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The latest Cybersecurity news, tips and trends

Education in Focus: Biggest IT Refresh Year Ever

May 11, 2021/in Backup, Cloud, Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Microsoft, Security /by James Dell

There comes a point in the academic year where exams ramp up, teachers, lectures and support staff are focused on getting student’s through their end of year exams and keeping the momentum up until the summer break.

Meanwhile in the cool dark of the server room, the IT Support teams across all academic settings are preparing for the calm before the storm.

This year, while we may not be seeing exams like we previously would, the IT Teams in our educational establishments are preparing for their busiest summer refreshes ever. The woes of 2020 are behind us and the shift to classroom learning returning for 2021/22, the push is on to make the infrastructure improvements that were put off during COVID.

Saying all that, budgets are likely to also be tighter than ever. So how can IT teams get the absolute most out of their IT projects?

To help we have put together 5 top tips for smashing your summer projects in 2021

Plan Early

When it comes to any form of IT project the further ahead you are planning the better chance of success you have, so start early!

Engage vendors and technology partners. Test the market and understand your options. If you are looking 6 months ahead of where you need to be, then when do you have to make the choice on the technology or the vendors you are going to use? Be armed with all the information you need so you can overcome the challenges the project throws at you.

Have a contingency plan

As you begin to plan your project, look at the what if’s…

For example, if you are replacing a server infrastructure, what happens if the new servers fail? Or before you have moved the data, if the old servers fail, do you have a backup? Have you tested it?

By implementing a rock-solid contingency plan you are positioning yourselves in such a way that you can overcome whatever challenges come your way.

Choose a partner you can trust

Remember you are not in this alone.

Whatever the chosen project you are undertaking there are partners who will help you achieve the goals of your organisation. However not all partners are equal. Not all partners have the same approach.

Find a partner who has the certifications and accreditations with the vendors you want to work with, i.e Dell Gold Partner or Microsoft Gold Partner with certified engineers. Don’t settle for “the local firm” as 9 times out of 10 they will get out of their depth very quickly. They’ll can end up making the challenges of delivering IT in education much worse.

So, pick a partner you can trust, and you know when you’re up against it, will have your back!

Only choose best of breed technology and don’t settle for last generation.

Lots of companies see education as an opportunity to move stock which the corporate world no longer wants – for example, servers which are now end of sale or software which has been pushed into its last few operational years.

You should never settle for anything other than the best in breed technology for your establishment. If budgets constrain that, reduce the scope of the project or limit the technology used. Don’t settle for old, refurbished or reconditioned equipment just to hit a financial goal. In the long term, you will pay the price when the equipment cannot be serviced and needs replacing before the business has got the full value from the solution.

Maximise gains using operations leasing

When making purchases in education, you have a great opportunity to access low cost or even free finance offerings for all of your large purchases. So, leverage these deals to extend your budget.

Limit the capex spend and get the best solution you can and prevent the project delays of stretching upgrades over 2-3 years which really need to be done today.

Using these top tips, your organisations should be able to avoid the pitfalls of so many education providers in the past and make sure you take step in the right direction when making your upgrade this summer.

Just remember you are not alone. At Planet IT we have a team of specialists who can not only support you with the decision making and selection of new equipment, but can support with the role out, implementations and upgrades to your systems.

If you want to talk to one of our educational team about how we can help you with your summer projects then please call 01235 433900 or you can email [email protected] or if you would like to speak to me directly you can reach out to me via DM or at [email protected].

What is Conditional Access, and why is it an essential part of your security posture?

April 6, 2021/in data, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security, Software /by James Dell

By now, you should be aware that the modern digital landscape is full of threat actors. That are always looking for any opportunity to find a weakness in a business’s security posture and then leverage this to gain unauthorised access to data for malicious reasons.

To protect against these attacks, we often look at antivirus and anti-ransomware technology and products like MFA or Two-factor authentication. The truth is that MFA is part of much larger protection that can be afforded a system through an approach known as Conditional Access.

How does Conditional Access work?

Conditional Access (CA) is the process of defining entry vectors and criteria; in its most simplistic form, consider CA to be a door that only opens if you are wearing the right clothes, have arrived in the right vehicle, and are holding your ID. In real terms, CA allows a business to define controls around what can be accessed by who, from where and under what circumstances.

I feel that conditional access is an underutilised part of any defence arsenal. This is partly due to a lack of understanding in the IT community about the technology and a misconception about its limitations. These beliefs and options come from a legacy of Software as a Service (SaaS) and on-premises infrastructure being integrated minimally, however with modern SaaS, IaaS, PaaS and on-prem working in a heavily integrated way. Conditional Access allows you to take advantage of the proper protection that can be afforded a system without comprise.

Is it widely used?

All the major SaaS, IaaS and PaaS vendors support conditional access, and an optimum way to deploy the technology is as such.

Limit access to login to Geo Locations that are trusted and used by the business
Allow internal networks or trusted networks to have fast passed authentication
Only allow data access from trusted and complaint enrolled devices
Require MFA in any location that is not inside a trusted network
Remove support for legacy authentication methods
Deploy true Single Sign-on across all platforms and devices
Limit access to the data and services a user needs based on the roles of that user
Only allow devices that have Antivirus and Anti-ransomware installed and up to date
Only enable devices that have the latest operating system updates
Integrate all systems into a single platform, use Conditional Access and MFA to protect the whole network, not just cloud services.

By undertaking this approach, you can reduce the attached surface of your infrastructure and protect data while not limiting your staff’s functionality by placing unwanted security barriers in place.

The diagram below shows how the conditional access approach works.

Conditional Access Explained

Do you think your business could benefit from the technologies of conditional access? Do you want to know more? Then please reach out to a member of the Architecture team at Planet IT via [email protected] or call 01235 433900, and we can talk to you about the options available that work with your more comprehensive technologies.

4 Steps to the Perfect Backup Plan

March 31, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security /by Michael Davey

Today is World Backup Day, for many it’s a day to be celebrated, but for just as many, it’s a stark reminder of the dark omen that is an uncertain backup environment or plan.

We all know the basics of backup right? The things we all want to achieve

Retention
Redundancy
Recovery

I could happily go on for far longer than any of you would care to read on each of these topics!

Today however, I want to talk about the practical elements of making sure your backups and overall disaster recovery plan are the best they can be. Starting with some basic questions.

Are you backing up your whole environment?
Are you running your backups daily?
Are your backups retained for the right amount of time?
Do you take backups off-site?
Are your backup sets fully automated?
Are your backup jobs encrypted?
If you have cloud resources (Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS) are these backed up?

In an ideal world, you would want each of the above to be a confident and resounding YES! However, this is not always the case – we often hear the ill-fated “I don’t know”.

So, what can we do to be certain on the above and confidently rest knowing our backups will be there for us should the worst occur?

Step 1 – Check the List

Firstly, I would start by checking your infrastructure or approach your IT Team to get the answers to the above questions. Understand that if the answer to any of them is no, in this first step, it’s less important to know why, just to understand the position you are currently in. Once you’ve established that, let’s move on to step 2.

Step 2 – Check the Kit

Once you have a firm understanding of your overall backup integrity, it’s time to push past the smoke and mirrors and figure out exactly what you are working with. Check your storage, check your software and make sure it isn’t letting you down. There are so many options available in today’s market, but a quick search of your products and the competition should help you understand if you need to make any changes.

Step 3 – Make your Plan

At this point, you’re either happily relishing in confidence… or you’re not.

If you’re not… bear with me, I promise, we’ve just ripped off the worst of the band-aids and from here… the only way is up. When making your plan, it’s important to work out what you need first, what you want second and then figure out the cost implications (if any) your business will need to work towards. Everyone loves a good deal (or better, a free deal!) but sometimes investment is required to ensure you have the right infrastructure for your plan. When making your plan, make sure you are referencing the list from Step 1 and work out the following:

How long do I want to keep my backups?
What is my off-site storage plan?
Do I have Cloud Resources that need to be backed up?
How efficient do I want my backups to be?
How long can I afford to be offline in the event of a disaster?
How much data can I afford to lose in the event of a disaster?

The answers to these questions will help you to understand how much storage you need, whether you need a cloud or second-site storage plan, if you need high performance equipment and your Recovery Point/Time Objectives. Know that even if the plan is loose, it’s more than you had at Step 1 and it will help you enormously when collaborating with your teams, suppliers and peers to achieve the best outcome.

Step 4 – Reach Out

At this point, we’ve gone from scratching our heads, to having a clear understanding of the potential issues, a goal to aim for and a plan to get there. Now it’s time to reach out.

Speak to your team and your suppliers and get them on board with your plan. From this point forward, you’re taking control of your backup & disaster recovery plan. You’ve worked out what you want to achieve and you’re making it happen. That, or you were happy from Step 1 – either way, grab a coffee and your favourite lockdown biscuit, you’ve earned it!

Remember, if you ever have any questions, just ask. I, or one of the team here at Planet IT, are always happy to be used as a sounding board and can offer our expertise for your specific situation.

Feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn or email me at [email protected].

HAFNIUM and Exchange Vulnerabilities – What To Do Now…

March 26, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security /by James Dell

There has been lots of noise in the press and on social media about the HAFNIUM threat actors and the current vulnerability that has been detected in all current versions of Exchange on premise.

If you haven’t read up on the attack and the risks you can do so here;

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-march-2021-patch-tuesday-fixes-82-flaws-2-zero-days/

https://www.kaspersky.co.uk/blog/exchange-vulnerabilities/22385/

https://www.volexity.com/blog/2021/03/02/active-exploitation-of-microsoft-exchange-zero-day-vulnerabilities/

These articles have been leaving a lot of IT managers and CTO running around looking for solutions. They need a way to quickly patch up the servers and cover over a hole that has been there since at least last November, when as far as the first reported case of an attack using this vulnerability. However, what do you need to be doing next?

We all know that Microsoft issued patches on a non-standard update to Windows or a (out-of-band) update. For those out of the know, this means this Hafnium vulnerability is bad! Microsoft rarely break their patch cycle but when they do as with the SMB vulnerabilities with WannaCry. When they do it means you need to be act fast.

By the time these latest OoB updates where released, Microsoft made it clear that these attacks where already happening, which means for some of you who are readying this article thinking you are safe because you ran the patch, you may not be.

The four most dangerous vulnerabilities already being exploited allow attacks to pull off a three stage attack on compromised systems.

The attack chain is simple;

First, access a compromised Exchange server (one missing the patch) this can even be an Exchange Management point for Office 365, it doesn’t need to be a full running system.
Then they create a Web shell for remote server access
They then use this to harvest data from the network and systems associated with this Exchange server, essential using it like an open front door.

So how do you protect against the Hafnium threat?

This is where you need to be looking at having a product in place as your antivirus/antimalware which uses EDR or XDR technology and has up to date behaviour and exploit prevention and detection.

Watch out for the following detections

Exploit.Win32.CVE-2021-26857.gen
HEUR:Exploit.Win32.CVE-2021-26857.a
HEUR:Trojan.ASP.Webshell.gen
HEUR:Backdoor.ASP.WebShell.gen
UDS:DangerousObject.Multi.Generic

So what should you do next?

As Microsoft has already released an update to fix all these vulnerabilities, we strongly recommend updating Exchange Servers as soon as possible, Microsoft have even gone as far as releasing a quick install roll up which should work for most Exchange servers. For more complex deployments like DAG’s, then Planet IT can support you with this process.

You then need to focus on your defence strategy on detection lateral movements and data exfiltration to the internet. For this we recommend that you pay special attention to outgoing traffic to detect cybercriminal connections.

As always you should ensure that you are backing-up regularly and make sure you can quickly access it in an emergency, if you have questions on this then Michael Davey – [email protected] and his Back Up Services team will be more than happy to help.

Make sure you have an Endpoint Detection and Response product in place. If you don’t reach out to your Planet IT account manager who can provide you with details of what is available and works with your security landscape.

Finally make sure you are using a reliable endpoint security solution such as Kaspersky or Sophos that has included in it Exploit Prevention, Behaviour Detection, a Remediation engine. It would also be beneficial to ensure that your product has a Vulnerability and Patch Management capabilities.

If you would like to discuss with myself or any of the cyber security team at Planet IT about how you can better protect you business, should that be with new technology, strategies or even better back ups you can reach us using the contact details below;

Contact me at – LinkedIn Message James Dell or Email : [email protected]

Call 01235 433900 or Email : [email protected]

Education in Focus: Cyber Attacks on the rise while protection remains behind other industries

March 24, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security /by James Dell

2020 was far from an easy year for the education sector, with the strains of COVID-19, the forced move to remote learning and the constant moving goals of exams, assessments and certifications looming over the industry. IT improvements and IT budgets were shifted from infrastructure and enhancements to purchasing laptops and enabling learning over video. These changes have had a dramatic impact on all educational organisations. Unfortunately, we are starting to see the repercussions of this, with several educational organisations being hit by cyber-attacks.

Another Attack

This week we have seen the latest attack on the University of Northampton, this is unfortunately just another in a long line of victims of the last few years.

As many of you who have read my articles are aware, I have a long history in the education sector, working across schools, academies, and colleges. From this, I have a very first-hand experience of how budgeting works in education. I know its effect on the choices that we make when it comes to selecting solutions and ultimately protecting educational establishments.

When I read stories like the one about the University of Northampton, it churns my stomach. This is because I know that the ladies and gentlemen who work in the IT teams of these organisations will have been doing everything they could to protect the system. However, they are always constrained by the limits they have finically and with their current technology stack. Having personally experienced several attacks first-hand, the IT Team usually takes the brunt of the fallout from these events. In truth, it’s business management and senior management, who’s lack of understanding, allows these incidents to happen.

The real-world cost of an attack

When these kinds of cyber attacks in education occur, we all see the headlines and the public outcry about the fact these threat actors get into and disrupt educational organisations. What is very rarely discussed is the organisation’s cost.

The cost itself is not just that of recovering from the breach. Depending on what equipment has been affected and what can be recovered, the cost anywhere from £10,000 to £500,000!

However, on top of this, you have to add the cost of staff not working. The organisation not being able to deliver teaching and learning can easily cost an organisation over £50,000 a week.

We then have to consider the cost of the damage to the organisation’s reputation and any fines that may come in from the ICO if data has been lost. These costs can total into millions.

The worst part of all of this is that insurance will not always cover these costs if you have the wrong cover type. In a real-world example, we are aware of a case where an educational organisation had a total cost of an outbreak at £2.5 Million, this figure should be enough to make your senior management sit up and pay attention.

Where to start…

The question then is, how do we get our educational sector partners to a position where they can protect their data, deliver teaching and learning and ultimately avoid cyber attacks in education?

The answer is about prioritising spending and focusing on ensuring that a security landscape is in place that covers all bases and protects against all foreseeable attack vectors. We start this with solid anti-virus and anti-ransomware technology. Endpoint protection must be paired with a robust Endpoint Detection and Response product (EDR) or an Extended Detection and Response product (XDR). These technologies will give you a strong endpoint protection roster.

Then layered on top of this, you need to look at device encryption, which must be centrally managed. Then, on top of that, we need to pivot and look at the ingress points on your network, this being your email and your firewall. Both should be robust next-generation products that use both Unified threat management and a traditional stateful firewall approach.

And then there’s the human element

When we have tackled the technical delivery needed to secure the network, we need to look at your staff and the human firewall element of protection. From this regard, we should be looking at Phishing training, security awareness and data protection training.

When you have all these pieces in line and configured to best practice, then there is a good chance that you will mitigate most risks towards your organisation. Now, that doesn’t mean your senior management can wash their hands of cybersecurity. Proper cybersecurity protection is reviewed and maintained regularly, and this also means patching all your other IT systems; it’s a busy and full-on task to undertake. However, if you do it correctly, it’s advantageous knowing that you are keeping your learners, staff and visitors safe and protecting against the effects of a cyber-attack on the business, individuals and the wider community

If you would like to have a conversation about how we can review your security landscape and work with you to build a robust cybersecurity landscape for your organisation, then CLICK HERE to book a meeting with me, or you can email me at [email protected] and together we can work to align your organisation against the current and future risks.

Sophos MTR vs Security as a Service. What’s the difference?

March 3, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security /by Maciej Owsiany

What is Sophos MTR?

Sophos MTR Standard or Managed Threat Response, provides 24/7 threat hunting, detection, and response capabilities delivered by an expert team as a fully managed service. What that means is a dedicated team at Sophos will monitor your environment and act on any threat detections using the EDR technology that we are a massive fan of here at Planet.

IT is offered as an optional service add-on with Sophos Intercept X Advanced with EDR.

Sophos MTR Advanced goes one step further and will actively go looking for potential threats. It proactively improves your security by recommending configuration changes and reporting on vulnerabilities.

How does Planet IT’s Security as a Service (SECaaS) compare with Sophos MTR?

Let me start off by saying that Sophos MTR is a fantastic service, there is no denying that. But you do have options should you want this protection but want to explore different avenues.

Here at Planet IT, we offer an alternative service that will give you the peace of mind of MTR, while being more aware of the fact that many of you will have technologies outside of the Sophos stack.

Alongside this we know that for many of our customers the biggest risk is always the recovery and with Sophos MTR there is quite rightly an end to where Sophos can provide services. With SECaaS we stick with you and can support you to the bitter end.

I have compared the offerings of Sophos MTR with Planet IT’s Security as a Service (SECaaS) in the table below:

Feature	Sophos MTR	Planet IT SECaaS
24/7 support	✓	Office Hours
Dedicated Account Manager	✓	✓
Direct Call-In Support	✓	✓
Asset Discovery via Endpoints	✓	X
Enhanced Telemetry via Endpoints	✓	X
Activity Reporting	Sophos Only	All Security Vendors
Periodical Health Checks	Sophos Only	All Security Vendors
Vulnerability Scanning	Sophos Only	All Security Vendors
Firewall Support	Sophos Only	All Security Vendors
Completely mitigate through to completion	Sophos Only	All Security Vendors
Penetration Testing	X	✓
Windows Updates	X	✓
Phishing Training & Testing	X	✓
Email Protection	X	✓
Cyber Essentials / Plus	X	✓

Verdict

Sophos MTR is a great service if you are a large organisation with the requirement for 24/7 support and have the resources to afford it. If you have an internal IT team in place to work in collaboration with Sophos to completely remediate any threats, it really is a top solution.

However, as you can see above Planet IT’s SECaaS offering is more than sufficient to give you the peace of mind you need. We will work with you to recommend and provide the solutions right for your business and support you until any threat is mitigated, no matter what security products you use.

Add in our other services such as Windows Updates as a Service, Vulnerability Scanning (not just for Sophos products) / Penetration Testing and Cyber Essentials as a Service, you can rest assured that SECaaS will keep you safe and updated as much as possible!

About Adam Harrison

My name is Adam, and I am a security-focused Technical Architect. It is my job to provide expert advice on security solutions and assist our customers with protecting their environment from viruses, ransomware, and other nasty attack vectors! My background is in Security as a Service, Infrastructure and Helpdesk Support; I keep myself up to date with the latest threats and security products, so you don’t have to!

If you want to talk to me about how Sophos Intercept X with EDR would fit into your business then please call 01235 433900 or you can reach out to me via DM or at [email protected].

What are the benefits of Sophos Intercept X Advanced with EDR?

February 22, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Latest Tech, Security /by Maciej Owsiany

Over the last few months, you may have heard the word EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) banded around when talking about security products, but what does EDR really mean for you and your business? In this article I am going to explore EDR and the tangible benefits that you would see from having this product in place.

What is EDR?

Sophos Intercept X Advanced with Endpoint Detection and Response (or EDR) is an award-winning security solution that is built upon the framework of the Sophos product that so many of you use and know.

One of the simplest ways to look at it is like a cake made up of three layers. You may already have two of these in place:

Endpoint Protection – traditional anti-virus that detects and blocks threats in real-time. This is the signature-based piece of the puzzle something that every business should already have even if it’s from another vendor. It is looking at what is happening and checking it off against a list of known attacks.

Intercept X – anti-ransomware protection. This comes in the form of AI and Machine Learning driven technology which knows what your device should look like if you are working as normal. When you’re not, it uses a technology called CryptoGuard and detects any encryption attempt, reversing any encryption that has already taken place. This is your backstop and a way to protect yourself from unwanted changes. This is a technology many of our customers have and saw the value in having after the WannaCry outbreak of 2015.

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) – This enhances the ability to analyse an attack and see what happened, whether the threat has spread to other devices and if any data has been lost. This is new and this is less about what is happening and stopping it and more about the validation of how safe you were following an attack. Now this may sound counter intuitive, if the product is protecting you, why would you need to know what happened in an attack? To answer that simply we need to look at GDPR and the requirement to report breaches.

These components combined provide you with the whole protection cake. You have the ability to protect your data (these are the sponge top and bottom made up of Endpoint Protection and Intercept X) and then you have the knowledge that if something happens you can clearly report on what took place (this is the jam filling that completes your cake). Protection like this is second to none when coming up against today’s attackers, in a threat landscape that is every changing.

How does it work?

Sophos Intercept X Advanced with EDR combines proven endpoint threat protection with the power of advanced machine learning to identify and block malicious processes. Intercept X uses AI that detects malware without relying on signatures and monitors system behaviour for any changes that could mean a malware attack. SophosLabs then provides the knowledge to back it up.

Take a targeted ransomware attack as an example. Bad actors will try to brute force their way into a externally facing RDP server. Once in they will drop an encryption package onto the system and start to encrypt files. Intercept X will detect the behaviour, CryptoGuard will stop the encryption and EDR will be able to fully report on the events chain (source, root cause, beacon, when it was detected and if it has been cleaned) providing complete analysis. Additionally, EDR customers will have access to a SophosLabs Threat Intelligence report that further aids you in your decision whether to allow the suspicious file or not.

How does this benefit you?

Sophos Intercept X Advanced with EDR will increase your security footprint without the need for additional resources to look after the solution. You can be safe in the knowledge that the solution you have chosen is the best in the business. With EDR you will have all the tools you need to make sure that any detected threat has been stopped in its tracks!

I’m sure you know that if there is a breach and data is compromised, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have to be informed. As a result of this, if your security solution is deemed to be inadequate you will be subject to a substantial fine! Throw GDPR into the mix and you have the potential to be in serious trouble. With Sophos Intercept X accompanied by EDR, not only will you have an industry-leading security product, but also EDR ensures all details are captured for reference later.

So, should you become a target you will be able to prove where exactly the threat has come from, where it has been and if it has been dealt with completely.

From a resourcing view, investigating all detected threats and tracing their actions to ensure nothing has been compromised is a full-time role; EDR does this automatically and comprehensively so you don’t have to. You can search through 90 days so even if you have only been made aware of a threat you can wind back the clock and quickly see how it was dealt with.

How good is Sophos compare to the competition?

As you can see, Sophos Intercept X with EDR is industry-leading when put up against the competition:

Security as a Service (SECaaS)

Now sometimes it is all well and good having the tools yourself, but you may not have the inhouse skills or the time to make proper use of them, this is where our Security as a Service offering comes in – with SECaaS we will provide further peace of mind by monitoring your Sophos solution and remediating any alerts within an agreed timeframe. We will also provide you with periodical reports at an interval of your choosing showing the health status of your estate, complete with our recommendations to make sure you are as protected as you can be.

About Adam Harrison

If you want to talk to me about how Sophos Intercept X with EDR would fit into your business then please call 01235 433900 or you can reach out to me via DM or at [email protected].

Be Internet Safety Awesome … Start Them Young!

January 21, 2021/in Education, IT Security, Remote Working, Security /by Simon Williams

I, like many others, am currently home schooling. I have two gorgeous boys, but my god it’s tough working, especially with it just being the three of us…

In the muddled, jumbled up world of working and schooling, security (funnily enough) is still high up on my list. And something I thought I would share, to not only keep the small ones entertained, but also secure is a fantastic online tool that yours will love!

Interland is a game from Be Internet Awesome and Google. It helps make the most of the Internet, where kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. It teaches the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence.

Check it out HERE

Internet Safety I mean, it’s an awesome training game by Google, hats off. And Eddie, the one with the Nerf gun in the pic, loved doing it. So, now, pride of place on the fridge sits this certificate. You can’t start them too young!

With the many different balls I need to juggle to try and keep ahead of the curve in security, ensuring the end user is tested and trained on their cyber security knowledge is key.

Something that is a little more for the grown-ups is the KnowBe4 training platform. The market leader in cybersecurity training. It has millions of training videos, tests, articles and advice… the list could go on.

And then there are the phishing campaigns….. All in one central portal, and easy enough to set-up yourself, or if you prefer some more guidance and assurance, we can do it for you.

Training is key to any company, please speak to me if you have any requirements – [email protected]

Quick Thoughts – Information Security – WhatsApp Data Sharing 2021

January 12, 2021/in data, General, IT Security, Security /by James Dell

There are lots of social media commentary this week around the changes in the WhatsApp privacy policy.

First of all yes this privacy policy is scary and moves WhatsApp ever closer to Facebook in terms of their approach to who has the right to user data and what its worth to the business. However should you worry about it as a U.K or EU citizen? No. And the reason for that is simple, WhatsApp has to adhere to the guidance as laid out in the articles which form GDPR, therefore they cannot use the data or share this data with it’s parent company Facebook for the purposes of remarketing as it would be outside the fair use of the data.

That said, Facebook are looking to move Facebook access for UK users away from their Facebook Ireland entity to being governed by Facebook Inc. This would therefore change their obligations as your account would sit outside of the GDPR region. Furthermore, following the U.K. leaving the EU they would be able to do this and therefore WhatsApp would fall under the privacy policy of the U.S.

Planet IT security health check

So in short, don’t panic right now. There is no need to leave WhatsApp or not accept the terms in February. However, when Facebook moves the U.K. to be governed and controlled by the U.S., then if you want your data from being used for a number of questionable activities you need to leave and delete your Facebook account and do the same for WhatsApp.

I hope this quick thought helped you demystify the current situation.

If you want to talk to me about information security and data protection then please call 01235 433900 or you can reach out to me via DM or at [email protected].

Technology that SHOULD shape your business in 2021

January 6, 2021/in Backup, Cloud, IT Security, Remote Working, Security, Software /by James Dell

While the world continues to turn day to day life upside down and “normal” is more of a relative word than ever before, I wanted to take this opportunity at the start of the year to look at the technology trends your business should be looking into and adopting in order to ensure that whatever the global or national situation, your business is safe secure and up to date.

Cloud Services

If 2020 didn’t already do this for your business you should be looking at moving services to the cloud, now this is bigger than just moving your email to Office 365 or G Suite. When we talk about cloud services in 2021 this is about moving as much of the infrastructure, it’s management and the associated risks away from your physical business location.

If we take a traditional office where you have your servers, storage, back-ups and user data onsite close to where your users where working, in 2021 this approach is illogical with staff working from home and in the office suddenly you have a single point of failure in your office environment as well as needing the equipment maintained , monitored and managed in a location which may be shut due to local restrictions.

With the move to Cloud services the aim is to push as many of these services to diverse, secure and robust providers which removes the inherent risks and reduces any downtime you might face. If done in the right way you can do this with the same level of latency that you would get in your office environment but accessible quickly for your users working from home.

With businesses that implemented cloud services in 2020, they saw an decrease in running costs of up to 50% and an increase in uptime and productivity up to 99.99% which is beyond what any onsite system can deliver and this is due to the scale and depth of the product line of some of the cloud services on the market.

work from home

The Human Firewall

The trends we saw in 2020 made it very clear that we need to invest as much time into training our staff to be safe and secure as we do into finding the right technology to support them. That is why in 2021 one of the key areas of development we believe all business should be looking at is the human firewall. By this we mean training your staff to know what is safe and is not safe in the digital world and how to prevent risks to the business.

We saw the effect that phishing can have on business with an increase of 667% in March last year when COVID first became a major issue for the U.K. and scammers took in their waves to try and use peoples vulnerabilities against the businesses they work for. These attacks continue today following trends of presenting vaccination options and emails about furlough schemes all designed to capture business information and defraud businesses.

Now with this there is no one size fits all approach but there is a logical approach which will prevent your business being open to risks that exist on your doorstep. If we can teach our staff in 2021 to stop, deal with and report these problems then we increase the ability of a business to be robust and secure and remove the guess work from the technology we need to ensure a business is safe, for me 2021 is the year of the Human Firewall.

human firewall

Zero Trust Networking

As we move to a more dynamic way of working, both now and post COVID, we need to think about how the new fleet of devices we operate as businesses are managed, controlled and protected. The physical borders of your office space are no longer 4 brick walls but unlimited by the connectivity we have in place. Because of this we need to look at how we secure and control our devices, users and data across such a wide spectrum of use cases.

Now this can start with the simple steps of Mobile Device Management, Cloud based anti-virus technology but very quickly we need to be thinking about virtual connections to datacentres, home broadband and wireless security and cloud access control.

This is why in 2021 I believe all businesses need to review their approach and look to embed a zero-trust approach into all aspects, and while some people will see this approach as intrusive and over the top, it has been proven time and time again to not be. You only have to look at the speed in which a home wireless network can be broken into to realise that you are not safe trusting peoples home set ups.

In conclusion 2021, like 2020, is going to be a very different year, with the cyber criminals and the threat landscape changing everyday. However as business owners, technical professionals or employees we need to switch our approach and ensure we are using these changes to make our business ready for this continually changing landscape as we move forward.

If you want to talk to one of our experts about how we can help you in 2021 then please call 01235 433900 or you can email [email protected] or if you would like to speak to me directly you can reach out to me via DM or at [email protected].