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The latest cyber security concerns span the personal and corporate worlds. Here are five we wanted to bring to your attention:

1. Be on the lookout for Spotify phishing emails. The purpose is to lure Spotify users into giving up their user credentials, which can then be sold or used to hijack users’ other, more profitable accounts – like online banking. This particular attacker has set up a convincing replica of the Spotify login – so be sure you check the actual URL before falling into this trap.
2. Fake apps – check out this recent article about 13 malware-laden fake apps on Google Play, and be sure to use caution when downloading any apps to any of your devices.
3. Doing any online shopping this holiday season? While deals are great, many of the “best” deals turn into disasters when thrifty shoppers give up their credit card details to fake e-commerce sites. Run a “WHOIS” domain search if you are suspicious, and be wary if the date created is very recent. Fake sites go up and down and up and down, similar to illegitimate telemarketing firms that move from place to place, phone number to phone number. Always shop with a credit card to keep thieves away from your bank account. And https: or a padlock symbol is not a guarantee that your shopping experience is secure or that the online store is not just a front for a scam.
4. Have any expiring domains? If you are using them for anything, have a site that used to be active, or have material in the domain you want to keep – be sure to pay your renewal! Criminals have been snapping up recently expired domains to take advantage of legitimate-sounding domain names and using them for ecommerce stores that steal credit card information. Don’t assuming your domain will still be available if you let it lapse, no matter how specific its name.
5. In a recent security report by StackRox, out of 230 organizations surveyed most are concerned that their cloud-deployments are not secure – and one-third of the respondents haven’t started or have just started creating security strategy plans. The respondents’ noted that misconfigurations and post-deployment security were what troubled them the most – and with more and more cloud computing errors leading to compromised and inappropriately exposed data, their fears seem well-founded. Just remember that, while cloud computing offers great services, the ease of access and breadth of data can sometimes be too easy (and too tempting) for hackers.

If you are concerned about securing your personal data as well as your company systems, Blutone Technologies offers the protection you need. Take a look at My Personal Helpdesk and find the system protection that’s right for you – and if you need anything, just give us a ring.

https://www.blutonetech.com.au/mph

Google can be a company’s greatest online ally – or most difficult challenger. Let’s look back and see how we got here, and what you can do to stay in the good graces of the nearly all-powerful search engine.

Google was launched just two decades ago to market Google Search, which quickly became the most widely used web-based search engine. By 2004 they did an IPO and shortly transformed into the world’s largest media company.

Along the way, the megacorporation was no stranger to controversy, between US court orders related to URL and search string disclosure and numerous tax avoidance investigations. In 2011, Google paid less than 1.5% of its nearly £400m earnings in the UK, for example, giving rise to public “tax shaming” protests.

In 2017, Google paid 2.4 bn euros for thwarting shopping comparison website rivals, followed in July of this year by a 4.3 bn euro fine for another antitrust violation related to its Android operating system, and currently is at the end of a two year investigation into its EU AdSense practices.

What does all this mean to you? First off, understand that, no matter how large your company is, it’s probably not larger or more powerful than Google. It’s important to understand that Google can have a significant impact on your company’s marketing. But there are ways to play nice with Google and ensure your business is seen.

Start here: https://www.google.com/business/ Google gives business owners a lot of guidance because, remember, the more information they have about you, the more successful their search engine. However, guidance does not necessarily translate into help. It’s sort of like dealing with Facebook – it’s a DIY exercise with little to no customer support, which can be frustrating.

Google reviews are becoming increasingly important for businesses that work directly with customers in person (think cafes, mechanics, clothing stores, etc.), so be sure you are encouraging your customers to write reviews. Make it easy for them by sending links and information about how to write a review for your business.

Most businesses strive for the elusive “Google ranking,” which is based on the equally elusive “Google algorithm.” While the company’s support pages do contain some information about how to make improvements, it’s often best to find a professional company that specializes in SEO (search engine optimization) marketing to help you.

One of the most important elements in raising your Google ranking is to frequently and consistently place new content on your website. This is most often done through a blog section of your website. It also helps to link out to other sites, and to have other sites link to your site. These are all factors, and again, it is often best to get some outside marketing assistance.

Cyber security is important to Google – their technology “examines billions of URLs per day looking for unsafe websites.” And once your website has been deemed “unsafe” it can take days or weeks to get it back to “safe” status. Don’t leave your system and website security to chance – give us a ring to find out how you can ensure your website is up and running and open for business.

System downtime affects business big and small, and there are hidden costs you may not realize. Click here to read more.

 https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-astonishing-hidden-and-personal-costs-of-it-downtime-and-how-predictive-analytics-might-help/ )

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