Watch Out For These Security Threats in 2015

When WIRED magazine pulled out its crystal ball to predict the most serious threats to data security for 2015, we paid close attention.  Granted, our clients aren't likely to be targeted by hackers trying to steal state secrets or take over vital national infrastructure.  But some of the other threats on the list are directly relevant to the companies Xantrion supports.

1. Extortion - November's giant Sony hack was the first high-profile data breach that included threats to leak corporate secrets unless the company did the attackers' bidding.  How would you respond if someone threatened to leak your company's confidential information?
2. Data destruction - The Sony hack also highlighted a tactic that's been used before: not just stealing data, but deleting it or damaging it past the point of recovery.  What would you do if someone wiped your business-critical data?
3. Third-party breaches - As we've said before, hackers often target smaller companies as a way to access the larger, more lucrative companies with which they do business.  The hackers behind last year's infamous Target breach supposedly got in through the network of a heating and air-conditioning company that did business with the retailer.  What if your own lack of data security caused a catastrophic data breach for one of your vendors, customers, or business partners?

Fortunately, basic data security practices can provide the protection you need.  Contact Xantrion today for help setting up and maintaining proper backups, solid protection against viruses and malware, and a disaster recovery plan to restore your systems if the worst happens.  

Lessons From the Sony Hack

It's been hard to avoid the news about the massive hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment that shut the company down for a week in November and continues to spill corporate secrets, from embarrassing emails to confidential HR files for thousands of current and past Sony employees.  The FBI is pointing the finger at North Korea, but cybersecurity experts say it looks like an inside job.

Regardless of who started it, the powerful malware behind the breach is still out there, and it's designed not just to crack systems, but to destroy the data they contain.  The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommends that companies take precautionary measures that include the following:

1. Performing daily backups
2. Maintaining offsite backups of critical files
3. Tightening control over data access
4. Improving application security
5. Monitoring network activity
6. Developing a recovery plan

You may not be a major multinational corporation, but that doesn't make your data any less valuable to your daily operations.  Xantrion can help you implement any or all of the US-CERT recommendations.  Call us today to evaluate your risk and protect your business.

Use Case: Legal Firm

A growing law firm with offices in San Francisco and Washington was expanding its client base to include companies in defense and health care.  To serve these two highly regulated and security-conscious industries, the firm needed to minimize its own security risks.

Learn how the firm established security measures that addressed its most significant exposures to risk in a cost-effective way without burdening end users.

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http://www.itservices.xantrion.com/use-case-legal-firm.html