The 5 Best IT Security Practices to Adopt for 2025

AI, cybercrime, Employee Training, Ophtek, secure IoT, security practices, supply chain security, zero trust architecture, , , , , ,
21
Jan 2025

2025 promises to be an exciting year for businesses, but cybercrime will remain a major threat. That’s why strengthening your cybersecurity is essential.

With the costs of cybercrime expected to hit $10.5 trillion in 2025, it’s evident that tackling cybercrime is a major priority for all businesses. However, it’s easy to become complacent with the quality of your defenses. You may feel that 2024 was a quiet year for you in terms of malware, so why change anything? Well, it’s this complacency that threat actors prey upon. Therefore, you need to constantly evolve your defenses to remain safe.

Start Enhancing Your Cybersecurity Today:

You may be wondering where to start, but this is where Ophtek has your back. We’ve pooled our resources and knowledge to bring you the 5 best IT security practices to adopt in 2025:

  1. Train Your Employees to Stay Safe: Your first line of defense against threat actors remains your employees. If your employees understand the threat of malware then you increase your chances of staying safe. However, if they don’t understand the telltale signs of ransomware and trojans, this manifests itself as a major chink in your armor. You can remedy this by conducting regular training sessions to educate and update your team on all the latest threats. This makes your staff less likely to fall victim to scams and protect your systems. 
  2. Use Zero Trust Architecture: Trust is crucial in business, but it can be dangerous when it comes to IT systems. Therefore, adopting a zero trust architecture (ZTA) model can enhance your security practices. ZTA involves enforcing strict identity verification – such as Microsoft Authenticator – and segmenting your networks to restrict access to only those who need it. These practices will minimize the risk of both external and internal threats, optimizing the security of your IT infrastructure.
  3. Secure Your IoT Devices: The number of connected IoT devices is set to grow significantly in the next five years, up to 32.1 billion devices by 2030. Start securing them by checking if any of them are still using default passwords – if they are, change these to strong passwords immediately. It’s also a good idea to segment IoT devices onto separate networks, this limits how far malware can spread through your IT infrastructure in the case of an infection. Finally, make sure that software patches and firmware updates are installed promptly.
  4. Implement AI Cybersecurity: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to detect and neutralize threats in real time. Capable of analyzing huge amounts of data and identifying unusual activity, AI excels at spotting sophisticated threats before they create a foothold in your networks. This automation allows you to stay ahead of the threat actors and safeguard your systems more effectively than ever. Consequently, exploring options such as IBM’s range of AI tools could make a vast difference to your defenses in 2025.
  5. Maximize Your Supply Chain Security: Threat actors are as innovative as they are dangerous, this is best evidenced by their attempts to target your vendors to gain access to your systems. To keep your business safe, audit the vendors you work with to verify their cybersecurity protocols and compliance. Working closely with your vendors will enable you to limit threat actors exploiting any gaps in security.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Los Angeles Housing Authority Rocked by Ransomware Group

Backup Strategies, Cactus, cyberattack, data harvest, Employee Training, HACLA, LockBit, Ophtek, Ransomware, software updates, , , , , , , , ,
26
Nov 2024

Threat actors are determined to harvest as much sensitive data as possible, and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) know all about this.

It’s been revealed that HACLA has recently been attacked by the Cactus ransomware gang. First emerging in early 2023, the Cactus group has gained a reputation for stealing confidential data. Around 260 organizations have been affected by Cactus’ activities in the last year and a half, with no sign of them slowing up. HACLA, unfortunately, has previous form for data breaches, with the LockBit ransomware group gaining access to their IT systems for nearly a full year in 2022.

To help you bolster your organization’s defenses, we’re going to explore the Cactus attack in closer detail.

Cactus Get Prickly with HACLA

With 32,000 public housing units falling under its administration, HACLA is a prime target for any threat actors hungry for personal data. Accordingly, Cactus have struck at the heart of HACLA to harvest significant amounts of data.

Understandably, in order to protect their defenses, HACLA have revealed very little about the attack. They acknowledge that, after becoming aware of suspicious activity, IT professionals were contacted to investigate a possible cyberattack. HACLA’s systems remain operational as of this writing, but they haven’t confirmed exactly what happened or whether any data was stolen.

Cactus, on the other hand, has been more forthcoming with details. Announcing that they’ve managed to steal 891 GB of files from HACLA’s network, Cactus has clearly carried out an audacious attack. The data stolen, as Cactus claims, is highly sensitive and includes personal client details, financial documents, database backups, and correspondence. To demonstrate that they’re not just showboating, Cactus has published screenshots of some of this stolen data. Alongside this, Cactus has also followed up their claims by uploading an archive containing some of the stolen data.

Shielding Your Business from Breach Risks

While it’s currently unclear whether HACLA’s systems or data has been encrypted by ransomware, it’s a very real possibility. Regardless of whether encryption has taken place, the 891 GB of stolen data is a seriously worrying amount of personal data to leak. Therefore, you need to be on your guard against such attacks by practicing the following:

  • Data Backup Strategy: To minimize the impact of ransomware, it’s always a good idea to carry out regular, automated backups of your data. As well as keeping these backups close to hand on site, it’s crucial that you also keep copies stored on secure, off-site locations such as in the cloud. The 3-2-1 backup method is an excellent strategy to employ in order to keep your data secure and retrievable.
  • Regular Software Updates: Many data breaches are the result of vulnerabilities being exploited within software. These vulnerabilities allow threat actors to gain a foothold with IT infrastructures and start implementing malware infections or stealing data. Consequently, to plug all of these security holes, you should automate all software updates to optimize the strength of your defenses.
  • Employee Training: Regular training of your employees, both at the induction stage and through refresher courses, provides your organization with its strongest form of defense. It just takes one wrong click by an employee to expose your entire network, so it’s vital that you can sharpen their cybersecurity skills to secure your IT infrastructure.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Cybersecurity for Businesses in the Remote Work Era

device inventory, Employee Training, monitor devices, multi factor authentication, Ophtek, Public WiFi, remote work, secure tools, , , , , , ,
04
Jun 2024

The impact of the Covid-19 can still be felt, with high numbers of employees continuing to work remotely. But how does this affect your cybersecurity?

The shift towards remote work was essential at the start of the pandemic, and it has now become a permanent aspect of many employees’ lives. However, while it represents a flexible approach to work, which helps achieve a healthy work/life balance, it also comes with challenges in terms of cybersecurity. With employees working from different locations and connecting to your IT infrastructure from different networks, it’s a complex scenario to manage.

Staying Secure in the Remote Work Era

It’s important your organization takes the necessary steps to strengthen their defenses when it comes to remote working practices. Many of these are simple and can be implemented easily. Therefore, you need to make sure you follow these best practices:

  • Avoid Public Wi-Fi: remote working allows your employees to work from anywhere, but this can open them and your servers up to significant risk. In particular, the risk of public Wi-Fi networks – such as those found in coffee shops and public places – should never be underestimated. With little protection in place, these Wi-Fi networks can easily be compromised and risk your organization’s data being harvested. Therefore, your remote employees should be discouraged from using these, instead using secure networks at home.
  • Use Multi-Factor Authentication: For remote workers, extra layers of security are everything when it comes to protecting your networks. And this is why multifactor authentication can be a real game-changer in terms of your security. Furthermore, biometric authentication such as Windows Hello allows your business to enhance its security and prevent unauthorized access.
  • Use Secure Collaboration Tools: You have to think a little differently when working with remote employees, especially when it comes to collaborating. It’s not as simple as having your entire team in the same room, so collaboration software is crucial. However, this needs to be secure. So, make sure you use secure collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Basecamp to ensure your communications remain encrypted and safe
  • Monitor Remote Devices: With your remote employees’ devices out of sight, they need to be monitored closely. Endpoint monitoring software allows you to track devices in real time and identify any unusual behaviors. Automatic alerts and notifications can be put in place to ensure you’re aware of any breaches immediately and allows you to take action to neutralize any threats.
  • Employee Training: As ever, the most important aspect of cybersecurity for businesses involves employee training. Accordingly, your remote employees need specific training to make sure they understand the risks of remote work. Strong and unique passwords, for example, have never been more important, and being able to identify phishing attempts is equally crucial when an employee is unable to call on the immediate support of their colleagues.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Understanding Data Governance for Business IT

compliance, data governance, Employee Training, internal audits, limit data access, Ophtek, privacy, protecting data, sensitive date, , , , , , , ,
02
Apr 2024

Digital data is perhaps the most valuable asset your organization handles, but just how secure, safe, and compliant is it?

Data governance is a crucial element of business IT and one which businesses must comply with. It gives both accountability and responsibility to the data owners, ensuring sensitive data and privacy is correctly handled. This governance can either be internal – such as data policies specific to an organization – or external, such as government or regulatory bodies. The objective of data governance is to secure data and make sure it’s not misused.

Naturally, with cyber crime showing no signs of slowing up in 2024, it’s vital you have a firm understanding of data governance for business IT.

What is Data Governance?

Data governance is a complex set of procedures and policies which can be difficult to get to grips with. However, the basics are simple to understand. A simple explanation for data governance is that it focuses on the strategic management of all the data you hold. By monitoring your data and the way in which it is used, you build defenses around that data. This allows you to minimize the risks associated with data breaches, build trust among your stakeholders, and assist with informed decision making around your data.

The Importance of Compliance

Many industries are governed by strict regulatory requirements e.g. the healthcare industry needs to adhere to the strict framework put in place by HIPAA regulations. Regardless of the industry or regulatory framework, the aim of compliance remains the same. By demonstrating adherence to compliance, you’re underlining the fact that any sensitive data you hold is protected and handled correctly. If your organization fails to hit the benchmarks laid out by external bodies, then you run the risk of some eyewatering financial penalties.

Improving Your Data Security

The best way to maximize your compliance and governance is to enhance your data security. You can achieve this in the following ways:

  • Employee training: one of the most common causes of data breaches is your employees. These are the individuals who are most at risk of falling victim to social engineering, phishing emails, and malvertising threats. Accordingly, you need to implement a robust training schedule for new starters and, for all staff, follow up with refresher courses.

Final Thoughts

With the rise of big data in business, it’s clear that good data governance practices should be a priority for any business. This will allow you to build a strong foundation of data governance to protect both your organization and your customers.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Data Breach at Norton Healthcare After Ransomware Attack 

ALPHV, Data Backup, Data Breach, Employee Training, Norton Healthcare, partition hard drives, Ransomware, , , , , ,
30
Jan 2024

Healthcare data is some of the most sensitive and confidential data to exist in IT systems, so the ransomware attack at Norton Healthcare is a big deal. 

Based in Kentucky, Norton Healthcare is a provider who delivers health services to adults and children in over 40 clinics. Their objective, as with all healthcare providers, is to improve the lives of their patients. However, a recent data breach has done little to inspire a sense of wellness in their patients. The breach, which occurred in May this year but is only just being reported, was part of a ransomware attack. Norton Healthcare’s network was breached for two days, but there appeared to be no evidence that their medical record system had been accessed. 

Nonetheless, healthcare data should always be secure, and breaches in local networks represent a major cause for concern. 

The Norton Healthcare Attack 

The exact nature of the attack has, at present, not been released. But we do know what the impact of the breach was. After discovering that an attack was taking place, Norton was forced into turning its network off, the last thing a healthcare provider wants to do. As the attack was unfolding, Norton received, in a novel twist, a faxed ransom note featuring threats and demands. Later that month, a ransomware group known as ALPHV claimed responsibility for the attack. 

ALPHV released a statement to the dark web which claimed that they had managed to compromise 4.7TB worth of data from Norton Healthcare’s servers. As proof, ALPHV uploaded numerous files – containing patients’ bank statements and Social Security numbers – to backup their claims. Norton’s official line is that only some network storage devices were breached, and these only contained identifying information rather than any medical data. 

How Can Healthcare Providers Protect Themselves?

With more and more healthcare providers coming under attack from threat actors, it’s important that they understand how to minimize their risk. In fact, these lessons are valuable for any business running an IT network, so it’s time to find out how. So, to stay safe from ransomware attacks, make sure you follow this best guidance: 

  • Regular backups: it’s vital that you perform regular backups of your data to ensure, if it becomes encrypted by ransomware, you still have access to it. Ideally, these backups should be completed daily at the very least, and they should always be saved to secure locations. It’s important to keep copies of your backups offline as well, this will allow you to access your data even if you need to take your network down. 
     
  • Partition your hard drives: to minimize the impact of a breach, it’s a good idea to partition you hard drives and data storage. By separating these from your main network, and from each other, you’re limiting the files and data that malware can access. This minimizes the risk of data loss and allows you to keep important systems online. 
     
  • Employee training: educating your staff about the dangers of social engineering and phishing emails is one of the most important steps you can take. Ransomware, such as the strain encountered by Norton Healthcare, is often spread through emails and your employees need to be able to identify these threats before clicking on them. 

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals. 

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