People are the weakest link
This sounds like a nightmare too impossible to happen. US soldiers putting sensitive information online in non-secure third party websites. It defies belief, yet we’re reading that it happened. The story popped up on ‘Gizmodo’
It is alleged that US Soldiers were saving sensitive information on a couple of common flashcard sites, presumably of things they were trying to memorise and learn. Even worse, their settings were on ‘public’ not ‘private’
It’s a classic warning about the risk of people, however well intentioned, saving critical data online in places the organisation is unaware of, and can’t control. That’s why our new KARE for Security S2 plan helps identify use of these sites in your organisation.
US Soldiers Accidentally Leaked Nuclear Weapons Secrets: Report (gizmodo.com)
Shadow IT
Shadow IT is one of the largest threats to data privacy in organisations today.
It’s not necessarily because these sites are going to be hacked, although that’s always possible, but just because if you don’t know the tools are in use, then there is no way that you can manage them!
The first step to maintaining this data is to identify it! That’s why you need new tools that are cloud focused. If you’re still using the same old security tools that you used to use prior to the cloud, then you are not keeping up and we need to talk!
Beware of “Pig-Butchering” – a new trend in Social Engineering
Where do these names come from? The latest trend is referred to as Pig-Butchering. The name comes from the Chinese underworld (shāzhūpán). The term refers to fattening up a pig, taking a longer-term view. They develop their target slowly, looking to get maximum...
Top Tech Predictions for 2023
As always, we know we will be wrong, but it doesn’t stop us speculating! There might be fears of global recessions and doom and gloom, but the tech sector will keep innovating! Here are our top 5 guesses for 20231. Artificial Intelligence – What will we see this year?...
What does the LastPass breach mean for you?
There have recently been a couple of well-publicised breaches of LastPass. Most people will be familiar with LastPass but in case you are not, it’s a well-known and popular password vault/manager.Does this mean you shouldn’t use a password vault? Absolutely not. YOU...
Are you making the most of your password manager?
Passwords are the basic protection for our various online accounts. It amazes me how basic some people’s passwords are. Passwords like, well ‘password’ or ‘123456’ are still commonly in use! In case that sounds unbelievable, here’s a list of the top 200 for...
Kinetics KARE clients – we’ve just added a layer of security
With the latest news of yet another local New Zealand high-profile cyber attack, it must be obvious that cyber-threats are real. EVERYONE is at risk of cyber attack! This latest incident is particularly close to home for me, because I chair the board of one of the...
Christmas Hours 2022 (and a timely warning)
Thank you! Thanks to our wonderful clients, staff and partners for your support through 2022 It has been another challenging 12 months as we emerge from the pandemic and find a new normal. We know many of our clients, partners, suppliers, friends and family have had...
Multifactor Authentication (MFA) gets even more secure!
Microsoft are making their authenticator even safer! Most of us will have experienced random pop-ups on authenticator asking us to approve access to our systems. We will have wondered what triggered it. Is it a hacker? Now we'll be able to get more information. Your...
IT Industry Trends
Conferences are back. Learning is back in-person! We’re taking the opportunity to reconnect with the thought leaders in our industry, with key partners, and with peers. Last week a couple of us attended “IT Nation Connect” in Florida, and this week we also have...
In case you missed it.. 5 new features in Office / Microsoft 365 to look forward to :
1. Cloud Signatures Coming Soon to Outlook for Windows Launching soon: Your email signature will now be shared across all the Windows (Microsoft 365) or Web Outlook screens that you use. You will no longer need to reconfigure your signatures when getting a new...
Will your email etc. still work when you travel?
There's nothing worse than having to muck around with your 365 access, especially when different time zones are involved. Currently, the majority of companies have their Microsoft 365 login restricted to NZ and Australian IP addresses. That's working well to...