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Tips To Help Your Organization Run Faster, Easier, & More Profitably Fall 2018

Top 4 Ways Hackers Will Attack Your Network

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3 Steps to Become a Super Achiever

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Most small and midsize business (SMB) owners that we meet with have a strong focus on the day-to-day operations of their organization. They’re busy driving growth, facilitating hiring and guiding marketing...yet without much serious thought given to the security of the computer networks these processes depend on. They consider themselves just “the little guy” – why would hackers go to the trouble of penetrating their systems for the minuscule amount of data they store? The facts don’t lie. According to Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report, a full 71% of cyber-attacks are aimed squarely at SMBs. Why? As Tina Manzer writes for Educational Dealer, “Size becomes less of an issue than the security network … While larger enterprises typically have more data to steal, small businesses have less secure networks.” As a result, hackers can hook up automated strikes to lift data from thousands of small businesses at a time – the hit rate is that high. Today, trusting the security of your company to your son-in-law, who assures you he “knows about computers,” isn’t enough. It takes constant vigilance, professional attention and, most of all, knowledge. Start here with the four most common ways hackers infiltrate hapless small businesses. 1. PHISHING E-MAILS An employee receives an e-mail directly from your company’s billing company, urging them to fill out some "required" information before their paycheck can be finalized. Included in the very professional-looking e-mail is a link your employee needs to click to complete the process. But when they click the link, malware floods their system, spreading to the entirety of your business network within seconds, and locks everyone out of their most precious data. In return, the hackers want thousands of dollars or they’ll delete everything.

It’s one of the oldest tricks in the hacker toolbox, but today it’s easier than ever for an attacker to gather key information and make a phishing e-mail look exactly like every other run-of-the-mill e-mail you receive each day. Train your employees to recognize these sneaky tactics, and put in safeguards in case someone messes up and clicks the malicious link. 2. BAD PASSWORDS According to Inc.com contributing editor John Brandon, “With a $300 graphics card, a hacker can run 420 billion simple, lowercase, eight-character password combinations a minute.” What’s more, he says, “80% of cyber-attacks involve weak passwords,” yet despite this fact, “55% of people use one password for all logins.” As a manager, you should be bothered by these statistics. There’s simply no excuse for using an easy-to-crack password, for you or your team.

Instead, it’s a good idea to make a password out of four random common words, splicing in a few special characters for good measure. To check the strength of your password, type it into HowSecureIsMyPassword.net before you make it official.

3. MALWARE As described above, malware is often delivered through a shady phishing e-mail, but it’s not the only way it can wreak havoc on your system. An infected website (such as those you visit when you misspell sites like Facebook.com, a technique called “typosquatting”), a USB drive loaded with viruses or even an application can

bring vicious software into your world without you even realizing it. In the past, an antivirus software was all that you needed. These days, it’s likely that you need a combination of software systems to combat these threats. These tools are not typically very expensive to put in place, especially considering the security holes they plug in your network.

4. SOCIAL ENGINEERING As fallible as computers may be, they’ve got nothing on people. Sometimes hackers don’t need to touch a keyboard at all to break through your defenses: they can simply masquerade as you to a support team in order to get the team to activate a password reset. It’s easier than you think, and requires carefully watching what information you put on the Internet – don’t put the answers to your security questions out there for all to see. We’ve outlined some of the simplest ways to defend yourself against these shady techniques, but honestly, the best way is to bring on an IT company that constantly keeps your system updated with the most cutting-edge security and is ready at a moment’s notice to protect you in a crisis.

FREE for the first 4 businesses who reach out...request your assessment today at

www.capstoneitinc.com/free

Top 4 Ways Hackers Will Attack Your Network And They Are Targeting You RIGHT NOW

“...hackers can hook up

automated strikes to lift

data from thousands of

small businesses at a time —

the hit rate is that high.”

“We signed up with Capstone in January. The process was very smooth with minimal stress as they provided the high level knowledge we needed during this period. Everything was explained in layman’s terms and they gained our trust very quickly. Capstone is a great company to work with very personable staff. I highly recommend them.”

Rochester 585-546-4120 | Buffalo 716-748-6180 | West Palm Beach 561-257-1879

Shiny New Gadget

Of The Month

As a mother and a CEO I’ve found that maximizing productivity between all my daily tasks is challenging. Especially when there aren’t clear priorities set in place. For example, is the big sales meeting more important than driving my son to his basketball practice? I recently had the opportunity to meet Darren Hardy, author of the Compound Effect, and he was able to answer many of these questions. Most of us think that the busier we are the more we are achieving and producing. You may be an overachiever – getting many things done in a day, but to become a SUPER ACHIEVER you need to learn these 3 things:

#1. Learn to say “No” to More Things that Take You Away From What is Most Important to You.

As women, we have a difficult time saying no to people without feeling a bit guilty. Especially, when we don’t have a direct excuse as to why. I have learned that to have the success you desire, you must guard your time, energy and focus.

Your time is one of your most valuable commodities. Once it’s gone you cannot replace it. Focus on doing what gives you the greatest return on investment. Saying yes to everything is easy. The anxiety comes form saying no. Super achievers are able to say NO more often. Overscheduling can be what is stealing away your opportunity to achieve big results in less time.

To read the rest of my story, go to

www.capstoneitinc.com/blog

Today, the security of your home is more important than ever before. Law breakers are constantly getting bolder, and as our technology advances, they switch up their tactics. All of us should be on the lookout for a security camera that’s difficult to spot, is intelligent about the footage it collects, and grabs high-quality foot-age to identify burglars. Enter the Snap SmartCam, a tiny little camera that looks — and operates — just like a phone charger. The camera will cost you $57.00, a great deal for a security camera of any type.

Kim W., BioWorks

Introducing The Snap SmartCam

Sitima Fowler with Darren Hardy

WIN ME!

A littleThanksgiving trivia...

What is a baby turkey called? A) poult B) nestling C) next year’s dinner

Email your answer to info@capstoneitinc.com and

you’ll be entered to win. Good luck!

3 Steps To Being A Super Achiever

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Upcoming Business Leadership Events

Our FREE events fill up quickly,

register today at www.capstoneitinc.com/events October 26th, 8:30AM—4:30PM Florida Martin County Bar Association Cybersecurity Update

Sitima Fowler and Mike Borlaug just spoke at the Bench Bar Conference on Cyber Security. They educated 300 lawyers and judges on the increasing dangers of cyber criminals in your business and personal life. Visit this link to request Sitima to speak at your next event www.capstoneitinc.com/sitima

November 15th, 11:30—1:30PM Buffalo—Using O365 to increase staff productivity and collaboration

December 12th, 12-1:00 PM Rochester—Components of a good employee security awareness training.

Florida: 601 Heritage Dr., #146| Jupiter | FL 33458

Submit your referral at

www.capstoneitinc.com/referral-program.

As we count our blessings this

Thanksgiving season, we

consider ourselves extremely

lucky to have staff, clients,

community, and friends

like you.

Thank you for your loyalty

and trust. The Capstone Team

wishes you a season full of

happiness, peace, and

prosperity. Refer a business to Capstone IT.

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