Silicon Prairie Cyber Services' Blog

Have you heard of mouse jigglers or mouse movers? They’ve become all the range since work from home has become more mainstream.   Back in my FBI days, we used mouse jigglers when we were on a search or at a crime scene to stop the computer from locking or going to sleep. If we didn’t have a mouse jiggler then the newest person would have to sit there and babysit the computer, constantly moving the mouse around to make sure we didn’t lose access to that computer, but I digress…   Today, people are using mouse jigglers to make sure they always appear active and don’t go to an away status on their computer while working remotely. They say it’s in the name of being paranoid about getting fired for being away from their desk too long to go to the bathroom or eat lunch. Yeah, let’s stick with that version of the story…   Now, before you jump on the Internet and start looking for your own mouse jiggler there is a dark side to all of this (besides your employer blocki...

Have you seen the Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads that started Nov 1 st ? The black Friday shopping that started Nov 4 th ? Clearly, businesses want you to spend your money shopping with them. And that means cyber criminals are just a few steps behind, and ready to snag your cash instead. In order to help you keep your money safe and receive the gifts you want this holiday season, I’m sharing… 10 TIPS FOR A SAFE AND SECURE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON 1.  Turn on MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION Add that extra layer of security to all of your accounts by adding an extra step to your login-procedure. This is a code you enter after you submit your username and password. The code can arrive via an app (such as Google Authenticator), text, or email. It may also called to as dual-factor or two-factor and is abbreviated as MFA or 2FA. Enable it everywhere possible -especially on password keepers, email, and financial accounts. 2.  Avoid FREE WIFI That FREE WiFi you're using might ...

The theme for Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Cybersecurity First. We are more connected than ever. The hybrid workplace is here to stay, and for employees, this means relying on connected devices from their home office. Smart home systems will rise to a market value of $157 billion by 2023, and we expect the number of installed connected devices in the home to rise by a staggering 70% by 2025. TIPS FOR SECURING ALL THOSE DEVICES. Remember smart devices need smart security Make cybersecurity a priority when purchasing a connected device. When setting up a new devices and accounts, be sure to set up the privacy and security settings to limit the sharing of information. Default settings often aren’t secure. Once your device is set up, remember to keep tabs on how secure your information is and actively manage location services so you don’t share your location by mistake. Put cybersecurity first in your job Make cybersecurity a priority in your job. Good cyber hygiene shoul...

The theme for Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Fight the Phish From the Colonial Pipeline to T-Mobile, cybersecurity attacks have been rampant over the last 12-24 months. However, for all the emerging threats and news that are cropping up, phishing continues to quietly wreak havoc, and remains a major threat to individuals and businesses. Don’t overlook phishing as a cyber risk. It’s been a major threat for decades. In fact, 43 percent of cyberattacks in 2020 featured phishing or pre-texting, while 74 percent of US organizations experienced a successful phishing attack last year alone. Phishing is one of the most dangerous and effective attacks methods used against your organization. As a result, you need to know how to fight the phish. 3 TIPS TO HELP YOU FIGHT THAT PHISH AND WIN Know the Red Flags Phishes are masters of making their content and interactions appealing. From content design to language, it's difficult to determine whether the content is genuine or a po...

The theme for Week 1 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Be Cyber Smart. Being cyber smart means getting familiar with cyber basics. When we are more connected than ever, being “cyber smart” is super important. This year we’ve already seen the number of attacks and breaches skyrocket, including the SolarWinds and Kaseya breaches and high-profile attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and critical infrastructure. What do these recent breaches teach us? Cyberattacks are becoming more evolved and sophisticated with new cybercriminals popping up daily. Luckily, there are several steps that everyone can take to reduce their risk and stay one step ahead of the bad guys. Here’s a few quick tips to get you started. Enable MFA Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a necessary second check to verify your identity when logging into your account. By requiring multiple methods of authentication, your account is further protected even if the bad guy knows your password. You can use MFA by enteri...

Let’s talk about phishing emails and the techniques used by cyber criminals to get you to click. Today, I’m going to focus on the subject line.   The subject line is super important, and that’s why the bad guys are using it against you. Why is the subject line so important? The subject line is the first and only hint at what the email is about. If you can’t reel ‘em in with the subject line they might never open your email. In fact, the subject line is so important that marketers test different subject lines against each other to see which one will get the most opens.   Cyber criminals try to invoke a sense of urgency and emotions to get you to click. That’s why words like ‘URGENT’ and ‘IMPORTANT’ have appeared in their subject lines for years. But now, there’s a new word in the subject line, and that new word is ‘NEW.’   THE NEW WORD IS NEW.   WHY IS ‘NEW’ SUCH A POWERFUL WORD IN PHISHING EMAILS? Legit emails and alerts contain the word ‘new’ The...

  Here’s a tip to help your business stop thinking of cybersecurity as the Department of No.   Help make their life easier!   HOW CAN YOU MAKE EVERYONE’S LIFE EASIER IN THE OFFICE? Give them a password keeper AND teach them how to use it.   HOW PASSWORD KEEPERS MAKE LIFE EASIER No more trying to memorize all the passwords you have No more forgotten passwords No more time wasted resetting passwords No more wasting time trying to think of unique passwords Put an end to tracking your passwords in Excel, post-it notes, and notebooks.   WHY CYBERSECURITY PROS RECOMMEND PASSWORDKEEPERS Passwords stored securely Unique passwords for every account Stronger passwords Secure sharing of passwords Reduce the risk of the business being locked out of an essential app   Help your employees save time and end their frustration by trying to memorize hundreds of passwords. Get them started with a password keeper t...

When I say ‘FlyTrap’ what comes to mind? A venus fly trap? ‘The Little Shop of Horrors’? A bug zapper? A strip of sticky tape with a bunch of flies stuck to it? Malware?   I hope you were thinking about malware because there’s some FlyTrap malware taking over Facebook Accounts, and it's been around since March.   How are they doing it? Social Engineering .   The bad guys have placed malicious apps in Google Play and other Android stores to lure you in with offers for free Netflix coupon codes and voting for your favorite soccer player or team. These apps look legit. They are high quality, use great graphics, and are free from grammar and spelling errors.   To get the code or to vote, you have to log in with your Facebook username and password. You are actually using Facebook to login, but unknown to the victim, there is something nefarious going on in the background, and it’s stealing their sensitive info.   WHAT TO DO IF THIS HAS ...

Have you heard about the UC San Diego Health data breach?   It started with a phishing attack back in December, and now the personal info of patients, students, and employees could be in the hands of cybercriminals. The victims could face identity theft at any time.   A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF AN EMPLOYEE DOING THE EVIL BIDDING OF THE BAD GUY. Employee(s) took action as directed in the phishing email. Those actions gave the hackers access to employee email accounts. The hackers could access everything in the employee email accounts.   WHY IT’S BAD FOR BUSINESS The hackers can access any password reset links that arrive via email. The hackers can access any multi factor authentication codes that arrive via email. The hackers can send emails directly from your email account and message your contacts requesting information or even changing payment instructions.   WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Sometimes maliciou...

  What do you think? Are the bad guys winning?   If you’ve been watching the news lately you might think, yes, the bad guys are prevailing over cybersecurity. In under a week over 1,500 businesses got hit with Ransomware thanks to a vulnerability in Kaseya VSA and the cyber gang REvil. Then there’s another cyber gang launching Trojan attacks against the Indian Military.   Sounds bad, right?   Let’s talk about some victories for the good guys . They arrested the suspected hacker Dr HeX for many cyber crimes, including financial fraud that affected thousands. Microsoft finally issues a patch to put an end to the PrintNightMare bug.   Don’t let the news overwhelm you . Businesses of any size can implement a successful cybersecurity strategy that can reduce your risk of cyber attack by 80%. But how...   FIVE TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS Beware of phishing emails Stop and think before you click Protect your accounts Secure your devices ...

I don't know about you, but to me, summer means fun in the sun, lazy days, and ice cream. Summer also means  it's ransomware season . It seems cybercriminals look forward to this season as much as I look forward to ice cream. Have you been keeping up with what ransomware has been up to this summer? If not, here's what you missed... RANSOMWARE ATTACKS SINCE MAY 2021 "DarkSide  ransomware being used to disrupt a major U.S. pipeline that transports almost half of all fuel consumed on the East Coast of the United States The claimed theft of 3 terabytes of sensitive data from part of the Asian operations of a global insurance subsidiary in attacks using  Avaddon  ransomware The shutting down of the IT systems of Ireland’s Health Service Executive — another victim of a  DarkSide  attack — disrupting patient care throughout the country The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) alerting of a spate of  Conti  ransomware attacks targeting American hea...

LET'S TALK PRIVACY.   Privacy. It’s been on my mind.   Has it been on yours?   Even if it’s not top of mind for you I bet you’ve been hearing about it and thinking about it without even realizing it, and I’ve got TWO words for you.   AMAZON. APPLE.   Why these two words?   Amazon : head over to last week’s blog post and read the Top 3 Things You Need to Know about Amazon Sidewalk.   Apple : People who use Apple Mail are rejoicing in the added privacy coming in the next major operating system releases for all Apple products. Why? No longer can the bad guys discover if you opened their email. On the flip side, businesses with an email list are freaking out as their open rates will become unreliable with this same privacy feature.   How can this new privacy feature be good and bad at the same time? Keep reading for answers.   2020 THE SUMMER OF THE TIKTOK PANIC Do you remember last summer when everyone was freaking out about TikTok? I know it w...