Usernames and passwords are quickly becoming the sole way we maintain privacy and security of our sensitive information. We exist in a world where everything you do requires some form of password, whether it be getting into your online banking, logging onto social media, or entering a passcode to get into your phone. As we continue moving towards a virtual world, it is more apparent that most of our personal information lies in our hands phone applications and online presence. For this reason, it is important that people know the importance of a secure password and the dos and do nots to ensure credentials and sensitive information is not leaked.

While the number of people falling for sending personal information to the crown prince of Nigeria in hopes of receiving his promised wealth and riches seems to be dropping, phishing remains a major issue. In fact, the number of phishing campaigns pursued by hackers around the world had a 667% increase within the last year that were using the coronavirus as a lure. What exactly is phishing? Hackers mimic the emails, forms, and websites of legitimate companies in an effort to lure people into providing their private, personal information, like credit cards numbers, social security information, account logins, and personal identifiers. The victim typically doesn’t realize they’ve been compromised until long after the event, and oftentimes only after their identity or finances are affected. In the past, an attack was carried out relatively quickly. As soon as the victim gave up their information, the hacker moved in and stole money from the compromised bank account. Today, it’s often more lucrative for hackers to sell that information on the Dark Web, resulting in longer-lasting, even more devastating attacks.

In the last decade, billions of people have had their information stolen from one, if not multiple, business sectors. Technology is constantly expanding, and with new technology comes new ways of hacking into seemingly secure data. As technology advances, people tend to forget about outdated technology and are lackadaisical about security. Outdated devices, human error, malware and theft are all things that contribute greatly to the possibility of a data breach. It’s important to ensure companies are well aware of all possible breaches in order to secure them. No business wants to face the PR nightmare other companies have.

Cyber-criminals utilize several types of display advertisements to distribute malware.

Most people are aware of terms like phishing and malware, but do you know those are a part of a larger scheme called social engineering? This is not a new kind of fraud; in fact, it’s been used for many years to manipulate a wide range of people into giving up important data about themselves or the workplace. A prime example of social engineering goes back to Greek mythology with the Trojan horse. They infiltrated the city of Troy with a “peace offering” filled with soldiers, thus winning the war. With technology at the forefront of our lives, social engineering has entered a new era. Physical human interaction is not necessarily required anymore. These criminals can gain information through emails, pop-ups, and public Wi-Fi networks, to name a few. The main objective is to influence, manipulate or trick users into giving up privileged information or access within an organization. They are doing this right under your nose, and if you’re not paying attention, you will be a victim of this as well.

On April 29th, one of the largest fuel pipelines in the U.S, Colonial Pipeline Co. was hacked, which led to major shortages in fuel across the East Coast. New information came out this weekend regarding what may have led to the weak spot in Colonial Pipelines system resulting in the attack on their network. Apparently, an old account was not decommissioned correctly and still had access to the network by virtual private network (VPN). As a result, a hacker was able to obtain the password from the dark web and used their illicit access to demand cryptocurrency in return of the Colonial Pipeline system. Colonial paid the hackers $4.4 million in order to avoid confidential information from getting leaked.

uniFLOW Online is one solution to secure your print and scan environment. uniFLOW Online provides cloud print management with various job submission pathways as well as comprehensive cloud scan management functionalities.

HP Workpath apps offer a variety of capabilities for streamlined digitization workflows and securing confidential information—while creating an intuitive user experience. The HP cloud connector apps can be used to scan to and print from a specific cloud account using the printer control panel. By providing a direct connection between the HP printer and the cloud account, the HP app optimizes workflows and worker efficiency.

When deciding between hiring an outsourced managed IT firm or investing in in-house IT support, it is important to first identify your business goals. Business size, small, mid-size, or large, budget, and future goals are all important factors.

What is HP Roam? HP Roam for Business is a universal business printing experience that reshapes how innovative organizations print. You can replace traditional, printer-specific drivers with an intuitive print experience that is simple to use, is scalable, and provides a natural experience across desktop and mobile devices. Customer and company data are protected by advanced security features such as encryption, authentication, and integration with HP ID.