This week our team answers the who, what, when, and why of hacking.

Audio from all of our past episodes are located right here on our site, happy listening!

     Hacking is often in the news, but we at Ripcord have found that not many people have a firm grasp on the exacts of what hacking is and how it works. Last year, 169 million personal records were stolen via hacking, with businesses reporting 780 breaches. Given that each record lost costs businesses an average of $154, hacking accounts for a massive amount of lost revenue a year.

     Recently, Apple has been in the news as hackers threaten to reset the iCloud accounts and erase all data of millions of customers unless they are paid a substantial ransom. The hackers claim they retrieved the information relating to these accounts through breaches of other sites and service, rather than by hacking Apple itself. Many breaches of this type are reported a year, often leaving consumers wondering how to protect themselves. Our first tip is to be proactive. Enable two factor authentication on any accounts that offer it. Even if your username and/or password are stolen in a breach, the two-factor authentication will prevent them from entering your account. Second, if you have an account with a service that reports a breach, IMMEDIATELY change your password, and the password of any account for which you’ve used the same credentials. Given that the hackers in this case simply have a list of login credentials and not access to Apple’s systems, changing your password will immediately protect your account from harm.

     Another newsworthy tale of hacking in recent days has been the Wikileaks story involving the CIA. According to Wikileaks, the CIA found and used exploits in many popular consumer products, allowing them to eavesdrop through the use of these exploits. More worrisome: the CIA did not disclose these exploits as they had previously agreed to, meaning that other, potentially malicious parties may have been using them against US citizens.

     Consumers are not the only ones vulnerable to hacking. Although at one time many small businesses felt protected by being “too small to be a target,” in 2017 even they are vulnerable. Between business data, customer information, and financial accounts, small businesses have a lot to lose, and are often unequipped to handle a breach. In fact, 60% of businesses are lacking basic security measures like a firewall or regular back ups. If you run a small business and need to reassess your IT security, consider these points:

• Start by recognizing that IT Security is something you need to address on every level
• Identify what information you store that is important, and what information needs to be kept private
• Setup and maintain reliable back ups.
• Actively monitor your network for threats
• Educate your employees in internet security
  

Before we go, here’s a question about hacking from one of our listeners:

From Holly in Hyde Park:

“How do I know if I’ve been hacked? If I have antivirus software, am I protected?”

Often when a computer begins behaving strangely people assume they have been hacked, in the sense that they have been specifically targeted. This is typically not true. Hacking in the form of viruses and malware is usually not specifically targeted (at least on the consumer level), and is either to cause damage to your computer or to steal information. This is more of an infection than a hack, and something you may potentially notice if your computer begins behaving strangely. Still, many people are unaware of these infections and suspect other causes.

Antivirus and malware protection will go a long way toward preventing these types of infections, but you should still remain vigilant when browsing the web. Don’t click links in emails, don’t trust pop-ups, and DO NOT install toolbars. Even legitimate toolbars function quite a bit like spyware, and they are one of the leading causes we see for minor infections.

And the Highly Anticipated ACRONYM OF THE DAY!

HIPAA; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

HIPAA is an important act for any business that stores employee or customer health information, by dictating the minimum standards for the protection and transmission of this information. Hacks which cause a HIPAA violation can be extremely costly, so it’s important to have a strong understanding of how to be compliant, as well as to take extra measures in protecting this data.

Need help upgrading your work computers? Frustrated with running your business AND it’s IT? Tired of downtime while you struggle with computer problems?  We’re here to help! Pull the Ripcord and get help now. Chat with us online, or call 844-4-RIPCORD (844-474-7267)!

[Image Credit: Dilbert]

The post Episode 31 – Hacking appeared first on Ripcord Support.