This week was a big one in ransomware. Attacks struck law firms, schools, public services, and private companies, to name a few. Read on to catch up on all of the week’s ransomware news, big and small. Houser LLP Law firm Houser LLP increased the number of victims affected by a May 2023 attack from 326,386 to 370,001 people. Victims were first notified in February 2024. Ransomware group BlackCat claimed the attack. Houser’s notification states, “in June 2023, the unauthorized actor informed us that they deleted copies of any stolen data and would not distribute any stolen files.” We can infer ..read more

Databases like Riak need to be up and running at all times. To be more precise, businesses depend on perfect uptimes – 99 percent and above – to ensure uninterrupted services The databases should also be running at optimal performance to smoother business processing. This post will look into the best tools for Riak database monitoring. These Here is our list of the best tools for Riak database monitoring: Datadog Monitors and secures the entire stack, not just Riak databases; it quickly diagnoses root causes and spots abnormal behaviors reported via composite alerts and displayed in intera ..read more

A Chief Information Security Officer has overall responsibility for IT security and protecting sensitive data within a business Many tasks need to be performed within this remit, including assessments, planning, resource allocation, training, and goal setting. In addition, the security requirements of businesses are increasingly being framed by legislation and industry standards, so the CISO needs to be fully conversant with the requirements of data protection standards that apply to the business’s operations. Here is a quick overview of our list of the best vCISO services: Fractional CISO ..read more

There are many ways of monitoring digital assets. We have various technologies that help administrators and other privileged users keep track of the health and performance of systems, platforms, and frameworks. One group of such technologies that are used to keep track of Java-based assets consists of the seven best tools for JMX monitoring that we will soon be having a look at. Here is our list of the best tools for JMX monitoring: SolarWinds AppOptics (FREE TRIAL) A quality product that doesn’t break the bank; it is a highly customizable and very flexible tool that can be used in any inf ..read more

As the world’s most popular browser, changes to Google Chrome have far-reaching consequences. Google’s decision to end support for third-party cookies by the middle of 2024 has already caused advertisers a great deal of concern. But what about the rest of us? Does this apparent win for privacy really mark the end of cross-site tracking? Let’s examine what Google’s cookie changes mean for our privacy. Cookie cutting In 2020, advertising made up 80% of Google’s revenue. However, with the arrival of generative AI and an increasingly privacy-conscious populace, that figure has shrunk – and is lik ..read more

Kisco Senior Living, LLC is sending out data breach notifications to 26,663 people following a cyber attack over 10 months ago in June 2023. Ransomware group, BlackByte, claimed an attack on the organization at the time. In its data breach letter, Kisco describes how it suffered a network disruption on June 6, 2023. It took steps to secure its systems and hired cybersecurity experts to conduct an investigation. This consequently found that “certain files may have been acquired without authorization.” On April 10, 2024–10 months after the attack–the investigation concluded. According to the no ..read more

Firewall remains an indispensable tool in network security, serving as the first layer of defense, and filtering enormous amounts of traffic across the enterprise networks However, firewall policies and configurations constantly change and modify today’s dynamic business environment. In this article, we will review the six best firewall change management solutions, hopefully, this will guide you in choosing the right one for your business. Here is our list of the best Firewall Optimization tools: SolarWinds Security Event Manager (FREE TRIAL) A network security tool that helps organization ..read more

Ransomware group Medusa is demanding $1 million for the safe return of data it says it stole from Lee University in Tennessee. The University yesterday announced it was investigating a “potential security incident” that it discovered on March 22, 2024. The announcement stated, “Lee University became aware of a potential security incident early Friday morning, March 22, 2024. With assistance from external resources, Lee University’s IT team took immediate measures to contain the suspected incident and secure Lee’s environment. Classes have continued as scheduled.” Lee University didn’t share w ..read more

Organizations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that security practices comply with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. One of such best practices is firewall change management. The firewall change management process is among the most significant business challenges organizations face. Simple errors and oversights in the firewall change management process can create gaps in compliance with industry regulations, increase business risks, and open up an organization to cyber attacks. As a result, these change management processes come under scrutiny during internal ..read more

For modern versions of Windows, you can check your uptime right in the task manager. This works for Windows 7, 8, 10, and Windows Server 2016 and new newer. To bring up the task manager, simply right-click anywhere on your taskbar and select Task Manager. Click on the Performance tab. Under The CPU section, you should see the current uptime of the server. Keep in mind that if Windows uses fast boot to restart, it won’t reset the uptime counter. This can throw off technicians if they are not aware. You can disable fast boot by running the “Powercfg -h off” command in the command prompt. Check ..read more