Security breaches at major companies including Equifax continue to accelerate. With each breach comes a black market of login credentials and other personal information available for sale on the 'Dark Web'. From many companies, this includes company login ID's and passwords.

Is YOUR information for sale?

WPA3 is the newest standard for Wi-Fi security. It will replace the14-year-old WPA2 standard--- adopted three years before the first smartphone! 

WPA2 simply has not kept up with our always connected, always on world.

BENEFITS OF WPA3

In the past, you could “turn off” Windows updates. With Windows 10, it is very difficult. Microsoft wants to install updates automatically and universally. Updates include security changes and other new features. 

Unfortunately, there is a downside to these benefits. Windows updates can ‘break’ critical applications from third parties. Also, PC's can sometimes freeze up, after a Feature Update.

So what should you do?

We all know by now, the ‘bad guys’ are coming after our systems and data.

To infect us, to steal our data, and to encrypt our systems for ransom.

To protect ourselves, we need both technology tools and the ‘human awareness’ firewall.

An SSL Certificate is one cyber security mechanism to help us be sure that we are navigating to the actual site we intend to visit, and not some crooked impersonator.

• For sites we visit, an SSL Certificate adds protection of legitimacy.
• For our own website, if we do not have an SSL Certificate, visitors may see a message warning them that our site is not safe, thus driving them away.

Answer: Limited, not the full protection many assume.

Microsoft provides limited data replication for about 30 days. However, limited replication may not cover common situations where you want to recover an email you inadvertently deleted.

Microsoft replicates Office 365 data primarily to protect against hardware failure in their data centers. This is not the same as backing up the data. If a user or malicious program deletes or corrupts data, that corruption or missing data replicates across multiple servers. This is a problem if the User wants to restore specific data, outside the policies and retention period in place at the time.

Complicating the risk, a recent study found that 64% of data lost was unintentional User action!

What can you do to ‘get your data back’ when you need it?

For many, telecommuting is a welcome part of modern life.

However, home computers present a cyber security challenge to the worker and the corporate network.

Here are the top three vulnerabilities of connecting from home computers

KRACK, a recently discovered flaw in Wi-Fi security, allows hackers to eavesdrop and capture your private communications. This includes capturing your passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive data. 

Is your Wi-Fi safe from a KRACK attack?

Unfortunately, probably not.

Arthur Press is Principal Security Consultant with MBSG, providing IT support and systems consulting. He has helped dozens of companies improve their cyber security defenses.

The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) is a not-for-profit, international organization of information security professionals and practitioners. ISSA provides educational forums, publications, and peer interaction.

Under Arthur's leadership, the Ventura county chapter (ISSA-VC) continues to grow, with the motto:

"We don't hold meetings. We hold trainings".