The Tabush Cloud & Managed IT Blog

Recently, a company called me to discuss concerns about their IT security.  This company, based in the US but doing business with clients and vendors in many parts of the world, has been inundated with phishing emails.  The difference here is that these phishing emails are not just generic ones that pretend to be Microsoft Office 365 or UPS trying to steal passwords, but rather, they are spear phishing.  Spear phishing involves impersonating actual people associated with the company, like executives or vendors, in attempts to steal money or proprietary information.  These schemes are becoming more and more common.

Microsoft Office 365 is growing in popularity as one of the most professional and functional cloud software suites available.  Microsoft estimates it is now being used by 1 in 5 business users, putting this cloud-based service on the radar of cybercriminals.  The greatest popularity of Office 365 resides in the financial and professional services and manufacturing sectors, which are rich with potential plunder for these criminals.

Last week it was revealed that Arizona Beverages, a large beverage supplier in the US, experienced a massive ransomware attack in March.  Weeks later, the company is still struggling to recover from this attack.

Most cloud providers have a huge vulnerability and it's up to businesses to close this big security gap. Sound scary? It is.  But it does not have to be.

Not long ago I read, “The Untold Story of NotPetya, the Most Devastating Cyberattack in History,” an eye-opening article on Wired about a massive cyberattack that happened roughly a year ago in 2017. If you have 15 minutes, I highly recommend reading it. If you don't, then allow me to summarize: In 2017, NotPetya malware infected large companies such as Merck, Maersk, and others (companies with huge IT teams and thousands of employees), and literally brought their entire operations to a grinding halt for days, if not weeks, costing them upwards of $300 million in damages per company.

The business of owning and running a law firm constantly evolves, but has seen vast change, particularly over the last few years.

A disaster in the IT world comes in many forms – natural disasters, ransomware, a cyber breach, and acts of terrorism, just to name a few.  These disasters disrupt normal business and can ultimately have severe and expensive consequences on a company’s reputation and bottom line.

The bad news is many companies think these disasters can never happen to them and don’t take the proper precautions; the good news is that prevention of many disasters is attainable, and planning ensures that when there is a disaster, your company is prepared to get back to business as usual.