Data Security Archives

Understanding the FTC Safeguards Rule

data flow, data governance, Data Security, FTC Standards Rule, FTC violations, Ophtek, project leader, Security, security plandata flow, Data Security, FTC Standards Rule, FTC violations, Ophtek, security planOphtek, LLC

May 2024

As a business owner, it’s crucial you protect the data held by your organization. And the FTC Safeguards Rule means this is an absolute necessity.

Originating as part of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 2002, the FTC Safeguards Rule is a set of regulations which govern how a business must protect its data. After all, a business not only holds sensitive information regarding its customers, but also its employees. And in the modern age, this data is constantly in the crosshairs of threat actors. T herefore, safeguarding this data is paramount. Otherwise, your business is at risk of being slapped with hefty fines and penalties.

A Closer Look at the FTC Safeguards Rule

If you want to adhere to the FTC Safeguards Rule, you need to put a comprehensive strategy into place. Our recommendations for drawing up a plan are:

Appoint a Project Leader: it’s important you have a project leader when tackling the FTC Safeguards Rule. This leader will be able to build your strategy and execute it efficiently. They will, of course, require some level of IT competency and understanding of security procedures, but it can easily be any individual within your organization.
Identify the Relevant Data: the next step is to evaluate the data handled within your organization and identify what falls under the definition of personal information. So, start by creating an inventory of the personal data you hold. This allows you to understand where all your personal data is located. Next, you need to evaluate the data risk of these records e.g. whether this data i s encrypted or not.
Map Your Data Flow: with your data identified, it’s time to identify the lifecycle of this data and how it flows through your business. Make sure you can categorize each form of data and record how it’s collected, stored, and once it’s of no further use, the methods by which you destroy it.
Finalize Your Security Plan: your final step involves consolidating all the information you’ve gathered so far and implementing a security plan. This could include recommendations for data storage, security measures such as enhanced network monitoring, and ensuring that automatic updates are activated across your IT infrastructure.

What Happens When You Don’t Comply?

As of June 2023, if your business fails to comply with the FTC Safeguards Rule, the FTC have the power to hit you with a fine of up to $100,000 per violation. And if you make multiple violations, these fines can quickly cause you major financial damage. There’s also the risk of any affected customers or employees also taking legal action against you. Compliance with the FTC Safeguards Rule, therefore, needs to be a major priority for businesses of any size.

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

How to Complete a Business IT Vulnerability Assessment

Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, IT Vulnerability Assessment, Ophtek, procedureCyber Security, Data Security, email security, IT Vulnerability Assessment, Ophtek, procecure, vulnerabilityOphtek, LLC

Jun 2023

No IT infrastructure is 100% secure, but you can maximize your defenses and reduce your risk. All you need to do is complete an IT vulnerability assessment.

It’s important to understand exactly what your cybersecurity procedures can and can’t protect against. After all, assuming that your security measures are perfect is a sure-fire way to become complacent. And if there’s one thing that threatens the safety of your IT systems, it’s complacency. Therefore, it’s essential you understand why you need to complete an IT vulnerability assessment. And, more importantly, that you know how to complete one.

Understanding the Purpose of a Vulnerability Assessment

A vulnerability assessment looks at your IT infrastructure and reviews each and every security procedure, as well as highlighting any potential weaknesses. This pre-emptive approach is critical for reducing risk and protecting your systems. Its main objective is to evaluate your existing procedures and deliver suggestions for future improvements.

Preparing an Assessment

There are several steps when it comes to preparing an IT vulnerability assessment, and these include:

Identifying assets: if you’re evaluating the security procedures which protect your IT equipment, you need to start by identifying the assets which comprise your infrastructure. This means you will have a foundation to start your assessment from. So, for example, if you know that you have 20 laptops within your organization, you will need to evaluate all of these for upgrades, existing infections etc.
Determining the scope: it’s important for your vulnerability assessment to have a focus, so make sure you establish this early on. It may be that you simply want to carry out an assessment on your internal email systems, or it could be a more in-depth look at all your internet safety measures. Either way, with this scope established, you can conduct a targeted assessment with clearer objectives.
Select your tools: completing a vulnerability assessment requires numerous tools such as human labor, software, and new IT equipment. Accordingly, you need to make sure this is all available and can be budgeted for. This will allow you to complete a comprehensive assessment to the required standard and leave no shortfall e.g. IT systems which need to be upgraded will require funds to be available.

Analyzing Your Assessment

Once all your preparation is in place, you can complete your assessment as per your plan and guidelines. You then need to analyze the results of your assessment. As previously stated, no IT system is 100% secure, and your assessment will likely raise several concerns and vulnerabilities. Therefore, you will need to categorize these vulnerabilities both by area and severity e.g. weak firewall defenses (major) and staff writing passwords down (medium). This will allow you to begin planning a mitigation strategy to nullify these threats.

Implementing a Mitigation Strategy

With the information gleaned from your vulnerability assessment, it’s vital that you begin communicating this with the stakeholders within your organization. Ensure that your IT staff, department managers and executives are all aware of the vulnerabilities. Most importantly, also communicate how these will be mitigated, this will keep everyone on the same page and generate discussion on any potential implementation problems.

Finally, you need to put your mitigation strategy into place. These steps will vary, depending on your vulnerabilities, but common examples include additional training sessions for employees, updating software and upgrading legacy equipment. Whatever the plan, speed is of the essence to prevent these vulnerabilities turning into a catastrophe.

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

Stealer Malware Hidden in Fake Zoom Sites

Cyber Security, Data Security, malware, Ophtek, stealer malware, zoomCyber Security, Data Security, malware, Ophtek, security, stealer malware, zoomOphtek, LLC

Oct 2022

Six malicious websites have been discovered which claim to offer downloads of Zoom, but contain nothing but the Vidar stealer malware.

The popularity of Zoom – a video meeting application – has exploded in the post-Covid landscape we find ourselves living in. No longer do people need to travel for face-to-face meetings, they can now be conveniently arranged and carried out over video. Accordingly, the demand for Zoom is huge, with around 485 million downloads completed since 2020. Due to this popularity, a gang of cybercriminals have decided to use Zoom as the bait for downloading the Vidar stealer.

As your employees are likely to consider a Zoom install safe, it’s important that we delve a little deeper and demonstrate why it may be far from safe.

Beware of Fake Zoom Sites

Vidar has been an active threat for some time now, but this latest attack is a new campaign and carries a number of unique threats. The six sites, discovered by Cyble Research, use a variety of URLs such as ‘zoom-download’ and ‘zoomus’ to appear legitimate. And, if you visit one of these sites, the visual aesthetics are remarkably similar to the official Zoom website, but this is where all similarities end.

Attempting to download the Zoom application from these malicious sites will, instead, redirect you to a GitHub file depository. From here, two files will be downloaded to your temporary folder:

ZOOMIN~1.exe: this is a genuine Zoom installer which is included to create a front that nothing untoward is taking place.

Decoder.exe: this is the malicious file which injects Vidar’s ability to steal into the Microsoft Build Engine. With this infection in place, Vidar is then able to contact remote Command and Control servers and begin transmitting data from the infected PC.

Like most stealer malware, Vidar concentrates on extracting confidential data such as login credentials, network details and whether any further vulnerabilities are present in the IT infrastructure. If vulnerabilities are detected, then it’s highly likely these will be logged and sold by criminal gangs. Protecting yourself against Vidar, therefore, is crucial.

How to Avoid Having Your Data Stolen

The mechanics of the Vidar Zoom threat are relatively common in the world of malware, so it’s likely you will run into a similar threat at some point. The best way to protect your PCs is by following these practices:

Always Verify Websites: Vidar’s latest attack relies on poor judgement from its intended victims, the main error coming when they assume that the malicious website is genuine. Many antivirus suites contain tools which allow search results to be rated as to their level of safety, and there is also the option for these tools to present warning screens before accessing sites deemed unsafe. If these are unavailable, and you need to download some software, reach out to your IT team instead.

Install Updates: Vidar is keen on logging any vulnerabilities contained within your PC, so it makes sense to limit these vulnerabilities. The best way to achieve this is by always installing updates as soon as they are available.

Segment Your Network: to protect your data, it makes sense to adopt network segmentation. This procedure divides your network into different segments and allows you to keep them separate. Therefore, if one segment is breached, the others will remain protected, and this allows you to limit the spread of the malware.

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

The 5 Biggest IT Security Mistakes

attachments, Backup, Data Security, Hackers, Ophtek, Password Securityattachements, backup, Data Security, hackers, Ophtek, password securityOphtek, LLC

Aug 2022

Almost all cyber-attacks are due a common denominator: a mistake. We aren’t perfect, of course, but we can limit number of IT security mistakes we make.

Working on a PC is far from straightforward and, as a result, the sheer number of complex routines you must work through leaves plenty of room for mistakes. At the same time, all a hacker needs to take control of your system is a few milliseconds. Accordingly, even the smallest security mistake can leave your PC at the mercy of a hacker. However, by understanding what the most common, and usually simplest, IT security mistakes are, you can strengthen your IT defenses almost immediately.

Start Eliminating These Mistakes Today

If you want to make sure your IT infrastructure is safe from hackers, then you need to avoid these five IT security mistakes:

Not locking your screen: you may trust your work colleagues, but the fact remains that numerous people will enter your organization’s premises throughout the day. Some may be familiar, some may not. And that’s why it’s crucial you lock your screen. All you have to do is hit the Windows button and the L key; your screen will be locked with a password and the contents of your PC immediately protected.

Underestimating your value as a target: threat actors are malicious and, although they are certainly interested in big targets, they’re equally likely to target smaller organizations too. Additionally, many cyber-attacks are automated and don’t discriminate against who they attack. Therefore, never assume that your small business is of no concern to hackers. Remain vigilant and practice good IT security.

Passwords on Post-it notes: we all know that remembering passwords is difficult, but the biggest mistake you can make is by writing your password on a Post-it note. And then sticking it to your monitor. Sure, it’s convenient for you, but it’s also highly convenient for anyone looking to compromise your PC. Instead, create passwords you can easily remember, but are difficult for anyone else to crack.

Not backing up effectively: when it comes to IT, the range of backup options available in 2022 is plentiful. From on-site storage, to external cloud storage and even onto good old fashioned optical drives, there are numerous options. And it’s important that you use more than one backup option to protect your data, this will ensure it’s available when you need it. Remember: failing to maintain an effective backup process will seriously hurt your recovery time in the event of a cyber-attack.

Assuming email attachments are safe: ever since email became a mainstay of modern communications, it has carried a huge risk of delivering malware through email attachments. Most concerning of all, these infected attachments may be sent by email contacts you consider safe, it could even be your colleague sitting next to you. Threat actors can easily take control of a victim’s email address book and email malware under the guise of the victim’s email address. And that’s why you should evaluate every email you receive.

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

The Importance of Admin Accounts in IT

Admin Accounts, Data Security, Domain Admin Account, Domain Service Account, IT, OphtekAdmin Accounts, Data Security, Domain Admin Accounts, Domain Service Account, it, OphtekOphtek, LLC

Jun 2022

Visibility is vital when it comes to dealing with your IT network. Without it, anything could happen on your network. And that’s why we have admin accounts.

The amount of data processed on any business network will be substantial and, accordingly, it needs to be both secured and made accessible correctly. Your HR department, for example, will need to be able to access employee data whereas your sales team would, instead, more likely need customer data. Additionally, the security of your IT network needs considering. You wouldn’t, for example, want every employee to be able to download applications, an action which should only be reserved for IT professionals.

For all these factors to be regulated and correctly adhered to, you need to have an admin account overseeing everything.

What is an Admin Account?

The account you use to log on to Windows in the morning will, in general, be a standard user account. These will allow you to access the applications you need and store data which is relevant to your job. However, an admin account is significantly different. These grant the user much more power across the network. The most common and effective forms of admin accounts are:

Domain administrator accounts: this is the most powerful form of admin account, and allows those with the login credentials to carry out administrative tasks when required e.g. installing software and setting up new user accounts.

Doman service accounts: these admin accounts are used to complete automated tasks such as checking for software updates and completing backups. It’s important to separate these privileges from domain administrator accounts to maximize security.

What Do Admin Accounts Do?

Admin accounts are highly important when it comes to running an IT network, and their core focus includes:

User authentication: multi-factor authentication is one of the strongest forms of network security and its one which should be managed by admin accounts. This allows those with the correct privileges to put multi-factor authentication tools in place e.g. automated software to generate unique text message codes. Admin accounts can also be used to monitor and manage the way in which login credentials are entered e.g. raising an alert when multiple failed logins are attempted.

Analyze Data: one of the biggest breakthroughs in modern business has been the push to analyze data, and admin accounts are perfect for taking this on. Thanks to the visibility they have of your network, admin accounts are well placed to identify patterns such as the most popular files, website activity and where the most interaction takes place. This data can then be used to optimize your business performance.

Group configuration: admin accounts don’t need to operate purely on individuals’ accounts, instead they can configure entire groups. Therefore, if you need all of your customer service team to have the same privileges and access, admin accounts can configure bespoke solutions for entire teams. This not only puts team members on a level playing field, but it also reduces the time taken to configure user accounts for new employees – they are simply assigned the group privileges.

Final Thoughts

Admin accounts are an essential part of a functioning business IT network. Not only can they protect your employees and customers, but they allow you to optimize your performance in both IT and business productivity. Assigning admin account access, however, shouldn’t be taken lightly and it’s important that, when granted, this need is regularly reviewed to increase compliance and security.

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

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Tag Archives: Data Security