Pop-off the Fireworks, Check-in on your Cybersecurity

Hello, to all our wonderful Clients and Curious individuals. It is a beautiful time to show our support for our country by participating in Cookouts and BBQs, and watching the fantastic explosive shows in the sky! There is nothing to worry about, Right? Well, not too fast my excited friends. I do come with a word of caution. Have you looked into your Cybersecurity Plan and thought of what would happen if, on the off chance, you got hacked?

I have some sad news to share. I have seen firsthand that hackers from other countries get to work during the Fourth of July Weekend. During Covid, Ransomware attacks increased to a staggering 72%. During Covid institutions such as large corporations, hospitals, and many schools were targeted and were successfully attacked. Some of the large companies included Honda, Mitsubishi, Cannon, Xerox, LG Electronics, and Tyler Technologies. While not all were attacked during the 4th of July specifically, that day is when most Americans let down their guard. That’s not something I want to have to go through again. It’s terrifying.

I had just gotten my first Job in IT. We took the long weekend for the 4th of July. Then when we came back, I couldn’t log in to the computer at work. The IT Director couldn’t sign in to the servers. We were fully locked out of everything. We called the FBI for guidance, and they told us to shut it all down. It was compromised, and we had to rebuild. We spent two weeks of overtime working around the clock to get us to limp along, not even back at total production that took us the rest of the summer. That is something I would not wish on my greatest enemy, and I dread it to happen to all of you. Because, in short, I like you all. I see your excellent hard, honest work, and I don’t want to see you caught up in a nasty hacking or Ransomware attack. So please look at your Cybersecurity plans, and if you doubt what you have in place, ask us. We will be happy to help.

 If you have any questions, give us a call at (915)587-7902.