AchieveIT Australia Pty Ltd

The Business Impact of CryptoLocker

Written by Craig Dennis
We often hear about the latest threat to Internet users and data security but because these global scares are reported every other week with little apparent "real-world" impact we tend to ignore them. Too often it's like the boy who cried wolf. Here's a brief report on a customer of ours who last week was a victim of CryptoLocker - a nasty type of “Ransomware” that encrypted all their files and demanded a payment so that the files could be made readable again - and to give some tips on how to avoid this happening to you. Here's what happened:
Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 July 2014 11:38
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Game of Thrones Email Warning

Written by Craig Dennis

Beware of emails reporting that Game of Thrones Season 5 has been cancelled. The link in the email takes you to a page that suggests that you need to update Java. DON'T DO IT!!

For more detail, check out Graham Cluley's blogpost.

Oh, and to the best of my knowledge, GOT is still in production!

3 steps to protecting your business - Part 2

Written by Craig Dennis

Securing your business from Internet malware is a relatively simple matter,
but it does require some forethought and a small investment of money
and time.

Last time we briefly discussed the importance of Company Policies to set the framework. Now we are moving our attention to Technology

Review Your Technology

Ensure all operating systems and application software are updated with the latest security patches as they are developed – preferably using automatic update technology.
Ensure all computers have an up-to-date security software suite on them.
Every computer should have its own firewall software, in addition to any premises-based network firewall you may be running.
If managing your own file storage and email servers, ensure these are also running up-to-date security software.

Need more advice? Give the team at AchieveIT a call on 1300 22 48 48 today.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 June 2014 00:11

3 steps to protecting your business - Part 3

Written by Craig Dennis

Securing your business from Internet malware is a relatively simple matter,
but it does require some forethought and a small investment of money
and time.

So far we've touched on the importance of Company Policy and managing technologies. Today we're looking at Process.

Establish Your Processes

Ensure all staff receive basic online security training and instruction in your policies.
Ensure regular backups are taken of all company files, data, email and other systems.
Change all passwords regularly, especially when an employee or contractor leaves the company, and in particular change administrator passwords or shared passwords to centralised networks or systems.
Take security breaches seriously – isolate any compromised systems from the network and involve an IT security professional if necessary to ensure the malware is fully removed.

That covers off our summary of the three steps you need to follow to secure your business. Over coming weeks I'll drill down some more and expand on the points I've made in this primer.

In the meantime if you need more advice feel free to give our team at AchieveIT a call on 1300 22 48 48.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 June 2014 00:13

3 steps to protecting your business - Part 1

Written by Craig Dennis

Securing your business from Internet malware is a relatively simple matter,
but it does require some forethought and a small investment of money
and time.

By taking action now, the time and cost will be more than offset against the potential lost revenues and wasted management time in dealing with security issues that are likely to occur at a later date if you are not properly secured.

When thinking about online security for your organisation, consider the age-old medical adage: "prevention is better than cure".
The essential steps to take
can be broken down into three categories

Policy
Technology and;
Process

Building Your Policy

Decide whether computers, laptops and software are to be supplied by your company or by your staff – and reflect these decisions in your policies, purchasing and processes.
Document a simple acceptable-use policy for any computer that is used for company business or media that is used to store or transport company data.
Create an acceptable password-strength policy and ensure that all computers and other IT equipment are password protected.
Require all security incidents to be promptly reported and managed by a business stakeholder.

Next time we'll look at the impact of technological solutions.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 June 2014 00:12

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