world, cyber threats continue to evolve at an alarming rate, posing significant risks to individuals and their organizations.
As we venture into the future, it is crucial to anticipate the potential threats and understand the importance of implementing robust cybersecurity measures.
Join us to learn from:
- Mike Hendrix – an Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) that has been with Both, Branch & Hendrix since 1983.
- Mike Wilson – the President of Databranch, a MSP company serving local, national and international businesses since 1985.
- Taylor Thorson – a Channel Development Manager for Datto/Kaseya, the leader in Total Data Protection.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness month and we hope you can join us as we discuss the current threat landscape, how your business technology can protect you from becoming a victim of cybercrime, and the importance of cyber-insurance.
Register for our webinar here! Reach out to Databranch today at 716-373-4467 option 6, or info@databranch.com to learn how we can enhance your businesses cybersecurity posture.
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Phishing scams remain one of the most prevalent and successful types of cyberattacks today, so being aware of the danger they pose to businesses like yours is extremely crucial. Your business could easily be the next victim if you don’t clearly understand how threat actors leverage phishing emails.
In this blog, you’ll learn the intent behind phishing emails, the various types of phishing attacks, and most importantly, how you can secure your email and business.
The Goal Behind Phishing Emails
Cybercriminals use phishing emails to lure unsuspecting victims into taking actions that will affect business operations, such as sending money, sharing passwords, downloading malware or revealing sensitive data. The primary intent behind a phishing attack is to steal your money, data or both.
Financial theft — The most common aim of a phishing attempt is to steal your money. Scammers use various tactics, such as business email compromise (BEC), to carry out fraudulent fund transfers or ransomware attacks to extort money.
Data theft — For cybercriminals, your data, such as usernames and passwords, identity information (e.g., social security numbers) and financial data (e.g., credit card numbers or bank account information), is as good as gold. They can use your login credentials to commit financial thefts or inject malware. Your sensitive data can also be sold on the dark web for profit.
Be vigilant and look out for these phishing attempts:
- If an email asks you to click on a link, be wary. Scammers send out phishing emails with links containing malicious software that can steal your data and personal information.
- If an email directs you to a website, be cautious. It could be a malicious website that can steal your personal information, such as your login credentials.
- If an email contains an attachment, be alert. Malicious extensions disguised to look like a document, invoice or voicemail can infect your computer and steal your personal information.
- If an email tries to rush you into taking an urgent action, such as transferring funds, be suspicious. Try to verify the authenticity of the request before taking any action.
Different Types of Phishing
It’s important to note that phishing attacks are constantly evolving and can target businesses of all sizes. While phishing emails are a common method used by cybercriminals, they also use texts, voice calls and social media messaging.
Here are the different kinds of phishing traps that you should watch out for:
Spear phishing — Scammers send highly personalized emails targeting individuals or businesses to convince them to share sensitive information such as login credentials or credit card information. Spear phishing emails are also used for spreading infected malware.
Whaling — A type of spear phishing, whale phishing or whaling is a scam targeting high-level executives where the perpetrators impersonate trusted sources or websites to steal information or money.
Smishing — An increasingly popular form of cyberattack, smishing uses text messages claiming to be from trusted sources to convince victims to share sensitive information or send money.
Vishing — Cybercriminals use vishing or voice phishing to call victims while impersonating somebody from the IRS, a bank or the victim’s office, to name a few. The primary intent of voice phishing is to convince the victim to share sensitive personal information.
Business email compromise (BEC) — A BEC is a spear phishing attack that uses a seemingly legitimate email address to trick the recipient, who is often a senior-level executive. The most common aim of a BEC scam is to convince an employee to send money to the cybercriminal while making them believe they are performing a legitimate, authorized business transaction.
Angler phishing — Also known as social media phishing, this type of scam primarily targets social media users. Cybercriminals with fake customer service accounts trick disgruntled customers into revealing their sensitive information, including bank details. Scammers often target financial institutions and e-commerce businesses.
Brand impersonation — Also known as brand spoofing, brand impersonation is a type of phishing scam carried out using emails, texts, voice calls and social media messages. Cybercriminals impersonate a popular business to trick its customers into revealing sensitive information. While brand impersonation is targeted mainly at the customers, the incident can tarnish the brand image.
Bolster Your Email Security
Emails are crucial for the success of your business. However, implementing email best practices and safety standards on your own can be challenging. That’s why you should consider partnering with a Managed IT service provider like Databranch.
We have the resources and tools to protect your business from cyberattacks, helping you to focus on critical tasks without any worry. We also have ongoing and interactive employee cybersecurity training that will help your company keep up with cybercriminals and their ever-changing tactics.
Meanwhile, to learn how to secure your inbox, download our eBook — Your Guide to Email Safety — that will help you improve your email security and avoid potential traps.
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Your business, in all likelihood, already faces numerous challenges in today’s tech-driven world. However, the aftermath of an unexpected disaster can push your organization to its breaking point. This unintentionally creates opportunities for cybercriminals to launch devastating attacks, amplifying the chaos caused by such events.
Disaster preparedness should be a top priority for your business — not only for physical resilience but also for fortifying your digital defenses. By understanding how disasters fuel cyberattacks, you can proactively safeguard your business against these deceptive threats.
Understanding How Disasters Amplify Cyberthreats
Let’s look at four major ways disasters amplify cyberthreats and what strategies you can utilize to bolster your cybersecurity posture in the face of adversity.
1. Leveraging Diverted Attention and Resources
When a disaster strikes, the immediate focus shifts toward safety and recovery. Unfortunately, this diverts attention and resources away from maintaining and protecting your IT systems and networks.
With a reduced emphasis on cybersecurity measures, essential updates and monitoring may be overlooked, leaving your networks vulnerable to intrusion. Cybercriminals seize this opportunity to infiltrate your systems, compromise sensitive data and disrupt your operations.
To tackle this situation, establish a dedicated team responsible for monitoring and maintaining cybersecurity, even during times of crisis. For our managed clients, Databranch takes this one step further by implementing automated security systems to scan for vulnerabilities and apply necessary patches continuously.
By ensuring cybersecurity remains a priority, even in challenging times, you can minimize the risk of cyberattacks
2. Exploiting Fear, Urgency, Chaos and Uncertainty
Disasters create an environment of fear, urgency, chaos and uncertainty — prime conditions for cybercriminals to thrive in. They launch targeted attacks, such as deceptive emails or fraudulent websites, capitalizing on the sense of urgency and the need for quick solutions. By manipulating individuals into disclosing sensitive information, cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to critical systems. They could also sell this sensitive data on the dark web.
To combat this, educate your employees about the tactics used in phishing attacks and social engineering scams. Train them to recognize warning signs, such as suspicious emails or requests for sensitive information. Encourage a culture of skepticism and verification, where employees double-check the authenticity of requests before sharing confidential data.
By fostering a vigilant and informed workforce, you can fortify your defense against cybercriminals seeking to exploit fear and uncertainty. Visit us here to download our cybersecurity culture checklist.
3. Damaging Critical Infrastructure
Disasters can cause severe damage to your critical infrastructure, compromising components integral to your cybersecurity measures. Destruction of servers, routers or firewalls can weaken your defense mechanisms, allowing cybercriminals to exploit security gaps.
To address this challenge, ensure your critical infrastructure has backup and disaster recovery in place. Regularly back up your data, store it securely off-site or in the cloud, and test the restoration process to ensure it functions smoothly. Implement robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans, including provisions for cybersecurity.
By maintaining resilient infrastructure and regularly testing your backup and recovery processes, you can mitigate the impact of infrastructure damage on your cybersecurity.
4. Impersonation and Deception
In the wake of a disaster, cybercriminals often exploit the trust associated with relief organizations and government agencies. By impersonating these trusted sources, they deceive victims through phishing emails, messages or calls, tricking them into divulging sensitive information or engaging in fraudulent transactions.
To protect yourself from such scams:
- Encourage your employees to verify the authenticity of any communication received during a disaster.
- Advise them to independently contact the organization or agency through known, trusted channels to confirm the legitimacy of any requests.
- Establish robust security awareness training programs that educate employees about common impersonation tactics and teach them how to report them effectively.
By promoting a culture of caution and verification, you can defend against impersonation and deception tactics used by cybercriminals. Our phishing infographic is a great educational resource that can be shared with your workforce to prepare them for real life threats.
Act Now to Safeguard Your Business
Now that we know how cybercriminals can target your business during a disaster, prioritizing disaster preparedness and implementing the above-highlighted measures are important to navigate today’s ever-evolving technology landscape.
If you need expert guidance, Databranch is here to help fortify your disaster preparedness and cybersecurity efforts. Together, let’s ensure a resilient and secure future for your business. Contact us today at 716-373-4467 x6 or info@databranch.com to proactively safeguard what you’ve worked so hard to build.
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A disaster preparedness plan helps businesses withstand any calamity. However, many businesses are unaware that a cybersecurity strategy is also crucial for building a robust disaster preparedness plan.
By incorporating cybersecurity into your emergency preparedness plan, you can better protect your business during critical incidents and minimize the impact of cyberthreats. This will help you enhance your business’s resilience, ensuring you’re better equipped to function in the face of unexpected challenges.
Best Practices for Effective Disaster Preparedness Planning in IT Security
Here are some practical tips for improving your organization’s disaster preparedness planning:
1. Protect Your IT infrastructure and Data
Your data is a gold mine for cybercriminals, and they’ll do anything to get their hands on it. That’s why it’s important to strengthen your IT infrastructure to withstand any disaster. Failing to implement adequate measures to protect your data could also attract fines and lawsuits.
Pro tip
- Firewalls, intrusion detection systems and encryptions can strengthen your IT security.
- Implementing a process to fix and update software patches regularly will help you avoid security vulnerabilities.
2. Back up Critical Data
Data loss can occur for many reasons, including cyberattacks and natural disasters. If your organization has not correctly backed up its data, recovery can be costly, time-consuming and seemingly impossible. Visit Databranch here to utilize out Recovery Time Calculator and see just how costly a disaster can be for your company.
If you want your business to survive, your disaster preparedness plan must ensure that your data remains clean, available and restorable.
Pro tip
- Regularly back up critical data.
- Back up your data off-site or in the cloud.
- Test backups regularly to verify their integrity.
Here at Databranch, our disaster recovery solution not only ensures that your data is restored to its former state, but restored quickly, with little to no downtime or interruption to your business.
3. Improve Employee Awareness
Your employees are your weakest link only if they don’t have proper training. By conducting regular security awareness training, you can improve their knowledge. It also increases your employees’ ability and willingness to follow security protocols during an emergency.
Pro tip
- Train your employees to identify phishing attempts, report suspicious activities and follow security protocols.
- Promote a culture of preparedness.
- Routinely test employee preparedness through simulated scenarios or drills.
Databranch offers ongoing and interactive training to help you stay secure and keep up with cybercriminals and their ever-changing tactics. Our Breach Prevention Platform and Security Awareness Training will give your employees the resources they need to spot real world phishing attempts.
4. Review Insurance Policies
Insurance plays a critical role in promoting disaster resilience and can help speed up your recovery after an incident. It’s a good idea to have property insurance, business interruption insurance, and cybersecurity insurance to cover all bases.
Pro tip
- Routinely review insurance policies to ensure you have proper coverage for potential risks and disasters.
- Maintain records of your assets, inventory and financial transactions to facilitate insurance claims and recovery efforts.
- Take the help of an insurance expert to understand current coverage and determine if additional coverage is required.
5. Evaluate Vendor and Supplier Preparedness
Disasters come unannounced and any weak link in your supply chain will only increase your vulnerability. Knowing if your vendor has a disaster preparedness plan is crucial for protecting your customers and overall business operations.
Pro tip
- Ensure your vendors’ or suppliers’ disaster preparedness practices align with your plans.
- Ask your vendor to share their disaster communication plan with you.
- Recommend that your suppliers test their disaster plan at least once a year.
- Guide them to an experienced service provider such as Databranch if they express needing assistance
6. Review and Revise Your Preparedness Strategies
It’s essential to test your preparedness plan for weaknesses and shortcomings regularly. By testing, you can fix the gaps and strengthen your strategy. A thoroughly tested plan will protect your data and help you avoid revenue loss during an outage, cyberattack or natural disaster.
Pro tip
- Extensively document changes in the organization, including people, processes and resources.
- Conduct mock tests to gauge the preparedness of your plan and employees.
- Take the help of an IT service provider to enhance your plan. They can also carry out timely audits to test the effectiveness of your program.
Databranch Can Help You Outlast Disasters
It can be challenging to build a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan that is robust and includes a thorough cybersecurity strategy on your own. By partnering with Databranch, your business can become resilient and outlast any disaster.
Contact us today at 716-373-4467 x6 or info@databranch.com to see how we can help your business build a solid disaster preparedness plan. You can also download our disaster preparedness eBook by filling out the form below.
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Databranch has been notified about a new Microsoft support scam that is generated after users click on a false Amazon ad.
Clicking on this sponsored Google ad will redirect users to a Microsoft technical support scam. This scam will claim to be Windows Defender, stating that your device has been infected with malware.
Why is this Noteworthy:
Google search engine is widely used by consumers worldwide. Users often click the top results, which are ‘Sponsored’ results. Currently, those who are searching for Amazon are at risk of being a victim by scammers.
A similar scam was seen last year through YouTube ads where it displays a website’s legitimate URL but leads to the scam website.
This presents a major security concern as scammers who gain access to a computer can not only install malware, but can also steal personal and financial information.
Recommendations:
- Avoid clicking on Amazon sponsored Google ads
- Visit website by their Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
Please feel free to reach out to support@databranch.com with any questions.
If you are not a managed client and would like to discuss how Databranch can help to proactively manage, monitor, and patch your IT environment, please reach out to Databranch at 716-373-4467 option 6 or info@databranch.com.
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