Washington Works Blog

Passwords are the most used account security apparatus. As such, it’s essential that everyone connected to your organization has your overall cybersecurity in mind and knows exactly how to secure the accounts they use. In today’s blog, we’ll look at some common passwords that don’t accomplish their stated purpose very well and how to change that.

There’s no question that modern businesses—-businesses just like yours—-cannot and should not function without cybersecurity protections. We will shout this from the mountaintops at every opportunity… so let’s go over why security is so important and what needs to be done to ensure yours.

July 18th, 2024 saw one of the most widespread and devastating outages in recent memory, as a global update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike brought about significant impacts to major infrastructures and societal needs. All this occurred even though only 1% of Windows operating systems experienced the issue.

Email is undeniably a fantastic communication tool. However, there are certain things you should never share via email for safety reasons. Let’s explore what these are—because when it comes to security, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

COVID-19, or coronavirus, has been a major global health concern over the past couple of months. At this point, it is clear that this disease could have serious impacts on the workplace. We wanted to provide a brief rundown of good workplace and network health practices, as well as a few pointers on how you can handle health-based employee absences.

Encryption has become one of the most dynamic cybersecurity tools available for individuals and organizations. In today’s blog, we will define encryption and how it helps professionals thwart potential cyberattacks.

Password management can be challenging for both businesses and individuals, but it doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems. With the increasing threat of cybersecurity attacks, relying on a single password is no longer sufficient. Instead, you need to use complex passwords stored in a password manager, which simplifies the process of remembering them.

We talk a lot about phishing on this blog, and for good reason. It makes up a significant portion of today’s cyberthreats, irrespective of size or industry. Today, we want to highlight how your business can protect itself from phishing attacks and keep their impacts to a minimum. We’ll dive into some details about phishing schemes and the solutions you can implement to keep your business safe.

Ransomware is not just a business problem; it is also a consumer and user problem. While it might lock down your business’ files and make them inaccessible, there is also the possibility that the cybercriminals will steal and sell the data on the black market rather than safely return it. What happens to users who have had their data stolen during a ransomware attack?

If your organization is fortunate enough to have an internal IT department, it’s likely that they are managing a complex infrastructure on top of being understaffed and overworked. We're not knocking your business or anything; it’s just the nature of the work and the reality of SMBs (trust us, we’d know). We can make managing your technology significantly easier and less of a pressure on your IT workers.

Cybersecurity attacks happen when you least expect it, and data is often more susceptible to a cyberattack while it’s moving from one individual to another. This is what is commonly known as a man-in-the-middle attack, or MitM. Essentially, data gets intercepted while it’s in transit—but what can you really do to stop it? Let’s find out.

The second you hear “audit,” your brain likely goes into damage control mode. However, the purposes of an audit are not necessarily malicious. In fact, they can be remarkably beneficial for a number of reasons, including network security. A good audit can help your business stay secure from threats and vulnerabilities.

Every year, there seems to be a notable increase in high-profile ransomware attacks. If you haven't yet devised a plan to shield your business from these dangers, the time to act is now. Luckily, there are proactive steps you can take to reduce the impact of ransomware attacks, and it all starts with preparation.

The misconception that small businesses are immune to cyberthreats is dangerous. In reality, their size and often lax security measures make them attractive targets. The cost of a cyber incident can be devastating for small and medium-sized businesses. It can lead to downtime, reputation damage, and significant financial loss.

Do you have the time to monitor your networks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? If not, you’re like every other business owner out there, and if you’re not monitoring your network, you’re potentially leaving it open to a lot more threats than you should feel comfortable with. 

There has recently been a surge in cyberattacks and data breaches targeting the healthcare industry and its affiliated businesses and vendors. With one such attack currently featured prominently in the headlines, it seemed appropriate to consider why this is and what businesses of all kinds—particularly those in healthcare—need to do to prevent this kind of thing from happening to them.

Ensuring cybersecurity is important for individuals both in their professional and personal lives. Hence, I've compiled a set of cybersecurity practices that you should advocate for your team, especially when they're working remotely or during their personal time.

Are you prioritizing your business’ network security? It’s remarkably important that any modern business focuses its efforts on this aspect of running a company. Still, it can be challenging to implement the right tools for the job—particularly if you are a future-minded business. You want to get the best return on your investment, which makes sense. Let’s help you get there.

It seems like with every day that passes, there is a new sinister cyberthreat to worry about, and it’s crucial that businesses learn as much as possible about how to keep themselves safe as they can. There is simply too much at stake not to. That said, there are broad categories that most threats will fall under. Today, we’re going to explore them.

Our digital footprint is extensive and vulnerable, from personal information to financial details. While many may believe they are impervious to data theft, the stark reality is that no one is truly immune. Today, we will take a look at a couple of reasons why individuals, regardless of their experience with technology, are not exempt from data theft.