These days you can?t go anywhere on the Internet without hearing about some sort of data breach. With cyber-attacks on the rise, many companies are trying a new approach to data security; proactive security plans. These plans focus on preventing data breaches, rather than reacting to an attack as it happens. Understand the Threats Knowledge is one of the most important tools used to fight against data breaches. Before you?re able to work towards creating a system that prevents cyber-attacks, you need to make sure that everyone involved knows what threats they are dealing with. Companies should take the time to review the different attack types that are common in their particular industry, and should have a meeting with whoever handles their IT at least twice a year to make sure they are up-to-date on the newest threats. Map Out Your Protection After you create your list of major attack types you want to look out for, you will need to map out your company?s technology environment to see how these attacks could threaten each individual piece. This includes any device that connects to the Internet, what services are currently protecting those devices, and the type of data they have access to. This will give you a better picture of what areas need more attention. Create a Security Baseline Once you get a better understanding of the current threats and how they apply to your IT environment, it?s time to create a baseline for your company security. This can be done by creating a variety of different real-life scenarios, and testing them out on your current network. This will help you to discover the strengths and weaknesses of your network. Once you have your system mapped out, it?s time to implement your security plan. These plans will allow you to focus on preventing things that cause data leaks or downtime, rather than reacting to issues as they come along. This will lead to an increase of productivity and efficiency. If you?re looking to buff up your security, don?t wait any longer! Call Info Advantage at (585) 254-8710 to speak to a security professional about how you can prevent potential cyber-attacks.
The price of desktop RAM has been on the rise in the last few months, and experts believe the trend won?t be stopping any time soon. According to a blog post by Newegg Business, RAM prices have been on the rise since June 2016. Newegg reported that prices jumped up 20-30% over the summer, affecting all desktop memory brands. Since then, prices have continued to gradually climb as supply fell just below the level of demand. So how much is the cost of RAM rising by? According to PC Part Picker?s pricing history, a 2 x 8GB kit of G.Skill DDR4-2400 RAM cost about $75 at Newegg back in November. At the time, they were the lowest price available. Now, over three months later, the same system can be found on Newegg for $111. These trends have shown persistent for nearly all types of RAM, no matter the make or manufacturer. There are a few factors that can be blamed for the increase in RAM pricing. One of the major reasons for the price change is the industry shift to DRAM chips for mobile devices, which have been on the rise as smartphones continue advance in technology. According to Nanya Technology president Pei-Ing Lee in an interview with DigiTimes, higher demand for DRAM chips have pushed up both price and production levels. The sudden increase of demand pushed manufacturers to focus their efforts on DRAM production, placing server and desktop memory production on the back burner. Lee believes this is a trend that will continue throughout 2017, with prices stabilizing by the third quarter (July through September.) However, prices are not expected to go back down any time soon. That means if you?re looking to buy RAM for a new system, or were looking to upgrade your current system, now is the time to buy. Prices are expected to steadily rise in the next few weeks, and demand will only continue to swell as consumers look for the newest in mobile technology. Looking to upgrade your current RAM but not entirely sure what you need? Contact Info Advantage at (585) 254-8710 today to speak with technology professionals who can help you figure out exactly what your system needs, and at the right price.
A company known as River City Media (RCM) has accidently leaked the email addresses of 1.37 billion users due to the failure of setting up a password protection on their remote backup storage. In addition to email addresses, the database also included thousands of real names, IP addresses, and even physical addresses. In all, some 200GB of data had been exposed for several months, leaving it vulnerable to cyberattacks. The leak was found by Chris Vickery, a security researcher for MacKeeper. In his blog post published on Monday, March 6, Vickery explains that MacKeeper worked closely with CSOOnline and Spamhaus after the discovery of the files in January. Vikery and his team were able to trace the files back to RCM, a notorious spam operation. ?RCM masquerades as a legitimate marketing firm while, per their own documentation, being responsible for up to a billion daily email sends,? says Vickery. Vickery believes the company was able to obtain the almost 1.4 billion email addresses through offers such as credit checks, sweepstakes, and education opportunities. There is also evidence that similar spam companies also contributed to the list. While some percentage of the user may have fallen for RCM?s spam offerings, Vickery also suggests that the company used a variety of more advanced techniques to lure users to give up their email address. ?One is called co-registration,? explains Vickery, ?That?s when you click on the ?Submit? or ?I agree? box next to all the small text on a website. Without knowing it, you have potentially agreed your personal details can be shared with affiliates of the site.? The leak is blamed on a failed remote backup attempt, which left a ?snapshot? of the company data from January 2017 exposed to the internet. Anyone who found the data would be able to access internal chatlogs, emails, and the 200GB email collection RCM had acquired. According to Vickery, the failure was due to RCM failing to put a password up on their repository, leaving it poorly secured. Since the release of the break, Spamhaus has blacklisted the entirety of RCM?s infrastructure. The research team working on the case have also reached out to law enforcement agencies about the data leakage and suspected illegal spamming. Putting security and proper backup on the back burner can cause serious damage. Don’t let your company fall pray to the thousands of threats that lurk just a click away. Contact Info Advantage today at (585) 254-8710 to speak to a technology consultant about your security and backup environment.