Considerations for Workplace Operations

Loss of Electricity: Without power, most businesses would experience an immediate halt in operations. This affects everything from lighting to the operation of computers and machinery. Companies that do not have backup power sources might be unable to continue any form of production or service delivery.

Water Supply Disruption: The loss of water would impact sanitary conditions and halt processes that require water, affecting sectors like manufacturing, food and beverage, and healthcare services. It also raises serious concerns for employee welfare at workplaces.

Natural Gas Outage: For companies relying on natural gas for heating or as a part of their production process, a disruption would halt operations and affect the heating and comfort of work environments, especially in colder climates.

Communication Breakdown: The loss of phone and cell services would severely disrupt communication, both internally among staff and externally with clients, suppliers, and partners. This could lead to breakdowns in coordination, missed opportunities, and a drop in customer service quality.

Shipping and Logistics Challenges: The inability of shipping companies to operate would disrupt supply chains, leading to shortages of materials and products. This would cascade, causing production delays and potentially leading to financial losses.

Food Service Disruptions: If restaurants and food services cannot operate, it could affect food availability for employees, especially for businesses that rely on nearby food services for staff meals.

Manufacturing Disruptions: Manufacturing operations would be severely impacted, especially those reliant on continuous processes. This could lead to significant financial losses and contractual penalties.

Financial Impact: The cumulative effect of these disruptions would be substantial financial losses due to halted operations, spoiled goods, contractual penalties, and loss of business opportunities.

Unusable Work Environment: Inability to see or work due to power outages, coupled with extreme hot or cold conditions, would affect productivity.

Employee Safety and Morale: The safety and morale of employees would be significantly affected. Companies may face challenges in maintaining workforce engagement and productivity during such crises.

Employee Prioritization of Family Needs: With schools closing and potential dangers at home, employees would naturally prioritize the safety and well-being of their families. This would result in increased absenteeism and a significant decrease in workforce availability.

Dependency on External Aid: Companies would be heavily reliant on external assistance, whether from government aid, emergency services, or community support, to navigate through the crisis.

Long-Term Recovery Challenges: Even after services are restored, businesses would face challenges in resuming operations, managing backlogs, and dealing with the financial and operational aftermath.

Challenges You and Your Employees May Face in Personal Life

And just as important, how will you support your workers as they face the challenges at home with their immediate and extended families? How will you take care of your family? Here are some of the challenges that company leaders can consider to help employee well-being:

Food Supply Issues: The lack of electricity would lead to food spoilage at stores and homes, creating a food scarcity crisis. Companies should consider ways to support their employees with necessities in such scenarios.

Cooking and Sanitation Challenges: Without electricity or gas, cooking would become a significant challenge. Lack of water would also impact basic sanitation, including dishwashing and toilet flushing.

Automobile Fuel Shortage: Fuel pumps would cease to function without electricity, leading to a fuel shortage. This would impact employees’ ability to commute, further reducing workforce availability and potentially halting any operations involving transportation. Work from home is not an option when Internet connections are down.

Increase in Crime: A breakdown in public services could lead to increased theft and other crimes, as law enforcement may be overstretched or focused on their own families’ safety. Companies must enhance their security measures to protect their assets and personnel.

Hygiene and Health Concerns: The lack of water and proper sanitation facilities could lead to hygiene issues and the spread of diseases. This would have a direct impact on employee health and absenteeism.

Inadequate Healthcare Services: Healthcare facilities might be overwhelmed or incapacitated, limiting access to medical services. This could exacerbate health issues among employees and their families.

Payment and Transaction Challenges: With credit card machines down, transactions must be conducted in cash, a medium that might become scarce. This would affect both personal transactions and business operations.

Lack of Resilience and Knowledge: Most people are accustomed to modern infrastructure and might not be resilient to such a drastic change. This could lead to widespread panic and confusion, affecting mental health and the ability to cope with the situation.

Influx of Refugees: Should your area maintain functional infrastructure, expect an influx of refugees from impacted zones. This could stretch your community’s resources thinner, intensifying issues like food scarcity, healthcare access, and public safety.

Steps to Take:

Be sure to see the article about ways to make your organization more resilient https://fosterinstitute.com/executive-guide-to-navigating-power-internet-and-infrastructure-disruptions/

Conclusion:

The ramifications of a disruption in a nation’s infrastructure extend far beyond the workplace, affecting every aspect of employees’ lives and, by extension, the overall resilience of the business. Leaders must, therefore, not only focus on fortifying their operational infrastructures but also invest in strategies that support their workforce in times of crisis.

Subscribe to maximize your executive potential with Foster Institute’s E-Savvy Newsletter, packed with practical IT security solutions and actionable strategies for success: https://fosterinstitute.com/e-savvy-newsletter/

The post Consequences of Infrastructure Disruptions: A Realistic Assessment for Business Leaders appeared first on Foster Institute.

Envisioning the Business Impact: Understanding the potential consequences of an infrastructure attack is critical. This includes being aware of how a loss of electricity or water supply, communication breakdowns, or disruptions in shipping and logistics can impact your business. It’s not about anticipating doom; it’s about recognizing and planning for possible business interruptions.

Interrupted Cloud Connectivity: In this digital age, many companies have transitioned to cloud-based operations. It’s crucial to acknowledge that while cloud services offer tremendous benefits, they also present unique challenges, especially in scenarios of power failures and internet outages. Be sure your business continuity and disaster recovery plans consider periods of limited or no access to cloud services, including critical functions like email.

Emergency Communication Plan: Diversification in communication methods is key. Developing a plan that extends beyond digital and cellular networks can ensure continuous operations. Alternatives like two-way radios, messengers, and satellite phones for key personnel are not just about crisis management, but about maintaining uninterrupted communication channels under various circumstances.

Financial Resilience: Financial strategies that encompass scenarios like cash-based transactions and alternative payroll methods demonstrate foresight in financial planning. It’s about ensuring that your business remains operational and your employees are taken care of, regardless of the situation.

Supply Chain Resilience: In the face of fuel shortages and electricity disruptions, rethinking your supply chain is vital. Local sourcing can reduce dependence on long-distance transport, while increasing buffer stocks of key materials ensures consistent supply flow. Adapting to manual or low-tech inventory management maintains operational continuity when digital systems fail. This strategy is not just about responding to crises; it’s about proactively creating a robust and flexible supply network for any situation.

Employee Support and Training: In any challenging situation, the well-being of your workforce is paramount. Educating employees on fundamental resilience skills and establishing support systems for essentials like food and water are not only about disaster readiness but also about nurturing a strong and supportive corporate culture.

Regular Drills and Plan Updates: Engaging in routine exercises to test and update disaster recovery plans is not just about remaining resilient in worst-case scenarios. It’s about ensuring that your team is ready and efficient in any form of business interruption, maintaining agility and responsiveness.

Supporting Employees in Crisis: In any significant disruption, employees will prioritize their families’ needs. Acknowledging and planning for this – through support in food supply, healthcare, and security – is an integral part of maintaining a resilient workforce. The support you provide will encourage employees to remain engaged and productive at your organization during challenging times.

Conclusion:

This article offers essential insights to help your business thrive amidst a wide spectrum of operational challenges. Please forward this to your friends so they can increase their organization’s resilience too.

Comprehensive List of What to Expect:

https://fosterinstitute.com/consequences-of-infrastructure-disruptions-a-realistic-assessment-for-business-leaders/

Subscribe to maximize your executive potential with Foster Institute’s E-Savvy Newsletter, packed with practical IT security solutions and actionable strategies for success: https://fosterinstitute.com/e-savvy-newsletter/

The post Executive Guide to Navigating Power, Internet, and Infrastructure Disruptions appeared first on Foster Institute.

To combat this, Apple’s iOS 17.3 introduces “Stolen Device Protection”. Here’s why activating it is crucial:

1. Face ID/Touch ID Requirement: Your iPhone will require your Face ID or Touch ID to turn off lost mode or erase the phone.
2. Time-Delay Security: Changes to your Apple ID password, iPhone passcode, and key settings now have a one-hour delay.

Settings for Theft Protection:

• Quick Tip to find specific settings: Open Settings, swipe down slightly, and use the search box that appears at the top. You will find all of the settings in bold text by searching in Settings:
• Software Update: iOS 17.3 enables Stolen Device Protection.*
• Backup: Check your backup status by searching for Backup in Settings.
• Use Face ID or Touch ID so potential thieves won’t see you enter your passcode.
• Activate Stolen Device Protection:This is the new setting that spurred me to write this blog for you
  
• Ensure “Find My” is enabled on Apple devices. Use iCloud.com/find or the Find My app to be sure tracking works.

Other Essential Steps:

• Have alternate login methods for resetting passwords for apps and websites that use multi-factor and two-step logins.
• If you use authentication apps, ensure you configure ways to generate codes or recover keys if you lose or erase your phone.

If Your Phone is Stolen:

• Act Fast: Use iCloud.com/find or the Find My app to enable “lost mode” and track your phone.
• Consider Carrier Notification: They can disable phone calls and cellular data but might limit Find My functionality.
• Device Erasure: If you have backups, and ways to recover keys in authentication apps, use Find My to erase your device to help prevent data access.
• Password Resets: If not erasing your phone, consider resetting passwords for critical accounts if passwords are stored on the phone or if apps login automatically.

As always, threat actors will seek ways to bypass this protection. As of now, this feature is a huge leap forward to protect an iPhone and iPad from thieves who see the passcode. Congratulations, and thank you, Apple!

*If your phone or tablet is too old to update to iOS version 17.3 or newer, see https://fosterinstitute.com/be-prepared-know-the-impact-of-iphone-theft-and-what-to-do-right-now/. for recommendations.

Note: Testing the Stolen Device Protection feature at home may not work, as Apple devices might waive the strict requirements in familiar locations like home or work. You can read all of the details about Apple Stolen Device Protection for iPhone here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212510

Subscribe to maximize your executive potential with Foster Institute’s E-Savvy Newsletter, packed with practical IT security solutions and actionable strategies for success: https://fosterinstitute.com/e-savvy-newsletter/

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general informational purposes only. Technology changes constantly, and some of this information might become obsolete or incorrect. We do not endorse or receive compensation for mentioning products, services, or brand names. Any outbound links provided are for your convenience and to get you started, but we cannot guarantee the security or safety of those external websites. Conducting your research and making an informed decision about any products or services mentioned here is essential. We shall not be held responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided.

The post Safeguard Your Apple iPhones and iPads: Activate the Latest Theft Protection Setting Now! appeared first on Foster Institute.

Faster: Wi-Fi version 6 won’t necessarily speed up your network if you have few wireless devices because it only offers faster speeds when multiple wireless phones, computers, appliances, and other devices connect to the access point. Up to 8 devices can communicate simultaneously with the access points, twice as many as before. The new technology even makes mobile device batteries last longer because Wi-Fi v6 can permit devices to draw less power.

More Secure: The primary security-related feature is mandating a security technology called WPA3. The prior version, WPA2, is more than ten years old and vulnerable to remote password guessing attacks. WPA3 requires an attacker to stay physically close to a network when guessing passwords, and your devices can detect frequent guesses. WPA3 encryption is optional in Wi-Fi v5 but required with Wi-Fi version 6.

Futureproofing and Interoperability: When you buy new devices, they may be so expensive that you don’t replace them for years. The good news is that your old Wi-Fi version 5 devices can work with your new access points, and vice versa, so you don’t need to replace everything immediately. However, over time, replace both to experience all of the benefits of version 6.

Nomenclature: You may have noticed that the Wi-Fi Alliance is ditching the old way of naming wireless technology like 802.11b, 802.11a, etc. Now, they are moving to increase version numbers, starting with Wi-Fi v6. The next version will be v7, then v8, and so on.

Please forward this message to people you know who are buying new Wi-Fi devices so they can seek Wi-Fi v6 certified devices when available. They’ll help futureproof their investment, increase security, and enjoy faster connections in busy environments.

The post When You Buy New Wi-Fi devices, be Sure they Support Wi-Fi Version 6 appeared first on Foster Institute.

First, see if you are vulnerable. Click on the apple symbol on the top left of your screen, then choose About This Mac. If you have macOS High Sierra, you are probably vulnerable. If you have anything else, stop here.

Second, you can protect yourself by making sure nobody other than you can get to your computer. So far, though theoretically possible, the vulnerability has not been exploited remotely unless you have enabled “Share my Screen.” If you feel confident that no bad actors will have access to your computer, you can stop here.

Third, reset the root password. Apple provides the 8 necessary steps at support.apple.com/en-us/HT204012 , Scroll down to the section entitled: Change the Root Password. In their step 7, if the option Edit > Change Root Password is grayed out on your Mac, then instead click the option Edit > Enable Root User and continue with step 8.

Please forward this to everyone you care about that has a Mac.

The post Mac Vulnerability Permits Unauthorized Login appeared first on Foster Institute.

1. Apply the most recent security patches including the ones for Flash and Java.
2. Use click-to-play in your browsers to stop them from automatically running scripts.
3. Be sure all users are local standard users.

Find more details at https://www.fosterinstitute dot com/blog/patching-10-steps-to-seal-the-holes-in-your-armor/

Please forward this to your friends and business associates so they can be sure that they are protected too.

The post Protect Yourself and Your Organization – New Ransomware Outbreak with Added Poison appeared first on Foster Institute.

A drastic solution is to uninstall all browsers. Browsers can’t get hacked when they don’t exist. You can switch to hosted browser service that runs browsers in the cloud, not on your computer.

To see how this works, watch the short videos at authentic8 dot com and Citrix dot com/virtualization/secure-browser

This newsletter is targeted to executives who don’t need to understand technology, so you may choose to forward the following technical information to your IT Department.

And please forward this to anyone whose cybersecurity you care about.

For our more technical audience: As of today, only authentic8’s solution supports general web browsing, but both support web applications.

Since these services put security first, and functionality a close second, you may still need a local browser for some applications if they don’t function properly in the hosted browser environment. But, if that is the case, you may be able to remove Flash and Java from your systems to make your local browsers more secure.

The biggest problem with both products is that they do not have a way to be set as the default browser to be used if a user clicks inside an email message. So, if you must leave a local browser installed, your users will still need to be careful about clicking links in email messages. The solution may be available soon.

Hosted browsers still protect your computers during web browsing sessions. And it becomes practically impossible for an attacker to use a hosted browser to access the sensitive data stored on your network drives.

Investigate using a hosted browser for added protection against the many threats on the Internet that exploit browsers and plugins such as Flash and Java.

The post Finally, a Solution to Solve What May Be the Biggest Cyber Security Risk at Your Organization appeared first on Foster Institute.

Gaining access to your account can provide everything from photos stored in your phone, to the passwords of Wi-Fi access points to which you’ve connected to in the past. That is very concerning.

When attackers know your browsing history, your email messages, your past search terms and the links you’ve clicked, they can use that information to perform very effective attacks tailored to trick you and the members in your company. With knowledge of your passwords, they can wreak all kinds of havoc.

Go get an idea of the kind of data that is stored in the cloud and is potentially accessible to attackers who use the right tools, see google dot com /policies/privacy/

Additionally, there are tools available, such as cloud explorer, that make it easy for even non-technical attackers to conveniently gain access to the sensitive information stored in your phone.

Please forward this to whomever is concerned about their mobile device’s security.

The post Attackers Can Hack Your Phone Without Having Your Phone appeared first on Foster Institute.

An Australian Web Security Specialist, Troy Hunt, has compiled a database containing usernames that have been stolen in hacks and then published or sold. Some people use his site to look up their own email address or username.
His website is haveibeenpwned dot com. (In this case, Pwned refers to a condition of someone else having access to your login credentials.)

At his site, people enter their email address or any usernames they’ve used for online logins. Sometimes, they look up addresses of their family members. If there is a hit, the details of the breach are displayed on the site.

Even if not on the list, there is no guarantee that person’s credentials haven’t been stolen, but it still helps to know.

If you ever suspect that your login credentials to any website have been exposed, it is very important that you reset the password on that site, as well as any other sites where you may have used the same password.

There are other strategies to protect yourself. Enabling two-step-logon is very important these days since it can thwart attackers who know your username and password. Using a password manager, as opposed to letting your browser store passwords, can help make password security more convenient, but it still needs to be used carefully. These strategies are explained in detail elsewhere in this blog.

Forward this to anyone who might want to know if their username and password has been hacked…

The post How to Find Out if Your Password Might Have Been Hacked appeared first on Foster Institute.

Due to more than 35 instances of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones exploding, Samsung has recalled the 2.5 million devices.

Fortunately, none of the explosions happened in an airliner. Yet. And may it please never, ever, happen.

Will the ban be enforced and, if so, how? Do all Samsung device owners know which model they have?

Are we all gambling with our lives when we fly on planes with phones that might explode? Will the airlines deny use of other Lithium battery operated devices to make things easier to enforce? If you cannot take phones with you on a business trip, is this a new business opportunity for someone to rent phones to travelers arriving at airports?

The post “This is Your Captain Speaking – No Samsung Phones Allowed” appeared first on Foster Institute.