Washington Works Blog

It’s not uncommon where a situation arises and you will find yourself working from home. To make this work, it is important that you keep a few additional issues in mind so that you can make the most of it. We have put together a few simple best practices that you should keep in mind as you operate remotely.

There are many reasons that your team may want (or need) to work from home, and there are many reasons to allow them to do so. A 2019 survey by OwlLabs indicated that 71 percent of remote workers are happy with their job (as compared to 55 percent of on-site workers); remote workers responded that they are 13   percent more likely than onsite workers to stay in their current job for five more years than onsite workers will; and when respondents claimed to be working longer than 40 hours per week, onsite workers were doing so out of necessity, while remote workers did so out of desire and enjoyment.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released an emergency directive concerning a critical exploit known as Zerologon, that affects servers running Windows Server operating systems that needs to get patched as soon as possible.

A new ransomware attack has surfaced, this time mostly targeting IT companies and their clients. The attack is specifically targeting the Kaseya platform. Kaseya is management software that many IT companies use to remotely manage and support technology. The attack in question attacked Kaseya’s supply chain through a vulnerability in its VSA software; this attack is notable because of how it targeted the supply chain, not only striking at the vendor’s clients—notably IT companies—but also their customers. Basically, this attack had a trickle-down effect that is causing widespread chaos for a massive number of businesses.

If you use almost any Apple products, you’ll want to check for and apply an update that will prevent your devices from being spied on. Apple has just issued an emergency software update for a critical vulnerability that was recently discovered.

The new updates were pushed out on Monday, September 13th, 2021, and include a major security fix for the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Mac computers and laptops.

Cyberattacks will not let up anytime soon, so businesses need to be prepared with the knowledge and expertise to combat them. Unfortunately, finding the right folks with the right expertise is hard. According to a report from Kaspersky titled “The Portrait of Modern Information Security Professional,” the world is short about 4 million security professionals, and even the existing professionals make grave errors in their first couple of years. Let’s take a look at some of these insights and see what we can learn from them.

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.

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.

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.

Cybersecurity covers a broad range of risks and threats. You’ve got the basics like your computer viruses and malware, to the business-crippling ransomware and data breaches. You have threats that cause stress and downtime, and others that steal information and money, and others still that don’t even have clear understandable objectives. The point is, cybersecurity isn’t simple, but sometimes the threat actors and cybercriminals who target you will use low-tech methods to get what they want.

Google Chrome has been pushing a lot of important updates over the last few weeks. Fortunately, updating Chrome is pretty seamless, and it’s important that users do so. Users also need to be wary of fake Chrome errors that insist on installing malware. You don’t want to fall for this scam!

Technology is integral to modern business, making proficiency in necessary tools a must for today’s workforce. However, the complexity of these technologies can create vulnerabilities as malicious actors continually seek ways to infiltrate systems, steal data, and siphon funds.

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.

Today, cybersecurity responsibility extends beyond the IT department; it's now everyone's concern. Experiencing a hack can be deeply unsettling, leaving you feeling vulnerable and uncertain about what steps to take next. This short guide aims to assist you by outlining the necessary actions to take post-hack, along with practical cybersecurity advice and measures to help you strengthen your defenses. Let's transform this stressful situation into an opportunity to learn and fortify your cyber resilience.

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.