How to Protect Your Digital Identity?

Protect Your Company Data Webinar
June 25 1:00 EST
Register Here

You have to responsible for the monitoring your digital identity. But how can you protect it? Here are some tips that can help you get started.

Use Password Manager

Using a password manager is the simplest yet effective IT security tip when it comes to protecting your digital identity. Passwords have become a big problem and are now considered as cockroaches of the industry.

Your email could be the gateway to all of the services you use. If a hacker gets access to your inbox, they will have control over it. They can reset your password, impersonate you and send out emails without your knowledge, and even steal money.

Even if you are already using password managers, it is possible that you have reused the passwords for several years and in different websites.

Set up Two Factor Authentication

If you have enabled two-factor authentication, you need to use two factors in order to authenticate yourself before you can log in or confirm a certain transaction. This could be entering a password, Pin code, or passphrase; using your mobile device, a USB key, or physical token; or a hand gesture, face recognition, or fingerprint.

There are different kinds of two-factor authentication across services and countries. However the most common ones are USB stick tokens, disconnected tokens, mobileauthenticator apps, national ID cards, printed single use passwords, email single use passwords, and SMS one-time passwords.

Think Before You Click or Post

Let’s say you’re checking social media. Someone you follow posts a poll asking if remote workers are more productive and it piques your interest. You should take a second before you click the poll. Do you need to participate in the poll? If you do, will it leak details about yourself or the company you work for?

What if you receive an email for a common service that you are using? It’s asking you to read a blog, click on a link, or download a file. Check first. Is it a legitimate website? If not, don’t open it.

Don’t Believe Someone Calling You Is Who They Claim To Be

Before, it was common for banks to call clients by phone in order to verify some crucialinformation or to confirm a transaction. But that’s no longer the case these days. Now, there are a lot of fraudsters who may try to call and ask for your pin code, password, or other important information like your social security number. They may even ask you to reset your password. Don’t believe anyone who claims they are from the bank. If you receive such a call, ask for a number which you can call. Compare that number on the number listed on their website and check a trusted directory. This also applies to emails. Do not reset your password, if you receive an email out of the blue asking you to do so.

Add A Secondary Password on your Mobile Subscription Account

Call your mobile operator and ask if you can have a secondary pin code that will help protect your subscription. In a few countries, the default PIN is commonly the last four digits of their social security number.

Ask Services To Allow You To Sign Documents Digitally

If you have to sign an agreement, there’s no excuse for printing the paper, affixing your signature into it using a pen, and scanning it back in. Today, digital signatures have become a solid level of security and the tools for signing documents online have become easier and much more intuitive. But, only a few firms and government offices have embraced this new technology. Call your service providers and ask if you can sign documents digitally.

Be Careful Where You Share Your Personal Data

Online services collect data about you and the more info they get the more they can make money out of it. So be very careful what details you provide and where. Be careful who you trust and carefully consider the decisions you make especially when it concerns your digital life. Visit web services that require less personal data or use only those that you have been using for a long time and have a good reputation online.

Monitor Your Credit Files

Always check your credit files regularly as part of your routine in monitoring your digital identity. A bank would check your credit file in case they would like to evaluate your solvency and that’s why it is important to remember that anyone who sees your credit file will leave a mark on it. Monitoring it regularly will help you check for any suspicious activity.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts help you keep your business and client information safe by setting up only the most effective cybersecurity measures that can help keep online threats and hackers at bay.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Home Chef Company Data Breach Affected 8 Million Customers

Protect Your Company Data Webinar

June 25  1:00 EST

Register Here

Are you a Home Chef customer? If so, be advised that the company recently announced a data breach.

It was discovered after the hackers who broke in sold more than 8 million user records on the Dark Web.

The group, calling themselves "The Shiny Hunters" has been busy of late.

They've been selling databases containing records stolen from a total of eleven different companies, with prices ranging from $500 to $2500 per database.

Home Chef was made aware that the database containing their customers' information was available for sale nearly two weeks ago. However, the company waited an inordinate amount of time before coming forward and publicly announcing the breach, a delay which has cost them in the eyes of their customers.

Part of the company's notice on their website reads, in part, as follows:

"Protection of customer data is a top priority for Home Chef and we work hard to safeguard our customers' information. We recently learned of a data security incident impacting select customer information."

The FAQ accompanying the notification goes on to outline that the stolen data includes the following information. It included the customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, the last four digits of any credit card numbers on file, encrypted passwords, and a variety of other general profile information.

Home Chef stressed that only the last four digits of a customer's card was accessed, and reiterated that they don't store complete payment information in their databases.
That's all well and good, but the company is finding it hard to convincingly sell the idea that protection of customer data is a top priority. After all, they waited two weeks to inform their customers that their information was for sale on the Dark Web. That is why, despite the fact that this breach is relatively small compared to others we've seen over the past twelve months, the company is taking flak for it.

In any event, if you're a Home Chef customer, be sure to head to their website and see if yours was one of the accounts accessed. Even if it wasn't, the prudent course of action would be to change your password at the very least.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team help you set up the most effective cybersecurity strategies to make sure that your client and business information are kept safe at all times. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Florence, SC 29501
843-396-8762
http://manageditservicesflorence.com

Make Your Employees The Frontline of Cyber Defense

Let us provide you a full picture of your company’s security posture and potential risk, so the employees who were the weakest link in your defense can become its strongest point of protection.

CYBER-ATTACKS ARE ON THE RISE

Because employees are the core of any business, they will be the main target for cyber criminals. Making sure your people stay up-to-date with cyber security knowledge, and teaching them to recognize threats, is imperative to the security of your business. The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and so should your approach to defense.

TRAIN AND PHISH!

Trained and aware employees are critical to securing an organization, and an effective, ongoing internal security awareness program can help reduce your company’s vulnerability, turning the “weakest link” in your cyber defenses into its greatest strength.

Security awareness training and phishing simulations go hand in hand. Phishing has become very sophisticated and almost undetectable, as criminals have found ways to make their emails as realistic as possible. Phishing simulations test employees on how they would respond to a real-life phishing attack. We can send these mock attacks at staggered times, avoiding the “prairie dog effect” where employees warn one another of the email, for the best measurement of all employees’ awareness. We’ll track which employees have clicked on a phishing email, who has given away their password and who has ignored the email.


Once a learning gap is detected, we’ll deliver interactive educational videos to the most susceptible users. These easy-to-understand, short and visually engaging training videos include an online quiz to verify the employee’s retention of the training content. Training can be delivered regularly, to reinforce the importance of every employee’s role in protecting your business.

SpartanTec, Inc.
 Florence, SC 29501 
843-396-8762 
http://manageditservicesflorence.com