RSI Security

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  • Importance of Encryption in the Business World

    Importance of Encryption in the Business World

    Modern businesses are storing and managing a majority of their personal and confidential information online in a cloud with an uninterrupted connection to the web. This makes it nearly impossible to conduct business in a way that keeps your company’s data from falling into the wrong hands. It is for precisely this reason that businesses are incorporating encryption into their cloud data security plans to keep their data private and safe, no matter its location.

    Companies that have yet to realize the benefits of cloud computing in business are beginning to learn that in order to make cloud storage safe, their network must be heavily encrypted. This doesn’t mean that your business needs government or military-grade encryption though; you just need to employ basic encryption solutions that can better protect your network data. Here are a few cybersecurity tips that showcase the importance of encryption and how your business can use cloud computing to your advantage without incurring too many risks from malicious threat actors.

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  • 3 Strategies to Improve Data Security in Small Businesses

    3 Strategies to Improve Data Security in Small Businesses

    Small businesses are constantly being bombarded with the threat of a data breach. Although some feel that there are bigger fish for hackers to fry, 43% of cyber-attacks continue to target small businesses, not large corporations. This is why it is essential for small businesses to fully grasp how to improve data security across the entire organization.

    But something that is consistent across the board for many small businesses is the question of where to begin with their plans and strategy for data security. Most lack the type of budget needed to hire the level of on-site IT support needed to remediate vulnerabilities. 

    It is for this reason that even if small businesses are outsourcing their cybersecurity support to an outside agency, they still need to integrate an internal cybersecurity plan into their organization that their team can use to proactive regulate their data security. Let’s review the top three strategies for how to improve data security that small businesses can integrate into their organization immediately.  

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  • How Are E-Commerce Websites Affected By GDPR Regulations?

    How Are E-Commerce Websites Affected By GDPR Regulations?

    E-Commerce websites are constantly under scrutiny for a myriad of reasons. Whether it be from consumers or regulatory committees, these websites need to play defense 24/7 to ensure their networks remain compromise-free from the threat of hackers. This is one of the main reasons why the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted in Europe in 2006.

    Although GDPR may be somewhat of a regulatory headache for e-commerce websites, it is also important for keeping consumer data secure. With an estimated average of 4,800 e-commerce websites every month becoming compromised by hackers inserting malicious code into their website to steal payment information such as credit card numbers, names, and more – there is no denying that a strong defense is the perfect solution.  

    This is why having a GDPR compliance checklist for e-commerce companies is incredibly advantageous in helping overcome these malicious network intruders. Let’s walk you through our GDPR e-commerce checklist that helps online retailers understand the importance of GDPR and what rules and regulations they should familiarize themselves and their IT teams with.

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  • Vulnerability Management Best Practices For E-Commerce Businesses

    Vulnerability Management Best Practices For E-Commerce Businesses

    Vulnerability management is a crucial part of any e-commerce business. Whether you are a technical engineer, IT manager or CIO, you should be aware that basic vulnerability scans alone are not enough to secure your business. Decreasing cyberattacks and threats require a strategic, robust and holistic method of vulnerability management.

    E-commerce businesses face unprecedented amount of cyberattacks and this happens more frequently. According to a Big Brother Watch study, 19.5 million attacks happen in the UK each year. That’s 37 cyberattacks within a minute. Because of this, every individual in an e-commerce business should put in mind that vulnerability management best practices are necessary to secure its networks and information.

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  • Vulnerability Scanning vs. Patch Management: What’s the Difference?

    Vulnerability Scanning vs. Patch Management: What’s the Difference?

    In September 2017, Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, has suffered a major data breach that exposed the personal data of 148 million American consumers. This data breach is related to the “critical vulnerability” in the Apache Struts software that was publicly disclosed in March 2017. According to a report by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform released in December of 2018, “Equifax used Apache Struts to run certain applications on legacy operating systems. The following day, the Department of Homeland Security alerted Equifax to this critical vulnerability.”

    On March 9, the Global Threat and Vulnerability Management team of Equifax sent this alert via email to more than 400 individuals. They told anyone who had Apache Struts to apply the necessary patch within 48 hours.

    Equifax, however, didn’t apply the necessary patch. This led to the exposure of their system and data for 76 days. The report implies the need for any business to reinforce, emphasize and enhance the vulnerability scanning and patch management processes and procedures.

    Vulnerability scanning and patch management are two terms that are seemingly identical, but that is not the case. While they have a compatible relationship, they are not the same. It is important for a business to learn the difference between these terms or else it could suffer from a cybersecurity attack similar to that of Equifax.

    Let’s define these two terms and see the difference.

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  • Email Security Tips For Employees: How to Keep Your Organization Protected

    Email Security Tips For Employees: How to Keep Your Organization Protected

    Since slightly after the dawn of the internet, many companies have transitioned to using an email client for sending regular communications in-house.  This transition has opened up a world full of productive conversations that have optimized the time of organizations large a small. Unfortunately, it also has opened them all up to increased risk.

    Since 92.4% of malware is delivered via email and that the average cost of a cyber-attack is nearly $3 million, we can see the need to spend considerably more time and resources on keeping these cyber-attacks at bay. Using your organization’s cyber resources wisely to combat these threats takes implementing a series of strategies outlined in the rest of this article. Let’s walk through the email guidelines in the workplace that employees can use to help ensure the safety and security of their company’s data.

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  • Why Is Cyber Hygiene Important?

    Why Is Cyber Hygiene Important?

    The key to keeping your network in the clear from security threats is to remain in a constant state of perpetual forward motion when it comes to your cyber hygiene. Many modern companies rely almost exclusively on cyber functions to carry out day-to-day tasks, making it incredibly important for leadership and employees to understand how to work smarter and safer when dealing with cyber entities. 

    Being more cyber aware and practicing healthy cyber hygiene, is what will ultimately help you keep your business in the green when you need it most. Let’s look at the benefits of cyber hygiene and how you can begin adopting these strategies into your organization immediately.

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  • HITRUST Scoring Guide: What is it and How Does it Work?

    HITRUST Scoring Guide: What is it and How Does it Work?

    In 2007, the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) took the world of healthcare security by storm when it introduced a framework that does not only protect sensitive information but also manage risks for global organizations across third-party supply chains. 

    Technically-speaking, the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) characterizes and transforms HITECH and HIPAA requirements into a standard functional procedure which is subsequently documented and compared to other data privacy and security regulations. 

    This allows healthcare organizations to effectively cultivate compliance and be able to meet an extensive range of regulatory requirements. Apart from bringing together HIPAA and HITECH, the HITRUST CSF also boasts globally-recognized security standards such as PCI, COBIT, FTC, ISO, Red Flags, and NIST which work together to take a visionary approach to risk mitigation and data protection.

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  • Best Practices For FINTECH Compliance

    Best Practices For FINTECH Compliance

    Today, you can snap a photo of a check and deposit it without ever leaving your couch, making banking and investing more convenient than ever. This revolution is largely thanks to the rise of Financial Technology or Fintech. Fintech’s impact reaches beyond ordinary people, allowing companies to improve operational efficiency and customer convenience.  With this new technology comes a greater responsibility to protect consumers’ financial and personal information by keeping up-to-date on Fintech compliance regulations. 

    Are you a financial institution or startup trying to achieve Fintech compliance? Read on to find out how to comply with the rules and regulations. 

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  • HITECH Enforcement & Penalties

    HITECH Enforcement & Penalties

    When you’re sick and at the doctor’s office, you have to reveal a lot of personal information for the physician to properly treat you. Within your file contains your demographic information, your personal medical history, mental health, tests and lab results, insurance information, and more. All of this falls under a specific category called protected health information (PHI).

    In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in order to protect patients’ PHI. Privacy and security weren’t the only topics covered in HIPAA. It also addressed health insurance prices and changes, encouraged the use of electronic health records (EHRs), and developed the groundwork for a national healthcare standard.

    HIPAA was amended — rather, bolstered — in 2009, when Congress passed the HITECH Act. It addressed many of the problems arising from HIPAA and helped bring the framework into the 21st century. It also brought with it harsher penalties for HIPAA noncompliance. To avoid these fees, healthcare providers and their business associates must understand the HITECH Act penalties and enforcement.

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