Every month, in our printed newsletter and on our website’s blog, we tell you about the latest cyber security horror stories. We’ve told you about companies that have endured millions of dollars of damage from ransomware attacks. We’ve written about companies who have had to pay millions of dollars in fines to state and federal authorities because they didn’t protect their own customer’s data.

Password managers are pieces of software that store and recall passwords so you don’t have to remember them yourself. They’ve been around a long time, and are becoming more common and popular than ever. But should you use a password manager?

It used to be that password managers were considered reckless toys for lazy people that made your passwords -- and therefore your company’s cyber security -- more vulnerable.

Trustwave published its Global Security Report for 2019, which reveals the changing face of malware and data breaches. For business owners and IT managers, what is most important is how cyber security strategies must change in order to stay ahead of the advances in the speed and stealthy methods of the attacks.

About one month after it was revealed that ASUS computers’ update system was breached, resulting in potentially one million computers being infected with malware, it was announced this month that Dell computers may be similarly vulnerable via its SupportAssist software.

One of the most common ways for hackers to attack any individual or company is through email. And once a hacker gains access to your email, they can often gain access to many other parts of your business. So locking down your email with appropriate modern security measures is a very easy and powerful step in preventing an initial breach.

Most hacks affect one computer at a time, and the hackers are thrilled with each new success. But imagine a hack that was so clever that it infected almost a million computers all at once. That is what happened to owners of ASUS desktop computers and laptops in a hack that was discovered a full 6 months after it began, which allowed many more computers to be violated.

These days, more and more businesses are doing more and more things on the internet. Phones, video surveillance cameras, and other devices have become almost as popular as the computers sitting on every employee’s desk. But if you have all of these devices all sharing the same internal network, you might be endangering your ability to conduct business, your online security and the physical security of your entire facility.

Is your business growing? That’s great news! But often business growth comes with its own set of challenges. You might need bigger offices, new desks and…new technology. But if you think back to when you last bought servers for your business (and everything that went with it), you might remember that it was a very expensive investment.

There’s just one bank in Chile, named RedBanc, that is responsible for managing that country’s entire ATM network, and despite the fact that they had advanced security protocols in place, the bank’s security was breached. The threat began with two tools that may be used in your office every day, LinkedIn and Skype.

What would you do if you lost $145 million? File for bankruptcy is a likely answer. Here’s a better question: What would you do to prevent losing $145 million? The answer to that second question is apparently “nothing” for a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange called QuadrigaCX. They recently filed for bankruptcy because their company founder and CEO passed away while on a business trip, and he was the only person who had the encryption keys for $145 million in cryptocurrency that his exchange was holding for its clients.