Second, attackers will target, more than ever before, organizations who store protected health information. If you are in healthcare, or even if your company name makes it sound like you are in healthcare, ramp up security to unprecedented levels and have a plan of what to do when you are breached.

Third, more attackers will use trusted security software as a vector to infect networks. Attackers already infected the program called C-Cleaner, used by millions of people to, among other things, speed up slow Windows computers. C-Cleaner is a very useful, and trusted, security program. Unfortunately, this tool became a powerful attack tool when attackers took over the update server. What program, one that you trust, will attackers take over to use as a vector to hack your computer?

Please forward this to your friends who can be on the lookout too.

The post Three Serious Trends to Watch Out for in Cyber Security appeared first on Foster Institute.

Do this:

Any data that is non-sensitive in any way, feel completely confident using any of the “cloud” services. This is both for convenience (so you can share between devices and share with people outside of your organization) and or “backup” or archival purposes.

Any data that you deem as slightly sensitive, but the consequences of a breach would be minimal, store that information in the cloud too. When you are making your decision, assume there is a 10% chance that this data will be exposed while in the cloud. In reality, the chance of exposure is probably significantly less than 1%, at least from a technology standpoint. I want you to be overly cautious when you choose what not to put into the cloud.  User and Employee error is also an important factor to consider.

For an added protection: Encrypt the files and data before you put it into the cloud. If you use a service to backup your computer to the cloud, make positive to set the proper settings to encrypt those backups.

For your most sensitive data, store it only on computers that you have direct control over. Do not store any data in the cloud if the loss of the data would be devastating to you, your business, or your customers who trust you with their sensitive information. Period.

The key to knowing what to (and what not to) put into the cloud is to categorize your data and consider risks vs. benefits. Cloud storage can save you time, money, and provide added functionality. Make informed decisions about what to store there.

The post Should You Trust Cloud Storage? appeared first on Foster Institute.