<p>If you are like many of our clients, you have probably heard some of the buzz about the cloud, but most people do not quite understand what it means. In essence, cloud computing is simply a way to rent the computing you need by getting it over the Internet, in lieu of buying your own hardware and software. A lot of businesses like cloud computing for two key reasons: they only pay for what they need, and they do not have to worry about their IT investment becoming obsolete.</p>
<p>The cloud may seem like a new concept. In reality, though, cloud computing has been around for a while. If you keep track of customers on Salesforce, bank online, or share photos with friends on Facebook, you are already using the cloud. The biggest cloud application of them all is Google.</p>
<h2>The benefits worth weighing</h2>
<p>Some business owners are nervous about moving critical data or applications offsite to an outside vendor. However, doing so comes with a number of benefits.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Disaster protection.</strong> If your data is stored offsite, it will not disappear should a disaster strike your business.</li>
<li><strong>Pay-as-you-go pricing.</strong> If your business is like most, you have to manage cash carefully, and avoiding big hardware investments and software upgrades can be attractive.</li>
<li><strong>Scalability.</strong> Cloud-based services can grow or shrink depending on how much you need. If demand in your type of business is cyclical or seasonal, you do not pay for computing you do not need during slower periods, and if you need more computing power during a busy period, it is there when you need it.</li>
<li><strong>Fewer distractions.</strong> Putting your services in the cloud means that owners and managers can spend more time focused on their core business.</li>
<li><strong>Remote access to tools.</strong> With cloud computing, your employees have a safe, reliable way to access your business technological resources even as they work remotely.</li>
</ul>
<h2>It is not an all-or-nothing decision</h2>
<p>To cloud or not to cloud is also not typically an all-or-nothing decision. For example, you do not have to store all your data there. You can just use the cloud for backups. Some applications may make more sense running in the cloud, and others might not.</p>
<p>So, is cloud computing right for you? We can help you find out. Dynamic Edge offers free network assessments, and we would love to meet with you to discuss the tech solutions, cloud-related or otherwise, that best fit your needs.</p>

To Cloud or Not To Cloud?

You have probably heard the buzz about the cloud, but most people do not quite understand what it means. Is it a place or an application, and how is it best used?

<p>All security risks are not created equal. Some HIPAA regulations may protect against very minor data leaks, but a big ransom attack may cause your business to stop. The biggest impact of a ransomware attack is on your medical billing, because without the flow of bills going out and payments coming in, how are you going to pay for your staff and equipment?</p>
<p>With a ransomware attack, will you be able to continue to treat patients? Or will you start having to turn them away because you do not have their records and do not want to risk malpractice because your notes are not all where they should be? The ransomware economy has evolved. Like any market, it has grown and changed in response to how users react to infections. Because businesses have historically paid hefty ransoms to get their data recovered, more and more ransomware is being developed every day. What criminals understand is that businesses, and especially healthcare businesses, need their data immediately to function, and many make emotional decisions to pay ransoms at any cost.</p>
<h2>Unpatched software is the open door</h2>
<p>Software vulnerabilities are being identified at an astounding rate. The software you are using right now, maybe your Windows operating system, your EHR software, or even something as seemingly benign as the application you installed to print on that new fancy printer, might all be targets. Cybercriminals are scanning networks for known vulnerabilities, the ones that companies like Microsoft, Google and Adobe are publishing with fixes, and are penetrating and infecting networks at an alarming rate.</p>
<p>Your IT support needs to make sure your systems are patched and that patches are tested to ensure the patch actually works. That means cataloging all of your software and operating systems, checking daily for security patch releases, and applying and testing patches across your network. That is a lot of work for one or even a couple of people to do consistently while dealing with all of the other user problems eating up their time.</p>
<h2>Most businesses have no tested recovery plan</h2>
<p>Another reason ransomware is so successful is that most IT departments fail to plan ahead. When a virus attacks the entire network, most IT support react without a clear plan to move ahead, recover files, and get your business generating cash flow. Without a tested recovery plan that helps you detect if everything is working properly, you may risk attacks that leave your business down for weeks while an untested restore process is underway.</p>
<p>The same goes for backups. While many IT support teams assure you that your backups are working, they never actually check them. Without good backups to recover from, your business may have lost all of its patient records. That means no billing, no patient care, no cash flow, nothing.</p>
<h2>Aging infrastructure and untrained users</h2>
<p>Many IT support companies will simply give you the lip service you want to hear. If you hear things like we can do that without ever getting any pushback, there is likely something wrong. When IT support companies assure you they will support older infrastructure, old operating systems, and outdated software, what they are not telling you is that behind the scenes they are simply crossing their fingers hoping everything will continue to work.</p>
<p>Add to that a lack of user security training. Most of your users have no clue how to detect the latest phishing scams, and annual training is an important part of keeping your organization secure. Finally, most businesses fall to the this will never happen to us syndrome. By overcoming that mentality and getting an annual third party cybersecurity assessment, many organizations become far less likely targets.</p>

Will the Next Ransomware Attack Make You Unable To Bill Your Patients?

All security risks are not created equal. Some regulations protect against very minor data leaks, but a big ransom attack can make your business simply stop.

<p>Ransomware is hitting the healthcare field more frequently than any other industry, because hackers and criminals understand that healthcare data is precious. What I want to talk about is why ransomware is particularly successful in healthcare environments, and the relatively straightforward steps your office should be taking or reviewing regularly to make sure your valuable patient data is safe.</p>
<p>Doctors want to protect their patients, to keep their patient records from criminals, and to preserve a trusting environment where patients can share what is really going on so proper diagnoses are made and treatments administered. As a business owner, you worry about your office being up and running when it is supposed to be, so treatments are done on time but also so billing goes out and payments come in. But in talking to doctors and administrators, what I have found is that many worry their data systems are not keeping up with even basic security.</p>
<h2>Security should not be an extra</h2>
<p>What the majority of healthcare offices tell me is that while they are concerned with being compliant, they do not have the time or the resources to keep their networks secure. My answer is that security should not be an extra. Healthcare IT security should not be something you seek a la carte. It should be something you expect with the main course.</p>
<p>If your ongoing support is doing what they are supposed to, if they understand your business strategy, know where your vulnerabilities lie, and prioritize fixing critical security risks, you would not have any problems securing your network from ransomware. The reason IT security feels too expensive is because you are not dealing with a team that is trained in healthcare, trained in security, and finding strategic ways to protect your data without increasing spending.</p>
<h2>Patching, blocking and monitoring</h2>
<p>I am always surprised to see clinic, hospital, and healthcare office networks without critical security patches applied. Criminals are exploiting systems that have not been updated simply by walking their network and entering it undetected. Even worse, criminals add organizations that have been attacked because of unpatched networks to their list of places to attack again. More often than not, clinics that were attacked once get reinfected with newer, more potent viruses a second and even third time.</p>
<p>On blocking unwanted traffic, I would say that over 60% of the offices I have had to remediate from CryptoWall had not updated their antivirus, and while many organizations have a firewall, most are outdated and not doing much to prevent contemporary attacks. On monitoring, many healthcare organizations have no idea what a normal day looks like on their network, which makes it impossible to understand when computers are getting infected or a virus is moving.</p>
<h2>Responding to an attack</h2>
<p>Another big vulnerability healthcare faces is responding to an attack. You will need to recover files from backups and restore your records so doctors can continue to give exceptional patient care. The problem is that many healthcare organizations have not planned for disaster, or have inadequate plans that have never been tested.</p>
<p>When you get ransomed, more often than not when we come in to assist, the incumbent IT support is clueless and your administrators or office staff have no idea what they should do, who they should contact, and how they should move forward. Having a backup and disaster recovery plan, often referred to as a business continuity plan, is essential.</p>

Why Healthcare Is Particularly Vulnerable To The Next Ransom Attack

Ransomware hits healthcare more often than any other industry, because criminals understand that patient data is precious. Here is why it works, and what to review.

<p>If you are like many business owners nowadays, you are probably considering options when it comes to cyber insurance, which will likely protect you from a variety of liabilities you will incur if a cyberattack successfully penetrates your business network. But buy a policy and you are set, right? Not so fast. Read the fine print.</p>
<h2>What a policy typically covers</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Legal expenses.</strong> If your company is breached, you will want legal advice on the specific obligations you have under state, federal and local laws. A company needs to move swiftly through a breach to survive, and having counsel experienced in cyber incidents makes a big difference.</li>
<li><strong>Forensic work.</strong> When you discover a breach, you are obliged to determine what happened and what information was exposed. Expert forensic examination determines the source and, more importantly, identifies the files that were touched.</li>
<li><strong>Notifications and press releases.</strong> Your company will be required to release a statement and notification of a data breach, especially under regulatory pressure such as NCUA, PCI or HIPAA.</li>
<li><strong>Credit and identity monitoring.</strong> You will likely be responsible for ensuring the identities of your users and clients are safe as a breach requirement.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Now read the fine print</h2>
<p>Your cyber insurance coverage will be contingent on your business following cybersecurity best practices. At minimum, your insurer will likely expect a basic IT security regimen. Keep your network up to date, because applying security patches is your first bet at keeping your business secure. Train your users, because understanding how to recognize phishing scams is critical to reducing your risk. Back up your network, because as long as your team is down you get no cash flow. Monitor your traffic daily for suspicious activity. And test, test, test. If you do not test what you do, you cannot guarantee anything is working.</p>
<p>If you are not showing persistent effort in protecting your network, you might be at risk of not being covered under your policy, and will have to foot hefty bills yourself.</p>
<h2>The deductible is not small</h2>
<p>Even if you think you are taking proper precautions, many cyber insurance policies require a hefty deductible before they even kick in. While the policy will prevent you from having to foot the brunt of the cost of an attack, you will still have a big hole in your pocket after all is said and done.</p>
<p>So before signing your policy, get an IT security risk assessment completed. The first step to securing your network is to set up a risk assessment and impact analysis. You need to understand your risks before you can understand what your insurance policy will require, and a thorough assessment will also help you understand what kind of coverage you actually need.</p>
<h2>You will need to prove the event</h2>
<p>Know specifically what your insurance provider requires for you to make a claim. You may be required to perform a forensic investigation to determine how the breach occurred, and in some cases, if you were negligent in patching or keeping your network updated, the policy may not cover you at all.</p>
<p>You can think of cyber insurance the same way you think of auto insurance. Auto insurance does not give you a green light to drive drunk, just as cyber insurance does not give you the ability to overlook cyber security. Having cyber insurance may be helpful in recovering from a breach, but it is no silver bullet. Your first line of defense is solid IT security.</p>

Got Cyber Insurance? Can You Afford the Deductible?

Buy a cyber policy and you are set, right? Not so fast. Your coverage is contingent on following security best practices, and the deductible may surprise you.

<p>A consumer survey suggests that more than half of Americans still have not checked their credit report since the big Equifax breach, which exposed Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and other personal data of nearly 150 million people. The problem is that a good swath of people affected by the breach are keeping their heads in the sand and are not even checking to see if they have been affected.</p>
<h2>Fraudulent tax filings are the visible result</h2>
<p>One of the most visible results of the Equifax data breach has been fraudulent tax filings. Scammers are exploiting data from the breach, along with additional information from employment records, to fraudulently file employees tax returns. This scam has impacted tens of thousands of people and has not let up.</p>
<p>All credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus can be obtained for free online at annualcreditreport.com. Keeping your credit report top of mind does require considerable discipline, but if you are not checking in on your report, you might be missing serious red flags. The longer you wait to find them, the longer you are opening the door to bigger problems down the road.</p>
<h2>Consider freezing your credit</h2>
<p>With a freeze on your credit file in place, even if identity thieves try to open credit in your name, they will not be able to get very far. Before granting lines of credit, every creditor evaluates how risky your account is, and when they see a freeze they will likely reject the application without a second thought.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that credit reports are not a golden ticket to being completely secure and free of fraud, but checking your report regularly gives you a good idea of where you stand. The biggest help credit monitoring gives you is sorting out discrepancies and fraud with the bureaus, especially reconciling fraudulent accounts opened in your name.</p>
<h2>Limit your exposure on social media</h2>
<p>One of the easiest ways for cyber scammers to glean valuable information is through social media. Without giving it a second thought, many of us over-share online, including the golden tidbits we use to verify our identities. A scammer may easily find your mother maiden name, what city you grew up in, the name of your first pet, your birthdate, and a whole bunch of other treasures by simply scanning your Facebook account. They can also learn your routines, which is valuable for setting up a very targeted phishing scam.</p>
<h2>Check bank accounts, and protect the business network</h2>
<p>One of the biggest mistakes people make when their identities have been compromised is not actively checking financial accounts. Scammers sit on piles of information waiting for the best time to use it, and one of the easiest quick-cash routes is cracking into bank accounts. Check your accounts at least monthly for unusual logins or suspicious charges, and contact your bank immediately after finding suspicious activity. Also, do not use the same password for everything. Once a hacker cracks one, everything you have is in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Another big oversight is how much sensitive personal information your business actually stores. If your network is not secure, if you have not applied security patches, are not monitoring for suspicious activity, and have no clue where all your sensitive files are, you may be putting your team identities at risk.</p>

Have You Checked Your Credit Since The Equifax Attack?

More than half of Americans still have not checked their credit report since the Equifax breach. Keeping your head in the sand is the expensive option.

<p>With ransom and phishing attacks on the rise, most businesses struck with an attack have no clue what to do to respond. Now that we know lightning strikes twice when it comes to ransom attacks, once attacked your chances of a subsequent attack are very likely, it is more important than ever to be prepared to completely remediate an infection and respond afterwards.</p>
<h2>Conduct a root cause analysis</h2>
<p>On the surface you might be thinking about ransomware remediation as specifically recovering your files and getting your team up and running. What you or your IT team might be seriously overlooking is that your chances of a reinfection, and continued downtime, are higher now than they were before you got hit the first time.</p>
<p>The clearest way to ensure attackers do not get in a second time is by evaluating the root cause. You may think you know what happened. Maybe you suspect a user clicked on a link, or someone self-identified as patient zero. But there are multiple ways for an attack to have presented itself, and the symptoms your users saw may not be conclusive as to the actual cause.</p>
<p>Create a workflow and playbook that goes beyond remediation. After a phishing attack, ask how the person got targeted. What was the messaging on the email? How did it get through spam filtering? It may turn out that someone used their corporate email address to sign up for a less than reputable website. Does your security policy address issues like this, and if so, was the user unaware of it? Simply treating the symptoms will get you nowhere when it comes to preventing the next attack.</p>
<h2>Use metrics to improve</h2>
<p>Making sure you at least have metrics to track progress will help you see security issues going away and hold specific people accountable. Note that most IT support teams try to avoid accountability metrics because they fear the unknown. Most often, instead of taking ownership of security issues, they will pass the buck to specific users they blame rather than finding proactive ways to get to the bottom of it.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend leveraging security metrics as a basis for making process improvements, because they reveal truths about your system that get overlooked if not exposed, and because measurable metrics help you quantify improvements to your board, team or clients.</p>
<h2>Keep evidence of the attack</h2>
<p>Many IT support teams cannot figure out how to determine the extent of a breach unless files are visibly encrypted for ransom. In the post-incident phase, you should carefully determine what was touched by the attack. This will help you enormously in the event of any litigation or audits down the road. If you do not satisfactorily document what you did and how you assessed your cyber event, a court may hold you responsible for negligent behavior and your clients may lose trust in your ability to hold their best interest at heart.</p>
<h2>Self-reflect, and change your policies</h2>
<p>The organizations that survive cyberattacks are the ones that learn from their mistakes. They perform third party network security assessments and find ways to improve. In addition to strengthening your security weaknesses, evaluate your team preparedness. Make sure you have full awareness and training of your entire staff, and clearly assign roles to key members so you can bounce back quickly.</p>
<p>Write or modify your existing security policy so people know what is acceptable in the workplace, and if best-practice policies conflict with current habits, find a way to reconcile the inconvenience. For instance, if most of your users insist on using personal cell phones on your network, consider limiting them to a guest WiFi to mitigate the risk of devices infecting your network. Bottom line, if you were a victim of any type of cyberattack, you need to prepare your team and network for the next one.</p>

Do You Have A Disaster Response Plan To Mitigate Another Ransom Attack?

Lightning does strike twice with ransom attacks. Once you have been hit, your chances of a second attack go up, which makes the response plan the real work.

<p>The number of cyberattacks has been increasing at an unprecedented rate. I wish this statement, which we have been making for years now, was no longer true, but the sad and cold reality is that cyberattacks continue to hit businesses of all sizes.</p>
<h2>Two reasons attacks keep increasing</h2>
<p>Attacks are more far-reaching today than ever. One of the easiest means for hackers to penetrate networks now is increasing their reach, and their malware is able to spread further and faster than ever before. With networks remaining unpatched and users still susceptible to even common phishing attacks, it is easier for hackers to expand their targets than to morph their attack types.</p>
<p>While many attackers are merely increasing the volume of attacks in expectation of hitting more victims by the rule of numbers, some very crafty hackers are increasing their sophistication to outthink IT departments, simultaneously targeting multiple attack vectors. That focus on innovation, along with the speed and volume at which threats are administered, has made for increasingly successful campaigns against organizations that remain completely unprepared.</p>
<h2>What a vulnerability scanner actually finds</h2>
<p>A vulnerability scanner assesses a variety of vulnerabilities across your network, including computers, network systems, operating systems, and software. It can also identify weaknesses related to vendors, system admins, and users.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Vendor-based issues</strong> range from software bugs, missing patches, vulnerable services, insecure configurations, and web app vulnerabilities. Since most vendors are not security-focused, they do not incorporate security in their products, leaving you less secure than you ever would have imagined.</li>
<li><strong>System admin issues.</strong> In most assessments we perform, we see admin access given to people who should not have it, or a lack of password policies.</li>
<li><strong>User-generated issues.</strong> Users share credentials with peers, fail to run virus scanning software, land on malicious sites, or unsuspectingly introduce backdoor vulnerabilities.</li>
</ul>
<h2>The benefits</h2>
<p>Scanning against an updated database of known vulnerabilities is one of the easiest ways to identify both internal and external threats. When a new device connects, the scanner should detect any potential threats and identify rogue machines. And you likely do not have a clue how many devices connect to your network at any given time. Continual scanning lets you manage and track that.</p>
<h2>What to keep in mind</h2>
<p>Network scans are simply snapshots in time. If you do not see vulnerabilities at the moment you assess the network, threats that are very real may not present themselves, and you may be clueless when an attack strikes. Vulnerability scanners also only report cut-and-dry information. They will not determine what your response should be, and if you are simply relying on a tool to tell you the state of your network, you may be badly misjudging your security.</p>
<p>Scans themselves can pose threats. If you do not know what you are doing, a scan may crash an already vulnerable server, and scans may use enough network resources to jeopardize continuity. There is also the risk of improper handling of results. In some cases attackers have obtained security vulnerability information directly from network scans and easily exploited the loopholes.</p>
<p>And the most obvious reason to get an assessment: the bad guys are running network scans against you this very minute. Cyber criminals are scanning the internet looking for networks with vulnerabilities, using the very tools the good guys use, to hack into, penetrate, steal, and exploit your business data.</p>

Vulnerability Network Assessments: Should You Consider Scanning Your Network?

Cyber criminals are scanning your network this very minute, using the same tools the good guys use. Here is what a vulnerability assessment does and does not tell you.