Cybercrime has reached an all-time high during the pandemic and hackers are setting their sights on “low hanging fruit.” Don’t be their next victim!
If you’re a business owner who wants to prevent data breaches and be better protected from cyber-attacks, but you’re only using anti-virus and email filtering software to protect your computer network, then this information is of particular importance to your business. We know how frustrating it can be to feel powerless, confused, and forced to trust that you are being protected and treated fairly by whoever is supposed to be keeping your data safe. Cybersecurity can be overwhelming and feel like the “dark arts” at times, but there is a way to take back control so you can be confident in the way you run your business without fearing an attack around every corner.
If your business is only protected by anti-virus and email filtering YOU ARE EXPOSED to over 70% of dangerous mal-ware threats to your business that you cannot ignore.
SEE IF YOU’RE CURRENTLY INFECTED
AND HOW TO FIX IT INSTANTLY!
Get 1 FREE Executive Security Sweep done on any executive computer at your company. Call us at (210) 245-6900 to get your complimentary Executive Security Sweep today.
Anti-virus And Email Filtering Are NOT Enough. (read that again)
Your Anti-virus isn’t what you think it is and it’s not enough to save you from most threats that all small to medium-size businesses face on a daily basis. If you think you’re not in danger because you’re “too small,” think again. 82,000 NEW virus threats are being released every single day and HALF of the cyber-attacks occurring are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. Most of these cases are kept quiet out of embarrassment and to protect the victim’s reputation. Unfortunately, businesses with network security systems that only consist of protective software like Norton Antivirus, Bitdefender, McAfee, Webroot Antivirus, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, and ESET NOD32 are irresponsible at best. Most IT consultants won’t tell you that your anti-virus is completely ineffective against any viruses that are released after your anti-virus and email filtering are installed. There is a virtual army of thousands of hackers and very sophisticated crime rings that work around the clock to overcome known protections – and you can’t stop a brand-new threat that was invented yesterday with a security system that was designed six months to a year ago. It requires special expertise to stay on top of all of this, which is why many don’t. This is COMPLETELY unacceptable and leaves businesses like yours unnecessarily blind and vulnerable to new viruses that look nothing like the ones your anti-virus is trained to see and stop. These new viruses, known as “zero-day” viruses, make up over 70 percent of all attacks that pose a threat to your business. The ugly truth is, cybercrime is very real and it is very possible that you’re underestimating the potential damage, OR you are being ill-advised and underserved by the employees and/or vendors you hired to protect your business from these threats.
“Most IT consultants won’t tell you that your anti-virus is completely ineffective against any viruses that are released after your anti-virus and email filtering are installed.”
Just take this San Antonio construction company for example, their antiquated idea of network security solutions, provided by their IT Services Provider at the time, exposed them to a ransomware attack that there were never able to fully recover from. Since they were only protected with Webroot AntiVirus this left them exposed to mal-ware that their anti-virus was not able to identify and stop. Unfortunately, this company ignored this one deeply disturbing truth: Hacker tactics evolve faster than you can say “Hasta La Vista, Baby.” It took them more than a week to recover and they were never able to get all of their data back. After this data breach, they quickly realized the solutions their current IT provider recommended were ineffective against the latest hacker attacks. They called us in desperation and we showed them how they can better protect their company to avoid being impacted by another massive disruption like the one they had just experienced by using multiple layers of security including our zero-trust solution.
FREE EXECUTIVE REPORT: “Top 10 Ways Hackers Get Around Your Firewall and Anti-Virus To Rob You Blind.” Download Now >
You MUST Have A Proactive, “Zero-Trust” Approach To Cybersecurity
Next-gen behavioral-based cybersecurity software works to continuously monitor the behavior of your systems and the applications on them. It knows how the application should behave so that even if you are unknowingly infected, this innovative technology will quickly identify abnormal/dangerous cybercriminal behavior and stop it in its tracks. Rather than just focusing on stopping known threats with walls, behavioral-based cybersecurity solutions look for ANYTHING out of the ordinary whether it has seen it before or not. You can think of behavioral-based cybersecurity as your own personal – and very paranoid – Terminator T-X (arguably the most powerful of all Terminator models). If there are any atypical variations in computer behavior, like keystroke dynamics or mouse use characteristics during application use, behavioral-based authentication knows to shut it down.
Other even more aggressive forms of protection come in the forms of “application whitelisting” and “Ringfencing™” offered exclusively by our partner, ThreatLocker. Instead of learning your behavior, white-listing cybersecurity software will create a list of pre-approved applications that are allowed to run on your organization’s network, making it nearly impossible for a virus to deploy and infect your computer systems. Because whitelisting seals your network off from EVERYTHING that is not on the pre-approved application list, this type of “zero-trust” atmosphere gives you extreme control over your network security. However, there is a downside to this type of aggressive security measure; it may take several weeks to build up a complete list of pre-approved applications. You will have to stop and whitelist applications that you want to use and allow for future use if it’s not already on the list. It can be a little annoying at first, but it’s very much a “come with me if you want to live” situation when the alternative of not using this tactic may prove to be fatal to your business. Last but not least is Ringfencing™, which allows you to essentially micro-manage not only who at your organization can use what application, but how it can be used by dictating how applications are allowed to behave and interact with each other. One type of attack that Ringfencing™ is useful against that cannot be stopped by any other method is file-less mal-ware or “click-less” mal-ware, that will infect your system without you even clicking on anything. Ringfencing™ is crucial because the reality is if a hacker gains access to one of your applications it can be used to access everything you do without your knowledge.
Your anti-virus isn’t completely useless. It’s definitely a protection worth having in place to protect you from about a quarter of the threats out there. But don’t be fooled into thinking that anti-virus, anti-malware, firewalls, and email filtering are ANYWHERE near enough.
Here’s an example of a San Antonio financial services client we have who took control of their company’s safety by evolving their security measures to reflect not only the known threats (which only accounts for about 25 percent of the attacks we face today) but also the newest, unknown attacks being innovated by hackers every single day. We made it really easy for them to block EVERYTHING they don’t explicitly trust and put security layers in place to control what apps can run on their computers and what those apps can do. By taking these measures, this financial services company is doing everything they can to protect their most valuable assets – their data. Since implementing zero-trust/default-deny solutions, they have had no downtime or infections, allowing them to focus on growing their company without worrying about their technology.
It’s not a question of IF you’ll get attacked, it’s when. And when you fall victim to a cyber-attack through no fault of your own, will they call you stupid…or just irresponsible? Don’t be a “sitting duck” waiting to be picked off by a simple attack just because it’s new and your anti-virus and email filtering have no way of recognizing it. Because if your business is the victim of a cybercrime attack where client or vendor data is compromised, you will NOT get any sympathy. You will be investigated and questioned about what you did to prevent this from happening – and if the answer is not adequate, you can be found liable, facing serious fines and lawsuits. You will be required by law to tell your clients and/or patients that YOU exposed their private records, financials, and data to a criminal. Your competition will have a heyday over this, and clients will leave in droves once they discover you’ve been compromised. Your bank will NOT come to your rescue either, and unless you have a very specific type of crime insurance, any financial losses will not be covered. IT and cybersecurity leader, and CEO of ThreatLocker, Danny Jenkins says “Everybody fails, but if you’re not doing anything not to fail again…you have a problem.”
Mark Twain Once Said, “Supposing Is Good, But KNOWING Is Better”
If you want to know for SURE that your current IT company (or IT person) is truly doing everything they can to secure your network and protect you from ransomware, bank fraud, stolen and lost data and all the other threats, problems and costs that come with a data breach, then you need to call us for a FREE Zero-Trust Consultation. At no cost or obligation, we’ll send one of our security consultants and a senior, certified technician to your office (or meet with you virtually) to conduct a free Zero-Trust Consultation and Assessment of your company’s overall security posture to reveal just how quickly and easily your systems can be breached and give you a clear plan on how to drastically raise your level of security. Call us today at (210) 245-6900 to request your Zero-Trust Consult.
