December 2015 IT Business Consulting Newsletter

2015 End of Year Security Summary

By Tom K

The bad guys are still out there, and their attacks keep getting better!

They're well funded, very focused, and unrelenting. If your company is not well protected, they WILL cause you pain.

As ever, my Holiday gift to you is my annual Security Summary. Do your company a favor... Review it and ensure you've implemented the Seven Security basics. Then move on to the advanced security topics. If you do, the bad guys will pass on your company and move on to easier, unprotected pickings.


This Year’s Topics:

• CryptoLocker continues to do serious damage
See CryptoLocker: Worse than EVER

• How to prevent your Staff inviting Malware onto your PCs
See Protect Your Company From Your Staff

• Your Vendors may be punching holes into your Carefully Crafted Security
See Who Is Talking To Your Systems… and Who Are Your Systems Talking To???


The Seven Commandments of Network Security:

• Centrally managed Corporate Anti Virus Protection
See Protect Your Company from Viruses and Malware with Enterprise Anti Virus Systems

• Centrally managed Windows Updates
See Centrally Manage Microsoft Updates Across Your Enterprise For Free!

• Centrally managed Corporate Spam Protection
See Got Spam? Eradicate Spam and Email Viruses BEFORE they get to Your Environment!

• Use Secure Passwords – don’t make it easy for the bad guys to get in
See Secure Passwords - You need to get this right!

• Have staff lock their PCs when they leave their desks – most attacks come from inside!
See Protect your Company’s Data and Reputation... Lock Your PC!

• If you provide public WiFi, isolate it from your business network
See Securely Implement Public WiFi, version 2015

• Deploy a Firewall at every point where your networks connect to the Internet


The Advanced Topics:

• You're Being Filmed... Watch Your Back
See Eyes Everywhere

• You're NOT Safe Just Because Some of Your Stuff Is In The Cloud
See Security When In the Cloud

• Protect Your Mobile Identity and Your Mobile Devices
See Protect Your Mobile Identity & Secure Your Mobil Devices

• The Dangers of Remote Access
See Hacked via Remote Access!

• If You MUST Provide Wireless Access to Your Business Network
See Provide Wireless Access to Business Systems???

• Unauthorized Devices Accessing Your Network
See An Anti-Virus Gotcha - It could happen to You!

• The departing Employee – turn a security nightmare into a simple inconvenience
See Departing Employee? How to Process them Gracefully and Securely

• Lock down access to your Corporate Bank Accounts – they’re not insured!
See Protect Your Company Bank Accounts

• Educate your staff to Phishing threats – how to spot them, what not to do...
See Don't Be the Big Phish


If you’d like help ensuring your network security is up to snuff, or you have any questions concerning any aspect of Corporate Security, I’d be happy to discuss this with you at your convenience. Feel free to contact me at TomK@TomKConsulting.com, or via my cell 443.310.5110.


Next month in "Business Relations Risk Assessments", I'll discuss evaluating the operational and financial health of your key Business Partners, and the impact a breakdown in their services or their overall demise could have on your operations.