July 2020 Newsletter

Jason Mcgee posted on July 24, 2020 12:13

This July we continue to investigate the issues that remote work can bring to your business and how you can take control and secure your company and data. Remote work continues to be crucial during these times. If you are struggling to adapt, Vigilant can help! We also explore recent security incidents, critical vulnerabilities in Windows updates, and the importance of cybersecurity.

Employees Working Remotely? Your Data May Be at Risk!

According to the World Bank and World Trade Organization, across the globe, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise a majority of employers. In the United States, roughly 88% of all businesses employ 20 workers or less. In Arizona, small businesses alone make up 97% of enterprises!

Vigilant Technologies partners with SMEs to provide cybersecurity, cloud-based data services, managed services, and secure shared desktop systems. The latter will enable coworkers to share files, collaborate, and communicate remotely in a viable, highly secure environment. Vigilant will customize, install, and manage (and host, if desired) remote data-sharing systems for any business or government entity. Vigilant will help you take back control of your data, whether employees are at the office or their home office.

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Windows 10 Critical Updates

Have you updated Windows 10 after the July 14th Patch Tuesday security updates were rolled out? If you have your Windows Updates paused, you will want to apply this month's updates immediately. CVE-2020-1350, better known as SIGRed, scored a 10 under the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it is wormable and can be easily exploited. It's a vulnerability that lies within the Windows DNS service implementation. Microsoft has confirmed that the vulnerability affects all versions of WIndows Server. The vulnerability is so serious that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a rare emergency directive giving government agencies just 24 hours to update Windows Server. Stay Vigilant and read more about SIGRead and make sure to apply the updates.

Forbes

Microsoft Security Update Guide

Twitter Hackers Ask for Bitcoin

Twitter had a major security issue this week. Full details aren't available yet, but it looks like a group of young hackers gained access to Twitter's own internal tools, and then used that to post messages on some famous people's accounts. Breached accounts include former president Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and tech giants Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. The messages said 'send Bitcoin to our address and you will be sent back double of what you sent'. Apparently the hackers only made $200k or so, which is a pretty low yield use for that kind of access they had. We don't yet have the full story on how they got in, but the NY Times report claims Twitter dropped several balls. Read Twitter's official statement of the security incident below.

Twitter's Statement

New York Times Report

Understanding SCSI, ATA, SAS and SATA

For years the parallel interface has been widely used in storage systems. For example before USB ports became common, most PCs had a at least one parallel interface for connecting printers. The need for increased bandwidth and flexibility in storage systems made the SCSI and ATA standards an inefficient option. A parallel interface is a channel capable of transferring date in parallel mode — that is transmitting multiple bits simultaneously. Almost all personal computers come with at least one parallel interface. Common parallel interfaces include SCSI and ATA. Learn more about these terms and why they are important by reading the article from our Knowledgebase below!

Learn More!

Follow us on social media to stay up to date on technology news and learn about the latest security vulnerabilities. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube below!

Our custom cloud saves money for both small to medium-sized organizations. In the event of an IT disaster or service disruption, we proactively help with restoring applications and infrastructure. Our cloud provides accessibility to your data without compromising the security or control of the data. Contact us today and our cloud experts will help evaluate your IT infrastructure!

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With many IT budgets under scrutiny, cybersecurity teams are expected to do more with less. Despite the unsettling rise in cyber attacks, the cybersecurity budget is often cut first. Be Vigilant and read up on the top 5 mistakes that threaten IT infrastructure.

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