Tag: Ransomware

Ransomware Hacker Strikes Sports Software Company & Steals Hundreds of Thousands of People’s Confidential Info

Posted on by Gretchen Thomas and Fred Bauerfeld

Ransomware is one of the vilest ways bad actors are taking advantage of good honest companies. It’s one of those crimes that businesses, both large and small, are powerless to defend themselves against once it occurs. It is so utterly galling to have to pay exorbitant amounts of hard-earned cash to creepy dishonest hackers to regain access to their own systems and confidential data.

The Story

According to an article posted in the Tech Times on September 22, 2020, a major software company was recently hacked. The attackers held the company’s confidential data hostage until the owners paid up. The data included information about 540,000 users. They swiped their names, passwords, usernames, birthdays, addresses, email addresses, and Social Security numbers.

ArbiterSports, the victim-company, supplies the NCAA and other sports leagues with a software application that manages referees and other game officials. Like most other companies that are hacked, they had no choice but to pay the ransom. But when you work with thieves, you never know if they will actually keep their side of the agreement to delete the stolen copy of confidential data.

The Reality for Your Business

If you don’t think your smaller-sized company is in danger of being hacked like this, think again. In our day bad actors are just as likely to shut down or disrupt small businesses as they are large. They can steal your data and hold it for ransom.

The most common way ransomware enters your network is through phishing emails. Integrinet IT builds a labyrinth of layers to defend your company against email infiltration.

1st Layer of Defense
A cloud email filter, which identifies spam emails before they even enter your firewall.

2nd Layer of Defense
Your Firewall.

3rd Layer of Defense
Your network server credentials.

4th Layer of Defense
Antivirus software with malware protection that is installed on your server, individual computers, and other end-point devices.

How Backups Save Your Company’s Life

Additionally, we configure a backup system that runs multiple times a day. If your company is hacked, we can wipe your server completely clean and then reinstall your system exactly as it was before the attack. Contact us today at (844) 400-0616 to set up your defensive position that will protect the business you have worked long and hard to build from the ground up.

Read the full article here: Hacker Breached 540,000 referees, league officials, and school representatives for Ransom and won

What Are Malware and Ransomware and How Can They Hurt Your Small Business?

Posted on by Gretchen Thomas

Malware is short for malicious software. It’s a general term that refers to software designed to cause damage to your network, server, computers, or client applications. Viruses and ransomware can enter into your computer system via malware.

Malware breaches your system through insecure emails or websites. This is a technique that cybercriminals use and is called phishing. These emails look like they are sent from a legitimate organization or from someone you know. When you click on a link in the email or open an attachment, the code activates and does its dirty work.

Ransomware is also usually transmitted through phishing emails. It is a type of malware that prevents you from accessing your computer until you pay the cybercriminal. It targets software that has not been maintained or kept up to date.

Why would keeping your software updated matter?

Software degrades over time as the operating system, other software applications, and the computer hardware that interact with it are updated.

Patching is a term IT nerds use that refers to updating, fixing, or improving your software and programs. They know how to spot bugs and the security vulnerabilities we’ve been talking about here.

What is a software bug?

A software bug is an error or flaw in a software application, which causes it to do weird things or create incorrect or random results.

Thus, it seriously is a good idea to keep all components of your IT system updated and compatible.

Integrinet IT offers a free assessment of your IT infrastructure. Our consultants can help you identify components that are incompatible or troubleshoot the reason they are going haywire. Our service engineers are specialists in managing the process of patching and updating your systems.