Regional Water Authorities Across South Carolina Are “Canning” Their Techs And Partnering With Cyber Solutions
Techs who can’t keep up with all the changes in technology, who can’t guarantee that you can keep working if your site shuts down due to a disaster, or your data is held hostage by a hacker, can leave you in hot water. Why take this chance when you have an IT Partner here in SC who can guarantee your security and 99.9% uptime?
A True Story
A few months ago, we had to rush our IT experts to resolve a malware infection for one of the many water districts in South Carolina. They were hit by a hacker from Romania trying to break into their computer systems.
Because their tech couldn’t block the intrusion, the bad guys managed to get in and shut down their water treatment system for a long time. Besides lacking the experience necessary to properly secure their systems, they never detected the data breach and the virus was working its way like a worm throughout their entire system.
The Water Authority met us at a local trade show and agreed to one of our technology assessments. Imagine their shock when our IT professionals told them about the malicious virus hiding on their network!
This is when the Water Authority “pulled the plug” on their IT company and hired Cyber Solutions. We resolved the problem, and they are now using our IT Managed Services that include remote monitoring to block intrusions before they have a chance to get into their system.
Lesson Learned: Some computer support companies lack the skills to ensure water authorities have secure networks.
Don’t Let This Cyber Nightmare Happen To You
Imagine what would happen if your IT system got hacked–if an engineer at your water treatment facility went to add chemicals to untreated water and the computer system released twice the amount it should. Now toxic elements are in the public water system!
If your IT system got hacked, this nightmare could become a reality. When your network isn’t properly protected, hackers can inject a Trojan virus into your computers that releases too many chemicals in the water.
You should take this seriously. There are hackers out there who want to:
- Sabotage your water treatment system.
- Plant a virus in your networked computers to steal your confidential data.
- Hold your data hostage and extort money from you.
With so much unrest in the world, cyber thieves from various countries would love to cripple our water supply. And, with more sophisticated hacking tools being invented and released every day, this is a real possibility.
Cyber Solutions Takes A Proactive Approach
With remote monitoring and maintenance, we protect your IT system 24 x 7. We can stop hackers in their tracks.
We’ll update and patch your applications and operating systems when needed, and ensure you have a multi-tiered, defense-in-depth security solution to keep the bad guys out. There are good reasons for these updates, and they will protect your data from the latest threats.
Our enterprise-based cloud solution duplicates all of your files and applications so they can be spun up quickly if your system goes down. If your files aren’t backed up properly, you could be stuck without your data.
With our email filtering, potential spam will be channeled into a bulk email folder that can be deleted before it enters your network.
Plus, we’ll train your employees to recognize hacking attempts so they won’t let thieves in.
We’ll Ensure That They:
Are Cautious About Opening Attachments And Clicking Links In Emails.
Files and links may contain malware that can infect and weaken your IT security.
Always Type In URLs And Email Addresses
If anyone sends you a link or phone number, don’t click the link or call the number. Go to your search engine and type in the correct URL for the company’s site and find the legitimate phone number.
Call The Source Of An Email If Not Sure It’s Valid
Don’t respond to emails that request confidential or financial information. Phishers use strategies that prey on fear. If you think the contact in the email needs this information, refer to the phone number in your address book, not the one posted in the email, and call them to verify the request.
Use Two–Factor Authentication
For accounts that support this, two-factor authentication is an extra step to ensure the security of your information. It requires both your password and an additional piece of information to log in to your account. The second piece might be a code the company sends to your phone or a random number generated by an application or token. Two-factor authentication protects your account even if your password is compromised.
Have a Unique Email Address
Spammers send out millions of messages to name combinations hoping to find a valid email address. If you use a common name like jdoe you’ll receive more spam than with a name like Wwmj4itvi. It’s harder to remember an unusual name like this. Try using an acronym like: “We were married June 4 in the Virgin Isles (Wwmj4itvi).
Consider Using More Than One Email Address
You might want to consider using a disposable email address service that forwards messages to your permanent account. If the disposable address receives a lot of spam, you can shut it off without affecting your permanent address.
Limit Their Exposure
Don’t share your email address in public. This includes blog posts, chat rooms, social networking sites, or in online membership directories. Spammers use the web to obtain email addresses.
Check Privacy Policies And Uncheck Boxes
Before submitting your email address to a website, determine if they can sell your email to others. Don’t provide your address to sites that won’t protect it.
It’s time to make sure your support guy is delivering services you can rely on. If they’re not, it’s time to pull the plug.
Make sure hackers aren’t hiding on your network. Book a consultation, and we’ll run a network scan to detect any hidden viruses on your computers.
Call us at (846) 224-0008 or visit our website at keepwaterauthoritiessecure.com.
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