There are a wide variety of tools available that can be utilized in order to detect attacks and exploits, and take further steps in order to block, mitigate, and prevent cyber attacks. These tools can include things like firewalls, spam filters to reject annoying emails, and antivirus/anti-malware to protect endpoint systems are utilized by almost all organizations, regardless of their size. Another significantly valuable security tool that is becoming more prevalent across organizations is a network IDS / IPS, or Intrusion Detection System / Intrusion Prevention System. If you are unsure of what either of these tools are, don’t worry; we’re going to provide a brief description of what they are.

What is an IDS? 

An Intrusion Detection System, or an IDS can be either a software application or a hardware appliance with the purpose of passively monitoring network traffic to search for suspicious activity, and potential threats, which will then send out alerts when such activity is discovered. An IDS is pre-programmed to analyze network traffic and identify patterns in that traffic that may indicate a potential cyber attack.

IDS systems are typically placed into two categories/types:

• Host-based
• Network-based

The difference is where the sensors for the system are placed, whether it be on a host, endpoint, or on a network. With there being different types of IDS systems, there are also different methods of deployment and detection. Beyond the location of where the IDS is deployed, IDS systems also differ in how the detect and identify intrusions:

• Signature Detection
• Anomaly Detection
• Hybrid Detection

How Does an IDS Work?

An IDS is a passive technology that detects potential threats and then generates alerts, which in turn allows incident responders, analysts, engineers, and stakeholders a means to investigate and respond to the occurrence of the threat. It is a common misnomer that IDS systems provide protection to endpoints or networks, IDS do not provide active protection to these systems or networks. An IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) on the other hand does actively defend endpoints or networks from threats.

What is an IPS?

An IPS, or Intrusion Prevention System can be thought of as being similar to a firewall. It is a network security and cyber treaty prevention technology that actively monitors and examines network traffic to detect and prevent known threats instead of just raising an alarm or sending out alerts like with an IDS. Similar to that of an IDS, most IPS’ use both Signature Based and Anomaly Based Detection methods for detecting threats, but also have one method that is unique as well; which is Policy Based Detection.

How Does an IPS Work?

Typically an IPS is placed directly behind a firewall so that it may provide an added layer of analysis in order to actively scan for potential threats. Intrusion Prevention Systems work by actively scanning all traffic going to the network, just a few of the different types of threats that an IPS is programmed to monitor for and block are:

• Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
• Different types of known exploits
• Worms
• Viruses

IPS’ perform real-time packet analysis, thoroughly inspecting every single packet that travels through the network. If a packet is detected that contains a potential threat, an IPS can terminate the TCP session, reprogram/reconfigure the firewall to prevent those packets in the future, or remove/reconfigure the malicious content in the packet.

Why You Need a IDS/IPS

Hackers are continuously developing new exploits and attack techniques in order to circumvent our network defenses. No network is impenetrable, and no firewall foolproof. An IDS/IPS can be a key addition to an organization’s network/infrastructure because it enables you to detect and respond to malicious network traffic. 

The main benefit of an IDS/IPS is that it ensures that IT personnel are notified when an attack or breach is taking place. 

If I Have an IDS/IPS Why Do I Need a Firewall?

Some of you may be wondering this often asked question, “If I have an IDS/IPS in place, why do I need a firewall?”. This is because the IDS/IPS does not actually keep out intruders, it keeps track of the attempted breaches, the firewall on the other hand is what actually keeps the intruders and malicious traffic from getting into the system. Think of it this way, the firewall is the first line of defense, a sort of security guard in a sense. 

If the firewall is the security guard, IDS/IPS are security cameras. The firewall explicitly restricts access by screening the traffic and deciding what is permitted and what is not based upon certain criteria. However, an IDS/IPS monitors this traffic and then spots patterns or anomalies in activity, which will then send out an alert if anything suspicious is detected. This is why a continued effort of actively monitoring your firewall, updating your filtering controls, and allow/deny rules and policies is crucial to ensuring that you have the best security possible. This way you’re getting an idea of who, or what is trying to get into the network.

SME provides fully managed security solutions including Firewalls, Virtual Private Networks, Remote Access and Intrusion Detection Systems. Each customized security solution is monitored 24x7x365 from our Secure Network Operations Center, allowing our team to respond to potential threats as they are happening. For any IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net.

What is the CMMC Interim Rule? 

Are you a DoD prime or subcontractor? If yes, then the answer to this question is an important one, if not slightly complex. This Interim Rule took effect on November 30, 2020, so the sooner you understand how it affects your existing as well as new contracts, the better. There is a lot to digest within the requirements—all 110 of them—but we will simplify some of the basics to bring you up to speed.      

Who 

The Defense Acquisitions Regulation System released a new Interim Rule implementing its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program to supplement the existing DFARS regulations. The new mandate affects CMMC cyber rules for all DoD contractors with systems that process, store, or transmit CUI. 

Why 

This Interim Rule was necessary to provide immediate improvements to DoD contractor security in the current DFARS requirement while the implementation of the CMMC program is still in development. The CMMC program is expected to be a phased rollout over the next five years. 

What 

The new Interim Rule has some updated requirements including performing NIST SP 800-171 Self-Assessments, complete a System Security Plan (SSP) with a Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM), and upload information into the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS). 

Let SME help you navigate the complexities of the new CMMC Interim Rule. We will start with getting a handle on where your company currently stands and address your cybersecurity compliance gaps so you do not miss out on contract awards. Give us a call 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net. 

An uncomfortable reality that many businesses have to worry about are data breaches, which are becoming much more frequent, but are also getting much craftier and more sophisticated; and the amount of data being compromised is increasing rapidly. Unfortunately, another uncomfortable reality is that most companies are completely unprepared to handle a data breach if they were to fall victim to one.

As data breaches are becoming more common by the day, it is imperative that businesses be proactive about their cybersecurity posture, and ensure that they are putting protective, and preventative measures in place before disaster strikes. One way of doing this is by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a VPN can be one of the most important tools that a company uses to protect itself from, and aid in preventing data breaches.

Think of a VPN as a hidden tunnel that you can take from one place to another

Essentially, a VPN connects two separated computers, or networks securely and privately over the Internet. In more technical terms, by using a suite of security protocols a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device, and a remote server, or network. All your traffic is then routed through this secure tunnel, this allows for both the confidentiality and authenticity of the information that is being passed through the VPN tunnel, away from prying eyes.

Most importantly, all users, whether they are home users, startups, small, medium, and large businesses-stand to benefit from using a VPN. When it comes down to it, a VPN will secure your internet traffic and can minimize, and prevent data theft incidents.

The following are some of the more basic reasons your business can benefit from using a VPN:

• Enhanced Security: You may not think that your company will need a secure, private tunnel or remote access to the internal network. However, given the events of the last year due to the covid-19 pandemic, many businesses have had to resort to having their employees work remotely from home. In order for business operations to run as smoothly as possible, the employees will need to be able to access the same internal data, but from an external location. Or you (as many companies do nowadays) may have resources such as apps, data, or forms hosted externally in a cloud-based environment. Providing VPN access to your employees will guarantee that they not only have a secure way of connecting to your network, but a secure means for accessing internal resources, all the while ensuring that the data or other resources are intercepted in the process.
  
• Remote Workforce: As stated above, if the last year has proved anything, it’s that more of America’s workforce can do their jobs from home than previously thought. If your employees are working from different locations, how can you be sure that the network they’re using to connect to the company network is secure?
  
• Access Control: Without proper access control measures in place, the wrong people might get access or too much access to resources they shouldn’t, or on the other side of this, the people who need access to get the job done can’t do so because they lack the proper access. A VPN also acts as a sort of Access Control system by authenticating and authorizing users by evaluating their credentials, then verifying that the person is who they claim to be. Once they are authenticated, and then assigning the appropriate access levels and permissions associated with the users credentials.
  

SME offers The Nextwall™ Security Suite featuring VPN technology and we also implement and support security solutions from Cisco, Dell, Sophos, and more.

Nextwall™ VPN technology is engineered to provide secure Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity to public and private enterprises, ensuring that only authorized users can access the network and that data cannot be intercepted.

SME provides fully managed security solutions including Firewalls, Virtual Private Networks, Remote Access and Intrusion Detection Systems. Each customized security solution is monitored 24x7x365 from our Secure Network Operations Center. For any IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net.

Ransomware attacks have caused many organizations to lose highly important or sensitive data. Most recently, it has come to light that Kia, the vehicle manufacturer has suffered a ransomware attack where the attackers are demanding $20 million in payment in order to decrypt the data. 

While prevention is the best defense for ransomware, once a ransomware attack has already occurred, the best chance to recover the data is to maintain regular data backups, otherwise you’re only option left is to pay the ransom, and in some cases, even that does not guarantee your data will be decrypted. However, as critical as it is to protect your data — you must also take measures to prevent backups from getting encrypted by ransomware as well.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a form of malware, or virus that encrypts data and files on a victim machine, which then prevents users from accessing their files. When ransomware infects a system, it starts searching for files and then begins encrypting them, oftentimes it will encrypt all of the files on the machine. Attackers hold the key that can decrypt the files, which they commonly will offer to give to the victim once a ransom payment has been made, but it is not always a guarantee.

Most ransomware will display a ransom notice/pop-up to users, usually by replacing their desktop background image or placing a text file with instructions in the folders it has encrypted. The ransom notice demands payment, which may be between hundreds and several thousand dollars, most typically to be paid in cryptocurrency to keep the transaction anonymous, and untraceable. 

Backup and Recovery, aka Disaster Recovery

Data backup and recovery is the process of backing up your important data in the event of a loss and setting up secure systems that allow you to recover the data as a result. Data backup requires the storing copies and archives of computer data to make it accessible in case of data compromise, corruption, or loss due to deletion. 

Data can only be recovered from an earlier time if it has been backed up. This is often referred to as operational recovery. Recovery from a backup typically involves restoring the data to the original location, or to an alternate location where it can be used in place of the lost or damaged data. A proper backup copy is stored in a separate system or medium, such as tape, from the primary data to protect against the possibility of data loss due to primary hardware or software failure.

Disaster Recovery Can Prevent Loss Due to Ransomware

Performing and maintaining regular backups and part of a Disaster Recovery plan is the best way to protect yourself against Ransomware. If you have a clean backup of your data when a ransomware attack hits, and are also able to prevent ransomware from reaching the backup and encrypting it too, then you have a safe and easy way to recover without having to pay the ransom.

Here are some best practices and tips to protect your backups against ransomware:

• Keep an offline backup — keep a copy of the backup offline. If/when ransomware hits, the malware can attack anything that the infected system has access to. Keep an offline backup, this will mitigate the risk. Another tip is to use traditional backup tapes, which are impossible for ransomware to attack.
• Make use of immutable storage — also known as WORM (Write-Once-Read-Many), immutable storage can store data and lock it to prevent further modification. Immutable storage ensures backups remain unchanged.
• Endpoint protection on servers containing backups — modern endpoint protection platforms can detect ransomware as it begins to infect a system, mostly by recognizing its strange behavior. These platforms can lock down the infected systems and isolate them from the network to prevent the ransomware from spreading. This can be extremely useful for all organizational endpoints but is especially important on the backup server itself.
• Increase backup frequency — see how often you are backing up your own data. Backup frequency will determine how much data can be lost in a ransomware assault. Even if you are backing up once a day or once every few hours, consider the cost of losing all the data since the previous backup. 

The 3-2-1 Backup Method

The 3-2-1 backup method is a recommended best practice for recovery and backup, and can also help mitigate ransomware risks. No backup strategy is foolproof, but following the 3-2-1 rule is probably the most recommended way to prevent data loss.

Here is how 3-2-1 backup works:

• Keep 3 copies of your information — one main copy and two backups.
• Use 2 distinct media formats — for example, SSD drive, tape, magnetic disk or cloud storage.
• Keep 1 of those copies offsite — the most secure option is to store data to a tape and deposit it in a very secure location. Another option is to automatically take a snapshot of the data and send it to a disaster recovery location.

Tips for Testing Backups

• Test from your regular backups, in whatever media you use.
• Don’t just test a couple of files. Make sure you can restore entire directories, servers, or applications.
• Restore to a different computer or server.
• Keep a copy of the install disks for your backup software with the backups themselves.
• Be sure to document the process for restoring or reinstalling applications, especially if there are any special tips or tricks needed to perform the task. Put this into a text file in the application so that it gets backed up with everything else.

SME offers both Managed Backup solutions and Cloud Backup Storage solutions that ensure reliable backups of your data, for any IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net.

Happy Valentines Day from the SME family. Many of us enjoy this time of the year, but did you know that hackers do too. 

But what exactly do hackers love…?

Last week we posted our blog post What Hackers Love: Home Edition, where we covered a few topics that hackers typically love when attacking or breaching home networks. This week we’ll be covering a few topics that hackers love to look for when attacking enterprise networks.

These topics cover businesses of all sizes. From the small mom and pop shop, or the online business, to large organizations. What’s discussed here is applicable to any business.

Hackers Love: Unpatched Systems

Unpatched systems, and software can be a magnet for malware and viruses. Especially if it is a widely used app like Adobe Flash or Internet Explorer. A classic example is the Conficker worm on Windows that was discovered in late 2008, which took advantage of unpatched versions of Microsoft Windows.

From 2019-2020, the most exploited software applications were Adobe Flash, and Internet Explorer

https://www.verdict.co.uk/top-software-vulnerabilities-2019/

Around 60% of small businesses get hacked every year as hackers are finding new ways to break into computer systems. As cyber attacks become more prevalent, proper network security is more important than ever to reduce, and mitigate the risk of a data breach and maintain not only your customers’ data, but their confidence in your company and your reputation.

Many companies are taking proactive security measures to lower their risk of vulnerabilities — one of the major ones being patch management. Patch management has often been ignored as part of cyber security, but its importance and the benefits it can provide shouldn’t be ignored.

Hackers Love: Lack of Encryption

Encryption is the process through which data is encoded so that it remains hidden from or unreadable to unauthorized users. Encryption helps protect sensitive data, and can enhance the security of communications between not only apps and servers, but between yourself and your customers. When data is encrypted, even if an unauthorized person or entity gains access to it, they will not be able to read it.

If you think your business is too small to benefit from encryption technology, think again. Encryption has largely been thought of as a more advanced form of data security, expected to be seen in large enterprises rather than small companies. However, cyber threats are growing among organizations of all sizes, especially small businesses, which are more likely to have fewer resources with which to protect themselves than large corporations. As the threat landscape continues to grow, encryption is becoming an increasingly critical component of any company’s security strategy.

Organizations large and small, and across industries are implementing encryption technology to protect their customers and employees Personally Identifiable Information (PII), company secrets, financial data, and more. Malware attacks, and phishing are on the rise, password protection is not enough, and even if your data is hosted in the cloud, at the end of the day, you’re still at risk. 

Hackers Love: Flat Networks / No Network Segmentation

Network segmentation is the practice of breaking up a larger computer network into several small sub-networks that are isolated from one another. Network segmentation is also a key part of PCI DSS compliance requirements. The PCI Security Standards Council calls for the use of network segmentation in order to help isolate all system components that are used to store, process, or transmit credit/debit cardholder data or other sensitive authentication data.

Setting up and configuring network segmentation can be a tad bit of a hassle starting out but the benefits of segmenting your network can massively outweigh the challenges. Some key benefits of network segmentation include:

• Slowing Down Attackers, Buying You More Time. If an attacker breaches your network, and that network is segmented, then it will take some more time for the attacker to break out of that segmented portion of the network to get at the resources they’re actually after.
  
• Increases Data Security. Segmenting networks makes it easier to protect the most sensitive data and internally-facing network assets. This extra layer of separation between servers containing sensitive data and everything else outside of the network can drastically reduce your risk of data loss or theft.
  
• Reaffirms Policy of Least Privilege. Network segmentation makes it easier to restrict user access to sensitive information and systems. If a user’s access credentials are compromised—or abused, this can be invaluable for protecting that information. Essentially, network segmentation helps protect your business against both internal and external threats.
  
• Reduces Damage from Attacks. Because strong network segmentation can help keep attackers from breaking out of a system before you’ve contained the breach and cut off their access, it can help to minimize the damage caused by such breaches.

SME is here to help increase security posture and get rid of those sleepless nights, for any IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net.

It’s February so you know what that means, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Not only do many of us enjoy this time of the year, hackers do too.

So what exactly do hackers love…?

Hackers Love: Default Credentials for Networks & IoT Devices

One of the easiest ways a hacker can gain access to your network, or devices is through weak password policies. Are you still using the same password that came with the router you bought? Or the Wi-Fi camera system you have set up? Nine times out of ten, these devices that you have purchased and connected to your network are using default usernames and passwords, that are also very easy for a hacker to guess. Whenever you purchase a new device to connect to your home network, always change the default username and password, and use strong passwords! If you need help creating one, use this website to generate a strong password.

Any sort of device that you can find on the market these days that is aimed at convenience and connects to your home network is referred to as IoT, or the Internet of Things. 

https://eclature.com/10-most-popular-iot-devices-in-2020/

For more tips on securing your home network and IoT devices, check out our blog post on how to better secure your home network.

Hackers Love: Password Reuse & Weak Passwords

As mentioned above, hackers love default credentials, so it is imperative to always change those default usernames and passwords to something else that is harder for the hackers to break into. This does not mean you should create usernames or passwords that are easy to guess, or continuously reuse the same password over and over; whether it be for home networks and devices of the online services and apps you use everyday. 

You should get in the habit of creating long, strong passwords that will be very difficult for a hacker to guess, and even in this case, do not reuse the same password for another service. There is nothing easier to do than guess someones password, lookup their email address(es) in https://haveibeenpwned.com/ ,use some OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) and a little bit of Social Engineering , or run a brute force attack to guess what their password(s) might be.

To become more efficient and aid in convenience, use a password manager like LastPass, or BitWarden. A password manager makes it easier for you to manage all of the passwords you use for your online accounts and even offline accounts. Better yet, many of these services are free. Here’s a list of some of the most highly rated password managers.

Hackers Love: People Who Click Stuff

One of the most common causes of data breaches or malware infections is from unwitting people who click stuff that they’re unsure of. More commonly referred to as phishing, and still remains at the top of the list for a hackers tool kit. The increase in frequency and sophistication only drives hackers to use phishing schemes more and more against their targets. As long as people are unknowingly clicking on malicious links, or attachments, or downloads, this trend will continue. 

In order to better familiarize yourself with phishing and to increase your own cyber hygiene, check out our blog posts.

Simple Steps to Securing Yourself Online

Phishing

SME is here to help increase security posture and get rid of those sleepless nights, for any IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net.

Privacy is important, it’s why people lock the doors to their cars, or their houses at night, install home security systems on their homes, or even take out a lock box at a bank. So why should privacy of one’s data be treated any differently? as more and more  of our personal data becomes stored online,, and we share more information online, data privacy is becoming more important than ever before.

Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection.

Hundreds of millions of people are completely unaware of and uninformed about how their personal information and private data is being used, stored, or shared in our online society. Data Privacy Day aims to inspire communication and empower individuals and organizations to take action in order to better protect themselves and their personal data online. The US, Canada, and dozens of countries across Europe recognize January 28th as international Data Privacy Day. These countries have united in an effort to empower individuals and organizations to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust world wide.

Data privacy relates to how data, or personal information about each of us should be handled based on its relative importance. But what does relative importance mean? An example of this is like telling someone you just met your name, or giving them your phone number. However, you wouldn’t tell a stranger or most people for that matter your  Social Security Number, or tell anyone the pin to your ATM card; information of that level of importance you want to keep protected right?

This goes with data privacy online as well!

In the digital age, information and data is everything. It’s how many major businesses make millions or billions each year. By obtaining and selling information or data about each and every one of us! We typically think of data privacy as critical personal information, otherwise known as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), or Personal Health Information (PHI). Information like our Social Security Number, health and medical records, financial data, including bank account, debit and credit card numbers. 

However, the most basic of information still can be considered sensitive,like our full names, addresses and birthdates. This type of information can be used in social engineering or phishing against unwitting users.

One final recommendation to help you keep your online and personal data private is to regularly assess and update the privacy settings on your social media accounts. If you don’t, you may be sharing a lot more than just your name with complete strangers and even potential cyber-criminals — a clever enough cyber-criminal could use that information to steal your identity or a lot more.

Here at SME Inc, our goal is to make IT easier, this includes assisting you in protecting your privacy online. We provide both Security Awareness Training, Phishing simulations, and several other Compliance Solutions. To find out more about these services or any other IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net

RPOs in the CMMC ecosystem provide pre-assessment advice, consulting services, and recommendations to government contractors and other organizations. RPOs are essentially the “facilitators” and consultants to advise DoD suppliers on how to prepare for a successful CMMC assessment, but do not actually conduct Certified Assessments**. 

SME’s team of cybersecurity experts will work with you to prepare and navigate CMMC and work with you to maintain your maturity levels.

As a CMMC-AB designated Registered Provider Organization (RPO), and staffed with Registered Practitioners (RP) that are trained in CMMC methodology, our engineers will develop your Compliance Action Plan and ensure a seamless execution of your CMMC controls and work with you to achieve CMMC compliance.

The engineers at Systems Management Enterprises, Inc. (SME, Inc.) are specialists in evaluating, identifying and achieving the security required to meet maturity level requirements by the Department of Defense (DoD). In hiring SME’s RPO services, you will have the peace of mind in knowing that we have the training required to understand what it means to be CMMC compliant and how to help you get there.

To find out more about our RPO services visit, https://cmmc.smeinc.net,  or if you have any other IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net

**RPOs are not authorized to conduct a certified assessment.

You Are The Weakest Link

Security Awareness Training Educates and Empowers Your Employees

No one can guarantee 100%, full-proof cyber protection. Today’s hackers are clever and have devised very sophisticated malware that can leave victims completely devastated in the blink of an eye. Recent reporting and studies show that 90% of all data breaches were caused by human error. What this means is that ultimately, security is a people problem; the average, every day employee is the weakest link in the organizational change. 

Any one of us can be a key target for cybercrime and attacks are continuing to increase in size, sophistication and cost. This is why Security Awareness Training is so important; but what exactly is it?

One of the newest buzz word filled phrases that is getting tossed around corporate environments, and executive meetings is Security Awareness Training. Described in broad terms, is the process of providing formal cybersecurity education to your employees about a variety of information security threats to ensure they can follow organizational practices and policies in order to better leverage and be an active part in the overall security of the organization. 

Having employees that are cybersecurity conscious doesn’t only benefit your employees at the workplace, they will take what they have learned home with them and apply it to their daily lives as well.

Security Awareness Training can protect assets and prevent downtime

Security Awareness Training helps prevent breaches and attacks

Data breaches can be devastating for organizations small and large, with recent breaches costing the victimized organizations into the billions of dollars. This is why data breaches should be the first thing that comes to mind whenever you’re thinking about Security Awareness Training. In comparison to the potential cost of a breach, Security Awareness Training is inexpensive and should not be given a second thought on whether or not its ROI is viable.

Increase Security Posture of the Company

Security Awareness Training programs try to put emphasis on the value of a secure culture and will measure its score right from the beginning. This is then stored as the baseline before the awareness training is started and assessed over time as the company matures in creating a more secure culture.

Security professionals will then continuously monitor the parameters of your security culture through advanced awareness training platforms and develop and nurture a culture of security within the organization.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

Oftentimes, organizations must comply with certain industry regulations or frameworks such as CMMC, ALTA Best Practices, PCI , HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, NIST, or ISO and can be expected to deliver security awareness training to their employees once or perhaps twice a year. Even though Security Awareness Training may not be needed by small and medium enterprises/organizations for compliance reasons, they can also benefit from training their employees to avoid phishing attacks, account takeovers, or other well-known means that cybercriminals use.

Allows You To Build Out More Robust Defenses

Investing in Security Awareness Training allows you to build more robust defenses against costly breaches. These higher end technological defenses require input from people, and setting your employees on a path towards being more security aware is the only way to go.

From here, they will know when to turn your firewalls on, understand and acknowledge security warnings, update software and apply patches on time thus creating more security conscious, robust defenses.

Another angle that makes this a critical necessity is the fact that today’s hackers don’t approach their attacks through technological means but rather use people through social engineering or phishing, which is often considered an easy way into a protected network.

Investing in Security Awareness Training can also help you gain more customers. If you have not included cybersecurity precautions into your RFP process, you are not going to be considered by IT-decision makers or high-profile contracts. Customers will feel more confident if they are going to be dealing with people who are well informed and trained in cybersecurity standards and practices. 

Security Awareness Training Makes Us More Socially Responsible

Cyber attack campaigns like those that used the WannaCry and NotPetya malware are clear examples to go by because these pieces of malware spread and very shocking speeds. Once a network is infected, malware can spread within seconds.

Organizations with little to no security awareness training can put the rest of the organizations that are connected to them at risk of possible infection, provided that your customers, suppliers, or others are connected to your network. Investing in Security Awareness Training benefits not only you, but everyone else you’re connected to.

** Please note that Security Awareness Training is not a one off operation, it is an ongoing effort. As the threat landscape and hackers TTP’s  continues to change and evolve, as does the need to properly train and educate your employees continuously.

Here at SME Inc, we provide both Security Awareness Training, as well as Phishing simulations, to find out more about these services or any other IT/security related questions, please give us a call at 703-378-4110 or email info@smeinc.net

Stay tuned to our blog in the upcoming 2021 year for more cybersecurity and tech related new & content! From all of us here at SME Inc, we hope that everyone had a safe and Happy Holiday and continue to have a Happy New Year!