As you may know, it’s not just top secret government agencies that get hacked. Even the average Joe is not safe from hacking attempts. The thing about hackers is that they are very sneaky and can be anywhere.

Using the right tools however, one could protect themselves against these cyber criminals. There are five things you need to do in order to prevent getting hacked.

Use Strong Passwords

One of the first things you need to do is to use strong passwords. That way, even if you get hacked, the hacker won’t be able to access your account because he or she doesn’t know your password. You should always think of a complicated yet memorable password so that whenever you log into your account, you can always remember that password.

Strong passwords are a must in today’s age of heightened security, but that goes for more than just your email or social media. It is also important to utilize good password practice on all accounts you have from online gaming to banking accounts.

Instead of using one word, try using a series of words. The more complicated the password is, the harder it will be for hackers to access your information. For added security, you can even think about linking certain parts of or entire sentences together and/or including symbols like ‘$’ and ‘&’.

You would be surprised at how quickly someone could hack into your accounts with the simple click of a button if they were able to figure out your password. With that in mind, make sure you change them every few months or so.

Don’t Click on Suspicious Links

Another thing you should do to prevent yourself from getting hacked is not to click on suspicious links found in emails or other accounts. There are many phishing scams out there and if you click on one of those links, it’s like admitting defeat. You need to make sure that whenever you receive an email, no matter how important the sender seems, always check out the link before clicking on it.

It’s a simple rule, but one that often gets ignored.

The quickest way to stop yourself from getting “hacked” is to never click on suspicious links or open files from random senders. While it may seem obvious, this advice can’t be stressed enough. Hackers have been known to send out fake emails, text messages, and other messages to lure users into clicking on links. This is especially true if the user “recognizes” the sender or knows them in real life.

Also, this advice extends beyond email messages. Hackers also spread malware through website popups, junk mail, instant messages, etc. If you’re not sure about where a link or file is from, don’t click on it.

Get a VPN

If you don’t use a Virtual Private Network you are at risk of getting hacked. Hackers can easily insert themselves in between your device and the website server, giving them access to all sorts of personal information like emails, credit card numbers, etc. using man-in-the-middle attacks . With a VPN installed on your devices, you create a secure and encrypted connection between your device and the VPN. If you’re using public wifi, this is especially important as hackers can easily gain access to information transmitted over an unsecure network .

Getting a VPN will give you more security online because everything that your web browser does is encrypted. If someone tries to hack into what you’re doing via your web browser, they won’t be able to see what you’re doing because it’s encrypted.

Get Antivirus Software

The first and most important thing you can do to protect your computer from getting hacked is get antivirus software. You shouldn’t even consider using a computer without it. Even if you use an Apple computer, and think that it cannot be affected by viruses, install antivirus software anyway because there are plenty of different types of malware out there that can infect any computer system.

Getting hacked can come from many different avenues, including email links and downloads. At the very least, your antivirus software will be able to remove any viruses that you install on your own computer.

Everyone should have an antivirus program on their computer or phone in order to protect themselves from all sorts of viruses and malware programs. These days, the antivirus programs are really good at protecting your computer from getting hacked. The best kind of antivirus program is one that you only need to install once, but it will update automatically and protect you all the time.

Have a Backup of Your Data

To prevent getting hacked is to have a backup of your data. Even if you think you don’t have anything important on your computer, the truth is that it’s very hard to tell what is and isn’t important. A virus could corrupt some files and render them unreadable, making them seem unimportant until it’s too late and you can’t access them. Having a backup on an external hard drive or in the cloud is one of the best ways to protect yourself from disaster.

In conclusion, it is best if you have a backup of your data in case things go wrong and you end up losing all your precious files and documents that you worked hard on. You should always have a backup of your data because you never know what might happen.

Thanks for reading the article! There are more coming soon so please check back often here at Bayshore Interactive!

Networking is one of the most important aspects of any business, and businesses should do anything they can to make sure their network stays secure. Network security is a broad term that encompasses many different functions and features, but these features all help minimize an organization’s risk profile and provide at least some level of protection for sensitive information and data that may be stored on their network.

Businesses should take advantage of the services provided by a few different types of vendors, including cloud security providers, consulting services, and software security companies.

Networks are open to all sorts of security vulnerabilities, and businesses must take steps to protect themselves against these vulnerabilities as much as possible. Using the services of cloud security providers and consulting services will help with that, but businesses should also work with software security companies to make sure they’re getting anti-malware and antivirus protection. Anti-malware and antivirus software are the go-to security products for many businesses, but it can’t be stressed enough that they’re not always enough.

Businesses should also protect their networks by keeping an eye on incoming traffic, blocking anything suspicious. This type of security is called network access control (NAC), and there are several different protocols and features that can be used for it, such as 802.1X, port security, DHCP snooping, and IP Source Guard.

Businesses should also consider implementing two-factor authentication on their network to protect against unauthorized users trying to gain access to the system. This involves using a combination of something you know (your password) and something you have (a second form of identification, such as a physical token).

Network security is extremely important for businesses because it protects sensitive data from being compromised. Companies should do everything they can to ensure the best possible network security by working with reputable cloud security providers , consulting services, software security companies, and other types of vendors that can help them accomplish that.

You have to understand how important your network is. It should store information about all of the customers and employees that work for or with your business as well as vital financial information such as credit card numbers, customer bank account numbers, addresses and phone numbers – not only for your customers but also for yourself. Hackers are looking for this data because it can be sold on the black market. Even if you just have useless information stored on your network, that is more than enough reason to secure it properly.

The first line of defense is your hardware firewall. For most businesses, a router with some extra software will do the trick but there are specialized firewalls that work better for some environments. The firewall keeps hackers from accessing the information on your network by blocking any incoming internet traffic except for where you specifically allow it to come in.

Your next step is encryption. Encryption scrambles data so only people with a key can access it. Any files stored on your computer or sent through your network must be encrypted to be safe. This includes any information on a removable storage device such as a USB stick or CD/DVD disk.

Finally, train yourself and your employees how to respond if you believe that someone has accessed your network illegally. You should have protocols in place that tell everyone exactly what they should do immediately after an incident. This will help you determine who has accessed network information and how to stop it from spreading.

Don’t let your network and the valuable information stored on it fall into the wrong hands. Use what you’ve read here to help keep your business secure and start protecting today. You could avoid losing hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars in damage by securing this one part of your business. Contact Bayshore Interactive today and let us help you bolster your Network Security!

Did you know that some people are using QR codes to “hack” parking meters?

If you’ve ever used a QR code, whether on your smartphone or on real estate listings, then you know that they’re usually used to make it easier for consumers to quickly get more information about something like a product or service by scanning them with their smart phone’s camera.

However, in some places, fraudsters have started to use these codes in a very different way. They’re printing fake QR codes on top of real ones that take your money when you scan them with your phone.

It only takes a moment for the fraudster to write down your meter number and add their own code. Once you’ve put coins in the meter, the fraudster takes your money and you will never know it’s happened.

Cities like Austin, Texas and Denver, Colorado have all been dealing with this new type of New Jersey parking meter scam .

In one case from Austin, the city tried to warn people about this new trend on social media as well as their website after a few residents complained.

They said they’d heard a few reports of people finding fraudulent QR codes on the meters and they wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the scam before it started happening more often.

In Denver, one resident found that an unknown person had added a QR code to her meter after she parked there for just 30 minutes.

The following day, she went back to the spot and started looking around for clues. She finally found a piece of paper with a code printed on it underneath her windshield wiper.

If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not a QR code is real at a parking meter, there’s an easy way to tell – just look at the last digit of the meter number. If it’s an odd number, then the code is real. However, if it’s even, then someone has tampered with the meter to change the last digit.

If you ever come across something like this at a parking meter or anywhere else for that matter, call your local authorities immediately – especially if there are signs of tampering.

On the surface, QR codes seem like a very convenient way to pay for parking. Rather than having to use quarters or credit cards, drivers can simply scan a code that’s displayed on their phone screen and pay through their mobile app. Sounds easy enough; however, scammers have found a way to exploit this technology.

QR codes are being replaced with fraudulent ones that prompt people to download malicious software disguised as popular apps, such as Square Cash. Once the user downloads the app and enters their personal information, the scammer has access to their bank account. One of these scams was recently reported in Youngstown, Ohio.

“Apparently, a scammer is putting up phony QR codes in the city parking meters,” explains Cable 14 News. “If you scan it with a QR code reader app on your phone, it will say ‘Parking Meter Failure’ and ask to download another app so you can pay for your meter.”

This is bad news for your smartphone. If you download the app, it will install a virus on your device. Once the virus is installed, it can track all of your phone activity and even allow someone to monitor or record your calls. The virus could also have access to anything stored on the phone, like photos, bank information and passwords.

If you receive a code that looks like this, do not scan it. Instead, call the number on the meter or go to the parking website and pay your parking fee there.

The scam is a good reminder that most QR codes can be easily copied and modified with new information, including those found on billboards, receipts, business cards–basically anywhere you see a QR code. Most apps will ask if you want to proceed when scanning a code,  be sure to inquire before scanning.

Be wary of random codes that aren’t in your phone. If the code is on the side of a building or has been ripped, it likely isn’t legitimate.

It’s also important to never give your personal information to strangers. The chances of

this scam happening are low, but it’s always good to be aware and research the company you’re sharing the information with. If something feels too strange or fishy, don’t do it–Scam Likely!

Scammers prey on innocent people every day, and this is no exception. So next time you’re tempted to scan a QR code, think twice before you do it.

This scam won’t be out of circulation any time soon; in fact, more are sure to pop up as scammers continue to find new ways to take advantage of the public. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re presented with one of these scams, just step away and walk on or call the number that’s posted. If it seems suspicious, don’t do it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

What do you think? Will these fraudulent QR codes on parking meters be the newest phishing scam to watch out for? Please share your thoughts on our social media pages at Bayshore Interactive!

Now that Microsoft has released the latest version of its Windows Operating System, Windows 11, there have been a lot of changes to the new OS. In this article, I will be going over some of my favorite new features in Windows 11.

Snap Groups

Microsoft introduced the snap function to Windows 7, but this feature is now more polished than ever. You can “snap” any window by dragging it to either side of the screen, which will make it take up half your monitor’s space. When you have a window snapped you can easily swap between open windows using Alt + Tab . Holding down Windows Key and pressing either the left or right arrow keys will allow you to snap your window in that direction.

You may have noticed that windows can now be resized, snapped to multiple sides of your desktop, and maximized using the familiar little button in the top-right corner. But did you realize that this means all windows will now look the same? Don’t panic if you don’t like it. You can turn off Fluent Design by going to Settings > Personalization > Colors and choosing a color scheme with no transparency. This change may be jarring for some users though so you have been warned!

There are a surprising number of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11, and the best part is that you can make your own! You can set up any keyboard shortcut you want by going to Settings > Devices > Keyboard > Shortcuts. This will allow you to use a modifier key with a letter or number, and the result will be an automatic expansion of your keyboard into shorthand that saves you time and effort. Some other useful shortcuts:

Android Apps

Now with the release of Windows 11, Microsoft can allow users to download and use Android apps on their windows device.

It is a major improvement as it will make a big difference for people who own a Windows tablet or laptop and an Android phone. It is now possible to link your two devices together so that you can access all your apps and files on either of them.

For example you can open the same book, write the same document or read the same articles on both devices at the same time.

This is just one of many Windows 11 features that will make this OS exciting for its users. The platform has improved even more with this version by adding back the start menu and enhancing the interface with a new modern look.

In addition Microsoft has announced that they will release a free update to existing Windows 10 users in November. This is going to be a major upgrade as it brings a much enhanced experience for both PC and Mobile devices, plus Cortana will now be available on iOS and Android for people who want a digital assistant on a non-Windows phone.

Desktops

The new Windows lets you access and launch all of your desktop applications and files, while simultaneously working on a project in another desktop. This will be incredibly useful for those who constantly switch between projects on their laptop. Furthermore, it will be far more simple than using virtual desktops by using drag and drop to move apps from one virtual desktop to another.

You can create as many desktops as you like (three at most) and switch between them with the click of a button. This feature is very useful if you have multiple things open simultaneously that you need to switch between often.

This feature allows you to create up to four virtual desktops on your PC and switch between them with a single click of the Task View button on the taskbar. You can access any open window of any application that’s assigned to a particular desktop without having to switch back and forth between each one of them manually.

Widgets

Everybody is talking about AI, and Microsoft has grasped this concept to implement it in its latest operating system: Windows 11. It’s called the “intelligent sidebar” and it lets you see all kinds of widgets without opening any new windows.

I’m talking about widgets like weather, traffic conditions, news and upcoming calendar events which you can access thanks to the AI-powered sidebar in Windows 11. Just go to Settings > Personalization > Start and enable the “intelligent sidebar” option.

After that, you can enable (or disable) each separate widget. And if you find yourself not using any of them, you can basically hide the entire intelligent sidebar so it doesn’t get in your way.

The AI-powered sidebar is really simple to use and it will help you access lots of information without having to open any new windows.

It’s no secret that Microsoft is working on a lot of new, innovative features to add to their next OS Windows 11. We have looked at some of the things we’re going to be able to use when it comes out, but there are a load more that haven’t been mentioned yet. Rest assured, once they come out you’ll hear about them here first!

Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactive’s blog for more news about new technology!

If you are like me, your inbox is flooded with emails from different companies trying to get your attention. But did you know that many of these emails are fake? You might be thinking “what’s the point of sending out spam emails anyways?” Unfortunately, despite the obvious drawback to these phishing attempts (you ignoring their email), the scam artists have been finding ways around this problem for a while now. In fact, in 2016 they made over $3.1 million from these traps alone!

While it is true that most phishing scams are easy to spot if you follow some basic tips, there are also some companies that use more advanced techniques which makes their fake emails more difficult to detect. An example of this is the ‘reply’ feature that allows you to get immediate help from a company representative directly within the email itself. To avoid these traps it is important to know what kind of clues to look for in order to spot one of these scams. Here are some examples:

When In Doubt, Don’t Open It

Cybercriminals are tricking users into giving them access to their private information. Phishing scam emails trick you by sending links or files that aren’t familiar.

If you receive a suspicious email – no matter who it appears to be from – don’t click on any links or download any files. Be especially wary of emails and texts that ask you for personal information such as passwords, account numbers, social security numbers, etc.

If you are not expecting an email from someone asking for verification or personal information, your first instinct should be to delete it. These emails are often labeled as “urgent,” “important” or labeled as an “official email,” but they are simply ploys to trick you into opening the email.

Sometimes these emails may even come from addresses that look like they are official, such as billing@paypal.com instead of billing@paypal.coom. Never open emails if it is not obvious who has sent you the information.

Check The Sender’s Address

A common reason why emails are labeled as “phishing scams” is because of the sender’s address that they come from. If you receive an email with an unfamiliar sender’s address, don’t open it.

The sender’s address can often be easily faked, so make sure you do your research before you open an email if it comes from an address that looks suspicious.

When trying to avoid a phishing scam, make sure the sender’s addressee is someone you trust. To check quickly you can hover your cursor over the sender’s name which will show the email address.

A quick way to find out if it is legitimate or not is by looking at your sent items/email archive. If the email address matches, it is most likely legitimate.

Watch For Misspellings

Sloppiness is a common trait of phishing scam emails because scammers don’t want to give themselves away. One surefire way you can tell if an email is a phishing scam is by running a spelling and grammar check on it. If the email contains any spelling or grammar mistakes, there is a good chance it is not legitimate.

Unscrupulous people will often use tricks to get you to click on a link that looks like it is from Facebook or another trusted source, but actually directs you to a fake site designed to look exactly like the real thing. Watch out for the common misspellings of these websites in phishing attempts, such as “Fcebook” or “Goggle.”

One sure sign of a message is a phishing scam is misspellings. So, even if the email looks official and it appears to come from a legitimate source, but there are typos or grammatical errors it’s probably not legitimate. For example, “Our records show that your payment has not be recieved.”

Check For Fake Links

Phishing scams will often use an official-looking link to trick people into opening the email. Fake links may look similar to those of legitimate companies, but they can actually direct you to a fake website that looks official.

If you are confused about whether or not to click on a link in an email, hover your mouse over the link without clicking on it. If it does not take you to the website advertised in the text of the email, do not open it.

The same goes for attachments, which can actually give away the fact that the email is a scam if you don’t open them. If anything looks suspicious, do not open it .

Google’s Gmail service will highlight in red all links that are not secure which means they are very likely trying to trick you into clicking them when in fact they lead you to an insecure website.

Be very careful when clicking links, make sure the destination is the one you were intending to navigate to.

Cybercrime is one of the biggest problems facing our society today. It affects home computer users and companies, across all industries. The criminals are often after some type of financial gain, or if they are hacktivists it might be for a social cause. However they get in, at some point they will almost always try to trick you into giving them something, whether it’s your money, information or both. Stay vigilant and visit Bayshore Interactive’s social media platforms to stay up to date on security related news.

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that focuses on your privacy. The most obvious advantage of using DDG is its emphasis on protecting user’s privacy.

Unlike other popular search engines, DuckDuckGo doesn’t collect or share any personal information about you with advertisers or web publishers. All searches are completely private.

1-Page Search Results

One of the benefits that DuckDuckGo provides is one page search results. Unlike Google, when you perform a search on DuckDuckGo it returns just one result per search term. This allows for less distraction when searching than other popular search engines provide since the user only has one result to select instead of 10+ which can lead to confusion and a loss of focus.

Perfect Privacy

One of the main things people love about DuckDuckGo is that it offers what many other search engines don’t, perfect privacy. In fact, in some cases this has been the number one reason people have switched to using DuckDuckGo from Google or Bing.

Instead of being tracked on a daily basis by thousands of organizations around the world, you can use DuckDuckGo and browse in peace. You’ll be completely anonymous and your information won’t be sold to 3rd parties.

This is a big deal for people who like to do research online because they feel if their information gets out it could harm them in some way. Imagine someone sees you researching something or looking up something on your computer, does that sound safe? Of course not, that’s why being able to use an anonymous search engine is important.

It’s also important to note that you won’t need to download any special software or use any extensions because it works through your web browser, which is all most people are familiar with anyway. In fact, you can simply add a bookmark to your browser and it will save you time in the future.

No Targeted Ads

One of the prime reasons why DuckDuckGo is different from other search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. is that it does not do targeted advertising based on your personal interests, location or history.

This means that no matter what you are searching for, you end up with relevant results without being targeted by ads which are not related to your interests.

As mentioned above, DDG doesn’t use targeting ads or cookies which are methods employed by other search engines. This ensures that the user maintains their privacy with DuckDuckGo as there is no tracking of their personal data like age, gender, location etc. When you do an online search using other search engines, they get to know a lot about you which can be used for their benefit by showing ads and links to products and services related to your profile.

No Profiling

If you don’t like the idea of others knowing about your online activity and tracking where you go and how long you stay there, then DuckDuckGo is the best choice. it doesn’t use cookies to track its users, hence there’s no profile created on a particular user’s activities.

DuckDuckGo does not store any personal data, it only processes your ip address to display the results. search engine doesn’t even save your searches for longer than a single session, where all data is deleted when you close it.

There’s no personalization in search results either – don’t like that Google gives preference to its services when showing results? DuckDuckGo makes sure it shows unbiased results, even if it results in slightly less relevant ones.

No Social Engineering

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that doesn’t track its users. This means that ads will be based on your search terms and nothing else. This makes for unbiased ad serving, which won’t lead to social engineering — where you’re shown ads that play on your fears or desires as a way to manipulate purchase decisions.

Similarly, since DuckDuckGo doesn’t track users, this also means that it’s not gathering your data to sell to third parties. In addition, there are no tracking cookies involved with the website itself. This makes for a safe and malware-free browsing experience without all of the privacy concerns that come along with using Google or Bing.

Because of not having social engineering, there’s no such thing as tracking what you’ve been searching for… so all the pages are cached in memory, allowing for very fast searches

If you value privacy, speed, and relevant results, then search on DuckDuckGo. Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactive for more information on technology and security!

Cybersecurity and data protection in the modern world is a necessity not just for individuals but also small and large businesses.

A vast majority of companies need to come up with a security plan that ensures their business data will be safe from outside attacks or internal hacking. Here are the top cybersecurity tools you should implement right now.

VPN

A VPN is a system that uses software to create a secure network connection over a public network such as the internet or a private network owned by a service provider. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. VPNs can provide confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity assurances between the sender and receiver, and such assurance is needed in many cases to ensure secure communications.

Today’s world is increasingly becoming more and more dangerous, especially if you’re an individual who is responsible for the security of sensitive information at your company. If you work with data that could prove costly for your company in the event of a leak, it is essential that you invest resources into cybersecurity tools that can protect your business from such threats.

A virtual private network, or VPN , is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes and types. A VPN will protect your company by encrypting its data and communications and masking its IP address — which could allow hackers to spoof the source of the attack.

Multi Factor Authentication

No longer considered only an option for government employees, high profile business executives and other such individuals, multi factor authentication has become a popular solution for all types of companies. Its premise is simple: in order to log into the system, the user will need two things – something they know (their password) and something they have (a device).

Employees are generally required to use multiple factors of authentication in order to prove their identity when logging into company systems. This practice greatly increases security by making it harder for unauthorized individuals to access privileged accounts, even if they have obtained another user’s password.

The most common types of multi-factor authentication include: Something You Know (password) Something You Have (smart card or cell phone) Something You Are (fingerprints, retina scans, etc.)

According to a recent study conducted by the security firm Rapid7, nearly half of IT professionals polled used multi factor authentication on at least some corporate endpoints.

While adoption has increased significantly in the last few years, many companies are still hesitant to implement this security layer due to concerns that it will slow down their employees and create inconvenience. However, by choosing the right combination of multi-factor authentication tokens, companies can actually reduce login times and increase user satisfaction.

The bottom line is that multifactor authentication is the most effective way to secure data against cyberattacks. If you are not currently using multi-factor authentication for your employees, then it should be one of your top priorities next year.

Password Policy

Nowadays, companies of all sizes are more connected than ever before. Whether it’s through cloud services, information sharing or even just sending an email internally to another colleague, employees at all levels have access to sensitive information that could threaten the security of your company if misused.

One of the easier and more effective tricks for increasing your company’s security is through using a strong password policy that mandates employees change their passwords every few months. A study by Carleton University found that not only were employees who had to change their passwords more likely to select stronger passwords, but they were less likely to reuse the same password across different services. It’s also important for your company’s information security management system (ISMS) to be tied in with your password policy so you can always track passwords and who is using them. You can’t protect your business if you don’t know what’s being used to access it.

It has been shown that weak passwords are the number one way people get hacked, and the simple password is the biggest culprit. Hackers can try thousands of passwords in just a couple of minutes by running programs designed to use common words or names. Every minute your employees spend trying to guess a password, they could be doing something productive.

Employees should have a minimum of 12 character passwords with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. This makes it much harder to guess by a program, but there is still room for human error. People also tend to write down their passwords if the system forces them to do it. With a minimum of 12 characters, you can reduce the chance that someone will write the password down by accident and increase your security at the same time.

Anti-Phishing

Our identities are being stolen, privacy breached, and confidential information shared on the internet every day. Cybersecurity threats are everywhere right now. This makes it especially difficult for companies to protect themselves against malicious attacks, phishing scams, ransomware viruses , and other forms of cybercrime. However, there are steps that can be taken to increase the protection of companies’ information.

One effective method for protecting against phishing scams, which are responsible for more than 600 million compromised identities each year (and that’s just in the United States). There are many ways to implement an anti-phishing training program.

It can be as simple as employees receiving regular emails with links that, when clicked, take them to a fake phishing website where they are reminded of phishing techniques and how the company protects against such scams. More complex programs include having employees log in to mock accounts (or “mules”) where they are taught how to detect suspicious emails.

Employee training can help mitigate risks by teaching people what information should never be shared on emails or other networks. Even simple measures such as not clicking suspicious links, reporting unauthorized access to sensitive information, and keeping company data out of the wrong hands can work wonders.

The modern world is full of dangers and cyber security companies have taken it upon themselves to do everything in their power to help businesses be safe from attacks. By implementing these tools you are taking the right step towards securing your company’s data! Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactives blog page for more cybersecurity information.

A lot has changed in the world between now and then. One thing that almost certainly hasn’t changed is people hacking into systems for fun, profit, or many times, both. While cybersecurity professionals have gotten better at defending systems against attackers, attackers seem to also become more skilled at getting around their defenses.

If you want to know what the world of cybersecurity will look like five years from now, here are some things to consider based off what we learned in the year 2021.

Plan For Ransomware

When criminals are able to infect critical systems, they will encrypt the data. If you pay the ransom, you might get your files back, but if you fail to plan before it’s too late – how will you run your business? How will you operate your utilities?

There seems to be no end in sight for ransomware attacks. Even if the victims follow safety precautions, newer generations of ransomware are able to circumvent security measures. Businesses, both big and small should take the necessary measures to ensure that their critical information will not be lost in case of an attack. Otherwise, they could go out of business if hackers are able to infiltrate their systems.

If you are looking for ransomware protection , it is advisable to start planning before criminals are able to infect your critical systems.

Once criminals take over control of the machine, they will find and encrypt the data before sending out a ransom note. If you want to protect your business and yourself – it is best to train employees on how to spot phishing emails. This way, you can make sure that more of your devices are safe from criminals. Also, your employees will not be wasting time on false messages and instead focus on their work at hand.

Control Remote Endpoints

In 2020, nearly every major PC manufacturer began installing hardware components onto these devices which allowed third parties to remotely command and control them with little to no user intervention.

These new features were intended to make remote system management easier and more cost effective, as well as help IT departments catch malware infections before they found their way onto the network. However, critics of the technology said that it opened a dangerous new vector for attackers and would eventually lead to an increase in attacks.

And they were right. By 2021, the emergence of “slave botnets” has become a major cybersecurity threat to corporations across the globe. Luckily, industry leaders are taking steps toward combating this new kind of attack by offering end-point control products that allow organizations to quickly detect and correct unauthorized changes made to their systems—and to regain control of systems that have been compromised.

One technology, known simply as “end-point management”, allows organizations to install a software agent on their PCs which enables them to configure, patch and update the system over the network. Additionally, these agents can be used to quickly remove malware infections—even those actively spreading across the network.

Automate Patching

This lesson was the hardest to learn for organizations. Many security professionals missed it because they fought vulnerabilities, failed to take automation seriously, or didn’t invest enough in both areas. Organizations were inundated by alerts from security devices and logs from operating systems and applications that couldn’t be remediated automatically. Without the ability to quickly and completely remediate threats, many organizations simply stopped listening to alerts. But automation was soon embraced for patch management after developers started to create patches that were one-click automated fixes even though they didn’t need to be deployed immediately.

Apply software patches immediately. In 2021, technology is more advanced than ever before and cyber attackers have been able to staying one step ahead of cybersecurity professionals by finding unknown vulnerabilities in computer networks. These security vulnerabilities allow threat actors to gain access to corporate networks where they can steal sensitive data, customer information and intellectual property.

Firewall protection is critical, but threats will always evolve which means some of them can pass through even the most sophisticated firewalls. Because of this, security professionals are recommended to install new firewalls on corporate networks every six months.

Cybersecurity professionals also learned that network isolation is crucial in blocking cyber attacks. By isolating sections of a network that handled sensitive data, hackers who may have gained access to one area could not gain access to another.

Maintain Device Integrity

If it sounds like a broken record, that’s because it is. Since the beginning of the decade, cyber criminals have had an easy time hacking our devices to cause mass destruction; they can do almost anything with them. While there are many lessons learned throughout the years, this is one of the most important.

What exactly does it mean to maintain the integrity of your devices? It means you should update them often, even when they don’t ask for it. It also means not clicking on suspicious links/email attachments and never visiting unfamiliar websites. Security vulnerabilities in homes and businesses are a major problem in 2021 because these devices have been around for so long without being maintained well.

Additionally, if you already own a home or business that uses modern IoT devices, it is recommended that you update their software to the latest version since they’re often more secure. Vendors have been known to send out updates with fixes/updates multiple times, so check for new ones every now and then. If your device can’t update itself, do it manually. In the event that your device can’t be updated, consider replacing it with a newer model.

Another major lesson learned is to always be aware of what you’re doing online and on devices. For example, make sure you know where your data is going before you upload it to a third party cloud storage service. Those that aren’t aware tend to be the easiest targets for hackers who want their information or money.

There are many things which could have been done differently to avoid some of the weaknesses which exist today. In the next 10 years, our cybersecurity infrastructure will grow and mature with technological development, but there are still lessons to be learned from how it has developed over the past decade. One thing is clear — if we do not learn from our mistakes, history will repeat itself. Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactive Blog for more information on cybersecurity related news!

Today, we are in the “post cloud.” The need to manage your own systems is becoming more and more rare. Virtual machines have allowed businesses to create a one-size-fits all environment that can be added onto or spun off at will.

This is where the world of IT operations is headed in 2022 (and beyond). Here are five ways this new world will be different from the one we are in now

DevOps

DevOps is a growing philosophy in the world of IT operations, and if you aren’t familiar with it yet, then it should be your mission to educate yourself.

What is DevOps? It’s a world view that combines development and operations into a cohesive unit working towards a common goal: business value. In other words, instead of having two teams, a dev team and an ops team, you have a single agile or DevOps team that knows how to deliver new features from start to finish.

In 2022 the world of IT operations will be vastly different from today. In five years time we can expect to see more industry trends shifting towards this future state, as well as some paradigm changes along the way.

Complete Automation –  One of the first things that comes to mind when you imagine DevOps or agile is automation. It’s no secret that it’s able to speed up the provisioning of a cloud VM in seconds, or can help you build a whole web app in a matter of minutes. While automation is nothing new, in 2022 it will be even more prevalent. In fact, by this point most companies have fully automated their production environments using tools such as Puppet and Chef.

NoOps – Another buzzword that’s often heard in the DevOps world is NoOps, which stands for “no operations.” While this might sound like a strange idea at first, it does actually make sense. Rather than having IT operations people to manually perform tasks all day long, many low-level routine jobs are automated by software. You can think of this as “operations-less operations.”

Big Data Ops – While most people are familiar with big data in terms of analytics, there is more to this term than meets the eye. In 2022, some companies will begin to think about using big data in the context of IT operations. In other words, they’ll try to find patterns and trends across all their production data in order to improve future IT workflows.

Digital Transformations

Digital Transformation continues to change how businesses operate. In 2022, technology will play a major role in the ways that we work and live – firstly by making our business processes more efficient and secondly by allowing us to be productive from almost anywhere at any time. Two vital transformations in this sector are edge computing and open source software.

Edge computing is one way to reduce latency, where response times are near-instantaneous, even on the mobile web. For example, if you wanted to interact with an object on your mobile phone or watch that was connected to an IoT sensor device at high speed, it would need to be done via a local network connection to the device itself.

In 2022, we will see Edge Computing used in business more and more as a way for companies to streamline their processes by using the Cloud only when it’s required. This will give them a competitive advantage over others who are still relying on the legacy model of remote Cloud providers.

Open source software has always had a strong following in some circles, but more and more companies are adopting it to make their software development workflows faster, more flexible and cost-effective. In 2022, we will see a number of high impact developments from this area – a more widespread recognition of the benefits gained by Open Source projects, more commitment to existing open source projects and more companies or communities of individuals taking on the responsibility of supporting an open source project.

AIOps

AIOps is a term that has been created to describe the growing convergence of IT operations and technology-specific application performance management (APM). Although it may sound like a buzzword, AIOps is here to stay because operational efficiency needs are only increasing. By 2022, many companies will have adopted AIOps solutions as standard practice.

The acronym “AIOps” stands for ” Artificial Intelligence  for IT Operations.” Put another way, if machine learning is about using algorithms to detect patterns in data, then AIOps uses machine learning to detect patterns in data generated by an organization’s apps, services and infrastructure.

AIOps applies machines’ capabilities in pattern recognition to the massive amounts of technical data that are generated by IT operations. This is already proving to be extremely valuable for companies looking to improve their IT operations strategy, as well as those who have already adopted IT automation and orchestration tools.

The premise of AIOps is simple. With the rise of machine learning, there’s now enough computing power available in a small package to make it possible to apply machine learning algorithms to the huge volumes of data coming from IT operations. The value in this is that these algorithms can detect performance problems, flag “normal” activity patterns and even automate certain tasks before humans are aware that an issue has taken place.

Cloud Native Strategies

By 2022, most enterprises will have a majority of their infrastructures running in the cloud. With so many applications being run over the internet, there is no surprise that security concerns will arise as it becomes harder to monitor and maintain thousands of servers from a single central location. In addition, organizations are now able to utilize new tools for monitoring that are widely available in the cloud. One of the major ways companies will shift toward becoming cloud-native is through adopting IT monitoring tools like DataDog, which enable companies to aggregate logs and monitor their infrastructures.

Great strides have been made over the past decade with cloud native technologies, and that is expected to continue. Already, companies like Netflix run their websites almost entirely on AWS (Amazon Web Services) without virtualization or traditional hardware. The next wave of movement will be towards containers for these workloads – but microservices are required first.

The modern day equivalent of running workloads in virtual machines, containers are the next step towards cloud native. Even with microservices at scale, orchestration is required to handle dependency management , software defined networks (SDN) for traffic control, and proper scheduling . Orchestration is perhaps the most challenging aspect of moving to a modern architecture that uses containers often with thousands of them running simultaneously. Finally, developers will come to expect all these elements as a package deal when buying into a new cloud native environment.

In 2022 and beyond, it’s all about how well your IT operations can align with business objectives. Otherwise, you’re going to be left behind. Check out Bayshore Interactives social media accounts to stay in touch with the latest technology news.

The New Year is almost upon us, and for many people that means it’s time to make resolutions. These promises to yourself are a chance to turn over a new leaf and work towards forming better habits. Some goals are very general, like cutting back on junk food or getting more exercise, but here at Bayshore Interactive we think you may be able to make your New Year’s Resolutions a little more tech-specific.

This year we’ve come up with four resolutions that should help you be healthier and happier in the new year, all while using your Android smartphone or tablet along the way. They’re pretty easy to do, and they don’t require any major sacrifices on your end. Let’s get started!

Protect Your Data

Whether you’re an Android or iOS user, you have a lot of sensitive information on your smartphone. Make sure that it stays safe by protecting all the files and credentials on the device. If possible, only connect to trusted networks. You can also turn off automatic connections to open Wi-Fi networks so that only those you choose to connect to will be able to find your device.

If your phone or laptop ever breaks, takes a swim, or falls victim to an errant cup of coffee, you’ll be grateful if you’ve diligently backed up your data. Not only will this save time and effort in rebuilding files that can be retrieved from the cloud, but it also provides a sense of security knowing you won’t lose irreplaceable memories should anything unfortunate happen to your devices.

Always backup your files to an external hard drive or solid-state disk before traveling, and then upload those files to cloud storage as soon as you have access to the internet. In addition, consider splitting up sensitive documents onto multiple storage devices, so that if one fails or is lost, the others remain intact.

Invest In Infrastructure

With the growing number of people in the world who rely on technology, it’s no surprise that hackers are getting more and more creative with their methods.

According to a survey by Metric Stream, only 27% of organizations believe they have good or high visibility into security operations. This puts businesses at risk for data breaches and other harmful cyberattacks.

In order to truly protect your company, you must invest in a good digital infrastructure as well as servers. A foolproof way to do this is by working with a managed security services provider (MSSP).

These companies specialize in data protection and can help give you peace of mind knowing that all bases are covered by a team of experienced professionals. A managed security service will also keep track of all software and hardware within your organization, which means no more worrying about licensing issues or outages due to lack of maintenance.

You may think that your old router is just fine, but if you’re still relying on the one that came with your internet package, you could be blocking yourself from some of the benefits of more advanced technology. Routers will typically last at least three years, so it’s time to get rid of the antiquated ones and put in a request for the newest model.

Time management is important in order to accomplish tasks. Faulty router connections, missed notifications and notifications that do not notify are all examples of wasted time. Luckily, it can be easy to improve time management while living a tech life.

Do Your Research

With the myriad of devices competing for your attention, it’s important to do your research before making a purchase. Start by reading reviews on popular tech websites like CNET and Gizmodo. Find out which technology has received accolades from other sources, including trusted friends who are iPhone users, or those who have tried Android phones. Once you narrow down your options to a couple of options, look them up on sites like Amazon and Best Buy to see what customer reviews have said.

Customer reviews can give you a better idea of how the tech works in real life situations. Another aspect to consider is the price point. Of course there are going to be devices that offer more for people willing to pay more (e.g. 4K TVs, the latest iPhone), but you might be able to save some money by opting for a lower priced option on certain items (like smartphones).

One last thing you can do is read up on future product releases that are rumored or that will debut in the coming year. Doing this will prevent you from making an impulse buy on a technology that isn’t going to be released for months or has been canceled altogether.

Remember, it’s always good to do your research before purchasing new tech!

Look For Discounts

For most people, new technology is always exciting. However, new devices, such as cell phones and laptops, do not usually come cheap. This year, try to get great deals on discount tech products by looking online for coupons and discounts available from your service provider or manufacturer. Being frugal will help you save money and it will also help you to remain loyal to a brand.

If you want a new phone but cannot afford a contract, consider buying the device without one and signing up for a prepaid plan instead. This is an excellent way to receive all of the perks of an expensive phone without paying for it in high monthly installments. If you need a laptop, check online for price adjustments offered by retailers to see if you can get a better deal.

If you decide to purchase an item with a contract, make sure that you review your monthly statements carefully and contact your service provider immediately if anything suspicious appears on the bill. There have been many cases in which thieves hacked into customers’ accounts in order to purchase expensive devices that will later be re-sold. If this happens to you, do not panic. Stay calm and speak with your service provider immediately so they can help you resolve the issue before it gets out of hand.

As we welcome 2022, there are plenty of things to look forward to in the coming year. We can expect new trends in technology, fashion, and politics—and every day is bound to be just a little more convenient than the last thanks to our growing list of smart devices. However, there is one aspect of our lives that may be slipping through the cracks: our own personal health and wellness. Living in a digital world has its benefits, but it also comes with consequences and if we’re not careful, we could find ourselves absorbed by social media or video games instead of focusing on living a fulfilling life. Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactive’s website to learn more about technology related news.