Silicon Prairie Cyber Services' Blog

Data Privacy week is January 24 – 28, 2022. What are you doing to increase data privacy awareness in your business? What about at home? If privacy isn’t one of the topics you include in your current cybersecurity awareness program, this is a great reminder to get it added. What’s the point? Privacy is more than an abstract idea that businesses need to worry about; it’s something you as an individual need to be concerned with too. As this week approaches, I want you to think about: Trading privacy for convenience. We ALL do this. That free app, you're trading your data and privacy for the convenience of getting to use that app for free. When an app asks for permission to access some additional info on your phone, do you read what it’s asking for? Or do you simply click yes and move on? You could give away too much information. If that app is asking for too much access, it’s probably best to uninstall that app and save yourself some grief later on. Learn how to manage your privacy. M...

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...

I thought it'd fun (and a little embarrassing) to share a story about the first time I testified in federal court for an FBI case. I had never been a courtroom before, and I really wasn’t into any of the shows that took place in one either. I didn’t really know what to expect. The Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) told me they’d call me into the courtroom, then I would be sworn in, and sit down in the witness stand. Sounds simple enough. Then once in the witness stand the fun would begin… They’d  ask me many questions about my background to get me brought in as an expert witness, I'd have to do a whole song and dance to see my notes when I didn’t recall the answer to something, and I'd have to speak to the jury like they have a 5 th  grade education (from the 1950s and know nothing about computers) with analogies aplenty. In this story, there’s a bad guy who did some nasty stuff to a woman and then tried to blackmail her. This how I remember the day... The ...

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...

Today was an exciting day for me because I had my first guest spot on a radio show. If you're following me on   Facebook  or you live in the Rochester, NY area you might have caught me on 98.9 The Buzz. I have to tell you it was a lot of fun, and I was honored to be brought in to talk about Amazon's new sidewalk project, ransomware, and what the average Jane can do to stay safe. If you missed it, you can watch it now. TOP 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMAZON SIDEWALK Your Amazon devices automatically opted in. If you want out, you have to take action. You'll be sending even more data to Amazon if you're part of the Sidewalk. No, your neighbor can't see what’s happening on your network, nor can you see what's on theirs. Do you have any Amazon devices? Are you opting out of the Sidewalk? Drop your comments below. Are you ready to reduce the risk of Ransomware attacks? Let's chat.  Book a complementary discovery session today.

Facebook hacked. Facebook data is insecure. LinkedIn hacked. TikTok is spying on you. Do you feel like you're seeing headlines like these constantly? Are headlines like these freaking you out? Facebook’s certainly been in the news again, and it seems like it’s never ending. Let me save you time and break down the media hype for you. What you need to know right now about Facebook The Facebook data breach took place in 2019 – and probably included your name, phone number, and email address Fraudsters could use that phone number to steal your identity – monitor your credit Facebook Messenger is NOT encrypted Switching to WhatsApp from Messenger is gaining momentum Whats App IS encrypted. It still collects some info about you but it’s WAY less than Messenger. Facebook Rooms are NOT encrypted There’s no such thing as a free service. You’re paying with your data and information. Visit my website to learn more about  services  to help your business or grab a complementary  ...

January 28 is Data Privacy Day. On this day advocates spread awareness about privacy and work to educate others about securing their personal information to protect their privacy. At the same time, we encourage businesses to increase transparency about how they store and use data they collect from customers. Start OWNING your PRIVACY by: Keep tabs on your apps.  Apps ask for access to a lot of your personal info like your location, contacts, and photos.  Before you grant access, decide if the app really needs that info. Manage your privacy settings.  Check the privacy and security settings for the online accounts and apps you use.   Learn how to manage your privacy settings for most online accounts at staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/managing-your-privacy/manage-privacy-settings/ Businesses can protect their customer's privacy by: Be transparent about how you collect, use, and share your customers' personal information. If you collect it, protect it. Imp...