Weighing the Pros & Cons of Managed Security Services Providers

 

Organizations today are increasingly moving towards managedIT services as an alternative to on-premise and in-house implementations. Working with a managed security services provider can help organizations benefit from best-in-class technologies at a reduced cost and with less overhead.

This offers substantial value to organizations in the SMB sector that don’t have the IT infrastructure or budget to create a modern, comprehensive cybersecurity solution. A cybersecurity managed services provider (MSP) can bridge this gap by delivering services such as network monitoring, patches and updates and responding to service requests—freeing on-premise IT to focus on value-added tasks and innovation.

Three top advantages an MSP can provide include:

1. Specialized, skilled technicians. To SMBs that rely on a few generalists to keep networks and systems functioning, a cybersecurity MSP provides immediate access to a complete security team with no ramp up time.
2. 24/7 support and monitoring. Unlike most SMBs, cybersecurity MSPs have the infrastructure and personnel in place to sustain 24/7 IT support and monitoring. This is critical when you consider that many data breaches and security issues occur during off hours. A cybersecurity MSP will notice any suspicious activity and react accordingly.
3. Best-in-class technology. A managed security service can be instantly deployed without any additional investments in equipment or infrastructure. Cybersecurity MSPs have best-in-class technologies supported by cloud resources. More often than not, what SMBs can afford is no match for what an MSP can deliver.

Factors to Consider When Working With Cybersecurity MSPs

When considering switching to an IT services Columbia SC provider, there are several factors SMBs need to be aware of to minimize risk. One is the on-premise placement of third-party equipment that can add to the vulnerability of a network.

Typically, an SMB connects directly to an MSP through the Internet, but the placement of some necessary on-premise equipment can sometimes interfere or interrupt the connection. Organizations are advised to work with MSPs that have measures in place to prevent and mitigate these risks.

The very nature of entrusting a 3rd party with valuable customer data, intellectual property and other competitive information is risky in itself. Organizations need to carefully vet IT outsourcing companies and make sure their claims of reliability and integrity stand up. Reviews, word-of-mouth, and testimonials can all be used to find an MSP that can be trusted with the protection of your data, brand and business.

In most cases, the advantages of working with a reliable MSP with a proven reputation for integrity and success far outweigh the potential risks. A trusted, experienced MSP can identify issues relating to infrastructure, third-party systems or on-premise technologies that can turn into problems, and cost-effectively deliver a comprehensive cybersecurity solution to address them.

SpartanTec, Inc. works with best-in-class technologies to provide comprehensive and trustworthy protection for organizations’ specialized network security challenges.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

 

Why Your Business Needs Managed IT Services

 

Regardless of the type of business you’re running, your company needs an IT department. Nowadays, technology connects the world and you can’t remain competitive if you’re not part of it. Developing and managing your very own IT department could be quite costly and sometimes impossible for many small businesses. The good thing is that there’s something you can do to deal with your company’s IT needs. You can go for IT outsourcing and let a third party company take care of your IT tasks for you at a price you can afford.

 

 

Reasons To Get Managed IT Services

 

IT Outsourcing

Using managed IT services means you’re handing over your IT needs to a different company who employs experienced IT professionals. Whether you need to optimize your whole network or an equipment needs to be set up on site, IT support Myrtle Beach professionals will come to you when you need their help.

Even if you already have an in-house IT team, you can still use a managed IT services especially when you need extra help from IT experts. A good IT service provider can give you the help you need whenever you need it.

Access To Innovative Technology

You’ll have access to the latest technology when you use managed IT services. As you know, technology constantly evolves and it can be difficult to make sure that your IT team are regularly trained so they’re always updated. Through IT outsourcing, you can always depend on IT experts being trained to deal with the latest tech. It’s convenient and offers you an advantage over your competition.

Consultation and Review

In case you are not tech savvy in today’s world of technology, it could be difficult to determine what systems will work best for your company. Depending on the equipment providers could be problematic because their main interest is to profit by selling their equipment. On the other hand, IT companies like SpartanTec, Inc. will make sure that you are satisfied so you can always rely on them and rest easy knowing that they have your best interest in mind.

Managed services Columbia SC involves a comprehensive review of your existing technology setup. It will let them assess the strengths and weaknesses of your system and suggest the best solutions for your unique situations.

 

If you are searching for managed IT services that you can depend on, call SpartanTec, Inc. now. With extensive knowledge and several years of experience in the IT field, you can always count on our team of IT experts to provide you with the best IT services. Call us now.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

 

Cyber Threat Assessment: How to Find Indicators of Compromise

The threat landscape is in a constant state of evolution, and the arms race between cyberguardians and cybercriminals has been heating up dramatically over the course of the last year. An additional 20 billion IoT devices will be connected to the network by 2021, along with expansive growth in personal end user devices, forcing individuals and organizations to face an exponentially expanding attack surface bound to the borderless cyberspace. 

Set some context as to what is happening with the threat landscape today that makes threat assessment an urgent need?

Today’s digital economy connects more users, devices, applications, and data than ever before to drive business value. Billions of new IP-enabled, non-user IoT devices are transmitting vast amounts of data traversing wired and wireless access points, through both public and private networks, and across traditional and cloud infrastructures. To successfully compete in this new digital economy, organizations need to implement a tightly coordinated security strategy that can see and govern this data across an entire borderless network without compromising agility or performance. The consequences of falling behind in this arms race can be catastrophic, and has elevated the discussion of cybersecurity to the boardroom. This is a complex scenario, and as we have been saying repeatedly, complexity is the enemy of security.

How specifically can assessment help customers transition from reaction to prevention, if at all?

Secure network architectures need to constantly evolve to keep up with the latest advanced persistent threats. There are two ways to find out if your solution isn’t keeping up—wait for a breach to happen or run validation tests. A good cyber threat assessment can help you better understand:

Dark Web Assessment

Security and Threat Prevention – which application vulnerabilities are attacking your network, which malware/botnets were detected, and which devices are “at risk”— which provides better firewall assessment and security breach probability

User Productivity – which peer-to-peer, social media, instant messaging, and other apps are running — for increased application visibility and control

Network Utilization and Performance – You need to understand and measure your throughput, session, and bandwidth usage requirements during peak hours — which provides network utilization benchmarks and monitoring tests for performance optimization

Why is assessment even more critical now? What has changed?

Essentially, cyber threat assessments are a collection of threats, attacks, and data collected from live production environments of all sizes and types. “Live” is the key word. In the past, it was much easier for firewalls to detect significant threats to the network because traffic could be classified based on specific protocols, and hacker approaches were not nearly as sophisticated. Unfortunately, a growing number of network threats are designed to avoid detection by bypassing traditional firewalls and evading traditional detection tools, especially for organizations that perhaps have not yet implemented a strategic security strategy designed to find advanced threats. 

What else can assessment do?

A thorough assessment provides an important opportunity for partners to engage with customers and prospects to ensure they’re not relying on legacy systems that are no longer effective against today’s sophisticated cyberattacks that often occur across multiple vectors and stages. By offering a deeper analysis of existing or possible threats, customers are given a clear assessment of the risks to their environments. And a vendor and its partners help prioritize actions to mitigate those risks, thereby providing customers with the peace of mind that comes from knowing their critical assets are protected.  

What does SpartanTec Inc. offer?

Our Cyber Threat Assessment Program has been designed to look deep into a company’s network traffic across the entire distributed environment searching for indicators of compromise. It provides organizations with a blueprint on how to reduce risk, while at the same time making their network more efficient. For example, our most recent report, conducted over the past several months, shows that manufacturing is likely to be the next industry specifically targeted by ransomware, which is valuable information for those types of organizations. For examples you can view past reports here and here.

Call SpartanTec Inc. of Columbia today for an analysis of your networks vulnerability before it is too late.

SpartanTec, Inc.

Columbia, SC  29201

(803) 408-7166

http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Why Cybersecurity Is Important Now More Than Ever

 Cybersecurity is a common word that you hear in the news and when you’re setting up a website. Now is the best time to consider the security of the data you collect and how you can protect the personal information of all your clients as well as your digital property from hackers all the time. Hackers have no time to rest and you must not be relaxed when it comes to cybersecurity, either.

 

Why You Should Consider Cybersecurity Now

 

1. Your online store must be secured.

 

If you have an online store, you must make sure that it’s secured well before you launch it. Hackers love to target small businesses because most owners don’t take cybersecurity Columbia SC seriously. Don’t make the same mistake.

 

 

2. You must protect your consumer data.

 

You need to protect the personal data of your customers. If you don’t, you may be held legally liable under the state and federal law. You need to have a privacy policy and make sure that all the data you store is secure.

 

3. You must re-evalate your strategies regularly.

 

Security is not something that you can repair once only and then forget about it. Cybercriminals will look for new openings into the backend of websites and create a different way of obtaining access to them. You should have IT experts check your website for loopholes and weaknesses and have them fixed before hackers find them.

 

4. You must find ways to save money.

 

Small businesses lose $2.2 million every year because of cyberattacks. The price you need to spend to secure your website is lower than what you’ll lose if it’s hacked.

 

5. You must prevent any loss of revenue.

 

Your company will lose money if your website goes down even just for a short time. Your clients may think that you have shut down and may do business with other companies instead. You need to prevent any loss of revenue by making sure that your site is protected and you have a plan in place on how to rebound in case a cyberattack happens.

 

6. You must train your employees.

 

You should spend time training your staff on what they must not do to avoid data breaches. You must also require your staff to change passwords regularly and to make sure that they are not easy to guess.

 

7. You must protect your business from Internet of Things Risk.

 

IoT means there are several connected devices for every person rather than just a single access point. Experts have predicted that about 200 billion devices will be connected all over the world and it is still expected to grow. Every device has its own risk. You need the help of a professional cybersecurity team to keep your digital content and consumer data safe and private.

 

8. You must have a good understanding of data security.

 

Small businesses cannot afford to hire a team that offers managed IT services to protect their website. They have to depend on their knowledge as well as any software or plugin available. You have to understand the risks and study the solutions to problems.

Cybercrime is among the greatest threats to any online business. A cybercriminal can disrupt the flow of your company’s online presence, lessens the trust between you and your clients, and adds more aggravation to your already grueling work schedule.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us help you plan for the best cybersecurity strategy before a breach takes place.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Your Employees Need Cybersecurity Awareness Training

When the databases of Target were breached by hackers, the debit and credit card information of 40 million customers were stolen.  This continues to be one of the most elaborate cybersecurity attacks in history.

Nowadays, there has been a growing number of cybersecurity hacks. Panera Bread, Uber, Under Armour, Delta, Whole Foods, and Macy’s are only a few of the companies that were affected. This doesn’t even include the cybersecurity incidents that involved the mismanagement of IT infrastructure, lapses in network security, and failures in data protection.

Big companies aren’t the only ones being attacked. Almost 61% of cybersecurity targets involve small businesses. Between damage reparations to halted operations, cyberattack has cost SMBs more than $2 million and they’ve been known to close down firms, and in worse cases, permanently.

By now you should have already realized that cyberattacks are more prevalent. That’s why you need to make sure that your employees are prepared when it comes to dealing with cybersecurity Columbia SC emergencies.

 

 

Why Is Cybersecurity Awareness Training Important

 

More than half of the data breaches faced by enterprises are caused by third party vendors, contractors, and employees who have been negligent. This is one of the worries of IT managers and network administrators. With data breaches expected to be more prevalent, so does the possibility of employee mistakes as well as data breaches that may have been unknowingly caused by workers. The follow cultural and workplace trends only emphasize why it is more essential than ever to create cybersecurity awareness training with your staff members.

1. Telecommuting – mobile and cloud technologies have made telecommuting a possibility. Companies have to shore up end to end remote networks for staff to connect safely back to their offices.
2. Increased government regulation – the importance of systems, training, and cybersecurity practices isn’t confined to private businesses. Government legislators and agencies are catching up too.
3. The IoT – Companies and their employees should be preemptive even if the Internet of Things is still on its infacy.

 

Cybertattacks Employees Are Susceptible To:

 

1. Phishing – also referred to as social-engineering attacks, this type of cyberattack is common among businesses. Phishing scams want employees to download malicious files or click on infected links, which are embedded in emails.
2. Malware Attacks – aims to trick employees to download infected email attachments so hackers can breach a network, server, or device.
3. Fileless Attacks – these are modern cybersecurity threats that do not use infected links or malicious attachments. Fileless attacks will use whatever is available like vulnerable programs, applications, or software that employees use on a regular basis.
4. Employee Errors – one third of the cybersecurity attacks on companies are due to human errors. The most common accidents are as follows:

• Unintended disclosures
• Improper disposals
• Accidental deletions

 

Cybersecurity Awareness Methods You Should Use

 

1. Don’t Use Jargons – leave the technical terms to the experts. Talk to your employees using a language they can understand.
2. Your Trainings Should Be Engaging – Avoid making the cybersecurity awareness trainings an obligation that your employees need to fulfill. Make it an exciting activity for your workers so they will actively participate.
3. Awareness Methods Must Be Quantifiable – good strategies lead to good and measurable results.
4. Stay Positive – there should be a balance between emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity awareness and providing positive updates.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information about cybersecurity awareness training.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

What You Need To Know About Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Every October, the cybersecurity awareness month is observed. It is a collaborative effort between the industry and the government to make sure that all Americans have the resources they need to remain safe and secure online.

It was created under the leadership of the NCSA or the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S.  DHS or Department of Homeland Security. Since its inception, it has grown significantly, reached countless consumers as well as small and medium sized businesses, education institutions, corporations, as well as young people in different parts of the country. Currently on its 17th year, NCSA and CISA or Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency leads the building of impact and momentum through the Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

 

 

The History of Cybersecurity Awareness Month

 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) launched the Cybersecurity Awareness Month back in October 2004. It was a general effort to assist all Americans in staying more secure and safer online.

When it first started, the awareness effort focused on giving out advice like making sure that their antivirus software is updated at least twice a year. It’s like changing the batteries in their smoke alarms once daylight saving time starts.

With the combined efforts of DHS and NCSA, the month has grown exponentially in terms of its reach and consumer participation. Operated in different respects as being a grassroots movement, the cybersecurity awareness month now includes the participation of several industry participants that engage the general public, employees, and clients in awareness as well as other groups like non-profit groups and college campuses.

Between 2009 and 2018, the effort’s team was “Our Shared Responsibility,” which reflected the role that individual users and large businesses play in securing their digital assets.

In 2009, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano became highest ranking official in the government to participate in the event when she launched Cybersecurity Awareness Month at a certain event in Washington D.C. After that, DHS officials, White House, as well as other agencies have begun to participate in the even in different parts of the country.

In 2010, the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Campaign was also launched during the kickoff of the Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The proclamation of President Obama also included the national cybersecurity education and awareness message STOP. THINK. CONNECT.

In the same year, NCSA started moving the launch of the event to different sites across the country. It’s been launched in Washington D.C., TN, Nashville, MA, Boston, NE, Omaha, MI, Ypsilanti, WA, Bellevue and Seattle.

In 2011, DHS and NCSA created weekly concept themes during the month of October. It was based on the feedback provided by stakeholders who said that different aspects of cybersecurity had to be articulated better so that other groups can easily align with certain themes. Themes ranged from education and mobility to cybercrime and law enforcement. The collaboration of DHS and NCSA on Cybersecurity Awareness Month is only among the many different successful private public partnerships that are essential to cybersecurity Columbia SC.

 

We can help you 'Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.'

SpartanTec, Inc. empowers organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace and have helped businesses in the Carolinas with IT Support, IT Services and IT Consulting since 2002.
We are here to help you do the following:

• Identifying and understanding which business assets are vulnerable to hackers
• Learning how to protect those assets
• Detecting when you have a problem
• Responding quickly to minimize impact and implement an action plan
• Creating a plan to recover after a breach to ensure business continuity

 

NIST is the National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S. Department of Commerce) has produced the NIST Cybersecurity Framework which helps businesses of all sizes better understand, manage, and reduce their cybersecurity risk and protect their networks and data. The areas of focus for businesses are Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER: UNDER ATTACK: THE GLOBAL YEAR IN BREACH

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now for more information.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs IT Outsourcing

Support. Security. Strategy. Expertise. IT or information technology is a primary support function for your business. But more often than not, small to medium sized firms overlook information technology as a crucial component of their company due to the cost to create and keep an IT department. However, the trend of IT outsourcing has become more rampant over the years and it has slowly bridged the gap. As a matter of fact, analysts are expecting global IT outsourcing to reach a compound yearly growth rate of nearly 6%. Some reports showed that about 60% of IT function will be outsourced and the spending for managed IT services will reach 10.2% of the average IT budget. Firms investing in IT services enjoy a lot of benefits that assist them in operating their business more effectively and efficiently without the need to invest in an in house IT department.

5 Reasons IT Outsourcing Is Essential For Businesses

 

 

1. Reduce Spending

Reduced spending is one of the many reasons why businesses outsource their IT. They enjoy significant savings of as much as 40%. It does not take that much to know how much can be saved thanks to IT outsourcing Columbia SC. You will reduce both your operating and capital spending. There is no need to buy computer hardware or to dedicate costly square footage to build a data center. There’s no need to hire employees to do IT functions; all of the work of the internal IT team, from hardware installations to application development to end user support could be outsourced. You’ll also realize reduced expenses for benefits and trainings.

2. Increase Focus on Core Business

For many firms, IT is not a core competency but a support function. Developing and supporting your data center won’t provide you with a competitive advantage. Since your business is not technology, it will be hard to hire and keep an in house IT team with top quality skills so your team might not have the skills needed to make software that could give the edge you need. IT outsourcing allows your management to concentrate on your business development and core competencies instead of having problems with technology concerns. Apart from that, outsourced IT services provide 24/7 support and work guarantee that go well beyond what your in house team can offer, allowing you to complete more work with fewer operational problems.

3. Access to The Pros and Latest Experts

Since IT is the core competency of the vendor like SpartanTec, Inc., they will ensure that their staff are certified and trained in the field they support. They have a team of experts in different IT technologies, you could ask their IT team for advice in order to help you come up with the most appropriate decision. You’ll be able to access support and the latest technology from a reliable IT team.

4. Reduce Risk and Improve Flexibility

Technology can be costly and that includes making wrong decisions. A company that offers IT consulting services possesses a solid base of experience that can help in making the appropriate technical decisions. In case you decide to alter your technology method, your managed IT service provider will have the services and the tools to assist you in your transition. IT outsourcing can reduce the risk of losing data. Did you know that hundreds of malware are created every year, and companies of different sizes face significant losses in case a data breach happens? Companies offering managed IT services make sure that data centers have the right defenses like event monitoring software, security information, and firewalls.

5. Better Employee Morale

You’ll end up with unhappy employees who constantly worry about their job security if outsourcing is implemented poorly. However, if it is handled correctly, managed IT services can boost their morale. With IT services, your staff can concentrate on the jobs that you hired them to do while reliable systems offered by your managed IT service provider can help them get more done. Since your staff don’t need to do tasks that they don’t know that much about and can focus more on their core tasks, they will feel more satisfied and less likely to feel burnt out.

For reliable IT outsourcing, call SpartanTec, Inc. now.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Managed IT Services Is Critical To Small Businesses Success

You might be wondering why you should care about managed IT services for small businesses. If you have a small businesses, you most likely do not have an in-house IT department. Hiring a full time staff that will take care of your IT needs can be expensive. So, how can you monitor and secure your network? How do you install, integrate, as well as maintain your network? How do you give desktop support to your employees? Choose a new technology? In most cases, the answer isn’t very well or even not at all. What if there’s an affordable way to help you with all these? – Managed IT Services.
The professionals behind small business managed network services will work with you to set up IT procedures, processes, as well as tools that are specific to your company’s network and needs, while also giving out suggestions, system repairs, as well as updates so are well prepared when an emergency happens.

Reasons Your Business Need Managed IT Services

1. Decrease in downtime

Every business these days can really benefit from having an IT strategy that is proactive. This will allow your company to react efficiently and quickly whenever problems come up. With managed IT services Columbia SC, you will have team of IT experts who are always ready to assist you whenever there’s an IT emergency like security breaches, power failures, data loss, or other IT disasters that may damage accounts and cause your clients to question your credibility. These professionals know your IT network and will work fast to prevent a downtime event, which could have a damaging impact on your business.

2. Cost Savings

IT budgets are comprised of network costs, software and hardware costs, maintenance, labor, and cloud solution costs. These resources are crucial when it comes to keeping your network working and operating properly. In most cases, small businesses are outsourcing each one of these items separately, which could begin to add up. With a managed IT service provider like SpartanTec, Inc., your team of IT professionals will create a roadmap of service needs and costs. It will let you know all the costs that are associated with your network and create a plan every month, which will provide cost savings.

3. Team of IT Experts

If you have a managed IT service provider, you will have a team of IT professionals at your fingertips. These experts possess a working knowledge of your small business available to help troubleshoot and fix issues that come up without your business. They are always ready to answer your questions, help your business stay updated with the most recent technology trends and develop solutions that will help ensure profitability and uptime for your business. They also could help you in specialized projects and talk to you about all network related tasks. For small businesses like yours, this is another crucial aspect to business success.

4. Employee Productivity

As a small business, your staff are considered as the heart and soul of your company. In many small companies, your employees is your small significant monthly expense, so why don’t you ensure that they have all the resources they need to do their job properly? Depending on the kind of business you have, it’s most likely that many of your employees use a computer to do the work you hired them to do. If the computer has a virus or crushes suddenly, they cannot do their job. Taking a proactive strategy to having managed IT services on call allows you handle issues like this quickly. They can also help you staff by minimizing frustration because they know that their IT problem will be handled and they can return to work right away.

5. Updated Technology

Your business should evolve just like how technology evolves. Managed IT services will let your business adapt to the most recent technologies as they become more available. Your team of IT professionals will keep you updated on the newest cloud solutions, take care of network security, and much more. You could expect them to always be in the know of the latest and best software applications as well as modern programs. Cybercrimes are growing and evolving, your team of IT experts can offer the newest information on how to protect yourself, your network, and businesses from online threats. Your IT professionals will work with you and your staff directly so you’ll know how to detect and avoid cybercrime.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you need managed IT services.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166
http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/
cities served:
Columbia, West Columbia, Cayce, St Andrews, Lexington, Oak Grove

Wyze User Information Leaked Include Emails And Other Data

Wyze is one of the many manufacturers of consumer-grade smart devices. They recently confirmed that user data belonging to nearly two and a half million of its customers was exposed. The root cause of the exposure was traced back to an unsecured database connected for nearly a month to an Elasticsearch cluster. This was during a period of time spanning December 4th to December 26th, 2019.

The company did not discover the database on their own. Rather, they were following a tip given to them by a reporter. This was following the developments of security researchers operating out of a company called Twelve Security, who initially discovered the database.The reporter published the article he was writing after contacting the company, but apparently, not in coordination with them.

Having been alerted to the problem, the company took swift action, but in this case, perhaps it was too swift. According to Dongsheng Song, one of the co-founders of the company and its current Chief Product Officer:

"We locked down the database in question before we were able to verify it was exposed. We did this as a precaution because the published article referenced a database connected to 'Elasticsearch': a search tool that we also used on our query database."

As to impacts, it has been confirmed that the database in question contained WiFi SSIDs, customer email addresses and smart device nicknames,.It did not contain passwords or any financial information, so although it's a serious issue, it's not as bad as it could have been.

Song also noted in a blog post on the matter that "there is no evidence that API tokens for iOS and Android were exposed, but we decided to refresh them as we started our investigation as a precautionary measure."

In a nutshell, the handling of this incident was botched and uneven, but it could have been much, much worse. Wyze dodged a bullet, as did the company's customers.

SpartanTec, Inc. Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 408-7166 http://manageditservicescolumbia.com/

cities served:
Columbia, West Columbia, Cayce, St Andrews, Lexington, Oak Grove

New Orleans Shuts Down After Ransomware Attack

Things aren't so easy in the Big Easy right now. The city of New Orleans has suffered a ransomware attack.

As a result, most of the city's servers and computers are currently down.

However, at a recent press conference held by Mayor LaToya Cantrell, all New Orleans emergency services are intact.

The city's CIO, Kim LaGrue, reported that IT staff detected suspicious network activity at 5AM. By 8AM, when city employees began arriving at work and logging onto their computers, IT staff noted an uptick of suspicious activity and began investigating the matter in seriousness.

By 11:30AM an outside agency confirmed that the city was under attack and New Orleans officials began working with partners at the State and Federal level to begin a forensic investigation.

At present, there are more unknowns than known as the drama in New Orleans is still unfolding. Beyond the facts stated above, we know that the city's IT professionals instructed city employees to begin unplugging their computers and the IT staff did the same to their servers.

What is not known is whether this action was taken in time to prevent widespread file encryption. We also don't know the particular strain of ransomware that was used in the attack. We don't know if the city has received ransom demands, or whether or not city officials have been in contact with the hackers.

The controllers of Maze Ransomware (which was used to attack the city of Pensacola, Florida) have denied responsibility for the attack on New Orleans. At this point, no further information is available.

If you have contracts or do business with the city of New Orleans, it may be difficult, if not impossible to conduct business with them until further details are known.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 408-7166

https://spartantec-columbiasc.business.site/

cities served:
Columbia, West Columbia, Cayce, St Andrews, Lexington, Oak Grove