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2022: The Year Of Malware, Hacks And Phishing

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Much of our time this year has been spent working with our clients, making sure they’re ready to fend off newly emerging cyber threats or malware strains.

So to look back at the year, we thought we’d round up what many experts agree has been the nastiest malware of 2022.

At the top of the list is Emotet. Chances are you haven’t heard of it by that name, but it’s a trojan that’s spread by spam email. It usually looks like a genuine email with familiar branding, but it tries to persuade the recipient to click a malicious link (using language like ‘your invoice’ or ‘payment details.’

It may also look like it’s from a parcel company. This malware goes through your contact list and sends itself to family, friends, colleagues, and clients. Then it looks less like spam, because it’s come from your email account.

In second position is LockBit. This is ransomware that’s designed to block access to your files and systems when cyber criminals encrypt them.

They ask you to pay a ransom for the decryption key (which they often still don’t hand over, even when you’ve paid). If you don’t have a solid backup strategy, it is highly likely you’ll experience data loss.

This is a targeted attack that spreads itself once it’s infiltrated one device on a network. In fact, it can ‘live’ for weeks inside a network before the attack is launched.

In third place is Conti, another form of ransomware, and in fourth position is Qbot, a trojan designed to steal banking information and passwords.

It may all sound scary, but there’s plenty you can do to give your business greater protection from these threats:

  • Keep your entire network and all devices updated
  • Don’t download suspicious attachments or click links unless you’re certain they’re genuine
  • Practice strong password hygiene, including multi-factor authentication, password managers, biometrics, and passkeys where available
  • Give your people access to only the systems and files they need. Remove ex-employees from your network immediately
  • Create and regularly check back-ups
  • Educate your people regularly

We can help with all of this – just get in touch!

Overcoming Barriers for “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)” Success In Your Business

Mobile devices make up about 60% of the endpoints in a company network. They also handle about 80% of the workload.

But they’re often neglected when it comes to strong cybersecurity measures. This is especially true with employee-owned mobile devices.

Purchasing phones and wireless plans for staff is often out of reach financially. It can also be a pain for employees to carry around two different devices.

This has made BYOD the preferred way to go by about 83% of companies. Here are some tips to overcome the security and challenges of BYOD.

Define your BYOD policy

If there are no defined rules for BYOD then you can’t expect the process to be secure.

Employees may leave business data unprotected. Or they may connect to public Wi-Fi and then enter their business email password, exposing it.

If you allow employees to access business data from personal devices, you need a policy. This policy protects the company from unnecessary risk.

Keep your policy “evergreen”

As soon as a policy gets outdated, it becomes less relevant to employees. Thus, they may tend to ignore it. Make sure to update your BYOD policy regularly.

Use VoIP apps for business calls

Customers having employees’ personal numbers is a problem for everyone. Employees may leave the company and no longer answer those calls. The customer may not realize why.

You can avoid the issue by using a business VoIP phone system. These services have mobile apps that employees can use. VoIP mobile apps allow employees to make and receive calls through a business number.

Create restrictions on saved company data

No matter what the type of device, you should maintain control of business data. It’s a good idea to restrict the types of data that staff can store on personal devices. You should also ensure that it’s backed up from those devices.

Require device updates

When employee devices are not updated or patched, they invite a data breach. Any endpoint connected to your network can enable a breach. This includes those owned by employees.

An endpoint device manager can push through automated updates. It also allows you to protect business data without intruding on employee privacy.

Include BYOD in your offboarding process

If an employee leaves your company, you need to clean their digital trail. Is the employee still receiving work email on their phone? Do they have access to company data? Are any saved company passwords on their device?

Make sure you check all this during offboarding.

SETUP CHECKLIST FOR MICROSOFT TEAMS

Microsoft Teams is a lot of things.

It’s a video conferencing tool, a team messaging channel, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few.

During the pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed.

You can think of Teams as a virtual office in the cloud. It’s a centralized hub where teams can communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. There is also an external communication component to Teams.

You can use the app to video conference with anyone. You can also invite guests to a chat channel.

Here are some of the features of MS Teams:

  • Set Up Your Teams/ Departments
  • Add Team Members
  • Set Up Team Channels
  • Set Up Team Tabs
  • Schedule MS Teams
  • Training

 

Insider Threats Are Getting More Dangerous

One of the most difficult types of attacks to detect are those performed by insiders.

An “insider” would be anyone that has legitimate access to your company network and data via a login or authorized connection.

Because insiders have authorized system access, they can bypass certain security defenses, including those designed to keep intruders out.

Since a logged-in user isn’t seen as an intruder, those security protections aren’t triggered.

A recent report by Ponemon Institute found that over the last two years insider attacks have increased by 44% and the average cost of addressing insider threats has risen by 34%

Four types of insider threats

Malicious/Disgruntled Employee
Careless/Negligent Employee
3rd Party with Access to Your Systems
Hacker That Compromises a Password

Ways to mitigate insider threats

When hiring new employees make sure you do a thorough background check.

Malicious insiders will typically have red flags in their work history.

You want to do the same with any vendors or contractors that will have access to your systems.

Endpoint device solutions

Mobile devices now make up about 60% of the endpoints in a company. But many businesses aren’t using a solution to manage device access to resources.

Put an endpoint management solution in place to monitor device access. You can also use this to safelist devices and block unauthorized devices by default.

Multi-factor authentication & password security

One of the best ways to fight credential theft is through multi-factor authentication. Hackers have a hard time getting past the second factor.

They rarely have access to a person’s mobile device or FIDO security key.

Employee data security training

Training can help you mitigate the risk of a breach through carelessness.

Train employees on proper data handling and security policies governing sensitive information.

Network monitoring

Use AI-enabled threat monitoring. This allows you to detect strange behaviors as soon as they happen.

For example, someone downloading a large number of files or someone logging in from outside the country could be indicators your systems or security are compromised.

Advantages Of Conditional Access

It seems that nearly as long as passwords have been around, they’ve been a major source of security concern.

Eighty-one percent of security incidents happen due to stolen or weak passwords. Additionally, employees continue to neglect the basics of good cyber hygiene.

Access and identity management have become a priority for many organizations.

Once a cybercriminal gets a hold of an employee’s login, they can access the account and any data that it contains. Using conditional access policies can mitigate the risk of an account breach.

What Is Conditional Access? Conditional access is also known as contextual access. It is a method of controlling user access. You can think of it as several “if/then” statements, meaning “if” this thing is present, “then” do this.

Conditional access allows you to add many conditions to the process of user access to a system. It is typically used with MFA.

This is to improve access security without unnecessarily inconveniencing users. Some of the most common contextual factors used include the IP address that is associated with the user, the geographic location if the login, time of day, the type of device used and the role or group the user belongs to.

Implementing conditional access for identity management will improve security, automates the access management process, and allows the business to restrict certain activities.

Another advantage of conditional access is the ability to apply the principal of least privilege, making sure that users can only access appropriate resources.

Guide For Better Endpoint Protection

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Endpoints are the collection of computers, mobile devices, servers, and smart gadgets that make up your company’s network and IT infrastructure. Each of those devices is a chance for a hacker to penetrate a company’s defenses. 64% of organizations have experienced one or more compromising endpoint attacks.

The following solutions are focused on the protection of endpoint devices.

Address Password Vulnerabilities

Passwords are one of the biggest vulnerabilities when it comes to endpoints.

Poor password security and breaches make credential theft one of the biggest dangers to cybersecurity.

Address password vulnerabilities in your endpoints by:

• Training employees on proper password creation and handling
• Look for passwordless solutions, like biometrics
• Install multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts

Stop Malware Infection Before OS Boot

USB drives (also known as flash drives) are a popular giveaway item at trade shows. But an innocent-looking USB can actually cause a breach.

Hackers can use them to gain access to a computer by booting from a USB device containing malicious code.

There are certain precautions you can take to prevent this from happening. One of these is ensuring you’re using firmware protection that covers two areas: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Security.

TPM is resistant to physical tampering and tampering via malware. It looks at whether the boot process is occurring properly and also monitors for the presence of anomalous behavior.

Additionally, seek devices and security solutions that allow you to disable USB boots.

Update All Endpoint Security Solutions

You should regularly update your endpoint security solutions. It’s best to automate software updates if possible so they aren’t left to chance.

Firmware updates are often forgotten about. But they are just as important for ensuring your devices remain secure and protected.

Use Modern Device & User Authentication

How are you authenticating users to access your network, business apps, and data? If you are using only a username and password, then your company is at high risk of a breach.

Use two modern methods for authentication:
• Contextual authentication
• Zero Trust approach (Trust but Verify)

Apply Security Policies Throughout the Device Lifecycle

From the time a device is first purchased to the time it retires, you need to have security protocols in place.

Examples of device lifecycle security include when a device is first issued to a user. This is when you should remove unnecessary privileges.

When a device moves from one user to another, it needs to be properly cleaned of old data and reconfigured for the new user. When you retire a device, it should be properly scrubbed.

Prepare for Device Loss or Theft

Unfortunately, mobile devices and laptops get lost or stolen. When that happens, you should have a sequence of events that can take place immediately. This prevents company risk of data and exposed business accounts.

What Does ‘Zero Trust’ Actually Mean?

It’s nothing to do with the fear that your teenage children will hold a party when you go away for the weekend.

Zero trust is actually about technology security. It’s one of the most secure ways to set up your network, although it can have a very negative effect on productivity.

Most networks take a ‘trust but verify’ approach. They assume every device that connects is supposed to be there. Access the network once and you can go anywhere.
Imagine you’re using a security pass to access a building… and once inside there are no further security checks, so you can get into every single room.

Cyber criminals love this approach, for obvious reasons.

Zero trust is the opposite approach. Every login and device is treated as a potential threat until it’s authenticated, validated, and authorized.

Once in, you can’t access other parts of the network without going through this process again.
Back to the building analogy – once inside the building you are surrounded by security doors and must use your security pass to get through each one. If your pass isn’t valid, you’re limited where you can go.

Zero trust has its uses, especially with so many people working remotely these days. But it can have a negative effect on your workflow and can slow down your team.

If you want to talk through whether it’s right for your business, get in touch.

MEET MICROSOFT VIVA SALES

Data entry can be a real drag for salespeople. The time they spend on administrative tasks is time away from customer interactions. But that data is vital.

It’s important to capture customer orders, quotes, needs, and more. Lead and sales reporting help sales managers know where to direct their attention.

Analytics also help drive more efficient ways of closing the deal.

Microsoft has taken up the mantle of this challenge. It is about to launch a new digital experience for sales teams. Microsoft Viva Sales is part of the “Viva” line of applications. It is a “CRM helper” application, but not designed to replace your current CRM.

Microsoft Viva Basics

• Eliminate Forms
• Powerful Data Leveraging
• AI-Driven Help
• Interconnected Interface

Tag to Capture Sales Interactions

Salespeople can use the familiar tagging function to capture data from another M365 application for a prospect or customer.

Collaborate

Viva Sales makes it easier than ever to collaborate with your team.

Call Summaries & Integrated Data

Viva Sales brings all that customer engagement data together into a single view.

This allows the salesperson to see call summaries and capture call action items.

Download & Customize

Download lead and customer lists. Customize the application per the organization’s needs.

Take Advantage of Microsoft Viva Automation

Microsoft built the Viva suite of digital experience apps for productivity. These apps help employees find information faster, feel more connected,
and work more productively.

The Rising Threat of BEC Attacks: Don’t Let Your Business Fall Victim

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks are becoming widespread and present a significant risk to businesses of all sizes.

These attacks involve hackers posing as trusted individuals or organizations via email to request sensitive information or financial transfers.

BEC attacks often target high-level employees, such as executives or financial managers, and can be highly sophisticated.

Attackers may go to great lengths to make their emails appear authentic, including using genuine email addresses and logos. In some cases, they may even gain access to an employee’s email account to send BEC emails to other employees or partners.

In BEC attacks, a common technique is the “man-in-the-middle” approach, where the attacker poses as a trusted third party, such as a supplier or vendor, and requests payment or sensitive information.

These attacks can be challenging to detect because the attacker may use genuine email addresses and logos to seem legitimate.

The attacker manipulates the victim into thinking they are communicating with a trusted party, which can lead to them divulging sensitive information or making financial transfers to the attacker.

To safeguard your business from BEC attacks, it is essential to implement strong email security measures and educate your employees on the signs of such an attack.
Two-factor authentication and monitoring for unusual activity can help protect your business.

Employees should also be aware of red flags, such as requests for sensitive information or financial transfers from unknown individuals or organizations, or requests to transfer money to unfamiliar bank accounts.

If you receive a suspicious email, do not click on any links or download any attachments.

Instead, verify the request through a separate, secure channel, such as a phone call to the sender using a number you know to be valid.

Business email compromise attacks are a rapidly growing threat to businesses of all sizes.

By taking proactive steps to secure your email communications and staying vigilant, you can help protect your business from costly and damaging BEC attacks.

What Are The Most Helpful VoIP Features For Small Businesses?

During the pandemic, VoIP and video conferencing have skyrocketed by over 210% due to the move to remote work and hybrid offices.

Sixty-seven percent of surveyed companies say switching to VoIP helps improves call handling.

The technology is much cheaper to use than a traditional landline-based system. Calling plans are also often less expensive, and a company can add new numbers for very little cost.

VoIP has several helpful features for small businesses, but what are the best features to drive efficiency, productivity, and positive caller experience?

1. Automated Attendant
2. Find Me/Follow Me
3. Hold Music
4. Voicemail Transcription to Email
5. Ring Groups
6. Call Reporting
7. Local Support