Ransomware and phishing attacks have been on the rise since 2020. In part, the pandemic has played a role in this increased threat to many organization throughout the U.S. because of remote workers. Although Email is still the preferred delivery method, IT network management and security companies are seeing a spike social engineering schemes. RAVENii technicians and IT security personnel are having to get creative when it comes to stopping threats on social media platforms, voicemail (“vishing”), SMS phishing (“smishing”), and malicious USB drops.  A few years back ransom demands where our biggest concern. Organizations were turning to IT network management and security companies after hearing of the countless organizations who paid the…

Cybersecurity issues have been on the rise for years; keeping companies like RAVENii on their toes. Many “crime drama” TV programs show hackers tapping into local surveillance cameras or corporate databases. The news reports include segments about viruses or phishing scams. Most Americans are familiar with the concept of spyware and hacker-related incidents.  In the last few years, the concern has grown to threat status. Hospitals, corporations, police servers, government databases, and financial institutions were disabled by hackers, or “hacktivists”. Sensitive information was stolen. Websites were defaced or brought down all because of hacktivist. The demand for experts in cybersecurity has increased exponentially. Hacktivists are now…

IT managed services from RAVENii can help your business comply with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) requirements in real-time. Companies that process any type of payment card data understand the importance of complying with PCI Compliance requirements. A breach that goes undetected for days or (deep breath) months could ruin lives. Although it is not mandatory to be PCI DSS compliant, RAVENii’s IT managed services will make your work in the PCI DSS compliance process much more manageable. SIEM is a comprehensive monitoring solution that can monitor security events occurring in a network in real-time. Ravenii’s SIEM Wave 3 is powered by MixMode and is the only solution on the market utilizing 3rd Wave Artificial…

Network security must be a top priority as cloud applications and storage become more ubiquitous. Cloud providers are at a much higher risk of DDoS attacks than ever before.  Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are a type of denial of service (DoS) attack. A DDoS attack uses multiple connected online devices, sometimes called a botnet, to overwhelm the target website with fake traffic. DDoS attacks overwhelm web servers so they cannot respond to legitimate user requests. This can render a website useless for hours or even days. The results can be catastrophic, including lost revenue, dissatisfied customers, and business disruption. Combatting cloud-based DDoS attacks requires a modern, responsive platform that can predict potential…

IT managed services are your best bet for preventing breaches and losses on your network, but there is one crucial thing they can’t do. They can’t prevent every user on your network from opening a malicious email attachment or unwittingly giving away their credentials.  Security Awareness Training as well as training on your internal policies and procedures for your employees is a crucial element of a comprehensive network security strategy. This is primarily because most cybersecurity breaches can be traced back to human error. Your employees handle sensitive client information and keep your proprietary business intelligence safe every day. If they practice poor data management behaviors (even - or especially - unknowingly), they make your…

The greatest network security threat to your business may already be inside your firewall. You can have the strongest firewall ever built, but all it takes is one naive employee falling for a social engineering scam and suddenly you’re in a world of pain. What Is A Social Engineering Attack? Phishing When an attacker researches a particular user to create a targeted attack, we call it spear phishing. They might comb through your social media to find out where you bank or shop regularly then pretend to be a representative contacting you about a problem with your account. Whaling is like spear phishing, except that it targets “big fish” like CEOs and CFOs. Vishing/Smishing Vishing, or voice phishing, is when the attacker tries to trick a…

Possibly the greatest cyber security threat today is phishing attacks. In fact, there is a new phishing scam that targets US job seekers with a lucrative job offer supposedly from the US government. But when the unlucky rubes open the attachments, they contain an exploit for a mass-exploited remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Office. How To Identify A Phishing Email It can be difficult to separate legitimate emails from spam these days. Cyber criminals get trickier all the time, but there are a few giveaways you can look for. Inspect the header.  A legitimate organization almost always sends emails from email addresses containing the company’s domain name after the “@” symbol, like [email protected] You must own the domain name or…

“Cyber security” and “network security” are so frequently used seemingly interchangeably that it can be difficult for a layperson to discern the difference. There are meaningful distinctions, however, and understanding them will help you to ensure your information is as secure as possible in every situation. In fact, both fall under the umbrella of information security. Cyber Security Cyber security is a subgroup of information security and it refers to a system that defends an organization’s device and server information. It acts as an extra layer of protection against cyber criminals. It shields the information that is stored in the servers as well as devices.  This type of information security covers the entire defense of digital data…

Ransomware is currently the most significant cybersecurity concern for organizations because it is also the most profitable tactic for tech criminals. The cost to those victimized extends farther than just the ransom. Clean-up and recovery, PR expenses, disruption to business, and the cost of reporting and compliance that come with data breaches can devastate any organization. Companies spend a tremendous amount of time and money protecting things that are valuable to them from outsiders who mean to do them harm or achieve financial gain by holding their valuables hostage. Yet the rate of ransomware attacks continues to skyrocket. So, what can we to do protect our assets and minimize the damage to our business? Understand your risk factors…

Managed services from RAVENii provide a proactive solution to application security that prevents security breaches before they happen. Many small business owners assume that they will not be targeted because of the size or nature of their business. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous assumption.  No One Is Safe Big businesses and government or educational organizations may be the most lucrative targets, but they’re also the most challenging. Cybercriminals love an easy target, and they optimize their strategies to take advantage of small businesses with a lot to lose and little protection. The reality is that organizations of all sizes and types are being targeted every day, and anyone who doesn’t take proactive precautions isn’t safe. Any…