IT support in Sacramento needs to provide comprehensive solutions which protect from all sides against known and unknown IT threats. At Noverus Innovations, Inc., we advise a number of protective measures to help ensure operations aren’t undermined by cybercrime. One aspect of our protections concerns identifying software threats and providing means of barricading operations from them. Common cyber threats to consider include:

• General Viruses
• Corporate Espionage—Think: Spyware
• Pernicious Adware
• The Recently-Dubbed Scareware
• Ransomware
• Trojans

General Viruses

Antivirus software can help against general software viruses. These are more annoying than anything. Some are designed as impractical jokes, some are designed to siphon information, some are designed for no discernible purpose. You’re likely to find these attached to .exe files. They tend to spread through your computer and at the worst can crash it. At Noverus Innovations, Inc., we recommend real-time file scanning solutions in conjunction with antivirus protocols for the most comprehensive protection

Corporate Espionage—Think: Spyware

Spyware is another way other businesses may steal operational secrets from yours but there are other corporate espionage techniques which use multiple means of intrusion. IT support in Sacramento recommends anti-spyware solutions, and at Noverus, we can help you to properly apply anti-spyware protocols. Something else you want to do is hide your login information so that some physical espionage agent doesn’t find his way into your system simply by memorizing a sticky-note.

Pernicious Adware

Especially on insecure sites, adware can be a real scourge. You’ve seen it. Pop-ups sometimes jump out of certain websites and make it nigh-impossible to navigate your end-user portal. These can be especially annoying on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, as touch-screen interfaces are exploited against the user’s best interests. Some of these adware pop-ups can end up installing unwanted software on your operating systems. Regarding sensuous markets, this can be professionally damaging to your business. Compounding the issue is that such adware often accompanies seeming milquetoast sites. You need to have firewall protections in place and carefully meter which sites are accessible on your business’s network. The right Sacramento cyber security team can help you design an appropriate strategy here.

Scareware

These are adware viruses which pretend to notice a virus on your computer and offer a solution. They try and scare you into downloading what they offer. Avoid these, they can usher in all manner of underhanded software.

Ransomware

Ransomware can cost you a lot. In 2017, May, the WannaCry virus combined ransomware with a worm that transcended countries, affecting over 150. You need to have patches, which are continuously updated as new ones become available. Additionally, you need to educate employees pertaining to best email practices. Email is traditionally where ransomware comes from but WannaCry exploited an inbuilt vulnerability commissioned by the NSA. This is why patching is, additionally, necessary.

Trojans

Last but not least are Trojans. A big trend today has viruses of the Trojan variety hiding in third-party software and striking as the hacker desires. This caused a massive internet outage via DDoS attack in 2016. Avoid third-party apps.

Properly Securing Your Business

IT support in Sacramento through Noverus Innovations, Inc. can help you safeguard yourself against these and developing cyber threats. Contact us for comprehensive and continuously developing solutions.

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To achieve an effective defense against social engineering attacks, you need to address the underlying vulnerabilities in your business. These are:

• Employees
• Software updates
• IT policy

Staff Training

Managed services providers in Sacramento can help you enforce IT best practices and compliance requirements. However, you must also embrace monitoring and analytics across your computer networks to identify the weaknesses that may lead to successful social engineering attacks. If your employees are not aware of the types of social engineering attacks to defend against, they will be easily fooled by social engineering scams. For you to prevent social engineered attacks, train your employees on cyber security measures against such attacks.

In addition, you can train them on a file filtering IT policy to manage access to sensitive files and send out notifications to employees in case of suspicious files on your internal network.

Software Updates

Noverus offers fully-fledged managed services that help you keep your software up-to-date to mitigate the risk of social engineering attacks. Keeping your software up-to-date is a strong layer of security in addressing potential exploits that a hacker would use to attack your IT systems. Up-to-date software is challenging to hack, which encourages hackers to move on to find an easier target. In fact, software updates offer you update patches for your IT systems and discourage hackers from targeting you. Therefore, if the hacker cannot penetrate your email DNS, they cannot send a malicious email to your employees.

IT Policy

Businesses that succumb to social engineering attacks lack effective IT policies or a strict adherence to them. Your IT policy should have clearly set guidelines on how to handle data in different situations. With a proper IT policy in place, your employees will know what to do when they encounter suspicious emails. It ensures that your employees don’t turn to default reasoning when requested for sensitive information without due process.

An IT policy is of no use without a consistent effort to make your employees aware of it. You need to complete awareness training programs and emphasize that employees must stick to the IT policy. This will prevent the leakage of information and the possibility of a hacker infiltrating your IT systems. However, you must also adhere to a “no-exceptions” approach in enforcing your IT policy, since exempting some of your employees from it creates a vulnerability for social engineering attacks.

At Noverus Innovations Inc., we offer cutting-edge managed services in Sacramento to protect your business from cyber security attacks. With our expertise and advanced technology solutions, we can help you overcome social engineering attacks. Contact us today to learn more.

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• Protection against malware
• Software that is up-to-date
• Plans in the event of an incident
• Analysis of pertinent risks, and regular system testing
• Education of staff and management pertaining to best security practices

Protection against Malware

Whether or not you are in healthcare, IT services providers in Sacramento are likely to recommend antivirus and anti-malware software. Cybercrime is a multi-trillion dollar industry and one of its most common targets are healthcare providers. Malware is not the only protection need, but you can bet you will be compromised if you do not have some solution to prevent it in place.

Up-To-Date Software

In 2017, WannaCry affected businesses in 150 countries. The reason this happened is that the ransomware virus did not enter systems through employee error; it entered through SMB ports. The NSA designed a backdoor into systems, and this information became public. Cybercriminals designed a worm, and businesses that did not have the most up-to-date patch software in place were compromised. You want patches that are applied to your systems as soon as possible, and MSPs like Noverus are integral in this. Additionally, you want other software solutions that are new, as old problems and vulnerabilities are more likely to be accounted for.

Plans in The Event of an Incident

Even the best Sacramento cyber security can still be overcome by a well-funded and dedicated cybercriminal campaign. You need backup security contingencies in place. You want multiple redundant backups, continuous backup, and data monitoring, and proactive security, which actively seeks anomalies to determine if they are a threat, or not. MSPs can provide all these things more cost-effectively than many internal healthcare tech departments can.

Analysis of Pertinent Risks and Regular System’s Testing

There are certain attacks, which you are much less likely to be threatened by as a healthcare institution. Some will be a greater threat. You need to consult the professionals to see what their data reveal you should prevent. HIPAA can help here, too. At Noverus, we will institute a protection and test it too.

Education

Anyone in your operation who handles technology needs to be trained and educated continuously as technology keeps advancing. MSPs are instrumental in providing such training at intervals.

Securing Support

IT services in Sacramento through Noverus Innovations, Inc. can help you identify areas that need to be secured, as well as areas that can be improved. Contact us to safeguard your healthcare operation with the latest, in security solutions.

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What Are Meltdown and Spectre?

Meltdown and Spectre are two vulnerabilities in computer hardware processors. They affect a common architecture in computer chips that was developed to make computers faster.

Am I Affected?

These vulnerabilities affect chips produced by Intel, AMD, and ARM. This means all kinds of computers (laptops, desktops, servers) and devices like smartphones and tablets are affected.

Is It Time to Panic?

At Noverus Innovations, we really don’t think so. Since discovering these vulnerabilities early last year, security professionals and developers have been working hard on figuring out how to mitigate the threat. Much of the work was already done and updates were shipped before any public announcement was made.

Furthermore, there has been no indication so far that the vulnerabilities have been used to attack any users.

Does It Only Affect Windows?

No. These vulnerabilities affect all commonly found operating systems, such as android, iOS, MacOS, Linux, and Microsoft Windows.

What Updates Do I Need?

As of January 3, 2018, Microsoft had issued a range of updates that help mitigate the effects of these new vulnerabilities. Microsoft has also deployed updates to its secure cloud servers. Microsoft’s updates provide protection for Windows operating systems, MS Edge, and Internet Explorer web browsers.

To ensure cybersecurity, you will need an IT support provider in Sacramento to update any installations of Windows operating systems as well as the Windows web browsers. Any other web browsers should also be updated.

The critical update you want is the January 2018 Windows OS security update issued by Microsoft. If you have automatic updates turned on in your Windows devices, this update should already be in place.

You should check to confirm that this Windows update has been installed. Instructions on how to do this are found in the “How do I see installed updates on my PC?” section of this Microsoft Windows Update: FAQ.

Is That All I Need to Worry About?

Unfortunately, no. Some of the Windows OS updates cannot be installed without corresponding updates from anti-virus software vendors. By now, these updates should already have been deployed, but you will need to ensure that your anti-virus tools are up-to-date.

Firmware Updates

You will also need to make sure that any firmware updates issued by hardware vendors have been installed. This is true for any computers and devices.

What Next?

The task of monitoring and responding to cybersecurity threats can be pretty challenging, even for one big event. At Noverus Innovations, Inc., as an IT support provider in Sacramento, we specialize in helping businesses stay ahead of challenges like this. Contact us today for more information.

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Additional Training of Employees

Employees are the gateway to your organization, and they need to be adequately trained to identify cyber threats and avoid falling victim to them. Fortunately, we can provide additional training to ensure that they’re familiar with the best practices on how to handle the various cyber schemes that steal data. For example, we can provide training that involves recognizing a phishing attempt, the warning signs of a malicious email, and many other cybersecurity threats. These training sessions can be scheduled as often as needed, whether it’s on a bi-weekly, or monthly basis. We understand the importance of equipping employees with knowledge about how to handle these scenarios to ensure that your company does not fall victim to these malicious schemes.

Enforce Two-Factor Authentication

Maintaining a secure password is an essential layer of security that can be the difference between thwarting a cyberattack and your company losing data to cybercriminals. A managed service provider (MSP) will ensure that each employee has a secure password. For example, each password will require multiple lowercase and uppercase letters along with numbers and symbols. You’ll also be required to have a second set of identification delivered directly to your mobile device, which is known as two-factor authentication. A company providing Sacramento cyber security will ensure that each employee has a secure password.

Unified Threat Management

The use of a Unified Threat Management (UTM) system is another cybersecurity service provided by managed IT services providers in Sacramento. A UTM will defend against a wide assortment of threats using multiple tools, which include spam filtering, antivirus solutions, firewall protection, content filters, and much more. An MSP can provide the ultimate security and access to state-of-the-art technology. If anything suspicious is detected, your IT services company will be notified immediately and investigate further to neutralize the threat and ensure that your company remains safe and secure.

The use of a managed IT services company in Sacramento will ensure that you receive the very best protection from the vast array of cybersecurity threats. Noverus Innovations has been helping companies remain secure for many years, and we will continue to focus on providing the very best customer service. Contact us and our IT staff will answer any of your questions and discuss the many benefits of using an IT provider in today’s workplace.

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Reasons for Encrypting Email

If your IT support team in Sacramento doesn’t offer email encryption, it could indicate that they don’t prioritize security. While it’s possible for hackers to hack into your email, you will make it much more difficult for them by adding layers of security such as encryption. It’s an extra barrier beyond the standard username and password login.

Encryption software will create an email certificate that identifies you as the account user. This certificate signs your messages, allowing email recipients to verify that the message really came from you. It’s essential that you make recipients aware that the certificate means it’s a real email, whereas without the certificate it is obviously an imposter spoofing your identity.

As much as people may think sending confidential information, such as credit card numbers, through email is safe, it’s always wise to reduce the chances for identity theft to as close to zero as possible. Hackers simply need hacking software to penetrate emails and may be looking to steal information to sell to other hackers. Using modern email encryption helps diminish this possibility.

Public and Private Keys

Email encryption comprises Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which contains a public and private key. Only you should know and use your private key, whereas your public key can be given out to others. The public key may be useful for employees or customers.

You will need to sign all your messages digitally so that hackers are not able to single out messages that don’t use encryption. Those are the exact type of emails hackers target. By keeping all your email messages encrypted, if an unwanted source penetrates your messages, they will not understand the scrambled letters and numbers.

Why Encryption is Effective

At Noverus Innovations, Inc., we believe that up-to-date Sacramento cyber security is crucial in today’s uncertain world in which businesses, consumers, and cybercriminals share the same internet. Businesses can no longer afford to prioritize tight spending over tight security. By putting more emphasis on security, you are helping limit the havoc that can be caused by hackers.

The reason why encryption is such a strong security solution is that it requires very advanced software with sophisticated algorithms to decode messages. In other words, it’s too much trouble for the attacker to handle. By using email encryption, you will not have to consider business communication of confidential information to be high risk.

Conclusion

Finding the right IT support provider in Sacramento can end your worries about online security. Despite the growing cyber threats across all industries, it’s possible to take proactive measures to prevent attacks. Using email encryption is a powerful way to limit the chances of confidential messages leaking to criminals. Contact us at Noverus Innovations, Inc. to learn more about how we can protect your email and your network.

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Ransomware

Hackers attack businesses for a few reasons, with the most obvious reason being financial gain. By using ransomware, hackers can steal valuable data and block a company’s computer system from accessing that data until a ransom is paid for it. This data can range from sensitive company information to personal client details and is often too valuable for a company to avoid paying the ransom. While companies with more sensitive data, like law firms or big corporations, are more likely to be attacked by hackers, every business is at risk. Hackers are likely to take a quick detour every now and then from more secure businesses that are harder to hack, to take advantage of less secure, smaller businesses. However, at Noverus Innovations Inc., we can help keep your business safe with managed IT services.

How we can Help Keep Your Data Out of the Wrong Hands

Even if your company gets the greatest software protection available, it can be absolutely worthless unless it’s used correctly and consistently. What we mean by that is that the software itself does not replace consistent security practices. Security measures like consistently backing up data to an offline network, routinely requiring password changes, regularly updating and patching the security system to cover any holes caused by new software, all of these things are standard procedure among the most secure companies.

Unless your company is ready to spend significant amounts on an internal IT department, it’s very difficult to keep up with all of these security measures. We can help you with all of these practices and more by offering the best managed IT services in Sacramento. Our team offers network monitoring, as well as extensive security practices and software designed to keep your information safe. Our history with multiple companies in all fields of business ensures that we are experienced in all types of cyber threats that you might face, and if the worse case scenario happens, we have a detailed support plan to ensure that the least amount of data gets out as.

Your company deserves the best data protection available. At Noverus Innovations Inc., we are offering the best plan for managed IT services in Sacramento. You can be sure that your company will receive the best cybersecurity, with plans tailored to your business’ individual needs. Don’t wait for your hackers to target your business. Contact us now to find out what we can do for your business.

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As an SMB owner, it is nearly impossible to run your business without technology. Important clients’ and business data is stored technologically, and that is exactly what cyber criminals want to access by all means. Therefore, it is your duty to make sure that you have robust security measures to keep the criminals miles away from your business. It is your responsibility to go beyond protecting data and safeguarding your business hardware, applications, and software. Most importantly, your business reputation must be upheld and guarded against malicious criminals at all times.

Security planning is broad and evolving. To effectively manage it, it is important for every SMB to optimize several security components within their premise. A Sacramento cyber security team can help with this situation.

Here are some of the heavy elements of a strong security plan:

The Employee Communication Policy

The communication policy in any organization encompasses workplace and external communications, electronic and wireless communication, and social media communication. The chain of command within your SMB ought to be elaborate so that every staff member understands the extent to which he or she can go in making commands and communications. If an email is to be sent out, the communication policy should be clear on who sends such an email.

As much as employees can communicate freely outside the workplace, your company should have clear guidelines on what an employee can or cannot communicate to people out there about the company. Lastly, the communication policy sets out social media engagement rules for employees. Some work-related comments on social media, for example, may be a threat to your business reputation.

A Good Network Security Policy

Network security is vital and pocket-friendly for SMBs. This policy directs employees on how to handle sensitive data in the network, passwords, and software. It directs on who can and who cannot access important password to avoid instances of them leaking and getting into wrong hands.

Today, businesses are allowing their employees to work from home using their gadgets such as laptops and tablets. As an entrepreneur, it is vital that you make it clear to your employees on what to or not to do once they log into the business network through their personal devices.

Privacy

Privacy is a key component of security and other managed services in Sacramento. With a privacy policy, your company guarantees clients that their personal information is safe with the company’s staff. The policy informs the customers when their information is collected and the purpose for which it is collected.

Network Usage Policy

This is the policy that puts restrictions on the websites that an employee can access within the company’s network. Whereas it’s advisable to allow employees to access as many websites of their choice, some websites may put your clients’ data at risk.

At Noverus Innovations, Inc., we offer 24/7 managed services in Sacramento. Contact us today to learn more about our company and services.

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